The moment Li Yundong saw the landlady, he thought to himself: No way this is a coincidence, right? I was just thinking about how she kicked us out before, and now she shows up? That’s strangely coincidental!
Su Chan’s eyes widened too, and she pointed at the landlady, stuttering, “You, aren’t you that…”
The landlady seemed to be doing quite well lately. Though her figure was plump, she was draped in brand-name clothes and laden with shopping bags, her face glowing with health—clearly, she had made a small fortune and was feeling particularly pleased with herself.
She also hadn't expected to run into her former tenants while strolling down a shopping street. Seeing the young couple acting intimately, seemingly oblivious to everyone around them, she couldn't resist making a barbed remark.
But what kind of person was Li Yundong?
Li Yundong was certainly not someone to suffer an insult silently. His skill in cultivation duels was formidable, but his verbal sparring was equally sharp. He immediately shot back, “Well, look who it is. You’re still alive, are you?”
The landlady’s face instantly soured. She had only meant to make a quick sarcastic jab to put down this annoying fellow and then move on, but Li Yundong’s tongue was like a razor, leaving her utterly without recourse.
The landlady thought to herself: Good grief, daring to argue with me! Ever since I kicked you out last time, I’ve had nothing but good luck. You must be a jinx, a walking disaster! Now that you’re looking so down and out, you still dare to challenge me!
The landlady sneered, “Of course, I’m alive, and I’m doing very well!” Saying this, she struck a coy pose, flaunting her designer attire. She pointed at her bag and declared, “Do you know this brand? Louis Vuitton, LV! This one bag alone is worth thousands. Do you dare buy one for your woman? I didn’t think so! I dare, I buy it for myself. A woman has to be tough on herself! As for you two… oh, right, didn't you boast about how amazing your man was? Where is he now? How’s that working out?”
Su Chan felt intense loathing for the landlady who had driven them out of their cozy spot. She retaliated without reservation, scoffing, “Naturally. You’ve gotten this fat, so you certainly have to be tough on yourself. You might want a man to buy you these bags, but do you think you could find one?”
That sentence struck the landlady right in her vulnerable spot. She turned ashen with rage, her lips trembling uncontrollably. Pointing at Su Chan, she could barely articulate, “You, you, you little slut! What did you say? Besides seducing men, what else can you do?”
Seeing the landlady so infuriated that her eyes were bulging out over one sentence from Su Chan, Li Yundong chuckled, “Excuse me, my little girl only knows how to seduce me, and I thoroughly enjoy being seduced by her. I’m just not sure who you are trying to seduce, and whether anyone wants to be seduced by you?”
The landlady was boiling with anger, reaching a fever pitch where she exploded into curses: “I was beautiful once too! What are you bragging about! Let’s see if you can still look this good in thirty years!”
That comment played right into Li Yundong and Su Chan’s strengths. Ordinary people feared aging and death, but cultivators did not. They exchanged a knowing look and smiled at each other.
Li Yundong suddenly felt that for two cultivators like them to engage in a shouting match with such a shrew on the street was beneath their dignity. He smiled at Su Chan and said, “Forget it, let’s ignore her and go inside.”
Seeing them turn to leave, the landlady thought she had won and declared smugly, “Hmph, while you’re young, you can enjoy yourselves for a couple more years. Li Yundong, let me tell you, don’t think being young and handsome is enough. When you’re penniless, we’ll see if you can keep the woman by your side!”
Li Yundong turned his head, gave her a sidelong glance, and offered a faint smile without replying. Su Chan, however, turned back and said earnestly, “The man I choose will surely be an extraordinary hero; whatever he sets out to do, he will do his absolute best! He was poor before, but that doesn't mean he will be poor in the future!”
As she spoke, Su Chan pointed behind her at the shop: “This is the shop Li Yundong has secured. He says in the future we’ll open two, three, or even a dozen shops like this, spreading them all over the world!”
