Cultivation: I Have Studied Abroad in the Modern World
Chapter 106 - 12 Audit

Chapter 106: Chapter 12 Audit

The next day, at the marketplace.

Yuan was leisurely strolling between the stalls while occasionally checking the prices of goods in various shops.

She wore a veil over her face which blurred her features obscured her identity, and even appeared to alter her body shape.

As the person in charge of the marketplace, she truly cared about her duty and patrolled the area daily.

On one hand, it was leisure; on the other hand, she was on the lookout for any bullies or cheats in the marketplace.

Wearing a veil also helped prevent scheming individuals from recognizing and deceiving her.

Today’s marketplace felt slightly off to her; it seemed busier than usual.

However, Yuan couldn’t quite pinpoint what was amiss at the moment.

"Golden Armor Talisman! Xuan-grade Golden Armor Talisman!"

"Drawn personally by the talented Disciple Zheng, the foremost in talismanic magic!"

"Even if you don’t use it, it’s great for study and observation!"

Hearing the name ’Disciple Zheng,’ Yuan looked towards the source of the shouts.

Next to a somewhat secluded stall, Han Qi stood upright, passionately attracting the attention of passersby.

His two helpers were doing the same; their energetic voices combined overpowered other vendors’ chants and drew lots of attention amidst the bustling sounds.

Not just customers, even other stall vendors turned to look at the trio.

Their stall indeed had a good number of customers gathered.

Compared to other talisman stalls, which were relatively deserted, Han Qi and his companions were clearly doing better.

Yuan finally realized what was different in today’s marketplace: the extremely passionate promotional shouts!

She, too, walked over to see.

The items on Han Qi’s stall weren’t just the Xuan-grade talismans drawn by Zheng.

They had somehow gathered some lesser-priced, yellow-grade talismans to sell alongside.

"Buy one Xuan-grade talisman, and we’ll throw in three yellow-grade talismans for free!"

Han Qi shouted to the onlookers.

The customers around whispered among themselves, visibly tempted.

"One Xuan-grade talisman drawn by Disciple Zheng, plus three extra yellow-grade talismans!" Han Qi raised his voice further, "We wouldn’t offer this price if we didn’t view you as family! Once you leave this place, you won’t find such a deal elsewhere!"

It was unclear if it was due to Zheng’s status or the extra three yellow-grade talismans, but a cultivator couldn’t resist and bought three Xuan-grade talismans.

Han Qi joyfully secured a spirit stone and looked up to see Yuan standing before him.

"Does the fairy wish to purchase something?" Han Qi greeted enthusiastically, "Take a look, they are all crafted by Jiushan Sect’s renowned genius, Disciple Zheng!"

"Is this your stall?"

"No!" Han Qi shook his head, half explaining and half boasting, "This is Disciple Zheng’s stall; otherwise, how could we have his talismans?"

"So you are helping him out?"

"Of course! Fairy, what talisman would you like?"

Han Qi responded loudly and asked again.

"...Doing all this just for him? Your voices can be heard throughout the entire marketplace!" Yuan said, noting Han Qi’s proud expression.

"?" Han Qi sensed something amiss and closely observed Yuan.

Yuan removed her veil.

"Yuan..."

"Shut up!" She quickly put her veil back on and frowned at the trio, "When you work for me, it’s never with such enthusiasm."

"..."

"Selling the book and hiking up the price!"

"Procrastinating over small tasks!"

"Although not committing major offenses, you constantly make minor mistakes!"

Yuan’s frustration grew as she spoke.

Han Qi and the others hung their heads, too scared to reply.

"If you were always like this... never mind!"

She paused, then after a moment waved her hand dismissively, no longer seeing the point.

She felt these three had swiftly changed their stripes, making her seem unpopular, almost as if she couldn’t compare to Zheng.

Han Qi looked up earnestly and asked, "So Yuan, do you want to buy some talismans?"

"?"

...

Zheng always felt Yuan gave him a strange look.

As soon as he went upstairs, he felt her occasional gaze, tinged with subtle anger and an unusual pensiveness - unusual because Zheng rarely saw her contemplate.

"Fairy Yuan? Is there something amiss with my face?"

He couldn’t help but ask, puzzled.

"It’s not you, it’s me who is about to become improper!" Yuan seemed to return to her senses, pursing her lips, "You must teach me quickly!"

"Ah?"

"Ah what? Didn’t Han Qi tell you? Zhang is coming tonight to check the accounts."

"I know about the account audit." Zheng was surprised, "I’ve already organized the books."

He had been coming to the marketplace every day this month to help Yuan with the accounts.

The ledgers were tedious but straightforward, and Zheng felt he calculated everything clearly.

"An audit by her isn’t just checking the accounts; she’s checking me!" Yuan looked a bit gloomy, "She stopped managing the accounts herself and complained that I’m incapable as the marketplace manager, wanting to replace me."

Zheng nodded slightly.

"...Why are you nodding?" Yuan glared at him, but remembering she needed his help, her tone softened a bit, "I boasted to her that managing these ledgers is a piece of cake for me!"

"So?"

Zheng began to understand what Yuan meant.

"So, the fact that you help me with the accounts... I didn’t tell Zhang... She thinks I’m handling everything."

...I was outsourced?

However, Zheng Fa didn’t mind too much; this job was indeed somewhat tiring.

But compared to a compensation of five Spirit Stones a month, it was pretty easy.

