The Money-Grubbing Ma Xiaoling

As the sun sets, the afterglow is like blood.

On the West Lake, the blue waves ripple.

The rolling mountains lie prone on the calm lake, resembling a dragon stretching its head out.

A small, black-awning boat moved slowly forward, breaking the tranquility of West Lake and causing ripples to spread across its mirror-like surface. The setting sun reflected on the lake, making it look like layers of red fish scales.

Ning Caichen sat at the bow of the boat, surveying the peaceful and tranquil scene around him.

He took a deep breath, then went into the awning, took out a silver-white briefcase, and sank it into the center of West Lake.

After doing all this, Ning Caichen breathed a sigh of relief.

Chat Group.

Ning Caichen: "It's finished."

Omniscient Li: "The items have been placed."

Ning Caichen: "Yes, I just sank the box Mr. Tony Stark gave me into the center of West Lake."

Goddess Leona: "Hehe, now I'm going to tag a lucky person."

Ma Xiaoling rolled her eyes.

Lucky one my foot, you just want to tag me.

Ma Xiaoling: "No need, I've already seen it."

Tony Stark: "You just need to follow the steps in the instruction manual to operate the machine and you can get the exact location of the Information Box. However, because there is no satellite positioning, the signal may be affected by certain natural or non-natural phenomena, and the range of the received signal is within two thousand kilometers, with a possible deviation of up to three meters in location."

Ma Xiaoling: "That's amazing! I still have things to take care of right now, I'll try it later."

Goddess Leona: "Hurry, hurry, we can't wait to know what Ning Caichen left behind!"

Ning Caichen was both amused and exasperated.

My Goddess, if you want to know, I can tell you right now.

However, after a moment's thought, he decisively chose to remain silent.

What the goddess truly wants to know isn't what you said, but rather the joy of exploring the unknown. Disrupting her interest could have dire consequences.

Omniscient Li: "Handle this quickly, we're waiting to see the show."

Invincible Urchin Gu Santong: "Tch, group owner, isn't that a bit too direct?"

Little Fairy Yan Lingji: "Hehe (#^.^#), I'm just waiting to watch the show. Same world, different points in time, how interesting!"

Wang Lei: "This isn't just interesting, it's unbelievable. The power of Chat Group is truly astounding."

Tony Stark: "We can't be sure yet whether they are different time periods of the same world, or they may just happen to come from parallel universes. The only evidence right now is whether Ma Xiaoling can find the Information Box left by Ning Caichen and whether the contents inside were left by Ning Caichen."

Science is rigorous. If we want to prove a hypothesis, we must first find relevant evidence to prove it, rather than simply guessing.

Angel Yan: "What's the point of saying all this? I don't believe the group admin would make a mistake on this kind of issue. Instead of considering whether the two of them come from different time periods of the same world, you should consider what kind of impact Ning Caichen would have on Ma Xiaoling's era if he changed the history of <My Date with a Vampire>."

The power of time is terrifying; even the slightest change can unleash a massive wave in the future.

Do not toy with time, for those who blaspheme will be devoured by time itself. This is a famous saying left by the God of Time in my world, and it is the greatest warning to those who toy with time.

Goddess Leona: "(ˉ▽￣~) Tch~~, in the end it's still a matter of not being strong enough. If you had enough strength, what would you be afraid of backlash for?"

Angel Yan gave a soft hum.

There were some things she couldn't be bothered to explain to Leona, because given Leona's personality, even if she knew, she wouldn't care.

Omniscient Li: "The issue of timing does indeed require extreme caution, but since Ma Xiaoling and Ning Caichen have Chat Group to communicate, there's no need to worry too much about things getting out of control. Besides, I personally believe that no matter how Ning Caichen changes the future, it will still be better than Ma Xiaoling's current future."

Invincible Urchin Gu Santong: "→_→ Actually, thinking about it carefully, what the group leader said really makes a lot of sense. Ma Xiaoling's future is like this: first, Luo Hou destroys the world, then Nuwa destroys the world, and finally, Destiny and the Our Lady of the Jade Pool jump out to cause trouble. If it weren't for the protagonist's halo being strong enough, I reckon this world would have been destroyed many times over."

Ma Xiaoling was speechless.

Okay, so you can see the future. You're awesome. What can I say?

Anyway, I don't believe in the so-called "My Date with a Vampire". My Ma Family has always taken it as our duty to slay demons and monsters. How could we possibly do such a thing? It's utterly ridiculous.

Ma Xiaoling felt disdain, but she didn't say it out loud.

She wouldn't offend the group owner over such a trivial matter. Most importantly, Ma Xiaoling believed that Li Hao's failure to see the true future might not be a bad thing.

The matter of the ancient ancestral gods was already giving Ma Xiaoling a huge headache, and she really didn't want to rack her brains to deal with anything else.

Ma Xiaoling: "Whatever makes you happy, I'm logging off now."

Jinling, on the car.

Ma Xiaoling frowned, gazing at the street outside through the half-open car window, and asked, "Uncle Qiu, what do we do now?"

Uncle Qiu's brows furrowed deeply, his expression extremely solemn.

