Chapter 27: A Lifetime of Endless Wealth

Around one o’clock in the afternoon, Li Yiran finally arrived.

Upon entering the room, she first greeted Liu Qingya before taking a seat on the nearby sofa.

“Miss Liu, previously we discussed twenty million with you. Here is the twenty-million check,” Li Yiran said, handing over a filled-out check and placing it on the table.

Seeing the number 2 followed by seven zeros on the check, I must admit I felt a surge of envy.

Although the ancient city is considered a new first-tier city, housing prices are not particularly high.

Twenty million! Ten apartments!

A phrase suddenly popped into my mind: twenty million, twenty million, enough to spend a lifetime and never run out!

A lifetime and never run out!

Ahem... that’s a bit exaggerated.

Liu Qingya quickly tucked away the check. Even though Uncle Dazhuang’s fortune exceeded a hundred million, twenty million was still no small sum—equivalent to a fifth of his assets.

“May I ask what exactly is inside that brass box?” I looked at Li Yiran and inquired.

I wasn’t pretending not to be curious about the contents of the brass box.

When Liu Qingya told me about it before, she mentioned that the box had attracted a lot of attention from prying eyes.

“There’s no harm in telling you. Inside is a ghost pearl engraved with a map,” Li Yiran replied.

I had never seen a ghost pearl before. Such pearls are actually spirits with cultivation, condensed into a bead after death, usually quite small. But one inscribed with a map? That’s extraordinary!

This meant the pearl was at least a ghost that had cultivated for hundreds of years; otherwise, the pearl would be too tiny to inscribe a map.

“The ghost we encountered that night was actually drawn by the ghost pearl inside the brass box,” Li Yiran continued. “And the pearl attracted more than one ghost that evening; our people managed to deal with several others around the perimeter.”

“Was the bloody character ‘Escape’ written by you?” On a sudden impulse, I asked.

“‘Escape’ in blood?” Li Yiran pondered for a moment, then shook her head.

There was something Li Yiran did not say. Given the actual circumstances that night, there should have been many ghosts, but by the time she arrived, only a few small ghosts remained—these were insignificant.

At the time, Li Yiran didn’t think much of it, but hearing about the ‘Escape’ character, she felt somewhat surprised.

It seemed she wasn’t the only one that night...

“By the way, in a few days I’ll be forming a team under my personal name to explore the map on the ghost pearl. If you’re interested, you’re welcome to join,” she said, handing me a business card.

Her card was simple, unlike the old man’s flashy one—it only had her name and a phone number.

“This is too troublesome!” I said.

“Can’t we just add each other on WeChat?” I asked.

Nowadays, people contact each other mostly through WeChat. Even phone calls are made via WeChat calls, and many young people rarely use the mobile phone’s voice call function.

“That works too!” Li Yiran was momentarily stunned, then pulled out her phone and exchanged WeChat contacts with me.

...

Liu Qingya and I left the talisman shop around two in the afternoon, planning to drive to the bank.

On the way, I recounted the events that happened earlier in the study to Liu Qingya.

Since the check was already in hand, it was just a matter of going to the bank to cash it; I finally felt relieved.

“So you and Li Yiran are somewhat acquainted now?” Liu Qingya suddenly asked.

“I wouldn’t say so. We just know each other’s names,” I replied.

“Tut tut tut, aren’t you going to join the expedition team she’s organizing? Looks like you’re planning to get to know her better?” Liu Qingya pressed on.

“Qingya, don’t be so harsh. I haven’t done anything to offend you,” I quickly said.

Women’s moods are so unpredictable. I hadn’t done anything, yet she immediately launched into sarcastic remarks.

“Who’s being harsh to you?” Liu Qingya snorted coldly. “Do whatever you want; it’s none of my business.”

With that, she pressed the accelerator and sped off.

Women’s minds are unfathomable. She got the money, and I told her what happened, yet she only got angrier.

I couldn’t understand why.

Could it be because I added Li Yiran on WeChat?

That can’t be. Nowadays, everyone uses WeChat to keep in touch—simple and convenient.

...

A twenty-million check is cumbersome to withdraw in one go. Does the bank even keep that much cash on hand? Isn’t that risky?

Liu Qingya deposited the check into a bank card, which was far more convenient.

The bank’s lobby manager immediately ushered us into the VIP lounge, offering fine tea and snacks while trying to persuade Liu Qingya to buy financial products.

By the end, I was quite annoyed.

Only when Liu Qingya said, “If you keep nagging, I’ll withdraw the money and move it to another bank in a few days,” did the manager finally relent.

Though it’s all about business survival and attracting deposits, incessant nagging when one doesn’t want to listen is rather unpleasant.

After handling Liu Qingya’s matters, I returned to school.

It was around four or five in the afternoon. Liu Qingya had invited me to dinner, but I declined.

Back at school, I called the old man to check on the status of the incense burner.

He was still at the Zhongnan Mountain Taoist temple.

Since the university had taken away their big incense burner, they definitely needed a new one; otherwise, how could visitors come to offer incense?

Today, the old Taoist had gone specifically to order a new incense burner.

Knowing the burner wouldn’t arrive soon, I didn’t worry. After rowing across the lake and pasting a talisman on a large stone, I prepared to return to the dormitory.

“Aren’t you supposed to be in military training today? Why are you here? Skipping training?”

Just as I was rowing back from the lake, I ran into Li Yifeng.

She was Li Yiran’s younger sister; we had a bit of a quarrel yesterday.

“Tut tut tut, look at your freshman life—lively and full of flavor!” she teased.

“Cut to the chase, I’m busy these days and don’t have time to chat,” I said bluntly.

“Interested in joining the Taekwondo club? I see you have good skills; with training, you could be club president in a couple of years,” Li Yifeng said.

Shortly after military training, clubs would start recruiting new members.

She was here to recruit for her club.

“No thanks,” I replied.

I had thought university would be more relaxed, with plenty of free time.

But the university might be loose, while I was becoming busier.

Right after school started, there were tasks everywhere!

“You should think carefully. When you graduate and look for a job, having a solid resume is important. If two candidates have similar degrees, but one’s resume is full and the other’s is blank, which do you think employers will hire?” Li Yifeng said.