Tang Doudou gave a deep meaningful smile, then lightly coughed before beckoning Qing Yin with her small hand, “Let’s head in!”


  After she said so, she took the lead and entered the Alliance Head Residence.

  Li Hong laughed mischievously then followed. On the way, he shouted towards the people inside, “The Alliance Head has returned!”


  There was a burst of clamor in the residence. Everyone talked with liveliness as all kinds of noise bustled out. Moments later, it was brought under control by a familiar rough voice, “Head out to welcome the Alliance Head’s return!”


  It was Elder Yu’s voice. Tang Doudou’s lips hooked slightly, recalling what Li Hong said earlier.

  Who could have told from looking at Elder Yu, that coarse and unbridled type of person, that he was actually a wife-fearing wimp?

  From what Li Hong said, Elder Yu’s wife was a barbarous, overbearing, and equally coarse woman. Elder Yu, who feared nothing in Heaven or Earth, feared this tigress the most.

  Ever since Madam Yu found out that the martial arts convention was being held at Rutaceae Pavilion, she had kicked up a fuss several times. One time she had even gone to make a disturbance where the Cloud City’s Lord was, but in the end, she was expelled by the City Lord with one sentence. She couldn’t do anything about the Cloud City’s Lord, so she could only come back and kick up a fuss with Elder Yu again.

  Even though he was afraid of his wife, this martial arts convention was very important to Elder Yu, so someone put forward plans to help him secretly attend it. Originally this was a completely hush-hush matter, but it was disclosed by someone and the next day, Madam Yu ran over to the Alliance Head Residence to kick up a fuss and even gave Elder Yu a thorough beating.

  That tigress was fierce and violent, no one dared to step up to pull her away.

  In the end, it was actually Bai Feiyun who stood out to mediate this matter. But after that incident, Madam Yu continued to make a fuss, wanting to repudiate her husband*. In the end, she went back to her maternal home while crying.

  Lol, it sounds like Madam Yu’s family is higher ranked than Elder Yu, otherwise how come he would keep staying with such a violent wife? Unless she’s beautiful? Anyways, in ancient times, there was no divorce. What took the place of divorce was repudiation, which was more one-sided and usually from the man towards the wife. The wife is basically rejected and kicked out back to her maternal home which is a severe disgrace. Lol, and that’s why Madam Yu must be of some high status to repudiate Elder Yu. Repudiate, btw, is the old English word for divorce, still used in non-Christian religions. Its most common meaning is “refuse to accept or be associated with”, but I’ll be using it to represent the Chinese context I talked about.

  Elder Yu naturally refused to agree and also didn’t return. He simply went ahead and stayed in the Alliance Head Residence.

  Tang Doudou rubbed her chin as she silently scorned Elder Yu, this grace-forgetting, ungrateful old bastard. Hell, Bai Feiyun ah, Bai Feiyun, why’d you have to have such a good heart? Why didn’t you just let that tigress beat this old bastard to death?

  Waste of effort. Now that was just great. You saved this old bastard and ended up getting yourself dragged into this mess.

  Just as she was lost in her random thoughts, a burst of people trampled out.

  There were both men and women. Leading them still was the fully bearded Elder Yu. He had a clear and bright smile on his face and his gaze swept towards Tang Doudou as if he was seeing an old friend for the first time in a long while. As for how fake that smile and that gaze was, it was as fake as described. If it were someone that didn’t know the situation, they’d really think he was meeting an old friend! But that faint purple mark on Elder Yu’s old face would cause people to want to laugh when they saw it.

  “Alliance Head! You’ve finally returned!”


  Tang Doudou blinked at Elder Yu and really did end up laughing. Only after quite a while did she reply with a surprised tone, “Aiyah, after numerous days of not seeing you, what happened to your face? Did you run into something when you got up at night? Tsk tsk, how can you be this careless? If there’s not enough light at night, then just let the servants increase the lights ah. Even though I’m not in the residence, you shouldn’t treat yourself as a guest. If there’s anything just instruct the servants!”


  After she finished speaking, she folded her hands behind her back and walked over, standing before the stiff-faced Elder Yu. She tilted her head slightly as she said to Li Hong who had followed behind her, “Li Hong ah, pass down my instruction, remember to help Elder Yu increase the lighting at night, got it?”


  “Yes!” Li Hong hurriedly cupped his fist and lowered his head as he responded, yet he couldn’t hold back the smile at the corners of his mouth.

  Hearing Tang Doudou pitter-patter a torrential stream of words the moment she opened her mouth, the smile on Elder Yu’s face turned stiff. Was he trying to display an initial show of strength upon arriving?

  But who was Elder Yu? How could he be defeated just by these few sentences from Tang Doudou?

