Chapter 16 Rolling in Wealth

Xu Sheng and his two companions only then realized that Tang Xin had not become foolish; on the contrary, he was extremely perceptive, having befriended Chu Hao before anyone else noticed! The help given in the hour of need was all the more valuable!

"Lord of the City, you flatter me too much!" Chu Hao replied, neither servile nor overbearing.

Li Li burst into hearty laughter, clapped Chu Hao on the shoulder, and then turned to Steward Wu, "Old Wu, since Chu Hao has pleaded for him, let's not take it to heart!"

"Yes, My Lord!" Steward Wu quickly stood at attention, pressing his hands tightly against his legs in utmost respect. He glanced at Ma Long and said, "Well then, aren't you going to thank Young Master Chu? If it weren't for his plea on your behalf, heh heh!"

The old man was brimming with murderous intent, and the ferocity in his eyes sent shivers down the spine.

Ma Long truly felt like crying!

Chu Hao had fiercely slapped him across the face, yet not only did he have to endure it, but he also had to thank the man. What kind of situation was this? Could he dare to defy Steward Wu's words? Not to mention that he wouldn't dare, his father wouldn't dare either!

If he didn't bow his head now, his father would force him to do the same when he found out later!

He had to swallow the indignation whether he could bear it or not; he had to lower his head whether he wanted to or not!

His face turning red with restraint, Ma Long bowed slightly towards Chu Hao and said, "Thank you, thank you, Senior Brother Chu!" Tears of extreme humiliation were already streaming down his face, betraying his efforts to hold them back.

"Don't take it to heart!" Chu Hao patted Ma Long on the shoulder.

He wasn't really trying to help Ma Long. No matter how powerful the Ren City Lord Mansion was, they wouldn't kill Ma Long or destroy the Ma Family just because he misspoke. So, Chu Hao simply took the opportunity to humiliate Ma Long thoroughly! How arrogant could he be? Chu Hao slapped him, and he still had to say thank you, suffer the humiliation!

Ma Long clenched his fists tightly, his whole body trembling, wishing there were a crack in the ground for him to crawl into.

"Lord of the City, after you!" Chu Hao stepped aside, bowing slightly.

"Hmm!" Li Li nodded, started walking forward, and only after he took a step did the others follow, each lagging at least one step behind.

This was the authority of the City Lord!

It was only after they had ascended the stairs that Ma Long finally exhaled in relief, soaked in cold sweat. It was the killing intent from Steward Wu that had scared it out of him; he hadn't even felt it until now, his back dripping wet.

He looked at Lin Yuqi, who was still slack-jawed, not yet having snapped out of shock, and Liu Heng was even more astonished, his mouth agape, wide enough to swallow a fist.

Who could believe such a thing?

But it was only the three of them who were dumbfounded; the news that the Lord of the City had visited the Fortune Full Building spread like wildfire throughout Eastern Cloud City.

"What, the Lord of the City went to the Fortune Full Building?"

"Is that even a question, my cousin saw it with his own eyes!"

"Quick, let's also go to the Fortune Full Building for a meal! We can't afford the second or third floor, but the first floor is within our reach! From now on, we'll have something to brag about!"

...

"Hey, hey, hey, did you hear, the Lord of the City just went to the Fortune Full Building?"

"Which Fortune Full Building? The one where a table costs ten taels of silver?"

"Of course that one. Where else do you think the Lord of the City would go? And mind you, the Lord of the City booked the third floor, a table for one thousand taels of silver a piece!"

"Ah, I truly wish I could also eat there once, to enjoy the Lord of the City's treatment!"

...

"Steward, reserve a table at the Fortune Full Building for tomorrow; I want to invite some of the Zhang Family over to discuss matters!"

"Yes, Master!"

...

Inside the city, Fortune Full Building was the topic of conversation everywhere. Even though it had been a popular topic more than ten days ago, the addition of the words 'Lord of the City' had finally triggered a real wave of consumer frenzy.

People flocked to the Fortune Full Building en masse, but due to limited space, most of them ended up having to queue outside. Moreover, with the availability of seats being limited, many were doomed not to get a meal today.

Reservations for tomorrow were quickly filled, followed by the day after tomorrow, the day after that, and the days following… Uncle Yu collected deposits and noted bookings with a face so joyful it looked like flowers might bloom on it.

On the third floor, Li Li sat at a table alone, with Steward Wu standing stoically behind him like a loyal protector. He showed great face to both Chu Hao and Tang Xin, inviting them to sit and chat for a while, and then he let them leave.

As for Xu Sheng and his two companions, they naturally did not have such privilege. Chu Hao and Tang Xin guessed that they had been given high regard because they held the Blood Wolf Order!

Li Li was not giving them face, but giving face to Madam Yun!

When Chu Hao and Tang Xin returned to their private room, they saw Xu Sheng and the two others showing clear signs of restraint, hardly able to speak coherently in front of Chu Hao.

This was someone regarded highly by the Lord of the City himself!

Although Chu Hao's current strength was not formidable, his insight was extremely keen. Xu Sheng and his companions… they did not catch Chu Hao's eye! Regardless of whether they had looked down on him or sought to curry favor, how could they sway his spirit?

With Tang Xin mediating the mood, the atmosphere soon became lively again. Xu Sheng and his companions' attitudes changed drastically, fawning over Chu Hao.

