Li Yundong turned and walked toward the door. Just as he reached it, he saw a tall woman standing there, dressed in a sharp business suit. Li Yundong frowned, asking, "Who are you?"

The moment the woman spotted Li Yundong, a brilliant smile lit up her face, and she spoke with a distinctly ingratiating tone, "Are you Young Master Li? I'm an employee from Emperor Group. Our manager sent me to deliver something."

Only then did Li Yundong understand. So, he had managed to fleece the Emperor Group yesterday in a state of hazy confusion, and this poor sap was already rushing over with the money first thing this morning!

Li Yundong was caught between laughter and tears. He shook his head and said, "Forget it. Please take all this back with you."

The woman’s expression instantly changed drastically. Her voice trembled slightly as she pleaded, "Young Master Li, how can you refuse? Wasn't everything already agreed upon?"

Li Yundong shook his head. "I can't accept it. Please take it back."

The woman grew desperate and fearful, almost to the point of tears. She dragged out her words, crying slightly, "Young Master Li, please don't make things difficult for me. I’m just a small employee; earning a living is hard enough! You can't possibly ruin my livelihood!"

Li Yundong frowned, about to speak, when Ziyuan emerged, softly asking, "What’s going on?"

Li Yundong quietly explained the situation. Ziyuan immediately burst out laughing. She glanced at the distraught, tearful woman and whispered to Li Yundong, "You brought back quite the haul yesterday. How come I didn't know about this?"

Li Yundong chuckled dryly. "I was thinking about other things yesterday, so I forgot to mention it. Besides, it wasn't exactly an honorable deed, so I was too embarrassed to say anything. I never expected them to come knocking on our door today!"

Ziyuan pursed her lips and smiled. "Of course they’d come knocking! How ruthless a tyrant you are! You extorted half a million from them without even asking, tsk, tsk, what a bold move! If you had asked directly, Bill Gates would be begging for scraps!"

Li Yundong grimaced wryly. "Alright, stop gloating and stop teasing me! What should we do about this?"

Ziyuan looked surprised. "Take it. Why wouldn't you?"

Li Yundong was astonished. "No way, did I hear that right? My divine sister is actually encouraging me to accept ill-gotten gains like this?"

Ziyuan laughed. "Have you ever seen a Buddhist sect refuse incense money? Do you think those great monks don't know that a lot of that money is unclean? Money itself is neither clean nor unclean; it’s about who uses it! If you think the money is unclean, then use it for something clean—isn't that the solution? Heh heh. If we cultivators all thought like you, despite countless blessings, we’d have starved long ago!"

Li Yundong couldn't help but chuckle. He thought for a moment and readily agreed, "Fine, I'll do as you say."

The woman, having overheard Li Yundong and Ziyuan whispering, craned her neck to listen. But all she caught were a few vague words like 'cultivators' and 'incense money,' leaving her utterly bewildered.

When Li Yundong finally turned back to her, the woman looked at him with pleading eyes. If he had uttered a single negative word, she was prepared to resort to hysterics—crying, making a scene, even threatening self-harm. She absolutely would not return without completing her mission.

Seeing the woman adopt a posture ready for a prolonged siege, Li Yundong was secretly amused. He smiled, "Alright, alright, I'll take it. Stop putting on such an act, it makes me look like I’m bullying innocent citizens!"

The woman instantly sighed in relief, beaming with exaggerated gratitude. "Young Master Li, you are so magnanimous, truly admirable!"

Li Yundong secretly shook his head. What kind of world is this? The one delivering the money acts like a lackey, while the one accepting it becomes the master? Alas, this world is truly so... touching!

Li Yundong turned to Ziyuan and said, "Since you agree to take the money, you handle this matter. I'm heading inside."

Ziyuan gave him a slightly annoyed look. "You want me to clean up your mess? How shameless of you!"

Li Yundong paused, instinctively glancing at Ziyuan's hands, and asked, "Which hand are you going to use to clean up?"

Ziyuan blushed deeply, shot him a fierce glare, and then turned toward her own residence next door. Without looking back, she told the delivery beauty, "Come with me."

After speaking, Li Yundong realized his words were rather inappropriate. He let out a nervous laugh and walked into the room by himself.

Once he settled his mind, he turned back to Zhou Qin and continued, "Zhou Qin, my Foundation Establishment required a journey entirely on foot to the Himalayas, where I performed the actual establishment amidst the snow mountains. Can you endure such a perilous and distant journey?"

In Li Yundong’s estimation, although Zhou Qin possessed a resolute character, she came from a prominent family and prized cleanliness above all else. Asking her to endure hardship, sleeping rough and traveling alone to Tibet like he did, seemed excessively demanding.

Zhou Qin seemed to anticipate Li Yundong’s concerns. She smiled faintly and said, "Master, I heard that when Ziyuan established her Foundation, she traveled over two thousand li, begging along the way, before finally reaching her destination to complete the process. If she could do it, I can too."

Admiration shone in Li Yundong’s eyes. He nodded. "Very well. Keep these magic artifacts close and ensure they are never exposed."

Zhou Qin nodded seriously, solemnly cupping the artifacts she carried.

Li Yundong told her, "Go pack your things now. We are leaving shortly."

Zhou Qin acknowledged this and turned to enter her room, just as the doorbell rang. The quick-witted young girl promptly bounced to the door, opened it slightly, peered out, and was immediately startled. She then scurried back to Li Yundong’s side, whispering close to his ear, "Yundong, there are two police officers at the door. Are they looking for you?"

