Ye Xinning was immediately stunned.
"What are you saying, Master?!"
Hong Shan, however, was unmoved, he snorted, his small eyes narrowing as if he saw through everything.
"If I can't see through your little schemes, wouldn't I have lived for hundreds of years in vain? What a joke!"
Seeing Ye Xinning's face darken, he quickly changed his tune:
"But you hid it quite well; it took me a while to confirm..."
There was nothing he could do; he was too afraid this disciple would run away at the slightest disagreement.
Finding a Loose Cultivator with a High Grade Spiritual Root these days was as hard as ascending to the heavens; encountering a Heavenly Spiritual Root was incredibly difficult!
"I didn't!"
"Alright, alright, you didn't, you didn't! Then let me ask you, why must you always side with outsiders? Are you still my disciple? If you really want to make money, why can't I help you?"
"He's my friend."
Ye Xinning mumbled, her voice very soft.
"A friend is worth selling your Master for?"
"When did I sell you?"
Hong Shan raised his eyebrows, made a funny face, and mimicked Ye Xinning's voice, saying:
"When did I sell you?"
Then, he said angrily:
"The storefronts are all mine! If it weren't for my storefronts, he wouldn't earn a single penny! It's not too much for me to take fifty percent, right? You only let me take twenty percent; you tell me if that's too much or not!"
"You want a share of our small business... If you really need it, I'll give you my entire share, wouldn't that be better!"
Hong Shan got even angrier when he heard this.
"Mine will be yours later anyway! And you still say you don't like him! I think you're just... just a love-struck fool!"
Ye Xinning was startled.
"Where did you learn that word?"
"Never mind! What exactly do you like about him?!"
"Nothing."
"Okay, then you tell me, if you want to make money, why can't I help you? At most, I'll give you some startup capital, help you set up a storefront, hang a sign, and even give you some staff—why make it so complicated!"
This time, Ye Xinning raised her head and, after taking a deep breath, answered seriously:
"Master, I'm very grateful that you can help us with this, but we want to establish ourselves in both worlds through our own strength. Actually, the profits and such from just now can be discussed again; it's not impossible for you to take more, but what we want to do is simply be self-reliant."
Hong Shan opened his mouth but said nothing.
The girl in front of him and the young man in the living room had many similarities, and these qualities even surprised him.
These were not words that a child under eighteen could say, actions they could take, or personalities they could possess.
"I really don't know where you get these stubborn tempers."
Stubborn, but not truly stubborn.
But they were just very unyielding.
They seemed to be holding back a Qi, determined to accomplish something through their own efforts, as if they had to prove something.
"Please don't worry about it, just tell us, can our current idea be realized?"
Hong Shan nodded.
"Yes, very much so. Actually, I also think those things your women here use are good. Many people who play mahjong at my shop would probably like them. I originally had some ideas about bringing these things back, and ideally, learning the production process as well."
This way, he could directly produce and sell them in Kyushu.
However, he also did a little research and found that the process for Mortals here to manufacture such cosmetics was still very complex, no less difficult than Alchemy.
And Alchemists would probably find it difficult to mass-produce such things; it was more convenient to simply import them directly from Earth.
"But in your world, I have no connections and don't know what's good. It's truly excellent that you two can do this."
He wasn't lying either; he had ability, but he couldn't use it here at all. Now, as soon as any power above Qi Refining Peak was used, he would be expelled by this world's Heavenly Dao and forcibly exiled back to Kyushu.
And among the natives of this world, there were Spirit Nurturing and Soul Transformation cultivators; he, a prominent figure in Kyushu, could also be controlled on Earth.
Therefore, he had to be a bit careful in his actions. Compared to taking risks and finding things himself, it was truly better to let these two Earth natives help him.
"Thank you, Master!"
Ye Xinning smiled again.
"Hey, you little girl, why are you so happy to smile today? Before, you always acted like a little adult with a straight face in front of your Master."
Ye Xinning snorted, simply drinking the tea in silence.
"I see, it's still about that boy!"
Hong Shan pointed at Ye Xinning but didn't say much, standing up and stretching his waist, then twisting his neck.
"Master, please don't say anymore..."
"Yes, if I say it, you won't admit it, so what's the point? No more, no more! It's enough that you and I know some things; there's no need to say them out loud!"
"Master, what do you know? Don't talk nonsense..."
"Hmph!"
Hong Shan pulled open the door and walked into the living room, while Ye Xinning followed behind him, her head slightly bowed, seemingly lost in thought, or perhaps not daring to look up.
"How is it, have you found anything suitable?"
Su Xiaojiu excitedly looked up.
"Yes, yes, yes! We found a local merchant. Their skincare products are from a niche brand. Although not well-known, the reviews say the quality is good and the effects are decent. Most importantly, if we pick them up ourselves, we can get them this afternoon! And there's a discount for bulk orders!"
This wasn't really Su Xiaojiu's business, but An Chen didn't know why Su Xiaojiu was so enthusiastic, as if she were doing business herself.
"I'm still contacting the merchant and considering our purchase quantity and the types of cosmetics. Once decided, if we can really pick up the goods this afternoon, I'll take half a day off to go to the factory and get them."
"If you can't take time off, I can reluctantly help you pick them up!"
"You'd better not."
An Chen smiled and tapped Su Xiaojiu's head.
"Your brain isn't enough."
Before Su Xiaojiu could get angry, Ye Xinning sat down next to An Chen, and even Hong Shan came over.
"Then what are we waiting for? I'll help you choose; don't waste any more time!"
The four of them spent a long time choosing, finally settling on a few basic cosmetics: lipstick, liquid foundation, concealer, loose powder, and pressed powder—items that required a bit of technical expertise. They didn't choose things like eyebrow pencils, which could also be made in Kyushu.
Moreover, the profit for some items was too low.
After An Chen sent over the quantities he needed, the merchant quickly replied with a message.
"Bro, why are you even wholesaling cosmetics?"