Call Me Fellow Daoist

Two eighteen-year-old youngsters walked into the biggest bathhouse in the city center. They barely even glanced around, keeping their heads down as they charged straight upstairs. If no one had come to meet them, they would've nearly barged into the women's bathing area.

They followed their guide to the private room Boss Wang had booked. The moment Jiang Liu pushed open the door, he nearly drew his Sunrise Sword on the spot.

The private room was a little smaller than a classroom. A dozen or so burly men in black suits and sunglasses stood with their hands behind their backs, lined up against the walls.

A large round table stood in the center of the room, with a steaming hotpot bubbling away on top. The table was covered with plates of sliced meat and vegetables.

Behind the table sat a bald, middle-aged man with a slightly chubby build, wearing a thick gold chain and a little watch. Judging by his looks and his aura alone, if you turned back the clock twenty years, he'd have been the kind of guy Brother Huaqiang hacked to pieces with a knife.

"Come on, you two young fellas. Have a seat."

When Boss Wang saw Jiang Liu and Li Dongze come in, he waved them over warmly, like an elder welcoming children to dinner. There wasn't the slightest sign that he'd ever had a grudge against Jiang Liu.

So it was just hotpot.

Jiang Liu felt a little disappointed, but still cupped his hands politely. "Hello, Boss Wang. Thanks for having us."

Having strength gave him confidence, so he didn't bother with false modesty. He went straight to the seat opposite Boss Wang.

"Young fella?"

Li Dongze smirked and sauntered over to sit beside Jiang Liu, crossing one leg over the other. He lowered his head to toy with his fingers and muttered to himself, "At Dize Group, they all call me Young Master!"

Jiang Liu: "..."

Boss Wang: "..."

The smile on Boss Wang's face stiffened slightly. He opened his mouth, but his throat seemed to have gone dry. He just couldn't bring himself to call Li Dongze "Young Master," so he laughed awkwardly, tipped a few plates of meat into the hotpot, and said with a chuckle, "Nephew, Brother Li often mentions you. Our Brilliant Bathhouse has received a lot of help from Dize Group. As your uncle, I have to treat you two well today."

"Nephew?"

A playful expression appeared on Li Dongze's face. He slowly stood up and looked down at Boss Wang, enunciating every word. "Call! Me! Young! Master!"

In an instant,

the smile vanished from Boss Wang's face. He stared expressionlessly at Li Dongze without saying a word.

Li Dongze's provocation darkened the atmosphere in the private room. It was as if even the air had frozen. The oppressive silence was broken by heavy breathing, and the dozen suited men by the walls had their hands inside their jackets.

Jiang Liu broke out in a cold sweat, wondering what Li Dongze was up to. Was he itching to get into a real fight?

We came here to eat. We didn't come here to fight!

"Hahaha, Young Master's gotten a little too immersed in Cultivation Era. Don't take it to heart, Boss Wang."

Jiang Liu laughed twice and forcibly pulled Li Dongze back into his seat. He fished out two slices of lamb from the hotpot and stuffed them into his mouth. "This meat's so tender."

As he ate, he messaged Li Dongze through Cultivation Era.

[Jiang Liu]: What are you doing? Why are you so hot-tempered?

[Li Dongze]: What the hell do you know? He invited us to eat hotpot on his own turf, with a dozen men around. This is obviously a Hongmen banquet. If you don't seize the initiative, it won't be the meat getting swished in the pot—it'll be the two of us.

[Li Dongze]: Just watch me work. Who does he think he is, trying to bully us? If this were my construction site, I'd make him haul bricks for three days!

Jiang Liu: "..."

Li Dongze really did know more about this sort of thing than he did. Now that he put it that way, it really did seem like a Hongmen banquet.

As the saying went, first courtesy, then force.

Since the other side wasn't going to be courteous, I guess I'd have to stop holding back.

Seeing Li Dongze sit down, Boss Wang's expression eased a little. He tugged at the thick gold chain around his neck, making it flash as he turned toward Jiang Liu, then forced a smile. "Little Brother Jiang, my underling was in the wrong yesterday. As his big brother, I'm here to apologize on his behalf. Don't take it to heart."

"Honestly, I gave him a good scolding yesterday. How can people who make their way in the world bully lonely old folks? Am I right?"

The hefty gold chain swinging in front of him made Jiang Liu's eyes ache. He silently took the Spirit Rhinoceros Pendant from around his neck, swung it casually around twice, and smiled. "Call me Fellow Daoist."

Boss Wang: "..."

One was calling himself Young Master, the other Fellow Daoist. Had those two brats played so many games their brains had gone soft?

He was seething inside. Young Master Li had Dize Group backing him, so he couldn't afford to offend him. But now even an ordinary student dared to act tough with him?

If Dize Group hadn't put in a word, did this kid really think he could walk out of this private room today?

He straightened his back, and the fierce, ruthless aura around him suddenly surged. He was just about to force Jiang Liu to settle the matter when he suddenly paused. His gaze was drawn to the Spirit Rhinoceros Pendant, and he blurted out, "Is that a magical artifact?"

"Mm. Boss Wang has a good eye."

Jiang Liu casually removed the Spirit Communication Jade from his waist as well. Idly turning the two pieces of warm jade over in his hands, he said, "One's a mid-grade magical artifact, and the other's a high-grade one. I hope they're good enough for you, Boss Wang."

A high-grade magical artifact too?!

Boss Wang's heart lurched. The fierce aura around him quietly faded, and he finally began to take Jiang Liu seriously.

He'd thought Jiang Liu was just a lackey Li Dongze had picked up at school, and hadn't paid him much attention. He'd invited them to dinner merely out of respect for the head of Dize Group.

But now... what kind of lackey carried a high-grade magical artifact around with him?

He didn't even have one!

He'd used underhanded means to force an old man to sell him Spirit Stones, and then spent them all on buying Qi Refining Pills at a high price. Otherwise, he wouldn't have reached Qi Cultivation Layer 5 on the very first day of the game's opening and posted in the Chat Box to recruit people.

A high-grade magical artifact was a reward from First Recharge Stage 3. It cost 1,888 Spirit Stones, and even he couldn't afford it. Could this broke student really have bought one?

No, that was impossible. This wasn't a matter of a few dozen or a few hundred Spirit Stones. It was several thousand. Even if he bought them with cash, getting through all three first-recharge stages would cost several million—and even then, there was no guarantee he could get them. Money alone couldn't buy Spirit Stones.

With no money and no way to buy Spirit Stones, where had he gotten a mid-grade and a high-grade magical artifact?

Boss Wang was full of suspicion. Beside him, Li Dongze was even more shocked. He stared at Jiang Liu with his eyes wide. "Holy shit, where'd you get a high-grade magical artifact?!"

He knew Jiang Liu had absurd luck. He'd drawn a high-grade magical artifact, sold it, then struck gold with a Supreme Spiritual Root. But he hadn't heard that Jiang Liu still had another high-grade magical artifact!

I'm so jealous. Damn, I'm insanely jealous. Which one of us is the rich kid here?

"Got lucky and pulled it on a whim."

Jiang Liu replied casually. After showing off his magical artifacts, he put them away again and looked at Boss Wang with earnest concern. "Fellow Daoist Wang, let me give you some advice as a good friend: you really shouldn't be doing things like splashing paint or forcing people to sell things. It's downright wicked. The internet's so widespread these days. Aren't you afraid of trending on Douyin?"

A Fellow Daoist's sincere advice might not save a fool, but I mean it!

Please give my novel a follow, bro!