However, only half an hour later, Li Li left with Steward Wu, leaving behind a message before departing, telling Chu Hao to come to the City Lord's Mansion if he encountered any problems.

Just this one sentence made the eyes of Xu Sheng and his two companions begin to shine!

"Chu Hao, now even I am starting to envy you!" Tang Xin laughed, saying helplessly that he had only received the silver Blood Wolf Order, so although Li Li treated him kindly, it was only to that extent.

Not like Chu Hao, who was held in high regard by Li Li.

Chu Hao gave a slight smile, showing no signs of complacency—the one Li Li valued was not him, but Madam Yun!

He must become stronger, and earn respect through his own strength!

...

After this day, the Fortune Full Building was thoroughly renowned, becoming a symbol of status and position, alluring countless people despite its high prices. But there were plenty of wealthy people, like carps crossing the river, creating an abundance of customers.

On the second day of its grand reopening, reservations for seats had already been booked for half a month in advance. Moreover, since deposits were paid upfront, Chu Hao's wealth had skyrocketed countless times overnight!

"Young Master, with the restaurant's business so good, should we offer more tables for reservation?"

Chu Hao immediately shook his head and said, "That won't do. The reason our business is so successful is because everyone acknowledges the taste of Fortune Full Building. But if we open up more reservations, it will no longer be worth the money!"

Uncle Yu agreed, but his face showed reluctance—just one more table reserved by Guest Full each day could yield a profit of one thousand taels, with the cost being negligible!

One table for a thousand taels, two tables for two thousand, three tables for three thousand... the old man felt a heartache!

As time passed day by day, Chu Hao's strength was improving daily. Coupled with laying a solid foundation at school, his power was making significant progress each day. Roughly 20 days later, he finally stepped into the Lesser Mahayana realm!

Thousand Catties of Strength!

If he could return to Earth now, he would be at the level of an ancient mighty warrior, but in this high-martial-arts world, a strength of a thousand catties was just the beginning of martial arts.

Although a strength of a thousand catties was far from making him a strong warrior, he finally had the credentials to leave the city and wander. Moreover, there would be a set of tool-forging materials and a Sword Manual up for auction in two days!

—He had carefully examined the ready-made weapons these days but found none to his liking. He could only start with materials and then find a blacksmith to forge them.

Now he had a bit more than one hundred thousand taels of silver on hand, which should be enough to allow him to splurge.

Chu Hao exchanged small-denomination silver notes for larger ones for convenience. These silver notes were issued by the City Lord's Mansion, with the value on the front and a complex pattern on the back.

Nobody dared to counterfeit the silver notes, nor could they, because a single light on the note would reflect a seven-colored radiance.

Chu Hao didn't bring Uncle Yu with him; the old gentleman was accustomed to saving and would probably have a heart attack if he saw him throwing around money! So, Chu Hao went to the auction house on his own.

Upon arrival, Chu Hao paid a deposit of one thousand taels of silver and entered. At that time, about half of the people had arrived, mostly adults over 30 years old.

He casually found a spot to sit down and quietly waited for the auction to start.

After a while, he saw a young man and woman walk in side by side.

Ma Long, Lin Yuqi!

Chu Hao's mouth curved into a sneer. Back when Lin Yuqi was betrothed to the Chu Family, she would often bring Chu Hao here, splurging money generously. Yet, as the Chu Family had been established in Eastern Cloud City for only about 20 years with limited family wealth—only several ten thousand taels—there was a limit to how much Lin Yuqi could spend.

Now it was Ma Long's turn to play the fool!

Seeing Chu Hao, Ma Long's face turned red, and a look of humiliation appeared.

He thought back to the incident 20-something days before, when the "idiot", a love rival and arch-enemy, had slapped him, and he'd had to thank him, no less in front of Lin Yuqi!

It was a disgrace!

Yet, due to the City Lord's Mansion's involvement, he dared not trouble Chu Hao even at the academy, allowing the anger and humiliation to build up.

Ma Long quickly showed a sneer. Although he couldn't physically hurt Chu Hao, he could humiliate him mentally! He was determined to get his revenge for the indignation he had suffered!

"Chu Hao, don't think you can keep riding high off of one victory! Yuqi is now my betrothed. You still can't beat me!" he sneered. His father had lost to Chu Hao's father, but in their generation, it was he who had won!

And he would keep winning, suppressing Chu Hao with his strength!

Thinking of using this woman to strike at him?

Chu Hao shook his finger and said, "This woman was swept out of my Chu Family just like sweeping dirt from the floor. You just picked up a broken shoe and you're so thrilled. I really don't know what to say about you."

Broken shoe!

Not only did Ma Long's face turn green, but Lin Yuqi's pretty face also twitched, and her chest quivered.

"Chu Hao, you're talking nonsense!" Lin Yuqi spoke in extreme embarrassment and anger.

"Am I?" Chu Hao laughed.

Ma Long was hesitating. Matters between men and women couldn't be discerned with the eyes alone. Lin Yuqi had lived in the Chu Family for a year—if nothing had happened between her and Chu Hao... who could guarantee that?

If Chu Hao had always been an idiot, that would be one thing, but clearly, he wasn't!

Moreover, he hadn't had an intimate relationship with Lin Yuqi yet. How could he know if she was still untouched? There was simply no way to prove it!