Guilongchao: I played the domineering CEO to the bone.

Chapter 116: Anomalies and Coincidences?

"Seventeen in total, please take them."

Wait, this little convenience store actually sells paper money?

Tongzhen bought paper gold ingots, wedding candies, pastries, and silver coins at an ordinary convenience store near Longchao Pavilion...

As Tong received the basket of items from the shop assistant, she felt a sense of disorientation...

This convenience store is amazing! It seems like whenever I need something, this place always has it.

Tong silently took out her money, but stopped herself from paying...

It's not about forcing a ghost marriage, nor is it about bullying the shop assistant, nor is it about Long Yin trying to abduct someone...

Instead, it suddenly dawned on me!

'It's not much money, but what Master Du just said seemed to imply that I should pay for it myself?'

'That won't do! I have to get reimbursed from him as soon as I get back! I absolutely must remember! I can't let it get away with this... that's my entire day's food allowance!'

Noticing that the shop assistant seemed to have reached under the counter, as if groping for something, her eyes betrayed barely concealed panic and tension...

Hmm... I don't seem like a bad guy, do I?

Given the current situation, and with Master Du not by her side, Tong had no choice but to pay the 17 Nine Square Coins first.

To avoid causing any misunderstanding with the young woman in front of me who appears to be a college student working a summer job.

Tong reached into her pocket and rummaged around...

Huh? This director didn't bring any change?

Looking at the nine-square coins, the smallest denomination being only ten and the largest only ten, Tong fell into deep thought...

So, this director is already this wealthy? He's got tons of money on him?

It's okay, it's not like some shady shop won't give us change.

Tong ordered twenty nine-square coins and handed them to the shop assistant.

The shop assistant also breathed a sigh of relief, relaxed completely, and took her hand out from under the counter, accepting the twenty-nine square coins from Tong with both hands.

"I'll charge you twenty..."

Just as the cashier was processing the transaction, Tong suddenly felt a chilling, eerie feeling down her back...

I instinctively turned around and saw that the convenience store's automatic sensor door had opened sometime during the night...

But right now, both inside and outside the convenience store... there are only the two of them, her and the clerk.

Tong froze for a moment, then immediately activated her pupil technique!

Under the illumination of the pupil technique, a figure dressed in red flashed past the door!

Tong immediately chased after him!

If she wasn't mistaken... that thing was wearing a wedding dress!

Could it be related to those wedding invitations and Xiao Guang's disappearance?

Tong took two steps at a time, still carrying the paper betrothal gifts in her hands, and ran out of the shop in a few quick steps. By then, the shop was empty.

No matter how hard she searched with her naked eyes, or how hard she scanned with her pupil magic, she couldn't see any abnormal figures...

"Nobody...? How is that possible...? Could it be that the feeling of being spied on just now was my imagination? No way! My pupil technique has never been wrong."

After a fruitless search and a few seconds of frustration at not being able to find any clues, Tong quickly picked up her things and returned to Longchao Pavilion.

"I'd better move on to the next step as soon as possible."

Hmmmm? It feels like I've forgotten something...

Hmm... Never mind, saving Xiaoguang is more important.

By the way... when I get back and see Master Du later, I'll tell him this basket of stuff costs twenty!

The situation is urgent now; surely it wouldn't go to a convenience store specifically to check?

At that time, I, the director, will make a fortune of 39fang coins!

Hey! This director is a real money-making genius!

............................

In a convenience store,

"Looking for you three... eh?"

The shop assistant, head down, had just taken out three 39-square coins from the cash register and was about to hand over change to the customer who had just bought paper handicrafts.

But when I looked up, the person was gone!

"So... I misunderstood that customer?"

The shop assistant openly put the 39-yuan coin into her pocket.

"I thought that customer wasn't going to pay and was going to press the alarm... I didn't expect her to be such a generous person! She even gave a three-dollar tip for such a small purchase!"

"Hehe... It feels like my hard work, dedication, and conscientiousness are seen and appreciated by others~"

"That's great~"

.....................

"Master Du, I'm back! Please take a look at these things and see if they're alright."

Tong returned to the entrance of Longchao Pavilion carrying a basket of things, where Du Moumao had been waiting for a long time.

It was now completely night.

