Feng Jiuge smiled and extended her index finger to poke Yun Aotian. Then, pointing at the three black-clad men before them, she introduced them to him one by one: "This is Hei Jin, an accountant."
He managed over nineteen thousand shops, both openly and in secret, for the Mingyue Dynasty, controlled nearly half of its economic lifeline, and maintained the stability of the dynasty's entire economic situation.
With a golden abacus in hand, he calculated all the wealth under heaven. If Hei Jin had been born in a different era, he would absolutely be the wealthiest man in the world.
Yet in Feng Jiuge's eyes, all of this amounted to nothing more than an accountant.
"This is Hei Yu. When he has nothing better to do, he runs around listening at other people's walls."
It was clearly gathering information and collecting intelligence, yet somehow when it came out of Feng Jiuge's mouth, it took on a completely different flavor.
Hei Yu held a massive net that covered every corner, circulating information from all regions. This least risky of trades was also a primary channel for secretly making money.
"This one is Hei Feng, an incompetent bodyguard."
Feng Jiuge had only gotten half of that right.
Hei Feng was indeed her bodyguard, but it wasn't that he was incompetent—there was simply no opportunity for him to prove his competence.
With a master who worked herself harder than any man, where was the need for his protection?
So most of the time, he simply followed Hei Yu around to pass the time and keep his skills sharp, lest his techniques grew rusty from disuse.
After finishing the introductions, Feng Jiuge raised her eyes to look at Yun Aotian. A faint smile graced the corners of her lips, seemingly carrying profound meaning. "What do you say, husband? Aren't you going to give some meeting gifts?"
Hei Jin couldn't help but let out a cold laugh upon hearing these words.
What had gotten into his master?
With their power, what treasure under the heavens had they not seen? What treasure could they not obtain? And they still needed meeting gifts from this man?
But when he met the silent, wooden faces of Hei Yu and Hei Feng, he ultimately said nothing.
Yun Aotian's eyes remained closed, yet an unrestrained aura of wild arrogance continuously swirled around him. Such bearing—without that kind of lineage, without experiencing such worldly affairs, it was absolutely impossible to possess such a momentum that made one spontaneously feel the urge to submit and worship.
He reached out and grabbed at empty air. Three crystalline, transparent, teardrop-sized pills appeared in his hand. The aura that suddenly overflowed from them made one's entire body feel comfortable and refreshed upon a single whiff.
"Spirit Gathering Pills. They can increase your cultivation by one jiazi."
The moment Yun Aotian's voice fell, Hei Jin and the others felt their bodies suddenly move beyond their control. Their mouths opened automatically, allowing the Spirit Gathering Pills to slide down their throats, unable to be spat out again.
"You..."
Hei Jin used his hand to claw at his throat, wanting to dig the Spirit Gathering Pill out, but discovered that the thing melted the moment it entered his mouth, seemingly having already merged into his blood. He quickly checked his pulse to diagnose himself. Only after confirming it was not poisonous did he hurriedly turn his head to look at Hei Yu and Hei Feng.
The two of them valued strength more than Hei Jin did. The moment the Spirit Gathering Pills appeared, they knew they were good things, and immediately sat down cross-legged to absorb the medicinal power.
After only half an incense stick's time, Hei Feng stood up. His five fingers formed a claw as he tried to condense power, but was pleasantly surprised to discover that the light in his palm was actually a faint blue light!
Hei Yu couldn't help but slap Hei Feng's shoulder upon seeing this, saying happily, "Not bad! Breaking through the peak of Azure Battle Qi—you're now a Blue Qi Venerable!"
A hint of a smile also flashed across Hei Feng's cold face. "You're not bad either. Your cultivation advanced quite a bit in one go."
The two cupped their fists toward Yun Aotian, but before the word "thanks" could leave their mouths, they saw that Yun Aotian, without even raising his eyes, said faintly, "Meeting gifts."