That afternoon, we hit the streets of Hang Zhou.
Even though it was already getting close to the beginning of spring, it was still chilly outside. A lot of the girls out were wearing tights and a skirt to hide from the cold. Yan An street is pretty much one of Hang Zhouâs most flourishing commercial streets, and so even in this weather, there was no lack of eye candy for the boys. As we slowly walked along the street, we saw a girl wearing a very short skirt and pantyhose. She carried a large purse and had a smile on her face. The skirt was flowy and swayed with her stride. I then looked over at Wan Er and Dong Cheng who were completely covered. Dong Cheng and Wan Er were practically dressed like they were from the past conservative society. Despite that, the thick coats and sweaters didnât detract from the girlâs beauty at all.
âWhatâs that expression?â Wan Er had a puzzled look. She then looked at the pants that she was wearing. With a scoff she said, âAlright alright, when itâs new year Iâll change into skirts⦠Men, so unreliableâ¦â
I protested, âDearest, what kind of a man do you think I am? Am I really the kind of person that only focuses on outer looks?â
Wan Er pouted her lip, âAre you saying you arenât? Look, that girl wearing the short skirt on the left, her legs are so longâ¦â
âWhere?! Where!?â
ââ¦â¦â
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After getting beat up by Wan Er, I was dragged into a womenâs clothing store. I hadnât looked into the different brands, but the price tags on these clothes were all easily over ten thousand RMB. My heart stopped for a second when I saw the numbers. Wan Er, Dong Cheng and Dong Cheng Lei appeared completely calm. After all, they were born into rich families. I composed myself. After all, I was the guildmaster of [Zhan Long], I was at least valued over a hundred million, if not a billion. No matter what, I shouldnât be balking here.
Very soon, the girls had picked out several pieces. The bill itself was over 130,000!
I did all I could to compose myself. Wan Er put the clothing bag in my hand and suddenly wrapped her arm around my arm. She smiled, âLetâs go and get some new clothes for you. Who knows, maybe youâll have to go and visit relatives for the New Years.â
I replied, âBesides going to my auntieâs, I donât have any other relatives to go toâ¦â
âEven so you need to look good for that! Thatâs right, isnât Meng Yao coming back to Hang Zhou too?â
Hasnât she been spending the entire time grinding levels? I heard that sheâs arriving in the afternoon. She told me not to pick her up, sheâs planning on going straight home.â
âOk.â
After walking a short distance, Dong Cheng grinned, âWan Er, the only Zegna flagship store is here. Do you want to take Li Xiao Yao over to take a look?â
âAlright!â
Wan Er tugged on my hand and quickened her pace, âPig, come and see if you like it or not.â
The moment I entered, I could tell that the store was very high end. So this was the Zegna that Dong Cheng was talking about. Even though I didnât know much about brand names, I understood all I needed to know just by looking at the price tag. Just one piece of clothing was over 20,000 RMB. Theyâre practically stealing from me!
âWhat do you think of this one?â Wan Er picked out a navy blue casual blazer. She put it against my chest and sweetly smiled, âLooks like this piece suits you very wellâ¦ân/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
I balked, â27,000⦠It's so expensive!â
âBut of course. A suit from Zegna is naturally very expensive. To top it off, this is their newest style. Do you like it?â She flashed a very beautiful smile as she looked into my eyes.
I quickly pointed at the male clothing store across the street and said, âThe suits in that store look pretty good too. Very straight, how about we go to that store!â
Wan Erâs expression didnât change at all, âThatâs G2000, it's rumored to be a uniform store. Are you trying to dress like a waiter?â
I replied, âBut, it's so expensiveâ¦â
âOh grow upâ¦â Wan Er sighed, âAlright then, now that I have decided for you, then Iâll pay for this. Either way, I still have a lot of money on my card. If I donât spend it, itâll go to wasteâ¦â
To which I replied, âNo you canât, Iâll pay for itâ¦â
âDon't you even try. For a stingy person like you, itâd be strange if your heart didnât straight up stop after paying that much. How could I allow that?â
I was speechless.
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She then went over and picked out another couple of clothes. She was not satisfied until the bill was at least 100,000. She then pulled out her card to pay the bill. It was as though she would be very angry if I ended up paying, so I didnât force it. There was no need after all.
I carried the heavy shopping bags in one hand, while I held Wan Erâs hand in my other and said, âI remember⦠At first, you were very unwilling to part with your wallet when you bought that tiger from me. How is it that now, you can pay for a 100,000 bill without batting an eyelash?â
Wan Er grinned, âThatâs because, before, my relationship with my dad was a bit tense. I wasnât even willing to touch the card that he gave me. These past few days together with you, dadâs personality seems to be changing a bit. And so, heâs given me a new card. Thereâs around nine digits in it. He said that it's my allowance. I canât even spend it allâ¦â
I rubbed my nose and felt a surge of sorrow, âThis is the woe of different social classes⦠Why havenât my parents given me something like a card? Instead, they left Meng Yao with me, forcing me to work hard and raise her into a successful young woman all by myselfâ¦â
âYea right, wasnât Auntie the one that brought her up!â
ââ¦â¦â
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After we finished shopping, we returned to our house. Not long after, Meng Yao arrived in Hang Zhou. Without anything to do, I logged onto the game after dinner to see if there was anything to do in the game.