He sighed, "The Mao Family is finished. Now it's certain that the information about the burial site of the ancient ancestral gods has been leaked. Our top priority is to deal with the maps we have. We absolutely cannot let those people get their hands on them, or we're all doomed."

Ma Xiaoling frowned and said, "But the map is impervious to water and fire, and cannot be damaged by any magic. We simply cannot destroy the map."

Ma Xiaoling had considered sending the map to other worlds, but after careful consideration, she abandoned this seemingly wise decision.

Uncle Qiu's eyes were unfocused, tinged with sadness, as he said with a complicated expression, "The situation has changed. We can only go back to Hong Kong to discuss it with your great-aunt."

Ma Xiaoling pouted, her face full of displeasure.

She spent a month traveling all over the world for the sake of the ancient ancestral god, only to have to slink back to Hong Kong in disgrace. This outcome was a disgrace for Ma Xiaoling, a tremendous disgrace.

Although it was a disgrace, Ma Xiaoling was helpless.

The enemy is currently unknown, while we ourselves have been exposed.

Given this situation, Ma Xiaoling really couldn't think of any other solutions.

"Sizzle"

Just as Ma Xiaoling was lost in thought, the car suddenly slammed on the brakes, making a piercing sound.

"Would you two mind giving me a ride?"

A familiar voice came from inside, and Ma Xiaoling suddenly woke up.

She looked out the window and saw Li Hao standing in front of her with a smile.

A gentle breeze stirred his long hair, making him look utterly irritating.

Ma Xiaoling gritted her teeth.

That jerk of a group admin, what kind of trouble are they up to now?

Uncle Qiu Qiu's expression shifted. He wanted to refuse Li Hao's offer to ride with him, but considering the other's cultivation level, he was worried that he might offend him.

When Uncle Qiu in a difficult position, Ma Xiaoling gritted her teeth and said, "Fine, let's just consider it an act of charity."

Uncle Qiu looked at Ma Xiaoling with surprise, but seeing her clenched teeth, he ultimately remained silent.

Li Hao got into the car with a smile and said with emotion, "As the ancients said, 'When you're traveling, you rely on friends,' which is indeed a wise saying. Thank you both. When shall we set off?"

Ma Xiaoling turned her head and glared fiercely at Li Hao, as if questioning him about what he was up to.

Ma Xiaoling said coldly, "We want to return to Hong Kong, but we're worried it will be inconvenient for Mr. Li to come with us."

Li Hao laughed and said, "That's quite a coincidence. I was also planning to visit Hong Kong, so we can go the same way."

Ma Xiaoling's face twitched slightly, and her gaze grew increasingly hostile.

Damn group admin, why are you like a persistent, annoying leech? It's so irritating!

Li Hao suddenly realized, "Oh, I forgot, you need to pay for a car ride now."

Uncle Qiu's eyes flickered, unsure of Li Hao's intentions, and he forced a smile, saying, "Sir, what are you saying? You saved us; what's a little travel expense?"

Uncle Qiu finished speaking, Li Hao took out a glittering gold ingot from his pocket.

The gold ingot, about half the size of a palm, gleamed with a dazzling light, instantly stunning Ma Xiaoling, who was filled with displeasure. Her eyes were completely fixed on it.

Her eyes lit up; her attention was completely drawn to the gold ingot.

Ma Xiaoling reached for the gold ingots in Li Hao's hands with both hands, laughing heartily, "Hehe, Mr. Li, you're too kind. So much! By the way, does Mr. Li have a place to stay? I Dao Yi really good hotel; excellent service and reasonable prices. Would you like me to arrange it for you?"

Uncle Qiu Qiu's pupils constricted.

Mr. Li?

He didn't seem to leave his name when he left that night, so how did Ma Xiaoling know his surname was Li?

Did they meet again later, or...?

Uncle Qiu glanced at Ma Xiaoling, his expression quite complicated.

Li Hao's lips curled slightly as he withdrew his gaze from Uncle Qiu.

He looked at Ma Xiaoling's money-grubbing appearance with amusement.

Then, Li Hao used his right hand to pinch off a piece less than half the size of his little fingernail from the huge gold ingot, placed it in Ma Xiaoling's slender hand, and smiled, "This is for your travel expenses."

Ma Xiaoling stared dumbfounded at the gold ingot in Li Hao's hand, then looked at the few grams of gold ingot fragments in her own hand. Her red lips parted, and for a long time she didn't know what to say.

Group admin, aren't you being a bit too stingy?

You're supposed to be a deity, after all!

Oh my god!

You're supposed to be a god who could create heaven and earth, yet you... you actually did this.

I

Looking at the enormous gold ingot that had disappeared into Li Hao, Ma Xiaoling felt an urge to rush over, strip Li Hao naked, and snatch the gold ingot if she hadn't considered that her own strength was probably no match for Li Hao's boasting.

Seeing this, Uncle Qiu temporarily lowered his guard and smiled, "Alright, we should go now."

Ma Xiaoling looked displeased, but she had no choice but to give up her demand.

However, a thought silently formed in her mind.

The arrogant group owner is a god; gold ingots mean absolutely nothing to him.

The group owner is now all alone in this world. As a member of the Chat Group, shouldn't you take care of this lonely and helpless group owner?