Li Yundong sized up Meiniang from head to toe. She looked like the madam of a brothel or a high-end hostess. He frowned slightly and said in a deep voice, "Are you in charge here?"

As the saying goes, a woman is a man's best calling card. Meiniang, having navigated the circles of fame and fortune for so long, naturally understood this. Seeing Li Yundong’s distinguished bearing and the bevy of stunning beauties trailing him, she knew he wasn't an ordinary person and dared not be remiss. With a smile plastered across her face, she replied deferentially, "I am grateful for your patronage. I am the madam here. May I ask the esteemed boss's name?"

Li Yundong wanted to ask Meiniang if this place was an asset of the Hu Chan Sect, but after surveying the surroundings—the people in the main hall were all turning to look at them—he said, "Let's find a place to sit down and talk, shall we?"

Meiniang’s eyes swept around, and she gestured with a finger, "Then let's go to a private room to discuss."

Meiniang snapped her fingers with a sharp pa, summoning a heavily made-up floor manager. "Open a VIP suite on the second floor."

The floor manager nodded, relayed the order through his walkie-talkie, and Meiniang turned back to Li Yundong, flashing a seductive smile as she gracefully led the way.

Ruan Hongling saw the woman's air of worldliness, her slender waist swaying with every step, and muttered under her breath, "Shameless!"

Meiniang heard her clearly, but she had heard such words countless times and paid no mind, merely offering a faint smile.

Li Yundong followed behind her, noticing the rather luxurious décor of the entertainment complex—a Western-style building, all glittering gold and splendor. Beautiful women in revealing attire occasionally passed by, and the sharp scent of perfume washed over Li Yundong.

Upon reaching the second floor, Li Yundong followed Meiniang into an exceptionally spacious VIP suite. The room resembled a presidential suite, with a carpeted living area, a massive plasma TV, and a king-sized bed within. Next to the sleeping area was a bathroom with full amenities—truly complete.

Once inside, Meiniang politely ushered Li Yundong and his entourage onto the sofas. She asked with a coquettish laugh, "This boss is so young! In all my time, I've never seen such a dashingly handsome man as you!"

Though ostensibly a compliment, the underlying tone of flattery and an almost innate charm designed to entice was unmistakable. Zhou Qin and Ziyuan next to him both frowned.

Li Yundong wasted no time circling the issue. He cut straight to the chase: "Hello. My surname is Li. Do you know Liu Ye?"

Hearing the name, Meiniang stiffened instantly, her smile freezing, "Liu Ye? Who is he? I've never heard of him?"

Li Yundong quickly caught her expression. He pressed on, "No need for falsehoods in front of me. Do you or do you not know him? I can tell you we are associates of Liu Ye, and we came to inquire about a few things."

Meiniang's eyes scanned Li Yundong and the others warily. Seeing that Li Yundong seemed sincere, she finally conceded, "Yes, I know Liu Ye. What is it you need to ask?"

Li Yundong inquired, "What is your relationship with Liu Ye?"

Meiniang grew more guarded, "Why do you ask that?"

At that moment, Ziyuan sent a sound transmission to Li Yundong: She is in human form, not her true fox spirit body. She might be an outer disciple.

Li Yundong understood immediately and pressed further, "Are you in a master-disciple relationship with him?"

To his surprise, Meiniang paused, then burst into boisterous laughter, tears welling up in her eyes. Wiping them away, she chuckled, "Me and him, master and disciple? Who told you that? Did he tell you? Haha, you're killing me!"

Li Yundong said sternly, "Then what is your relationship with him? Could it be..."

Meiniang shot him a look, "Could it be what? That we're bed partners? Heh, you got it right! This old dear's lover is precisely that deadbeat!" Having laid that card on the table, she made herself comfortable, crossing her legs on the sofa, pulling out a slim women's cigarette, lighting it with practiced ease, and inhaling deeply with a worldly air. She exhaled a curling smoke ring and said, "You don't look like bad sorts. Go on, tell me what you really want. Don't tell me you're the bastard children of that deadbeat Liu Ye, here to demand alimony—I don't have that kind of money!"

Li Yundong had initially assumed she was an external disciple taken in by Liu Ye, but finding out she was his mistress made him break out in a cold sweat. That old guy still has game, he thought. An old ox eating tender grass! The Sect Leader having a mistress outside! Not a single reliable person in the entire Hu Chan Sect—what the hell is going on!

