Chapter 86: The White Lotus

“Manager, please, let him go.”
Miss Mingshan anxiously pleaded for Zheng Qiguai as she gripped the white lotus flower with her delicate, petal-like hand.

Li Changluo was utterly confused.

Was this what they called a useless teammate? One moment she’s healing and buffing the enemy, the next she’s stabbing her own ally in the back, all the while tearfully begging mercy for the foe.

Encountering such a comrade was truly infuriating...

Li Changluo even felt a hint of sympathy for White Lotus. He began to calculate in his heart...

Perhaps... there was no need to capture the manager alive?

Or maybe he should play the hero, save the beauty, and content himself with becoming the manager’s husband? Embrace a wealthy and beautiful woman, live the life of a carefree, idle innkeeper?

Wouldn’t that be something? Wouldn’t that make others envious?

“Li, why are you drooling from the pain? Your way of coping with pain is truly impressive. You’ve risen in my estimation; you’re no longer just a shameless man,” Hei Wa interrupted Li Changluo’s daydream, looking at him with deep admiration.

Li Changluo felt gratified—Hei Wa had finally used a proper idiom. But… why was he still rubbing his eyes? That’s not how you show admiration; did he really have to scrape his eyes every time he said it?

“It’s nothing. We’re all adults here. Drooling a bit is perfectly normal. But what does drooling have to do with pain...” Li Changluo, though baffled by Hei Wa’s behavior, tried to explain his drooling. As he spoke, he suddenly realized blood was trickling down his arm.

Bright red blood had dyed half his upper arm crimson, the sight alone enough to make one wince in pain.

“What… what happened to me?” Li Changluo clutched his wound, a burning pain making him suck in a breath as he stared at Hei Wa in bewilderment. How had he gotten hurt after just a moment’s distraction? And why was the wound still smoking?

“Oh, it’s nothing—you just got scraped by the long blade. We’re all adults; getting slashed is normal. Don’t get too carried away. Someone as exceptionally mediocre as you can die with a smile,” Hei Wa said, racking his brains for the right idiom.

Exceptionally mediocre? Li Changluo was exasperated. Why had he been slashed by a blade?

Only now did he notice that Zheng Qiguai, who had just held the advantage and was about to assassinate White Lotus, now stood motionless in tattered clothes, steam rising from his body.

All the jasmine petals that had filled the hall were instantly incinerated, leaving only wisps of blue smoke and black ash.

Even the petals encasing Little Qing had been burned away. Her big, innocent white eyes were wide open, and every monster in the tavern was now staring at one person—

White Lotus.

Li Changluo finally realized that the manager had changed completely. The white, snow-like gown she’d been wearing was now bright red.

Not only that, White Lotus seemed like a different person.

She no longer wore the innocent, harmless smile he had first seen...

Her face no longer bore the gentle, disarming smile...

White Lotus’s entire aura had shifted; Li Changluo could only think of one phrase to describe her: domineering queen.

Her expression was icy and imperious, making it impossible to meet her gaze.

“As expected…”

“Manager, why... why are you here?” Even the usually fierce Miss Mingshan shrank into submission before the red-robed White Lotus, her face plastered with a nervous smile as she spoke respectfully, terrified of provoking her.

“If I didn’t show up, who’d clean up your mess?” White Lotus snorted coldly, silencing Miss Mingshan, who quickly slunk to the side.

“It’s always the same. I’ve given you so many chances. Useless,” White Lotus said coldly, a glint of frost in her eyes as she circled the stunned, motionless Zheng Qiguai.

“Don’t call me useless. I’ll say it again…” Zheng Qiguai ground out his words, teeth clenched, shouting at White Lotus with all his might.

But—

To everyone’s astonishment—

No sooner had he finished shouting than his legs gave out, and he collapsed, trembling, to his knees before White Lotus.

“Ha.” White Lotus let out a cold, contemptuous laugh, looking down at the kneeling Zheng Qiguai before sweeping her icy gaze around the tavern.

“‘Aura’ is actually something that can be explained scientifically. The Earth itself is a giant magnetic field. Within this field, all kinds of elements create various forms of energy—magnetism, gravity, radiation…”

“On Earth’s surface, mountains, rivers, plants, animals, even people, all have their own aura.”

“A person’s aura can be so strong it alters the things around them…”

“Li, could you stop spouting nonsense so seriously?”

“How am I spouting nonsense? I’m just trying to find an excuse for our sudden shameful kneeling…”

“Haha, you’re right. After hearing you, all my embarrassment about suddenly kneeling is gone…”

Li Changluo and Hei Wa, after being swept by White Lotus’s cold gaze, had unconsciously dropped to their knees. Now, they were awkwardly trying to console each other over the sudden indignity.

Their forced laughter sounded especially grating in the silent, haunted tavern.

Only Little Qing seemed unaffected. Her wide eyes remained fixed on White Lotus, as if something extraordinary about her had finally caught the attention of this usually oblivious girl.

“My esteemed manager, why don’t we have some tea and rest awhile?” Zheng Qiguai, terrified, pressed himself to the floor and scrambled desperately toward the kitchen, his murderous intent utterly vanished.

“You. Get up,” White Lotus pointed at Li Changluo.

Being ordered around by a woman irked him. Just because she said so, was he supposed to get up?

I refuse to get up... I’ll kneel as long as I please. If you dare, come kneel with me!

“Get up!” White Lotus repeated coldly.

And so...

Li Changluo obediently sprang to his feet, smiling ingratiatingly at White Lotus.

White Lotus glanced at the silently bowing Miss Mingshan, then said, “By the way, from now on, the tavern’s kitchen fire will be your responsibility.”

“Yes, my queen, as you command!” Li Changluo answered, bowing and scraping.

Hei Wa was puzzled—Li Changluo, in his eyes, was the type who never lifted a finger without a reward, a petty monster who’d even shear the skin off a sheep when fleecing it. Yet now, he was acting like a complete lackey.

Li Changluo’s face wore a cheerful smile, but inside, he was gnashing his teeth in frustration...

But what else could he do? Refuse and bargain, like Miss Mingshan had last time?

In good times, make jokes; in bad times, be reasonable.

What else? Charge forward and fight her?

Fight with a woman who clearly had a split personality?

How terrifying...

Not worth it, not worth it…

“You may all leave now,” White Lotus said coldly, her tone brooking no refusal.

Li Changluo hurriedly dragged Little Qing and Hei Wa out of the hall in a flash.

“All that fuss just to get a free fire-stoker. Was it really necessary to go in circles?” White Lotus asked Miss Mingshan.

Miss Mingshan nodded respectfully.

“The chicken has left. Tomorrow’s monster gathering will be a good show,” White Lotus murmured to herself.

“Handle things yourselves. Don’t wake me again.”

With those words, a red light shimmered and faded from around White Lotus, and her long gown gradually returned to snowy white.