Chapter 997: Influence

A full moon hung in the sky. Like a wheel of ice, it emitted a chilly radiance across the city.

The Yi Public House was brightly illuminated, and despite it being in the dead of night, the public house’s lights were still lit which made it no different from the day.

Plenty of people were bustling about within the public house. Some were practicing martial arts, some were studying, some were planting spirit herbs, and there were even some who were rowing boats on the lake.

Back on Chu Li’s little island, both he and Xiao Qi suddenly popped up at the courtyard.

Within the courtyard stood a Glory’s Will Tree, and it was surrounded by a thick aura of spiritual energy. Various types of spirit herbs grew beside it, their life force bustling as they worked hard to grow.

Xiao Qi spun her waist and tossed Chu Li’s hand aside. She whispered, “I’ll return home for now. You can come back tomorrow.”

Chu Li nodded.

With that, Xiao Qi merrily took her leave. A moment later, Xue Ling fluttered over to Chu Li’s side. “Young master?”

Her lustrous jet-black hair fluttered in the air along with the long white robes she had donned. Her face was as delicate as jade, and as she developed her Crescent Cryptic even further, her complexion gradually changed and became colder.

Chu Li dug up a piece of white paper from his pocket and handed it over to Xue Ling. “Prepare these spirit herbs for me, I’m about to refine some pills!”

“Yes, sir!” Xue Ling grabbed the white paper and asked, “Would the young master like to rest for a while first?”

“Hmm, sounds good.” Chu Li nodded. “So, anything major happened recently?”

Xue Ling shook her head as she made tea. “Nothing much really, just that the eldest master had argued with Madame again, and Madame has returned to her mother’s home!”

Chu Li chuckled. “The eldest master is very bad at holding down the Madame, huh?”

Xue Ling’s lips curled into a smile. “The eldest master’s methods are ineffective against Madame. She isn’t the least bit afraid of him, and he’s always the first to surrender in their arguments. I estimate that he’ll go and fetch Madame within the next two days.”

Chu Li heaved an exasperated sigh. “Forget them, we’ll let them mess around all they want. Just make sure to beef up our security, cause if anything were to happen to me, my guess is that someone would stir up trouble!”

Xue Ling gently nodded. “News regarding your actions have made their way here.”

“What’s everyone’s response?”

“Well, they’re saying that you don’t need to mind the Emperor. Just return to the public house.” Xue Ling added, “After all, it’s not like the Emperor’s able to just walk into the public house in search of someone!”

Chu Li replied, “There’s no need to rush.”

“How long are you planning to stay, young master? Say, why don’t I accompany you along your journey as well? It’s poor etiquette to leave the young master unattended after all.”

Chu Li shook his head. “I’m not allowed to bring maids along. Aside from family members, no one else is allowed to accompany me.”

“Then how would you explain Lady Xiao?”

“She’s different.”

“…Hmm?” Xue Ling was suspicious.

Chu Li laughed heartily. “From this moment onwards, she would be known as Madam Chu.”

Xue Ling widened her eyes in disbelief. “You’re joking, right?”

Chu Li chided, “Is it such a hard thing to believe?”

“Young master, are you really marrying Third Lady Xiao?”

“Yep.”

“Has the eldest master agreed to it?”

“I’ve returned to ask about this matter actually. However, I don’t think there’ll be any problem,” Chu Li smiled as he responded.

Xue Ling shook her head. “I don’t think the elder master would permit it. It’s the Third Lady we’re talking about…”

Chu Li’s concept of the social hierarchy had not been well established. After all, he was only a middle-class citizen back in his previous life. As such, he had never mingled with the upper echelons of society. While Xue Ling was of a similar situation, she had a pretty firm grasp on the social hierarchy. While Chu Li possessed certain merits, the fact remained that he was born from a poor background.

Chu Li responded, “Let’s just see how it goes.”

Xue Ling smiled. “If you really manage to obtain the Third Lady’s hand in marriage, your name will be known throughout the world, young master!”

“Isn’t this the case already?” Chu Li asked.

However, Xue Ling only responded with a mischievous grin. Following that, she ran off to get the herbs.

Chu Li had made his way from a servant to a Chief, and now, he was even planning to marry the Lady. This turn of events was truly awe-inspiring.

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Should the event truly take place, Chu Li guessed that it would reach the ears of the masses. After all, when compared to Chu Li of the North and Du Feng of the South, this news would be more attractive to the masses, as the public mostly consisted of non-martial artists.

…

In the afternoon on the second day, Chu Li returned to Jade Guardian Island after he had finished refining his Tiger Bone Pills.

The resplendent rays of the sun beamed down and a cooling breeze whistled past the surface of the lake. It carried a refreshing clarity as it brushed past the swaying willows and into a gazebo, gently caressing the face of Xiao Tieying, Xiao Baihe, and Chu Li.

Within the gazebo, Xiao Tieying and Xiao Baihe sat on one end, and Chu Li on the other.

As usual, Xiao Tieying looked dashing. He had a stern aura about him as he stared coldly at Chu Li.

On the other hand, Xiao Baihe was as gorgeous as ever, and she chuckled as she looked at Chu Li.