âShua!â
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Light burst in front of my eyes and I appeared in Tian Ling City. A red tablet appeared on the system interface. When I clicked on it to take a look, I saw that it was all of the military information about the Royal Army. I glanced through it and then quickly summoned my Flying Scythe War Horse. I leapt on and dashed straight towards the camp. My horse was extremely fast and arrived before the gate in minutes. The guards outside recognized me and immediately knelt and greeted, âGeneral!â
I nodded and dashed inside. The system quickly notified me that I needed to go to the drill grounds and supervise the drills for thirty minutes. This was a daily task for the commander.
âJiu Jiuâ¦â
My Flying Scythe Horseâs whinny had alarmed the general at the West Drill Grounds. It was one of the generals in charge of a division ââ Han Yuan. It was also the man who was known as âHan Beardâ. However, among all of the generals of the Royal Army, I admired him the most. He had a candid personality, and was definitely a brave and fierce general on the battlefield!
âMy lord commander is here!â
Han Yuan bounded down the steps and raised his broadsword. He knelt before me and said, âGreetings my lord!â
I nodded, âPlease rise, thereâs no need for any ceremony!â
âYes my lord!â
Han Yuan stood up. He then looked over at the thousand people who were training behind him and said, âThe Blade Shield Camp is currently practicing a defense formation. My lord⦠are you here to watch?â
I smiled, âI want to understand more about the battle power of the Royal Army. That is within the responsibilities of a commander, is it not?â
Han Yuan was stunned, âMy lord, donât you know⦠The past commander General Li Shi didn't even enter the strategy tent, much less examine the drills. He probably only knows how to play with girls and drink his nights away in his own tent.â
I was shocked, âHe was that corrupt?â
âThereâs more.â Han Yuan clenched his teeth, âThereâs women in every tent within the Royal Army, raised only for the sake of being playthings for the noblemen. If my lord doesnât believe me, you can personally go to the dungeons of Tent 4 to take a look. All of the women are locked up there, living a life worse than pigs and dogs.â
âOh?â
Without another word I jumped back onto my horse and shouted, âHan Yuan, follow me!â
âYes my lord!â
Han Yuan lead over a crimson battle horse and followed me to the fourth tent. From a distance, a couple of soldiers raised their spears, âWho comes here?â
Han Yuan quickly raised his sword, âThe lord commander is here to inspect the dungeons. Who dares to block his way?â
The soldiers all knelt to the ground. I stopped my battle horse and said, âTake me into the prisons!â
âWhat?â One of the soldiers revealed an ugly expression and said, âThis⦠This place is under strict orders from Lord Luo Tei. Iâm afraid I cannot obeyâ¦â
Angrily, I pulled out my general tablet and roared, âThis is the Royal Army, just who is in charge? Immediately open the doors, or else I will inflict martial law and have you killed!â
âYes⦠yes my lordâ¦â
The gates to the dungeons opened up. I slid off my horse and walked in with my sword out. Instead of a musty stink, I could smell the scent of perfume and makeup. Instead of savage and brutal criminals locked in the cells, there were several beautiful girls, doing their make up. Some of them were even crying.
I furrowed my brow and said, âWhat is going on?â
Han Yuan replied, âGeneral, every day after nightfall, there would be an influx of soldiers in this area. All of the women here must serve at least ten men a night. Otherwise, they wouldnât be allowed to sleep. This entire Royal Army has at least a thousand women just like this. They were all servants who were sold into slavery. Some of them were women that we captured after we fought the Barbarian Tribe. But without any exception, they are all pitiful women. They live a life in the shadows without every seeing the sun. Almost every day thereâs someone who dies. However, these noble soldiers use their pockets full of gold to buy more playthings to fill in the spot. This is the true scent of corruption in the Royal Army Camps!â
My hand shook with anger, âThis thing, whoâs the one in charge, just who allowed this?â
Han Yuan replied, âI donât dare to say!â
âTell me!â
âYes my lordâ¦â He hesitated for a moment and said, âThis was arranged by Commander Luo. His father is a Marquis, and so⦠As for the man who allowed this, the past commander of the Royal Army was Li Shi, and so heâs the one that allowed it. Anyone above that would be Princess Pearl. But, since Princess Pearl is a girl, sheâs never truly understood the Royal Army, and so I donât expect her to know about this.â
I shook with anger, âThose b*st*rds⦠Guard!â
A couple of guards arrived, âYes general?â
I pointed at the cell and said, âLet all of these women out and have them gather at the West Drill Grounds. In addition, gather all of the soldiers there!â
âYes sir!â
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