The New Tavern

After a boring day on duty, Liang Yue returned home, ready to quickly delve into the Sword Domain Swimming Dragon Movement Technique.

But as soon as he got home, he saw his mother also rushing out excitedly. "Xiaoyue, you're back. Perfect, come out with me."

"What's wrong?" Liang Yue asked.

"A wine shop on Linmen Street closed down, and everything inside is being given away for free to the neighbors. Just pass by and take whatever you want!" Li Caiyun grabbed him, jogging as she spoke. "I just ran two trips and brought back a whole set of tables and chairs. This time I'm planning to get a jar to pickle vegetables."

"Mom, when did you learn to pickle vegetables?" Liang Yue asked, puzzled.

"I didn't know how before, but I can learn later." Li Caiyun was extremely excited. "If there's something free, you can't just not take it."

Alright.

So you'll specifically learn how to make dumplings just for free vinegar, huh?

You deserve to pick up this bargain.

However, Liang Yue still had a doubt. Half of the shops on Linmen Street had been acquired and closed. Among the remaining ones, there should only be the old couple's wine shop, and they had sworn not to sell their ancestral property.

Could it be that the Dragon Tooth Gang had used some other method?

He went to the street and saw that it was indeed the wine shop that had repeatedly faced difficulties before. The original old couple were gone, and two burly men stood at the entrance of the shop. One was as broad as a door panel, and the other had a goatee under his chin. As they stood there with their arms crossed, the skin exposed on their necks and arms had faint tattoos.

They looked imposing and not like good people.

But the neighbors didn't care about that. Since they were giving things away for free, they were good people. There was a long line going in and out of the entrance, and everyone was muttering about wishing the new boss prosperous business.

"Oh dear, why are there so many people all of a sudden? You're wearing your official uniform, so don't go snatching, it doesn't look good. I'll get it out and you just help me carry it home." Li Caiyun exclaimed, then rushed in and said, "Leave two jars for me!"

Liang Yue didn't wait outside but walked up to the two guards at the door and asked, "Is your boss here?"

"What do you want?" The goatee man asked with a frown, his expression extremely unfriendly.

"I have some things I'd like to inquire about," Liang Yue said.

"The boss is busy!" The muscular man, as strong as a door panel, said gruffly. This man was only slightly shorter than Pang Chun, but had more of a fierce aura, looking truly menacing.

"Da Hu, Er Hu!" A woman's reprimand suddenly came from the side. "I told you to be polite to people, why are you still so fierce?"

Following the muscular men's gaze, a young woman wearing a rose-red top and pants, covered by a blue cardigan, walked over. She wore a red headscarf, casually wrapping her hair, and her sleeves were loosely rolled up, indicating she had just finished working.

If her appearance were ordinary, wearing this outfit would definitely look rustic and old, but the woman had bright eyes and white teeth, fair skin and red lips. Her eye sockets were as deep as a starry lake, with long fluttering eyelashes. At a glance, she was as beautiful as a spring peach. Beneath her striking features, her figure was also graceful and well-proportioned, and her skin had a white, smooth texture that seemed to carry a fragrance.

Her beauty actually made this outfit look extremely striking.

This was the so-called beauty in simple attire, a national beauty.

Even having seen the celestial beauty of Wen Yifan, Liang Yue still felt a sense of amazement.

"Officer, I'm the owner of this shop. What is it?" She smiled and came forward to ask.

Liang Yue was not Chen Ju, and he wouldn't let the other party's appearance delay his business. He asked seriously, "When did you take over this shop? Where are the original owners?"

"Just last night," the woman replied. "The original owners took the money and left. I don't know where they live."

Liang Yue looked at her searchingly and said slowly, "But this is their ancestral property. Someone offered double the price before and they didn't sell it. How could they sell it to you?"

"It's very simple," the woman tilted her head slightly. "They wouldn't sell for double the price, but I offered ten times the price, and they were willing to transfer it."

So that's it...

Liang Yue had just been wondering what kind of trick the other party had used, but it turned out to be so simple.

If throwing money didn't work, then throw more money.

That much money was enough for the old couple to inlay their ancestral graves with gold, so naturally, they wouldn't care about ancestral property anymore.

But this woman was willing to spend so much money to buy a shop here. Could it be that she had also heard some rumors and knew that with the construction of the Heaven-Piercing Tower, the land price on Linmen Street was about to skyrocket?

