Chen Miemie certainly didn't lack for time on his watch.
Apart from the 3,000 years he'd obtained from the Mist Church, he'd also received massive rewards from the Six Elephants City Hall and the Alliance of Guilds for his outstanding contributions during the trials.
That wasn't all—he also had his own ventures.
Currently, the [Pineapple Roast Chicken Shop] was all the rage across the city. Even though Bobo wasn't personally running it, the shop had "stock" saved up. In the mornings, origami grew stronger, its teleportation distance increased, and Bobo was even happier than origami or Chen Miemie, because his roast chicken shop could stay open without running out of supplies.
His other venture was the [Fat Orange Hotel], another zero-cost business.
Now, all the mystics in Six Elephants City believed that the [Fat Orange Hotel], under Baibai's control, was a public asset of the city. They were terrified that the hotel might not do well, so they kept vigorously promoting it.
After becoming a familiar spirit, the [Fat Orange Hotel] could control its own passive behavior. It stopped killing people en masse, and thanks to its amusing appearance and the flocks of cats, it actually became a huge hit.
Since the [Fat Orange Hotel] had stopped killing, the city government was already grateful and wouldn't dream of questioning where the hotel's income went. Even the tax officer pretended not to know the hotel existed.
The behind-the-scenes boss, Chen Miemie, simply did nothing and raked in money every day.
Strictly speaking, he had another source of income.
Everyone in the [Silver Moon Court] had reserved a pair of wings, all scrambling to put down deposits. A few pairs of wings added up to another very large sum.
The final verdict: Chen Miemie wasn't short on time. If he encountered something suitable, unless it was particularly unusual, he could simply buy, buy, buy.
[Longevity Hall] was the largest clinic in the Sealed Book Pavilion.
[Knot], after several days of treatment and rest, had finally recovered.
He wasn't fully healed yet and could only lie in his hospital bed for now.
"Seeing you in good shape puts my mind at ease. With that amount of bleeding back then, even dying on the spot would have been normal," [Butler], [Knot]'s partner, said as he sat by the bed peeling an apple.
Once the apple was peeled, [Butler], showing no intention of looking after a patient, shoved it straight into his own mouth.
[Knot] was speechless: "I really appreciate you coming to visit me. Not only did you come empty-handed, but you're also eating my fruit."
"I'm helping you out. With so many fruit baskets, you can't finish them all yourself—it'd just be a waste."
After their playful banter, it was time to get down to business.
[Butler] adjusted his glasses, his tone turning serious:
"We've gathered some intel on Chen Miemie. You lost in a fair match, so I'd advise you not to hold a grudge against him. This person isn't someone you should make an enemy of."
"How did you manage to dig up dirt on someone from across the city so quickly and thoroughly in such a short time?" [Knot] was a bit surprised.
"It's not that we're efficient—it's that Chen Miemie is too famous in his own city. His background, his deeds—they're terrifyingly big. After we got the information, even President Shepherd didn't bring up waiting for him on a dark street with a sack anymore."
"Even our tough-guy president is scared? What, is the kid the son of a city chief?"
"You think the president would be afraid of a city chief from a distant city?"
"Then what kind of background could it be?"
"He wasn't lying that day. He's the next president of [Silver Moon Court]."
[Knot] shrugged nonchalantly: "With his attitude, I didn't think he was lying either."
"His teacher is one of Six Elephants City's three titans, the president of the Alliance of Guilds, a [Mystic] level-6 Meteor-class powerhouse."
"Well, that's pretty impressive."
"Chen Miemie himself has personally killed a [Mystic] level-6—he's a city hero over there."
[Knot] nodded: "Truly formidable. Young, strong in strength, strong in backing."
[Butler] delivered the final piece of intelligence: "His mother is the Third Seat of the Witches."
"Holy crap!" the usually calm [Knot] jumped straight out of bed. "Which Third Seat?"
"You're asking the obvious. Which other one? The Third Seat of the Tea Party."
"[Butler], do you think I should go back and apologize and thank him again? Looking back, I think I was a bit too loud when I talked to him."
"Relax. You got beaten—it's not like you hurt him."
[Knot's] face turned pale: "Easy for you to say. You're not the one who pissed him off. Everyone knows what the Third Seat is like. The president really screwed me over this time."