  It was just that Elder Yu couldn’t pull out that beaming expression anymore. With a slightly stern tone, Elder Yu asked, “Is Alliance Head’s return due to Bai gongzi’s matter?”


  Tang Doudou glanced over at him, then retrieved her gaze, “Of course, but other than this matter I still have an even more important matter to resolve first.”


  “Could it be that there’s still some matter even more important than saving Bai gongzi?” Elder Yu asked in surprised.

  From the very start, Bai Feiyun’s reputation was quite good in the Jianghu. In addition, he recently helped Tang Doudou deal with quite a few matters in the Alliance Head Residence so he had obtained even more public praise. Everyone saw that Tang Doudou had returned and thought it was for the sake of saving Bai Feiyun. But Tang Doudou actually said that there was an even more important matter that must be taken care of…… it immediately attracted a lot of discontent from the people.

  But still, no one stood out to criticize Tang Doudou because they knew that the only entity that could save Bai Feiyun right now was Tang Doudou, who had the Alliance Head Command Tablet!

  These were all things everyone was well aware of. Naturally, Tang Doudou was also well aware, which was why she could say what she had earlier.

  And it was for the precise purpose of drawing out the question Elder Yu had asked.

  “Of course! Even though saving Bai gongzi is important, but before saving him we still have another matter to take care of first.” Tang Doudou stood in front of everyone with her hands folded behind her back. The corners of her brow lifted, then she pointed towards the crowd, “Hey, you, come out.”The person she pointed at was a short and skinny man with shrewd lips and monkey-like cheeks. His first reaction was to stare blankly. Then he looked left and right, before pointing at himself again, completely not understanding what Tang Doudou meant to do.

  Tang Doudou saw him daze out and shouted loudly again: “Yes you! What are you looking around dilly-dallying for? Hurry up and step out here for me.”


  The short skinny man was startled by her holler and immediately reacted, squeezing out of the crowd. Then, he looked uneasily towards Tang Doudou with confusion, “Alliance Head, what is it ah?”


  “Stand properly first!”


  “Oh!” The short skinny man rubbed the back of his head and straightened his posture.

  Tang Doudou circled around him several times while looking him up and down, then asked: “What’s your name?”


  Even though he didn’t know what she was asking this for, the short and skinny man still replied honestly: “This subordinate is Hou ZiT/N!”


  “Hou Zi? En, that’s not bad. Hou Zi, how’re your martial arts?” Tang Doudou rubbed her chin, then asked.

  Hou Zi continued to scratch his head. Matched with that appearance of his, he was seriously barely any different from a real monkey, just lacking a little in cleverness. This made Tang Doudou feel a little regretful. Earlier when she saw his appearance, she thought he’d be quite intelligent.

  Seeing the disappointment slip through Tang Doudou’s eyes, Hou Zi’s face turned slightly red and he stammered: “I-I’m a top quality expert, my martial arts isn’t bad.”


  After saying so, he asked probingly: “Does Alliance Head have some task for this subordinate?”


  Right after he finished speaking, he started getting emotional on his own. He had been in this Alliance Head Residence for three years, but because his appearance wasn’t appealing enough, he has never been entrusted with anything significant. But the new Alliance Head had picked him out the moment he returned, how could he not be moved?

  “A top quality expert?” What ghost of a thing is that?T/N2 Tang Doudou smacked her lips, subconsciously glancing towards the Qing Yin who was standing not that far away and saw her imperceptibly nod.

  So Tang Doudou returned her gaze toHou Zi and unhurriedly said: “En, there is a task for you.”


  Elder Yu interjected and exhorted: “Even though Hou Zi is a top quality expert, he doesn’t have enough experience in handling affairs. Alliance Head must consider things properly ah!”


  The most important point was, Hou Zi was not one of his people!

  Even though he didn’t know what task it was that Tang Doudou was planning to hand down, as long as it was one of his people he’d be able to worry less.

  The excitement on Hou Zi’s face immediately froze as he looked worriedly towards Tang Doudou. What Elder Yu said wasn’t wrong, his ability to handle affairs truly couldn’t measure up to others. As he thought about it, a helpless expression appeared in his eyes. Afraid his turn won’t come around again this time!

  Tang Doudou gave a long ‘oh’ and rubbed her chin. Then she asked for guidance from Elder Yu with a very earnest expression, “Then who does Elder Yu believe to be more suitable?”


  Elder Yu hummed for quite a while, appearing to be giving the matter great consideration, thinking things through over and over again before slowly replying, “Then it should be Syndicate Leader Xu!”


  “Syndicate Leader Xu?” Tang Doudou immediately thought of those familiar little eyes, “The Syndicate Leader Xu that came to find me today?”