Since they were clearly lovers, Li Yundong couldn't afford to maintain the Sect Leader's air. He discreetly wiped his brow and said, "It's not quite that. I just have something to tell you, and a few things to ask while I'm here."

Meiniang took a casual drag of her cigarette, glancing at him askance, "What is it? Spit it out. Why didn't that deadbeat come to see me himself?"

Li Yundong paused, choosing his words carefully, "Liu Ye is dead..."

Meiniang’s smoking action froze. She stared blankly for a long moment, unable to speak. After a while, two tears traced down her face. She murmured, "That deadbeat, not visiting me for so long. I thought he'd died somewhere romantic. Turns out it was true death..."

She murmured to herself for a moment, then quickly wiped her tears, completely clearing away the sorrow from her expression as if nothing had happened. She then asked, "Is that why you came to find me?"

Li Yundong was momentarily stuck, seeing how quickly she recovered from her grief. He decided to stand up, saying, "Yes, we came specifically to inform you of this matter."

Meiniang grumbled, "Was it necessary to make such a big production? Bringing so many beautiful women along? My girls are going to feel inferior and scared to see customers later!"

Li Yundong felt a strange mix of amusement and exasperation. He led the way toward the exit. Cao Yi suddenly asked, "Sect... Li Yundong, are you just leaving like that?"

Li Yundong glanced at her meaningfully, "Do you have something else in mind?"

Cao Yi dared not voice any other opinion and offered a strained laugh, staying silent.

As Li Yundong reached the doorway, he suddenly stopped, turned back, and asked, "By the way, do you know Liu Ye's true identity?"

Meiniang remained languidly draped over the sofa, her legs crossed. She exhaled a smoke ring and said slowly, "In our line of work, we only care about the money in the customer's wallet. Why bother asking who they are?"

Li Yundong frowned, "But you and him weren't..."

Meiniang cut him off with a scornful laugh before he finished, "So what if we weren't? In the end, he could still walk away whenever he pleased, right? All I knew was that he was always popping in and out of sight—coming to me when he missed me, tossing me aside when he didn't. I was worse off than a streetwalker!"

Li Yundong felt another wave of internal sweat. He stopped arguing and turned to leave.

After he led Su Chan and the others out of the entertainment complex, Su Chan asked, puzzled, "Yundong, why didn't you ask her about the Hu Chan Sect's properties here?"

Cao Yi chimed in, "Yes, why not?"

Li Yundong's face darkened. "Never mind whether this place belongs to the Hu Chan Sect or not—even if it did, I wouldn't want it. Can one even use money earned this way? Doesn't it burn your hands as a cultivator? Besides, didn't you hear what Meiniang said? She's neither a disciple of the Hu Chan Sect nor of Liu Ye, so she’s outside our jurisdiction. No matter how much authority I have, I can't force her to do anything. Moreover, she was the former Sect Leader's mistress. Didn't you hear her words just now? There were hidden meanings in everything she said, she’s wary of us! Unless we currently possess irrefutable evidence that this is a Hu Chan Sect asset, how can we claim it based on mere words?"

Li Yundong paused, then continued, "Forget evidence, even with proof, I wouldn't take it! I didn't interfere before, but now that I've taken over the Hu Chan Sect, we absolutely cannot touch these kinds of enterprises in the future. Isn't it embarrassing to talk about? What would other cultivation sects think of us?"

Li Yundong’s pronouncement made Cao Yi look sheepish. The young girl nearby muttered, "I did think the outer disciples I saw when I returned to the Hu Chan Sect with my master last time were all heavily made up."

Ziyuan’s expression was strange, but she still asked with concern, "If we lose this source of income, Li Yundong, what are your other plans?"

Li Yundong sighed, about to speak, when suddenly Meiniang rushed out from the entertainment complex, calling out loudly, "Hey, handsome! Wait a moment!"

Cao Yi and Su Chan's hearts leaped: Could this woman have had a change of heart and decided to hand the property over to them?

But they watched as the woman ran up to Li Yundong, flashing a saccharine smile, thrusting a business card into his hand, batting her eyes coquettishly, and speaking in a honeyed tone, "Handsome, it’s fate that we met today. Here, this is my card. Call me whenever you feel like having some fun. Hee hee, even if my girls aren't as high quality as the ones you have here, as they say, the wild flower is sweeter than the home-grown one, hee hee! You understand!"

