Didn't you go to Teyvat to earn money to support me?

Shen Liang was holding the wooden basin when he suddenly turned his head to look at her.

Torachiyo seemed oblivious to her boss's expression, still lost in her memories. "After having children, I kept him locked up in the mansion all day. Outside, I was a general of the shogunate or a close retainer of the shogun. I didn't come home for years. Then one time when I was in the mood to go back, he had been dead for over twenty years. Human lifespan is always like that. I just felt like I was indulging in some fun for a while, and my short-lived husband became a pile of bones."

She looked somewhat dazed.

"As a woman, I feel... I really have let him down. I never treated him as a real husband. Even the children stayed with me. I didn't even fulfill his last wish of having a son with his surname, although I've forgotten what his surname was..." Torachiyo said softly. "He must have resented me when he died. I gave him wealth and honor, but I didn't give him respect, love, or even a family."

Shen Liang stared at the ghost girl whose gaze was gradually drifting away, her small face icy cold: "What do you mean by telling me all this?"

Tiger Chiyo snapped out of her reverie and saw Shen Liang put down the wooden basin, his red eyes narrowing dangerously.

She paused for a moment, then grinned mischievously: "Hey~ didn't you say you didn't care that I've been married before? Why the expression? How strange, is my little wolf dog jealous?"

She was an old monster, a thousand or two years old, and had long seen through Shen Liang's possessive nature beneath his outwardly indifferent facade. She laughed even more heartily, particularly pleased to see the usually domineering young man display such resentment and even displeasure. If Shen Liang were to then firmly deny it, he would be even more adorable!

This is a common trait; any woman would feel smug when she sees a man filled with jealousy for her.

Then she saw that Shen Liang's dangerous aura intensified. He neither denied it nor shouted, but simply stood by the bed, silently unbuttoning his knitted pajamas. Tiger Chiyo saw his well-defined, fair collarbone revealed beneath his clothes, and she subconsciously licked her lips.

Then she realized what was happening.

This is more than just jealousy.

"Hey, hey, hey, you're not even going to bother explaining this time! My little wolf, how could you... No, boss, boss, you're the only one in my heart, I've never had another man! Boss, believe me, believe in Chiyo's loyalty!" Torachiyo was terrified and almost ran outside. "No, no, I haven't recovered from last night!"

Shen Liang grabbed her hair, his face darkening: "Don't you like seeing me jealous? Well, now that I'm jealous, you'll have to pay the price."

"Can we...can we change the price? I can't take it." Torachiyo said in despair.

"Transform into the appearance of a mature woman, yes, the kind you used to use five hundred years ago," Shen Liang commanded. He still remembered what Hu Qiandai and Gan Yu said in his dream: he had never been very magnanimous towards his women.

Upon hearing this, Torachiyo understood Shen Liang's meaning, feeling both amused and helpless. She was used to acting like a young girl in front of Shen Liang, but she never expected that this child would be jealous of her first husband of over five hundred years?

"Damn little wolf, your possessiveness is so pathological."

The ghost girl could only smile wryly, knowing she couldn't escape it. She had no choice but to transform into the mature form Shen Liang had seen before, kneel down, brush the hair behind her cheek, and say irritably, "Alright, alright, I understand, I understand, is this okay?"

"Not enough." Shen Liang put her hands on her hips.

"Not enough?" Torachiyo frowned, then looked at the boy's rather arrogant and expectant gaze, finally realizing his thoughts, and pouted.

------

By the time Ayaka Kamisato came to wake Shen Liang, he had already changed his clothes. Hidden on the roof beam, unseen by anyone, Torachiyo wiped his mouth with his sleeve, watching Shen Liang leave with a resentful smile befitting a boy his age.

Only a spirit like her knew that the reason this seemingly handsome, refreshing, and even aloof young boy could maintain such a perfect image was because girls like her and Anna had suffered greatly behind the scenes. Males in puberty naturally have extremely high levels of hormones, and this young man, in particular, seemed to possess boundless energy, almost unlike a normal human.

—He is increasingly showing "inhuman" qualities.

Torachiyo curled the corners of her mouth, then vigorously wiped her lips.

On the other side, Shen Liang went outside and saw seven or eight girls lying sprawled on the carpet in the tea room. On the projection wall, a large Chinese character for "death" was written in complete darkness. The carpet wasn't actually a carpet, but a simple tatami mat made of bedding. They had played here all night and were probably too tired to go back to their own bedrooms.

The tatami mats were probably laid out by the shrine maidens, who have now begun to fulfill their responsibility of taking care of the Emmanuel Group.

Calling the still-awake girl, Shen Liang went downstairs, where a carriage had been waiting for some time. The group of young ladies were excitedly preparing to go out with Shen Liang for a spring outing, or more precisely, to accompany him to choose a location.

Regarding the selection of a site for establishing a base area.

As they set out, the intelligence organizations roaming throughout the White Horse Inn instantly sprang into action, sending back intelligence from all directions. In no time, many merchant guilds in Liyue received the news that the leader of the Emmanuel Group had returned and was about to make his first move.

This chamber of commerce organization, which is practically half a diplomatic corps, is finally about to start pioneering!

