Did you take the kickback as compensation?

After Li Ye left, Pan Zhengyang sat back down on the stone stool, facing Xu Yanwu. Staring at the table full of empty plates and leftovers, he chuckled, "No more food, huh?"

"We can still drink."

Xu Yanwu picked up his wine cup, poured a glass for Pan Zhengyang, and then for himself.

"Can you handle it?" Pan Zhengyang asked, surprised. "Your body can't take much alcohol. You've already had some today."

Xu Yanwu downed his cup in one go, saying calmly, "Someone who's about to die doesn't care."

Hearing this, Pan Zhengyang paused his hand that was reaching for the wine cup and then drank his own glass.

"How much longer?"

"A month."

Xu Yanwu refilled his cup again. "I don't think it'll even be that long. Luckily, I found a successor. I have you to thank for that."

Pan Zhengyang sighed softly. "Old Xu, if it's just about finding a successor, you know, handing it over to the higher-ups, there would definitely be suitable people who could cultivate it."

Xu Yanwu drank another cup of wine, staring intently at Pan Zhengyang. "This is a martial art passed down in my family since the Ming Dynasty. I have the right to decide whether to pass it on or not. You're telling me to pass it on, but why aren't you telling those noble families to do the same?"

Pan Zhengyang's expression turned serious. "You know I hate the noble families even more than you do, but some things can't be judged all at once. The noble families have made contributions too. Your incident back then, the entire Divine Land dealt with the noble families severely. Wasn't that enough revenge for you?"

"I'm not saying the Divine Land is bad."

Xu Yanwu shook his head. "The Divine Land is good. People live and work in peace, and the demons are tightly controlled. It's much better than abroad. But I'm just not happy about it! Thirty years, and I'm still not happy!"

He looked at Pan Zhengyang. "You've reached the three realms, haven't you?"

Pan Zhengyang nodded.

"Thirty years ago, you were at the Nine Dragon Gate, and me?"

Xu Yanwu pointed to himself and repeated, "You say, what about me?"

Pan Zhengyang sighed. "You were also at the Nine Dragon Gate, but you could hang me up and beat me, and you were about to break through the three gates. If you hadn't had your accident, your future would have been limitless."

"Exactly. That's why I'm personally very unhappy. Look at me now, my face is paralyzed, I can't even make expressions. I can't even be a normal person."

Xu Yanwu drank another cup. "The Divine Land hasn't wronged me, but I personally can't accept it. And look at things now, have those people really not made a comeback? That's why I'm not handing it over. But the grudges end with me. If Li Ye learns it, he can pass it on if he wants. I won't see it anyway after I die!"

"Alright, alright, I'll stop talking. It's been so many years, and a dying commoner still has so many complaints."

Pan Zhengyang snatched the wine bottle and poured him a cup, scolding, "You don't even have a woman, what's the point of drinking this stuff? It won't bring you back to life!"

In the afternoon, Li Ye was back to being a street wanderer, searching for demons all over the city.

The rice wouldn't arrive until tomorrow, so there was nothing else he could do but look for demons. He had memorized the cultivation method for the Dragon Gate, but he planned to practice it while eating when the rice arrived.

However, demons didn't appear all the time. The pest control app on his phone only showed a few unconfirmed anomalies at most. Some that were relatively close to Li Ye turned out to be nothing after investigation, so he found a coffee shop to rest.

Coincidentally, Deng Hao also sent him a message.

Deng Hao: "Brother Ye, want a foot massage tonight? The Dragon Gate Realm technician I told you about last time has an opening tonight."

Li Ye: "Why do you always get massages at night?"

Deng Hao: "Don't mention it. I'm exhausted during the day. The master I hired is not human. My physique hasn't changed, but I've gained ten pounds. I eat and then I train every day, without even a chance to digest."

Li Ye: "There are no shortcuts in martial arts. Alright, you go ahead. I'm busy too. Let's be clear, I've already broken through the Dragon Gate. If you don't break through by the end of summer, we won't be in the same class when school starts."

Deng Hao: "Damn! Really? Wait, you wouldn't joke about something like that. Congratulations, Brother Ye, you broke through so quickly. Okay, I'm hanging up. I'm going to go train harder!"

