Deal

Outside Bright Moon Tower, Wei Mao clasped hands in farewell with Zhu Ting, then led Lu Bei onto the carriage.

Standing behind Wei Mao, Lu Bei grinned and winked at Young Master Kui, constantly stoking his temper.

A hundred million experience points—there was no way he could just let that go. One way or another, he had to make the other man cough up blood.

Zhu Kui was so furious his face turned black. Unfortunately, with his elder uncle Zhu Ting right beside him, he could only lower his head and stare at his feet, beating Lu Bei to a pulp in his mind.

In his mental world, Lu Bei was not only beaten to death by him, but also whipped as a corpse over a hundred times.

Before leaving, Lu Bei still wanted to land one final strike, but the corner of his eye caught Zhu Ting's kindly smile. He immediately stopped and obediently followed Wei Mao away.

That prefect's smile was warm and amiable, but at a glance, he was clearly no good person.

It wasn't cowardice. As a good person, he naturally ought to draw a clear line between himself and bad people. Once his level rose and the line between good and bad became blurred, he could properly argue things out with bad people.

Inside the carriage, Wei Mao said nothing, silently staring at Lu Bei.

Lu Bei met his gaze as though nothing had happened. After a while, he whistled and looked away, lifting the curtain to peer at both sides of the street.

He was a step too late. Yunshui Tower slipped past, leaving only the faint scent of rouge and powder drifting into the carriage.

"When I was alone with the prefect, Young Master Kui gave you quite a few benefits, didn't he?"

"No. He humiliated me with money, and I was furious, so I refused him on the spot."

"How much did you take?"

"Five thousand Silver Notes."

"I want ten thousand."

"Deal."

Elsewhere, after Wei Mao's carriage departed, Zhu Ting's smile grew even more benevolent. He led the trembling Zhu Kui toward the prefect's residence.

The atmosphere at tonight's banquet had been harmonious, with host and guests thoroughly enjoying themselves. He had eaten a little too much, so he did not plan to take a carriage. He would take the small path home instead.

The kind of small path where hardly anyone appeared after nightfall.

Whenever he thought of the banquet's farce, Zhu Ting felt a flush of shame. This whole episode—humiliating himself, giving away money, and offering favors on top of that—was practically a stain on his entire life. The fact that Wei Mao had not laughed aloud at the table was proof of his exceptional self-restraint.

If he did not take a small path to clear his mind, he would probably wake up angry even after falling asleep tonight.

"I know what you're thinking. Don't go looking for trouble with that boy. This matter is over."

"Uncle, I'm thinking about something else. Can we take the main road? It's brighter, so you won't fall." Zhu Kui looked sorrowfully at the pitch-black path ahead. It was deep and dark, like the maw of a giant beast that would swallow him whole in the next instant.

"Heh."

The next day, Lu Bei did not go to the military camp. He found a carriage and headed straight for the Alchemy Room.

No, the Beginner Zone Experience Room.

Wei Mao did not stop him, nor did he mention again that he would keep Lu Bei by his side under strict supervision. After what had happened at Bright Moon Tower, he had realized that his wife and Senior Sister Bai had simply been worrying over nothing.

Lu Bei would not turn bad. He was already plenty bad.

Lin Bohai was exceptionally surprised by Lu Bei's arrival. Zhu Kui had given the Alchemists at the Alchemy Room a reassurance the previous day, stating that everything had been settled and that the raw materials would also be replaced with ones meeting normal standards. No one would pursue the matter any further.

So here was the question: If everything had been settled, why had the spy collecting evidence not left yet?

Lin Bohai could not figure it out, and he did not dare ask. He continued pretending to be an idiot and acted as though nothing had happened. At Lu Bei's urging, he gradually moved four Alchemy Furnaces into the Slacking Alchemy Room.

With five furnaces refining at once, his experience skyrocketed.

This grind lasted seven days. In a few more days, Zhu Yan would be returning from her maternal family's home, and Lu Bei wanted to ask her about the Lingxiao Sword Sect.

It had been nearly a month and a half, yet there was still no word from Bai Jin. He had no idea whether he could go to the Lingxiao Sword Sect for further study or learn more advanced techniques for grinding experience.

It was painfully slow.

If the sect master agreed, and could let go of the grudge over being beaten badly by Junior Disciple Brother back then, along with the knot in his heart over his own wife's ambiguous relationship with Junior Disciple Brother, Lu Bei would pack his bedding, return to Sanqing Peak first, and then head straight for the Lingxiao Sword Sect in Yue Province.

