When he returned to the shop, he found that Bu Yunyan was still awake. Seeing Qin Li return, Bu Yunyan acted like a gentle wife, bringing him a meal. She carefully looked him over, only relaxing once she saw he was unharmed. In a soft, gentle voice, she asked, "How did it go? Was today a success?"

Qin Li was indeed hungry. So much had happened that day that even with his excellent constitution, he still felt exhausted. He devoured the meal like a whirlwind, let out a long sigh of relief, and said, "The food seems exceptionally good today. Our cook has improved!"

Bu Yunyan watched Qin Li eat with a constant smile. Hearing his comment, she feigned a pout and laughed. "What cook? I made this. Don’t you see what time it is? The master cook in the kitchen went to bed long ago!"

"Uh..." Qin Li smiled, a little embarrassed. "So this was your cooking, Bu. That explains it. Mmm, it’s much tastier than Master Wang’s!"

"Oh, you!" Bu Yunyan shot Qin Li a playful glare and said with a laugh, "Keep your voice down, don’t let Master Wang hear you. That old man is very stubborn. Be careful or he’ll up and quit on you. He used to be the head chef at a grand restaurant, you know!"

Qin Li chuckled. As he watched Bu Yunyan deftly clear away the dishes, a strange feeling stirred in his heart. He immediately admonished himself, ’Qin Li, you can’t be fickle! Even if men in this world can have wives and concubines, Shiyu is still out there waiting for you!’

The thought of Shangguan Shiyu warmed Qin Li’s heart, but it was immediately followed by a sigh. Profound Island was thousands of miles away; he had no idea when he would see her again.

Just then, Bu Yunyan came back inside, and Qin Li started telling her about the events of the day.

Bu Yunyan’s eyes widened as she stared at Qin Li in disbelief. She couldn’t imagine that so many upheavals had occurred in a single day. What made her absolutely ecstatic was that Qin Li had actually earned the Emperor’s favor and been ennobled as a Marquis!

For Bu Yunyan, who had grown up in the Cyan Dragon Kingdom with the supremacy of imperial power ingrained in her mind, this was simply the most wonderful news imaginable!

When Qin Li recounted his experience with the Daqing Gang, Bu Yunyan gazed at him with her charming, beautiful eyes, thinking, ’Now *this* is a true man, one who can stand between heaven and earth!’

Finally, when Qin Li mentioned his battle with the Crown Prince’s Celestial Level guard—how the man had escaped only after losing a hand—Bu Yunyan became worried. "My lord," she said, "haven’t you offended the Crown Prince too severely? Two of his Celestial Level experts have now fallen at your hands, one dead and one injured. This feud... it’s become irreconcilable!"

Qin Li sneered. "And if I hadn’t done that, would things be any different? Hmph. He’s just a Crown Prince whose position isn’t even secure. Never mind him being the Crown Prince; so what if he were the emperor of this Cyan Dragon Kingdom? On the Celestial Essence Continent, kingdoms like this are as numerous as hairs on an ox. Is there anywhere we couldn’t go?"

Hearing this, Bu Yunyan felt a sweet warmth spread through her heart. ’In his eyes, I finally have a place,’ she thought.

With that in mind, she looked up at Qin Li and asked, "In that case, my lord, should we move into the mansion the Emperor granted you?"

"Move? Of course, we’re moving! Why wouldn’t we?" Qin Li laughed softly. "And not just us. Leng Yao and Hu will move in too! As for that kid, Watermelon, let him continue to work his way up in the gang for now. The Daqing Gang is already basically in my grasp; his day to take charge will come sooner or later! Not only us, but all the girls from the shop will move over as well! The estate is huge—why let it sit empty, right? After we move in tomorrow, you can go and buy some more maids and servants. We need to put on a show of settling down permanently in Cyan Dragon City. That’s the only way certain people will lower their guard!"

Bu Yunyan nodded, beginning to understand. "That could work. This place isn’t far from Vermilion Bird Avenue anyway. Having the girls move in will liven the place up, and it will be safer for them."

Qin Li nodded and sighed faintly. "We don’t just have enemies right now. While the Crown Prince’s faction certainly can’t stand me, the Second Prince and those in the Neutral Faction might not feel the same way. What’s more, the Daqing Gang is now under my control, so we no longer have to worry about our sources of funding and intelligence."

"But my lord, can you guarantee that the Gang Leader of the Daqing Gang will follow you with absolute loyalty?"

"Heh, the man’s a man of honor. I trust my judgment of character. Besides, he has no choice but to follow me now. There’s no other path for him."

Bu Yunyan’s lovely brows furrowed slightly. She blinked, then asked, "In that case, do you think the Crown Prince will fly into a rage out of humiliation after failing to seize control of the Daqing Gang, and send troops to surround and destroy them?"

Qin Li thought for a moment before shaking his head. "He won’t. Zhao Xinghe doesn’t know that Leng Ping is still alive. Therefore, he’ll definitely keep scheming to get the Daqing Gang back under his control. Rest assured, those Tributors who were originally with the Daqing Gang will certainly return to them tomorrow."

"Ah! Then what should we do?"

"What do you mean, ’what should we do’? We’ll handle it the same way as before!" Qin Li replied nonchalantly.

