I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, So I’ll Max Out My Defense

Chapter 74

“Small business, prices absolutely fair.”

“It’s just a pity that all of you left yesterday. I was actually ready to offer a free one-month VIP membership to our loyal customers, but in the end, only a few people enjoyed this privilege.”

“Such a shame.”

Li Xiaobai shook his head and sighed, feeling a sense of triumph in his heart.

Yesterday you disregarded me, today I am out of your reach.

Only I knew how to enhance cultivation levels through soaking in the baths; I had monopolized this business.

Riding on the heat of the Xia Family First-Rate incident, the reputation of Tangneng First-class had been established, and creating branches in the future would surely bring in a hefty sum every day.

Popularity is really unpredictable. One second you’re on the receiving end, and in the blink of an eye, you become the sought-after — truly mysterious.

“Monthly VIP membership!”

“There are really people soaking in the baths inside!”

“What good luck, to have gotten a monthly VIP. If they continue to soak for a month, their cultivation could jump several levels, right?”

The crowd became restless, watching the few people inside the bathhouse enjoying themselves. The cultivators regretted their earlier decisions; why couldn’t they resist the temptation and abandon the boss?

The boss must be angry, expressing his dissatisfaction in this manner!

The price of a single medium-grade Spirit Stone was indeed expensive for a Loose Cultivator, but for a family’s disciples, it was still affordable.

A medium-grade Spirit Stone is an important resource for cultivation. Using it to exchange for access to the bathhouse was a much higher cost-performance.

Without much hesitation, the family disciples paid up cheerfully and began to soak.

Still the same familiar faces, still the same familiar aromas.

Seeing this, the other cultivators also gritted their teeth, paid the Spiritual Stones, and went in. There were only so many spots, and if you were late, they’d all be taken.

Besides, whether it’s Spiritual Stones or soaking in the baths, both are for cultivation. Nothing to feel heartache over.

“The Xia Family Patriarch has arrived!”

The crowd parted automatically as a middle-aged man in a white garment entered the store.

His face was stern, with sharp features; his brows emanated an air of dominance, carrying an aura of authority that did not even require anger.

This was the first time Li Xiaobai had seen the Xia Family Patriarch. Although they had not met before, the disputes had been incessant.

“The Wang Family Patriarch has arrived!”

“The Li Family Patriarch has arrived!”

“The Zhang Family Patriarch has arrived!”

A few more calls rang out, and the crowd conscientiously moved aside. Today was a good day, with all the major family heads gathered here, evidently wanting to uncover the secrets of Tangneng First-class.

There could be a good show to watch.

“I am Xia Jiuquan, the Patriarch of the Xia Family. Greetings to all.”

“Half an hour, one lower-grade Spirit Stone. Small business, no credit.”

Li Xiaobai looked amused; Xia Jiuquan? There’s no shortage of unusual names these days, as if he’s not dying fast enough.

“You want to charge me too?”

Xia Jiuquan looked surprised. Which shop in town wouldn’t want to curry favor with him? Yet this boss actually wanted to charge him Spirit Stones.

“Want to soak without Spirit Stones?”

“Don’t delay my business; there’s a queue behind you!” Li Xiaobai said dismissively, having no sympathy for the Xia Family.

“Exactly, the old man has no shame at this age, trying to have a royal bath for free?”

“Without Spirit Stones, don’t wander around here. I heard the Xia Family also started a bathhouse to make a quick buck, but unfortunately, they even lost their underpants.”

“It’s truly humiliating. If I were you, I would have found a deserted place to end it all by now.”

Behind him, a group of Family Heads mocked and sneered without any mercy.

These were deeply entrenched families within the city, endlessly engaged in both open and secret rivalry. Although the Xia Family had extensive connections, they wouldn’t be too humble either.

These Family Heads had known about Tangneng First-class a few days prior but, after testing, they believed the bathhouse water to be nothing extraordinary, so they paid it no heed.

But unexpectedly, the Xia Family actually came up with Xia Family First-Rate, aiming to emulate others in opening a bathhouse to make money.

It was only at that moment that many of the Family Heads realized that Tangneng First-class indeed had an effect on increasing cultivator’s cultivation levels.

They all wanted to see what skills this owner, who had made the Xia Family suffer a setback, truly possessed.

“Merely a Lower Grade Spirit Stone is but a fence for a latrine in my Xia Family.”

Xia Jiuquan kept a cold face as he threw out a few Lower Grade Spirit Stones, enough to rent the whole place for a day.

“Such a braggart, why don’t you ascend to the heavens?”

Li Xiaobai muttered a few words and collected the Spirit Stones.

The other Family Heads also rented the place for an entire day, seizing the opportunity to thoroughly research this bathwater.

This was still their first encounter with bathing. As Family Heads at the full circle of the Golden Core Stage, they felt their Golden Cores within their Dantians trembling as soon as they immersed themselves in the water.

The bottlenecks that had always troubled them seemed to have a faint sign of breaking through.

Spiritual Energy surged wildly within their bodies, growing incessantly, surprising the Family Heads with eyes wide open and faces filled with disbelief.

“It turns out what the juniors reported was all true. This pool truly has the effect of enhancing one’s cultivation level!”

“Moreover, the effect is significant, even we can feel such a strong boost.”

“Such a great fortune!”

Greedily inhaling the steaming vapor of the pool, the Family Heads fully entered the state of cultivation.

“Newbies will be newbies, looking totally unaccustomed to the ways of the world.”

The old beggar curled his lips, these cultivators were treating the bathhouse like a cultivation ground without understanding the pleasure of bathing, wasting such a fine resource.

“Bark!”

“Kid, you actually sabotaged Lord Ergouzi, surely you’re looking to monopolize…”

Ergouzi woke up ranting and raving.

Li Xiaobai quickly covered its mouth; now that all the Family Heads of the city were gathered, if his little actions were exposed, he probably wouldn’t be able to escape the consequences.

“This is called strategic investment. Only when Tangneng First-class grows big and strong can it have a say and help more common people to solve employment issues.”

“Ergouzi, you did really well earlier, keep it up, the city is counting on you!”

“Bark! Lord Ergouzi is the embodiment of justice, those nobles are Ergouzi’s to deal with!”

After a round of coaxing, Ergouzi’s sense of justice was invoked once again, and with a swish, it darted out of the house.

Li Xiaobai sighed; the Elixirs were truly powerful. Ergouzi now truly felt uncomfortable if it didn’t do good deeds every day. With just a bit of guidance, it could be easily bamboozled.

Within the pool, the Family Heads were roused from their meditative state by Ergouzi’s noise, faces filled with disbelief.

Something that could aid those at the full circle of the Golden Core Stage must certainly be an exotic treasure. Yet, why couldn’t they detect even the slightest bit of Spiritual Energy fluctuation in the water?

No matter how one looked at it, it seemed to be just ordinary foot-bathing water.

After taking a spoonful and tasting it carefully, a familiar flavor spread throughout their mouths, and the Family Heads’ expressions turned bitter, halting their futile attempts.

“Why did you think of opening a bathhouse in the city, Boss? Wouldn’t it be better to directly open a store selling cultivation materials?”

“If this water were to be sold, wouldn’t it make a killing?”

A Family Head cautiously inquired.

“Well, bathing is just bathing. To consider it merely as a means for cultivation is far too one-dimensional. The culture behind it is profound and intricate; you will gradually understand.”