Chen Ren had no idea what to make of the man standing in front of him.

  Things had been going too well on the first day of his shop’s opening.

  Not only had he successfully spread the fact that Princess Yanyue herself was backing the shop, he had also managed to get the city guard captain to personally visit. That alone had drawn half the city’s cultivators like moths to flame. Even better, the captain hadn’t just shown his face—he had stayed for more than an hour, openly browsing the shelves, eating three whole bowls of noodles, and even purchasing several pills for himself.

  That single act had done more than any advertisement ever could.

  Even now, after the captain had finally left, a handful of guards still lingered around the shop, leaning against walls and chatting with customers. Cultivators continued to pour in as word spread through the inns and guild halls. Not all of them bought anything, but they looked. They asked questions. They remembered prices.

  Chen Ren was confident that sooner or later, most of them would return with tokens in hand.

  Then out of nowhere, the Emerald Sun Sect disciples walked in.

  That alone wouldn’t have been an issue. If anything, Guardian sect members were exactly the kind of customers he wanted—wealthy and desperate for advantages.

  The problem started when one of them asked about meeting the princess.

  Chen Ren had overheard the exchange from across the shop. Normally, he wouldn’t have interfered. Princess Yanyue was far better equipped to deal with Guardian sect members than he was.

  But she wasn’t here.

  She had gone out earlier, trying to make connections with city residents and guild officials, hoping to dig up information about the book she was searching for. Chen Ren couldn’t afford to pull her back over something like this.

  More importantly, he couldn’t afford to make a Guardian sect disciple wait.

  Cultivators were volatile creatures. Pride, status, and impatience mixed together into something explosive. If the man decided to make a scene inside his shop—even accidentally—it could undo everything Chen Ren had built in a single afternoon.

  There were also too many Emerald Sun Sect members in the shop, so Chen Ren had asked the man to follow him into one of the back rooms.

  Yet ever since they had entered, neither of them had spoken a word.

  Ruan Minghe slowly looked around the room, his gaze lingering on the shelves, the walls, the faint residue of qi in the air before finally settling on him.

  Chen Ren noticed the frown on his face, and the overall conflicted gaze, as if suspicion and hope were fighting a silent battle behind his eyes.

  When the silence got too uncomfortable, Chen Ren decided to break it. “I’m sorry to bring you here. But we will be able to talk much better without an audience. Why don’t you take a seat?”

  He gestured toward the pair of chairs placed in the center of the room.

  Ruan Minghe shook his head. “No need. I’m fine standing.” He paused, then added, “I have a request. But I don’t know if you can fulfill it.”

  “What is it?” Chen Ren asked without skipping a beat.

  Ruan Minghe didn’t hesitate. “You should already know who I am, and which sect I belong to.”

  Chen Ren nodded slowly. “I do. I’d have to be blind not to recognize the glorious Emerald Sun Sect.”

  The flattery failed completely.

  Ruan Minghe only frowned deeper. “Then you should also know that alchemy is the lifeblood of our sect. It is our path to immortality.”

  “Yes, I know that. But what about it?” Chen Ren asked evenly.

  Ruan Minghe’s gaze sharpened, drilling straight into him. “The pills you are selling outside. Who is making them? And where did you get the recipes?”

  He took a step closer.

  “If you know anything about alchemy, then listen carefully. I have never seen pills with such purity in my entire life. Not in my sect. Not in any Guardian sect. Not even from wandering masters.”

  His voice tightened.

  “There is no way an ordinary alchemist could produce them. And if you are selling them in batches, then you must have standardized recipes.”

  The room went quiet again.

  Chen Ren didn’t answer immediately.

  But as Ruan Minghe finished speaking, the confusion in Chen Ren’s mind finally cleared.

  So that was it.

  If Chen Ren had guessed right, then Ruan Minghe was convinced that the recipes had come from a Master alchemist’s inheritance. And worse—his eyes were likely on the very same blueprints he had uncovered in the cave on the third floor.

  How did he know of such an inheritance? Chen Ren had no idea. But one thing was certain. It hadn’t come from Merchant Shrey.

  There were simply no other explanations for the way the man was staring at him, for the barely restrained hunger in his gaze.

  I need to tread carefully, Chen Ren thought.

  “What about it?” he asked calmly after a few seconds.

  Ruan Minghe’s gaze became almost freezing.

  “I want them,” he said bluntly. “All the recipes you have. I’ll pay a great price for them—tokens, pills, favors. I also want to know where you found them.” He paused, then added in a measured tone, “And if you refuse, I will wait for Princess Yanyue. I’m sure she won’t turn me away.”

  Chen Ren shook his head immediately.

  “I’m sorry, but those recipes are not for sale. I can’t sell them to you, nor can I tell you where we obtained them. They are trade secrets. And even taking your sect into account, I can’t give those away.”

  Ruan Minghe opened his mouth to argue, but Chen Ren spoke over him.

