Money Can't Buy Everything, But It Can Buy Almost Everything

The following morning.

Before launching her broadcast, Cho-young stepped out into the field.

Yesterday's broadcast had nudged it up by about two percent.

Hardly ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠surprising, given that she had only managed two hours before Hye-yeon showed up and derailed the whole thing. But the reason Cho-young was wandering around the dirt patch this early without a camera running was something entirely different.

Paralysis Herb.

Having crushed the dried stalks into a fine, pale powder, Cho-young began sprinkling it gingerly along the perimeter of the crop rows.

Hye-yeon had mentioned yesterday that rogue cultivators had tried to kidnap her, hadn't she? While Cho-young had already buried defensive barrier talismans around the yard, high-tier cultivators could easily smash through simple formations. An extra insurance policy was definitely in order.

Paralysis Herb was a spiritual plant that triggered severe, instantaneous muscular paralysis on mere contact.

Back when she was grinding away in the Biseungdo game, she had always kept a thick trench of Paralysis Herb powder dusted around her homestead to ward off intrusive cultivators.

Though just tossing it on the ground won't be enough.

Cultivators had a nasty habit of flying.

If she could weave a dual-layer barrier of Paralysis Herb that spanned both ground and sky, maybe she could finally sleep without keeping one eye open. After thoroughly dusting all four outer borders of the field, Cho-young grabbed a small spade and dug up the four corners where her barrier talismans lay buried. She dumped massive handfuls of the paralyzing powder directly atop the yellow paper talismans before packing the soil ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠back down tight.

"All set!"

Now, anyone who dared brush against the perimeter barrier would find their limbs seizing stiff as iron and their tongues freezing solid in their mouths—unable to move an inch, much less cast a spell. It wouldn't kill them, but for a cultivator caught in enemy territory, paralysis was practically a death sentence anyway.

Not satisfied with just the garden, Cho-young began circling her house, dusting the porch steps and the window sills.

This time, she threw Sleep Herb powder into the mix.

Stepping on a cocktail of Paralysis Herb and Sleep Herb guaranteed instant rigidity accompanied by an irresistible wave of drowsiness.

The second you break in, you're getting a full eight hours of comatose rest.

Cho-young drew four fresh barrier talismans, dug small pits at the four outer corners of the cottage, and planted them deep. Just as she had done in the garden, she heaped generous mounds of the dual powder over each slip of enchanted paper before tamping the dirt down flat.

Taking a step back to inspect her handiwork, Cho-young brushed her palms together with a satisfied nod.

"Done!"

Whoosh—!

Right on cue, a slender figure fluttered down from above, landing softly behind her.

"Whatcha doing?"

It was Hye-yeon.

"Oh, just laying down some barrier talismans and sprinkling a few things around."

"Huh, really?"

"...Wait! Stop! Don't step over th—!"

"Ack! Urghhh?! Th-the hell... you should've said somethi... nghh..."

Having planted her boot squarely on the freshly dusted perimeter, Hye-yeon froze mid-stride, locked rigid like a contorted bronze statue. A split second later, her eyelids fluttered shut, and she slumped forward like a puppet whose strings had been cleanly severed.

"...Man, that stuff works fast."

Then again, it made sense. Back in Biseungdo, this exact powder mix had temporarily knocked out high-tier Chang-gui specters, and lesser spirits were regularly paralyzed and put to sleep in droves. What chance did a lone Foundation Establishment cultivator have against it?

"You... okay?"

"...Snoooore."

"Definitely not okay."

"No, don't touch that yet... Gah!"

Lying spread-eagled like a corpse on Cho-young's living room sofa, Hye-yeon suddenly bolted upright. Wincing, she vigorously rubbed her numb, tingling forearm while her eyes darted frantically around the room.

"You awake?" Cho-young asked, strolling over from the kitchenette, her enormous bust swaying noticeably with each step.

"What the hell was that?!"

"You stepped right on a blend of top-grade Paralysis Herb and Sleep Herb."

"I—I got taken out by some dried weeds?!"

"What do you mean, 'some dried weeds'? Those herbs were nurtured by the concentrated spiritual essence of the earth. Obviously they pack a punch. Even a tiny pinch carries an obscene amount of spiritual qi."

Hye-yeon swallowed hard, gaining a newfound terror of Cho-young's gardening hobby. Cho-young sank into the armchair opposite the sofa and leaned back.

"So, what happened yesterday?"

