Back in the Tower.

  Bubai peeled off the last camouflaged talisman taped on the lounge’s wall and tore it up.

  What was it? Some sort of spying talisman? Who knows.

  Whatever their purpose, since they weren’t there previously, they had to go bye bye.

  Watching the traces of Qi curling and evaporating from the once-translucent paper slip, Bubai scattered the remnant ashes.

  “Hey, that was exciting enough.”

  He really called it, they got nothing on him. Why else did they need to play all these tricks?

  Bubai had to give them credit though. Their extensive layouts really did exceed his expectations.

  There was no window peepers nor smokes and mirrors incorporated in their routine, but the tactics of these interrogators were really streamlined.

  It really had some... modern taste. For an era steeped in ancient cultivation traditions, this was something that struck him as out of place, almost jarringly so.

  "How strange… maybe this world isn’t as backward as I thought."

  Bubai’s eyes drifted to the glow from the lounge’s wall lamp. He didn’t think much of it before, but the clues had always been dancing in front of his eyes.

  The clothing, the accessories... even the lamps, the sleek glass products, the methodical routines the people adapted to make sales…

  So many things had felt subtly out of sync with the old-world charm he’d come to expect.

  Perhaps those weren’t just outliers.

  Now that Bubai thought about it, the sect’s architecture similarly seemed out-of-this-era.

  Tall towers, the Sultan Palace, the pyramid…

  Maybe these weren’t just hallmarks of cultivator culture but originated elsewhere…

  Well, there were definitely deeper currents beneath the surface, but he wasn’t ready to take a deeper dive into these mysteries.

  Right now, his goal was only to stay afloat, and Bubai was glad his past life’s study of culture gave him enough content to call the bluff in this detective game.

  But don’t think it was easy to make the right call.

  The adaptation utilized by these interrogators were every bit as unnerving as modern tactics.

  After all, there was a bunch of tigresses all staring down his back. It really felt like they were all ready to give his little brother special treatment…

  If they decided to camp in his tower for the day, or worse, follow proper procedures and arrest him back to the Law Enforcement Hall’s dungeons, who knows if his defense would hold?

  But, in the end, they left—too abruptly at that.

  They were like a storm that vanished before the first crack of thunder. It almost made it seem like he escaped due to plot armor…

  But Bubai wasn’t the type to believe in such convenient excuses meant only to serve unhealthy protagonists.

  There had to be more. There’s a reason behind everything.

  This time, the variable should be…

  Bubai thought back to the fleeting look Officer Ponytail gave him when she left. “Could it be her doing?”

  It was hard not to think more because this wasn’t the first time.

  Bubai remembered the last encounter when Officer Ponytail came to warn him regarding the sect-wide search for a thief.

  He almost thought she came to catch the underwear thief, but she was just warning him out of good faith regarding his wanton Qi absorption adventure.

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  Connecting that with this time’s transgression…

  Perhaps there really is a deeper meaning to her actions.

  “Is she really on my side? Or… is there someone else behind the scene?”

  Speculating the true purpose of others was like grasping smoke.

  Bubai really didn’t want to waste too much time on this.

  Setting aside those messy thoughts, Bubai went to clean up the lounge, mainly the blood stains from his “injury”.

  Did anyone really believe for a sec that he had been hurt? Please.

  Let’s not talk about his absurd recovery powers. Even his thick skin was enough to make that Miss Hothead’s legs sore from kicking.

  Bubai only went with the flow to win some pity points.

  Coughing up a pint or two of blood was absolutely no problem for Bubai.

  He had plenty to spare, after all.

  In his free time, he’d pumped enough blood to fill a few sealed jars stashed in his storage space.

  As for how he pulled off that dramatic display of blood-spitting? Easy.

  A quick connection from his the jar in his storage space to his mouth and voilà—an act enough to win him the Oscars.

  Even under the collective spiritual observation of all the enforcers, none can find fault.

  As expected, this must-have tool in any actor’s kit was worth all the days and nights he spent practicing it.

  He just hadn’t expected to use it so soon.

  Bubai didn’t know whether it was effective this time around, but anything goes.

  Every opportunity to increase his odds of survival was one worth using, and this round?

  Another pass… for now.

  Alas, Bubai was unsure about the next round. Who knew what the next round might bring?

  Tap. Tap. Tap.