  “You’re free to wait for Princess Yanyue if you wish,” he said evenly. “But she’ll give you the same answer. If you’ve ever dealt with her before, you already know that.”

  Silence fell around them.

  Ruan Minghe’s expression tightened.

  If there was one thing Chen Ren knew about the princess, it was the fact that she never gave away her secrets. Not to anyone who demanded them—be it nobles, Guardian sects or even her own family.

  And that… was public knowledge. Even Ruan Minghe clearly knew that because he looked Chen Ren up and down, his eyes probing.

  “Are you affiliated with the royal family,” he asked slowly, “or with a sect?”

  Chen Ren met his gaze without hesitation.

  “I’m the sect leader of the Divine Coin Sect.”

  Ruan Minghe rubbed his forehead, brows knitting together. Chen Ren could tell that the man was searching through his memory, to see if he had heard the name before.

  “Divine Coin Sect…” he muttered, then squinted at Chen Ren. “I’ve never heard of it.”

  “We’re new,” Chen Ren replied calmly. “But that doesn’t mean we’re weak or that we lack resources.”

  Ruan Minghe paused, studying him again. This time, his gaze carried less doubt.

  “I can see that much,” he admitted. Then his voice lowered. “But I still need those recipes. You’re an outsider, so you might not know this, but the Emerald Sun Sect exists for one purpose. To find the legacies of the alchemists who came before us. To learn the knowledge that was buried and erased from history. I can’t leave the pagoda without at least a fragment of such a legacy.”

  Chen Ren took a deliberate step back in case the man jumped at him.

  “You should remember the laws of the city.”

  Ruan Minghe shook his head.

  “I’m not here to attack you,” he said firmly. “Emerald Sun Sect isn’t like the other Guardian sects. We aren’t savages who take what we want by force. If we’re refused, we don’t draw blades.”

  He inhaled slowly.

  “So instead of posturing—tell me your price. I’ll buy the recipes from you.”

  Chen Ren raised an eyebrow but said nothing. He simply watched Ruan Minghe. The man waited, clearly expecting a number.

  If I throw him out, I gain an enemy, Chen Ren thought. If I sell outright, I lose everything.

  But the fact that Ruan Minghe wanted to buy, not seize, already put him in a far more comfortable position than expected. But how could he take advantage of that to get out of this predicament? He kept thinking until something finally clicked.

  After a moment, Chen Ren spoke.

  This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  “Alright. I have a price.”

  Ruan Minghe’s face lit up immediately.

  “Name it,” he said without hesitation. “Spirit stones, rare pills, resources for you to ascend higher—Emerald Sun Sect has everything you might need. We have alchemical flames, blood essences, manuals that only exist in legends—”

  Chen Ren raised a hand, cutting him off.

  “I don’t want anything like that,” he said calmly. “They’re all useless to me.”

  Ruan Minghe frowned. “Useless? How are spirit stones, pills, and manuals useless to you?”

  “How am I supposed to use them inside the pagoda? My current goal isn’t to leave this place richer. It’s to climb higher. Everything you’re offering only has value outside. In here, it means nothing to me.”

  Ruan Minghe’s lips tightened, clearly speechless by his outburst. “Then what do you want?”

  “Tokens,” Chen Ren replied simply.

  There was a brief pause before he asked, almost cautiously, “How many?”

  Chen Ren smiled at once.

  “A million.”

  Ruan Minghe’s eyes widened, his composure cracking as his voice rose. “A million tokens? Have you gone insane? How do you expect me to get a million tokens?”

  Chen Ren shrugged lightly. “That’s not my problem.”

  Ruan Minghe stared at him in disbelief.

  “You’re an alchemist,” Chen Ren continued evenly. “You understand the value of those pills and those recipes better than anyone. You’re even asking me where we obtained them. Given that, I believe a million tokens is a fair price.”

  The man still looked at him as though Chen Ren had just proposed something outrageous.

  “You can’t even spend that many tokens,” Ruan Minghe said sharply.

  “That’s my problem,” Chen Ren replied without missing a beat. “I don’t need anything other than tokens. Princess Yanyue ensures I have access to resources outside the pagoda. Inside it, tokens are the only thing that matters to me.”

  He took a step back and gestured toward the door.

  “If you don’t have anything else to say, I think we should end this conversation. There are customers waiting for me.”

  Ruan Minghe opened his mouth quickly. “Then let’s negotiate—”

  “My number is final,” Chen Ren said flatly.

  Before Ruan could speak again, Chen Ren turned and left the room, closing the door behind him immediately.

  Once he was out, he sighed in relief.

  It had gone as well as it could have. Because for all he knew, an impossible number was the only way to handle someone like Ruan Minghe. It ensured the man would not feel outright rejected, while also making it clear that Chen Ren had placed a concrete value on everything being demanded of him, and that value would not be lowered.

  Fortunately, Ruan Minghe already seemed to think highly of the pills, and Chen Ren could only hope that the man would quietly leave the shop after this.

