Qin Yue Establishes Her Authority

In less than a day, most of the magical tools had been sold; not a single formation disk remained. That day alone, over thirty magical implements and twelve sets of formations were sold, bringing in two hundred thousand spirit stones.

That evening, the two nouveau riche hosted a small banquet at Immortal Perch, setting out a lavish spread of spiritual cuisine and wine, indulging themselves for once, and inviting their fellow townsman, Xia Nuo’an, to join them. During the meal, the owners and staff of Domineering Implements began to summarize their sales experience.

Owner Luo Yu was puzzled. “Why is it that last time, even with all of Qin Yue’s promotion, it had no effect at all?”

Xia Nuo’an, her mouth stuffed with a tender, braised Snow-Pickled Spirit Rabbit leg, replied nonchalantly, cheeks puffed, “If I hadn’t seen the goods myself, I wouldn’t have bought anything either. Who knows if it’s just false advertising? Even on Taobao you have to check ratings and reviews! And these old fogeys are all so stuck in their ways, always rejecting anything new... But I bet once they see how good your stuff is, they’ll start blindly following the trend. When you make it big, don’t forget about me!”

The two owners suddenly understood: when it comes to shopping insights, girls really do have a knack for it! It seemed that they would have to be out there in person more often to truly open up the market. Eager to learn from Xia Nuo’an, they drew up a series of promotional policies—points for magical implements, discounts for returning customers, referral bonuses for bringing in new clients, and so on. Xia Nuo’an took the opportunity to suggest they develop magical tools specifically for women; as long as they were cute and beautiful enough, she’d bring all her senior and junior sisters to shop. Currently, no cultivation store specialized in tools designed for women... Of course, they’d have to be on sale!

While the bosses were busy planning their business empire, the two employees simply focused on eating—they felt genuinely happy: back when they struggled together, they couldn’t even afford to stay at the inn. As heroic cultivators, they neither robbed nor harmed others, so poor that they couldn’t buy even basic spirit herbs, always having to forage in the mountains. Especially Qing Huo, who had been desperately poor before meeting Su Heng. Treating people to dinner truly wins hearts; the subordinates were now even more convinced that they had chosen the right leaders.

After chatting with their female guest for a while, the conversation inevitably drifted into strange territory.

Luo Yu, feigning casualness, tried to glean information from Xia Nuo’an about the Jiutian Palace—like whether the spiritual garden had many spirit flowers, and where exactly it was located.

Xia Nuo’an paused, sizing up Luo Yu with narrowed eyes.

Pressure instantly mounted for Luo Yu.

Suddenly, Xia Nuo’an sneered, tossed her spirit fowl wing onto her plate, and said, “So this is why you were so eager to treat me... You just wanted to pry information out of me.”

Luo Yu stiffened awkwardly.

Xia Nuo’an slammed the table in anger. “You think just because you fed me I’ll spill all the sect’s secrets? Do you take me for a fool?”

Luo Yu shrank back, hiding behind Qin Yue. Qin Yue remained serene, sipping her spirit wine as if nothing had happened. The two employees looked on in confusion: What did they just say?

With a dismissive huff, Xia Nuo’an sat down again and took a sip of spirit wine. “You all went up the mountain, didn’t you? How did it go? You haven’t said a word about it. If you want information, at least show some sincerity. Don’t think girls are easy to fool!”

Luo Yu: “...”

The ensuing exchange went smoothly; after the appropriate price was paid, both sides were satisfied.

Cradling several white jade boxes, Xia Nuo’an couldn’t hide her delight. “You remember the shift changes, right? If you get caught, don’t you dare mention me. Even if you do, I’ll never admit to it—I’m just an innocent bystander, tricked by ill-intentioned people because I let my guard down.”

Luo Yu nodded eagerly. “Understood, understood.”

The two employees stared, wide-eyed: What is happening here? Are our bosses... actually planning a theft? No way! Have our righteous, heroic saviors completely fallen from grace?

Qing Huo leaped in front of Luo Yu, knelt, and said loudly, “Master, please reconsider! The Jiutian Palace is heavily guarded and full of danger. I beg you not to risk yourselves so recklessly... Besides, theft is not the act of a true hero; it could damage your reputation!”

Xia Nuo’an scoffed from the side, “How many spirit stones is reputation worth per pound? I’ll sell you a few.”

Luo Yu, flustered, offered an excuse, “Don’t worry! I’m really very capable! Heroes don’t fuss over trifles. Look, the Jiutian Palace is overflowing with spiritual energy—we’re just taking a few spirit seedlings and seeds, no big deal. Anyway, to be real heroes, we have to be strong first! Once we improve our cultivation, we can give back to society. Isn’t that the best of both worlds? Think about it—when you reach the Golden Core stage, you’ll be able to take down evildoers. It’s all for the greater good, sacrificing ourselves for everyone else. Tarnish ourselves so others stay clean—that’s what makes a true hero.”

Qing Huo felt this logic was a bit skewed, but the deep-rooted imprint of his beliefs left him lost and confused. His mind was in turmoil, and all he could do was repeat, “Master, please don’t risk your life!”

One tried to reason, the other stubbornly refused to budge.

