Nine Nether Dragon Emperor

"Could it be that Manager Jiang wishes to present a gift?" Ning Xuan’s eyes lit up as he spoke joyfully.

After a moment of stunned silence, joy filled Jiang Donglin’s eyes as well. He nodded hastily. "Yes, yes, yes!"

Ning Xuan immediately pressed his advantage. "I’m friends with your Palace Master. Does she have a gift for me too?"

"Absolutely! Absolutely!" Jiang Donglin nodded without a second thought, sighing with relief internally. This is great. It’ll buy me even more time. After all, preparing one gift is completely different from preparing two. Besides, one of them is from the Palace Master herself. Can the Palace Master’s gift be an ordinary one? It’s perfectly reasonable for it to take a little longer, right? The more Jiang Donglin thought about it, the happier he became.

Little did he know, this was the beginning of his nightmare.

Ning Xuan was exceptionally astute; he had guessed the man’s purpose the moment he appeared. That swindler Luo Tianyi doesn’t want me showing up in the Chi Ming Dynasty so soon! It might actually be for my own good, I suppose. The earlier Wind, Forest, Fire, and Mountain trials improved my cultivation as much as when the old man locked me in the Stele Forest Blunt Stone Tower. Still, that woman scammed me out of so many things. Now that I’m on her turf and she’s not here, why be polite? It’s only fair to collect some interest first.

"Dabao," Ning Xuan said with a wink, "the Bi Luo Palace must have countless treasures. We’re in no rush. Besides, you’re a guest too, so there’s definitely a gift for you."

Beside them, Jiang Donglin immediately chimed in, "That’s right! That’s right! If there’s one thing the Bi Luo Palace has plenty of, it’s treasures! Anything you can imagine, we have it! And if it’s not here, I can requisition it from another Branch Palace!"

As soon as he said it, Jiang Donglin realized that requisitioning items would be another perfect excuse to stall for time. This made him even more pleased, and the look of anticipation on his face grew stronger.

"Alright... alright then." The idea of people rushing to give them gifts, combined with the deep impression left by the opening dome, made Cheng Dabao genuinely curious. She reluctantly agreed.

"That’s wonderful!" Jiang Donglin clapped his hands, nearly jumping for joy. "Ahem," he coughed, composing himself. "You are esteemed guests, and you do me a great honor by accepting. I apologize; I got a little carried away."

"This way, please," he said, promptly leading Ning Xuan and Cheng Dabao toward the deepest rooms.

「Half an hour later.」

Jiang Donglin stopped and pointed to a spiral staircase ahead. "Here we are. Upstairs are the Palace Master’s chambers."

Cheng Dabao’s eyes widened in surprise.

Ning Xuan was also a bit taken aback. "Luo Tianyi has chambers here? Has she ever visited?"

Hearing Ning Xuan’s question, Jiang Donglin felt even more certain his decision had been a wise one. "She has not. However, in the Big Dipper Star Domain, any Bi Luo Palace will have chambers prepared for the Palace Master."

"Oh, I see. You can go about your business now," Ning Xuan said, dismissing Jiang Donglin before leading Cheng Dabao straight up the stairs.

Once they reached the top, Cheng Dabao was glad she had kept her mouth shut. What was called a set of chambers was, in fact, an entire floor. The rest of the space had been hidden from their line of sight until they climbed the staircase.

"Find a room for yourself," Ning Xuan said as he headed toward the one at the very center.

"Ning Xuan, are you crazy? That’s obviously the Palace Master’s boudoir! How dare you..." Cheng Dabao grabbed his arm to stop him.

"It’s fine," Ning Xuan said nonchalantly. "Didn’t Manager Jiang say she’s never stayed here?" That swindler cheated me out of so much. It’s just a room. Forget her being away—even if she were here, she wouldn’t say a thing.

After a moment’s hesitation, Cheng Dabao added, "Isn’t this a bit impolite?"

"Dabao, you need to change your ways. If someone gives you an inch, you have to take a mile. Otherwise, they’ll think you’re an easy target. Have you forgotten what Luo Tianyi did back in Xuan Ge? And that wasn’t the first time, either."

"Ah! She was that awful? In that case, go right ahead! If you see anything you like, just take it with you!" Cheng Dabao immediately took Ning Xuan’s side.

"I’m not a wom—Come on, let’s go have a look together!" Ning Xuan said, grabbing Cheng Dabao’s hand and pulling her along.

「Half an hour later.」

Standing in the now-empty room, Ning Xuan smiled with satisfaction.

"Ning Xuan, what we just did..."

"Didn’t you say everything here is unique and that even Ye Qingqing has never seen items like these?" Ning Xuan cut her off, using a pre-planned excuse. "The Chi Ming Dynasty must be very wealthy. You’ll need to make friends, and you can’t show up without proper gifts when the time comes."

"Fine, I’ll go find a room then," Cheng Dabao said, turning to leave.

"Young Master, Miss, I am Vice Manager Cheng Yun. May I ask..." a voice called from downstairs.

"Come up," Ning Xuan replied.

A moment later, a beautiful middle-aged woman appeared at the doorway. As she glanced into the room, the smile on her face instantly froze. But she recovered quickly, lowering her head to ask, "I am fully responsible for your daily needs here. Do the Young Master and Miss have any instructions?"

"Nothing for now. Just tell Manager Jiang to hurry up with the gifts."

"Yes." With that, Cheng Yun prepared to take her leave.

"Wait."

"Does the Young Master have any other instructions?"

"Weren’t those things prepared for us?"

Only then did Cheng Yun remember the four maids behind her carrying trays of fruits and preserves. "Yes, yes, of course! How forgetful of me! Feng, Lin, Huo, Shan, hurry up and bring those things inside."

The four young maids acknowledged the order and stepped inside, only to be utterly dumbstruck. In the massive—and now completely bare—room, they couldn’t find a single surface on which to put anything.

"I’m off to find a room!" Utterly embarrassed, Cheng Dabao scurried away.

Feeling not the slightest bit awkward, Ning Xuan calmly said, "Vice Manager Yun, could I trouble you to bring in another table? The young lady hasn’t seen much of the world and is curious about everything. She insisted on taking it all back with her. You wouldn’t mind...?"

Cheng Yun shook her head repeatedly. "Not at all, not at all. I understand perfectly. I’ll take the young miss to the furniture market for a look later."

Ning Xuan was surprised. "There’s a furniture market here?"

"Indeed, there is."

Ning Xuan pointed to the bed. "In that case, could I trouble you to come back in half an hour?"

Cheng Yun’s face turned red in an instant. After a quick glance at Ning Xuan, she let out a soft "Mm."

Ning Xuan’s mouth twitched. He turned to the four maids and said, "You can just place them on the bed. Thank you."

Stunned, Cheng Yun fled as if escaping.

A short while later, Cheng Dabao crept back in, her little nose twitching as she sniffed the air.

"What are you doing?" Ning Xuan asked, bewildered.

Cheng Dabao muttered, "There’s no wine. Then why was her face so red? And why was she walking so unsteadily, with her legs clenched together?"