With that, she let out a tinkling laugh, blew Li Yundong a kiss, and then swayed her hips exaggeratedly as she walked back.

Li Yundong stared blankly at the card in his hand: Damn, do I really look like a customer?

Seeing the woman openly flirting with Li Yundong right in front of her, even mentioning the "wild flower" analogy, Su Chan could no longer suppress her anger. She jumped up, rushed to Li Yundong's side, and vigorously patted his clothes, as if trying to brush off the scent of cheap perfume.

"That is too much!" Su Chan declared indignantly, "To say such a thing, truly shameless!"

Li Yundong casually tossed the business card away, clapped his hands, and coughed dryly, "Alright, alright, let's leave quickly. Isn't it strange standing here?"

The group of women glared angrily at the entertainment complex and left, filled with resentment. Along the way, Ruan Hongling and Su Chan were in surprising agreement, verbally blasting Meiniang.

Li Yundong listened for a while, feeling a monumental headache coming on. He said, "Enough, you two, calm down. The most crucial thing right now is to figure out how to open up a source of revenue!"

Hearing this, the others all looked dejected, even Ziyuan furrowed her brow. Zhou Qin spoke quietly, "How about we first take over that shop I mentioned?"

Li Yundong gave a wry smile, "You're right, but distant water can't quench immediate thirst!"

Just as these renowned figures of the cultivation world were completely stumped by the problem of the 'Money God' (Kong Fang Xiong), a young woman ran up from the side, holding a stack of flyers, and said enthusiastically, "Hello!" before handing one over.

Li Yundong took it without looking, but Su Chan, Ruan Hongling, and Cao Yi all accepted one as well. Only Ziyuan and Zhou Qin possessed an intimidating aura that deterred the young woman from approaching them with a flyer.

Li Yundong glanced down. It was an advertisement for Tieguanyin tea. He couldn't help but laugh, "Damn, the Tieguanyin party is too strong! Their advertising is ubiquitous!"

His remark prompted the others to look at their flyers. Upon seeing them, Ruan Hongling suddenly rejoiced and shouted, "I have an idea!"

All eyes turned to her. Ruan Hongling, beaming, pointed at the center of the flyer and exclaimed, "Look, look quickly!"

Li Yundong looked and saw the text announcing, "The First Chinese Tea Culture Art Competition will be held in Dongwu City in five days."

Li Yundong skimmed it briefly. It generally invited tea enthusiasts, friends, and merchants from all regions to visit the arts festival. The Tieguanyin faction would set up a challenge arena in Dongwu City, inviting celebrities to sample their teas and select the 'Best Chinese Tea Art Beauty.'

Li Yundong laughed, "Even tea merchants are getting into eye-catching publicity now? But what does that have to do with us?"

Ruan Hongling pointed at the words below, her voice filled with excitement, "Look at the prize money, look at the prize money!"

Li Yundong glanced again—good heavens, two million yuan in prize money!

But he still smiled, "That two million isn't ours either. The prize money for F1 racing is even higher, but can we win that?"

Ruan Hongling gave Li Yundong a side-eye, "You certainly can't win it, but my sister Ziyuan is different!"

Ziyuan scolded gently, "Hongling!"

But Ruan Hongling was undeterred. She grabbed Ziyuan's hand and said, "Sister Ziyuan, we are nearly too poor to pay the rent! Are you still going to hoard your talent?"

Li Yundong looked at Ziyuan curiously, "Ziyuan, you know tea ceremony?"

Ruan Hongling scoffed, "Of course! If my sister Ziyuan claimed to be second best at tea ceremony, nobody else in the world would dare claim first! If she enters the competition, that money is as good as hers!"

Li Yundong gave Ziyuan a thumbs-up, praising her, "A celestial fairy is indeed a celestial fairy. Impressive, impressive, I am deeply impressed!"

Su Chan suddenly tugged at Li Yundong's arm, holding up the flyer and pointing to a person printed in the bottom right corner, "Yundong, doesn't this person look very familiar to me?"

Li Yundong focused his gaze. The person pictured was the event organizer, possessing the unmistakable air of a newly rich upstart. If it wasn't Zheng Youming, the man whose building he had once demolished, who else could it be?

Li Yundong chuckled inwardly, then laughed out loud, "Well, well, an old acquaintance! If he doesn't spend his money, he'll surely be struck down by lightning!"