Out of concern for her friend Hikaru, Hitomi became serious and, upon seeing Master Du, first confirmed with him whether the things she had bought were correct...

Put reimbursement and such in the second sentence.

After observing for a while, Mr. Du nodded.

“Yes. ‘Burning paper at the three-way intersection at the hour of Chou’... I think all we need to do is burn these ‘betrothal gifts’, like burning them for the dead during a sacrifice, and then a ‘bridal sedan chair’ will come to welcome Director to that netherworld.”

Du Maomao immediately steered the conversation toward serious matters, never mentioning the reimbursement issue again.

Tong was intimidated by the serious, solemn, and earnest look of Master Du, and subconsciously forgot about the reimbursement. She carried the 'betrothal gifts' to the three-way intersection closest to Longchao Pavilion, and Master Du silently followed.

"So, all we need to do is burn all these betrothal gifts at this three-way intersection, right?"

Tong threw the betrothal gifts on the ground, then pulled out an old, crumpled box of matches from somewhere and tossed a lit match into the basket of gifts.

Master Du was very puzzled by Tong's actions and asked in a very perplexed tone:

"Director, what are you doing? Do you really need to rehearse something as simple as burning the betrothal gifts?"

Tong was completely bewildered by Master Du's question.

"Huh? What do you mean? Didn't you tell me to burn it?"

Master Du's puzzled cat eyes met Tong's foolish eyes, and it understood what was going on...

"The hour of Chou! The hour of Chou! Director! Please pay attention to the question!"

"Ah? Ah!"

Tong realized that it was only early in the night, and the burning of these betrothal gifts would have to wait until the hour of Chou (1-3 AM)!

When is the hour of Chou (丑时)? Does it refer to the time of day when a person is considered the ugliest?

But judging from Master Du's appearance, Tong knew—the hour of Chou (1-3 AM) definitely wasn't now!

Am I, the director, going to have to spend money to buy another dowry?!

No! ! !

Let's see if we can salvage it and make do with it.

"Ah hoo hoo hoo—"

Tong initially wanted to extinguish the burning basket of paper betrothal gifts with her foot, but then she thought—this is something the director bought with his own money! It would be such a waste to stomp on it!

What's more, if I manage to save these things and reuse them, but I accidentally step on them and they get dirty, and the thing that sent the wedding invitations dislikes them, doesn't approve, and doesn't send a bridal sedan chair, what then?

So Tong retracted her foot that was hovering in mid-air, and hurriedly bent down, puffing out her cheeks, trying to blow air out of it!

Then... the burning betrothal gifts were visibly engulfed in flames.

Oh my god! What's going on?! This fire can't be blown out?!

Seeing that most of the paper ingots and wedding candies in the basket had been burned to ashes...

That's all my money!!!

This is outrageous!

A cornered dog will jump over a wall, and a cornered rabbit will bite!

Tong panicked...

He directly mobilized the power of the Dragon Spell! With a wave of his hand, he summoned a water dragon constructed from spell power, thicker and larger than Master Du's! He unleashed a massive burst of water energy at that small, burning, and uncooperative "betrothal gift"!

"Whoosh—pomg!"

"Splash splash splash splash..."

"Sizzle—"

A plume of steam rose, and the flames on the burning betrothal gifts continued to burn...

Both Master Du and Tong were stunned by the bizarre scene before them and looked at each other in disbelief.

"Director, you've neglected your cultivation for so long, have you actually regressed to this extent?"

"Huh...? I...?? It...??? Huh...????"

The director gazed at his own hands.

Is there anything wrong with this...? When did this director's furious attack become so weak? It can't even extinguish a tiny flame?

Upon closer inspection, the burning flames had changed from orange-red to a bewitching crimson...

like...

The red on the wedding dress.

The flames flickered merrily in the moonlight and steam, crackling and popping as they burned the framed paper betrothal gifts...

It seems to be mocking Tong's incompetence~

.........................

At this moment, the Ghost Mother is controlling the Dragon Realm - Yellow Springs Netherworld to flee frantically.

Despite her intimate familiarity with the mountain range, and despite having channeled all her power into the Dragon Domain, fleeing at top speed using the escape routes she had previously devised for any potential danger...

The two men and women, who hadn't been "invited" and seemed to have ill intentions, were getting closer and closer to the Netherworld Abode... and closer still...

