How come I was born a deity?

Chapter 4: Since that's the case, I guess I'll have to do it myself.

After taking a few minutes to calm down, Shen Nianxu finally accepted Chen Qi's explanation.

Seeing the third star that had appeared out of nowhere from Chen Qi's fingertip, Shen Nianxu covered her forehead.

Although she knew that Senior Chen's talent was already among the most extraordinary, she never expected that his son would be able to defy the heavens to this extent.

She remembered that a cultivator's talent wasn't hereditary, right? Otherwise, wouldn't the exceptionally talented cultivators have already been dragged away by the major families for breeding?

"Never mind, these things aren't important. As long as we confirm you have the talent for cultivation, that's enough," Shen Nianxu walked to the bar counter and took out an employment contract from the drawer. "Then I'll keep my promise to Senior Chen and hire you as an employee of our bookstore."

Chen Qi took the employment contract and glanced at it briefly. The benefits were actually quite good, with full social insurance and housing fund coverage. The only problem was that the base salary was a bit low, with a guaranteed monthly salary of only two thousand yuan, and the rest was all based on performance-based bonuses.

Moreover, there are no weekends or holidays, but the advantage is that the working hours are relatively flexible, and there are no fixed and rigid working hours unless special circumstances occur.

For some people who don't aspire to reach the pinnacle of life, this kind of job could last a lifetime!

"By the way," Chen Qi asked while signing the papers, "what were you and that bald man talking about just now?"

Upon hearing the name of the bald man, Shen Nianxu narrowed her eyes, revealing a hostility that seemed to want to kill him outright. "Since you've already signed the contract and become a member of the cultivators, then I'll tell you."

"In every city, there are many cultivators. In order to protect their own interests, these cultivators will form gangs and small forces. Our bookstore is a typical product of small forces."

"And that bald man just now belongs to another force, but they are different. They are based on a family and have accumulated their wealth over many years. They are called the He family."

As she spoke, Shen Nianxu took a can of Coke from the wall behind the bar and placed it in front of Chen Qi. "But when there are too many small factions, problems will arise. The power struggles and conflicts between these factions will affect the lives of ordinary people."

Chen Qi returned the signed contract to Shen Nianxu, took the Coke, opened it, took a sip, and continued listening.

"At this point, the authorities intervened and established the role of a 'decision-maker,' which you can think of as the person in charge of an entire city."

"When problems arise between cultivators or even between different factions, this person in charge needs to handle them. It may seem troublesome, but in reality, it is a very powerful position."

Shen Nianxu raised her eyes, seemingly lost in thought.

"The person in charge is backed by the official organization and can mobilize the resources of the entire city. Even a family with the power of that level cannot go against the official organization, so they will give the person in charge face, because they can even decide whether a force can exist in a city."

"The previous person in charge was our bookstore's previous owner, but he passed away inexplicably some time ago, so the entire Qingcheng was left leaderless, and almost every faction wanted to make their own person the so-called person in charge."

After taking a sip of Want Want milk, Shen Nianxu sighed, "And that bald man came here today to try and get me to vote for the He family in the election for the position of head of the organization."

Chen Qi immediately realized the problem. "I overheard your conversation with that bald man. It seems like that He family really dislikes our bookstore. If someone from their family becomes the head of the business, won't our bookstore have to go out of business and close down?"

The bookstore closing down was no big deal to Chen Qi.

But this is the first job he finally found after graduation. If it goes out of business, won't he be unemployed again?

I'm already having such a hard time finding a job as a recent graduate. If the bookstore closes down, I'll lose my status as a recent graduate, and it will probably be even harder to find a job then!

What the hell!

This is a complete dead end!

"Yes," Shen Nianxu sighed helplessly, "That's why I'm so frustrated right now. The previous owner of the bookstore had a bad temper and had fallen out with many forces. No matter who takes charge, our bookstore's position is in jeopardy."

Chen Qi suddenly felt that his father must have pushed him into a cesspool.

"Then..." Chen Qi asked, as the fourth star suddenly popped out from behind his head, "Why don't you try to compete for the position of head of the organization?"

Shen Nianxu was just about to glare at him when she saw the four stars fighting behind Chen Qi, and her expression froze. "I'm not qualified to participate, and the election for the head of the organization is too troublesome. I don't want to get involved. If it weren't for Senior Chen asking me to recruit you, I would have closed the bookstore long ago."

It's over.

The bookstore owner is not interested in her work, and the bookstore's position is precarious. This place really is a super-duper cesspool, isn't it?

Chen Qi's face darkened.

"It seems that if I want to keep my job, I'll have to take a roundabout approach."

Shen Nianxu was taken aback. "What are you going to do?"

Chen Qi slammed his hand on the table and stood up abruptly. "In that case, why don't I be the one to make the decision?"

Shen Nianxu: "..."

Were you even listening to me?

This position of leadership is coveted by all the forces in the city, and there's no telling if people from other cities will also try to get involved.

You, a newcomer who has just stepped into the world of cultivation, want to compete with a group of big shots for the position of leader?

Isn't that ridiculous?

"Sit down first," Shen Nianxu gestured for him to put his bottom back in the chair, "Do you think this election for the position of leader is easy?"

Chen Qi actually sat down, took a sip of cola to moisten his throat, and said, "Isn't it just participating in an election and then waiting for the vote?"

"Then why do you think they should vote for you?"

Chen Qi stroked his chin, and a fifth star popped out. "Maybe it's because I'm handsome?"

Shen Nianxu: "...You and Senior Chen are practically identical."

"You mean looks?"

"No, I mean your brain circuits," Shen Nianxu rubbed her temples. "To become the person in charge, there are two basic things."

"First, you need sufficient strength. If you don't have enough strength, even if you have official backing, people may not listen to you. And if you do something that displeases others, they might hire someone to assassinate you, and you'll have no choice but to accept it."

Chen Qi nodded, agreeing with Shen Nianxu's point.

"Secondly, there's reputation. The authorities also want things to be easier. The higher a cultivator's reputation, the more respect they will receive and the more willing people will be to listen to their opinions. If no one respects you, it's useless unless you can destroy the whole world."

Which of these two do you have?

Chen Qi was silent for a moment, and was about to speak when Shen Nianxu interrupted him.

"You are not allowed to use the word 'appearance'."

Chen Qi: "Then I have nothing to say."

Speechless at Chen Qi's antics, Shen Nianxu crossed her arms and tapped her arm lightly with the fingertips of her right hand. "If you really want to run for the position of leader, you can only take the second path."

"The election for the leader is at the end of the year. Even you, in such a short time, cannot possibly improve your strength to the point where you can rival those big shots."

A sixth star appeared on Chen Qi's forehead.

"You can cultivate in the bookstore today. Starting tomorrow, I'll take you to meet some of the more influential forces in Qingcheng to see if they're willing to vote for you based on your talent."

"Oh, okay," Chen Qi replied, "So, where should we go first tomorrow?"

Shen Nianxu raised her head.

"First stop... let's go to Shangqing Palace on Mount Qingcheng."

As soon as those three words were uttered, Chen Qi suddenly shrank his neck.

There was an old acquaintance in that place whom he didn't really want to see.