Overnight Fortune!

Li Yao slept like the dead. He didn't even dream.

By the time he opened his eyes, the sunlight outside the window was bright enough to hurt them.

Squinting at the alarm clock on his bedside table, he saw it was ten thirty in the morning.

"Holy shit, I slept that long?"

Li Yao stretched. His whole body felt refreshed.

After a night's sleep, the shock of what had happened yesterday didn't feel quite so hard to bear.

He got dressed, washed up, and headed downstairs.

He had barely reached the stairs when a delicious aroma drifted up to him.

Li Yao quickened his pace toward the dining room. A faint layer of Spiritual Power surrounded the breakfast on the table, keeping it at just the right temperature.

"Uncle Bin's cooking is as good as ever."

Li Yao sat down and dug in, wolfing everything on the table down in no time.

"Uncle Bin!"

He called toward the living room.

Li Wenbin soon came in through the side door, a folder in his hand.

"You're awake, young master?"

"Yeah. I got plenty of sleep."

Li Yao patted his stomach. "What's the situation now? Where are Uncle Fu and the others?"

Li Wenbin pulled out a chair and sat beside the table.

"Uncle Fu, Uncle Ming, and Uncle Shan rushed back to the border early this morning. Before they left, they asked me to tell you things have been a little unsettled there lately, so they need to keep an eye on it."

Li Yao nodded without saying anything.

There was nothing he could do about the border. His grandfather and father were there, so the sky wasn't about to fall. As for his grandfather's Dantian, it had probably recovered long ago after he cultivated the Nine-Turn Profound Art.

"What about the Yang Family?"

"Yang Xiaoran."

Li Wenbin paused. "She's been very obedient."

"Very obedient?"

"Yes. She broke down for a while right after Yang Mingyou died last night, but she settled down after that. This morning, she came to the door of her own accord to return these things."

As he spoke, he took out a Storage Ring.

"Two hundred and thirty thousand Spirit Stones in all. She brought back those Spirit Artifacts and Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures from before, too."

With that, Li Wenbin placed the Storage Ring on the table.

"It's all in here, young master."

Li Yao picked up the ring and probed inside. There was indeed a sizable pile of Spirit Stones, along with several Spirit Artifacts in good condition.

"Yang Xiaoran didn't make a fuss?"

"No. She was very calm." Li Wenbin thought for a moment. "She said the Yang Family owed the Li Family this. Once she'd paid it back, they would be even."

"Even?"

Li Yao gave a soft laugh and put the ring away.

"Fine. If that's what she wants, all the better. Saves me the trouble."

"But remember to have someone watch her. I don't want any lingering threats. If she makes any suspicious moves..."

Killing intent flashed in his eyes.

"Kill her on the spot!"

Yesterday, he had indirectly killed Yang Mingyou, and it had nearly broken him.

Now that he had calmed down, he naturally couldn't afford to leave any threats behind.

Li Wenbin nodded, then said, "By the way, young master, I found out something else."

"What?"

"Yu Xuerou and Shangguan Yan have fallen out."

Li Yao froze for a moment, then grew interested.

"Oh? What happened? Tell me."

Li Wenbin lowered his voice. "I heard word from the Shangguan Family that Shangguan Yan thought Yu Xuerou was useless. She'd told Yu Xuerou to cripple you at the Martial Arts Tournament, but Yu Xuerou failed. Instead, you used her as a stepping stone to win the championship, humiliating the Shangguan Family."

"Shangguan Yan was so angry she slapped Yu Xuerou on the spot, called her worthless, and told her never to come to the Shangguan Family again."

"That happened?"

Li Yao raised an eyebrow. He hadn't expected Shangguan Yan to be so heartless.

"With Shangguan Yan's temper, I'd guess Yu Xuerou had had enough and decided to break with her. But it's no surprise. Shangguan Yan's been spoiled since childhood. To her, other people are tools. She keeps them if they're useful and throws them away if they're not."

Li Yao shook his head and said no more.

He couldn't be bothered with Yu Xuerou's affairs.

They weren't close anyway. Whatever happened, happened.

Just then, a voice suddenly sounded in his head.

"Ding! Congratulations, host, on completing the mission. Reward: 50,000 Background Value!"

The system notification rang through his mind.

Li Yao's heart leaped. Fifty thousand Background Value in the bag. Nice!

"System, how much Background Value do I have now?"

"Ding. Host's current Background Value balance: 122,000 points."

"Not bad, not bad."

Li Yao calculated silently. With 122,000 Background Value, there was a lot he could do. But there was no rush to spend it. Better to keep it for a rainy day.

"Any other instructions, young master?"

Seeing him in a daze, Li Wenbin spoke up.

Li Yao came back to himself and thought for a moment. "No. Go ahead and get back to work, Uncle Bin. Oh, and tell Yang Xiaoran that if she truly wants to live a peaceful life, I can leave her a way out. But if she still wants to stir up trouble, what little she has left won't last her long."

After all, she was the girl the original Li Yao had fawned over for three years. Li Yao didn't want to go too far, especially since her father, Yang Mingyou, was already dead.

Giving her a warning was the last kindness he could offer.

But if she dared to stir up trouble...

"All right. I'll remember that."

Li Wenbin stood and left.

Li Yao remained at the dining table alone, lightly tapping a finger against its surface.

"Two hundred and thirty thousand Spirit Stones, plus the hundred thousand I have left from the Lin Family and the Martial Arts Tournament prize. I've got quite a few Spirit Stones on hand now."

He had become rich overnight, yet suddenly he didn't know how to spend it.

"I can't just sit on all these Spirit Stones. I need to put them to use. Cultivation costs Spirit Stones, and I have people under me to support. Who knows who I'll end up fighting next?"

Li Yao stood and walked to the window, looking out at the blazing sun.

"I need to find a chance to plan my next move properly."

As he thought about it, something suddenly came to mind.

He hurriedly pulled an iron token from his Storage Ring. The words "Special Operations" were written on it.

"Why not drop by the Special Operations Bureau?"

The original Li Yao's memories contained information about the bureau, saving him the trouble of looking it up.

The Special Operations Bureau was a division of State Security, which answered to Dragon Nation's highest leadership.

To ordinary people, its members operated under the name of State Security. To cultivators, they were the Special Operations Bureau.

It recruited only those who were Seventh Rank Martial Masters or above.

Most of its members were above the Martial Venerable realm.

It was a formidable force.

Its main duties were handling affairs large and small throughout Dragon Nation outside the border regions, as well as overseeing the various Lineages.

If the Demon Race appeared somewhere, for instance, the bureau would be needed.

The same went for the appearance of an Evil Cultivator.

Or if some Lineage began harboring disloyal intentions.

Its greatest authority was the power to act first and report afterward.

It was much like the Embroidered Uniform Guard of ancient times in Li Yao's previous life.

Strike first, report later—by imperial decree.

Li Yao was lost in thought.

Just then, the system popped up again.

"Ding. Detected: host possesses a Special Operations Bureau Recommendation Letter. New mission issued—join the Special Operations Bureau. Reward: 20,000 Background Value."

It was like someone handing him a pillow just as he was getting sleepy.

"System, I think I'm falling in love with you."

"This system is not gay."

"Get lost. But not today. I'm still worn out."

"I'll go back to sleep first."