A Thorny Apology

Zhou Zhuling ultimately did not refuse Ma Feifei's suggestion, and walked out of the Mysterious Bookstore with a somewhat cheerful smile. This surprised Ba Jiu and Zhang Yunji at the door, as they rarely saw Zhou Zhuling show such a happy smile in front of outsiders.

"There's something wrong inside!" Ba Jiu and Zhang Yunji exchanged a glance, both seeing the same thought in each other's eyes.

However, Zhou Zhuling did not notice the expressions of Ba Jiu and Zhang Yunji. When she walked out of the Mysterious Bookstore, she found that the long street was crowded with people. A large group of people were kneeling next to the Bookstore. She recognized the old man leading the group. He was the president of the Yunteng Chamber of Commerce. Next to him were Lian Yi and Yunxiang, who was shirtless and tied with thorns.

"Apologizing with a bundle of thorns on one's back..." Zhou Zhuling murmured to herself, in high spirits. She walked towards them with her hands behind her back. "President Yun, you'd better get up quickly. So many people are watching; it's not a good look."

President Yun had noticed Zhou Zhuling coming out of the Mysterious Bookstore long ago, but he was too embarrassed to greet her, after all, he was doing something so shameful. But he didn't expect Zhou Zhuling to walk directly towards them and even take the initiative to talk to them.

Even someone as thick-skinned as him felt a little embarrassed, and quickly cupped his hands in thanks, saying, "Thank you for your kindness, Chairman Zhou. We deserve what we deserve, we deserve what we deserve."

Zhou Zhuling slightly turned to avoid standing opposite them, and said with a smile, "The shop owner has entrusted me with handling this matter entirely. President Zhuling, how am I supposed to deal with you kneeling like this?"

The group of people kneeling on the ground were slightly startled and subconsciously looked up at Zhou Zhuling. They obviously did not expect that Ma Feifei, the owner of the Mysterious Bookstore, would entrust this whole matter to Zhou Zhuling.

"The shop owner really entrusted this matter entirely to Chairman Zhou?" Chairman Yun asked, somewhat surprised.

"President Yun doesn't believe me?" Zhou Zhuling teased.

President Yun suddenly realized what was happening and quickly nodded, saying, "I believe you! I believe you!"

Rumors have it that Zhou Zhuling and Ma Feifei, the owner of the Mysterious Bookstore, have known each other for a long time, and there are even some private, unknown things circulating outside. Originally, Chairman Yun would not have cared about such rumors, but now it seems that the rumors may not be entirely unfounded!

Although he believed Zhou Zhuling's words, President Yun still did not get up. Instead, he looked at Zhou Zhuling with a serious expression, clasped his hands, and said, "President Zhou, my son, Yun Xiang, for his own selfish gain, has manufactured and sold counterfeit Book Card without authorization, causing serious damage to the reputation of Mysterious Bookstore. Today, I have specially bound my son and made him kneel at the entrance of Mysterious Bookstore to plead guilty. I hope that President Zhou and the store owner can be lenient with him."

After saying that, President Yun bowed down.

"We hope that Chairman Zhou and the shop owner will be lenient with this punishment." The rows of people kneeling behind them all bowed down.

Zhou Zhuling took a few steps to the side without making a sound, stood with her hands behind her back, squatted slightly, looked at Lian Yi next to President Yun, and smiled, "Lian Yi, Brother Ma told you not to kneel here."

Upon hearing this, Lian Yi looked somewhat embarrassed. How could she not understand the meaning behind Zhou Zhuling's words? She was telling her not to get involved in the matter between the Yunteng Chamber of Commerce and the Mysterious Bookstore.

"Sister Zhuling ..." Lian Yi bit her lip, looking at Zhou Zhuling with a pitiful expression.

Zhou Zhuling smiled, stepped forward to help Lian Yi up, and said, "Get up. You are one of the nine Book-holding woman, and can be considered half a member of the Mysterious Bookstore. How can you kneel down so easily?"

Hearing Zhou Zhuling say this, Lian Yi hesitated for a moment, but still stood up with Zhou Zhuling's help. President Yun, who was kneeling to the side, was also delighted. Since Zhou Zhuling said that Lian Yi was half a member of Mysterious Bookstore, it meant that no matter how Mysterious Bookstore dealt with Yunteng Chamber of Commerce in the end, it would be treated leniently because of Lian Yi.

Zhou Zhuling patted Lian Yi's hand and then led Lian Yi towards the Wantong Trading Market across the street. "Come on, it's been a long time since we sisters last met in the capital. Tonight, I'll host a banquet for you, and we can also invite Qingyang, Luan Feng, and Qingyi to join us for a get-together, how about it?"

"They just left like that?" The onlookers were stunned as they watched Zhou Zhuling and Lian Yi disappear into the gates of the Wantong Trading Market.

"It seems the shop owner is making an example of someone to scare others and maintain the authority of the Mysterious Bookstore," a cultivator said with a shake of his head and a sigh.

"That's what the Yunteng Chamber of Commerce deserved. How dare they try to steal from the Mysterious Bookstore? The fact that they're kneeling here is already a sign of the shop owner's mercy. If it were anyone else, they would have been wiped out." A cultivator nearby sneered. He hated people who did such petty theft to the bone and wished he could kill them with his own hands.

Okay, actually he was also a victim of fake Book Card...

"But then again, the shop owner actually handed this matter over to Chairman Zhou. Do you think there might be something fishy going on?" a cultivator asked in a low voice.

"What could be fishy? Why would the shop owner need to get involved? Handing it over to Chairman Zhou must be a way of sending some kind of signal to the outside world," a sleazy-looking middle-aged man joked.

"A signal? What signal are you sending?" The crowd was puzzled, not quite understanding what the question meant.

The sleazy man gave him a knowing look and said, "You just don't understand, do you? The shop owner is at the age where he should be getting married. This time, letting Chairman Zhou handle the fake Book Card incident is a signal. You know, before this, the shop owner always handled everything personally and never delegated anything to anyone else."

"That makes sense!" Upon hearing this, everyone suddenly realized the truth.

"But wasn't it said that the shop owner was destined to live a lonely life?" Some people asked doubtfully, not believing it.

"Those are all rumors. Look at the shop owner, surrounded by beautiful women. He even brings a group of beauties with him when he goes to the capital to participate in the imperial examinations. How could he possibly end up alone?" The lewd man gave him a look that said, "You're a fool if you believe that."

"That's right! The shop owner is young and ambitious, and he's the ruler of the most powerful force on the Azure Dragon Continent. His cultivation is also unfathomable. There are countless women in the world who want to marry him. How could he possibly end up alone? It's just a rumor, a complete fabrication!"

"I also think this is a rumor. It's very likely that the shop owner is too popular and is just making up an excuse to avoid being bothered."

The atmosphere among the onlookers on the street suddenly changed, and they began to discuss the shop owner's lonely old age. As for the Yunteng Chamber of Commerce members kneeling on the ground, no one paid any attention to them.

In fact, the fate of the Yunteng Chamber of Commerce was none of their concern.