A moment later, Xiao Tieying began examining Chu Li. He sighed. “Do you really wish to marry my younger sister?”

Chu Li nodded. “Does this inconvenience you, eldest master?”

“No no, there’s no problem at all.” Xiao Tieying shook his head and continued, “Actually, I don’t really mind whoever my younger sister marries. As for the second younger sister, however… Bah, as long as my younger sister agrees to marry, I won’t object to her decision!”

Chu Li replied, “Rest assured, eldest master, as I will cherish her properly.”

“I’m not worried about that. What I’m afraid of is the stress that you might possibly get because of this. After all, it might harm your position as Head Chief.” Xiao Tieying groaned.

After all, Chu Li was an orphan since birth. He had grown up in a temple and had experienced various hardships. As such, his family standing was the weakest among the weak, and should he marry the younger sister, there would definitely be those who were jealous of him and slander him by implying that he likes easy prey.

Naturally, there would also be those who were envious of him. However, those who were only envious would comprise of those from the bottom of the social hierarchy, and when compared to the upper echelons, they posed no threat at all.

Chu Li answered with a smile, “My reputation doesn’t matter. I’ll just ignore them.”

“The destructive power of rumors and gossip should not be underestimated.” Xiao Tieying shook his head and added, “You should be wary of them. Also, there’s also the matter of the Emperor restricting you from re-entering Fairy’s Capital as well.”

The moment Chu Li became part of a Public House’s family, his identity would be far different from that of his role as a Chief. Not only would he need to use it cautiously, but he might also even be shut off from the Secret Guardians Hall.

Chu Li replied, “I don’t mind. It gives me peace and quiet to train my martial arts as well.”

Xiao Tieying chuckled. “You have the Limb of God that allows you to come back whenever you wish. As such, I’m certain you aren’t worried about returning here. However, won’t it be tedious to always sneak in and out? I’ll send an official letter to the emperor saying that you two will be marrying one another, so isn’t it better to dwell in the public house instead? After all, you’ll have all the freedom in the world if you stay in the public house, and you won’t need to suffer any hardships.”

Chu Li shook his head. “Eldest master, I’d like to stay there for a bit longer.”

While staying in the public house was indeed a huge privilege, as it came with a respectable position that no one would dare defy, it would also soften a person, making them lose their motivations as they would just linger about without any goals.

On the other hand, a major secret laid within the Imperial Mausoleum, and Chu Li had not once given up on it. He was always looking for an opportunity to make contact with it, and for that to happen, he needed to first make contact with those from the inner circle.

“Fine then, suit yourself. After all, you think further than most of us. So, if you’ve already made your decision, who am I to advise you? Also, aren’t you going to hold a wedding ceremony?”

“Not now, I guess,” Chu Li replied.

Xiao Tieying sighed. “I pity the younger sister… I’ll announce the news soon.”

Chu Li clasped his fists together.

Xiao Baihe chuckled. “To think that I needed to worry about our third sister not being able to find someone to her liking, big brother. Our third sister has an icy personality, is harsh towards the opposite gender, and she’s a smart alec at that! What kind of man is able to subdue someone like her? After all, every other male that came before this had aged rapidly before our eyes, as they were all exasperated at her attitude!”

Xiao Tieying snorted. “You’re pretty brave to speak about her that openly.”

Xiao Baihe hurriedly scanned her surroundings. After ensuring that Xiao Qi was absent, she heaved a sigh of relief.

Chu Li gave a hearty laugh as a proud expression hung on his face.

Xiao Baihe had spoken the truth. Indeed, not many males could stand toe to toe with Xiao Qi, much less those who can make her heart flutter.

…

Zhuo Feiyang sluggishly made his way up the third floor of the Restaurant. He had donned on a royal blue robe which complemented his facial features, making him look as dashing as jade.

After arriving on the third floor, his winter-star-like eyes scanned the room. Upon locating a middle-aged man sitting beside the window, he furrowed his brows and sat across him.

The middle-aged man handed a jade bottle to him. “There’s a Tiger Bone Pill inside this bottle. Consuming it will improve your body’s physical abilities massively. However, it’s clear that you haven’t been cultivating hard enough!”

“I’ve been constantly practicing my martial arts!” Zhuo Feiyang angrily spat. “I’m not like you, Head Chief!”

Indeed, the middle-aged man was actually Chu Li in disguise. Zhuo Feiyang was aware of Chu Li’s Bone Shrinkage Skill, and he knew that a transformation like this was simple for him. Due to this, he was not shocked about how easily he had snuck into the Fairy’s Capital.

Chu Li scoffed. “It seems that you’ve gotten lax. A peaceful life does that to people.”

“Nonsense!” Zhuo Feiyang snorted. “My martial arts have been stuck in a rut recently, and I can’t figure out a way to break through.”

“You might be able to achieve it with this pill.” Chu Li plainly stated, “You’ve gone down the wrong path. You’ve neglected your body for too long! You should’ve focused on both mind and body!’

“Is that really it?”

“I’ll leave it for you to decide.” Chu Li snorted. “This Tiger Bone Pill is extremely precious, but it seems that you aren’t interested in it!”

“Of course I am!” Zhuo Feiyang hurriedly grabbed the bottle and placed it into his sleeves.