Outside the Mo Clan Mansion.

  “Meow~ Remember to come visit Ben Meow when everything is over nya~”

  “Got it.” Bubai bid farewell to the cat waving her paws and turned away, walking away from the prison like a whole new man.

  His stern face showed nothing, but inside, he was secretly feeling giddy that everything had gone according to plan.

  As expected, only benefits can make the world go round! From the very get-go, that was the crux of his plan!

  Since that formation inheritance lacked any binding oaths to restrict him, he never intended to keep it to himself!

  What better place to use it as a leverage than here?

  All those routines, every seemingly insignificant move he’d made, were just groundwork to raise its value!

  It wasn’t just manipulation; it was strategy adapting to the circumstances.

  When he first arrived, he got rudely searched by the old devil’s divine sense.

  At that point, he realized the old devil was probably looking for something.

  The later conversations confirmed exactly what.

  From then on, everything was straightforward. Hook, line, and sinker.

  Of course, the script could’ve been written in many ways.

  Honestly, he could’ve just handed everything over from the start.

  That would’ve painted him as clever and tactful while sparing him from any risk of harm.

  But… a gem surrendered too easily becomes just another pebble.

  Value is a fragile thing, and for a little guy like him—a minnow in a sea of sharks—it was an important lifeline.

  Without sufficient worth attached to his offering, he might have found himself stripped to his very underpants just to buy his safety!

  There’s a saying: In negotiation, never put everything on the table at once.

  It’ll be like tossing a feast to wolves—they’ll devour it and still look at you hungrily.

  To minimize losses, his offer just had to hit that sweet spot, just a hair better than his predecessor.

  Then lo and behold, everything worked out as Batbai planned.

  But don’t mistake this success for simple wordplay and silver-tongued sophistry.

  The stage for this performance wasn’t built overnight. Lots of factors formed the foundation for this script.

  The most important cornerstone was... the personality models of each elder!

  Only by understanding their personalities can he roughly analyze their choice tendencies.

  Then, adjust his predictions of their reactions based on the person’s status, power, ideals, and environment…

  Finally, he’ll amass scripts that’ll lead to his Rome, but still keep safety in mind.

  Only with all that can he act out a play that doesn’t gamble his own life!

  Otherwise, if he truly angered these golden core elders by accident, then... all he’ll get would be a free bento.

  It goes without saying that gathering all that intel isn’t easy.

  Fortunately, he wasn’t flying blind and got himself covered in this aspect, courtesy of buying out someone at each elder’s side.

  Gotta say, both the thorny rose and the silly cat contributed greatly to this cause!

  Information flowed once he knew where to apply pressure, and collecting them bit by bit let him peep into both elders’ personalities.

  This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  It’s hardly surprising that paranoia ran thick in both elders, but there were still minor differences.

  That old geezer Ma Pei was a cautious turtle who likes taking little advantages of others, but will shrink into his shell at the first sign of trouble.

  Throwing away all trouble and preserving the status quo was his ideal.

  He was the type of man who would trade ambition for comfort and sleep soundly for it.

  On the other hand, the scheming devil Mo Badao was the control freak type driven by the desire to see the clan rise, but he was a classic micromanager who gets suspicious over every little detail.

  The cliché ring, inheritance, physique… all these routines were meant for this devil.

  Just give this schemer something to work with and his rich psychological activity will make up the rest.

  Bubai wasn’t sure how far down the rabbit hole that devil went, but hey, there’s no need to know as long as it worked out.

  Well, this outcome could already be considered a great amnesty compared to the consequences of outright owning up to the murder.

  Truth be told, between exposing his physique or just owning up to the crime, there was actually no right choice.

  Both were paths lined with thorns.

  He simply chose the lesser evil that bought him time to grow.

  Now, it was just a race against time. Either lose it all or turn the tide around once his strength explodes!

  As for what the future holds? Who knows. All he needs to do is just walk forward…

  By the time Bubai crossed back into the East District, the night settled in.

  The road ahead got darker, but his future felt bright.

  A burden left his shoulder, and his steps got lighter.

  Noting they were finally far enough to relax, the meek rose following in his footsteps finally broke the silence.

  “You got what you wanted. Now what? Rent me out?”

