Hearing that Qin Xiao had not reduced the price but actually doubled it, both Zhang Zuo and Li You wondered if they had misheard.
"Little Friend Qin, what did you just say?"
Zhang Zuo asked directly.
"I said ten million Spirit Stones a month for each of you, and you must protect me with your lives. Do you understand now?"
Qin Xiao had no choice but to repeat himself.
"Xiao'er, what are you doing? They offered to lower the price themselves, so why are you doubling it instead?"
Ye Qiuyue was utterly bewildered. She knew Qin Xiao had plenty of Spirit Stones, but he could not squander them like this.
"Martial Mother, this is just small change. Compared to my life, this price is still cheap. By the way, I'll hand the Spirit Stones over to you shortly. From now on, you'll be the one paying their wages. We can't let them know I'm the wealthy one; they need to think the money is coming from you so they don't start having wild ideas."
Since his Martial Mother had doubts as well, Qin Xiao had to explain his reasoning to her.
"Fine, but this is still far too much."
Naturally, Ye Qiuyue would not refuse Qin Xiao's request, but it still pained her to see him spend so many Spirit Stones.
"Martial Mother, here are some Spirit Stones, Spirit Liquid, and a few fruits. Use the Spirit Stones for their wages, and the rest is all yours."
With that, Qin Xiao produced a Storage Bag and handed it to Ye Qiuyue.
Without thinking twice, Ye Qiuyue took the Storage Bag.
"So much? Did you rob the Tianyuan Sect's treasury? Even the Tianyuan Sect wouldn't have this much, would they?"
When Ye Qiuyue saw what was inside, she was completely stunned.
Inside the Storage Bag were three hundred thousand Middle Grade Spirit Stones, ten Saint Origin Spirit Fruits, and ten jin of Spirit Liquid. That was right-not ten drops, but ten jin.
One jin was roughly five hundred drops, meaning there were a full five thousand drops of Spirit Liquid. This was Spirit Liquid, not water!
Ever since Qin Xiao had taken in disciples, three days had passed-one day on the road back and two days spent cultivating. Producing six thousand Spirit Stones per second, Qin Xiao's personal stockpile had already accumulated to over 1.6 billion in those three days.
With Spirit Liquid accumulating at five hundred drops per minute, he had amassed over two million drops. A mere five thousand drops was barely ten minutes' worth to him.
It was precisely because of such deep reserves that Qin Xiao felt spending ten million a month to hire two Soul Formation bodyguards was dirt cheap.
Having received Qin Xiao's confirmation, Zhang Zuo and Li You were in no rush to answer. Instead, they quietly conferred with each other.
"Second Brother, this kid seems completely unreliable. Could he be making a fool out of the two of us?"
This was the first time Zhang Zuo had ever encountered someone who bargained in reverse, and he immediately felt something was off.
"Eldest Brother, this kid has confused me as well. But do not worry, I will handle this."
Li You was equally bewildered, but he still had a way forward.
"Little Friend Qin, if you can truly offer this price, our brothers will happily sell our lives to you. However, Words Alone Are No Proof. How can we be sure you can afford it?"
Li You asked directly. His meaning was simple: money talks.
"That is easy. At the beginning of every month, you can receive twenty percent of your wages as an advance, and collect the remaining eighty percent at the end of the month. If we cannot pay, you are free to seize goods as compensation. My Martial Mother is the Great Elder of the Heavenly Clothes Pavilion. Do you truly doubt she can afford your wages?"
Qin Xiao knew these Soul Formation cultivators were no fools. Having lived for so many centuries, they were all sharp and shrewd.
"That is right. Xiao'er's words are my words. I am the Great Elder of the Heavenly Clothes Pavilion. You may collect your wages directly from me. If I cannot pay, you are free to haul away our goods."
Seeing Qin Xiao use her as a shield, Ye Qiuyue smoothly played along and backed him up.
"Does Little Friend Qin mean that once we sign the Employment Contract, we receive two million immediately?"
Spotting the key point in Qin Xiao's words, Li You pressed further.
"Correct. Once signed, you receive two million upfront, and the remaining eight million thirty days later. On the thirty-first day, you receive another two million advance. In essence, those two million are almost a gift, since in just two days around the end of the month, you will have received ten million total."
Qin Xiao was not worried about incurring a loss. As long as these two remained truly loyal, the future benefits would be worth far more than tens of millions of Spirit Stones.
