“It’s already prepared.” Chu Li glanced at Mu Yunjin, then turned around and walked toward the market street.

Mu Yunjin stood up, looked at the clear stream behind her, then at Chu Li’s retreating figure, her face full of confusion.

So coming to Zhangzhou City to get gold was just a side matter? The real purpose was to specifically test her?

Thinking of this, Mu Yunjin slapped her forehead. Truly, impulse was the devil! If she had just controlled her temper, she wouldn’t have exposed her hidden skills so early.

But on second thought, perhaps it was fine that her abilities were exposed. Chu Li was such a meticulous person; it was better to be open and honest with him.

Perhaps one day if she encountered trouble, he might even lend a hand.

With this thought, Mu Yunjin’s mood immediately improved. She quickened her steps to walk beside Chu Li, glancing sideways at him with pursed lips, momentarily silent.

Chu Li led Mu Yunjin to a residence on the outskirts. Upon entering, Mu Yunjin saw the blue stallion and red-wind horse they had ridden earlier, now lowering their heads to graze in the courtyard.

The old man who had first greeted them was feeding the horses some fodder.

…

…

“Young Master.” Huang Yan walked out from the door and, seeing Chu Li and Mu Yunjin enter from outside, bowed respectfully.

“Mm, where are the items?” Chu Li looked at Huang Yan and asked calmly.

Huang Yan smiled and made a ‘please’ gesture. “Young Master, please. Everything has been placed in the inner chamber.”

Hearing this, Chu Li acknowledged with a sound and stepped inside, walking toward the inner chamber. Mu Yunjin followed behind Chu Li, glancing at Huang Yan beside her, examining him carefully.

This person appeared to be a fair-faced scholar but was a gambler. More importantly, he seemed to have known Chu Li for a long time and had been handling affairs for him for quite a while.

Hmph, another strange person.

Mu Yunjin walked a few steps, originally thinking this was just a small house, but unexpectedly found that it concealed an underground passage.

“Wait outside.” Standing before the steps, Chu Li glanced at Huang Yan.

Huang Yan immediately understood and walked out.

When only Chu Li and Mu Yunjin remained in the room, Mu Yunjin glanced at the dark underground passage and immediately understood why Chu Li had sent Huang Yan away.

So she awkwardly asked, “Did you bring the jade pendant?”

“Mm.” Chu Li nodded, taking out a jade pendant emanating a moonlight-white glow from his sleeve and tossing it into Mu Yunjin’s arms. “You light the way.”

Mu Yunjin caught the pendant and rolled her eyes toward the sky. “It’s not like I can’t see. Why make me hold it?”

“Do you still want a share of the gold?” Chu Li raised an eyebrow.

“I do!” Mu Yunjin clutched the jade pendant, her fingers gently stroking its smooth surface. She walked beside Chu Li, using the white light from the jade pendant to illuminate the path of the underground passage.

The two descended the stairs together. When they reached the last step, Mu Yunjin looked at the sealed path in front and used the jade pendant to illuminate the surroundings.

She then said, “Activate the mechanism.”

Chu Li glanced at Mu Yunjin, seeing her calm and composed expression. Appreciation flashed in his eyes as he reached out to twist the mechanism embedded in the wall.

In a moment, the wall blocking their path split in two, automatically moving to both sides. Mu Yunjin pursed her lips and walked inside.

Just after stepping through the stone door, Mu Yunjin saw another staircase leading downward. Seeing this, she raised an eyebrow and looked at Chu Li teasingly. “Just how much gold have you hidden here?”

Chu Li’s lips curved into a faint smile. Ignoring Mu Yunjin’s question, he continued walking down the stairs.

Mu Yunjin followed him until they stood before another stone door.

“If we open this door, there won’t be another underground passage, will there?” Mu Yunjin crossed her arms, slightly furrowing her brow.

Chu Li shook his head. He channeled his true energy, and a purple glow appeared in his palm, gradually forming into a spherical ball. Then, with a flick of his wrist, the purple light shot toward the stone door before them.

Upon contact with the purple light, the stone door, like the first one, moved apart to both sides.

“This door, you also sealed it?” Mu Yunjin couldn’t help but recall the mountain in Heyue City, which had also been sealed by Chu Li, preventing ordinary people from approaching.

As she spoke, without waiting for Chu Li to respond, Mu Yunjin caught sight of what was inside the stone door and immediately exclaimed, “Wow…”

Mu Yunjin immediately ran inside. Seeing the room filled with boxes, her eyes brightened. She casually opened one box, revealing gleaming gold.

She opened several boxes in succession, all filled with gold.

Looking at the room full of gold, Mu Yunjin was astonished. She turned to look at Chu Li standing at the doorway. “Where did all this come from?”

After a pause, Mu Yunjin asked again, “It can’t all be won by Huang Yan for you, can it?”

Chu Li looked at Mu Yunjin, his cold and indifferent voice resonating in the quiet chamber, “All the gambling houses and pawnshops on that black market street are properties under this Prince’s name.”

“What?!”

Mu Yunjin widened her eyes in shock, as if she thought she had misheard. “You’re not joking, are you?”

“No.” Chu Li maintained a straight face, speaking calmly.