Han Qi once told him that in Guanfang City if a store was hiring an accounts manager, getting one Spirit Stone in three months was already very generous.

An inaccurate analogy, sweeping the streets as a cleaner is indeed tough, but if the monthly wage is not three thousand but thirty thousand, not to mention feeling tired, one could even develop a sense of professional pride and self-title oneself as a city beautician.

Regarding the Spirit Stones, Yuan did not treat him poorly; instead, she gave too many!

Zheng Fa decided to return the favor.

"What does Senior Sister mean?"

"Tell me about the important numbers in this ledger..." Yuan pleaded, "Otherwise, when Zhang asks me later, I wouldn’t want to expose myself by not knowing anything."

It seemed that she was cramming for the test at the last minute.

"That’s simple."

Zheng Fa took out several ledgers, spread them out in front of Yuan, and pointed out some important data for this month to her.

Yuan memorized them quickly—though a Cultivator might not be good at math, it is rare for them to have poor memory.

Zheng Fa’s thorough mentoring greatly boosted Yuan’s confidence, making her feel like she wouldn’t embarrass herself in front of Zhang.

"Alright, you can leave early later!" She patted Zheng Fa’s shoulder and advised, "To avoid arousing suspicion from Zhang."

"What are you afraid I’ll see?"

The voice of Zhang came from downstairs.

Zheng Fa felt the hand Yuan patted on his shoulder stiffen, hitting him painfully.

She glanced at Zheng Fa urgently, her face conveying four words—act accordingly.

Zhang slowly walked up the stairs.

She looked at Zheng Fa; there wasn’t much surprise in her gaze, but she turned to Yuan and asked, "What don’t you want me to see?"

"..." Yuan forced a laugh, then blurted out cleverly: "I was worried that Zheng coming here might be seen by you, Sister. After all, this place holds the ledgers of Guanfang City, and ordinary people shouldn’t enter..."

Zhang gazed deeply at Yuan, then glanced towards Zheng Fa.

Zheng Fa sighed inwardly but nodded under Yuan’s nervous gaze.

"Have you finished organizing the ledger?" Zhang didn’t pursue further and merely asked Yuan.

"You’re a bit early, Senior Sister." Yuan muttered, then eagerly claimed, "But I’ve already organized the ledger!"

Having said that, she brought over the ledgers Zheng Fa had organized and placed them in front of Zhang.

Zhang leafed through them rapidly, page by page.

Yuan covertly watched her facial expressions.

"Well done," Zhang said after reviewing a few volumes, nodding at Yuan with a gentle demeanor.

A hint of joy appeared on Yuan’s face.

"How much is this month’s income for the workshop?"

"One thousand two hundred and thirty-six Spirit Stones."

Yuan’s face brightened as she spoke, showing the joy of having guessed correctly.

"And the rent?"

"The rent is nine hundred and fifty-five Spirit Stones, of which the booth rent is two hundred and thirty, the workshop rent is two hundred seventy, and the large shop rent is four hundred and fifty-five."

Yuan answered fluently, her voice growing more confident.

Zheng Fa also pondered the significance of these numbers.

There are roughly six or seven hundred booths in the workshop area, around a hundred small shops, and at least a dozen large shops opened by various Sects.

Yet the primary source of rent revenue comes from those large shops.

Typical booths, like the one Zheng Fa currently has—roughly require one Spirit Stone every three months.

But the average shop needs two to three Spirit Stones a month.

The rent for the large shops is even higher.

Besides rent, the workshop’s income includes transaction taxes, with different tax rates for various goods—but compared to the shop rents, that’s a smaller amount.

Zhang nodded slightly, seemingly quite satisfied: "You have been diligent."

A somewhat proud smile appeared on Yuan’s face.

"How does the workshop’s income compare to last month?" Zhang asked again.

"Ah?"

Yuan turned her head blankly to look at Zheng Fa.

Oops, she hadn’t reviewed last month’s data!

"You answer."

Zhang pointed at Zheng Fa.

Zheng Fa thought for a moment and said, "Last month, the workshop’s income was one thousand two hundred and ninety-five Spirit Stones, so this month’s income has dropped by about half."

Zhang kept quiet, just quietly looking at the two, Yuan’s face full of remorse.

"From now on, you manage the workshop," she suddenly directed at Zheng Fa.

Hearing Zhang was promoting him, Zheng Fa’s first reaction was—reject!

What a joke, Zhang just does whatever she wants without considering others.

How would disciples of the workshop respect him, a mere second level Qi Cultivation?

Yuan’s lips curled, and she quietly lowered her head.

She noticed that since Zheng Fa’s arrival, everyone seemed to like him more.

The trio led by Han Qi became more diligent.

This time, Zhang also clearly trusted Zheng more.

Although she knew she was being lazy,

And knew that Zheng Fa was exceptionally talented, she was willing to take more care of him;

But being outshined by Zheng Fa twice in one day still made her feel a bit down.

Could this Junior Brother Zheng... possibly be practicing Charming Skill?

"Sister Zhang, actually, all this data was mentioned to me during casual conversations by Senior Sister Yuan," suddenly she heard Zheng Fa’s voice, sharply raising her head, she saw him telling Zhang: "It’s just Senior Sister Yuan got too nervous being tested by you and forgot."

Yuan looked at Zheng Fa, feeling that his not particularly handsome face, seemed increasingly attractive...