Collecting Rent From All Realms, Even Empresses Must Pay Tribute
Ch. 20 - A Little Hot, Huh?

After struggling to put out the fire, Ye Chuan's eyelids twitched as he smelled the acrid scent of burnt fabric.

He couldn't exactly say to the charred remains of his quilt:

"Oi, a little hot, huh?"

More like scorching hot.

Ye Chuan could only clean up his room and open the window for ventilation. As for the quilt that had accompanied him for many years, he could only silently promise to burn a paper towel for it later, as a symbolic child bride.

Go on your journey with Uncle TV, rest in peace.

In your next life, be reborn as something fireproof and slash-proof.

After gaining his initial spiritual energy, Ye Chuan realized how thin the spiritual energy in the air was. 

No, it was practically non-existent, as diluted as a single drop of ink in a large bucket of water.

Ye Chuan tried circulating the First-Rate Immortal Manual, but found that he couldn't absorb the sparse, free-floating spiritual energy. It was harder than fishing for the only fish in a vast pond.

Bai Qianshuang could actually convert this tiny bit of spiritual energy into usable power?

Was it because she was a genius?

Ye Chuan glanced at the Idle Cultivation option in the app. It seemed that it didn't require absorbing spiritual energy from the air. 

Thinking back to how he had instantly learned the First-Rate Immortal Manual, he decided to let the app carry him. He clearly had no talent for cultivation himself.

Skip, skip, he could skip everything except creating humans.

…

Now his room reeked of burnt fabric, and Ye Chuan didn't want to stay there any longer. He shook his head and decided to go back to Luo Xi's place.

On the way back, he bought a box of cheung fun (rice noodle rolls) for her.

She loved those.

"Morning."

"Oh, coming to see Luo Xi?" Ye Chuan arrived at Luo Xi's door and happened to run into a neighbor, exchanging greetings.

"Heh, yeah." As soon as Ye Chuan replied, the door slammed shut in his face, the loud bang echoing in the morning stillness of the hallway.

Ye Chuan rubbed his ears but didn't mind. He was used to his neighbor's attitude.

That neighbor's son had a crush on Luo Xi.

It wasn't that Ye Chuan had done anything. It was just that the son had always come over and told him to stay away from Luo Xi, and Ye Chuan had jokingly asked for money in exchange.

[How much will you pay me to leave her?

"One hundred yuan for you to leave Luo Xi?"

Ye Chuan: Mm-hmm, yep.

A while later…

"Didn't you say one hundred? Why is it another hundred now?!"

Ye Chuan: Prices went up, you know. Don't you know how expensive things are these days?

Even later…

"Didn't you say two hundred was enough? Now you want a thousand?!"

Ye Chuan: Aww, but you've already given me so much, wouldn't it be a loss to back out now? People offer a million to leave their daughters alone, look how stingy you are.

Finally…

"Waaah, liar! I'm telling my mom!"]

Well, something like that had happened. He heard that the son had secretly used his dad's private money and got his ass whooped after being discovered, too embarrassed to go to school.

Actually, Ye Chuan had been quite honest. He had indeed kept his distance from Luo Xi after receiving the money, but he couldn't help it if Luo Xi actively sought him out.

Whose fault was it if she made the first move?

And Ye Chuan had emphasized to the neighbor's son that they weren't dating, but he hadn't gained any trust.

But that was all years ago.

He heard that the son went to Sichuan for university and found a handsome boyfriend.

He didn't know why the neighbor's mom wasn't happy about it, though.

"Click, click."

Ye Chuan took out his spare key and opened the door. After closing the door gently behind him, mindful of Luo Xi possibly sleeping, he placed the breakfast on the dining table and went to Luo Xi's room. 

He found the girl fast asleep on the bed, hugging the pillow from his futon, one of her long, shapely legs draped over it.

She was sleeping soundly, almost drooling.

Ye Chuan wiped the drool from the corner of Luo Xi's mouth with his finger, then wiped it on her cheek in disgust.

Luo Xi's lips moved, and she mumbled something, turning over and hugging the pillow tighter.

"Tired." Ye Chuan looked away, yawned, and lay down on the futon. After pulling a corner of the blanket under his head, he glanced at Luo Xi on the bed, closed his eyes, and rested.

Luo Xi's room had a refreshing lemon scent, much better than the burnt smell in his own room. Unconsciously, listening to Luo Xi's steady breathing, Ye Chuan began to relax.

Perhaps because he was too exhausted, Ye Chuan slept straight through until noon.

When he woke up again, Luo Xi was no longer in the room, and Ye Chuan noticed a pillow under his head that hadn't been there before.

He heard faint sounds of water coming from outside, so he got up and walked out of the room. As expected, he found Luo Xi washing up in front of the bathroom mirror.

Luo Xi had already changed into a simple white crop top and faded denim shorts that accentuated her long legs. Her hair was tied up in her familiar ponytail.

"Mmmph?" Luo Xi was still brushing her teeth. Seeing Ye Chuan awake, she mumbled a greeting.

Ye Chuan glanced at her. "You can eat breakfast first, we can leave later."

"Mmmph?"

"Let's talk about lunch later. I'll treat you to something if you're hungry."

Hearing that Ye Chuan was offering to treat her, Luo Xi's eyes widened. "Mmmph?"

"Yeah, really. You should wash up first. I got you rice noodle rolls for breakfast."

Luo Xi puffed out her cheeks, not from anger, but from rinsing her mouth. After spitting out the water, she took a towel and wiped her face. 

"ChuanChuan, did you brush your teeth?"

"Yeah, I went home for a bit."

"Huh? You went home?"

"There's a tenant at my place who doesn't like going out, so I provide door-to-door breakfast service," Ye Chuan said with a smile.

Luo Xi was a little surprised. Two thousand yuan a month rent and breakfast delivery?

But knowing Ye Chuan, he wouldn't do anything that wasn't beneficial to him, so she didn't ask any questions. Instead, she twirled around playfully and asked,

"How do I look today?"

"So-so," Ye Chuan critiqued. "Needs black stockings."

"Black stockings with denim shorts?" Luo Xi imagined the combination. What a strange pairing.

But she still went back to her room. A minute later, she came out, wearing black pantyhose.

"Ta-da! How do I look?"

"Not good," Ye Chuan said.

Luo Xi froze. "But you said it needed black stockings!"

"Try wearing only black stockings," Ye Chuan said seriously.

Luo Xi: "..."

"Pervert."

(SHMOLL: Guys, you aren’t even dating~! Meh, what do I even know~~ Sad sad~~)