Volume 1 Chapter 31: Senior Brother, Like a Dutiful Dad Sending His Daughter to School
Tn: Edited at 5 / 16 / 2025
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Profound Star Sect Market Street, Shop No. 13, Zone A.
"Just place that inside. Move the vase over here. As for the beds—five per room. The folding screens too, set them up over there…"
A handsome young man stood at the entrance of the newly rented shop, directing a group of strong laborers as they bustled about. The whole place was alive with activity, and at the center of it all was none other than Ye Anping.
While Pei Lengxue and Feng Yudie were busy participating in the disciple selection event, Ye Anping had been running himself ragged setting up this little business of his—a therapy clinic.
After all, this modest shop was going to be the main source of income for him and his junior sister from now on.
Over the past two days, he had been asking around the Market Street, doing his homework.
According to what he'd learned, disciples who passed the disciple selection event would be granted an inner sect status by the Profound Star Sect, which came with all kinds of benefits: daily necessities fully covered without spending a single spirit stone, monthly allowances of pills, and even personalized spiritual swords and tamed beasts in the future.
But…
His junior sister wasn't one of them.
As an attendant, she had to pay tuition.
And not just tuition.
Meals in the sect's cafeteria cost spirit stones.
Using the martial training grounds? Spirit stones.
Buying clothes? Spirit stones.
Even dormitories weren't free—there was a rental fee.
Basically, it was like those private high schools from his previous life. Except here, the tuition felt more like that of an elite aristocratic academy. No scholarships. No financial aid. Nothing.
So, if he wanted both himself and Pei Lengxue to cultivate properly within the sect, he—her senior brother—had no choice but to hustle and make some serious cash.
He did briefly consider hitting up his dad for some financial support… but then again, asking for parental handouts in a world of cultivators? Kinda pathetic.
Besides, struggling a bit would be good for experience.
Worst case scenario, if things didn't work out, he could always go back and inherit his dad's sect, the Hundred Lotus Sect.
"Phew~"
Wiping the sweat from his brow, Ye Anping looked up at the signboard that now read "Ye Therapy Pavilion". He nodded in satisfaction.
Sure, if his father ever found out he was running a massage parlor out here, he'd probably fly in on a sword just to beat his butt…
But still…
"Great work, everyone!" he said with a grin, patting the doorway. He reached into his storage bag and took out several jars of wine, along with roasted chicken and duck. "I got some food and drinks for everyone—come eat when you're done!"
"Nice! Thanks, young boss!"
The head laborer flashed a toothy grin, and just like that, the crew's work efficiency jumped up a notch.
If things kept up at this pace, the shop would be ready to open by tomorrow.
Stretching his shoulders, Ye Anping glanced up at the sky—it was already late, almost the start of a new day. Once they wrapped up and had their midnight snack, he planned to crash in the back room.
Today was also the end of the sparring trial. If things went according to the game storyline, that senior sister named Bai Yuelin was probably crying in her room right about now.
His "marketplace-wide 20% discount coupon" was just waiting for him to go cheer her up.
Munching on a chicken leg, Ye Anping began pondering the best way to console Bai Yuelin. He couldn't enter the sect yet, and Sky Cloud Peak was completely off-limits to him. If Bai Yuelin kept herself locked in her room sulking, getting in to see her would be an impossible task.
As he gnawed at the crispy skin, one of the workers nearby spoke up.
"Say, young boss, what exactly is this therapy pavilion of yours? We've been working around this market for decades, and we've never heard of such a thing."
"It's for massage," Ye Anping replied casually.
"Massage? Isn't that something you find in the red-light district?"
Ye Anping chuckled. "The brothels might do massage, sure—but where do they massage, huh? I don't do that kind of thing here. If you're curious, just come try it out sometime. I'll give you guys a 10% discount."
"How much is that?"
"Forty-five spirit stones for half an hour."
"Seriously? That pricey? We'd never be able to afford it!"
The workers all shook their heads and dropped the topic, returning to their food and drinks.
Ye Anping didn't mind. His target customers were always meant to be the disciples of Profound Star Sect. For them, this price was basically just the reward from a single mission—nothing worth sweating over.
He quietly took out a ledger and, using a little spiritual energy, began writing and calculating in the air.
"Three thousand spirit stones total… subtract rent, renovations… my junior sister's tuition, fees… and we're already broke. Ugh—!"
Ye Anping let out a silent curse. Why couldn't Wu You have carried more spirit stones when he left home?
Then, he remembered something.
When Wang Shaoren visited the Hundred Lotus Sect, he mentioned that he could use Wu You's identity badge to claim his mission rewards at the sect. But… that wasn't something Ye Anping could risk doing.
If he used Wu You's identity badge, it'd only take a bit of asking around for people to figure out that a guy named Ye Anping had claimed the bounty using Wu You's ID.
And it wouldn't take a genius to conclude that he probably looted Wu You's storage bag.
He was still in the Qi Refining Realm, yet he was carrying around a bunch of high-grade magical tools meant for Core Formation cultivators.
If that ever got out…
Yeah. He'd rather not die today.
Honestly, he didn't even know how to safely get rid of the stuff.
"Ugh—"
Another long sigh escaped his lips.
But then—tap.
A small, soft hand gently landed on his shoulder.
"You… can you give me another therapeutic treatment? Like the one last time… the kind where you… mmm… inhale~"
Ye Anping almost leapt out of his skin.
He'd been so deep in thought, he didn't even notice someone sneaking up behind him.
Spinning around, he found a young woman standing there with a dazed, almost haunted look in her eyes. For a moment, he didn't recognize her.
"… …"
Inhale… exhale… inhale…
"…S-Senior Bai…?"
"Mm." Bai Yuelin gave a tiny nod, her lips pressed into a delicate pout.
"Y-you— what happened to you?!"
Ye Anping scanned her up and down, absolutely stunned.
He knew that Bai Yuelin would end up emotionally crushed after losing to Feng Yudie in the sparring trial…
But this?
This wasn't just a loss—this was total annihilation.
Bai Yuelin now looked like a ghost from some tragic folktale—like the legendary Lady Meng Jiang, who cried until the Great Wall collapsed. Her entire being radiated a haunting melancholy. Even the workers—still sipping wine and chewing on roasted chicken—started scooting their stools a few feet away.
Ye Anping hesitated for only a moment before grabbing a plate of chicken and tossing a bag of spirit stones onto the table. "Alright, everyone, eat up! That's your pay for today. Split it among yourselves—and if it's not enough, come find me tomorrow."
"Got it, boss!"
Without wasting another second, Ye Anping handed Bai Yuelin the chicken with one hand, grabbed her wrist with the other, and gently pulled her into the therapy parlor.
As she looked around at the fresh furnishings, Bai Yuelin asked in a soft, unsure voice, "How much… does a therapeutic treatment cost?"
"Well…" Ye Anping paused, then smiled. "Technically, we're not open yet. So… today, it's free."
"I couldn't possibly—"
"It's fine, really. Didn't you help me get the shop permit application approved? This is just a thank-you gift."
Guiding her to the inner room, Ye Anping gently pushed her down onto one of the therapy beds, then took out a small incense burner and lit it.
"Just lie down and relax, Senior."
"…Okay…"