------

"Judging by this scale, it's more like a spring outing than a field reclamation." On Huangchi Square in Yujingtai, Ke Qing frowned as she gazed at the long procession of carriages heading out of the city. "Mr. Youlong's procession doesn't seem to have any of the... professional demeanor of a merchant at all."

"Are you saying that compared to the profit-seeking and meticulous calculations of normal merchants, this group seems too relaxed?" A mature female voice, elegant and captivating, chuckled. "I understand why Miss Keqing thinks that way. Apart from Ryo-kun, the rest of this group are young girls under twenty, all pampered by the Inazuma family. Perhaps large families can cultivate talent, but a merchant guild so young, so beautiful, and so naive... Ha, it's more like a harem offered by the Inazuma nobles to curry favor with that Ryo-kun."

“Ningguang, your statement is a bit exaggerated.” Keqing frowned.

The woman beside her was about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, wearing a form-fitting cheongsam embroidered with dragons and inlaid with jade, which accentuated her charming figure. She had an extremely noble appearance, with her long platinum blonde hair curled up with a black and gold hairpin and hanging down to her calves. Silk black gloves covered her slender hands, and exquisite slender finger guards adorned the tips of her little fingers.

This is a young woman whose "nobility" is immediately apparent, as evidenced by her nail guard alone. In Liyue's daily life, long nails are easily broken, so having a single, slender nail signifies that this person is "unaccustomed to manual labor."

And she is Ningguang, the most wealthy and highest-ranking of the seven stars of Liyue, the star of Tianquan.

"Is it an exaggeration?" Ningguang smiled slightly. "How is it an exaggeration?"

“You haven’t met Mr. Youlong and his employees. Their relationship is more like that of friends than superiors and subordinates, and it’s certainly not the harem you’re talking about,” Ke Qing said without hesitation. “Besides, in my opinion, the girls in that organization’s ill intentions towards him are quite obvious. There’s no need for any coercive measures. You’ve misunderstood.”

“Doesn’t that further prove that this is the harem of that Liang Jun?” Ningguang smiled.

Ke Qing was momentarily speechless.

That's true. Whether it's being flattered, being invested in, or whatever, those girls seem to really like Shen Liang. Even if they haven't reached the point of favoritism, it doesn't seem like they can't be called a harem.

Ke Qing sometimes couldn't quite understand whether Shen Liang was the boss of that group or its darling.

He often appears quite imposing, every move he makes exuding an air of "knowing who's in charge," the mighty Inazuma Yuryu, a fierce figure who could even repel Thor. But more often than not, Keqing feels that he's just a child, unable to even control the group of girls who are nominally his employees, his little face full of helplessness as they playfully grope and touch him.

“It’s rare to see you, Keqing, value a specific person so much—Mr. Young Dragon, hehe, you can use such a cute name to address people.” Ningguang chuckled. “Inazuma is poor, the money he amassed there would be hard to even take the first step in Liyue. I’m looking forward to seeing what he can do.”

"He's from another world."

"Only a boy from another world can bring new opportunities to this land."

"You want to get in touch with him?"

“It’s not the right time yet. Taking the initiative will only be a bad move. A good businessman should always wait for the customer to make an offer first.” Ningguang turned and left, her slender and graceful legs faintly visible through the slit in her cheongsam. “So I’m really looking forward to the day he comes to me.”

West of the Tianheng Mountains, past Blackrock Depths, another hundred miles leads to the largest mining area in Liyue, the Laminarge Abyss. The Emmanuel Group's destination is a Liyue ancient site nestled in the mountains, between Liyue Harbor and the Laminarge Abyss.

Escape to Yuling.

Upon arriving at the ruins of this ancient city, Shen Liang and his group dismissed the coachman and arranged for him to pick them up again in the evening before beginning to survey the terrain.

"You praised this place highly yesterday, so what are we doing in this desolate place?" someone asked curiously as soon as we got out of the car.

Ayaka Kamisato was also somewhat puzzled. This place was dozens of miles away from Liyue Harbor, and it was impossible to establish a base here. Whether as a "residence" or a "trading firm," it was impractical.

“Tianheng Mountain is a famous mining area, and further west, the Lava Pit is also a famous mining area in Liyue. This is the only place that is not subject to mining restrictions.” Shen Liang stood on the high cliff, looking at the ruins that were almost submerged in water, his heart surging with emotion.

What he couldn't do on Earth, he's about to begin here!

"So is this a very important place?" a girl asked.

After pondering for a moment, Ayaka Kamisato turned to the women and explained, "Legend has it that in the pre-Demon God War era, when the Rock King Emperor was still a child, a celestial star fell on the outskirts of Lisha. The plain was shattered by the enormous impact, becoming the present-day Layered Rock Abyss."

"Wow!" The girls all knew that the Laminaria was the foundation of Liyue, but this was the first time they had heard such an obscure story.

