After arriving at East Market Street, Ye Wudu quickly took a liking to a courtyard.
The owner quoted a price of over 6,000 silver tael. Ye Wudu didn’t have enough silver, and the price wouldn’t come down no matter how he bargained.
So he directly called for Li Mazi and told him to bring enough people.
Li Mazi summoned more than fifty members of the Black Cloud Gang.
Now that the Iron Hand Gang had already merged with the Black Cloud Gang, there was no longer any Iron Hand Gang in North Desolation City.
The owner looked at the crowd of over fifty men, all fierce and menacing, and was nearly scared out of his wits.
Ye Wudu didn’t go too far. He placed five banknotes, each worth 1,000 silver tael, on the table. “Do you want these 5,000 silver tael, or do you want a coffin?”
Naturally, the owner didn’t want a coffin. He could only accept this humiliating price.
He had never seen someone bargain like this… bringing so many people along. If that was the case, why not just rob him outright?
Once the matter was settled, the gang members withdrew, leaving only Li Mazi behind.
Ye Wudu asked, “Have those boys and girls been handled properly?”
Li Mazi replied respectfully, “Leader, rest assured. They have all been sent back.”
Ye Wudu nodded slightly and then asked, “Why don’t we open a brothel?”
Li Mazi lowered his voice. “It’s not that we don’t want to. The brothel business is monopolized. In all of North Desolation City, only one brothel is allowed.”
Ye Wudu’s expression turned cold. “Which force is so arrogant and domineering?”
Li Mazi’s face turned pale. He glanced around and, after confirming no one was nearby, replied in a low voice, “Leader, it’s a rule set by Hall Master Xing of the Abyssal Burial Palace.”
Ye Wudu’s lips twitched slightly. So it was his own faction.
Across Starfall Province’s thirty-six cities, each one had a hall master from the Abyssal Burial Palace stationed there.
North Desolation City was the most insignificant of them all. Whoever was sent here was likely the weakest among the hall masters.
Such a minor figure would never have met him, the noble Young Master, so there was no need to worry about being exposed.
The original host had deceived Murong Wanyin in Yujing Province and brought her to Starfall Province.
Yujing Province belonged to the righteous path sect, the Celestial Vault Sect. The original host wouldn’t dare linger there, so he had to bring her back to his own territory.
At the same time, he feared his identity being exposed, which was why he chose the most inconspicuous place… North Desolation City.
Ye Wudu cleared his throat lightly. “Since it’s a rule of the Abyssal Burial Palace, forget it. If we can’t open a large brothel, we can rent a small courtyard and bring in some girls to receive customers.”
Li Mazi hesitated. This was clearly skirting the line. If Hall Master Xing pursued the matter, it wouldn’t end well.
Ye Wudu saw his concern. “No need to worry. If anything happens, I’ll take responsibility.”
His confidence was absolute. A mere hall master wouldn’t dare act arrogantly in front of him, the noble Young Master.
Li Mazi nodded reluctantly. Read this novel at g.com for the best experience.
He wondered what background this new leader had. How could he dare to encroach on the Abyssal Burial Palace’s business?
Though worried, he didn’t dare defy Ye Wudu’s orders. Otherwise, he wouldn’t remain deputy leader for long.
At this moment, Ye Wudu’s image in Li Mazi’s heart became that of a mysterious expert.
Ye Wudu continued, “Also, send people to keep a close watch on Liu Long. Report immediately if there’s any news. Do you know if the Liu family has cultivators?”
Li Mazi replied, “The Liu family is one of the top three families in North Desolation City. It’s said that the old master has cultivation, and they also keep two retainers.”
Ye Wudu nodded slightly, abandoning the idea of directly attacking the Liu family. “Find out how many cultivators they have and what their cultivation levels are. Go.”
“Yes!”
After Li Mazi left, Ye Wudu spent a bit of silver to hire people to help move.
Since there wasn’t much to move, everything was done before sunset.
Ye Wudu looked around his new courtyard, quite satisfied.
