Chapter 19 Investors

Chapter 19 Investor

“My eyes seem to have night vision.”

After returning to his room, Li Yi practiced for another day after eating, but when night fell, he suddenly realized that even though he hadn’t turned on the lights, he could see everything clearly. Moreover, this vision was very strange; it wasn’t his previous normal vision.

The colors had become somewhat peculiar, as if he had turned on night vision goggles.

“It seems my body has evolved to a new stage. This feeling is truly marvelous.” Li Yi’s eyes glowed in the darkness, like a beast in the jungle at night.

Many top predators in nature have better vision at night than during the day. This is the result of countless years of evolution for hunters, aimed at increasing their success rate in night hunting, thereby better ensuring their survival and reproduction.

And after evolution, cultivators’ eyes also gained night vision, which means that cultivators are also continuously improving their position in the food chain.

Li Yi didn’t continue cultivating; he was constantly adapting to his night vision.

After a while, he suddenly sensed something in his room and looked towards the door.

“Who?”

He whispered.

This time, the changes in his body were not just in his eyes; his hearing also became acute. He heard faint footsteps in the corridor, and he even determined that the footsteps had stopped at his door.

Moreover, Li Yi didn’t feel anything amiss with the emergence of this ability; instead, it felt more like an instinct.

“Li Yi, it’s me. Can you open the door?” A woman’s voice came from outside the door.

Zhao Xiaoxiao?

Li Yi immediately frowned. He didn’t have a very good impression of Zhao Xiaoxiao. Just as Zhang Gao said, Zhao Xiaoxiao wasn’t someone who only focused on cultivation. She was a speculator among cultivators, always thinking of stepping on the low to elevate the high, playing both sides, and building connections.

Of course, this behavior wasn’t really a terrible thing. After all, he was truly poor, so it was normal to be looked down upon.

However, what happened with Wu Zhen yesterday made Li Yi very uncomfortable, as Zhao Xiaoxiao was also one of the participants.

“I’m going to sleep. Let’s talk about it tomorrow.” Li Yi didn’t open the door, merely refusing coldly.

But Zhao Xiaoxiao didn’t leave and continued, “I have something very important I want to tell you. Please open the door. Don’t worry, I don’t have any ill intentions this time, and I’m the only one at the door.”

“Something very important?” Li Yi’s expression shifted, and he continued to ask, “Does it concern me?”

“It’s about you,” Zhao Xiaoxiao said from the doorway.

Li Yi thought for a moment, then finally opened the door with some caution.

Indeed, there was only Zhao Xiaoxiao at the door.

“What is it? Speak,” Li Yi said.

“Let’s talk in your room. It’s not very convenient out here,” Zhao Xiaoxiao said.

Li Yi frowned, “What trick are you trying to pull now?”

Zhao Xiaoxiao said earnestly, “I think there are some misunderstandings between us, and I truly have no ill intentions in coming to find you this time. Please trust me this once. If I do anything detrimental to you, you can immediately strike at me, and I will not resist.”

“Alright, I want to see what you’re here for this time. If you can’t give me a satisfactory reason, don’t blame me for throwing you out.” Li Yi’s demeanor was very cold.

Zhao Xiaoxiao walked into the room, then directly closed the door. She sat down on the nearby sofa as if she were an old friend.

Li Yi didn’t know what this woman was up to; he just stood by, watching her with a slight guard.

Zhao Xiaoxiao smiled and said, “As a girl, I’m not afraid to come find you late at night, so what are you afraid of?”

“When you’re out, boys also need to learn to protect themselves. There are female hooligans these days, you know.” Li Yi said seriously, “Tell me the purpose of your visit.”

At the same time, he also turned on his phone’s recording function to keep evidence.

Zhao Xiaoxiao’s smile faded, and then she said seriously, “First, I want to apologize to you for Wu Zhen’s matter yesterday. I hope you, being a magnanimous person, won’t hold a grudge against me.”

Li Yi said, “I’m not angry about Wu Zhen’s behavior, nor will I truly hold a grudge against you people, because such things have happened before, and I believe they will happen again in the future. But as long as it happens to me, no matter how many times, I will resist.”

“If pushed too far, it’s nothing more than exchanging lives. Although I know this is reckless, even impulsive, this is the way a poor boy survives. After all, my life isn’t worth much, but your lives might not be.”

“Before, I didn’t understand, but now I can.”

Zhao Xiaoxiao now stood up from the sofa again and walked over, saying, “But Li Yi, have you ever thought that your cultivation talent shouldn’t be wallowing in the mud? You should have a better future.”

“Whether it’s me, or Wu Zhen, Lü Jue, Zhang Gao, and the others, we are actually not on the same path as you. You are a genius. The reason you’ve ended up like this is because you’ve been constrained by family and life. If someone can help you solve these problems, I believe the potential you unleash will be enormous.”

Li Yi glanced at her, “What exactly do you want to say?”

“Today’s guiding work opened my eyes and showed me the true gap between cultivators. It turns out that rich people can afford cultivation chambers and hire four batches of Guiding Staff. My cultivation value is only seventy-five percent, not high, not low, and my family background is also quite ordinary. These things combined mean I am destined to be mediocre.”

Zhao Xiaoxiao took a deep breath and said, “But I also have my way of survival, so I want to invest in you.”

“Invest in me? Why?” Li Yi frowned.

This was the first time in his life he had heard someone say they wanted to invest in him, and it came from Zhao Xiaoxiao’s mouth, of all people.

Zhao Xiaoxiao smiled and said, “My words just now were very clear. Your potential is immense and worth investing in.”