"The force of the falling star didn't just create a massive abyss; the flying fragments also created many deep craters. These craters were suitable for human mining, and humans used them to build settlements and city-states, which were later named 'Dunyuling,' 'Qingxupu,' and 'Lingju Pass,' among others. However, during the War of the Demon Gods, the heavens collapsed and the earth cracked. The star, unable to bear the turmoil, finally abandoned the Teyvat continent and flew back into space." Ayaka Kamisato nodded. "This is also the origin of the name 'Dunyuling,' meaning 'the place where the beautiful jade escaped.' In the hearts of the ancient Liyue people, the resources that the star brought to humanity made it a true 'beautiful jade.'"

“So Dunyu Ruins is actually a desolate mining area with a well-developed road system.” Shen Liang grinned. “Although I’m not here to mine, I do really need the official road that leads directly to Liyue Harbor, since it would be convenient for transportation.”

Chapter 18 Join the glorious Civil Engineering major!

During the few days Shen Liang traveled by sea from Inazuma to Liyue, he had already considered how to solve the problem of clearing land in Liyue. He had also prepared the necessary prerequisites for solving the problem at the Schariac family's residence.

Just like how he specially got up early three days ago to accompany Maria for her morning exercise—

In the swimming pool of the south garden of Neuschwanstein Castle, Shen Liang lay lazily on an inflatable mattress, basking in the sun. It was an inflatable mattress that should have been floating in the pool, but Shen Liang didn't really like playing in the water. He preferred to enjoy the scorching sun at nine in the morning and get a tan in the process.

Because of Hua Haiyue's presence, his skin appeared excessively fair, making him seem unlike a battle-hardened, muscular man. Although he knew that even if he got tanned, Hua Haiyue would fade it, he still felt that persisting with sunbathing might bring about some long-term changes.

Maria swam underwater from the left side of the pool to the right before surfacing to shake her long, wet hair. Strictly speaking, swimming caps should be worn in the pool, but this was the Shaniat family's pool, so hygiene rules weren't necessary.

She leaned against the pool railing and easily leaped up, like an elegant mermaid. Shen Liang glanced over and saw that she was holding a lollipop in her mouth, wearing a revealing black bikini with a deep V-neck that opened all the way down to reveal her cute belly button. Her long, wet chestnut hair clung to her beautifully curved back, and her long legs were like those of a supermodel.

However, the mature women of the Shaniat family have always been supermodels, and even if a girl grows into a mature woman in a few years, she will still have this figure. Shen Liang knew very well that although Anna looked delicate and weak now, she was already half a head taller than him, and her bust size was also the average D-cup of the Shaniat family. She looked like a gentle girl, but she had a slim waist, long legs, and very good genes.

Now, when the two go out together, it's easy to tell they're siblings, but Shen Liang always feels that if he doesn't change much in a few years, Anna might be at risk of being taken away by the police.

Maria didn't seem to care about Shen Liang's admiring gaze. She casually sat down on the air cushion next to him, pulled out a lollipop with a "pop," threw it into her glass of wine, stirred it, and then tilted her head back and drank it all in one gulp, letting out a pleasant sigh.

"Does it taste good like this?" Shen Liang looked at the second glass of brandy on the table and was eager to try it.

“Children are not allowed to drink alcohol,” Maria said calmly. “I don’t care how much you drink outside, but here you have to play the good boy/girl role. There’s juice next to you.”

Shen Liang reluctantly put down his wine glass, then propped his elbow on the small table, rested his head on his other hand, tilted his head to look at the puddle of water that had gathered in Maria's exposed collarbone, and sincerely praised, "Mom, you are so beautiful."

Maria turned her head, squinted at him for a moment, and then snorted coldly: "I've always been beautiful."

You look especially beautiful today.

"So I wasn't pretty in your eyes before?" the chestnut-haired mature woman said coldly. This made Shen Liang freeze for a moment. Then she shifted her position and lazily said with her back to Shen Liang, "Alright, wipe me clean."

"Yes!"

Shen Liang immediately jumped up happily and diligently picked up a bath towel to wipe Maria's plump body on the back. He wiped her very carefully and meticulously, even more so than when he washed his younger sisters in the orphanage.

Maria held her wine glass, tilted her head, and out of the corner of her eye saw her son's long black hair falling onto her shoulder. She gave a rare, faint smile.

"Speak, what do you need me for?"

Shen Liang's smile widened, full of innocence. He chuckled and leaned close to Maria's shoulder, whispering ingratiatingly, "It's nothing, Mom. I just felt it was lonely for you to exercise alone in the mornings. You see, we're technically a family, but we don't see each other for days at a time. I felt guilty and wanted to make it up to you. I don't usually have time to massage your shoulders or cook for you..."

"If you say another word, I'll pretend nothing happened."

Shen Liang scoffed inwardly.

“We both know our own personalities. What kind of motherly love and filial piety act are we putting on here?” Maria glanced at her pouting son. “He usually avoids me like the plague, afraid I’ll pull his ear and embarrass him in front of others. Now he’s coming over to be affectionate? It’s so fake!”

The boy scratched his hair, looking distressed, and said, "So I'm neither cold nor hot, Mom, how am I supposed to get close to anyone?"

Maria chuckled inwardly, but maintained her aloof demeanor on the surface. "Save your enthusiasm for your girlfriends. If you really want to please someone, you can try to please your older sister, but I'm not buying it."