The snow on Tianquan Peak fell and stopped, then fell again.
In the blink of an eye, half a month had passed.
Nan Xi had truly spent two weeks accompanying Tiansi while she read picture books.
He completely ignored everything else, from disciple training and Elder meetings to financial reports.
He was the definition of a hands-off boss.
The only time he had actually left the house was because the picture books were all finished, and Lady Tiansi had asked him to go down the mountain to buy new ones.
Consequently, 100 volumes were added to Nan Xi’s Peak Master expenditure list.
He hadn’t accomplished a single thing. Instead, he was just losing money for Tianquan Peak.
“Nan Xi.”
The lazy voice rang out again. Nan Xi turned around just in time to see a closed picture book being held up toward him.
“Finished?”
“Mm.” Lady Tiansi nodded, then slumped back onto the bed in a lethargic heap. “This one wasn’t very good.”
“I’ll find another one for you then.”
With that, Nan Xi began rummaging through the mountain of books piled around them for a new story.
This constituted the vast majority of the conversations Nan Xi and Tiansi had shared over the past few days.
However, thanks to this, Nan Xi had gradually figured out some of Tiansi’s preferences.
For instance, she preferred travelogues about the martial world, as they allowed her to see various local customs and cultures.
Her second favorite was romance stories.
She seemed exceptionally focused when reading those, as if she were taking that joke about teaching Nan Xi how to pursue girls seriously.
As a side note, The Romantic Unofficial History of Sect Leader Bai series seemed to be on hiatus.
No matter how hard Nan Xi looked, he couldn’t find the next volume.
He hoped the author hadn’t been silenced to keep the secrets.
He and Lady Tiansi were still waiting for the sequel.
“Lady Tiansi, try this one.” Nan Xi pulled a book titled The Overbearing Holy Son Falls for Me from the pile and handed it to her.
Judging by the title, it seemed like the type of story she would enjoy.
He just hoped she wouldn’t try to make him use the “Overbearing Holy Son” method to woo women.
“Mm-hmm.”
Tiansi nodded obediently, took the book, and curled back up on the bed to start reading.
She didn’t possess even a shred of the dignity a Supreme Elder should have.
‘Isn’t this great?’
He didn’t have to worry about his safety, his work as a Peak Master was incredibly easy, and the Mission Progress Bar increased on its own even if he did nothing. Furthermore —
Nan Xi looked at Tiansi’s focused expression, and a faint smile couldn’t help but play on his lips.
He had Lady Tiansi, who essentially respawned in his house every day, to keep him company.
How could there be such an easy mission in this world?
While Nan Xi was lost in thought, Tiansi, who had been immersed in her book, suddenly paused.
Her lazy eyes slowly lifted, glancing toward the outside of the house.
“What is it, Lady Tiansi?”
“Granny Ji is here,” Tiansi said softly.
“Granny Ji?”
Nan Xi was stunned for a moment. Then, a dull thudding sound of someone knocking reached his ears.
In the vast, silent snowy day, the sound was exceptionally clear.
Nan Xi wrapped his collar tight and walked out of the study to open the door.
When the door opened, a snowman appeared before Nan Xi’s eyes.
‘Is this some kind of “standing in the snow to show devotion” trope!?’
If it weren’t for the pair of eyes peeking out from under the snow-covered head, Nan Xi would have thought someone had played a prank and built a snowman at his doorstep.
“Granny Ji?” Nan Xi asked tentatively. Without Lady Tiansi’s advance warning, he really wouldn’t have been able to guess who was at the door.
“It is I, Master Nan.” The snowman shook off the snow, revealing Granny Ji’s spirited face.
“What are you doing here in such heavy snow? Come in, quickly.”
Nan Xi frowned slightly as he welcomed Granny Ji into the living room.
To be honest, in the short time the door had been open, he could clearly feel a bone-chilling cold.
“It’s freezing.” Nan Xi blew a breath onto his hands, rubbing them together to maintain some warmth.
He turned around to see Granny Ji warming her hands by the stove he had lit earlier.
“Careful not to get too close to the fire. You might singe your clothes,” Nan Xi said with a helpless shrug, turning back to check if any doors or windows were still leaking air.
“Understood, Master Nan.”
“Granny Ji.”
“Supreme Elder!?” Granny Ji’s smiling expression instantly froze. She looked up behind her.
At some point, Lady Tiansi had drifted from the inner room into the living room.
She was leaning against the doorframe of the study, looking at the two of them with curiosity… though her lazy posture made it look like she might collapse onto the floor at any moment.
“I didn’t realize the Supreme Elder was also here today. I came in a hurry and didn’t prepare any snacks for you…” Granny Ji explained flusteredly.
Lady Tiansi didn’t seem to mind. She strolled slowly to the stove and leaned against the armrest of a large chair to bake in the heat. She looked so comfortable her eyes almost closed.
Nan Xi glanced at the stove, his brows arching slightly. But soon, his gaze shifted back to Granny Ji.
“So, Granny Ji, did you risk the heavy snow to come here for something important?”
“Oh, right. I almost forgot the main business.” Granny Ji slapped her forehead and began rummaging through her storage bracelet.
Nan Xi was familiar with this; it was a recurring segment. After a while, Granny Ji finally looked up and shouted to Nan Xi with excitement:
“Master Nan, I came here today specifically to show you this!”
With that, she presented a list in front of Nan Xi. Naturally, the scroll rolled all the way down to Nan Xi’s feet.
Nan Xi bent down and picked up the other end of the list.
“Expenditure for disciple cultivation elixirs: 100 Spirit Stones.”
“Purchase of 200 illustrated books: two Spirit Stones.”
“…”
“Total expenditure for this month: a 30% increase compared to last month.”
‘Yes!’
Expenses had increased by 30%!
Nan Xi’s eyes brightened. He was doing a great job as a spendthrift.
In his very first month, he had managed to increase Tianquan Peak’s spending by 30% without doing anything useful.
Ahem…
Of course, he couldn’t look too happy, or he would blow his cover.
After finishing the read, Nan Xi looked up at Granny Ji with a “worried” expression and sighed with emotion.
“Last month’s situation looks a bit grim.”
“No, no, no, Master Nan! Flip it over. There’s more on the back.” Granny Ji gestured frantically.
‘Flip it over?’
Nan Xi frowned and turned the list to the other side. His gaze fell directly on the bottom line.
“Total income for this month: a 50% increase compared to last month. Taking everything into account, the peak has basically broken even.”
‘Wait, what?’
What was he seeing?
“Master Nan, you’re not seeing things!” Sensing Nan Xi’s shock, Granny Ji shouted excitedly.
“Our Tianquan Peak broke even this month! We aren’t losing money anymore!”
Perhaps her shouting was too loud, as even Lady Tiansi, who had been napping on the armrest, lifted her head.
With half-closed eyes, she looked at Granny Ji and then at Nan Xi.
But Nan Xi had no time to worry about her. His eyes were glued to the last line of the list…
How could Tianquan Peak possibly achieve a balanced budget when his spending had increased by 30%!?