Su Yaling was a woman with dreams and goals.
Like other cultivators, she wanted to become strong and extend her lifespan, but she did not want her existence to be all about the cultivation world and levelling up. She did not see the point of being powerful if she could not enjoy herself.
Since she was a child, her clan pushed her towards intense cultivation because she was the most gifted in her generation. She could not count the number of times she had been called 'the future of the Su Clan' or 'the lucky star of the family'.
At first, she liked being the centre of attention and getting admiration from everyone. But she quickly realized that the high esteem came at a high price. The entire clan were looking to her to bring honour as a gifted cultivator.
As soon as her potential was discovered, she never had a chance to do anything but cultivate. She was not allowed to have interests or hobbies apart from growing stronger. Moreover, she could not complain because people would remind her she was lucky to be talented.
Her parents and grandparents also spent a lot of money and used their connections to find her qualified teachers and purchase the best resources. If she did something outside of training, they would remind her of everything they had sacrificed to allow her to succeed.
It was frustrating.
Luckily, some recruiters from the reclusive Moonlight Clan came through the city and took a liking to her talent, temporarily freeing her from the control of her relatives.
It should be noted that it was not that many sects, schools and clans had not taken an interest in her before. A lot of groups and masters had tried to recruit her immediately after the talent testing process and followed up frequently, hoping to get a great disciple.
However, her parents refused to allow her to join any sect, preferring that she stay home where they could keep an eye on her. Their greatest fear was that Su Yaling would fall in love and abandon her cultivation before bringing glory to the Su family.
Therefore, they refused to take a chance on sending her to a sect or school with male cultivators.
The Moonlight Clan was different in this aspect, so her parents were only too happy to send away Su Yaling.
As a high-level cultivation sect, it had a lot of prestige and training resources. Still, the most important aspect to the Su parents was the fact that it only recruited female cultivators. Even the teachers and other staff were all women.
In addition, the location of the Moonlight Clan was in the mountains. To the Su parents, this was an advantage because they were worried that Su Yaling would use her freedom to do whatever she wanted outside of the sect.
But if she was in the mountains, she would not have the chance to meet up with frivolous boys in towns.
Su Yaling knew the expectations that her parents had towards her, so she worked hard to become as powerful as possible for her age. She also found small ways to rebel and feel like she was not just a tool for the Su family's success.
Along the way, she discovered she was quite talented at embroidery. At first, it was just a small hobby that she used to make herself happy. She would buy clothes and use her techniques to make them a little prettier.
Later on, by coincidence, she came across an ancient booklet with techniques for creating mini formations. The formation designs looked like they were meant for branding weapons at first, but she later understood that a master was playing with the idea of formation talismans.
After a few failed experiments, she figured out the idea behind the mini formations. In the beginning, she painted the formations on paper, but the idea of sewing the patterns came to her. Eventually, she managed to change the properties of her clothes.
Unfortunately, her desire to make something from her idea had yet to come to fruition. She was always caught between the sect and her home throughout the year. Both places were strict and did not give her a chance to explore.
In addition, she was afraid of sharing the idea and losing the only thing she had for herself.
When she saw Yuan Haoran wearing something bold and different outside the domain, she realised she was not ambitious or brave enough. He even dared to stand against the royal family while looking like a bandit in the daylight.
She felt like a failure because she was always holding back. She was always catering to people's expectations instead of doing whatever she wanted.
What was the point of becoming a powerful cultivator if she could not even do something that made her happy?
Regrettably, all she had was an idea, and she did not know how to do anything about starting a business. She only liked clothes and knew how to use mini formations. But she was determined to start living a good life and doing what she wanted.
This was the reason she impulsively called out to Yuan Haoran and followed him with an offer. She wanted to start a new life as soon as possible. However, it looked like Yuan Haoran was a suspicious man who questioned her motives.
He was not as welcoming as he should have been to her offer.
"What do you want?" Yuan Haoran asked in response to her explanation concerning the formations.
Su Yaling was nervous, but she reminded herself that she was a cultivator admired by countless people. She could not back down and allow herself to show inferiority. If things did not work out, she could try something different.
With that thought, she expressed her thoughts.
"I want a cooperation." Su Yaling said seriously. "I have the skills, but I do not know how to work with people. Even though you are aggressive and clearly disliked by many, you seem capable of convincing people to follow you and bend to your will."
Yuan Haoran looked at her with a new appreciation. It was not that he had not always been considered violent and unlikable, but most people did not see the upside of those traits. This woman had thought a little.
"Cooperating with me will require more than having an idea and meagre sewing skills. Prepare a business plan by morning, and we can talk further." Yuan Haoran said. "Do not waste my time if you cannot even do that."
Su Yaling was both angered and happy. She was angry because a young, accomplished and beautiful cultivator like herself was being looked down upon. However, she was glad that Yuan Haoran was not directly rejecting her.
But...
"What is a business plan?" Su Yaling was a little confused.
Yuan Haoran's eyes flickered with some irritation as he remembered he was in a different time and space. There was a high likelihood that people handled business ventures differently. But he liked having a clear plan before doing anything.
"Write a comprehensive report on what you expect from the business, including your target customers, their needs, the selling points, the shop locations, the costs, and anything else that is relevant to making money." Yuan Haoran explained.
Su Yaling was enlightened and looked at Yuan Haoran with admiring eyes. She chose him because he looked like a guy who could make her items cool and popular, but she was realising that there was a brain behind the attractiveness.
However, she did not dare admire him too much.
Their relationship from onwards would be that of business partners, and it was important to keep things professional.
"Understood." She said with enthusiasm.
Yuan Haoran turned and started walking back to the inn.
While things were peaceful and relaxing for the cultivators at Riverside, the royal caravan was facing an unpleasant situation.