When Su Chan finished, the landlady burst into booming, scornful laughter. She pointed at Li Yundong and Su Chan, “You two? You must be dreaming in broad daylight! A toad yawning—what massive arrogance! You’re hilarious! Do you think running a business is that simple? Claiming such grand ambitions over this tiny, shabby shop!”
Su Chan’s face flushed crimson from the mockery. She snapped angrily, “What right do you have to look down on people!”
The landlady sneered coldly, “No right, I just don’t like the sight of you! Being so young and speaking with such arrogance—who do you think you are!”
Su Chan was furious and about to retort when Li Yundong suddenly raised his hand, stopping her. Li Yundong smiled at the landlady and said, “Do you dare make a bet with me?”
The landlady squinted at Li Yundong. “What bet?”
Li Yundong smiled faintly, pointed at the shop behind him, and said, “Within three years, I will definitely have this shop opened all over the country, all over the world! Do you dare to bet with me?”
Seeing Li Yundong so calm and collected, the landlady was secretly startled, beginning for the first time to truly study the young man before her.
In her eyes, this young man’s appearance and temperament were nothing like before. When she had kicked him out previously, he had been full of immaturity and greenness, but now, his entire presence radiated a powerful aura, like a towering pine standing proud in the heavens—vigorous and strong. The steadiness and confidence in his voice bespoke a composure forged through countless trials, impossible to imitate.
The landlady studied Li Yundong with suspicion, then glanced at the shop behind him. She couldn't help but ask, “What kind of shop is this?”
Though she disliked the sight of Li Yundong and Su Chan, she wasn’t foolish. By asking specifically about his business, she could avoid falling into a trap if he was trying to open an international chain.
Li Yundong smiled, about to speak, when Su Chan loudly cut in, “Listen carefully! Our Yundong is opening a tea house, named Di San Xian!”
“A tea house?” The landlady’s tense heart immediately settled. She asked with a strange expression, “A place to drink tea, or a place to sell tea?”
Li Yundong smiled gently, “A place to drink tea.”
The landlady burst into laughter, “A place to drink tea trying to open worldwide? You’re killing me! How is that possible!”
Li Yundong countered, “Foreigners can open coffee shops in China, so why can’t Chinese people open tea houses all over the world? Our Chinese tea culture has a long, continuous history spanning thousands of years. Tea is not just a beverage; it can heal and nourish the body, promoting longevity! Precisely because no one has done this before, I dare say I will succeed!”
The landlady certainly didn't believe Li Yundong’s grand talk. She coldly sneered, “Fine, I’ll take that bet with you. Tell me, what are the stakes?”
Li Yundong chuckled softly, held up two fingers, and said flatly, “If I lose, I will gouge out both my own eyes. If you lose, you crawl up and down this street like a dog, two full circuits!”
Upon hearing this, the landlady’s face changed dramatically. She had never encountered such a vicious wager. Li Yundong spoke as if he were planning to gouge out someone else’s eyes, not his own. She thought to herself: How can this kid dare to make such a bet? Is he bluffing me? Yes, in three years, who knows if this boy will even be alive? Maybe he’ll just pack up and disappear, and never remember this bet! It’s just about winning face right now. He must be bluffing me!
Having made up her mind, the landlady sneered, “Very well. Who will be the witness?”
As soon as she finished speaking, a voice rang out from nearby, “I’ll be the witness!”
Li Yundong and Su Chan turned to follow the sound and saw Zou Ping and Wang Lingfei from the Zhengyi Sect approaching slowly from a short distance away.
Li Yundong frowned, thinking: Why are these guys always lingering around? Where aren't they?
Zou Ping glanced at Li Yundong, then smiled at the landlady, “I will serve as your notary.”
Li Yundong looked at the pair and sneered, “What about your overweight junior brother?”
Zou Ping’s expression shifted. She said coldly, “No need to worry about him; he’s doing very well.”