Bu Yunyan thought for a moment, then a smile bloomed on her face. "I understand. My lord, you mean to temporarily avoid offending those powerful noble families by ceding some benefits to them. At the same time, this prevents the Crown Prince from taking control of the Daqing Gang, but he also can’t send troops to destroy it, because if he did, even his own supporters wouldn’t stand for it. Is that right?"

Qin Li gave Bu Yunyan an approving look, reached out, and gently tapped the tip of her nose. "You’re as sharp as they come, Bu!" he laughed. A smooth, delicate sensation traveled from his fingertip. After the gesture, Qin Li felt it might have been inappropriate. He was mentally in his thirties, so to him, the twenty-something Bu Yunyan was naturally just a cute young woman. His affectionate, teasing tone when he called her name was mostly for his own amusement. But Bu Yunyan didn’t see it that way at all.

Sure enough, a blush quietly crept onto Bu Yunyan’s cheeks. She lowered her head, stood up, and said softly, "I’m going to bed. You should get some rest too, my lord."

With that, she practically fled.

Qin Li brought the finger to his nose and took a light sniff. A delicate fragrance, so refreshing it seemed to penetrate his very soul, made him smile wryly.

...

Early the next morning, Qin Li brought Bu Yunyan to Vermilion Bird Avenue. Gazing at the mansion that was now his, Qin Li was suddenly reminded of the Qin Family’s former Zichen Garden. Compared to the magnificent estate before him, Zichen Garden seemed far too modest. Besides, that place was now nothing but a pile of rubble.

The once-glorious Qin Family was no more. Thinking of the two family descendants still at the Imperial Academy, Qin Li thought, ’It seems I should go and pay them a visit when I have time. I do believe I still hold the title of High Level Lecturer at the Imperial Academy.’

At this thought, Qin Li gave a self-deprecating smile. ’Me, a former gang boss, actually teaching a class someday?’ He looked himself over. ’Where on earth could I possibly find a shred of a teacher’s disposition in me?’

Bu Yunyan was incredibly excited. She brought the shop manager, Duoduo, along with her, sent a carriage to pick up Leng Yao and Hu, and then took Duoduo to go select maids and servants.

Qin Li wandered the estate alone. The grounds were beautiful and remarkably natural, with very few signs of man-made artifice. It seemed to have something to do with the fact that its previous residents were all Celestial Level Tributors.

As they say, "All Laws Return to One." When one’s power reaches a certain realm and level, the things they pursue are all more or less the same.

Qin Li’s mind replayed his battle with Shadow from the previous night. At the critical moment, Qin Li had used the ancient Tai Chi of Huaxia to claim a surprise victory. He was quite satisfied with his ability to defeat and grievously wound a Celestial Level assassin while only being at the Earth Level.

Shadow hadn’t dared to unleash his full Celestial Level aura for fear of attracting unwanted attention. By the time he wanted to, it was already too late. Even in death, Shadow probably wouldn’t have been able to figure out where Qin Li had learned such strange fighting techniques.

In truth, Qin Li was filled with gratitude for the old Daoist priest who had adopted and raised him. Without the old priest’s training back then, even after arriving on the Celestial Essence Continent, Qin Li likely would not have been able to survive in such an environment.

And even if he had survived, it would have only been a meager, disgraceful existence.

He would still be living under the contemptuous glares and ridicule of others.

In the depths of his mind, Qin Li’s memories of his past self didn’t contain many scenes of being bullied. It was mostly just the constant disdain and mockery from others.

Everyone has their pride. Even though the previous Qin Li was just a child, he still had his own dignity. Growing up in that kind of environment must have been truly difficult for him.

Furthermore, his mother, Qin Hanyue, had been very weak initially; she had only reached the Celestial Level in the last few years. To protect the man she loved from any potential threats, she could only let her own child suffer. She must have thought about leaving many times, but how could the Qin Family ever allow such a "disgraceful" mother and son to escape their watch? If she tried to force her way out, the secret of Qin Li’s biological father would be completely exposed. The two Celestial Level ancestors of the Qin Family were no saints; how could they possibly let a weak woman like Qin Hanyue go?

Qin Li stood still in the courtyard and sighed softly. ’Thankfully, that’s all in the past now,’ he thought. ’The future is what truly belongs to me!’

By evening, Leng Yao and Hu had arrived. Bu Yunyan and Duoduo had also returned with more than twenty maids and a dozen male servants, all of them hand-picked. Combined with the staff from the old residence, Marquis Qin’s new estate suddenly became bustling with activity.

Leng Yao hadn’t seen Qin Li in several days and was shocked to learn that in such a short time, he had been ennobled as a Marquis. Although Leng Yao had never paid much mind to imperial authority, she couldn’t help but feel proud of Qin Li’s accomplishment at that moment.

Only four people were in the room: Leng Yao, Bu Yunyan, Hu, and Qin Li.

Qin Li looked at the three of them, his expression serious. "We’ve taken our first step. Money is no longer an issue. Our next moves are twofold. First, we must expand our influence! Second, we must increase our personal strength. All of you need to prepare to cultivate with everything you have. Leng Yao, I want you to figure out which type of elixir boosts one’s strength the fastest. List all the required medicinal ingredients. We will buy whatever we can and find whatever we can’t! In short, I want all of you to reach the Celestial Level within five years!" (To be continued. If you wish to know what happens next, please log in to www.qidian.com. There are more Chapters available to support the author and legitimate reading!)