Qin Yue, watching with growing impatience, stood up, flung her hand, and said coldly, “If you think we’re acting dishonorably, you’re free to leave and find another master.”

Qing Huo was shocked. “I would never dare, Mistress!”

Qin Yue’s voice was icy. “If that’s so, why do you constantly defy your superiors? What use are such subordinates?”

Qing Huo trembled. “I admit my mistake, Mistress. Please punish me!”

Su Heng, watching from the side, gritted his teeth and stepped forward. “I will heed your teachings and never again speak out of turn or disturb your decisions. Please forgive me, Mistress!”

Luo Yu looked on in confusion: Why is it that my kind words are ignored, but a scolding works wonders?

Qin Yue fixed her cold gaze on the two of them for a long while. “Since you’ve chosen to follow me, you must acknowledge me as your master. Decide now whether to stay or leave. From today on, if you oppose me again, there will be consequences. I have no need for the disloyal. If anyone under me harbors a divided heart, they will end up like this.” With a wave of her hand, a gleaming snakeskin appeared on the floor. “Go and think carefully.”

Qing Huo and Su Heng were aghast. Although they had heard that the two had taken down that demon cultivator, seeing the evidence firsthand was shocking. Their master had slain a Golden Core cultivator while only at the Foundation Establishment stage—what a display of power! Without hesitation, they declared in unison, “We are willing to follow our master and swear undying loyalty!”

Qin Yue narrowed her eyes and said slowly, “Since you refuse to leave, I will allow it. You will be rewarded for merit, but punished harshly for mistakes.”

Both Qing Huo and Su Heng knelt on one knee and bowed. “Yes, Mistress. We will remember your words.”

Qin Yue nodded and sat back in her chair. With a wave of her hand, a row of gleaming, high-grade magical implements appeared on the nearby table. These were all top-quality items, intended for Foundation Establishment cultivators, never displayed for sale at the street stall.

She said coolly, “Each of you pick one. The implements you’re using now are an embarrassment to me.”

After the stick, the sweet reward was a balm to both men’s hearts. They had coveted these implements while selling at the stall, but dared not ask for them. Now, seeing even better ones laid out for their choosing felt like a dream, and they hesitated to step forward.

Qin Yue said, “What are you waiting for? Do you want me to choose for you?”

They hurriedly replied, “We wouldn’t dare!” and cheerfully went up to select their implements.

In the end, Qing Huo chose a thunder-attribute longsword named “Night-Day,” while Su Heng picked a wood-attribute whip called “Peel-Away.”

This turn of events left Xia Nuo’an, witnessing from the side, tempted to betray her own sect. She wasn’t really afraid of Qin Yue—though not exactly kind, she wasn’t the type to kill or punish recklessly, having at least been influenced by the rule of law. If she joined this group, she’d have much more freedom, and visiting home would be no trouble... But that was just wishful thinking. Once you enter the palace gates, it’s as deep as the sea—nothing but tears.

With dinner finished and gifts handed out, the gathering dispersed.

That night, Luo Yu, still feeling indignant, straddled Qin Yue, pinning her beautiful hands above her head and grumbling sourly, “Am I not as domineering as you? Damn it! Aren’t you still obediently lying beneath me now? Why do you always get your way?”

Qin Yue chuckled softly. With a burst of strength, she reversed their positions in an instant. “Because of this.”

Luo Yu pouted, “I’m a brainy, intellectual type! You’re all just muscle-bound fighters!”

Qin Yue’s voice softened, “If not for fighters, who would protect you?”

Looking at the handsome face so close to his own, Luo Yu’s cheeks flushed and his wide eyes grew hazy. His heart sounded alarm bells: What’s going on? This feels ominous! As if something inside me has been struck! Could it be Cupid’s arrow of passionate brotherhood? But... I’ve never tried being with a guy before... And this guy is always so seductive—what is he thinking... Should I ask?

So Luo Yu blurted out, “Do you have a secret crush on me? Let me tell you! Don’t even think about messing with me! If you want to be together, you have to be upfront about it... There’s a very small chance I’d agree. But even if I did, we’d only be like the Gourd Brothers... If you’re willing to be on the bottom, well, we could give it a try.”

Qin Yue was momentarily stunned, then snorted, “In your dreams.”

With that, she released Luo Yu and lay down beside him.

Seeing that this guy wasn’t the least bit excited or happy, Luo Yu felt inexplicably annoyed. “In your dreams? I’d only agree to be with you as brothers! I was afraid you’d suffer from unrequited love! I’m totally straight!” With that, he turned his back indignantly and ignored her.

But Luo Yu’s heart remained unsettled, no matter what he did. His thoughts spun wildly—could it be that this guy never had any such intentions? How could he not be interested in me? Am I not handsome enough? What’s wrong with his taste?

After a while, another thought struck: Why am I even obsessing over this? I’m not even into guys—shouldn’t it be a good thing if he’s not interested?

Realizing this, Little Luo Yu felt calm again: No romance, just good brothers! I really don’t know why I was so angry just now.

With that, Luo Yu turned over, snuggled into his good brother’s arms, and fell asleep.

Author’s Note: Woke up late... T.T

“Cultivation Chronicles of Brotherhood” Chapter 55 — Qin Yue Establishes Her Authority — Complete!