After emerging from the Crystal Stone Space, Yan Zhen found an extra Supreme Black Card from the Merchant Alliance in his storage ring. The card held over a billion crystal coins from the Beautiful Female Master, along with some precious Mystic pills that weren’t all that useful to her. Their total value was probably enough to buy the entire Garo Kingdom.
The Merchant Alliance was a coalition of renowned merchant groups across the Mystic Heaven Continent, and the Golden Jade Chamber of Commerce was one of its members—holding a fairly high status at that.
The Supreme Black Card from the Merchant Alliance could be used at any member chamber, granting the holder the highest level of privileges.
That said, Yan Zhen was already a Supreme VIP at the Golden Jade Chamber of Commerce, which carried even more weight than the black card. He wouldn’t need to use it for now.
According to the script, this black card was supposed to come later, in the mid-game when he first arrived on another continent. The Beautiful Female Master would give it to him then for convenient shopping.
But he’d boosted their intimacy ahead of schedule, so she’d handed it over early.
As expected, the plot was gradually slipping out of control. Fortunately, this little detail could still be smoothed over.
【Ding! Congratulations, host! You’ve completed the task ‘Borrow Money.’ Please claim your reward in the relevant interface.】
—Hmph, you’d better give me a useful special trump card, or else I’m done acting in this play!
【Ding! All rewards are calculated and distributed fairly by the program. Please don’t take it out on the System.】
—I don’t care! I have plenty of money, but I still had to swallow my pride and borrow from a girl. How embarrassing is that for me!
While haggling with System-chan, Yan Zhen tapped open the new special trump card.
【Special Trump Card: Locust Installment. When activated, it allows the host to borrow a sum from their future self. The higher the cultivation realm, the larger the amount that can be borrowed.】
“It’s that kind of thing again—feels useful but kinda not… Why not earlier? Now I have so much money I can’t even spend it all—wait a sec. Could this be a combo card with the previous ‘Money Power’ one?”
Special Trump Card: Money Power allowed him to burn through his wealth for a power boost. Special Trump Card: Locust Installment could perfectly supply the cash for it.
Yan Zhen stowed the card away.
“For the sake of the combo potential, I’ll call this one useful this time.”
He arrived at the dining hall to find all the women in the house already there and eating. Clearly, he’d slept in too late.
Yan Meng’er pulled out a chair for him and pouted.
“Cousin, you slept way too soundly. Meng’er called for you forever with no response.”
Yan Zhen sat down and scooped some porridge from the clay pot into his bowl with a ladle.
“Sorry, Meng’er. I was cultivating and didn’t hear you.”
Yan Ruyu eyed him curiously.
“Your aura feels a bit different from usual.”
Yan Zhen spread his arms slightly and puffed out his chest.
“What does Cousin think is different about me?”
Mi Xue’er pinched her chin in mock thought before jumping in.
“You seem more energetic. And a bit handsomer, too.”
Yan Zhen gave her a thumbs-up.
“Senior Sister Xue’er has a good eye. I think I’ve gotten handsomer myself.”
Xiao Xinyan stole several glances at him before speaking.
“Did you take some kind of pill?”
Yan Zhen shook his head.
“Nope.”
“You look like you’ve been baptized by mystic power.” In the end, Mentor Yu Xuan had the sharpest eyes and nailed it right away. “Did your cultivation art have a breakthrough?”
“Something like that. Feels great, anyway.”
Yan Zhen slurped down his porridge in big gulps, finishing a bowl in no time. Then he pulled out pre-prepared crystal cards from his storage ring and handed one to each of them.
“Ahem, thanks for your generosity before—that got me through my rough patch. And here, this is the interest.”
With that, Yan Zhen set five neatly packaged vials on the table.
“That’s right, I scrounged up some Minor Yuan Pills from the street stalls again. One bottle for each of you.”
The women all froze. Xiao Xinyan looked a bit confused, but the other four shot him strange looks.
As if you’d really find treasures like that on street stalls. You don’t even bother drafting your lies properly.
“These are all top-quality ones, way better than last time. Eat them with confidence, everyone.” Yan Zhen turned to Mentor Yu Xuan. “Mentor, if these aren’t useful for you, I can swap yours for Water Cloud Pills.”
Water Cloud Pills were a skincare elixir for women. Taken daily, they kept the skin hydrated all day, with even better effects for water mystic cultivators.
Mentor Yu Xuan gazed at the increasingly handsome Yan Zhen, a flicker of affection in her eyes as she said softly,
“Either works. I’m already happy you thought of me, Mentor.”
“Once I refine—er, scrounge up—some better Major Yuan Pills, I’ll let you try those too, Mentor… Take them, everyone. Senior Sister Xinyan, yours is here too. Minor Yuan Pills are Mystic pills to aid cultivation—one equals ten days of your regular practice.”
“Thanks, Cousin. Meng’er was just aiming for Four-Star. When Meng’er breaks through to Four-Star, you have to keep your word and take Meng’er out to play, okay?”
“Don’t worry, just focus on cultivating. I’ll handle the fun stuff.”
“I’m prepping for Seven-Star myself, so this is perfect. Thanks… And when you go out, take me too. I don’t trust you two running around unsupervised.”
“Count me in! Just the three of you would be no fair, Little Brother Yan Zhen.”
“Sure, together it is. I don’t mind.”
“I-I too…”
“Senior Sister Xinyan, you want to come? Alright, then let’s make it a full group outing—no one left behind. What do you think, Mentor?”
“Sounds good. We’ve been cooped up here so long, I haven’t even properly explored Silver Moon City yet.”
“Settled then! We’ll go on the free day before the next Monthly Assessment.”
The other four women agreed one after another, but Mentor Yu Xuan’s eyes held a touch of resentment.
Yan Zhen had promised to take her out alone sometime. So much time had passed with no sign of it—did that count as part of this group trip?
Bad kid!
During lunch break, Mentor Yu Xuan specially called Yan Zhen to her office. She planned to tutor him while reminding him of their prior agreement, but Mi Xue’er and the others burst in before she could.
Mi Xue’er blurted out the moment she entered,
“Little Brother Yan Zhen, will you pretend to be my boyfriend?”
Xiao Xinyan nearly jumped out of her skin at that. Yan Ruyu looked shocked too, while Yan Meng’er, Mentor Yu Xuan, and even Yan Zhen himself stayed perfectly calm.
“Why bring this up out of the blue, Senior Sister Xue’er? Did something happen?”
“…To dodge an arranged marriage before, I lied to my dad and mom that I already had a boyfriend at the academy—one I even lived with. Now they want me to bring him home to prove it. If I don’t, I’ll have to go on dates with those young masters again.” Mi Xue’er grabbed Yan Zhen’s arm and pleaded, “Little Brother Yan Zhen, help me out. Come home with me and show them, okay?”
—Classic fake boyfriend trope. No idea why a no-harem power fantasy bothers with this rom-com nonsense.
Yan Zhen sighed inwardly.
“I can do it, but is lying to them really okay?”
“Lie all they want—who asked them to force me into blind dates with strangers? It’s like they’re selling off their daughter.”
She said that, but deep down, Mi Xue’er thought this time it wasn’t a lie at all—it was real!
“When do you need to go back?”
“After classes this afternoon. Meet at the academy gate—there’ll be a carriage to pick us up!”
