Chapter 7: A Malevolent Spirit Demanding a Life? Open for Business!

Gu Yuanyuan held his long sword, carefully scouting the path ahead. Cheng Shuangshuang also gripped her sword hilt tightly, scanning the surroundings with vigilance. Although the distance was short, they were moving far too slowly, prompting Qin Yueran to step outside and call out to them.

"Honored guests, there is no danger here. Please, hurry over," Qin Yueran said, waving her hand with a smile. To Gu Yuanyuan, standing beneath the colorful string lights, she looked exactly like a soul-reaping female ghost.

"Senior Sister Cheng..." Gu Yuanyuan’s voice trembled as he came to a halt. "Do you think we’ve encountered an evil spirit?"

Against monsters, they could at least put up a fight, as the creatures had physical forms that could be struck. But if they were facing a ghost, without spiritual power or the proper artifacts, they would be completely defenseless!

Cheng Shuangshuang was equally unsure if the woman ahead was a ghost, so they both stopped in their tracks.

Qin Yueran was puzzled. "Why did they stop?"

"Xiao Ran," Huhu sighed like a little adult. "Have you considered that finding a seemingly normal immortal island in the middle of a dangerous realm, complete with a house and a person inside, is inherently terrifying? Plus, it’s nighttime, and those flashing lights really set the mood. A woman in a white dress, standing in the wilderness beneath a house, smiling and waving while flickering lights shine on her..."

"Uh..." Qin Yueran interrupted, waving her hands. "Huhu, stop talking."

In the end, Qin Yueran decided to send the adorable Huhu to explain and guide them in, reasoning that a cute creature could always put people at ease and lower their guard. Of course, Qin Yueran wasn't sure if that would work on cultivators caught in such a strange realm. Fortunately, it seemed to have some effect.

Cheng Shuangshuang and Gu Yuanyuan stood before the inn, looking up at the sign: *An Inn*. They exchanged a glance. Could it really be just an inn, as the little white tiger had said?

Gu Yuanyuan stepped forward to inquire, "Excuse me, proprietor, is it really possible to stay here?"

"Of course! I understand your concerns," Qin Yueran said, pointing to her feet. "Look, I have a shadow. I’m a human!"

Cheng Shuangshuang & Gu Yuanyuan: "..."

Was the issue whether or not she was human? Although, being human was certainly better than being a ghost.

Qin Yueran didn't care about the details; she just wanted to finalize the business and get some rest. "Hurry, come inside."

Although they couldn't use their spiritual power, they discovered they could still transmit their voices telepathically.

*Senior Sister Cheng, should we go in?* Gu Yuanyuan asked.

*We go in. We’re already here,* Cheng Shuangshuang replied.

The two followed Qin Yueran into the lobby. It was only then that Cheng Shuangshuang noticed Qin Yueran’s attire seemed rather... peculiar. Her arms were exposed, and her legs were bare from the knees down.

Gu Yuanyuan blushed deeply and kept his head down as he walked. Even though there were female cultivators in the cultivation world who dressed quite scantily, he was still just a sixteen-year-old boy!

Cheng Shuangshuang looked around, feeling that the architectural style here was unlike anything they had ever seen. The glowing objects overhead emitted no trace of spiritual fluctuation; they didn't look like products of craftsmanship, nor were they like candles or night-luminescent pearls.

This place was truly strange! The proprietor herself had no spiritual fluctuations, yet Cheng Shuangshuang didn't dare to underestimate her.

As she pondered, she saw Qin Yueran stop beside a bizarre object.

"Come over. I’ll show you how to use this machine," Qin Yueran beckoned.

Cheng Shuangshuang and Gu Yuanyuan walked over.

"Put anything of value you have into this slot—spirit stones, spiritual artifacts, talismans, elixirs, and so on. It will automatically estimate their value and grant you corresponding points, which you can use for services here," Qin Yueran said, looking at them. "Why don't you try it?"

Cheng Shuangshuang looked embarrassed. "We cannot open our storage rings."

