"Huijie? Are you okay, Huijie?"
"Aunt Fumizuki?" Inside the LGD, Chen Huijie was completely bewildered. She didn't know why her aunt was so anxious.
"Go with the people from Penguin Logistics," Wei Yenwu said over the communicator. "Rest assured, Emperor is someone who can be trusted. Stay at their place for now."
At this point, a cold glint flashed in his eyes. "I will have someone investigate those who attacked you. The Slums... hmph."
Judging by Emperor's schadenfreude-filled tone, it was clear his niece had encountered a life-and-death crisis. To think that old rat hadn't told him until now—the Slums were his territory.
Had he not noticed? Or was it... No, there was no reason for him to do such a thing. Could it be from the Baizao side... also impossible. If he cared about Baizao, why would he have come to Lungmen with Wei Yenwu all those years ago?
Or was it... a change of heart?
And more importantly, the Black Armor has not sent a single report yet!
This made Wei Yenwu extremely uneasy, which was why he hadn't summoned the Black Armor immediately.
Regardless, he had to take action.
His mind raced, considering every scrap of power he could mobilize.
"Xiao Chen, listen to your uncle," Lady Fumizuki said, finally feeling a bit relieved. Chen Huijie's voice hadn't changed much, though there was a slight hint of weakness. Just moments ago, she and her husband were enjoying the moon together when Emperor's phone call had single-handedly detonated all their good moods.
Who was Chen Huijie? She was the future successor of Lungmen, the only heir of their family... if something had truly happened to her in the Slums...
Lungmen would start to destabilize again.
"Go to Emperor's first. Leave the rest to us."
"Wait, Aunt Fumizuki, I don't understand a word you're saying." Sitting in her LGD office, Chen Huijie was utterly lost. "What Emperor? Penguin Logistics? I just issued them a fine the day before yesterday. Why should I go to them?"
"Is something about to happen in Lungmen?"
"What do you mean?" Wei Yenwu jolted, snatching the phone from Lady Fumizuki. "You're not with the people from Penguin Logistics?!"
"Why would I be with them?" Chen Huijie's confusion was no less than his.
"Where are you right now?"
"The LGD," Chen Huijie glanced around her office. "Working overtime. There's a case lately..."
"Not in the Slums?"
"No. This is a financial case; it has nothing to do with the Slums."
"...Fine. Never mind then." Wei Yenwu hung up the phone with a dark expression, only to see his wife looking at his hand with a half-smile.
Or rather, at the phone in his hand.
"I was just anxious..." The dignified Chief Executive of Lungmen gave a sheepish smile as he handed the phone back to his wife.
"Why did you just hang up?" Lady Fumizuki breathed a sigh of relief. "I didn't even get a chance to say a few more words to Xiao Chen. What time is it? She's still working overtime..."
"The girl is career-minded," Wei Yenwu said, not wanting to continue that topic. He pulled out his own cell phone. "That guy Emperor—he owes me an explanation!"
But when he dialed the number, it was busy.
Meanwhile, Emperor was lying on his sofa quite arrogantly, acting smug. "Still sleeping? You're on the verge of disaster, do you know that?"
"At my age, I simply can't do without sleep," in Graytail Hall within the Slums, the man in charge of Lungmen's dark side, Lin Gray, picked up his phone and spoke slowly. "Why are you calling me so late? A disaster? How come I don't know about it?"
"If you can still sleep, it means you really don't know," Emperor said with a chuckle. "While you were sleeping, Old Wei's precious niece almost died on your turf. If my people hadn't been passing by, tomorrow's headline about the Lungmen Police Superintendent and Governor's niece found dead in the streets would be dominating Lungmen."
"What?!" Lin Gray's old bones jumped straight out of bed. "Xiao Chen got into trouble in the Slums?!"
"Judging by your tone, you really didn't know," Emperor narrowed his eyes. "Fine. As long as you and Old Wei aren't about to have a falling out, I'll stick around since Lungmen is still stable."
Calling to laugh at them was one thing, but gauging whether the situation in Lungmen would turn into chaos was also his goal.
If things truly turned messy... he would take his Penguin Logistics to another city. After all, Lin Gray didn't have the capability to plot against Wei Yenwu. Such a person would either come from Ursus or Baizao.