I just can't shake them off!

Every Dragon Lord who rules the Dragon Realm, whether it's a dragon skeleton or a dragon shadow, is mostly unconscious and muddled after being corrupted. They act only according to their crazy instincts and obsessions, and become stronger through certain methods that match their obsessions.

For example, this demon mother's method of becoming stronger is to lure people into her dragon realm, let them experience a wedding in the illusion, marry the person they love most, and harvest their life essence in the dream.

Perhaps the Demon Mother was a bride who was abandoned at her wedding before her fall? Or perhaps a jealous woman who couldn't be with the one she loved?

However, unlike most Dragon Domain Lords, the Ghost Mother is relatively clear-headed and quite powerful. She knows how to quietly develop her power in the most remote part of Zhongpu District, rather than recklessly expanding her Dragon Domain and attracting outside attention...

Right now, the Ghost Mother is in a complete mess!

She clearly sensed that the two people chasing after the Yellow Springs Netherworld, her symbiotic dragon domain, were after her. She couldn't clearly see the man, but the woman possessed strength capable of overwhelming her...

She had only recently broken through to the Gold Rank, and was just thinking of having her "good daughter" Zhu Sha trick a few Dragon Blood to consolidate her realm and replenish her body... Who knew that so little time had passed? How could she have attracted such a terrifying thing?

Naturally, she had no interest in what her good daughter was doing now...

Inside the secluded mansion of the Yellow Springs, Zhu Sha lay on her side on the large bed in the bridal chamber in the center of the Dragon Realm, leisurely fanning herself and happily waving her large, fluffy fox tail.

Because she sensed it...

The person she invited...

That person who, like her, was an "outsider," a man with golden eyes unlike ordinary humans...

(Note: Hitomi's eyes are golden.)

He seems eager to marry her! He wants to be with her forever!

It's not even the agreed time (1-3 AM) yet, my lord, you're really impatient!

They actually burned the betrothal gifts?

If I don't send a bridal sedan chair to pick you up, will my husband be very sad?

But who can blame me for... liking you so much! I like you so much~!

Then this concubine—has no choice but to obey you, indulge you, and spoil you!

Hehehehehehehehehehe........

The vermilion fox tail pointed towards the wedding carriage that was quietly parked outside the bridal chamber, and a burst of bright red magical power shot out from the fox tail and disappeared into the wedding carriage.

The bright red wedding sedan chair was instantly activated, swaying and floating in the air.

It creaked and groaned as it tore through space from the Netherworld Abode, shooting towards the distant Dragon Tide Pavilion...

...............

"Good! After chasing for so long, we're finally about to catch him..."

Xiao Ran, carrying Min Moyou, rode on auspicious clouds, chasing the cunning Dragon Domain for a full hour before finally catching up.

It wasn't that Xiaoran lacked strength; it was just that the Dragon Domain was incredibly adept at escaping! They took a winding, circuitous route, specifically choosing places that were difficult to catch or where there were obstacles.

After chasing them all the way, Xiaoran and Minmoyou practically plowed through the mountains surrounding Zhongpu District...

Just as it was about to catch up, Xiaoran angrily conjured a large hand covered with malevolent double pupils (similar to the Thousand-Handed Golem), and used the Great Wilderness Imprisoning Heaven Hand to grab at the Dragon Domain!

You disgusting piece of trash! You're wasting my time pursuing freedom!!!

(Ghost Mother: Oh no! There's no escape for Jay—)

Unexpectedly, a bright red wedding sedan chair suddenly sped out from the Dragon Realm, carrying extremely high speed and immense kinetic energy, enveloped in red curse power, and collided head-on with the suddenly condensed giant hand!

"Pong!"

Although the person controlling the wedding sedan chair did not shake Xiaoran's strength, he did indeed cause Xiaoran's swinging hand to deviate slightly and pause for a moment due to the impact.

The bridal sedan chair didn't linger; it swayed and creaked even more as it flew further away into the distance.

(Ghost Mother: Well done! My good daughter!)

The Ghost Mother seized this opportunity and successfully escaped the giant hand's grasp.

However, the distance between Huangquan Youzhai and Xiaoran and Minmo You is still not widening.

"Hmph! So what if you have a backup plan? Do you think you can escape?!"

.............