...
The next morning, the first rays of sunlight pierced through the clouds and shone on the back mountain of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School.
Ning Rongrong was still curled up in Xuan Hao's coat, fast asleep, with a trace of drool at the corner of her mouth.
The seven-colored light on her body had subsided, and the faint phantom of the ninth pagoda appeared and disappeared with her breath.
Xuan Hao gently picked her up and carried her back to her boudoir.
Then, he glanced at Sword Douluo Chen Xin, who was guarding the door, made a shushing gesture, and placed a pre-written letter on the table.
After doing all this, he did not disturb Ning Fengzhi, nor did he wait for Ning Rongrong to wake up.
The evolution of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda into the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda was a momentous event for the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
If Ning Fengzhi waits until he realizes what's happening, it will definitely be an endless tug-of-war of interrogation and "gratitude."
That's too much trouble.
Moreover, given Ning Rongrong's mischievous personality, if she woke up and discovered that she had evolved, she would definitely be so excited that she would hug him, cry and make a fuss, and then take the opportunity to beg him to stay a few more days.
That's even more troublesome.
So if we don't run now, when will we?
"Goodbye, little witch."
Xuan Hao silently recited a phrase in his heart, then a golden light flashed behind him, his dragon wings unfolded, and he transformed into a stream of light, disappearing silently into the dawn of Qibao City.
...
Tian Dou City, Tian Dou Royal Hotel.
When Xuan Hao pushed open the door to the penthouse suite, travel-worn, he was not greeted by a gentle embrace, but by a pair of large eyes filled with resentment and questioning.
"So you finally decided to come back?"
Na'er stood with her hands on her hips, fuming, blocking the doorway like a young wife catching her husband cheating.
"Didn't come home all night! And still no word!"
"Tell me! Did you really go and become a live-in son-in-law of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School?!"
"ha?!"
Xuan Hao froze as he was changing his shoes, completely stunned.
He stared in disbelief at his six or seven-year-old sister, who used to be as well-behaved as a porcelain doll.
"Na'er, who taught you to say that?"
Xuan Hao's lips twitched.
"What live-in son-in-law? What do you mean by staying out all night?"
"How old are you?
Do you know what this means?"
He felt something was off about that previous life-or-death question, "If I and they fell into the water, who would you save first?"
Na'er is clearly a well-behaved, innocent, and slightly arrogant little girl.
Why did she suddenly start asking such tricky questions that are full of "palace intrigue" flavor?
Now they've even come up with such vulgar terms as "son-in-law who lives with his wife's family"!
Has this persona collapsed a little too quickly?!
Is this still the innocent Na'er who only knew how to say "Brother is so nice"?
She's been completely corrupted by some "malicious people"!
"Hmph! Don't change the subject!"
Although Na'er blushed slightly, she still maintained her composure:
"Never mind how I found out, the point is you didn't come home last night!"
Xuan Hao did not answer, but slowly turned his head, his gaze sweeping sharply over Dugu Yan, who was sitting on the sofa, pretending to look at the scenery, her eyes darting around.
"Sister Yanzi?"
Xuan Hao called out with a half-smile, "This theory of the live-in son-in-law... you taught it to me, didn't you?"
"Ahem... Well, the weather's nice today."
Dugu Yan stood up guiltily, wanting to slip away, "I'll go see if breakfast is ready."
"stop."
Xuan Hao sighed helplessly, squatted down, picked up Na'er who was still blocking the doorway, and explained while pinching her little cheeks as he walked inside:
"Silly girl, what are you thinking about?"
"Even if my brother really does become a live-in son-in-law, he has to take you with him."
"After all, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School is a very wealthy and powerful family.
With our appetites and spending habits, if we didn't have some family fortune to support us, an ordinary family really wouldn't be able to afford to feed us."
"ah?"
Na'er blinked, completely taken aback by this peculiar train of thought, and her previous momentum instantly deflated by half:
"But...aren't we very rich?"
Na'er counted on her fingers:
"We collect protection money... no, I mean the membership fees for the Self-Improvement Association.
It costs hundreds of thousands of gold soul coins a year!"
"I heard from Sister Yanzi that many noble families aren't as wealthy as we are.
Do we still need to become live-in sons-in-law and freeload off them?"
"Tsk, you silly girl, you can't do the math like that."