The former was fine, but the latter... Emperor didn't want to get involved in that mess.
So, after mocking him a bit more, he hung up.
Now he just had to wait for Texas and the others to bring back that little niece.
Emperor took a pleasant sip of red wine, his mood excellent.
But someone else's mood was terrible.
The Rat King made a single call and woke up every confidant in his hall.
"Father, what is this about?" Lin Yühsia was confused. Why such a massive deployment?
"Something happened to Xiao Chen," the Rat King said succinctly. "In the Slums."
"What?!" Lin Yühsia's pupils shook. She knew Chen Huijie's identity. If she had an accident in the Slums...
"Relax. She's fine; she was rescued."
"More importantly, Old Wei hasn't called me yet," the Rat King said, feeling a major headache. He had lived for many years and knew Wei Yenwu too well; he knew exactly what the man was thinking right now.
"Yühsia, the brothers of the hall cannot move. We cannot cause a grand commotion at a time like this," Old Lin sighed. "Go to Penguin Logistics at The Ends of the Earth Bar on Sunset Boulevard. Go see her. You must go alone!"
"I will go find Old Wei, also alone."
Only in this way would Lungmen not fall into chaos.
"I understand," Lin Yühsia knew the gravity of the situation. "I'm leaving now!"
Lungmen was quite noisy tonight.
On the other side, in the van, Texas drove nervously the entire way but encountered no ambushes.
They arrived safely at Sunset Boulevard.
"Hahaha! As expected of my excellent employees!" The door opened, and the Boss was already in position. He popped a party popper—pop!—and colorful streamers fluttered toward them. "Just a simple delivery run and you run into something this big!"
"You've even made that old dragon owe me such a massive favor. You did well!"
"You're certainly happy, Boss," Exusiai said resentfully. "We were worried and scared the whole way."
Sora nodded repeatedly, looking like she felt the same way.
To keep them alert, Texas had explained her theory, and the two of them realized the gravity of the situation.
A little girl who was practically a guaranteed Princess wandering the Slums alone at night... that sort of thing...
Fortunately, the journey was uneventful.
Xia Yu looked at the penguin before her with great curiosity. So this was a Beast Lord?
She hadn't seen one in Ursus last time.
"Don't worry. Now that you're on our turf, no one can hurt you!" Emperor made a grand gesture, then looked at them. "Well? Where's that Superintendent? I don't see her?"
"Superintendent? What Superintendent?" Texas, Exusiai, and Sora looked at each other in confusion.
"The little Draconic Girl you said you rescued?" Emperor saw their expressions and felt a bad premonition. "You didn't bring her back?"
Hearing this, the three shook their heads and moved aside simultaneously.
Emperor, standing on the bar counter, looked down at the little girl who was barely over a meter tall. The entire penguin was stunned.
"Hello," Xia Yu nodded to him.
"...A Princess?" Emperor looked at Exusiai.
"Uh, that's what Texas said," Exusiai immediately pushed her best friend forward.
"Look at those horns, that tail," Texas picked up the little Draconic Girl. "And these clothes. Her race goes without saying, and she knows Lightning Arts—she nearly blasted a thug to death with one bolt. In the Dragonkin of Yan, wouldn't that make her at least royalty?"
That noble aura couldn't be faked, so Texas had directly ruled out the idea that she was some marginal nobody.
"And Boss, don't you know her?" But seeing the Boss's expression now, it seemed things weren't quite right, so Texas quickly added, "Didn't you say she was some Governor's niece?"
"Old Wei's niece is older than you are now," Emperor said, baring his teeth.
Dammit. He had already talked big, but what should he do now that the "cargo" didn't match the description?
Just a moment ago, he was thinking of making those two old guys owe him big time, but now it seemed he had truly become their laughingstock.
"Let me ask you, which family's Princess are you?" Emperor hopped down from the counter, walked up to Xia Yu, and reached out... well, reached out with his flipper to push his sunglasses down slightly, scrutinizing her.
Fortunately, there was still a chance to save face. After all, this Draconic Girl was standing right here in the flesh.
"I'm not a Princess," Xia Yu shook her head. "Nor am I royalty."
"Then who are you?" Emperor's heart felt a little dead.
"I'm called Bailu," Xia Yu gave a sweet smile. "I am a Physician!"
