Chapter 42 – The Strange Safe

The sect master glanced around and vaguely noticed several people eyeing him with hostility. He knew that if he continued to press the matter, a fight might actually break out.

The sect master was confident that with his strength at the Peak Grandmaster Realm, winning would be easy. But if he failed to find what he was looking for and also provoked the city lord, that would spell real trouble.

This brings up the situation in Half-Ghost City. Aside from some gray income, the twenty auction houses in and around Half-Ghost City were all doing decent business, with Su Ming’s auction house earning the highest revenue.

The city lord had decreed that VIP Clients could not directly or indirectly seize another VIP Client’s card, meaning the twenty VIP Clients each controlled one of the twenty auction houses.

If the sect master were to cripple an auction house to the point it could no longer operate, he would be placed under a kill order. Given Half-Ghost City’s reputation and the generous bounty, the sect master would likely be assassinated even within the Heavenly Saint Sect.

That was why the sect master had been causing a scene for so long without ever actually making a move.

The sect master helplessly left behind a harsh parting threat: “Just you wait! I’ll be back!”

With that, he left. Of course, the butler had long since noticed Su Ming watching the show from the sidelines.

The butler walked over: “Miss Yue’er, would you please return the Supreme Card to us?”

Su Ming smiled: “What’s the matter? Trying to back out of the deal?”

The butler smiled too: “Both Party A and Party B are you, so holding this card doesn’t really serve much purpose anymore.”

Su Ming knew the butler had already figured out her identity. She took out the Supreme Card: “Refund me a hundred thousand gold coins, then tell me about how you’ve been running things here.”

They talked for about two hours, and Su Ming nearly dozed off. She still knew far too little about this kind of business.

It was the butler who had the harder time, having to translate every piece of professional jargon into plain language…

Su Ming interrupted: “Alright, alright, I can’t follow all of it. I know you’re definitely capable. But I just want to ask one thing—how do you handle the money that belongs to the boss from the auction house?”

The butler: “Normally, only ten percent truly belongs to you, but I set aside a portion for employee benefits.”

Su Ming: “And how did the previous bosses handle it?”

The butler: “The previous bosses would just take it all directly, even dipping into public funds. But the last boss didn’t understand anything, which is why we managed to recover quite a bit.”

Su Ming nodded. A large enterprise like this naturally needed substantial capital to keep running—that much she understood.

Su Ming: “One more question. When I went to the antique shop yesterday, they said they belonged to VIP Client No. 2. So do we also dabble in other businesses like that?”

The butler: “That’s quite common. But we focus more on food, medicine, and cultivation resources. These not only generate profit but also secure our own supply, and when necessary, we can use them to sanction other VIP Clients.”

Su Ming thought about it—food, medicine, cultivation resources. Which of these wasn’t of utmost importance? Cultivation resources were essential for cultivators, and without food or the ability to heal wounds, people would die…

Su Ming: “Were all these ideas yours?”

The butler: “Not entirely. Some came from the people below. But recently, we’ve been considering venturing into talent development. Half-Ghost City doesn’t lack labor, but it lacks talent. Training people and funneling them directly to us wouldn’t be a bad move either.”

Su Ming said, “Handle this as you see fit—I don’t understand these matters. And if you’re short on money, just take it from me directly. No need to pay interest; we’re all family here.”

Upon hearing this, the butler knew that Su Ming had accepted him.

He knelt down gratefully and said, “I knew you were different from others. I will work diligently to repay your trust.”

Su Ming helped him up. “Don’t do that. I’m not used to it.”

The butler asked, puzzled, “Speaking of which, Miss Yue’er, how old are you exactly? You’re so small. Should I find some nutritional supplements for you?”

Su Ming clenched her fists. Damn it—why was her female form so petite…

The butler led Su Ming to a room on the fifth floor. “This was where the previous boss used to stay. Ever since we learned of your identity, we’ve cleaned it thoroughly and replaced everything. As for that safe, only your VIP Card can open it. I don’t know what’s inside.”

Su Ming said, “Don’t reveal my identity for now. Also, there’s a waiter who had a deal with me—please call him over. Thank you.”

The butler replied, “No need to thank me. It’s my duty.”

Su Ming added, “And help me find some black cloaks. I have some things to take care of.”

The butler said, “Very well.”

With that, she dismissed the butler. But Su Ming found herself in a bind—dressed all in black, she looked even cuter… (◔◡◔)

Su Ming approached the safe, swiped her VIP Card, and—golden light flashed! Inside were several gold bars!!

Su Ming marveled, “Good heavens, one visit and I’ve become a wealthy merchant…”

It wasn’t that she was rich herself—it was just that the previous generation had left behind too much money. And who knew, maybe it had been accumulating over several generations.

But thinking about it, how much money had those people amassed to leave gold bars here? After all, any normal person would take the money and run…

Su Ming pushed aside the gold bars and found a Soul-Returning Pill inside. It suddenly dawned on her—no wonder the sect master couldn’t find it. The butler never had it in the first place.

But that was a bit strange. Didn’t the sect master know the Soul-Returning Pill was here? Even though Guo Dong was the cardholder, the sect master could still use the card to open the safe…

Su Ming wondered, “Could it be that Guo Dong didn’t tell his mother? But if it was a matter of life and death, he should have told her…”

Su Ming continued looking and found a book and a ghost bead at the ghost king level inside.

(Note: Both half-step ghost king and ghost king correspond to the Grandmaster Realm in humans.)

Su Ming took out the ghost bead, puzzled. Why would someone put this in here?

For the Heavenly Saint Sect, acquiring a few ghost king-level ghost beads shouldn’t be difficult. And what was the point of placing it here?

Suddenly, the book began to show signs of decay. Realizing something was wrong, Su Ming quickly put the ghost bead back. After a moment, the book returned to its original state.

Su Ming understood—this ghost bead was maintaining the book’s existence. But since she possessed an immense amount of ghostly qi within her, she should be able to take it out…

Just as Su Ming was about to retrieve the book, a knock came at the door, followed by the waiter’s voice: “May I come in?”

Su Ming quickly closed the safe. “Please, come in.”

The waiter entered. “You called for me.”

Su Ming produced a hundred gold coins. “As I told you before, do me a favor and I’ll pay you. Even though you did slip up, I keep my word.”

The waiter hesitated to accept them. “This… isn’t this too much?”

Su Ming said, “Keep it. I still have something I’d like to ask you to help with.”

The waiter still didn’t dare to take it. “Tell me first.”

Su Ming said, “It’s simple. You just need to tell me what the relationship between the previous boss and his mother really is.”

The waiter was a bit taken aback. “What… what relationship? Aren’t they mother and son?”

Su Ming felt a little speechless. Sure enough, her way of asking was a bit off.

Su Ming said, “Then tell me, did they have any peculiar habits when they came here, like arguing at the drop of a hat or anything like that…”

The waiter shook his head. “No, they never came here at the same time. And from what I recall, his mother mostly came here to gather intelligence or do some shopping, while he himself came here more to collect money or enjoy life.”