Chapter 169: Li Hao’s Wealth
Chapter 169: Chapter 169: Li Hao’s Wealth
He’s brothers with True Monarch Minmian?!
The moment he said it, the room fell deathly silent. You could have heard a pin drop.
Everyone remembered the fearsome figure on the horizon who had just annihilated all of Nanyue Mianhuang. Hadn’t they called him "Minmian"?
And "True Monarch"?
Though most didn’t know exactly what the title meant, they could hazard a guess.
And Zhu Ge wasn’t his follower or disciple, as they’d all assumed, but his brother?!
The brother of a True Monarch!
Everyone was utterly stunned. No one dared to utter a word.
Even Mr. Langhao was left speechless.
Zhu Ge, however, walked straight out of the room.
’Revealing his connection to True Monarch Minmian was a calculated move.’
’Borrowing his power!’
’A gentleman isn’t inherently different from anyone else; he just knows how to make use of the tools at his disposal.’
’Only a fool would think they can’t rely on others, that they must do everything themselves.’
’It’s not wrong to be self-reliant, but you can’t be *only* self-reliant.’
’It’s right not to be dependent, but borrowing strength isn’t the same as depending on it.’
’As infants and children, we all need to rely on others.’
’But what about after we grow up?’
’Many would rather use an outsider’s connections than their own parents’, wanting to stand on their own two feet.’
’But in essence, growth is the core. As long as you’re growing, it doesn’t matter whose strength you borrow to do it.’
’Borrow any power you can, and cultivate any strength you can.’
’For the current Zhu Ge, he couldn’t rely on True Monarch Minmian indefinitely, but he could certainly make limited use of his name.’
’As long as he achieved his ultimate goal, any action taken would be justified.’
Right now, for Zhu Ge to achieve his goals, he needed some accomplishments to his name to make others believe in him.
To get those accomplishments, he needed the support of others.
But for others to support him, they had to believe in him.
’It was a catch-22.’
Without the support of some powerful faction, Zhu Ge would struggle to get results. Without results, he couldn’t earn anyone’s trust. And without their trust, he wouldn’t get their support.
Most importantly, though, this opportunity was fleeting.
True Monarch Minmian had thrown the land into turmoil, and if Zhu Ge didn’t seize this chance to make a bold move, he would only regret it later.
So, he had come right out and declared himself True Monarch Minmian’s brother.
And just as he’d expected, it had stunned them all on the spot.
’He believed that in a few days, when he began to assemble an army, many of them would join him.’
For now, though, Zhu Ge needed to have a talk with Li Hao.
Just as Li Hao had said, the best way to cultivate the Martial Dao wasn’t simply to hunt.
Otherwise, no matter how many Demon Beasts roamed the wilds, they would eventually run out.
Besides, Demon Beasts weren’t stupid.
After Zhu Ge had hunted extensively around Six Paths Valley, for example, many Demon Beasts had learned to instinctively avoid the area.
Therefore, the best method had to be a trinity of farming, animal husbandry, and the Kitchen.
You produce your own grains, fruits, cattle, sheep, chickens, and ducks, and then let the Kitchen handle the cooking.
Food prepared by the Kitchen could take an ingredient worth one part of efficacy and turn it into three. It was far more efficient.
With this in mind, Zhu Ge quickened his pace and headed downstairs.
It was late, and not many people were left in the Tongfu Restaurant.
A few waiters hurried about, clearing tables and washing the floors.
Zhu Ge asked one of the staff for directions and made his way to the accounting office.
Li Hao was at a desk with an abacus and a ledger, tallying the accounts. She looked up in surprise when Zhu Ge approached.
"Weren’t you all upstairs talking over tea?" Li Hao glanced toward the second floor, then back at Zhu Ge, a puzzled look on her face. "Don’t tell me the talks fell through?"
"No," Zhu Ge said, shaking his head. "I came to ask about the Kitchen legacy. If it’s what I’m looking for, I’d like to buy it now."
"In such a hurry?" Li Hao’s brow furrowed. "I was thinking we could talk tomorrow, whenever you had a free moment."
"I’ll head back as soon as I’ve bought it," Zhu Ge said with a small smile. "The Six Paths Palace has only just been founded, and I need to be there to manage things. War is coming in a few days. There’s no time to wait."
’War!’
Li Hao nodded thoughtfully at his words. She immediately set down her ledger and abacus, gave a few brief instructions to the clerk beside her, and then turned to Zhu Ge. "Follow me."
Li Hao came out from behind the counter and led Zhu Ge toward the back of the restaurant.
The kitchen and courtyard of the Tongfu Restaurant were impressively spacious.
"THUMP THUMP THUMP!"
Seven or eight Cultivators were still at work, either honing their knife skills or prepping ingredients for the next day. The sound of their cleavers hitting the cutting boards was perfectly rhythmic.
’These must all be Kitchens.’
Li Hao led Zhu Ge through the kitchen. Under the curious gazes of the group of Kitchens, they reached a storage room at the back, passed through it, and stopped before another door.
The moment she opened the door, a blast of cold air rushed out.
"Quick, get in!" Li Hao urged, stepping inside.
Zhu Ge quickly followed her in.
’A cold storage cellar!’
The moment he stepped inside, Zhu Ge felt the temperature plummet. It must have been at the freezing point.
Beyond the door was a descending passage, its walls coated with a thick layer of frost.
"This is the cold storage I built using white light ore. All the meat we had earlier is stored here," Li Hao explained casually as she started down the steps.
Zhu Ge, however, glanced at the ice-coated wall to his right. He sensed a faint fluctuation from behind it—the aura of the Demon Race.
Li Hao noticed his gaze and explained, "I have a partner standing guard in here."
"A Second Realm member of the Demon Race guarding a cold storage... a truly grand display," Zhu Ge remarked.
’Back in Jianshan Village, the teacher alone was enough to protect its hundred or so residents.’
’The distribution of resources really is unbalanced.’
’Of course, Zhu Ge knew the core issue wasn’t Li Hao’s restaurant, but one of distribution—a systemic problem.’
From the Raincoat Fisherman to the Jianshui City Lord, none of them truly saw the common folk of the Human Race as people.
Or perhaps, this was just the normal state of affairs in the Da Sheng Dynasty.
Those in power cared more about their own families and factions than anything else.
’The great dynasties came and went, accomplishing nothing but their own selfish ambitions.’
And from the many historical records of the Da Sheng Dynasty that Zhu Ge had read...
...the truly powerful were more often born from humble origins.
"Is something wrong?" Li Hao asked, curious about what Zhu Ge was thinking.
"It’s nothing." Zhu Ge shook his head. "Are we almost there?"
"Almost," Li Hao replied, picking up her pace. "Please understand, Young Master Zhu. I built this cellar for the sake of my staff here at Tongfu Restaurant."
"If things go south in the future, my father and I can just pack up and leave. But it wouldn’t be so easy for my employees."
Zhu Ge nodded in understanding. "I understand, Shopkeeper Li."
’Those "things" that could "go south" weren’t just a Demon Beast siege, but also the potential fall of the Jianshui City Lord.’
In such chaotic times, anything could happen.
As the head of Tongfu Restaurant—a power independent of the Jianshui City Lord—Li Hao had to consider the well-being of her subordinates.
With a "bomb shelter" or "safe house" like this, Li Hao’s subordinates could go about their duties with fewer worries.
As they spoke, the two of them finally reached the bottom of the cellar.
"Everything on these three shelves... this is my entire nest egg."
"Please, Young Master Zhu, see if anything catches your eye. If you find something you like, we can discuss the price."