After hearing Chu Li’s affirmative response, Mu Yunjin bit her lip, seemingly finding it hard to believe. She recalled the black market street they had just visited, where gambling houses and pawnshops occupied almost the entire street. She never imagined they were all Chu Li’s properties.

Though she knew Chu Li must have other support behind him, she never thought it would be gambling houses and pawnshops.

“This gold, is it all earned from the business of gambling houses and pawnshops?” Mu Yunjin asked Chu Li, her face full of astonishment after composing herself.

Chu Li nodded slightly, stepping closer. He picked up a piece of gold and played with it in his hand, glancing at the boxes in the chamber. “There’s about a hundred thousand taels of gold here, the profit from this month.”

“So this money, it’s all won from those gambling addicts?” Mu Yunjin thought of the people in the teahouse, then looked at the gold piled up here. She sighed inwardly—no wonder those people were desperate!

“These people are insatiable. Their fate is nothing but the consequence of their actions.” Chu Li dropped the gold in his hand, speaking coldly.

Mu Yunjin slightly raised her eyebrow, nodding in agreement. “That’s true. A little gambling for entertainment, but excessive gambling is harmful. Those people deserve it!”

After speaking, Mu Yunjin walked closer to Chu Li, raising her chin, her gaze fixed on him. “So you said there’s about a hundred thousand taels of gold here. How much can I get?”

Hearing this, Chu Li laughed softly, lowering his gaze to look at Mu Yunjin. “Take as much as you want.”

“Really?” Mu Yunjin raised an eyebrow, then felt she had become too money-obsessed. After thinking for a moment, she held up one finger. “Then I’ll take ten thousand taels.”

“Like last time, convert it into banknotes for me. It’s easier to keep.”

Chu Li looked at Mu Yunjin’s proud expression and smiled slightly. He spoke gently, “Mm, this Prince promises you.”

……

After leaving the underground chamber, Mu Yunjin handed the jade pendant back to Chu Li. Her mood was excellent now, and she didn’t hesitate to share her smile with Huang Yan, who was standing at the door.

Mu Yunjin walked outside the residence, taking a breath of fresh air. When her gaze swept toward the black market, she still felt a sense of incredulity.

So what Chu Li operated behind the scenes were the gambling houses and pawnshops on this black market street. If the imperial family found out about this, it would likely cause quite a stir.

Thinking of this, Mu Yunjin couldn’t help but recall Chu Qiongchang. The Fifth Princess was also involved in the brothel business. Could it be of the same nature as Chu Li’s ventures?

As she was thinking, a shadow blocked her light.

Mu Yunjin looked up to see Huang Yan standing before her, examining her continuously. After a while, Huang Yan revealed a smile. “So you’re the Young Master’s new wife?”

“You look pretty good, worthy of our Young Master. Just don’t know about your character.” Huang Yan stroked his chin as he spoke.

Mu Yunjin laughed lightly, turning to look at Chu Li, then back at Huang Yan. “How long have you been following him?”

“About that… It’s a secret. Not convenient to tell you now.” Huang Yan made a ‘shh’ gesture, then turned to stand beside Chu Li.

“Young Master, these past two days, people from the East Lin Nation have been spotted in the black market. However, for now, they’ve only been seen staying at one of the inns there, with no other unusual activities.” Huang Yan reported.

At the mention of the East Lin Nation, Chu Li’s eyes slightly darkened, a flash of ruthlessness passing through them. “Continue to monitor them.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

After Huang Yan finished speaking, the old man who had been feeding the horses also came over. He bowed to Chu Li and said, “At the Painted Fan Restaurant in the market, people from the South Ting Nation have been staying there these past two days.”

“What about the North Ming Nation?” Chu Li asked, looking at the old man.

“We haven’t yet detected people from the North Ming Nation, but our news has been out for a while. People from the North Ming Nation should appear in Zhangzhou City soon.” The old man replied.

Mu Yunjin sat on a nearby chair, absorbing all three men’s conversation. She couldn’t help but raise her eyebrows in surprise. What major event could attract people from the other three nations?

Could it be related to the thing that Chu Li had been searching for all along?

With this thought, Mu Yunjin’s curiosity about that item, which she had previously suppressed, was piqued again. What exactly was it that had Chu Li so fixated on finding it for so long?

After Huang Yan and the old man dispersed, Mu Yunjin could feel the low pressure emanating from Chu Li.

“Why did you attract people from the three nations?” Mu Yunjin looked at Chu Li, inquiring.

Chu Li glanced at Mu Yunjin, his eyes revealing deep meaning. He frowned slightly and spoke slowly, “You don’t need to know too much. It’s not beneficial for you.”

Hearing this, Mu Yunjin made a dismissive sound, turning her eyes away. She put her hand on her stomach. “I’m hungry. Where can we eat?”

“In the market.” Chu Li answered.

Mu Yunjin rose to her feet. Just as she was about to walk out, she saw Chu Li standing motionless. “Aren’t you coming?”

Chu Li shook his head. “This Prince still has matters to attend to. You go by yourself.”

After speaking, he added, “With your excellent skills now, this Prince naturally doesn’t worry about you getting into trouble.”

Hearing these somewhat teasing words, Mu Yunjin flattened her mouth and glared at Chu Li. “Hmph, this lady has great powers. Of course I won’t easily get into trouble!”