That night, when Ye Tiancheng went to sleep, he felt a splitting headache. Upon waking, he found a ball of black energy lingering around his head, making him feel dizzy and very uncomfortable.
"Ye Tiancheng, everyone knows now that you sold another pot of plants. They've issued a kill order against you. I advise you to flee quickly, or you'll be dead."
Ye Tiancheng woke up with a jolt, breaking out in a sweat. The voice came from Ouyang Xinuo, his friend who had been hiding like a coward for so long. His sudden appearance could only mean one thing: Ye Tiancheng was in for a world of trouble. Ouyang Xinuo was here to kick him while he was down, to stomp him into mud, preferably into dust.
"Ouyang Xinuo, if you have the guts, come out and fight me. Don't send these voices through black energy behind my back. It makes you look utterly shameless. People like you deserve to live in the gutter."
"You won't trick me into coming out. My strength is no match for yours. Am I supposed to go out and find my death? However, I've been observing you from the shadows. You're already close to death. You don't need me to do anything; those people will find a way to kill you."
Ye Tiancheng unleashed a burst of true qi, completely dispersing the annoying black energy. He felt much clearer, his earlier distress finally subsiding. It seemed Ouyang Xinuo had been trying to disrupt his mind with black energy, causing him to lose control and feel so uncomfortable.
"Ouyang Xinuo, if you have the guts, come out. If you keep playing tricks with black energy, I won't hesitate to catch you and kill you."
Ouyang Xinuo's presence vanished completely. He was probably afraid Ye Tiancheng would actually do something. Ye Tiancheng, while appearing kind on the surface, was no saint. If things went wrong, he could end up terribly.
Ye Tiancheng soon realized that Ouyang Xinuo's visit wasn't just to tease him; there was genuine truth to his words.
Ye Tiancheng had intended to go back to farming, but the foreman informed him that they couldn't hire him anymore. Ye Tiancheng had been blacklisted by every industry.
With no other options, Ye Tiancheng stayed home, feeling dejected. He didn't want to affect Xiao Pang's mood when he returned, so he decided it would be best to find a place to hide.
Suddenly, the plants that had withered overnight began to bloom. One, then two, then three, they looked incredibly vibrant. A miracle had occurred again.
"Master, don't be depressed. Aren't I trying to cheer you up? Are you feeling any better now?"
It was Xiao Shitong's voice. This little stone, residing in his ordinary space, was truly thriving. In mere seconds, it had transformed a withered plant into a vibrant specimen.
It was like a flame igniting in Ye Tiancheng's despairing heart. The power to conjure a sea of flowers from thin air was not something an ordinary person could achieve; it was truly a divine skill.
"Don't transform any more plants like this. I've been blacklisted by every industry because of the plants you transform. They've caused so much bloodshed. I shouldn't have been so greedy and sold the flowers you transformed."
If Ye Tiancheng had been in a good mood, Xiao Shitong would have argued with him. But seeing Ye Tiancheng in such a bad mood, Xiao Shitong felt a bit scared, having never witnessed this before.
"I'm sorry, Master! That wasn't my intention at first. I just wanted to cheer you up. I apologize, and I hope you can forgive me and stop being angry with me."
"It's not your fault. I just hate those people. They're so arrogant, using their power to suppress me, not treating me like a human at all."
"Otherwise, I'm cultivating quite well now. Let me help you transform more. You can earn money from this and no longer have to bow to their will. You can become a small tycoon again. I will help you with all my might."
"But won't that consume too much of your energy?"
Ye Tiancheng was desperate to become stronger but didn't know what to do. Xiao Shitong's sudden appearance and suggestion were incredibly tempting.
"Don't worry. If I were that weak, I wouldn't have spoken so boldly before. Although I can't show myself, I'll give you a bottle of spirit water. Remember to buy a few plants, preferably small ones, as they'll be more water-efficient."
After speaking, Xiao Shitong disappeared. A bottle of spirit water suddenly appeared before Ye Tiancheng.
Ye Tiancheng quickly asked Xiao Pang to wait for him at the market after work. The market had many flower stalls, selling small succulents, which were perfect. Ye Tiancheng planned to pick out a few dozen pots, drip the water on them, and then he'd have money.
"Brother Ye, it seems you've chosen this path after all. I thought you wouldn't go down this road. It's truly shocking that you've ended up here."
"Who doesn't want to become strong? If one remains weak, they will only be bullied. Therefore, I must become strong to escape these unspoken rules."
