"What's he doing here?"
Blood Refining Hall's Lu Ziqing was taken aback.
Before he could react, Sun Gui had already risen to greet the newcomer, offering tea with both hands and a face full of fawning smiles.
"My dear God of Wealth, what brings you here today?"
"Family matters, state affairs, worldly affairs—naturally, I'm here to lend a hand," Li Mo replied, taking a sip of the tea.
What else could he be here for? Investment, of course!
With the grand event hosted by the Great Yu Imperial Court, how could he miss the opportunity? Strangely enough, many of the renowned beauties from the Hundred Flowers Ranking seemed to know him.
"Ah? In that case, our Flourishing Trade Guild won’t interfere. If you need anything, just say the word. We might not have money, but we can certainly lend a hand with manpower," Sun Gui decisively withdrew.
Li Mo smiled at him. "Then I’ll trouble you, Manager Sun. There is indeed a matter where your help would be invaluable."
The scene left the gathered merchants stunned.
Young Li Mo’s name already thundered across the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths.
But their understanding of him was limited to his prodigious talent, his status as a young genius, and his uncanny ability to bring fortune to his wives...
So why did Sun Gui call him the "God of Wealth"?
They soon found out.
"Ahem, esteemed guests, hosting the Hundred Flowers Grand Banquet is a matter of national importance. It must be grand, splendid, and unforgettable—no small undertaking. Be prepared for the costs," the official announced.
"Our Money Gang offers two million taels of silver!"
"The God of Wealth Bank pledges three million taels, and we’ll cover all necessary materials for the event!"
"The Verdant Wood Society offers ten vials of Seven-Pattern Spirit Pills, and several fair maidens who initially declined have agreed to perform at the banquet as a favor to us."
"As for the Flourishing Trade Guild... well, we’ll follow Young Master Li’s lead."
Sun Gui toyed with his sunglasses, clearly pleased.
The others exchanged glances, unsure what the Flourishing Trade Guild was scheming, and turned their attention to the young man beside Sun Gui.
Lu Ziqing sipped his tea, his gaze fixed on the stage.
The hosting rights for the banquet had to remain firmly in his grasp—otherwise, complications would arise.
No matter what the other side offered, he would...
Li Mo solemnly raised two fingers in a "V" gesture.
"Young Hero Li, what does this mean?" the Minister of Rites asked, having already exchanged knowing glances with Lu Ziqing. No matter Li Mo’s bid, he could always...
"Double."
"Eh? Double what?"
"The sum of their three bids combined."
"...How much?!"
The unconventional "bidding war" concluded with startling speed.
The merchants, usually boasting of wealth rivaling nations, emerged dazed, never having imagined being overwhelmed by sheer financial force.
Double. All three bids combined. Words so unfamiliar yet so chilling.
Of course, it wasn’t just the merchants left reeling—Lu Ziqing, representing both the Blood Refining Hall and the Verdant Wood Society, felt his scalp tingle.
When Li Mo’s mountain of gold crashed onto the table, he knew even his connections with the Minister of Rites couldn’t salvage the situation.
The other side had simply offered too much.
Who the hell measures gold in "mountains"?!
Aren’t you worried about devaluing the damn metal?!
---
By evening, the riverside Cloud-Treading Pavilion blazed with light.
Logically, with the Hidden Dragon Tournament over, the place should’ve quieted down—the young talents returning home to their respective sects.
Yet, it remained bustling against all expectations.
"Eh? Brother Bai, Brother Cao, Brother Wu, weren’t you returning to Yunzhou?" Xiao Qin blinked at the returning swordsmen from Sword City.
Wu Chushu clasped his hands behind his back. "I suddenly realized the imperial capital’s scenery is vast, and it’d be a shame to leave without experiencing it all."
Bai Jinghong clicked his tongue in exasperation.
Cao Mu shook his head. "We were about to leave the city when Wu Chushu saw the notice at the gate and refused to go."
"What notice?"
"The Hundred Flowers Grand Banquet."
"Eh? Then I’m not leaving either."
Murong Xiao silently set down his luggage, acknowledging his unresolved weakness.
And he wasn’t alone.