The landlady looked at the two uninvited guests with confusion, then suspiciously at Li Yundong, asking, “Do you know each other?”
Zou Ping retorted coldly, “We don’t know each other, just happen to be passing by and seeing injustice.”
Li Yundong shot back, “I call it being nosy.”
The landlady hadn't expected her business with Li Yundong to take this strange turn, but she was happy to see Li Yundong put on the spot. She clapped her hands and declared, “Since we have witnesses, this is settled! Li Yundong, remember what you said. In three years, hmph hmph, I’ll be waiting for you to gouge out your own eyes!”
Saying that, she didn't want to involve herself further with this group, turned, and left in a flourish.
Su Chan, unable to contain her anger, shouted after her receding figure, “You’re the one who’ll be crawling like a dog! Our Yundong will never lose!”
Li Yundong smiled and patted the little girl’s head, then his expression hardened again. He addressed Zou Ping and Wang Lingfei, “Do you two have other business? If not, I won’t keep you company.”
Surprisingly, Zou Ping did not stir up trouble. A faint smile played on her lips, “True Immortal Li, please attend to your affairs!”
Li Yundong snorted and led the little girl into the shop.
As soon as they entered, Su Chan anxiously grabbed Li Yundong’s arm and said, “Yundong, will this shop actually make money?”
Li Yundong affectionately wrapped an arm around her, smiling confidently, “Don’t worry, I have my ways. Aside from that time facing your Master, when have you ever seen me lose?”
Only then did Su Chan relax. She giggled and wrapped her arms around Li Yundong’s strong, sturdy waist, saying, “That’s right! My Yundong is unrivaled under heaven, and that includes business!”
Li Yundong laughed heartily, “That boast might be a little too big!”
Just then, Ziyuan and Zhou Qin came down from the second floor. Ziyuan walked over to Li Yundong, glanced toward Zou Ping and Wang Lingfei outside the shop, and asked quietly, “What happened?”
Li Yundong smiled slightly, “Nothing, just chased away a fly.” He then turned to Ziyuan, slightly puzzled, “Have these two been specifically watching us now?”
Ziyuan nodded slightly, speaking softly, “The Zhengyi Sect must cut off our financial resources before they can force the Linggong Sect to submit. If they don’t sever our income stream, they cannot force our compromise. Therefore, Li Yundong, you must be mentally prepared. Before, Zou Ping’s actions were just a matter of personal rivalry, but now, this is a brutal struggle for interests. Inter-sectal disputes over resources are nothing like the gentle modesty between individual cultivators; they are drenched in bloody struggle! Do not be careless, or it will lead to the annihilation of our sect!”
Li Yundong’s expression grew serious. He acknowledged, “You are right. We saw that when the major sects besieged the Fox Zen Sect. But don’t worry, if they come openly, I have no fear. But if they use underhanded tactics, I refuse to believe that their schemes can overcome our righteous strength. Just as you once said, true tea artistry cannot be harmed by ghostly tricks!”
As he spoke, his gaze followed Ziyuan’s toward Zou Ping and Wang Lingfei outside. The gazes of the groups met through the glass, instantly sparking friction.
Wang Lingfei looked at Li Yundong, snorted coldly, and said unhappily to Zou Ping, “This guy is truly detestable! I only regret that my Dharma Treasure hasn't finished refining!”
Zou Ping smiled faintly, “Defeating a person doesn’t always require a duel of arts! Since they want to go into business, I will grant their wish! Do they think making money through commerce is so easy?”
Wang Lingfei asked, “Do you have a plan?”
Zou Ping snorted, a hint of ferocity suddenly appearing on her face, “For the Zhengyi Sect to ruin someone’s livelihood, is that difficult? However, we don't need to do that yet. I want him to open the shop first, and then I will destroy it! I want them to have no customers, earn not a single cent! Let’s go. We need to head back; my Master still needs to refine those two sword souls today!”
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