Li Ye smiled, put his phone away, finished his coffee, pushed open the door, and rode off on his electric scooter.

Since there was nothing else to do, he might as well go back to the Pest Control Bureau and look at more demon-related data.

The streets were even hotter in the afternoon, with few people besides the traffic. Li Ye had only been riding for about ten minutes when a car pulled up from behind him. He didn't pay it much mind, but the car kept pace with him. At an intersection, it turned forward and blocked his path.

It was a four-door luxury car, like a Rolls-Royce from a past life, worth six to seven million. The driver was an old man, whether experienced or not, but he looked over sixty.

The rear door opened, and a young man of similar age to Li Ye, dressed in luxurious clothing and exuding arrogance, stepped out.

His posture was steady, his limbs strong, and his spirit vigorous. He was likely a martial artist who had broken through the Dragon Gate.

The young man smiled at him. "My name is Ren Xu, from the Ren family."

It seemed they had come specifically for him.

Li Ye looked at him for a moment before saying, "Li Ye, from the Li family."

This caused him to falter slightly, but his expression quickly returned to normal.

"To make a long story short, I'm interested in the magic treasure you have. Can we talk now?"

It was the person who had called him that morning.

"Not selling."

Li Ye turned his scooter around, ready to ride away.

"Two million wasn't enough. I'll add another two million. Four million for the Five Flavors Chopsticks you have."

Ren Xu took a step forward. Although there was still some distance, this step blocked Li Ye's path. As he got closer, his gaze on Li Ye held a hint of surprise.

"You've broken through the Dragon Gate? It seems your luck is good, but this must also be thanks to the Five Flavors Chopsticks. The magic treasure itself has the effect of improving the quality of ingredients."

Ren Xu said, "But your family is just ordinary, your parents work at a chain supermarket. They can't afford your martial arts path."

Li Ye's expression darkened. "You investigated me?"

"Just a basic background check, I mean no harm."

Ren Xu smiled. "Studying martial arts is not only tough, but you also need resources to keep up. What good will it do if you get into the Martial Arts Major later? The Fourteenth Middle School is just an ordinary high school, even the Five Flavors Chopsticks can't support you."

"You came from the Preparatory Course and even trained at a martial arts school. You understand the implications better than I do. If you truly had the talent for martial arts, there would be no need for the Preparatory Course. You study martial arts just for a good job and to earn some money."

"Why not exchange it for money now? You can't handle that treasure, and you don't have enough money to buy ingredients. Why not exchange it for money now, improve your life, what do you say?"

Ren Xu stared at him. "You might not know the Ren family. In Ningjiang, my family has quite a bit of influence. If you're willing, you can come work for my company after graduation. Thirty thousand a month, I'll hire you as a Security Consultant. This offer is already very..."

"What's all this babbling?"

Li Ye interrupted him, cursing directly. "You're full of crap, talking about some broken family with an old driver. Do you think this is some role-play between a slave and a young master? How many years has it been since the Qing Dynasty fell? This is Divine Land!"

"And do I look like an idiot? The Five Flavors Chopsticks can sell for ten million, and you're offering me four million? Are you using the kickback as compensation? You ask if I know the Ren family? Do you know the Pest Control Bureau? You're tired of living, investigating me, get lost!"

With that, Li Ye twisted the handlebars, and the electric scooter buzzed to life, speeding off.

The sudden acceleration made Ren Xu instinctively dodge, letting Li Ye leave.

He turned his head, the smile he had maintained with such composure completely vanishing from his face, replaced by a terrifying gloom.

"I tried to reason with you, but you insisted on seeking death."

He snorted coldly and got back into the car, the door automatically closing.

"Find someone to teach him a lesson and snatch the Five Flavors Chopsticks."

"Young Master..."

The old driver in the driver's seat spoke up. "He's working part-time at the Pest Control Bureau, and Director Pan seems to treat him well. Doing this could be dangerous."

"What danger could there be? He's an ordinary person with no family background. We're not taking his life, just teaching him a lesson. Once we get the item, we'll give him the money. Pan Zhengyang won't go against us for something like this. He was already in the wrong the last time he sealed our family's assets."

"Understood. I'll contact them now."

"Mhm..."

Ren Xu leaned back into the seat, closing his eyes slightly. "Remember, do it cleanly."