I Start with a Mysterious Island

"Shopkeeper, I heard that Cultivators who’ve awakened a Storage Space Superpower can earn tons and tons of money if they join a Large Trade Team," the waitress said after listening to Wang Gui’s explanation.

"That’s right! Large Trade Teams that travel between cities are all scrambling to recruit Cultivators with Storage Space Superpowers.

"If a Cultivator with a Storage Space Superpower chooses to join one of those Large Trade Teams, they can easily make a huge amount of money... But most Cultivators with this kind of Superpower choose to go solo..." said Wang Gui.

"Why would they go solo?" the waitress asked.

"What other reason could there be? It’s because going solo earns them even more money than joining a Large Trade Team.

"Of course, going solo is also much riskier than joining a Large Trade Team. The wilderness is fraught with danger, after all. One wrong move, and you could just... disappear," said Wang Gui.

After hearing her shopkeeper’s explanation, the waitress’s eyes lit up as she watched Lin Li put away the large bamboo baskets filled with flawless white pearls.

’This Mr. Lin is handsome, became a Cultivator at a young age, and even awakened a Storage Space Superpower that lets him make a fortune with ease.’

’A man this outstanding is the perfect marriage prospect!’

"Sigh..." The waitress let out a sigh, thinking, ’How wonderful it would be if I could marry Mr. Lin.’

She knew her place. She was just an ordinary person. Marrying such a promising Cultivator was something she could only dream about.

In less than a minute, Lin Li had stored all ten of the large, pearl-filled bamboo baskets from the courtyard into the Mysterious Small Island.

Afterwards, personally escorted by the enthusiastic Wang Gui, he left the restaurant.

After leaving the restaurant, Lin Li found a deserted corner. With a single thought, he vanished on the spot.

......

"CLOP, CLOP, CLOP..."

The crisp sound of horse hooves echoed through the street as a group of riders entered Willow Lane.

"Whoa..." Zhou Tianci tugged on his reins, and his horse immediately came to a halt.

Seeing Zhou Tianci stop, the servants behind him all pulled on their own reins, bringing their horses to a halt as well.

Zhou Tianci swung himself off his horse and strode toward the main gate of his home. His trusted servant, Wang Xiaoliu, dismounted and hurried after him.

As the master and servant arrived at the gate, the two servants on duty beamed with delight.

"Young Master, you’re back?" one of the gatekeepers greeted.

Zhou Tianci nodded at them. Just as he was about to walk inside, the shorter of the two gatekeepers called out to him.

"Young Master, I have something to report."

"Hm?" Zhou Tianci stopped, turned, and looked at the shorter servant. "What is it?" he asked, puzzled.

"Reporting, Young Master. Regarding the missing person notice you had us post, someone came this afternoon with information."

"There’s news?"

Zhou Tianci was stunned for a moment. He had been asking Wang Xiaoliu for news on Lin Li’s whereabouts from time to time, but the answer was always the same: nothing.

It had gotten to the point where Zhou Tianci assumed Lin Li had already left Dongwu City. Just as he was about to forget the matter entirely, someone had unexpectedly shown up with a lead.

"Yes, Young Master. We now have news about the man named Lin Li," the shorter servant replied.

Recently, every time Zhou Tianci had tried to visit Zhu Xinru at the Zhu Family estate, he had been turned away with various excuses, leaving him deeply frustrated.

He had been racking his brain for an excuse to visit Zhu Xinru that she couldn’t refuse, and now, he had a lead on the man who had saved her life.

Just then, a flash of Spiritual Light sparked in Zhou Tianci’s mind. He thought of a reason for a visit that Zhu Xinru would be completely unable to refuse.

’If I bring Miss Zhu’s savior to visit her, given her gentle nature, she definitely won’t find another excuse to turn me away.

’I might have offended that Lin fellow last time, but as long as I show up at his door with a generous gift and a personal apology, he’ll definitely be willing to bury the hatchet.

’Once I’ve reconciled with that Lin fellow, I’ll invite him to visit Miss Zhu at the Zhu Family estate with me.’

The more he thought about it, the more plausible the plan seemed. The corners of Zhou Tianci’s mouth curled up involuntarily, and a smug smile spread across his face.

’Why did the Young Master suddenly start laughing to himself? Did he think of something amusing?’ The servants were baffled, watching Zhou Tianci chuckle to himself.

"Quick, tell me what you found out." Seeing all the servants staring at him, Zhou Tianci quickly wiped the smile off his face and turned to the shorter gatekeeper.

"Young Master, the person who came with the tip this afternoon said that at ten o’clock tomorrow morning, the man named Lin Li will be meeting someone in front of the pastry shop on Guangqi Road," the shorter gatekeeper reported.

"Ten o’clock tomorrow morning, in front of the pastry shop on Guangqi Road." Zhou Tianci repeated the information, thought for a moment, then turned to Wang Xiaoliu beside him.

"Xiaoliu, go and prepare a generous gift for me. Tomorrow morning, you’ll come with me to meet that Lin fellow."

"Yes, Young Master. I’ll go prepare the gift right away," Wang Xiaoliu said with a nod.

After instructing Wang Xiaoliu to prepare the gift for the meeting with Lin Li, Zhou Tianci spoke again.

"Excellent. You’ve all handled this beautifully. Once I meet that Lin fellow tomorrow and we reconcile, I’ll reward you all handsomely upon my return..."

"Thank you, Young Master! With your commanding presence, Young Master, when you personally show up with a gift to make peace, that Lin fellow is sure to agree immediately..."

Hearing Zhou Tianci promise them a reward after tomorrow’s success, the servants grew excited and began to shower him with flattery.

Amidst the servants’ tsunami of praise, Zhou Tianci—who already had no doubt that his attempt to reconcile with Lin Li would succeed—felt his confidence swell to an all-time high.

"Alright, that’s enough flattery. I’m going inside to find my father." Zhou Tianci raised a hand, silencing his servants, then walked deeper into the estate.

This time, however, Wang Xiaoliu did not follow. He remained at the main gate, watching Zhou Tianci’s retreating figure.

......