Young Noble Be Monster Slaying
Chapter 928: Arrangements (II)

Whoosh.

Boom!

Crack!

By the time they were done talking, the gala was already drawing to a close, and fireworks bloomed across the sky. The next act of the night was a skit performed by disciples of the Fog-Hidden Mountain of Immortals.

Li Guanlong played a severely injured cultivator who was being pursued. In a panic, he stumbled into a cave dwelling and fainted. 

The resident of that cave dwelling was a female cultivator, played by Xi Miaoxian. She had been in the middle of closed-door cultivation and was startled by the sudden sight of an intruder. Nevertheless, she treated his injuries and let him rest on her bed.

Situ Guanhai played the father of the female cultivator. He had long been worried about his daughter living alone. He spontaneously visited his daughter's cave dwelling that day and saw a man lying on his daughter's bed. Situ Guanhai immediately felt elated, thinking the man was his daughter's Dao companion.

Just then, the pursuer, played by Song Guanchao, arrived. Coincidentally, the female cultivator's father was the leader of the very sect that the pursuer belonged to. He had given out the order to kill Li Guanlong and seize his treasure. Yet, seeing that Song Guanchao was about to kill his future son-in-law, Situ Guanhai immediately drove him away.

Xi Miaoxian knew her father had always been domineering and that he had been the one who initiated the attack to steal Li Guanlong's treasure, so she wanted to save Li Guanlong. After waking him up, she asked him to pretend to be her Dao companion.

A series of comedic mishaps followed.

In the end, when Situ Guanhai announced he would send out wedding invitations for Li Guanlong and Xi Miaoxian's grand marriage, Li Guanlong confessed everything. He explained that he could not lie just to save his own skin, and even more so, he could not tarnish Xi Miaoxian's reputation. After making that stirring speech, he offered himself up to be killed.

Situ Guanhai's expression turned grim for a moment. Then he realized this young man was honest and dependable, a person with an upright character worth trusting. So, he decided to let Li Guanlong go.

With one hand holding Xi Miaoxian's hand and the other holding Li Guanlong's hand, Situ Guanhai faced the audience and declared, "Though heaven's gift of love was a lie, you spoke the truth. This old man has finally understood. Let us all! Eat! Hot! Pot!"

Aside from the jokes in the skit, the funniest moment was when Li Guanlong lay down and fell asleep for real within the time of three breaths.

Xi Miaoxian and Situ Guanhai only managed to exchange a few lines before Li Guanlong's loud snores interrupted them. Xi Miaoxian nudged him several times during her scripted stage movements, but he just wouldn't wake up. 

In the end, she stealthily pulled out a hairpin and jabbed it hard into the sole of his foot. Only then did Li Guanlong let out a yelp and spring upright.

At that time, no one even thought of the possibility that there might have been a mishap on stage; everyone just thought the scene was hilarious. The members of his sect knew what Li Guanlong was like, so no one would have chewed him out for the mistake anyway.

After the skit ended, Princess Liange stepped onto the stage to announce that the final act of the night was the song "Unforgettable Golden Night," performed by Yan Yingluo—the master of the South Melody Conservatory and a beloved veteran performer.

Upon hearing that, Chu Liang quickly pulled Jiang Yuebai, the Whale-Riding Immortal, and the Sword Emperor over to the spectator stands.

They did not need to watch any of the other acts, but this final act could not be missed. It was important to build a good habit starting with the first gala.

"What an unforgettable night,

A truly unforgettable night.

No matter where we are,

The ends of the world 

Or the edges of the seas,

This is an unforgettable night.

What an unforgettable night,

A truly unforgettable night.

Together, near and far,

We, the mortal world,

Wish for health and peace.

This is an unforgettable night. ♪"

The simple lyrics and great melody quickly drew the audience to sing along with Yan Yingluo.

Before the gala began, many of those watching hadn't even known what it was about. But now that it was suddenly coming to an end, they found themselves wishing it wouldn't. 

Fortunately, Chu Liang had announced that this event would be held every year to strengthen the ties between humans and demons, as well as the bonds between the four seas and the nine provinces. For cultivators, waiting one year was hardly a long time.

Everyone rose to their feet, raised their wine cups, and toasted one another while singing along with Yan Yingluo.

Chu Liang looked behind him at the promising youths from the Divine Nine and the Terrestrial Ten. His peers had been separated into enemies and allies in the past, but now they stood together in peace, with eyes shining as brightly as starlight.

In the future, they would continue to walk forward together. Some would become famous across the world, and others would quietly fall into oblivion. Some would become ordinary cultivators unable to keep up with the glory days of their youth, ultimately fading from the world of immortality cultivators. And others would achieve earth-shattering feats but end up as a few lines in the annals of history.