If the sect master could not let it go, he would continue grinding experience. Once the Feather Transformation Sect's renovations were complete, he would return to his hometown and become sect master himself.

To be honest, he was still thinking about that den of little foxes on Sanqing Peak!

He had not fed them steamed buns for so long. He wondered whether they had grown thin.

They really gave him something to worry about.

Lu Bei had great plans for that den of foxes, and already regarded them as possessions in his pocket.

Don't misunderstand. He did not intend to use them himself. Rather, they would be of great use in his plans.

Speaking of plans, Lu Bei immediately thought of Zhu Kui. With his wealthy family and powerful connections above him, he was a high-quality partner.

Most importantly, his surname was Zhu.

In Wu Zhou, that surname represented privilege. It was practically an unsolvable advantage.

As for the minor misunderstanding between them, Lu Bei did not consider it a problem. In the adult world, right and wrong did not matter. Everyone made money together, and this friend was one he was determined to make.

Zhu Mansion.

The gates were tightly shut, leaving Lu Bei blocked outside. It was just like that night at the entrance to Wei Manor, when Zhu Kui had been turned away by Wei Mao.

After hammering on the gate several times without anyone opening it, Lu Bei sighed, lamenting how hard it was to make friends, then left with a generous gift.

It was a Roast Goose wrapped in oil paper, personally cooked by the chef at Bright Moon Tower. Lin Bohai had bought it just before clocking off.

Not long after he left, a carriage hurriedly stopped outside. Zhu Kui jumped down and raised a hand to lightly knock on the door.

After no one answered several times, he backed away with a puzzled look. Only after confirming that this was indeed his own home did he call out at the gate again.

On closer inspection, one would discover that this person was not Zhu Kui. His appearance and build were similar, but there were a few subtle differences.

His name was Zhu Bo, Zhu Kui's eldest brother. He had gone out on business some time ago and had only returned today.

As the knocking spread through the residence, a servant opened the main gates and welcomed him inside.

"Master, you're back."

"It's not dark yet. Why are the gates shut tight?"

Zhu Bo frowned. "Where's the second master? Where is he? Has he gone out fooling around again?"

"Reporting to Master, Second Master has been in the residence these past few days. The gates are shut because petty villains have been coming here to cause trouble. Second Master was fed up and ordered us to lock the gates and ignore them," the servant answered honestly.

"What?"

Zhu Bo was utterly astonished. "Say that again. I didn't understand."

"Petty villains came to cause trouble, so Second Master ordered us to shut the gates and ignore them."

"How strange. Our Old Zhu Family has actually lived to see the day when someone blocks our gates." Zhu Bo laughed. After asking where Zhu Kui was, he waved for the servant to prepare some food and send it over.

"Second Brother, I'm back... Huh? Second Brother, what happened to you?"

In the Backyard, Zhu Bo was astonished. In his field of vision, Zhu Kui's eye was bruised blue, as though someone had...

There was no "as though." Someone had simply given him a beating.

"Big Brother, you're back!"

Zhu Kui rose to welcome him. Hearing that, he raised a hand to touch the corner of his eye and lowered his head in shame. "Big Brother, don't worry. I fell. I fell while walking along a road at night."

"How outrageous!"

Their blood ran deep, and Zhu Bo could not bear to see his brother humiliated. He shouted, "Second Brother, don't be afraid. I've got your back. Just tell me the name of the person who humiliated you. Let's see if I don't break his dog legs!"

"Big Brother, watch your words."

Zhu Kui hurriedly grabbed his elder brother and whispered, "That night, I was walking along a road at night with Uncle. I accidentally fell."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Bo fell completely silent. After a moment, he said, "Be careful the next time you walk at night. You're not a child anymore. You can't keep falling all the time."

"Big Brother is absolutely right."

Zhu Kui gave an awkward smile, raised a hand to touch his face, and immediately grimaced in pain again.

"What happened? You fell so badly, yet Uncle still refuses to let you take medicine?" Zhu Bo asked curiously.

"This..."

Facing his elder brother, Zhu Kui did not want to hide anything. Unfortunately, it was truly rather difficult to say. Gritting his teeth, he said, "Big Brother, I'll tell you the truth, but you have to promise me that you won't laugh after hearing it."

"What are you saying, Second Brother? You and I are brothers. Even if our bones are broken, our tendons remain connected. I could laugh at anyone, but never at you!"

"That's true."

Zhu Kui considered it and found the reasoning sound, so he truthfully explained the entire cause and effect.

And then...

"Ha ha ha—"

"I can't take it anymore! I'm dying of laughter!"