  As he looked around the shop, he immediately noticed several Emerald Sun Sect cultivators still inside, browsing the shelves and watching the staff with sharp, calculating eyes.

  Guardian sect disciples were, in truth, the demographic he wanted to target the most. They had tokens, influence, and an endless need for resources. However, he had no intention of letting them believe they could boss him around just because of their background.

  Perhaps he should ask Princess Yanyue to sit in the shop from time to time. With her presence alone, most of these issues would disappear without him needing to say a single word.

  As Chen Ren scanned the shop further, he felt a faint sense of satisfaction. Cultivators were lining up at the counters, exchanging tokens for pills and artifacts, while others hovered near the shelves, clearly debating their purchases.

  The opening had gone better than he had dared to hope.

  Anji walked up to him then, lowering her voice. “How did it go?”

  “Not bad,” Chen Ren replied. “He was adamant about buying the pill recipes, so I gave him an inflated price. I don’t think he’ll bother us again, at least not for a while.”

  Anji nodded, but the movement trailed off. Her brow pinched, and she bit the corner of her lower lip as if trying to hold back a question she wasn't sure she should ask.

  “Well… we already have a few other cultivators asking questions,” she said finally. “About the pills, the artifacts, and even how we managed to open the shop in the first place.”

  Chen Ren let out a quiet sigh.

  “We knew those questions would come sooner or later. It’s nothing new. Just tell them you can’t share that information. If anyone tries to push further, the guards will handle the rest.”

  That was precisely why he had worked so hard to build a good relationship with the city guards.

  Beyond marketing and legitimacy, they provided protection.

  With the guards backing him, Chen Ren had an extra layer of safety that most cultivators in Goldspire City lacked. Any business supported by city law was bound to thrive, and his connection with them also gave him a far easier path to forming ties with the wealthier and more influential residents of the city.

  It had been a carefully laid plan, one step stacked neatly atop another, and Chen Ren allowed himself a rare moment of stillness as he stood beside Anji, watching the flow of customers move through the shop.

  That was when Ruan Minghe finally emerged from the back room.

  The Emerald Sun Sect disciple walked straight toward them, his expression tightly controlled, though the tension in his shoulders hadn’t faded. Anji stiffened beside Chen Ren, her hand hovering just a little closer to the counter than before.

  “I don’t have the tokens for the recipes yet,” Ruan Minghe said at last, his voice low but steady. “But I would like to buy the pills I saw earlier. Three of each.”

  Chen Ren’s expression softened into a polite, measured smile. “Of course. Anji will help you with that.”

  Anji blinked, then nodded quickly. “Please come this way.”

  Ruan Minghe inclined his head, then paused and looked back at Chen Ren. “And don’t sell those recipes to anyone else. If you do, I will come after you.”

  The threat was blunt, unadorned, and honest.

  Chen Ren didn’t flinch. He merely smiled again. “Don’t worry. I’ll be waiting for you to gather the tokens.”

  Ruan Minghe studied his face for a long moment, searching for weakness or mockery, then gave a short nod and followed Anji toward the counter.

  Only when the man’s back was fully turned did Chen Ren finally release another sigh.

  Ruan Minghe was dangerous, yes, but compared to most cultivators Chen Ren had dealt with, he was almost reasonable.

  Moreover, a conflict with a Guardian sect was the last thing Chen Ren wanted right now. He had already stepped into dangerous waters with the Thunder Blade Sect, but at least that hadn't came back to bite him till now.

  Or so he thought.

  A sudden shout tore through the noise of the shop, sharp enough to silence conversations mid-sentence.

  “I finally found you, you bastard.”

  Chen Ren’s blood ran cold, instantly recognising the voice. Think of the devil and he appears, he thought to himself and turned slowly toward the entrance.

  Standing there, framed by the wide glass doors, was the last person he ever wanted to see in Goldspire City.

  Yun Zhaotian of the Thunder Blade Sect.

  More cultivators stood behind him, but Chen Ren’s gaze locked onto Yun Zhaotian alone. Lightning crackled faintly around the man’s feet, the air itself trembling as his qi surged unchecked.

  Yun Zhaotian took a single step forward, eyes burning with recognition and fury. “I’ve been looking for you everywhere,” he said, voice carrying effortlessly across the shop. “And now I’ve finally found you.”

  Chen Ren opened his mouth, preparing to speak—already hoping, against all reason, that Yun Zhaotian wasn’t foolish enough to start something here.

  He didn’t get the chance.

  In the next instant, Yun Zhaotian lunged.

  Qi exploded around him, condensing into a roaring lance of lightning as he launched himself straight at Chen Ren.

  ***

  A/N - You can read 30 chapters (15 Magus Reborn and 15 Dao of money) on my patreon. Annual subscription is now on too. Also this is Volume 2 last chapter.

  Magus Reborn 3 is OUT NOW. It's a progression fantasy epic featuring a detailed magic system, kingdom building, and plenty of action.