Thousand Mechanism Town’s Fried Shide. On the third floor, in a hall that was seldom used. The leaders of various sects within the Cyan Thorn Realm gathered here, waiting for the so-called bid gathering. Liu Huai’an sat on a chair feeling uneasy, especially when he looked at the bald man beside him. That bald man also had the last name Liu, called Liu Haiwu, but they were not related in any way. It couldn’t be said whether he was a good person or a bad person; he was simply an individual. Liu Haiwu was joking with the old man named Zhu Xiaoyao on his right, looking so familiar that one might think the two were father and son. But they weren’t; they didn’t know each other before entering this room. Zhu Xiaoyao’s expression was as awkwardly polite as Liu Huai’an’s at this moment. As for the reason, it was mainly because Liu Haiwu was so shameless. Apart from Liu Haiwu, everyone’s cultivation varied in strength, but the weakest was at least Nascent Soul, sitting at the head of a sect with over two hundred disciples. Even when meeting people from the Sword Sect occasionally, the younger ones would call them senior, and the older ones would ask them as fellow cultivators. Whether genuine or not, basic courtesy and face were still present. But Liu Haiwu was different. He called everyone brother, just like a gang on a wharf fighting over territory. Yet Liu Haiwu was indeed a gang leader, and Liu Huai’an had been to where he strutted, which was quite close to that old Zhu’s home. According to what Liu Huai’an knew, Liu Haiwu was just a layabout in his early years, making a living by cutting hair. One night, while feeling an urgent need to urinate, he went to the reed marshes around the wharf. After relieving himself and washing his hands in the river, he found a stone slab with writing on it. The moment he touched that slab, it emitted a green smoke that went into his nose, and since then, Liu Haiwu, who used to cut hair, became Gang Leader Liu, capable of Qi Refining. Whether this was true or not was uncertain, as it was a story Liu Haiwu bragged about himself, and the details might have been exaggerated. But it was true that he began Qi Refining overnight. Interestingly, after gaining this opportunity, Liu Haiwu did not wander the world seeking immortal paths like others would. Instead, he formed a gang and pretentiously taught people Body Refining and Qi Cultivation. However, he couldn’t teach anything significant; his most valued disciple barely reached Half-Step Qi Cultivation. As a result, no one coveted Liu Haiwu’s stone slab anymore, thinking he just got lucky and found an Exotic Treasure that could slightly enhance cultivation. Strictly speaking, Liu Haiwu’s group was merely a bunch of slightly stronger mortals occupying some wharf businesses. But the problem lay here. Liu Huai’an couldn’t understand why Liu Haiwu was here? Though it wasn’t about discriminating based on cultivation levels, there was still a hierarchy among sects. Present here, except for Liu Haiwu, nobody had cultivation lower than Nascent Soul, nor did any sect have a history of less than three hundred years. This made Liu Haiwu, the Qi Refining expert, seem quite superfluous. But what intrigued Liu Huai’an more was why the Thousand Mechanism Pavilion allowed him in. This was also a question Zhang Ze wanted to know. "How did this guy manage to get in?" He turned to Lily, Lily turned to the Spider Spirit in charge of managing Fried Shide, and the Spider Spirit turned to the Little Cat Lady nearly retracting her neck into her torso. Thıs content belongs to 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡•𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢•𝕟𝕖𝕥 "I mean, Your Majesty, why did you let him in?" the Spider Spirit asked weakly. "That bald guy said he wanted to use the restroom, so I..." The Cat Lady, referred to as Your Majesty, shrunk her neck even further. This Cat Lady who caused trouble was the same one begging in Thousand Mechanism Town a while ago, asking everyone for fifty spirit stones, claiming she was the Great Emperor of Dongqi. Of course, no one gave her any. Later, Fried Shide took her in and found her a job as a greeter and tea server. Although she often made mistakes, they never fired her. Mainly, everyone thought with her begging skills, she’d starve in three days. Anyway, Fried Shide didn’t mind another mouth to feed and kept her as a mascot. Because they didn’t know the Cat Lady’s name, everyone called her Your Majesty or Emperor. The Cat Lady didn’t find these titles bullying but rather enjoyed them. And to be fair, the red walls and golden tiles of Fried Shide did resemble an Imperial Palace. "That’s how it is, then... that bald guy said he needed the restroom, so I let him in, and by the time I realized he was heading to the third floor, it was too late..." The Cat Lady, realizing she was in trouble, continued to explain quietly. "Do you need me to escort him out?" the Spider Spirit asked. Zhang Ze thought for a moment, then shook his head. Suddenly, he felt this might not be a bad thing. Small people have their ways of living; perhaps Liu Haiwu could be of some help. Zhang Ze didn’t want to make things difficult for the Emperor, signaled to the Spider Spirit to escort the Cat Lady Emperor back to the palace, then said to Lily. "Let’s stand them up for a day, and hold the bid gathering tomorrow instead." "Isn’t this a bad idea, and why wait a day?" Lily was puzzled. "I can roughly guess why Gang Leader Liu went to such lengths to get in here, and other than those Dark Helm Leaders, the other sect leaders probably have similar reasons. They’re here to seek favors. "After all, our Thousand Mechanism Pavilion is a Righteous Sect; we don’t deceive good people. Let’s find an excuse to give them a little insight—after all, this so-called bidding is just a formality," Zhang Ze explained. Though Lily didn’t quite understand, she became alert once more, "You want me to offend people directly, right! I won’t..." "All the money we scam from this will go to you," Zhang Ze interrupted Lily again. "Alright, boss, tell me what to do."