  Bubai paused mid-stride and glanced over his shoulder, just to see the moonlit rose showing a face as if prepared for the worse.

  He smiled and stepped back to hug her by the waist, pulling her closer. “No, no, how can I bear to toss my Xiao Hong aside like that?”

  Miss Hong glared right back into his eyes. “Tsk. You’re all talk.”

  Bubai chuckled and leaned in closer. “I’m not lying.”

  He honestly meant it. There was no way he will abandon this rose so easily.

  Sure, most men in this sect see women as tools and undermine their worth.

  That’s why he faced zero problems when taking her away after getting on friendly terms with the elders.

  But don’t think that was the only reason. A women’s value doesn’t just lay in the tangible benefits.

  The most important point rested on a single, powerful word: bonds.

  Okay, there wasn’t much of a bond to speak of between him and this rose.

  But that didn’t matter. He only needed those old geezers to believe there is such a bond!

  In most societies, if there’s an uncontrollable individual exemplifying super qualities, most people will vote towards elimination either out of selfish interests or fear.

  But if that brilliance comes tethered to a controllable weakness, it’s a different story.

  Facing the powerful who can directly rob him at any time, it’s never scary to show his value as long as he can also make them believe they still hold the reins!

  What better way than to establish a weakness in the form of bonds?

  Only by showing his attachment and willingness to surrender for his bonds will it relax the hearts of those old foxes!

  Believe it or not, if he didn’t act the tough boy and was really cruel enough to abandon his so-called bonds…

  Even if the thorny rose didn’t prick him, will the elders really let him off so easily? Haha.

  Hence, the perfect centerpiece for the performance was Xiao Lan.

  All this time they’ve been together, his treatment for her undoubtedly got reported upwards.

  Therefore, today, she became the perfect reverse scale the elders could grasp onto.

  This rose in his arms was just a bonus side handle.

  But bonus or not, this reusable spy was now his to play with, pliable and ripe for his schemes.

  He wasn’t about to discard something so useful. Hence, his eyes were particularly sincere.

  Facing that intense, sincere stare of his and feeling the hot breath grazing her lips, the rose eventually couldn’t bear it any longer and turned her face away.

  “Tsk, you men are all the same, full of lies.”

  That’s what she said, though her voice lacked the venom she likely intended.

  Bubai grinned and buried his face on her defenseless neck, tasting it all the way up to her ear before whispering into it.

  “Everybody has their purpose. For you, I have a win-win business. We can slowly discuss the details… once we get home.”

  Then, just as quickly as he’d closed the distance, Bubai released her and turned away.

  “Come now. The night is long, but the sooner we’re home, the more time we’ll have to arrange our... household affairs. Don’t you agree? Hahaha…”

  Miss Hong stood there frozen for a moment, gazing at the back of that carefree, laughing man.

  “Tch.” Snapping out of it, she blew aside the annoyingly dangling bang and her clacking heels quickly chased after him.

  Soon, the familiar tower loomed ahead.

  As soon as Bubai rounded the corner, he caught sight of some coffin bearers chilling outside his tower and can’t help but mutter, “Man oh man, every time I see campers…”

  He sighed and walked forward.

  Seeing the pair coming over, the sharp-eyed, lantern-bearing eunuch heading the entourage came forward and politely bowed.

  “Evening, Young Master Mo. We’re here to deliver the two coffins you ordered.”

  The eunuch gestured to the coffins. “Both comes padded with ice jade stones and can preserve bodies for up to a decade. Would Young Master care to inspect them?”

  Bubai shook his head. “No need. I trust the reputation and quality of a business ran under the Wu faction.”

  A smile appeared in the eunuch’s eyes. “Good, good! Then, little one won’t bother Young Master Mo any longer.”

  The eunuch then waved for the rest of the coffin bearers to file out and turned back to salute one last time.

  “Dewa, the Wu Clan sends their well wishes. Good luck, Young Master Mo and take care.”

  Watching their leaving backs, a frown slowly took over Bubai’s face.

  If anyone else said that, it’ll sound like innocent courtesy, but when the coffin bearers bring that message…

  It’s a different story.

  Bubai chuckled lightly. “Seems tomorrow won’t be smooth sailing.”