Silver meant nothing to him. As long as he could return alive to the Abyssal Burial Palace in a year, would he ever lack money?
Just as Ye Wudu was about to go find Murong Wanyin and show her the new place, a knock sounded at the door.
“Come in!”
He thought Li Mazi had returned with more matters to report.
Instead, a young beauty in her early twenties entered.
“Forgive the disturbance. My name is Gu Shuang’er. Young master, did you purchase this courtyard? I live next door and brought some pastries for you to try.”
Gu Shuang’er blinked her beautiful eyes, a hint of shyness in her gaze as she looked at Ye Wudu.
She wasn’t as stunning as Murong Wanyin, but she could still be considered a beauty.
Her face was oval, her chin slightly rounded. Her skin was fair and delicate, like fine jade soaked in warm water, with a faint rosy glow.
Her eyebrows were gentle, curved just right, giving her an inherently soft and docile appearance.
Ye Wudu stepped forward and smiled. “Thank you for your kindness, Miss Gu. I’ll accept them.”
Gu Shuang’er blinked again, slightly bashful. “Mm… then I’ll take my leave. Please enjoy.”
After she left, Ye Wudu tested the pastries with a silver needle. Only after confirming they were not poisoned did he eat them. The taste was quite good.
Still, he found it a bit strange. He didn’t even know that woman. Why would she suddenly bring him pastries?
Was the world really this friendly to new neighbors?
In truth, Gu Shuang’er had no ill intentions. She had heard about Ye Wudu’s domineering defense of his wife and happened to see him buying a courtyard today.
Ye Wudu still hadn’t gotten used to attracting women purely by his appearance. After all, before transmigrating, his looks had been fairly average.
…
Today, the way everyone looked at Murong Wanyin had changed.
It was no longer simple admiration, but carried a hint of awe.
The news had already spread. Ye Wudu was alive, while the leaders of both the Black Cloud Gang and the Iron Hand Gang were dead.
This was no small matter.
In the eyes of ordinary people, those two leaders were incredibly powerful. It was even said that the Iron Hand Gang’s leader had once killed a fierce tiger with his bare hands.
And such figures had died at Ye Wudu’s hands?
Then Ye Wudu… was most likely a cultivator.
Although there were few cultivators in North Desolation City, the common people still knew such beings existed.
Zhang Douhua hesitated before asking, “Xiao Wan… your man is this powerful… why didn’t you say anything?”
Murong Wanyin replied, “I also… just found out.”
Zhang Douhua was stunned. You’ve been married for so many years, and you only just found out?
This kid really hid it well.
After thinking for a moment, Zhang Douhua continued, “You’ve heard, right? The leaders of both gangs are dead. Your husband… he’s a big shot now. You must cherish him.”
Before Murong Wanyin could respond, she went on, “Even though he’s impotent, he’s handsome and capable. You have to be careful—don’t let some shameless temptress steal him away.”
Murong Wanyin thought about it for a moment and, unexpectedly, felt there was some truth in Zhang Douhua’s words.
But she didn’t know how to respond, so she remained silent.
Fortunately, Zhang Douhua didn’t need a reply and continued on her own, “You must remember, once a man gains power, status, and money, those shameless women will flock to him. You must keep a close eye on him!”
Zhang Douhua truly cared about Murong Wanyin. After all, for her happiness, she had even given Ye Wudu ox whip.
Murong Wanyin nodded without refuting her.
Seeing that she had taken her advice to heart, Zhang Douhua smiled warmly. “Did you give him the ox whip? Was it effective?”
Murong Wanyin thought for a moment and replied, “A little.”
She recalled last night. Ye Wudu had clung to her the entire time, and his touching had been more frequent than the previous night.
Moreover, she could clearly feel that warm, firm part of him had remained in that state almost the entire night.
So… it had indeed been effective.
Zhang Douhua misunderstood completely, thinking they had finally consummated their marriage. She revealed a kind, aunt-like smile…