News of the banquet spread, and one by one, young heroes who’d planned to depart reversed course, quietly reclaiming their seats.
Just then, Li Mo returned, accompanied by Zhong Zhenyue.
He seemed in low spirits.
After downing several cups of tea, he still couldn’t make sense of it.
So, he’d invested in the Great Yu Dynasty and the Hundred Flowers Banquet, right?
Then why did his system’s feedback read:
[Congratulations, Host! Successful investment in Minister of Rites Song Baiyue...]
[Congratulations, Host! Successful investment in Vice Minister of Rites...]
[Congratulations, Host! Successful investment in Minister of Revenue...]
Why were all the beneficiaries the very officials present earlier?
The question left Li Mo brooding.
Clearly, relying on those officials was unreliable. Yet, he’d already taken on the banquet’s responsibilities...
Only his own people could be trusted.
"Brother Li, you’re back. Should we postpone our return to Purple Sun Prefecture?" Xiao Qin sighed.
Personally, he didn’t mind, but his mentor’s nagging was relentless.
Li Mo nodded. "Yes, we’ll stay for now. There’s still the Hundred Flowers Banquet."
"Heh, Brother Li... you already have Fairy Han, yet you’re still eyeing the banquet?" Wu Chushu’s gaze accused him of heartless playboy tendencies.
"Misunderstanding."
"Oh? Then why stay?"
"I’m the investor."
"???"
The table fell dead silent.
In an instant, several expressions shifted from shock to silence, then to outright sycophancy.
transmigrates into the world as the sect master of the Heavenly Yan Sect, which is on the verge of being wiped out. He binds a system that grants him cultivation power based on the number of disciples he has: for each disciple, he automatically gains a year's worth of cultivation every single day! Take one disciple: every day he gains 1 year of cultivation power. While others struggle through a year of bitter training, he gets the same just by sleeping through a single night. Take ten disciples: every day he gains 10 years of cultivation power. Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul—he breezes through all bottlenecks without lifting a finger. Take one hundred disciples: every day he gains 100 years of cultivation power. Even a Soul Transformation Venerable before him can’t survive a single blow. Take ten thousand disciples: every day he gains 10,000 years of cultivation power! With a wave of his hand, he topples empires. With a single step, he crushes the sacred grounds of the universe. ... While others fight tooth and nail for secret techniques, Lin Yan casually hands out Nascent Soul-level cultivation manuals as beginner textbooks. While others strain to find talented recruits, Lin Yan opens his doors to anyone—so long as they’re human. In just three short years, the Heavenly Yan Sect went from a backwater sect made up of three crumbling huts to a sacred land that every cultivator under heaven would kill to enter. ... One day, otherworldly demon gods invade, with a million demon soldiers pressing down upon the realm. Lin Yan, yawning, rises from his lounge chair and glances at the system panel: [Current Disciples: 1.28 million] [Daily Cultivation Increase: 1.28 million years] He waves his hand casually, and the countless demon soldiers are reduced to ashes in an instant. “So noisy… interrupting my fishing.”
pression Bureau] Transported to a fantasy world overrun by demons and monsters, Gu Qingfeng becomes a jailer in the Demon Suppression Prison of the Great Yan Dynasty's Demon Suppression Bureau. From this point on, bizarre cases frequently occur in the Demon Suppression Prison, once known as hell on earth and infamous for its gloomy, terrifying atmosphere! Why do the demons and monsters in the prison wail miserably every night? Why has the corpse demon, capable of transforming into various beauties, donned black stockings and switched careers to become a foot massage therapist? Why has the eye demon, expert in soul-snatching and illusions, turned into a VR headset? Why is the fox spirit performing otaku dances? Are all these occurrences a twisted expression of demonic nature, or a descent into moral depravity? After peeling away layer upon layer of mystery, all clues ultimately point to a jailer named Gu Qingfeng. Gu Qingfeng: "Hehehe... My dear demons and monsters, whose card shall we flip today?"
world slacker. But a genius female disciple just had to get clingy, insisting that he take her as a disciple. Not only that, she was always making advances on him, thoroughly disrupting his peaceful slacker life...
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