[Butler] agreed somewhat: "Maybe you should transfer all your savings to me, just in case you suddenly lose the chance to use them one day."
"Do you know where he's staying now?"
"You're actually planning to go? For revenge or what?"
"Revenge my ass. Tell me where he lives, and I'll walk around it from now on."
"He's said to live under the city library, together with [Chenpi]."
"[Chenpi] of all people! Well, it makes sense they live together."
A knock came at the door.
Yi Zhu and Yi Xian walked in, carrying gifts.
"Uncle Knot, why do you look so bad? Your face is chalk white," Yi Zhu said with concern.
"Hmph, thanks to your dear teacher, who brought me such wonderful news that I now need to stay in the hospital a few more days. By the way, how's the guild's preparation for tomorrow's appraisal meeting?"
"President Shepherd doesn't have high hopes. Our mystical items are decent, but compared to what'll be at the event, I doubt they're top-tier."
"Sigh, the same old story. The guild has been on a downhill slide these past few years."
Those words brought a moment of awkward silence among the four in the room.
It was indeed embarrassing if a guild of mystics brought out mystical items that couldn't even match what some shops had to offer.
With Yi Xian and Yi Zhu, the younger generation, present, [Knot] naturally wouldn't continue discussing Chen Miemie with [Butler].
They chatted for a while longer, and then the three visitors took their leave.
At the entrance of [Longevity Hall].
"Yi Zhu, Yi Xian, I've asked around about your situation. It seems you've been affected by some kind of mystical force. Don't worry—take your time, and we'll find a way."
"Teacher, we know. Don't worry too much. Honestly, we were mentally prepared for this outcome."
[Butler] waited a couple of seconds and, realizing the two had no intention of elaborating, dropped the subject.
After parting ways with them.
[Butler] stood alone on the roadside, unmoving for a long time.
He watched his two disciples disappear into the distance, then turned to look back at the [Longevity Hall] building far away.
He murmured quietly to himself:
"After all this time together, I've grown fond of them.
An ordinary mystic—unless they're like me, with nothing to lose and the resolve to fight to the death—
would be wise to stay far away from someone like Chen Miemie, with his strength and backing.
The Third Seat... just the thought of it is terrifying."
to panic—he has a system. As long as an investment target dies, he can claim a reward. And since he is immortal, the one thing he has plenty of is time. ... Countless years later. “Immortal Emperor of Longevity? I invested in him.” “Supreme Celestial Venerable? I invested in him.” “Undying Empress? I invested in her.” “...” “Heh. Once they’ve all died, even the Heavenly Dao will have to kneel and call me Dad.”
lity and could only live as an ordinary mortal. He only wished to live a peaceful life. Yet he didn't know— The dog he adopted, because it ate his food, became a legendary demon king. The kitchen knife he casually forged became a peerless divine weapon, causing numerous experts to fight desperately for it. The young disciple he took in became an immortal lord that led an era, due to cultivating the techniques Ye Feng taught him. Even the skeletons he looked down on the most were ominous demon kings that suppressed countless worlds. Many years later, looking at the void shattered with a punch, Ye Feng murmured to himself: It turns out the peerless kings were myself all along...
s the Eldest Princess, renowned for her cold and aloof detachment, became the most docile of lambs, obeying his every command without question. But when the final move was played on the chessboard, as Gu Chenghan seized everything and ascended on the verge of apotheosis, that very Princess suddenly embraced him from behind, her tone carrying a dependence never heard before: "Wait... you haven't yet... commanded me to love you forever." Gu Chenghan froze abruptly. She... hadn't been hypnotized?! ... [The Eldest Princess's Diary] [When my soul was extracted, becoming the sole spectator outside my own shell] [At first, there was overwhelming fury, until I saw] [How he used my sword to effortlessly shatter my inescapable doom] [How he wielded my authority to eradicate fatal conspiracies I had never even detected] [Like a deity, he rescued me from the deep mire I was trapped in] [If not for those annoying vixens, he and I would be a match made in heaven] [I think I am ill, gravely ill] [My deity should belong to me alone] ... "Hypnosis? Oh, it succeeded, my dear Master." "Only this time, it's my turn to hypnotize you."
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