"Oh. I gave my report to Hall Master Ok. She'll probably be coming to see you in person pretty soon."

"Coming here?" Cho-young's brow furrowed. "I thought I made it clear I wasn't interested."

"It's not an initiation offer. She'll likely propose a partnership where both sides benefit. And Pajeok Gate needs to protect you anyway. What you said yesterday... wasn't wrong, after all."

"Mm. I see."

"So, to make sure nothing happens to you in the meantime, I came ahead of her to keep watch... but..." Hye-yeon trailed off, cheeks burning with embarrassment over how easily she had been neutralized on the doorstep.

Relieved to hear that she wasn't about to be dragged into a sect by force, Cho-young reached an arm deep into her embroidered fabric bag, rummaging through its seemingly bottomless depths with a rustling noise.

"What are you looking for?" Hye-yeon asked.

"Hold on. Why isn't this coming out... Ow! Stop biting me!"

"..."

"...The white snake inside bit my finger."

Hye-yeon stared in stunned silence. Every single day with this woman was a fresh exercise in disbelief. Who in their right mind kept sacred spiritual beasts lounging casually inside an everyday handbag?

"Found it!"

"...Are you insane?"

Cho-young yanked an object straight out of the sack as if pulling a common radish from the dirt: a fully intact Ten-Thousand-Year Extreme Blood Treasure.

"Phew. Finally got today's streaming content ready."

"I-Is that... a Ten-Thousand-Year Extreme Blood Treasure?!"

"Yep. Only got one, unfortunately."

"You say 'only one' like it's a pebble on the road!"

"Come on, what am I supposed to do with just one? It barely covers anything."

What kind of absurd world do you actually live in, Cho-young? Hye-yeon thought, her eye twitching.

"Wait... you said this was your streaming content?"

"Yeah. I'm gonna farm it."

...Farm a Ten-Thousand-Year Extreme Blood Treasure?

A supreme-grade spiritual treasure that took an entire millennium to coalesce beneath staggering subterranean pressure and searing volcanic heat? A divine panacea capable of clearing blocked meridians and infusing the body with pure, unyielding yang qi with a single bite?

You could just... grow that in a dirt patch?

"How on earth are you going to do that?"

"It's easy."

A few minutes later, Cho-young stepped back out into the field with Hye-yeon in tow and tapped her interface to start the stream.

"Good morning, everyone! Today, we're going to plant some rare spiritual herbs together."

"Does anyone know what this is?"

Cho-young held the plant up directly in front of the floating lens, cradling it gently against the backdrop of her pale palm.

The root tip was spherical and smooth, resembling a colossal crimson pearl born within the shell of a deep-sea oyster, glowing with the deep, saturated hue of fresh vitality. Sprouting upward from the crimson bulb was a stalk that defied nature—not a rough, dirt-crusted stem, but a translucent, luminescent shaft reminiscent of polished quartz crystal. Further up the crystalline stem, delicate five-colored leaves unfurled symmetrically, shimmering with iridescent light, while the crowning bloom atop the stalk burst open in a dazzling, crystalline floral canopy that outshone any flower on earth.

"It's called a Ten-Thousand-Year Extreme Blood Treasure," Cho-young announced cheerily.

The instant Cho-young revealed its name, donation alerts chimed in rapid succession, and the live chat exploded into an unreadable blur. Beside her, Hye-yeon was still staring at the plant with wide, disbelieving eyes.

"Looks like some of you recognize it," Cho-young smiled. "We're going to plant this little guy and farm it today."

"You're absolutely right! You clearly know your lore," Cho-young giggled, pointing a finger at the chat. "Except you're only half right! That logic only applies to the actual Blood Treasure part."

Cho-young had spent years treating the hardcore cultivation MMO Biseungdo like a mystical farming simulator. Discovering bizarre horticultural quirks that regular players never dreamed of was second nature to her.

Naturally, none of that knowledge had come cheap.

Gripping the round, crimson root bulb firmly in her left hand, Cho-young took hold of the crystalline flower stalk with her right—and snapped it clean off.

Snap!

"Well, yes! If you're planning to swallow the Blood Treasure raw, that's what you do," Cho-young explained patiently. "However, what I need for my alchemy is the Ten-Thousand-Year Extreme Blood Herb—the stalk and flower. The actual bulb is terrible for pill-making. I've tested it before, and its efficacy in an elixir is actually far worse than the herb's."

