Master, What Dao Do You Cultivate?-Chapter 8: Frostmourne

Yu Ye hadn’t expected that the same Ji Qinglin who had just passionately tricked her into trusting him would immediately turn around and make her wear such a vulgar outfit.
No matter how much she pressed him for an explanation, he refused to say anything more, only telling her she would understand when the time came.
Left with no choice, Yu Ye could only ask about other things.
"Master, what realm are you at? Upper Qi Refining Realm?"
After all, Ji Qinglin had shown such clean and efficient moves that day—he had to have installed some powerful prosthetics or drives. If he had used technology to enhance his body beyond just the neural interface, he should at least be in the Qi Refining Realm.
"According to the
Cultivation Guide
, a healthy young man like me should be in the Upper Foundation Stabilization Realm. But lately, I’ve been a bit overheated, so I might have dropped to the Mid Foundation Stabilization Realm."
Hearing Ji Qinglin’s teasingly precise assessment, Yu Ye frowned.
"Foundation Stabilization Realm? Master, you must be joking. Even if I believed you, that machine assassin you took down in an instant wouldn’t."
"What does one have to do with the other? Realm only represents cultivation level—it’s not directly linked to killing…
ahem,
I mean, self-defense speed. As long as you prepare properly, self-defense is easy."
Mad Yu Ye: He was totally about to say ‘killing.’ This guy is
definitely
a repeat offender.
Cold Yu Ye: Just how many people has he killed to develop that kind of mindset?
Yu Ye didn’t even know how to respond to that answer, so she could only nod and say,
"You’re right. I just think that if you haven’t installed a cultivation set yet, any available resources should go to you first, Master."
Ji Qinglin was a little surprised—this kid was actually thinking about him as her master.
"No need. My path is different from others."
It wasn’t that Ji Qinglin didn’t
want
to cultivate. Initially, he had planned to install a high-quality meridian system, but the doctor had told him that his meridians and neural interface were integrated with the phone in his right hand. The exact way the phone was embedded in his body remained unknown.
If he wanted to install a new cultivation system, he would have to permanently sever his connection to the phone.
Considering the immense power stored in the device—and the fact that he still didn’t fully understand it—Ji Qinglin had chosen not to rush into modifying his body.
However, the doctor had confirmed that his body’s meridians and bones were indeed stronger than those of an ordinary human. They weren’t top-tier, but they were at least custom-made.
Cold Yu Ye: A different path from ordinary cultivators? What is it?
Mad Yu Ye: Maybe it’s some dual cultivation technique that involves absorbing Yin energy from women. No wonder he’s helping you cultivate.
Noticing Yu Ye looking at him with a strange expression, Ji Qinglin tapped his finger on the table.
"What kind of nonsense are you imagining now? Go check the shelves and see if there’s anything useful for your cultivation path."
Yu Ye rubbed her forehead.
"Master, these second-hand goods of yours might work as temporary replacements for regular people or cultivators, but anyone with standards wouldn’t use them. Why don’t you stock new, authentic products? You’d make more money that way."
"You’re really new to Bangkok, huh? Without the proper credentials, how could I possibly get authentic new goods? Sales rights are all controlled by major corporations like Arakawa Tech and Immortal Dao Biotech. Even a distributor’s license requires proof of shareholder status or a sponsorship certificate from at least a Core Formation Realm Qi Refiner."
In a way, it was just like the cultivation sects in ancient myths—sect leaders controlled all the resources and magic artifacts, and if you tried to acquire them on your own, they’d come after you under the pretense of "eliminating demons and upholding justice." At least here, there were still some legal systems in place.
"Master, so even Bangkok is controlled by major corporations?"
"Controlled is too strong a word—there isn’t just
one
corporation. But Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore have always been lax with big companies, so three or four of them have an
excessive
level of influence."
"Then where does our Xindong Street Commerce Guild stand in all this?"
"The corporations have a lot of power, but what really matters to us are the local commerce guilds. Xindong Street is one of Bangkok’s four major guilds, so it has some influence. You’ll understand more as time goes on. Are you getting familiar with everything in the store?"
Yu Ye pointed at the shelves in the back.
"I don’t recognize most of the items over there. Are those cultivation tools too?"
"Those are artifacts from the Old Era. If you haven’t specifically studied them, it’s natural that you wouldn’t recognize them."
It wasn’t surprising that Yu Ye didn’t know what they were—the collection was incredibly eclectic. There were copper coins, porcelain vases with ‘Longevity’ inscriptions, tarot cards… and even a rusted
Frostmourne
figurine at the far end.
Ji Qinglin didn’t collect these items for sentimental reasons. People these days were highly curious about the Old Era, especially cultivators who believed that ancient civilizations had hidden cultivation secrets.
So Ji Qinglin carefully selected antiques covered in various symbols, making it easier to spin stories and sell them at a premium.
In fact, these artifacts probably made up the bulk of his profits—just a few days ago, he had managed to sell a mahjong set to an ignorant Qi Refiner at an exorbitant price, claiming it was a cultivation tool that helped one find order in chaos.
After explaining, Ji Qinglin helped Yu Ye sort through the information she might need for cultivation.
This only deepened Yu Ye’s curiosity.
Cold Yu Ye: We’re already preparing for cultivation? Looks like he’s absolutely confident about getting that A-rank meridian set tonight.
As night fell and a light drizzle began, Yu Ye glanced through the glass at Xindong Street, which was gradually coming to life.
"Master, our general store barely gets any foot traffic. No wonder we’re struggling financially."
Ji Qinglin, unbothered, calmly brewed himself a cup of
Starflower Tea
.
"If a store has no visible income but remains open, that just means what you
see
isn’t its main source of revenue."
Cold Yu Ye: …Other sources of income?
Mad Yu Ye: I
knew
it. He’s totally running an illegal business.
"Hiss, if you keep looking at me like that, I’ll
zap
you with a high-voltage shock!"
"No, no, I was just curious about what other business we have."
Before Ji Qinglin could respond, his phone rang.
"It’s all ready."
The voice on the other end was the same husky female voice as before.
Ji Qinglin’s reply was equally concise.
"Alright, we’re on our way."
Hanging up, Ji Qinglin snapped his fingers at Yu Ye.
"We’ll talk later. For now, put on your coat and rain gear—we’re heading out."
The khaki trench coat covered most of the enticing parts of Yu Ye’s outfit, leaving only glimpses of fair skin and the lace collar around her neck. She now looked like a seemingly cold but secretly wild city girl on her way to surprise her boyfriend.
"And take this."
Ji Qinglin inserted a small plug into the neural interface at the back of Yu Ye’s neck.
"What’s this?"
"A no-ear receiver and subvocal speech module. It’s like the legendary ‘belly voice transmission’ technique. Simply put, you don’t have to speak out loud—just move your tongue slightly, and the module will translate your neural signals into audible speech for me. Makes it easier for me to guide you."
Yu Ye noticed that Ji Qinglin wasn’t just dressing
her
up. He had taken off his usual gray hoodie—the one he only wore in the store—and changed into a colorful sweatshirt. He also put on a pair of flashy, iridescent glasses and slicked his hair back.
Gone was the usual mysterious, low-key vibe. Now, he looked just like some rich playboy heading to a nightclub.
After activating the store’s anti-theft neural jammer, Ji Qinglin led Yu Ye out into the Bangkok night.
Cold Yu Ye: Gotta admit, he actually looks pretty good as a spoiled rich kid.
Mad Yu Ye: Or maybe… he was always a scoundrel to begin with.