Chapter 31: Conditions

Chapter 31: Conditions

"Boss Yao, this is just the first investment. From now on, we can provide 100 spirit stones every year." Wu Jinfei handed over the spirit stones and continued to convey the group's decision.

It was unrealistic to expect Yao Shifeng to rise to power and become their protector with just a one-time investment. Therefore, they agreed to invest in him annually, with each member contributing 25 spirit stones per year. While this might be a bit of a burden initially, as they gained experience in their trade, their income would grow, making the contribution much easier to bear.

Wu Jinfei's words filled Yao Shifeng with joy—this was an unexpected windfall. He had already planned to seek support from the group each year, but with them offering it proactively, it was even better.

"Of course, Boss Yao, this comes with conditions," Wu Jinfei took a deep breath, glancing at Gu Mo. It was Gu Mo who had proposed this continuous investment, along with the condition that followed—one that everyone found reasonable.

"What conditions?"

Yao Shifeng straightened up slightly.

"The condition is that you must show us visible progress in your strength," Wu Jinfei said seriously. The biggest concern with investments was getting no returns. When Gu Mo suggested this condition, the group had no objections.

"Agreed!"

To Yao Shifeng, this was hardly a demand at all. If he couldn't continuously improve his strength, then what was the point of rising to power? With his confidence reignited, Yao Shifeng was now full of determination.

After agreeing to meet again in a year, he left in a hurry—he needed to convert his spirit stones into strength as soon as possible.

---

"Hu Hai!"

Gu Mo called out to Hu Hai, who was about to leave. Seeing Gu Mo toss him a small pouch, Hu Hai caught it with a puzzled expression.

"This is…?"

Opening the pouch, he found a full pound of spirit rice inside. Though he was on the Pill Peak and unfamiliar with the workings of the Spirit Plant Hall, he knew that while it wasn't impossible for outer disciples to obtain resources from their respective peaks, it was never easy.

Take Pill Peak, for example. His task was to process medicinal herbs, and the amount of raw material provided always exceeded the amount he was required to turn in. This was because processing inevitably led to some losses.

If his losses were too great and he failed to meet the quota, his task would be marked as unsuccessful, and he wouldn't get paid. But if he was skilled enough to minimize losses, any excess herbs could be kept as personal profit.

Hu Hai was still struggling just to meet the quota. It would take a few years before he could consistently reduce waste and trade surplus herbs with other cultivators.

Now, however, Gu Mo had casually handed him a whole pound of spirit rice. To Hu Hai, this clearly meant Gu Mo had already established himself in the spirit farming trade.

Yet, Hu Hai had just invested 25 spirit stones in Yao Shifeng and had no stones left to buy the spirit rice.

"This is what I promised you before—I said I'd give you some spirit rice once I joined the Spirit Plant Hall." Gu Mo smiled. A while ago, Hu Hai had given him a small but well-intentioned reminder, and now Gu Mo was repaying that kindness with a pound of spirit rice.

Hu Hai was momentarily stunned, then suddenly recalled their conversation back in the outer disciples' area when they were discussing their future plans.

"Then next time, I'll bring you some herbs," Hu Hai said as he accepted the rice, making his own promise in return.

---

"Gu Mo, you're really full of surprises."

After Hu Hai left, Chu Feifei approached Gu Mo. She had always suspected that Gu Mo was far more capable than he appeared. Her suspicions began when she first experienced his cleaning technique, and time and again, he had proven her right.

"I can't compare to you!"

Gu Mo glanced at Chu Feifei. She was likely the most advanced cultivator in their small circle. Although Yao Shifeng had been the first to enter the Qi Refining stage, he had wasted too much time on Talisman Peak. Chu Feifei, on the other hand, had made rapid progress thanks to her special physique and had already caught up.

If they were looking for someone to invest in, Chu Feifei would have been the best choice. If she could fully unlock the potential of her special physique, her talent would rival that of inner disciples.

"Come on, let's find a place to properly discuss cleaning technique cultivation!" Chu Feifei rolled her eyes at him. Now that her secret had been exposed to Gu Mo, she knew she wouldn't be able to hide much from him.

But at least this meant she could openly seek his guidance on the cleaning technique, which had become one of the most important aspects of her cultivation.

"Perfect, I have something I need your help with." Gu Mo nodded.

"Oh? What do you need help with?"

Hearing that Gu Mo was finally asking for her assistance, Chu Feifei became curious. He was always the one helping her, and she had long wanted to repay the favor. Mutual assistance was the best foundation for a relationship.

"I have a damaged formation disk. Can you take a look and see if it can be repaired?"

Chu Feifei was an outer disciple of Formation Peak and had a much better understanding of formations than he did. Gu Mo wanted her to assess whether the disk was salvageable.

If the formation disk could be restored, he would have a high-quality disk containing both an illusion array and a defensive formation.

"Sure! But don't get your hopes up too high—I still have a lot to learn about formations."

Hearing that Gu Mo had managed to obtain a formation disk, Chu Feifei wasn't surprised. Instead, she gave him a knowing look.

Gu Mo always seemed to have hidden resources. While others were struggling just to complete their outer disciple tasks, he had already gathered rare items like formation disks—even damaged ones were worth a significant amount of spirit stones.

"No worries!"

Gu Mo waved it off, then led Chu Feifei out of the market area. As she followed him, she was surprised to see him take out a paper crane.

Spirit rice, a formation disk, a paper crane… Chu Feifei was beginning to realize that Gu Mo's wealth far exceeded what any outer disciple should have.

"Hop on!"

Gu Mo gestured for the stunned Chu Feifei to get on. He had placed the damaged formation disk in his spirit field, so naturally, he needed to take her there to examine it.

Normally, the best option for repairing a damaged formation disk would be to hire a professional formation master. If that wasn't possible, even an experienced outer disciple from Formation Peak would be a good choice. But Gu Mo had chosen Chu Feifei, who had only been in Formation Peak for a year.

The reason was simple—he trusted her more than anyone else.

Gu Mo already knew Chu Feifei's biggest secret. Now, by revealing some minor secrets of his own, he could strengthen the trust between them.

Trust was an extremely rare commodity in the cultivation world.

Beyond that, asking Chu Feifei for help was cost-effective. Even if she couldn't fix the disk now, he could afford to wait.

He could even offer her an advance on the repair fee as a way to support her—an investment in their future collaboration. Who knew? Maybe one day, he'd have a trusted formation master as a friend.