Collecting Rent From All Realms, Even Empresses Must Pay Tribute
Ch. 12 - Uncle TV and the Barbecue Stall

"By staying here, do you mean…"

"No."

Seeing Bai QianShuang's misunderstanding, Ye Chuan said, "We haven't known each other for very long, have we?"

Bai QianShuang shook her head.

Her offer wasn't made lightly. Ye Chuan was her savior, not only taking her in but also forgiving her mistakes. 

When she heard Ye Chuan say, "As long as you're okay," and "It's best if you stay here," she thought he was proposing.

There's no such thing as a free lunch. Bai QianShuang knew there must be a reason for Ye Chuan's kindness.

After careful consideration, she concluded that becoming Dao companions was acceptable.

Even if he was just a mortal.

Seeing Ye Chuan's strange expression, Bai QianShuang realized she had misspoken, her ears turning red again, practically burying her head in her chest.

Finally working up the courage only to become a lifetime introvert.

Bai QianShuang was usually aloof, and this was the first time she had said such words to a man.

"You go take a shower first." Ye Chuan touched his chin. He was after Bai QianShuang's money, but unexpectedly, she was after his body.

Hmm?

Wait, if he married Bai QianShuang, wouldn't she stay here forever?

And then there would be two thousand every day…

"Mm." Bai QianShuang made a mosquito-like sound, clutching the towel and lowering her head as she walked into the bathroom.

Seeing the girl enter the bathroom, Ye Chuan seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. 

He glanced at the remains of the TV on the floor, bent down, and started picking up the pieces, muttering to himself,

"Uncle TV, rest in peace."

"Your eye-searing, nearsightedness-inducing picture quality was due for retirement anyway."

"I'll burn you a paper tablet, consider it your loli wife."

…

After Bai QianShuang finished her shower, she was still wearing her white robe. 

She seemed unable to accept wearing that black, semi-transparent silk nightgown.

To Bai QianShuang, it was no different from wearing underwear.

Well, she couldn't accept it for now.

"Was the water temperature okay?" Ye Chuan asked when Bai QianShuang came out.

"Very good." Bai QianShuang's snow-white face had a faint pink flush, though it was unclear whether it was from the steam.

She didn't even dare to look Ye Chuan in the eyes, her gaze shifting to the white wall beside her.

Although she pretended to be calm, the way she slowly turned her head to look at the wall was indescribably cute.

"That's good, my turn." Ye Chuan entered the bathroom. 

It was still filled with steam, and a faint fragrance lingered in the air—Ye Chuan knew it wasn't the scent of any shampoo; it was Bai QianShuang's natural scent.

"Do cultivators wear perfume? Or is it body fragrance?"

As Ye Chuan pondered, he saw that there was still half a bucket of water left, so he added some more and started washing.

Outside the door, Bai QianShuang stood motionless. After seeing Ye Chuan enter, she remembered something.

She hadn't emptied her bathwater.

The thought of someone else using her bathwater gave Bai QianShuang a strange feeling. 

She hesitated whether to remind Ye Chuan to empty the water. But just as she approached the bathroom door, she heard a voice from inside,

"My heart is finally dead~~~"

"..."

"How did it come to this~~~"

"Withered in your hands~~~"

The off-key singing combined with the sound of water made Bai QianShuang freeze. Her raised hand stopped in mid-air, and she retracted it, turning back to her room.

"Phew." After Ye Chuan finished his shower, he noticed that Bai QianShuang had returned to her room to rest, but he didn't mind.

As long as she was fed.

Seeing the chibi Bai QianShuang rolling around from hunger in the phone log earlier, he was really afraid she would starve to death in his room.

"What should I do this weekend? Take Bai QianShuang out? I need to buy her some clothes." 

As Ye Chuan spoke, he glanced at the remains of the TV. He also needed to buy a new TV and fix the faucet in the bathroom.

But if he took Bai QianShuang out, would she have another reaction and slash a passing car? Even without spiritual power, that one sword strike had perfectly sliced the TV in half. An ordinary person couldn't do that, right?

Ye Chuan sighed. It felt like he had a lot to do this weekend.

He picked up his phone and saw several new messages.

[Obtained a Bai QianShuang-related item, do you want to claim it?]

Another item?

Ye Chuan was quite pleased with this drop rate. Was this considered a beginner's bonus?

He had thought it would only happen every few days, but he had received two items today.

He glanced at his backpack and was delighted to find another pill, though it was a different color from the Tiger Strength Pill.

[Item: Deer Blood Pill

Ordinary-grade pill. Permanently increases Qi and blood upon consumption. Effectiveness decreases with repeated use.]

"Whoa, blood replenishment!" Ye Chuan didn't know if this pill could cure his illness, but his complexion had always been poor, so seeing that it could replenish Qi and blood, he tossed it into his mouth without hesitation.

"Ugh—" The extremely bitter taste made him gag and spit it out onto the table.

But for the sake of his health, Ye Chuan picked it up again, furrowed his brows, and swallowed it dry.

The pill turned into a warm current that flowed through his body. 

Ye Chuan immediately sat cross-legged and made a hand gesture.

Of course, he didn't know anything about cultivation or any techniques. He had just seen it done on TV, so it couldn't hurt to strike a pose.

After about half an hour, Ye Chuan opened his eyes. He felt warm all over, and the soreness in his body had disappeared.

Looking at his palms, they actually had some color now, instead of being completely pale.

"This is really amazing." Ye Chuan felt that most of his fatigue was gone. He moved around, and the shortness of breath wasn't as pronounced as before.

The effect of the pill was much stronger than he had imagined.

"Too bad there's only one."

Ye Chuan thought to himself, but this was already good. Everything was developing in a positive direction, and there was a possibility of curing his illness.

After resting for a while, Ye Chuan picked up his phone again to check his messages. The other messages weren't from the Landlord app, but from Luo Xi.

Luo Xi: Son, are you free? Come help Daddy grill skewers.

Luo Xi: Waaah, so busy!!! Help!!!

Luo Xi: (இωஇ )

Seeing Luo Xi's messages, Ye Chuan glanced at the time. It was probably because it was the weekend, so business at the barbecue stall was especially good.

He would occasionally go help Luo Xi out, as her family couldn't afford to hire another server.

Ye Chuan: Daddy's coming.

"Let's go." The food street wasn't far from his place. After seeing Luo Xi's plea for help, Ye Chuan replied and headed out after quickly drying his hair with a towel.

(SHMOLL: Uncle TV will be remembered. My uncle TV had more pink lines than the actual screen. He was bullied by me everyday. RIP Uncle TV _| |_ )