"Oh, I almost forgot about the restrictions," Qin Yueran realized. She called Huhu over. "Huhu, change the settings so they can open their storage items." Of course, only their storage items.

"You got it!" After a flurry of operations, Huhu told Cheng Shuangshuang, "It's done."

Cheng Shuangshuang hurriedly tested it, and sure enough, it worked. She retrieved some elixirs and tried feeding one to Shi Qingyu, just in case they worked here. But clearly, they did not. With a sigh of resignation, she placed the elixirs into the deposit slot.

"Ding! Detection in progress: ten medium-grade Inedia Pills, ten high-grade Rejuvenation Pills, and ten high-grade Spirit-Recovery Pills. Total value: 2,100 points... Scanning... Recording information... Points have been issued. Please check your balance."

As the machine’s voice faded, a beam of light shot into Cheng Shuangshuang’s forehead.

"Senior Sister Cheng!" Gu Yuanyuan cried out in alarm, drawing his sword to strike the machine.

"Hey! Stop!" Qin Yueran intervened just in time, sighing helplessly. "Young man, don't be so impulsive!"

Cheng Shuangshuang recovered as well. "I’m fine. It’s just a transparent light screen, the same one that appeared when we entered the black fog realm, only this one is called the Central Immortal Island System." She apologized to Qin Yueran, "My apologies, proprietor. Junior Brother Gu didn't mean to cause trouble."

"I know, but let this be the only time," Qin Yueran said. In this strange place, where everything was unknown, such a reaction was normal. Fortunately, she had absolute control on the island.

Qin Yueran lifted the restriction on Gu Yuanyuan, who sheepishly apologized as well. He then offered her a stack of talismans as an apology. "I only have these talismans of any real value. I hope you won't mind, proprietor."

He assumed the proprietor was a master of the hidden world and wouldn't care for the work of a novice talisman master like him. He watched her nervously, unaware that Qin Yueran was inwardly delighted at the sight of the thick stack of talismans. *I don't mind at all!*

However, she kept a calm expression, giving nothing away, and took them with a nod. "Mhm."

Gu Yuanyuan breathed a sigh of relief. *The senior is truly kind; she’s even looking out for my dignity. How moving!*

Qin Yueran communicated frantically with Huhu in her mind: *Did you see that?! This kid is a good kid! Should I hand these over to the system?*

*Of course not. Anything he gives you belongs to you.*

*That’s great! How does the machine calculate the points?* Qin Yueran asked curiously.

*The machine takes many factors into account, so I’m not entirely sure. Only spirit stone conversions are fixed: low, medium, high, and supreme are 10, 100, 1,000, and 10,000 respectively.*

*Oh... I see.* Qin Yueran didn't understand the complexities, but as the proprietor, she was happy to just collect the points.

"Wow, that's a lot of points! Let me see what else I can trade!"

Huhu and Qin Yueran watched Gu Yuanyuan, who was excitedly searching for more items to trade, praising the machine every now and then. It seemed they would have to wait a while. Huhu continued, *Ahem, I don't think the system is being too greedy. At least it gives a lot of points.*

Qin Yueran still felt uncomfortable communicating telepathically, so she picked up Huhu and walked aside to whisper. "I think we should project the detailed rules directly into the minds of anyone who enters the island's territory."

Huhu nodded. "That works. I'll set it up now so we don't have to repeat ourselves."

"And instructions on how to use the machines, too."

"Understood."

"Proprietor, we’re finished with our exchanges."

Qin Yueran checked the backend and saw that the two had exchanged nearly 20,000 points. "Wow!" Her eyes lit up.

She cleared her throat and walked over. "Use your consciousness to open your Central Immortal Island System app, click on 'An Inn,' and you can operate it yourselves."

Afraid they wouldn't understand, she demonstrated it for them. They placed their orders for the only two available single rooms. Although they were cautious and only booked for one day, Qin Yueran was delighted to hear the notification of 200 points credited and her business level rising to Level 1.

Finally, the business had successfully opened!