Twin female zombies come to the door: My lord, please have mercy!

Jiangzhou Mingyue Hotel is located at the most bustling intersection in the city center.

The entire building is constructed with dark-colored glass curtain walls.

As night falls, neon lights intertwine to create dazzling light and shadow, illuminating the surrounding night sky in a vibrant display.

A black minivan came to a smooth stop outside the revolving glass doors of the hotel's main entrance.

The doorman stepped forward and opened the car door.

Lin Ye stepped out of the car, his black bespoke suit clinging to his upright back.

Leng Yue followed closely behind, her dark blue velvet evening gown gleaming dimly under the dazzling crystal lights of the hotel lobby.

Froststar, holding up the hem of her blood-red Lolita dress, jumped off the car with Ayougu, each clutching a half-eaten lollipop.

Fatty Wang sat in the driver's seat with the engine running.

He rolled down the car window, took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, and put one in his mouth.

"Yoko..."

The fat man, with a cigarette between his fingers, hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

Lin Ye stopped and turned around.

The fat man looked at the red carpet laid out at the hotel entrance, and the celebrities and wealthy people in elegant clothes, chatting and laughing while holding red wine glasses.

His face, unusually, had lost its usual playful smile.

He exhaled a heavy smoke ring, which quickly dissipated in the cool autumn night breeze.

"I won't be going to this dinner."

Fatty flicked his cigarette ash and looked at the steering wheel.

"I just received a call from Designer Su. The batch of obsidian bricks from the backyard was transported to Jiangzhou overnight. This material is very expensive, and the construction team has never seen anything like it. I have to go and supervise the unloading myself."

Lin Ye walked to the car window and looked at his best friend of many years.

The fat man grinned and pointed to himself with the finger holding the cigarette.

"Look at my fat body, and then look at those people inside. I, Wang Defa, am a landlord. Although I love money, I've been growing up in vegetable markets and urban villages. If you really asked me to wear a suit and serve drinks to those bosses, I would feel uncomfortable all over."

The fat man spoke frankly and without any pretense.

"The path you're taking is becoming increasingly dangerous, and the circles you're associating with are getting higher and higher. With my limited courage and skills, I can't help you with tomb raiding and ghost catching; standing by would only be a hindrance."

He reached out and patted Lin Ye's hand, which was resting on the edge of the car window.

"The massive funeral project costing tens of millions, the registration of those shell companies outside, and the flow of over 100 million yuan in your account."

"Leave all these miscellaneous tasks to me. You go ahead and expand the territory, and I'll take care of the accounts and finances and protect our base."

Lin Ye stared at the determination in the fat man's eyes.

The two had known each other for many years, and he knew the fat man's personality well.

Forcing his brother into a world of fame and fortune and a life-or-death situation that doesn't belong to him would only ruin this pure friendship.

As the system rewards accumulated, and as he was surrounded by everything from a thousand-year-old drought demon to a Miao holy maiden, his world had leaped from "living" to "fighting with magic."

This kind of leap is indeed too heavy for an ordinary person who just wants to live off the rent from a few old houses and drink a couple of shots of liquor in their spare time.

The fat man said it was because he "couldn't get used to wearing suits".

But hidden in his seemingly cloudy, narrow eyes was a kind of wisdom called "clarity".

He was drawing a line, and also leaving himself a way out.

Furthermore, it was to prevent Lin Ye from having to worry about protecting a burdensome weakness while fighting for his life.

"That fatso is as cunning as a hundred-year-old fox."

Lin Ye sighed inwardly.

He recalled the days when the two of them used to fight over roasted sweet potatoes in the old street when they were kids. Back then, the world was a vast place, so vast that even a local thug could give them a headache for half a day.

The martial arts world has grown even larger now, so large that gods and Buddhas, as well as ancient corpses, are all part of the game.

"Fatty."

Lin Ye suddenly spoke.

"Make sure the foreman aligns the pattern on every single one of those obsidian bricks. If the material is incorrect, or if any evil spirits enter the house during construction, immediately crush the jade talisman I gave you."

The fat man paused for a moment, then nodded heavily, his carefree smile vanishing.

"Don't worry, Ye Zi. In this Jiangzhou City, when it comes to bargaining and switching things, even ten members of the Yinshan Sect combined can't outdo me."

"You can enjoy yourself up there, but I'll make sure the foundation of your house is firmly laid and unshakeable."

Looking at him, Lin Ye's last bit of concern dissipated.

He reached into his pocket, pulled out the black bank card containing a large sum of money, along with a set of keys to the old house, and tossed them all into the passenger seat.

