“Master, please accept this.”
“Mm?!”
“… This is…”
“Ming Feizhen, you struck it rich?!”
I really didn’t want to see our starving-bumbling-bum-looking escort’s surprise at the six-storey edifice.
There’s super efficient, and then there’s Black and White Reflection. Presumably, Bright Jade Restaurant wasn’t Black and White Reflection’s asset because it had been there for ages already. I said it before, and I’ll say it again: Black and White Reflection is my favourite magazine! I knew you guys could get the job done!
“A generous, condescending mysterious individual just bought out the inn” was the reason the customers enjoying New Year’s Eve were forced to leave the inn. As such, they waited by the entrance, seething to see who the “generous, condescending mysterious individual” was. It was impossible for them to identify him, howbeit, as a group of thirty-odd rocked up.
Tang Ye muttered, “Cheating again…”
Ye Luo: “Big Brother Ming, how did you do it? This inn compares to A-grade inns in the capital!”
Tie Hanyi: “Brother Ming, I knew you had it in you.”
Whoa, whoa, whoa, don’t go saying that when you’re a man with muscles and wear a stoic expression. It’s creepy! Stop trying to increase my unfounded male harem!
Dugu: “And they were still I operation… Brother, what sorcery did you use?”
I proudly enlightened, “It is a famous inn, but thanks to my connections, they were willing to sell.”
Technically, I wasn’t lying. Even His Majesty would just put it down as Mount Daluo’s secret intelligence skills.
“Connections, huh?” remarked Long Zaitian. “Your old man really is Zhong Hualiu.”
Your old man has syphilis, cornhole! I made that all up!
I heard Ye Luo whisper to Dugu, “Ah, he sold one of the eighteen brothels to buy this place out.”
Dugu whispered back, “This place might’ve been a brothel before and was just recently changed.”
I can hear you two, and that’s all libel!
Long Zaitian, you’re deliberately spouting nonsense because of our factions’ conflict, aren’t you? You want to go, do you? I accept your challenge!
“It just took some skill.” I waved around a stack of money notes and passed them to His Majesty. Stifling my voice, I informed, “There is three hundred thousand there. Please use it for necessities, Master.”
Tang Ye: “Cheating again…”
Dugu gave me his back: “His brothels are worth so much!”
Ye Luo: “Bad karama will come for you sooner or later if you earn that sort of dirty money.”
Screw you, and screw you, too! What’s with you two and brothels?
Tie Hanyi: “Brother Ming, please do not forget about us once y-”
“You sold your eighteen brothels!” Long Zaitian blurted.
I’ll sell you to eighteen brothels!
It finally dawned on me that using Mountain Monster to get me out of my pinch wasn’t as helpful as it appeared at first glance. All I did was turn myself from Night Fortress’ master to Mount Daluo’s senior disciple. As for everyone else, they were more convinced than ever that I was Zhong Hualiu’s illegitimate son, bloody hell.
Ecstatic, Emperor Yuansheng whispered to me, “I knew you could do it. I was right to trust you. I never worried for a second, hahaha.”
Show some surprise! What sort of godly being do you perceive me to be? Don’t tell me you think I took over this inn with a snap of my fingers. The three hundred thousand I spent weren’t my savings but a loan I took out with my reputation as collateral.
How much one was able to loan from Black and White Reflection also depended on their ranking. Though I didn’t know where they ranked me, I suppose I was pretty high up there? I rarely used my “Ming Feizhen” account even though I opened my “Mrs. Lightning Bolt Mr. Heavenly Overlord” account since you have to pay back loans and pay interest!
One time, I loaned over a million and spent it all within a month to feed the glutton in me. After that, I had to do them two gargantuan favours to repay my debt once I could no longer stand running from debt collectors. Henceforth, I never took out loans unless absolutely necessary. I had no choice this time as we needed to stay in Canhu Town to find Boss Shen and sneak into Refining Divine Convention. Instead of being appreciated, my own comrades lambasted me!
Head in my hand, I led the group of morons into the inn before I lost another brain cell listening to them.
I neither knew the inn well nor had the motivation to explain anything, so I told the warriors to go sort out the luggage and clean. I then escorted His Majesty and his bodyguards up to the biggest room for VIPs on the fourth floor.
Exasperated, once Emperor Yuansheng wanted to begin his meeting, I gave him a palm-and-fist salute: “Your subject shall leave now as he is tired.”
I walked off without waiting for a response, thinking, “Let’s see what you nimrods can come up without me.”
Mistaking I was angry with Long Zaitian and company for slighting me, Emperor Yuansheng glared daggers at Long Zaitian and commanded, “You!”
Long Zaitian nudged Ye Luo. Ye Luo looked to Dugu, and Dugu looked to Tang Ye. Tang Ye tapped Su Xiao on the shoulder.
Hah, none of them will be able to help you.
Making a speakerphone with his hands, Su Xiao hollered, “You can start preparing our New Year’s Eve dinner.”
I spun back around: “What?”
New. Year’s. Eve. Dinner?!
