Collecting Rent From All Realms, Even Empresses Must Pay Tribute
Ch. 55 - You're Grounded

After Lan XiaoKe's suggestion of "offering herself," Bai QianShuang seemed to want to say something, but hesitated.

Hadn't she suggested that a few days ago? But Ye Chuan had rejected her.

That was why she had made the Heavenly Dao oath, intending to stay with Ye Chuan until the end of his lifespan, to repay his kindness.

But now that Ye Chuan was a Qi Refining cultivator, his lifespan would be extended by several decades.

However, for a cultivator, a few decades were but a fleeting moment. After Ye Chuan grew old, Bai QianShuang would have to make new plans.

Whether it was surviving in this world or finding a way to return to the TianXuan Continent.

Bai QianShuang pondered silently, then took a bite of the bun.

Delicious…

Ye Chuan looked at Bai QianShuang munching on the bun, then at Lan XiaoKe floating in mid-air. 

"You two get along. I'm going to school."

Bai QianShuang nodded slightly, while Lan XiaoKe immediately reached out. "Hey, young man, you haven't gotten me a phone number yet!"

"I'll get you one today, just stay home," Ye Chuan replied. Getting a phone number was easy; he could just go to a mobile phone shop after school or even order a SIM card online.

"Okay," Lan XiaoKe mumbled. She had nowhere else to go anyway, with that collar around her neck.

It was all that woman's fault, even giving her electroshock therapy.

Like training a dog.

But having her own room, a computer to play on, and no work seemed pretty good, right?

Hey, being a dog wasn't so bad.

After finishing breakfast, Ye Chuan left, leaving Lan XiaoKe and Bai QianShuang staring at each other.

Lan XiaoKe felt that Bai QianShuang was hostile towards her. She drifted around for a bit, then stealthily returned to her room. 

Although she couldn't register a game account yet, she could still browse the web and watch videos.

Bai QianShuang watched Lan XiaoKe return to her room, her serene eyes filled with an inexplicable hostility.

She slowly lowered her head and touched her chest.

Then, she returned to her room to cultivate.

…

On his way to school, Ye Chuan thought about his classes. He only had morning classes today.

The sky was clear and blue, the air fresh.

Ye Chuan paused, seeing a ponytailed girl standing near a bun stall. 

She was wearing her school uniform, one leg slightly behind the other, her long, white legs straight and full of energy.

"Hmph." Seeing Ye Chuan, Luo Xi turned away, seemingly upset.

"What's wrong, beautiful Luo Xi?" Ye Chuan chuckled.

"Jerk! Did you use me as inspiration last night?!" Luo Xi put her hands on her hips and leaned forward, feigning anger. 

But her expression wasn't fierce at all, making it seem more like she was acting cute.

Last night?

Ye Chuan recalled awakening the Chaotic Indestructible Body last night. 

He hadn't done anything strange, had he? He raised an eyebrow, puzzled. "What nonsense are you talking about?"

Seeing Ye Chuan feigning ignorance, Luo Xi pouted. "Then why did you call me? And you were… shaking."

"Oh…" Ye Chuan finally understood why Luo Xi was acting this way. He chuckled. "I was just scratching my butt. Why would you misunderstand? Don't tell me you've done that before?"

"..." Luo Xi froze, then took a deep breath and said with a straight face, "No, of course not."

But her voice lacked conviction, trailing off at the end.

"Oh?" Ye Chuan didn't dwell on Luo Xi's reaction and took a small package out of his pocket. "Here, this is my family's ancestral remedy."

It was ground-up Deer Blood Pill, mixed with some Banlangen (a traditional Chinese herbal medicine), to make it look like a herbal powder.

"You got better after taking this?" Luo Xi looked at Ye Chuan's face, noticing his healthy, rosy complexion, her lively eyes blinking curiously.

Did this medicine really work?

She saw Ye Chuan almost every day and had noticed the changes in him. It seemed to be effective.

"Definitely effective," Ye Chuan said with certainty, adding, "You should definitely try it."

Luo Xi chose to believe him, carefully putting the medicine packet into her pocket. She would take it home for her mother to try after school.

"Beautiful Luo Xi, do you know where this medicine came from?" Seeing the slight upturn of Luo Xi's lips, Ye Chuan, noticing her good mood, suddenly asked.

"Where did it come from?" Luo Xi asked.

"Actually, I discovered that my grandfather left me an inheritance, not only money but also some other miscellaneous things," Ye Chuan coughed lightly.

Luo Xi didn't seem to understand.

Inheritance?

Wasn't his grandfather long dead? If he really had an inheritance, how could he have been so poor all these years?

"Yes, the inheritance was given to me after I became an adult. The hardships I faced before were meant to temper my character," Ye Chuan said with a serious expression, spinning his tale. 

He couldn't just say it was money from his tenants; no one would believe that.

Not even that idiot Lan XiaoKe.

Although he didn't want to lie to Luo Xi, some things were better left unsaid.

"Really? That's great!" Luo Xi seemed genuinely happy for him. "Then you should save it carefully. You can buy a nice apartment in the city center, right?"

Luo Xi didn't care how much Ye Chuan had inherited, she was just happy for him.

"Why buy an apartment? I have a place to live," Ye Chuan said, then paused and added,

"I'll just renovate my old house."

"Don't you need a car and a house to get married these days? ChuanChuan, if you want to get married or find a girlfriend in the future, you'll still need a proper apartment. They're thirty thousand yuan per square meter in the city center," Luo Xi mumbled, thinking ahead.

"Do I need a car and a house to marry you?" Ye Chuan chuckled.

"Of course not, living here is fine, I'm used to it," Luo Xi replied instinctively, then froze.

She suddenly punched Ye Chuan lightly on the arm, a playful smile on her face.

"What's up? Have you fallen for Daddy?"

"I'll consider it if I can't find anyone else," Ye Chuan's smile widened, a hint of something in his dark eyes. "After all, I wouldn't need to buy a car or a house."

"As if I'm that cheap! You're grounded! Buy me milk tea!" Luo Xi said, feigning anger.

"Okay~ let's go, beautiful Luo Xi," Ye Chuan tugged Luo Xi's ponytail.

"Hey, wait for me!"

"Do you want this bun? I can't finish it."

"No… wait, give me a bite."