They found a stall where an old woman was selling succulents. The plants looked withered and close to death, yet the old woman was still calling out her wares.
"Five yuan a pot, hurry, buy more and get a discount."
Ye Tiancheng felt this was an opportunity. The succulents were sold at a low price, and the old woman seemed like a shrewd businesswoman. Ye Tiancheng thought that if he bought them all at once, the old woman would surely feel like a parched land receiving rain.
"Alright, I'll give you two hundred yuan for all of them. Give them all to me, I'll buy out the whole stall."
The old woman looked at Ye Tiancheng with surprise. "Young man, what's wrong with you? I said five yuan a pot. I only have about twenty-odd pots. If you were to bargain, you should have offered around a hundred yuan. Why are you offering two hundred? You're clearly looking down on me. Do you think I have no principles in business?"
"Auntie, I'm just patronizing your business. I think your succulents look very good, and I want to accompany you properly."
The old woman looked at Ye Tiancheng with even greater astonishment. "Are you kidding me? These succulents are all about to die. I was thinking no one would buy them, so I'd just plant them in the soil as fertilizer. What are you saying? Are you looking down on me?"
They bought twenty pots of succulents and, with great difficulty, managed to transport them home. They were placed in a corner of the living room. With no money, starting a business was incredibly challenging.
"Alright, I'm going to start."
Ye Tiancheng took the bottle of water given by Xiao Shitong and dripped one drop into each pot.
Then, a miracle occurred. Suddenly, all the succulents began to grow. They became vividly colored, with red and pink flowers blooming among the branches. The flowers seemed to possess life.
Suddenly, many butterflies and bees appeared, fluttering around the succulents. Ye Tiancheng was stunned and couldn't help but praise them repeatedly.
"I truly don't know how to describe it. It's so beautiful."
Xiao Pang was speechless. Who would have thought that such ugly, dying succulents would suddenly grow so vibrantly? The flowers blooming from the succulents were so beautiful. Xiao Pang's small eyes widened as if he had discovered a new continent.
"Brother Ye, don't say anything else. It doesn't matter if they blacklist us. As long as we become strong ourselves, we can sell these succulents and I believe we'll get a good price. We're about to get rich."
Xiao Pang then took a watering can and sprayed the succulents again, as if these beautiful plants deserved the best care.
"This Xiao Shitong is too magical! It used this divine nutrient solution to bring these succulents back to life! It seems its ability is not much less than Nuwa's stone."
Xiao Pang also gave a thumbs-up. "Indeed, Brother Ye, to be honest, there aren't many people I admire, but you are the only one. You always shock me. How do you have so many divine artifacts, each more powerful than the last?"
Ye Tiancheng quickly contacted someone to arrange business, specifically Jiang Dawei. He hadn't offended that guy yet, and he was foolish and rich.
He could easily afford the money Ye Tiancheng wanted. The key was that after failing to steal Ye Tiancheng's techniques, Jiang Dawei wanted to buy more to study.
"I've inspected your succulents. There are no problems, they are excellent. This is a small token of my appreciation. The card contains thirty million. Mainly, I'm giving you more because your quality is even better than last time. The bank card PIN is on the back of the card."
Someone was building a high-end restaurant, with delicious food laid out on marble tables, but nothing was as attractive as this bank card.
"Alright, then I wish us a pleasant cooperation. I hope we can have long-term cooperation in the future. Thank you, Mr. Jiang."
Ye Tiancheng wasn't pretentious. Since they would have many business dealings in the future, he readily accepted the bank card.
Jiang Dawei knew that Ye Tiancheng choosing him among so many buyers was a great honor. After all, these succulents could be sold for a higher price. These were not many, and they had already been hyped to a great extent.
The succulents he bought represented not only a fortune but also a matter of reputation.
With such a large sum of money, Ye Tiancheng decided to give a portion to Fang Ruyun and use the rest as seed capital.
After all, with fifteen million yuan, Ye Tiancheng invested in a company and started operations. With capital, making money became easier.
Xiao Pang no longer had to be a chef. He came to Ye Tiancheng's company to be a senior executive. In the past few days, a familiar face had appeared at the company.
"Isn't this Village Chief Liu? Why did you bring someone with you?"
"This young lady is called Xiao Lan. She is young, beautiful, and very virtuous. There aren't many girls with such good character. That's why I specifically introduced her to you, Mr. Ye. I'm doing this based on our past acquaintance. You should seize this opportunity."