“By the way, I haven’t even asked—what ability did you awaken?”

As they stepped out of the Awakening Spire, Zhou Jiuyu turned to her with curiosity.

“Air,” Nan Mengling murmured. She lifted a hand slightly, shifting the airflow around them. A gentle breeze swept past, bringing a refreshing coolness to both.

“Right now, my Spirit Energy lets me control air currents within a ten-kilometer radius centered on me,” she explained. “I—and any inanimate objects I carry—can also transform into air. But my current movement range is only one kilometer.”

“So… this entire ten-kilometer circle is your air domain now?” Zhou Jiuyu arched a brow.

“Mm.” Nan Mengling nodded. “I’m still getting used to it. With more practice, the range should expand.”

“Good. Next, we’ll focus on your swordsmanship and refining your ability… But first, let’s get you some new clothes.”

“Thank you, young master…”

Head bowed, she whispered her reply, then quietly stepped beside him and looped her arm through his.

Zhou Jiuyu opened his mouth to scold this shameless little flirt—

—but froze the moment he felt the soft, warm, jiggly press of her ample bosom sliding against his arm. He fell silent instantly.

Nan Mengling, braced for reprimand, glanced up. Seeing the poorly concealed pleasure beneath his stern expression, a solemn realization struck her.

*Young master likes feet… legs… and now—breasts too!*

“Mayor Shao! Mayor Shao!”

Just as they cleared the Spire’s entrance, a frantic man rushed toward them.

It was Tong Che—the Shadow Syndicate leader Zhou Jiuyu had hired in City Four.

“Well, if it isn’t Boss Tong?” Zhou Jiuyu chuckled. “You ran off so fast earlier. Back for an encore?”

Tong Che blinked in shock, then fury flushed his face. “Still mocking me?! Give back the money!”

“Money? What money?” Zhou Jiuyu tilted his head. “Didn’t I already pay the bounty?”

“You’re still playing dumb?!” Tong Che snarled. “Where’d the cash in the base go? My crew’s blaming *me* for stealing a hundred billion!”

He’d returned to the base grinning, expecting profit—only to find the mountain of cash vanished. Surveillance showed it disappearing into thin air.

But his mercenaries didn’t care. No proof? No pay? They accused *him* of pocketing it all. “Cough it up or we quit!”—yet he couldn’t produce a single yuan.

So he’d raced back, hoping Mayor Shao would stop Zhou Jiuyu, this deceitful scoundrel, and force repayment.

*Fine. I’ll hand over thirty billion as “compensation” later… Better than nothing.*

“Recall our contract?” Zhou Jiuyu’s tone stayed calm. “You guarded me only to the Spire’s gate. The moment you saw the mayor, you bolted. Half-service earns half-pay. The incomplete breathing technique I provided covers it.”

“We signed a contract!” Tong Che narrowed his eyes, voice icy. “Break it here, at the Awakening Spire, with the mayor present? You won’t leave without paying.”

“Oh, thanks for reminding me.” Zhou Jiuyu raised a brow. “You breached first. Per contract… you owe *me* ten million in penalties.”

Tong Che let out a cold laugh. “Keep spinning lies. Mayor Shao’s right here. No money? You’re not walking away.”

“Then go fetch your mayor.”

Zhou Jiuyu shrugged carelessly.

*Of course I reclaimed the hundred billion. It restored a sliver of Spirit Energy—but I barely cared. What annoyed me was how Tong Che and his Syndicate fled the second they saw the mayor. No loyalty. No pretense. They sold me out without blinking.*

*So why leave them a single coin? I’m no fool. No pushover.*

“Just wait…”

Tong Che snorted and turned toward the Spire—

—but halted after one step.

*Wait… How did Zhou and Nan walk out unharmed? They should’ve been dead. Or crippled.*

*No…*

*That girl’s sleeve… had blood on it.*

A chill shot down Tong Che’s spine. He hurried inside. The Spire stood silent, stained crimson. His pupils shrank. Swallowing hard, he sprinted back—and

*Thud!*

He dropped to his knees, pulling a bank card from his pocket and offering it with both hands.

“Sir… this card holds thirty million. Password: eight eights.”

“But good grandson,” Zhou Jiuyu smiled, “the penalty’s only ten million. I don’t take what isn’t mine. I’m reasonable.”

“The extra twenty… is my tribute to you,” Tong Che kept his head low.

“Ah… since it’s your heartfelt filial piety, I’ll reluctantly accept.”

Zhou pocketed the card and gestured ahead. “Clear the road. And send us to the shopping district.”

“Yes, sir!”

Tong Che’s face bloomed with obsequious smiles. He scrambled off, barking orders. Cars parted instantly. A sleek black sedan pulled up front.

“Sir… Madam… travel safely,” Tong Che held the door open.

Zhou settled in slowly, smiling. “Good grandson. Well done.”

“Of course, of course… travel safely,” Tong Che bowed deeply.

As the sedan rolled toward the commercial street, Nan Mengling’s eyes sparkled. “Young master… he called you ‘grandpa’.”

“Naturally,” Zhou Jiuyu glanced at her.

“He called *me* ‘grandma’ too…” she murmured.

“Trying to skip straight to ‘young mistress’? Grow up first, little maid.” He turned away, waving a hand dismissively.

“…Oh.” Nan Mengling puffed her cheeks, sulking.

*If only I’d refused being a maid… Become his young mistress outright. No tea-serving. Just warming his bed—and he’d stay with me forever.*

*So… regretful.*

…

After the car vanished, Tong Che finally exhaled deeply.

Nearby Syndicate members frowned. “Boss… why let them go? They didn’t pay! And you… knelt to them?”

“Are you *that* stupid?” Tong Che snapped, staring at the empty Spire. “Mayor Shao meant to kill them. How’d they walk out alive?”

“Why…?”

*Even I didn’t grasp it at first. He was Ninth Tier. A city lord! We never imagined…*

“Because *Mayor Shao* died in there—not them! How else did they leave?!”

Silence.

Then—gasps. “Boss… you mean… they *killed* Mayor Shao?!”

“Duh!” Tong Che groaned. “Why else would I kneel and call him ‘grandpa’? Until the new mayor arrives, *they’re* the true power in City Four! Calling him ‘grandpa’? I got the better deal. He’s not ‘sir’—he’s the *Supreme Patriarch*!”

The Syndicate members exchanged stunned looks, staring down the road where the sedan disappeared. One by one, they swallowed hard.