Just then, the woman spoke again, "You must be the young Liang Captain, right? I heard the previous owner mention you. They said it's been quite chaotic here recently, and that if they had any trouble, they could ask you for help because you are an upright Imperial Capital Guard."

"Heh, I wouldn't dare accept such praise," Liang Yue chuckled lightly. "As long as it's a legitimate business transaction, there's no problem. I wish you a prosperous business."

"Oh dear, Xiao Yue, come help!" Over there, Li Caiyun walked out carrying two enormous empty wine jars, calling for her son to lend a hand.

Liang Yue quickly went to take the two wine jars.

"Oh my." Li Caiyun freed her hands and caught sight of the woman who had just been talking to Liang Yue. Her eyes immediately lit up. "Whose little girl is this? Do you know each other?"

"No, we don't," Liang Yue said.

"Auntie, my name is Zhu Nanyin," the woman smiled gently. "This shop will be run by me from now on. Neighbors, please come and support me often, and we'll get to know each other gradually."

"That's definitely no problem," Li Caiyun chuckled. "The girl is so pretty. Are you married?"

"Not yet, Auntie," Zhu Nanyin replied with a smile.

"Then look at my son..." Li Caiyun was about to introduce him when Liang Yue wrapped an arm around her, pulling her away along with the two large wine jars.

"Mom, let's not do this," he advised in a low voice.

"What's wrong with me asking?" Li Caiyun said.

Liang Yue said, "She's not just any small shop owner. She's extremely wealthy. We can't afford to climb that high."

"What's wrong with that? My son is a talented young man and is about to be promoted to Official Guard..." Li Caiyun was insistent. "It's perfect for official-business collu... combination."

"Even if I become an Official Guard, how much money will I have..."

"I don't care, my son is just great..."

In Madam Li Caiyun's mind, her eldest son was the best young man in the world. If anyone could be compared to her eldest son... it was her second son.

As the saying goes, the scraps of the imperial court, the little pride of a mother.

That's what this was about.

Watching the mother and son's chattering backs as they left, Zhu Nanyin smiled slightly, seemingly finding it quite amusing.

"Young Miss, he's just an official. Why talk so much to him?" A burly man named Er Hu, who was standing nearby, leaned over and asked in a low voice.

"That's right. Compared to corrupt officials, the most hateful are these wicked officers. Corrupt officials never do anything themselves, don't they all have to go through these wicked officers?" The man with the goatee named Da Hu also said, "In the past, they were the ones who were the most tyrannical and oppressed the common people the most!"

"If we want to establish ourselves in Dragon Abyss City, we have to forget our identity from the mountains." Zhu Nanyin glanced back at the two of them, then continued, "I am just an ordinary shop owner, and you are two ordinary shop assistants. Don't have any preconceived notions."

She turned back and said to herself, "My purpose in coming here is, firstly, to find a master; secondly, to try my luck and see if I can find that thing that is about to be born; and thirdly, I want to see this Divine Capital Dragon Abyss City with my own eyes and see what it is really like."

"What else could it be like..." Da Hu turned his head and said sullenly, "Corrupt officials run rampant, treacherous merchants are everywhere, jackals occupy high positions, and the common people are as weak as lambs."

"Hmm?" Zhu Nanyin looked at him strangely. "When did you learn to speak so formally? Getting more capable, are we?"

"Heh heh." Er Hu chuckled. "I know, it's not Big Brother's skill, it's what the Strategist said that day!"

"What's wrong?" Da Hu rolled his eyes at him. "Even if the words were from the Strategist, isn't it a skill that I can memorize them? Can you?"

Er Hu blinked and said, "Well, I really can't."

When Liang Yue and Li Caiyun returned home, they saw that Liang Xiaoyun and Liang Peng were already back.

The two children had bought a pile of vegetables at some point and were cooking by the stove.

"Oh, what are you doing?" Li Caiyun saw them and quickly bustled about. "Why did you buy so many things?"

"Mom, you should sit down first." Liang Xiaoyun pulled her to sit down, then said, "Let's celebrate properly today."

"Huh? You also know that Mom got a set of tables and chairs and two jars for free?" Li Caiyun was stunned for a moment. "There's no need to celebrate so lavishly for that, is there?"

"What are you talking about? Mom, what I want to say is..." Liang Peng turned his head and said with a smile, "I got into the Sword Dao Academy!"