  The sudden raps drew Bubai over to the lounge’s ceiling-to-floor window.

  Frowning, Bubai peeked through the bamboo blinds just to see a rather familiar Bagua disk pecking on the glass like a bird.

  Under his gaze, the startled floating plate flew away.

  Tracking the flying magic tool back down to its owner, Bubai saw a familiar uncle face waving up at him.

  “He Guofu. What’s he doing here?”

  Did his disguised identity get discovered? Or was it for something else?

  Whatever the reason for this unexpected visit, Bubai knew he couldn’t just leave another foundation realm cultivator waiting at his doorstep, especially one from a well-established clan.

  “Welp. Just roll with the surprises.”

  With a resigned sigh, Bubai straightened his robe and headed downstairs to greet his guest.

  Rumble. Rumble. Rumble…

  The moment the entrance completely, Bubai forced a polite smile, greeting the guest with a slight bow.

  “This... Senior Brother, to what does junior owe the pleasure for your visit?”

  "Haha. No need to be so formal, Junior Brother Mo. This one goes by the surname He. I'm just here to deliver the furniture you ordered."

  He Guofu waved him off with an easy grin, as if delivering furniture was nothing out of the ordinary for someone of his standing.

  An inner disciple, delivering furniture?

  “Ah! He Hollow Emporium!” Bubai blinked in surprise but quickly composed himself, stepping aside to graciously welcome him in.

  "Senior Brother He. I wasn’t expecting you this late, but I appreciate your visit. Please, come in."

  While stepping inside, He Guofu gave Bubai a polite nod.

  "Forgive me for not paying a visit earlier. There was really no easy way to sneak past the Law Enforcement Hall's formation without causing a stir."

  Bubai nodded quickly. "Understandable. I’ve troubled Senior Brother He…"

  He Guofu chuckled lightly. "No trouble at all. I believe Junior Brother Mo should be the same?"

  Bubai returned a confident smile. "Of course, of course! It was all just a misunderstanding!"

  He Guofu followed the lead. “Oh? Mind telling me the story?”

  "Hey, it’s not a big deal. The Law Enforcement Hall was looking for a murderer. The clever fella left tracks around this area before making his escape. Then, Lady Misfortune just so happen to come knocking on my door."

  “I see…” He Guofu gave him a rueful smile. "At least it's all cleared up now. Junior Brother Mo’s luck hasn’t been favorable, but you handled it well."

  “Yeah, yeah. Hahaha…”

  Sharing a brief laugh, the two entered the spacious pool room.

  “Just here, Junior Brother?”

  Bubai stepped aside. “Please.”

  Gaining the host’s permission, He Guofu bumbled about with his spatial storage pouch, casually taking out sets of large furnishing.

  Bubai watched the shrunken furniture being pulled out from the high-grade pouch and growing into full size before unsteadily plopping down onto the ground.

  It was a rather interesting phenomenon – one that he had witnessed aplenty when utilizing his seed’s storage space, but he knew this was a function only attached to higher-grade storage devices.

  Being a delivery guy wasn’t a job just anyone could partake in.

  “11 hardwood shelves, 10 custom stone slabs, and… a bamboo ladder. That should be everything.”

  He Guofu dusted his hands off as if he had done something simple. “The rest of the order will be delivered when ready. A month at the latest. Everything good?”

  Bubai blinked at the sight of it all. "Yes, thank you. Senior Brother’s efficiency is remarkable."

  He Guofu waved off his politeness again, turning to the door. "No need to be so formal. Well, it's getting late, and I don’t want to delay Junior Brother from celebrating tonight’s Blue Moon festival."

  “No, no, it’s me that’s afraid of delaying Senior Brother He.”

  Bubai politely walked his guest to the entrance, where He Guofu held up a hand to stop him at the door.

  "Just here is fine. Junior Brother, if you need anything else, feel free to visit He Hollow Emporium anytime."

  Bubai bowed politely. “Senior Brother, take care.”

  The other only acknowledged with a faint hum and walked off. There was no discount token gifted this time around.

  Bubai watched the man go until the tower entrance resealed itself. Only then did he return to his large bathroom.

  His gaze swept over all the large shelves and slabs crowding the place.

  "Seems I won’t have a clear road to walk in the future…"

  Unless he puts his various plans into motion.

  Since the delivery was inbound, time to add some spice to his slice of life.