"Money?"
Lin Qingxuan's beautiful eyes shone for a moment like black gems. She then smiled. "Rare indeed. I thought a man with your personality would never ask me for anything."
"Cough…" Yang Qi coughed dryly, feeling somewhat embarrassed. "I had no choice. There are some things I need to buy, things I absolutely must have, so I had to ask this of you. I've already written and signed an IOU. I will definitely pay you back!"
He was truly embarrassed; after all, this was the first time in his life he had ever borrowed money from a girl.
Seeing Yang Qi's flustered expression, Lin Qingxuan suddenly found him rather cute.
She smiled and said, "No problem. I might be short on other things, but I'm definitely not short on money. I should still have a hundred million in pocket money. Is that enough? If not, I can ask my family for more!"
As she spoke, she pulled out a Black Card. Yang Qi recognized it as the highest-tier card from the World Silver Union. Only those with deposits exceeding one billion US dollars at the World Silver Union could possibly own one. The Black Card had a minimum overdraft limit of one hundred million, along with many other functions that Yang Qi wasn't too clear about. Even in his past life, he had never reached that level.
"That's enough, more than enough…" Yang Qi said with a wry smile. As expected of the young lady of the Jingzhou Lin Family. She pulls out a hundred million as if it's nothing.
"But aren't you going to ask what I need the money for? Aren't you curious where that ten million went?" Yang Qi wondered. Does Lin Qingxuan trust him this much?
"I think you're reliable, and that's enough. If you really do swindle me, I have my ways of dealing with you!" Lin Qingxuan said confidently. "In this world, no one who has ever deceived our Jingzhou Lin Family has lived to tell the tale!" In truth, she doubted she could still bring herself to lay a hand on Yang Qi now.
Yang Qi gave another wry smile. The daughters of powerful families are truly terrifying!
He put away the Black Card and said, "Don't worry. I, Yang Qi, never leave a debt unpaid. I will definitely repay this money to you in the future!"
"You're going to buy something?" Lin Qingxuan's gem-like eyes sparkled with a curious gleam.
"Yes!"
"Take me with you! I want to go for a stroll too, and I'd like to see what you're buying!" Lin Qingxuan said with a mischievous smile.
"Alright!" Yang Qi didn't give it much thought. Who wouldn't enjoy shopping with a beautiful woman? Especially a top-grade beauty like Lin Qingxuan.
"Let's go, take my car!" Lin Qingxuan grabbed Yang Qi's hand and ran toward her Porsche. A thought suddenly crossed her mind: Li Qiutong, perhaps I should be thanking you!
"Wait, let me go change my clothes!" Realizing she was still in her jogging suit, Lin Qingxuan hurriedly turned back.
After a full hour's wait, Lin Qingxuan finally emerged. The moment he saw her, Yang Qi felt the hour-long wait had been completely worth it. She had changed her clothes and now stood there looking like a noble princess.
"You're dressed so beautifully. Do you have a date with someone?" Yang Qi couldn't help but tease.
"If you want to think of it as a date, that's fine by me. I don't mind," Lin Qingxuan said, sticking her tongue out with a laugh. "When I'm going out with such a charismatic man, shouldn't I dress up a little?"
She smiled playfully, like a cheerful little sprite.
Yang Qi gave a wry smile. The gap between his current self and Lin Qingxuan was simply too vast. He wasn't sure if she was joking, but he was happy nonetheless.
After exchanging a few more words, the two headed for the parking space.
Along the way, Assistant Qin and the others were dumbfounded when they saw the pair chatting and laughing so intimately. They could hardly believe their eyes. Who was Lin Qingxuan? In terms of both beauty and status, she was at the absolute apex of the entire Dragon Country. Countless young masters from wealthy families had lined up hoping to date her, yet all had failed. The sight of her smiling so happily was utterly unprecedented. What kind of magic did this Yang Qi possess? Or perhaps, what kind of witchcraft had he used?
Once again, Yang Qi drove while Lin Qingxuan enjoyed the ride. Before long, they arrived at their destination.
"The medicinal herb market?" Lin Qingxuan realized they were at the medicinal herb market in Kang City. It was a place teeming with people in the wholesale herb business.
"Are you sick?" Lin Qingxuan asked curiously.
"No, it's... hard to explain!" Yang Qi replied. How could I tell her I need these herbs for my Immortal Cultivation? She'd think I was a lunatic.
He went in and out of the herb shops, purchasing fifty sets of materials for refining Qi Gathering Pills. He had no choice, as his current success rate for refining them was too low. If he could produce just ten pills from these fifty sets, it would be considered a success. This cost him nearly fifty million. This is really burning through money!
He then purchased ten sets of medicinal herbs for refining the Body Tempering Pill. Some of these ingredients were truly expensive, costing him another twenty million. The one-hundred-million fund was shrinking rapidly. This isn't Immortal Cultivation; this is just paying to win!
With the medicinal herbs mostly purchased, Yang Qi planned to visit the antique market next. In modern society, Spiritual Energy was scarce, and even these herbs lacked sufficient amounts. They could only be used to refine low-grade elixirs. He wanted to check the antique market because some antiques, having been buried for a long time, retained the Spiritual Energy of their era. This would be incredibly helpful for his Cultivation.
He glanced over at Lin Qingxuan, expecting her to be bored, but to his surprise, she actually seemed excited.
As they headed to the antique market, Yang Qi asked a question that had been on his mind. "Miss Qingxuan, what have I, Yang Qi, ever done to deserve such help from you?"
"What if I told you it's because I've fallen for you?" Lin Qingxuan replied with a wink and a smile.
"What!" Yang Qi was stunned. He truly had no idea if she was being serious.
"Never mind. Regardless," Yang Qi said, his tone suddenly serious, "no matter your reason for helping me, you are the one who pulled me out from the lowest point in my life. I am grateful to you. You are my benefactor, and you always will be! No matter what happens in the future, I will protect you for the rest of my life!"
After saying this, Yang Qi quickly refocused on his driving. Beside him, Lin Qingxuan fluttered her large, sparkling eyes as she watched him. A beautiful and alluring smile slowly spread across her lips.
A benefactor, huh? Maybe we can take things a step further! she thought, her cheeks suddenly flushing a shade of red as beautiful as the evening clouds.
For the first time, Lin Qingxuan felt a powerful desire to be with a man. She didn't know if it was love, but she liked the feeling. It was different from before, when she had been completely drawn to the peculiar aura about Yang Qi. Now, she was gradually developing genuine feelings for the man himself.
「The Antique Market.」
Yang Qi carefully searched for items containing Spiritual Energy. Now that he was practicing the Dragon God Technique, he could easily sense the presence of Spiritual Energy. He could tell an item's quality at a single glance. He even discovered that items possessing Spiritual Energy were often genuine antiques. The richer the Spiritual Energy, the older the antique. The more potent the energy, the higher its quality.