  “Yes, that’s him. Back when Bai gongzi was still here, Syndicate Leader Xu would often help Bai gongzi with numerous matters both big and small, and Bai gongzi was quite satisfied with all of his work!”


  “Eh, is that true?”


  Tang Doudou asked Hou Zi instead.

  Unwillingness appeared in Hou Zi’s eyes. If it was someone else, he could still be convinced to accept it! But this Syndicate Leader Xu, who doesn’t know that he was an all-take-and-no-give absolutely disgraceful bastard who just uses his position to kick people around!? The matters that he helped Bai gongzi with, he had relied on Elder Yu as a support and ordered them to complete them for him.

  Bai gongzi was also clear about that matter, it was just that he didn’t feel like picking about the details. After all, everyone was well aware of whom Syndicate Leader Xu was affiliated with.

  “Alliance Head, this subordinate’s ability does not lose to Syndicate Leader Xu!” Hou Zi felt a continuous struggle in his heart, but in the end resolved to chance a gamble!

  Seeing his firm and resolute expression, Tang Doudou also formed a plan. But on the surface, she pulled out a troubled expression and said, “But this matter truly is very difficult ah, from the looks of you, I’m afraid you wouldn’t be able to handle it. Why not just let Syndicate Leader Xu take care of it?”


  Hou Zi’s expression stiffened and disappointment showed up on his face. This Alliance Head amounted to no more than this, not even being able to tell the fact that Syndicate Leader Xu was one of Elder Yu’s people. It looked like he won't be able to continue to stay in this Alliance Head Residence. Otherwise, he would be so depressed all the time that his all his backbone would wear down.

  “Elder Yu, where is this Syndicate Leader Xu right now? How come I don’t see him?” She looked closely at the crowd but didn’t discover where Syndicate Leader Xu was. So Tang Doudou retrieved her gaze to enquire Elder Yu.

  Only then did Elder Yu recall that Syndicate Leader Xu seemed to have gone to Plum Garden and still hadn’t returned yet.

  “Could it be that he hasn’t returned yet?” Tang Doudou then immediately clapped her hands as if she had just thought of something, and said towards Qing Yin, “Qing Yin, did we forget to call Syndicate Leader Xu when we left? He couldn’t be still waiting in Plum Garden for us, right?”


  Only then did everyone notice Qing Yin, who was standing not far away. They saw her delicate and pleasant features which couldn’t cover up that quiet and exquisite aura of hers. Quite a few people had seen her before that day at the martial arts convention, so this time, they were able to recognize her with one glance.

  “It really is Lady Qing Yin ah!”


  “Isn’t she the senior maid that serves at Baili Yu’s side? Why did she also come to Alliance Head Residence?”


  “Who knows ah? But based on the way Alliance Head looks at her, there seems to be some ambiguity ah!”


  Qing Yin seemed to not have heard any of those comments and curtsied towards Tang Doudou as she replied: “Gongzi, be at ease. Syndicate Leader Xu will probably arrive soon.”


  Tang Doudou lifted her brows, “What makes you say that?”


  “The Plum Garden has never detained a guest past an hour. Before we left, Syndicate Leader Xu had already been asked to leave. Calculating the distance and the time, he should already have returned long ago. For him to be late in returning, there must have been a matter delaying him.”


  “I think so as well.” Elder Yu didn’t know where Syndicate Leader Xu had run off to at this time either and silently cursed before continuing, “Since Syndicate Leader Xu isn’t here, if Alliance Head doesn’t want to wait, then why don’t we first discuss Bai gongzi’s matter before dealing with this matter?”


  Tang Doudou shook her head, distressed, “That’s out of the question, this matter must be handled first. Otherwise others will say I’m not fair!”


  Elder Yu incessantly cursed in his heart. She was dragging this on back and forth, it couldn’t be that she didn’t want to save Bai Feiyun?

  If it was really like this, didn’t he just waste these couple days of effort?

  It must be known that the Demonic Sect had captured Bai Feiyun, but it was just that. They didn’t dare to really do anything to Bai Feiyun!

  __________

  Credits: Translated by Chiyomira, Edited by Q

  [Chiyomira's Corner]

  T/N - btw, Hou Zi means monkey lol.

  T/N2 - So lol, I searched it up and there was this one explanation that really made sense.

  一流高手 Top quality expert.

  绝顶高手 Pinnacle expert.

  Oh my lol, it’s been a while since I’ve been this lost (in following the story). Tang Doudou didn’t do much of anything in the course of the plot in this chapter so I thought it was the author just doing a filler chapter. Only near the end of the chapter did I realize that maybe it was just a chapter to drag out time, Tang Doudou’s time lol. So that it burns up some of the four hours?