Chapter Fifty-Six: On the Matter of Pride

Zhuo Qinglian had heard of Hong Jiuling and knew exactly what kind of man he was. Others might only see the extraordinary influence Hong Jiuling wielded, but her vision was clearly beyond that level, capable of perceiving much deeper things.

By comparison, in Hong Jiuling’s eyes, Zhuo Qinglian herself was perhaps not worth mentioning. What intrigued her was why Hong Jiuling would go to such lengths for Prosperity’s sake just because of Long Chongzi.

As Zhuo Qinglian suspected, in Hong Jiuling’s heart, she was of little consequence.

He had come out today looking for some amusement; he couldn’t possibly stay in the sunless depths of the underground city all the time. Upon hearing from his subordinates that a fine new nightclub had opened here, he decided to take a look. He did not expect to encounter Xiao Cheng here.

Since Xiao Cheng’s dramatic incursion into the underground city, Hong Jiuling had grown increasingly unsettled the more he thought about it after the fact. He admired Xiao Cheng’s boldness—being able to jest in the face of a hail of bullets. Not only that, at only eighteen years old, Xiao Cheng already possessed strength surpassing his own. If there had truly been a conflict that night, Xiao Cheng might well have erased him from this world.

Being a cultivator himself, Hong Jiuling naturally knew of the five hidden cultivation families of Shanghai. He had not held much faith in these families, thinking them a pale shadow of past generations. But after that night, his perspective changed entirely, especially regarding the Xiao family. Any family capable of producing such a prodigy was anything but ordinary.

Perhaps in ten years—or even less—Shanghai would become Xiao Cheng’s domain.

It might sound exaggerated to say so, but Hong Jiuling did not think it was an exaggeration. To reach innate strength at eighteen and, barring any accidents, to achieve the Golden Core level in the future was almost a certainty.

If that were all, it would merely make Xiao Cheng a formidable cultivator. But his intellect was also far beyond the ordinary. Such a person’s future was limitless.

Encountering Xiao Cheng this time, Hong Jiuling could not let the opportunity to befriend him slip by. To call it befriending wasn’t even accurate—currying favor was more apt.

To curry favor might sound unpleasant, but so what? In the world of cultivation, the strong ruled. Xiao Cheng was already stronger than him and would be even more so in the future. Hong Jiuling saw no shame in it.

Thus, he unhesitatingly threw over five million at Prosperity, and even had the ten best girls in Black City sent over. And that was only because Prosperity didn’t belong directly to Xiao Cheng; if it had, he might well have thrown fifty million at a whim.

Money was just a number to him. If spending it could win the favor of a future powerhouse, then it was money well spent.

Hearing Long Chongzi’s introduction, Hong Jiuling realized this simpleton thought it was all for his sake. Hong Jiuling sneered inwardly—did this fool really believe he was worthy? His overtures were calculated; he knew Xiao Cheng’s keen mind would see through his intentions, but he didn’t care.

Borrowing the tiger’s might? Only because the tiger was foolish enough. Hong Jiuling was nicknamed “Eunuch Hong” for a reason—he was not one to play the fool. Why would he willingly be that tiger?

Sensing the strange atmosphere, Long Chongzi wondered if Zhuo Qinglian was unaware of what Black City was. How could that be?

“Brother Xiao, perhaps you don’t know what Black City is? This is its lord,” Long Chongzi said to Xiao Cheng, but his words were actually meant as a reminder for Zhuo Qinglian.

No sooner had he spoken than a tremendous force struck his right shoulder. He staggered, nearly falling onto the coffee table, and then witnessed an unbelievable scene.

Hong Jiuling stepped out from behind Long Chongzi, came up to Xiao Cheng, cupped his hands, and with a smile said, “Young Master, it’s been days since we last met. I hope you’ve been well! I’m a vulgar man, please accept my meager gift with good humor, haha!”

Long Chongzi nearly bit off his own tongue in shock at Hong Jiuling’s gesture.

Hong Jiuling actually knew Xiao Cheng, and even bowed to him—a young man not yet twenty. Then he heard Hong Jiuling address Xiao Cheng as “Young Master.” That title was worlds apart from “Young Master Xiao.” To call him “Young Master” was to humble himself, and Long Chongzi was both stunned and terrified.

Just what was Xiao Cheng’s background, to make even the lord of Black City, Hong Jiuling, treat him with such respect?

He called Hong Jiuling “lord,” but Hong Jiuling called Xiao Cheng “Young Master”—the disparity was staggering.

Hearing Hong Jiuling’s words, Long Chongzi’s face turned ashen, as if he had swallowed a dead child. He wished he could disappear into the ground. Just moments ago, he had been boasting to Xiao Cheng and Zhuo Qinglian, claiming Hong Jiuling spent money out of regard for him. Now he realized it was all because of Xiao Cheng.

Could there be anything more humiliating? Devastated, Long Chongzi could no longer bear to remain. He stood up and, taking advantage of the distraction, slunk out of the hall in disgrace.

Xiao Cheng paid no mind to Long Chongzi’s departure. He was momentarily taken aback at being addressed as “Young Master” by Hong Jiuling, but then recalled what happened in Black City that night and guessed that “Eunuch Hong” had misunderstood his strength. Such a fortuitous misunderstanding was not one he felt the need to correct.

Since Hong Jiuling believed him to be his superior, being addressed as “Young Master” was perfectly natural. In the world of cultivation, strength was everything. Not only “Young Master,” but even addressing someone as “Senior” despite being older was common practice.

“Heh, sorry to keep you waiting, City Lord,” Xiao Cheng replied with a smile. He couldn’t afford to become arrogant just because others showed him deference. Having just finished dealing with Yan Hongde, he should have come to greet Hong Jiuling, but it had slipped his mind.

Zhuo Qinglian watched the two interact as if they were old friends, finally understanding that all this extravagance was for Xiao Cheng’s sake, and that Hong Jiuling was humbling himself. She couldn’t help but marvel—when had Xiao Cheng become so formidable that even the inscrutable “Eunuch Hong” sought to curry his favor?

She truly couldn’t fathom how Xiao Cheng had changed so much lately—he was becoming someone even she barely recognized.

Though Hong Jiuling had come for Xiao Cheng, Zhuo Qinglian still felt a sense of pride, her heart filled with joy—because Xiao Cheng was her man.

Once the three were seated, Hong Jiuling discovered that Zhuo Qinglian was also a cultivator. Though she had only just begun, there was much he could discern from that.

Zhuo Qinglian’s entry into cultivation was surely thanks to Xiao Cheng. Back in the day, Hong Jiuling had struggled immensely to obtain even a low-grade cultivation manual, and its value was beyond question. Xiao Cheng, however, had passed such a precious gift to Zhuo Qinglian, which showed how highly she ranked in his heart.

That meant the money he had just spent was well worth it. Now that he knew how important Zhuo Qinglian was to Xiao Cheng, he realized that sum was far from sufficient. He had even specially prepared ten top-class girls for Prosperity; those were more valuable than five million.

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[There is one more chapter to come; I’ll do my best to finish before midnight. Please continue to support me!]

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