No matter what the future had in store for them, every one of them was shining brilliantly at this very moment.

These were the young heroes of the nine provinces! They shone so brightly that they put the countless stars in the Milky Way to shame!

…

No matter how joyful the night, it was bound to end, and morning light would follow to welcome a new day.

After waking up, the first thing Chu Liang did was see off the guests from the various immortal sects. Then he returned to Silver Sword Peak.

Di Nufeng had drunk quite a lot the night before and was probably still intoxicated. Chu Liang went to his cabin, took out a storage jade slip, and made his way to Di Nufeng's pavilion.

The jade slip contained all of the assets Chu Liang had accumulated to date, along with a letter. He had briefly explained in the letter that he would be departing that very day to accompany the Whale-Riding Immortal to the Divine Ruins Monastery. As he didn't know how to bring it up, he had chosen not to say goodbye to his teacher in person.

The Divine Ruins Monastery might just be the most dangerous place in the world, and there was a real chance he wouldn't return. If Chu Liang didn't return to Silver Sword Peak within three years, then Di Nufeng would have the right to inherit his assets.

Of course, to prevent his teacher from spending wildly, he had set up what was basically a trust fund to manage all his spirit stones, with Senior Brother Yuan from the Hall of Conservation as the trustee. All of his money was to be invested in the operations of Red Cotton Peak, and a fixed percentage of the profits would be taken and added to the trust fund.

Di Nufeng would receive a monthly income of at least ten thousand spirit stones from that alone, which was only one of the assets included in the trust fund.

Chu Liang had a ten-year contract for Red Cotton Peak, allowing his operations to run there for another three years. The share of the profit he would receive during those three years would be enormous. 

Additionally, Chu Liang had signed a contract with Venerable Wen Yuan to allocate his share of the profit toward upgrading three of Mount Shu's halls: the Hall of Alchemy, the Hall of Weapons, and the Hall of Construction. For the next thirty years, half of all profits from those three halls would go to Di Nufeng. 

Of course, just like the profits from Red Cotton Peak, this money would be added to the trust fund and paid out to Di Nufeng monthly. It was for the very same reason—to keep her from blowing through the money all at once.

Then there were his shares in the Talisman Sect, Starhold Island, the Sun and Moon Pavilion, and the Penglai Supreme Sect. Most of the profits went to Chu Liang, but for these assets, he hadn't assigned the profits to be given to his teacher alone. 

Instead, he had split it among Liu Xiaoyu'er, Liu Xiaoyu, the Golden-Furred Hou, and the iron-eating beast Chujiu. He was worried his teacher might spend all of her monthly income on herself, without sparing a thought for the others on Silver Sword Peak. After all, they each needed a bit of money for living expenses. 

They were mature demonic creatures with self-control, so Chu Liang wasn't worried about them not managing their money well. Nevertheless, Chu Liang chose to give them the money through the trust fund as well… because he was afraid his teacher would one day rob them of all their money and spend it recklessly.

Chu Liang had other smaller assets. The average Eminent One would likely have to struggle for many years to acquire them, but to Chu Liang, they were nothing more than pocket change. So, he casually passed them on to his friends in the Mount Shu Sect.

Chu Liang left nothing for Jiang Yuebai because he would be accompanying her on this dangerous journey. He was well aware that if something were to happen in the Divine Ruins Monastery, none of them would return alive alone.

The distribution of his trust fund was based on the assumption that he would not return. If Chu Liang did manage to return to Mount Shu alive, then nobody would be able to pry even one spirit stone from his hands.

At the end of the letter, he warned his teacher not to use her own brain rashly and to always seek advice from others. If she was uncertain about external matters, she should ask the sect leader. If she was unsure about internal matters, she should ask the Koi sisters, the Golden-Furred Hou, or Chujiu. Even a random dog on the side of the road would do. But under no circumstances should she trust her own judgment. That way, Silver Sword Peak could enjoy a hundred years of wealth and honor.

Chu Liang quietly opened the door to Di Nufeng's pavilion and placed the jade slip by the doorstep.

As he had expected, Di Nufeng was sound asleep on her bed. She lay sprawled on her stomach with her head hanging off the side, obviously drunk. From afar, it looked like a long-haired woman's head was suspended in midair upside down. Her hair occasionally fluttered in the breeze, but it wasn't enough to give a clear view of her face. The sight was a little unsettling.

Then just as Chu Liang turned away to leave… Di Nufeng suddenly opened her eyes.