"Very well! As long as Little Friend Qin keeps his word, our brothers guarantee to protect you with our lives. We will make your security Watertight."
Seeing that he could receive two million upfront, Li You instantly lost his composure. That was two million Spirit Stones!
"Martial Mother, prepare the contract for them. Once signed, give them two thousand Middle Grade Spirit Stones first."
Whenever Qin Xiao accumulated Spirit Stones now, he set them to automatically convert into Middle Grade Spirit Stones because his disciples required them for cultivation. If asked for two million Low Grade Spirit Stones, he would have had to exchange them back, so paying directly in Middle Grade Spirit Stones was far simpler.
Ye Qiuyue did not waste time either. She produced a special cloth designed to endure for ages without damaging. Ordinary contracts were written on paper, but hiring bodyguards for ten million a month warranted high-grade material so neither side could renege if something went wrong.
The contract was made in duplicate. After signing, Ye Qiuyue imbued a trace of Soul Power into the parchment and passed them to Zhang Zuo and Li You. After reviewing the terms and finding no issues, the two signed as well and infused their own Soul Power. With that, the Employment Contract was sealed.
Infusing Soul Power did not grant the contract any special binding restriction, but served as an anti-counterfeiting measure. Only when the Soul Power of both parties matched was the contract verified as authentic, preventing either side from tampering with its contents.
"Boss, the contract is signed. Can we receive our twenty percent advance wages now?"
Li You asked impatiently. He no longer called him "Little Friend Qin," addressing him directly as "Boss."
"Martial Mother, give it to them."
Qin Xiao glanced over the contract terms before telling Ye Qiuyue to hand over the money.
The terms of the contract were not harsh. They simply required that under all circumstances, the two must prioritize protecting Qin Xiao. Even in dire situations where one had to sacrifice himself, they could not abandon their protection duty. However, there was no clause for fallen compensation; it seemed this world had no death benefits, meaning the salary covered all risks.
Ye Qiuyue directly retrieved two small Storage Bags and handed them to Zhang Zuo and Li You respectively.
Receiving them, the two hurriedly opened the bags to inspect the contents.
"Many thanks, Boss! Rest assured, Boss, you are now my benefactor! If anyone dares lay a finger on a single hair of yours, I will break his hand!"
Li You had originally expected one million Low Grade Spirit Stones, but was given Middle Grade Spirit Stones instead. Converting currency himself would have cost him a steep exchange fee, so receiving them directly meant he gained even more.
"Many thanks, Boss. Second Brother and I will definitely protect you."
Zhang Zuo added hastily. A boss who paid directly with Middle Grade Spirit Stones was exceedingly rare. This was a living God of Wealth who had to be guarded well.
"Since you are my bodyguards now, follow us into Tianyi City. Oh, right-conceal your cultivation. Your boss wants to do some fishing."
Mid-sentence, Qin Xiao realized that he could not reveal his bodyguards' true strength yet, or it would be hard to bait his targets.
"Rest assured, Boss! We will suppress our cultivation and only display late Nascent Soul realm. Unless someone's realm is higher than ours, they will never see through it."
Li You replied promptly. As long as the money was good, whatever the boss said was law.
Soon, the party of five arrived at Tianyi City. This time, Ye Qiuyue paid the entrance fee, unlike their informal entry previously.
But shortly after entering the city, they noticed a large crowd gathered outside a Heavenly Clothes Shop, as though something had happened.
Seeing this, Ye Qiuyue naturally hurried forward to investigate.
Qin Xiao and the others followed close behind.
"This City Lord has received reports that garments sold at your Heavenly Clothes Shop cause unbearable itching and poisonous sores when worn. Therefore, I suspect your shop is using toxic materials and have come to seal the premises. Have the person in charge step forward!"
The speaker was not Chen Lou, but the Acting Deputy City Lord, Fang Xiuxian.
His master had instructed him to find ways to target the Heavenly Clothes Pavilion, but lacking a legitimate pretext, he could not easily cause trouble at the main pavilion. Thus, he had targeted one of their subsidiary Heavenly Clothes Shops instead.
One look was all it took for Ye Qiuyue to understand what was happening; he was here to pick a fight. She stepped forward and called out:
"I am the person in charge. What do you want? Let alone you-even if Chen Shunyi came himself, what could he do?"