Xuanhao carried her to the sofa and began to teach her "financial knowledge":
"Those protection fees... cough, membership fees, are meant to be used, not for me to squander."
"That money is the public account of the Tiandou Self-Strengthening Association.
It is used to pay the salaries of the brothers below, to carry out construction, and even to expand its influence in the future."
"If Ziqiang encounters any crisis, or needs money to do things, it will all depend on this money."
Xuan Hao said with a serious expression:
"Public matters are public matters, and private matters are private matters.
This is called clearly distinguishing between public and private matters."
"If public funds are used for private purposes, that's embezzlement, misappropriation of public funds, which can easily cause problems.
If the funding chain breaks down, won't all the power we've worked so hard to build just collapse?"
"That..."
Na'er tilted her head and asked doubtfully, "How much of that money actually ends up in our pockets?"
"Well..."
Xuan Hao thought for a moment and made a rough estimate:
"Besides the high salaries paid to everyone, there are also expenses for maintaining the Self-Reliance Association's normal operation, intelligence gathering, and even spending a portion on charity to buy a good reputation..."
"In the end, we'll probably have about 50% left."
"But we can't take all of that 50%."
"We also need to allocate a portion of the funds to create incentive mechanisms to motivate everyone to work harder; and we also need to set aside a portion as a risk reserve fund in case of unforeseen circumstances."
"In the end..."
Xuan Hao shrugged, looking completely "incorruptible":
"At most, only 10% will be left, which can rightfully go into my pocket."
"So you see, my brother is actually very poor; every penny he earns is hard-earned!"
"..."
Upon hearing these words, Dugu Yan, who had originally intended to slip away, immediately stopped in her tracks.
She turned around and looked at Xuan Hao, who was sitting on the sofa with a serious expression.
His green eyes were filled with shock and disbelief.
"you..."
Dugu Yan opened her mouth, then stammered:
"You actually... have this kind of awareness?"
In her memory, Xuan Hao was a lawless, greedy, and ruthless bandit leader!
She had always assumed that this bastard had pocketed all the protection money and squandered it all, but now she was being told...
This guy is actually a principled, ethical, and even "proper president" who clearly distinguishes between public and private matters?!
"nonsense!"
Xuan Hao rolled his eyes, his face full of disdain:
"Do you think I'm the kind of thug who only knows how to rob people?"
"I'm destined for great things!"
"Those scumbags who only know how to abuse their power for personal gain and treat public funds as their private property are the ones I hate the most!"
"Since we've said we'll help everyone get rich and establish order, we must keep our word and follow the rules."
"Otherwise, who will respect me?
Who will genuinely follow me?"
At this point, Xuan Hao stood up, straightened his collar, and looked dignified and upright:
"Remember, Yanzi."
"A true leader doesn't maintain his authority by robbing people."
"It's based on distributing money!"
"Only when those who follow you are well-fed and have meat to eat can you secure your position and make money in the long run!"
"Do you understand?"
Dugu Yan opened her mouth, looking at the nine-year-old boy in front of her who was spouting profound truths, and was momentarily dazed.
That bastard...
Although he usually seems unserious, he is surprisingly insightful on matters of principle that are more important than anyone else.
Could it be...?
Did I really misjudge him before?
He was actually... a good young man with ideals and ambitions?
"But brother..."
Na'er blinked her big eyes and asked, somewhat puzzled:
"Even if it's only 10%, that's still tens of thousands of gold soul coins every year!"
"We don't spend that much on clothes and good food in a year. Isn't this enough for us to live on for a very long time?"
"Silly girl."
Xuan Hao smiled, reached out, and gently pinched Na'er's rosy cheek.
"Golden Soul Coins are finite, but desires... are infinite."
"Back in the village, I felt happy as long as I could have enough to eat every day; but after I got tens of thousands of gold soul coins, I felt like I would never have to worry about anything in this life."
"But what about now?"
Xuan Hao shrugged and pointed to the luxurious penthouse suite:
"I currently hold hundreds of thousands of gold soul coins, but am I still satisfied?"
"Not satisfied."
"I would want better equipment, rarer herbs, greater power, and even... a voice in this world."
"Desire is like a bottomless pit; the more you put in, the bigger it becomes.
If you don't learn to control it, no amount of money will be enough."
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