"It's true! I've brewed dozens of batches, so trust me on this. The herb portion is vastly superior for refining. And because the root bulb is the actual core of the organism, watch this—"

Cho-young scooped out a small hollow in the damp garden soil and nestled the crimson pearl bulb deep inside, gently burying it with black loam.

"If you bury the bulb like this! The boundless yang energy radiating from the Blood Treasure will continuously regenerate the Blood Herb above ground! It's an infinite herb farm! Since I only ever need the stalks, leaving the bulb in the soil is the smartest play. As long as I keep it watered, I can harvest fresh stalks over and over again, just like scallions!"

Cho-young reminisced fondly about her days grinding away in Biseungdo.

Back then, she had excitedly tossed whole Blood Treasures into the cauldron, only to discover that their overwhelming, unyielding yang qi clashed violently with every other medicinal ingredient, utterly ruining the balance. Worse still, because the treasure was so vanishingly rare, the market was chronically starved of stock.

Unaware of its botanical trick, she had burned through her supply like an amateur, driving local prices through the roof.

Ugh, what an absolute waste of resources that was.

By the time she finally realized that the stalk was cheaper, easier to blend, and far more potent, she had completely exhausted her inventory—and the auction house was completely bare. In the end, she had been forced to swipe her credit card for three million won of real-world cash just to buy a replacement bulb from another high-ranking player.

"Every single scrap of knowledge I'm sharing with you today was bought with tears, sweat, and very real pain," Cho-young declared with a dramatic sigh. "You guys are getting all this trade secret goodness completely free of charge. Aren't you grateful?"

"Oh, yesterday?" Cho-young glanced sideways at Hye-yeon, who was currently waving awkwardly at the floating camera drone.

"Well... you're not wrong, but..."

"I did receive an offer," Cho-young chimed in, "but I turned them down."

"I have no desire to spend the rest of my life locked in an alchemical basement churning out pills like an assembly-line machine," Cho-young said flatly.

Cho-young leaned into the lens, her expression entirely serious.

"If I join Pajeok Gate, all my pills will belong exclusively to them. I won't be able to sell a single one to any of you. Would you guys really be okay with that?"

"Exactly. So I declined."

In truth, the nature of her Universal Resonant Dao Body made staying independent vastly more beneficial. Remaining an unaffiliated streamer allowed her to draw an audience from every faction, sect, and solitary rogue across the city. She had warned Hye-yeon that her recruitment might trigger an all-out war between rival sects, but who really gave a damn about that?

Cho-young was a cultivator now.

She would employ whatever means necessary to advance her own realm. Even if she was stuck living as a voluptuous woman in this second lease on life, she had zero intention of squandering it as some sect's indentured pill dispenser. Cultivating, extending her lifespan, and attaining absolute personal supremacy was the only long-term path that made sense.

"No, I don't have enough supplementary ingredients gathered yet."

"Huh? A collab? Hmm..." Cho-young turned her head toward Hye-yeon.

Hye-yeon's mind instantly flashed back to the parting words of her master, Hall Master Ok Ye-rin:

'Whatever that internet broadcast nonsense is, you stick to her like glue! Do a collab, stand behind her, do whatever it takes! If another sect steals her away, you're dead meat, girl! I'll turn your whole body into wrinkles and fold you up like laundry!!'

Her master might have said it in her usual dramatic fashion, but as the Hall Master of the Martial Arts Transmission Hall, she was fully capable of turning her threats into reality. And Hye-yeon definitely had no desire to be folded into a prune.

"Sure," Hye-yeon chimed in brightly. "Let's do a collab."

Cho-young didn't mind the idea either. Hye-yeon was the very first real friend she had made in this bizarre new world. A cozy, laid-back chatting stream sounded pleasant enough.

Then Hye-yeon opened her mouth again.

"So, how about it? Want to go explore an abandoned haunted house together?"

Cho-young froze, her eyes rounding in sheer panic as she whipped around to stare at Hye-yeon.

"...Excuse me?"

The only horror game she had ever touched in her life was some discount indie title she bought during a holiday sale—and she had refunded it after barely twenty minutes because she was too terrified to leave the starting room.

"A-An abandoned house is a bit... maybe we could do something else..." Cho-young stammered, frantically trying to backpedal.

Fifty Medium-grade Chrome Stones.

That was... fifty billion won.

"...Well, for fifty billion, of course we're going. Yes, absolutely."

Cheon Cho-young was going to a haunted house.