"...No status?" Emperor asked, refusing to give up.
"Physician is a status," Xia Yu said with a smile.
Exactly. She was doing it on purpose!
"Oh, then it's hopeless," Emperor wobbled back to the counter. "My lifelong reputation..."
He lamented, then looked at his subordinates, finally noticing that Croissant was being propped up by Exusiai and Sora.
"What's wrong with her?" Emperor was, if nothing else, very concerned about his employees. "This look—she isn't injured, she looks drunk. Fine! You guys were drinking behind my back on the job!"
He sniffed hard. "Good grief... that scent!"
Emperor looked at Texas with a shocked gaze. "You guys were drinking such good wine out there!"
"And you didn't even call me!!!"
"I treat you well usually, don't I? How could you do such a thing?"
Faced with his look of disbelief, Texas shrank her head slightly, feeling a bit guilty.
Truth be told, Emperor really did treat them well.
"We weren't drinking on the sly!" Xia Yu spoke up to clear the air. "She got hurt saving me, and I just gave her some medicinal wine."
"Medicinal wine?!" Hearing this, Emperor's burning gaze turned toward Xia Yu.
"Yes, medicinal wine," Xia Yu stood with her hands on her hips. "I told you I'm a Physician."
"I can't just ignore that," Emperor raised an eyebrow. "As a good boss, I care about my employees. How can I let them drink something of unknown origin?"
"Uh, Boss," Exusiai, who had recently joined Penguin Logistics and was still quite naive, said, "It's not of unknown origin... ah!"
Before she could finish, she was cut off by an elbow to her ribs from Texas.
Emperor acted as if he hadn't heard a thing, lifting his head to look at Xia Yu. "Little girl, I have to be responsible for my employees. How about this: let me see that 'unlabeled' medicinal wine of yours!"
"You're not sick," Xia Yu scrutinized him for a few seconds, then said, "Why would a person who isn't sick take medicine!"
"I told you, it's to be responsible for my employees!" Emperor screamed.
"No, you clearly just want to drink!" Xia Yu decisively hugged her gourd. "This medicinal wine is very precious; I can't waste it!"
"Little girl, do you know whose territory this is?" Emperor smiled disdainfully. "I advise you to offer that fine wine with both hands. Don't force me to beg you!"
Initially, Exusiai felt what the Boss was doing was a bit much, but after hearing that last line, "Don't force me to beg you," she was completely speechless.
That's right. This is the Boss we know.
"Even if you beg, it's a no," Xia Yu shook her head, stubbornly clutching the gourd. "Why would someone without disaster or illness take medicine?"
"I'm sick," Emperor came up to her, two shorties looking each other in the eye on equal footing. "I'm very sick!"
"No, you're not," Xia Yu shook her head again.
"No, you don't know. I'm about to face a major disaster," Emperor thought of the mess he was in and felt drained. The entire penguin collapsed toward the sofa nearby. "Because of your team's misinformation, I've now offended the three most powerful people in Lungmen."
"I might have to run away at any second. For the sake of my impending death, just give me one sip!"
"Then... just one sip?" Hearing this, Xia Yu feigned hesitation, then gently unscrewed the gourd. In an instant, that seductive aroma of wine filled the entire bar.
"Yes, one sip! Just one sip!" Emperor's eyes went straight. He was certain this wine was the absolute cream of the crop! If he missed it, he didn't know if he'd ever taste it again in his life.
Just smelling the aroma was intoxicating.
Seeing this, Xia Yu looked at the counter, picked up a small glass, and with a look of feigned heartbreak, poured out a small glass of Jade Essence.
Emperor pounced on it with a whoosh, holding the glass in both flippers and sniffing it with an expression of pure bliss.
Ah, what a taste!
He took a tiny sip. It felt as if his very soul was ascending.
"Eee—"
A penguin was wriggling on the counter like a maggot.
"Is it really that good?" Exusiai leaned over curiously.
"Want a glass then?" Xia Yu shook the gourd and looked at her.
"Then... how about a full glass?" Exusiai's eyes lit up.
===
T/N: SHILLING TIME! Members can read ahead on my p*treon(dot)com/quickinquickout
Also, if this series gets 300 Powah Stones next week, I'll do a 20-chapter mass release.
Pece