“Immense potential?” Li Yi said, “Just because my cultivation value is a bit higher than yours?”

“A bit higher? Li Yi, you really don’t know much about cultivation. You’re not just a bit higher than us, you’re three times higher. What does three times mean? This is a chasm that ordinary cultivators like us can never cross. And I think you definitely held back during your first Cosmic Energy guidance. Lü Jue estimated your cultivation value at one hundred eighty percent, but I don’t think so.”

“Your cultivation value has absolutely broken through two hundred percent. I’ve only heard about people with such high cultivation values; I’ve never personally encountered one in my life, so I want to take a gamble.”

Zhao Xiaoxiao said, taking out a bank card from her pocket and handing it to Li Yi with both hands. “This contains all my savings, a total of 1.37 million. Although it’s not much, it proves my sincerity. As long as you accept my investment, from today onwards, I will do my utmost to provide you with cultivation funds and act as your Guiding Staff, allowing you to cultivate with peace of mind.”

Investor?

Li Yi remembered now; such a thing indeed happens among cultivators.

Some talented individuals are sponsored, and even some genius cultivators are heavily invested in by big bosses and wealthy individuals.

Because this world has changed. Top cultivators can already influence the course of events, and this is only ten years after the Skyfall. If another twenty or thirty years pass, the future is destined to be an era where cultivators hold power.

Under the prevailing winds of the era, a wave of investment naturally emerges.

Zhao Xiaoxiao was also very nervous at this moment, but she felt that her actions today were not wrong. Li Yi must be a protagonist-like figure from a novel who would surely soar to great heights in the future. At that time, as long as she benefited a little, it would definitely be better than working hard to cultivate herself.

The room fell silent at this moment.

Li Yi remained silent, and Zhao Xiaoxiao waited for Li Yi’s reply.

Facing this scene, Li Yi, only twenty years old, would be lying if he said he wasn’t tempted. He had never encountered such a good thing in his life. Not only could he get over a million yuan for free, but he could also gain a free laborer. Zhao Xiaoxiao had put it so well: she could continuously earn money to invest in him, allowing him to cultivate without any worries.

In the face of such sincerity, previous conflicts and disagreements seemed negligible.

As for whether Zhao Xiaoxiao would regret it in the future, that seemed unimportant.

Investment, after all, involves both gains and losses.

But Li Yi quickly resisted the temptation. Firstly, he was not a genius, and his cultivation value was not two hundred percent. Secondly, the secret of the qi objects could not be exposed, otherwise, Crow and his group would certainly not let him go, and it might even lead to his demise. And currently, he had no ability to deal with these.

Of course, there was a third point: he disliked Zhao Xiaoxiao very much.

If she invested in him today, and later encountered a cultivator with greater potential, she might just turn around and sell him out.

Inviting so many hidden dangers for temporary gain was not worth it.

Moreover, Li Yi could now earn over 200,000 yuan a day, so Zhao Xiaoxiao’s money was not urgently needed for him.

Thinking of this, he made his choice in his heart.

“Zhao Xiaoxiao, your investment, I refuse,” Li Yi said unceremoniously.

“Why?” Zhao Xiaoxiao trembled slightly, looking at Li Yi with some disbelief.

She didn’t understand why Li Yi would refuse her investment.

There was absolutely no reason for it.

“Li Yi, don’t be impulsive. You desperately need investment right now. Don’t refuse because of a small unpleasant incident from before. In the adult world, there is no hatred, only interests. You shouldn’t be impulsive.” Zhao Xiaoxiao tried to persuade him again, thinking Li Yi was young and throwing a tantrum.

But Li Yi interrupted her, “No, you’re wrong. I’m not being impulsive.”

“Then what’s your reason for refusing the investment?” Zhao Xiaoxiao was now eager to know the reason for her rejection.

Because most cultivators are very willing to accept investments from others, after all, it’s a free benefit.

Li Yi said, “No reason. If you have nothing else to say, you can leave.”

He didn’t explain.

“I understand.”

Zhao Xiaoxiao took a deep breath and said, “But I still hope you, Li Yi, will think carefully. During the time we work together, if you change your mind, tell me immediately. I will still stand by tonight’s decision.”

Li Yi did not speak.

Seeing this, Zhao Xiaoxiao sighed, “In that case, I won’t disturb you anymore. I’m going back.”

She didn’t pester him further but turned and left Li Yi’s room.

“Bang!”

As soon as Zhao Xiaoxiao left, the door slammed shut, showing no intention of holding her back.

“It seems your actions today weren’t very smooth.”

When Zhao Xiaoxiao returned to her room, Lü Jue’s door next door opened. He stood at the doorway, saying with a half-smile.

“I want to invest in Li Yi,” Zhao Xiaoxiao said.

Lü Jue shook his head upon hearing this, “Invest? Then you’re too late. Li Yi earned 220,000 today. As long as he works for a while longer, accumulating a few million won’t be a problem. Your capital isn’t enough to invest in him at all. This Guiding Staff job is just the beginning of Li Yi’s change.”

“Unless you had invested in him when you first met him. It’s a pity that back then, you saw him so poor he didn’t even have money for a taxi and even refused to acknowledge him, causing you to completely miss a great opportunity.”

Zhao Xiaoxiao said, “Yes, if I had invested then, Li Yi would definitely have agreed. But unfortunately, I misjudged him.”

“It’s not just misjudging; you also offended him. You ignored him before, and now you can’t reach him.” Lü Jue said with a smile.

“Shut up.” Zhao Xiaoxiao was mortified and slammed the door shut after entering her room.