Chapter 60: Getting Scammed

Chapter 60: Getting Scammed

William was sprawled on the bed, beyond sick with having to repeatedly scarf down the same spirit fruit for the second day in a row. He had been able to eat ten Lightning Berries today, but that would be it until his Impurity had reduced to a comfortable level.

Impurity: Stage 1 (90%)

9 Days Remaining

It wouldn’t be a complete disaster for him to go to stage two. Still, he wanted some breathing space for an emergency Vitality Pill if necessary in the near future. After all, the time required for his body to naturally filter out the impurities at stage two would be exponentially increased.

Unfortunately, he suspected that the Lightning Berries would soon stop having any sort of effect on his attributes. It was both a good and bad thing. Good in that he would be forced to eat another spirit fruit, and bad in that he would need to buy that spirit fruit since Wang Xiaoling had taken most that were high-quality to sell. Hopefully, the efficiency of Lightning Berries would last for at least twelve more.

Stamina: 24 (20)

Agility: 24 (20) + 10

That would be just enough for William to max those two attributes, but since when did something happen as he wished? He wouldn’t be surprised if the next Lightning Berry he ate did nothing.

He stared at the ceiling for a few seconds, willing himself to move and get the last thing to do on his list over with. With a groan that sounded like he was in worse pain than when Li Xinyue was knocking him around, he got off the bed, feeling more like a normal human than he ever did since he arrived in this world.

William supposed that the lazy feeling after being bloated by overeating was the same no matter where. He sat cross-legged on the floor and took a few breaths until his annoyance at his bloatedness was washed away and calm returned.

[+2 Spirit]

[Max Spirit Reached]

[Modified | Spiritual Energy: 130/130 (20% per Hour)]

[Trait Modified | Soul Damage (Minor) - 14% Attribute Reduction]

His lips formed a slight smile at the alerts before it quickly dropped off when he felt Qi getting released from his dantian. It was guided through the pathways, and as it neared the lung meridian, William thought of trying to lead the Qi there. However, like it was reacting to his intentions, the bright speck in that principal meridian pulsed as if warning him not to try.

He debated for the briefest moments on doing it anyway, but with the pulse increasing in intensity, he left it alone and continued to guide the Qi to his heart meridian. It was eagerly absorbed, and he could easily sense that the thin, silvery fog inside seemed slightly denser. Still, it hadn’t formed the concentrated speck of Qi that the lung meridian possessed.

William exhaled and opened his eyes, mood significantly lifted as he stared at his changed status screen.

Spiritual Energy: 130/130 (20% per Hour)

Spirit: 30 (26)

Strength: 20 (17)

Stamina: 24 (21)

Agility: 24 (21) + 10

Luck: 30 (26)

“What do you mean,” William asked before pointing at himself in confusion, “How am I being strange?”

Wang Xiaoling stared at him for a few seconds silently with narrowed eyes, making William think that he overdid his bootlicking.

“Well, it’s good you know this!” Wang Xiaoling laughed happily, “I have connections that’ll let me sell everything at a great price!”

William remembered how Wang Xiaoling said she had no connections when they first met, the complete opposite of what she now claimed. He supposed everything she told him was suspect, even her origins of being kicked out of her clan.

“It’s good that you returned today, Sister Xiaoling. You can take the rest of the spirit fruits before I leave the city.”

“The attendant at the Clinic told me it would close in two days. That’s why I rushed here.” It took a moment for William to realize that she was talking about Li Xinyue. “Anyway, I have a once-in-a-lifetime offer for you!”

He was suddenly reminded of the sleazy timeshare salespeople he had encountered in the past life.

“I’m starting an official Merchant House of the Tianxia Empire. The first step to making myself the number one trader in the world!” Wang Xiaoling exclaimed with sparkling eyes, “Since you were such a great help, I’m allowing you to be my only investor!”

William wondered if this was why she didn’t try to skim the profits from the sales of the spirit fruits. Still, his instincts were screaming at him to say no instantly, but he kept in mind the alerts he saw after trying to use Observe on her.

“Wow! How much did you need from me, Sister Xiaoling?”

“It’s not much, really. I thought about the amount I’m putting in and how much I’ll need from you to make it work, and it comes out to around ten thousand Gold.”

William immediately knew what she was going for. If the rest of the spirit fruits sold for approximately the same amount of Gold, he would end with just over what she asked.

“That’s a lot.”

“I know,” Wang Xiaoling agreed, “But it’ll be worth it. Besides, what do you need all that Gold for right now? If you invest it in my Merchant House, you will never have to think of money in the future!”

William agreed with part of that. He certainly didn’t need Gold for anything and doubted if he would in the future. It was Qi Stones that interested him. If Wang Xiaoling was actually telling the truth, then this might indeed be a ‘once in a lifetime opportunity,’ as she said.

However, with how she couldn’t help but greedily stare at the bank notes in his hands, notes that she had just handed him minutes ago, William was leaning toward this being a scam. Still, he would stay on her good side, even if it meant he would have to forget about the original intentions with this Gold.

The workers at The Garden who encountered a disaster in the form of Lan Yin wouldn’t be forgotten. In fact, William promised himself that he would see to it that they would be given even more riches than the Gold he had to give to Wang Xiaoling instead.

They were currently safe in The Garden as long as they hadn’t broken the rules of that place. However, he still needed to gain some sort of influence in the world he was still unfamiliar with. Even if that influence came in the form of the strange and suspicious Wang Xiaoling.

“Alright, Sister Xiaoling,” William agreed with a smile, “Could you take the rest of the Gold you need from the spirit fruits that haven’t been sold yet?”

“That was the plan!” Wang Xiaoling’s smile was so broad that her eyes were partially closed, “They should sell enough to give you around five thousand Gold, so you can give me five right now, and that will be enough.”

A few minutes later, William stood alone in his room, holding a thousand Gold in banknotes, feeling like an idiot.

“Well, at least I got something from the spirit fruits,” William muttered as he stared at the notes before his eyes grew wide. He ran out of the room, almost cracking the door at the force it swung open, and chased Wang Xiaoling.

He had forgotten about the side quest that needed a payment from her to be considered complete.