"The password is my birthday. I'm entrusting everything in the shop to you. If you encounter any materials you're unsure about, just throw money at them. Don't try to save me any money."

Lin Ye straightened up and adjusted his cuffs.

"When the supervisor gets tired, he can rent out the entire Grand Dynasty venue and settle the public accounts."

"Alright! Boss Lin is really generous!"

The fat man grinned, stuffed the card and keys into his pocket, and stepped on the gas.

The van roared as it merged into the traffic on the main road and sped off toward Taiping Old Street.

Lin Ye watched the car's taillights disappear into the distance before turning and walking towards the hotel entrance.

The cold moon stood quietly at the edge of the red carpet.

She didn't urge him, but her cool gaze fell on Lin Ye as she quietly waited for him to finish dealing with worldly matters.

Froststar and Ayougu were squatting on the steps of the nearby landscape fountain, poking the koi swimming in the pool with their lollipop sticks.

"Let's go in and meet the important figures of Jiangzhou." Lin Ye walked between the two women and raised his arm slightly.

Leng Yue took a small step forward, her long, slender, fair arm slipping through his crook.

The cool touch of the silk gloves on my fingertips and a faint, cool fragrance instantly dispelled the surrounding smog from the cars.

The group stepped into the banquet hall.

A huge crystal chandelier hangs from the dome of the hall, its light reflecting off the polished marble floor.

The melodious strains of classical strings filled the air as hundreds of invited guests gathered in small groups.

The moment Lin Ye stepped into the venue, the surrounding noise paused for a few seconds.

Leng Yue's presence was too strong.

The dark blue velvet dress accentuated her perfect waist and hip curves, while the large open back shone brightly under the lights.

That aloof and peerless face showed no superfluous emotion, and his deep red eyes swept over the entire room indifferently.

As Ayougu walked, she looked disdainfully at the exquisite macarons and finger puffs in the hands of the passing socialites.

She lowered her voice and whispered to Froststar beside her, "The things in this city look fancy and smell like artificial flavoring. If you added some of our Miao-style fried cicadas, they would be really chewy."

Froststar nodded vigorously in deep agreement. The little girl stared at the row of chilled oysters on the long table, her heterochromatic eyes gleaming with a faint blue light.

"These 'insects' are still alive, and they smell a bit salty."

Taking advantage of the waiter's inattention, Froststar quickly reached out her small hand, grabbed one, put it in her mouth and sucked on it, then frowned and stuck out her tongue.

"Pah, it's not even as sweet as my brother-in-law's neck. Agu, can I suck those uncles who keep staring at you dry? Their gazes smell awful."

Ayougu was so frightened that she quickly covered the little rascal's mouth, sweating profusely.

"My dear little auntie, there are surveillance cameras everywhere here. We're not here to freeload... no, we're here to be consultants. Try to control your gluttonous instincts!"

Leng Yue, who was walking ahead, turned around and gave them a cold look. The two girls who were playing around suddenly became as docile as quails.

The absolute suppression from their social standing extinguished all their restlessness in the arena of fame and fortune.

Just then, Song Zhenguo, leaning on a golden nanmu cane and surrounded by several bodyguards, quickly came to greet them.

The richest man in Jiangzhou looked radiant today. (Sun)

After the woman recovered from her serious illness, he seemed to have become ten years younger.

"Master Lin, it is an honor for me to welcome you properly."

Song Zhenguo stopped two steps away from Lin Ye, bowed slightly, and was extremely respectful.

The surrounding guests were filled with horror at the sight.

Song Caishen had been a powerful figure in Jiangzhou's business community for decades, and he had never before treated a young man in his early twenties with such a junior-like demeanor.

Lin Ye nodded slightly in return.

"Mr. Song, you're too kind. Tonight, we'll just be discussing personal matters; there's no need to be so formal."

Song Zhenguo, being an experienced and shrewd man, immediately understood.

He waved away the various business owners who tried to strike up a conversation with him, and led Lin Ye and his group toward a quiet corridor deep inside the banquet hall.

"Master Lin, it's too noisy outside. I've prepared a quiet tea room inside."

Song Zhenguo led the way while keeping his voice low.

"Just these past two days, my men have collected several strange artifacts unearthed from the northwestern border, one of which is a bronze piece that seems rather odd."

"Master, your Taoist arts are all-encompassing. I would like to ask you to take a look and determine whether this is auspicious or inauspicious."

As you walk through the heavily carpeted corridor, the noisy string music is completely blocked by the heavy soundproof doors.