Li Yundong’s gaze sharpened, and he silently approved of Su Chan’s quick thinking. He thought: In the past, the little girl would have been shouting by now. She’s learned to be more discreet.

Li Yundong walked toward the door himself and indeed saw the two policemen from the previous night standing there. As soon as he stepped out, the officers snapped to attention and saluted. Officer Xiao Zhang, who had been shouting threats to arrest Li Yundong the night before, plastered an ingratiating smile on his face. "Young Master Li, we meet again."

Li Yundong looked him up and down and asked, "Why are you here?"

Xiao Zhang’s smile stiffened, unsure of what to say. He wanted to offer a conciliatory remark, but the words simply wouldn't form.

Fortunately, the other officer, Xiao Liu, was quicker-witted. He quickly presented a sealed plastic bag he was holding and apologized with a forced smile, "Young Master Li, Bureau Chief Gong instructed us to deliver this."

Li Yundong accepted the sealed bag impassively, casually remarking, "Bureau Chief Gong sent you?"

Officer Xiao Zhang cursed inwardly: Nonsense! If the Chief hadn't specifically sent me, would I be standing here putting up with your smug face? So you have a powerful father—what’s so great about that!

Xiao Zhang’s face was grim, but Xiao Liu’s smile grew even brighter. He said cheerfully, "Young Master Li guessed correctly! Bureau Chief Gong specifically sent us. He said we offended Young Master Li last night and that we must come today to beg forgiveness and offer our deepest apologies."

Li Yundong smiled faintly, scanning them both, and said, "In the future, enforce the law with a bit more humanity. The power the common people grant you is not for showing off your authority."

Xiao Liu nodded hastily, smiling. "Young Master Li is absolutely right; we accept your reprimand." Noticing his partner’s dark expression, he discreetly jabbed Xiao Zhang with his elbow. Xiao Zhang then forced a smile, saying stiffly, "Right, right, Young Master Li speaks well!"

Seeing Xiao Zhang’s smile look worse than a grimace, and Xiao Liu’s smile painfully awkward, Li Yundong couldn't help but sigh internally. He didn't want to make things difficult for them any longer, so he waved his hand. "Forget it. You two can go. I have matters to attend to, so I won't keep you."

Xiao Liu quickly said, "Young Master Li, please attend to your business, we won't disturb you further!" With that, he dragged his companion, saluted, and only turned to leave once they saw Li Yundong step back inside the building.

Once outside the complex, Xiao Zhang spat onto the ground and grumbled, "So young, barely grown any hair, yet he lectures people with such an air of authority. What a piece of work!"

Xiao Liu, however, shook his head. "This man is young, but his bearing is remarkable. You saw his connections last night—even Bureau Chief Gong treats him deferentially. If he wanted to crush us, it would be as easy as crushing an ant. But look how he spoke to us? That's what true composure is!"

Xiao Zhang sneered. "Hmph. If I had a powerful father and mother, I’d have composure too!"

Hearing that, Xiao Liu couldn't help but sigh, "Alas, the tragedy of having a weak father!"

They talked as they left the complex, unaware of the discussion happening behind them. Li Yundong held the sealed bag, contemplating the words of the two officers and their sudden shift in attitude. He felt a profound sense of realization wash over him.

In that instant, Li Yundong finally understood why every sect throughout history strived to align themselves with the imperial power. Emperor Wudi of Northern Wei heavily favored Kou Qianzhi, leading to the rise of the Northern Celestial Masters; Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty revered Mount Longhu, allowing the Orthodox Unity School to dominate the realm; Genghis Khan and Kublai Khan promoted Qiu Chuji, establishing the fame of the Quanzhen Sect.

When a religious sect merged with secular authority, the energy it generated became immense and incalculable.

Had this happened before, he would surely have suffered a great loss in such a confrontation. But now, even the Chief of the Public Security Bureau greeted him with a fawning smile, and the arrogant police officers became subservient nodding dogs.

Where did this transformation come from?

Li Yundong knew clearly that all of this stemmed from Zhou Qin's family influence and background. But why, in turn, did Zhou Qin favor him?

It was cultivation—the power transcending the mortal realm that practicing the Dao brought him—that attracted her!

"Practicing within the Six Doors is certainly advantageous..." Li Yundong murmured softly, shaking his head as he looked at the sealed bag. He cast the small incident aside, broke the seal, and glanced at the documents inside. Immediately, his brow furrowed, and a sharp gleam shot from his eyes, as if lost in deep contemplation.

When Li Yundong finally snapped back to himself, he noticed that Su Chan and the others were watching him, not daring to even breathe too loudly.

Seeing that Li Yundong was no longer lost in thought, Su Chan bravely asked, "Yundong, what's wrong?"

Li Yundong smiled. "Nothing." Then, he quietly said to Su Chan, "Come into the room with me for a moment."

=========================================== Hey everyone, I have a small request for you all: I'm heading back to Suzhou on the 10th. I'll resume my writing burst once I get back, as I'm really struggling to type up chapters here in Shenzhen~~~ Also, a huge thank you to everyone who cast P votes and VIP tickets. Tangtang offers his deepest bows and thanks to you all! I wish you a Happy Year of the Rabbit, and may you all cultivate to the Yang Spirit realm! Hahahaha~D