novelraw Chapter 189: Goodbye, My Father
Chapter 189: Goodbye, My Father
"Bro, you didn't actually cheat on her, did you?"
The walk home was silent the whole way.
It wasn't until they stepped into the house that Keke quietly asked, "Do you still like Teacher Shion?"
"Do I have any reason to hate her?"
"Well, after a while people get tired of things, right." Keke mumbled, "They say men are like this: four heads in the morning, two at noon, three at night, so they easily get bored with the new and favor the novel. Even someone as great as Teacher Shion, once she's been taken, you'll get sick of her..."
"Who 'they'?"
"Some manga creators."
"Stop reading worthless stuff."
"How is it worthless? The stories might be fake, but the lessons can't be fake!"
..Keke said seriously, "Romance manga never lies!"
Thinking of all the boring romance web novels online, Jiang Si couldn't even bring himself to say, "You should read more web novels than manga."
Blame those who write romance.
Those romance-writers in web fiction—if it were up to him, he'd have them banned. He had once petitioned to blacklist romance authors.
He never expected both the websites and mediocre readers to be so permissive!
They were polluting the creative environment.
They dragged web novels down to the same level as the romance comics Keke liked.
Web novels are the path of the Great Dao, yet they're used to talk about romance—ridiculous.
If the Beast-Taming genre was merely a different path but still seeking truth, then romance novels are an enemy of the Dao.
They were the darkest cloud over the web fiction tower.
Some men who look like proper seven-foot fellows are no better than little girls.
Seduced by tender comforts, once they fall for rosy illusions they still dare to claim their Dao-heart is steadfast!
And the Dao-contamination of romance is severe;
how many works that should be about fighting and ascending instead dabble in love affairs?
Even Heavenly Emperor Ye could not escape it.
But this was clearly not a problem with Concealing the Heavens or Heavenly Emperor Ye;
it was the websites that didn't ban romance and the audiences who accepted Dao-contaminated stories.
He refused to call those people Dao comrades.
So he had once told Bai Mei they must purge all romance web novels from this world.
Let Bai Family's Third Sister use her dozen or so top-author pen names and influence to call on platforms to clean house, strike down these romance works!
Expel every romance web novel!
But sadly, the more you ban, the more pop up.
So Jiang Si couldn't argue with Keke now.
After all, if romance manga lies, then aren't web novels that are like manga lying too?
That was absolutely impossible;
the two cannot be lumped together, but for now he couldn't find a theoretical difference.
So Jiang Si simply dropped the subject.
Let his foolish little sister remain in darkness.
He took the vegetables from Keke, changed out of his shoes, washed his hands, and started cleaning vegetables to cook dinner directly.
The sky outside had already darkened;
he planned to stir-fry some dishes, eat, then rest.
Keke perched on a stool in the kitchen, helping to pick and wash vegetables. "Big brother."
"Mm?"
"Why doesn't Azure Cloud Sect rule the world?"
"Why would they rule the world?"
"Teacher Shion, your friend, she's the strongest Magical Girl, right?" Keke said, "She should be able to rule the world, right?"
"Are you sure she's the strongest?"
Keke froze for a moment while picking vegetables. "Could anyone be stronger than Teacher Shion?"
"Who knows." Jiang Si washed the wok, lit the stove, and seared for a bit. "The world is huge. The Disaster Control Bureau's true foundation isn't clear. They might control more Full Bloom power. To rule the world you'd first have to overturn the Disaster Control Bureau;
maybe there's a stronger Magical Girl or force inside it."
"Oh..."
Keke finished washing the vegetables and handed them to him, intending to say that Teacher Shion didn't seem that scheming.
But on reflection, everything Azure Cloud Sect had done so far was within the Disaster Control Bureau's tolerable range.
They had avoided direct collision with the Disaster Control Bureau.
"If someone were stronger than the Disaster Control Bureau, Teacher Shion could rule the world..."
"Why would she want to rule the world?"
Jiang Si gave her a puzzled look. "If you have power but don't pursue the Great Dao and think only about ruling the world every day, that's retrograde thinking."
"Retrograde thinking?"
"Lower cultivator thinking."
"Oh." Keke nodded, half understanding. "Mainly because it's convenient—making money, getting intel and stuff. I thought Teacher Shion might be interested in ruling the world..."
"You can do those things without ruling the world." Jiang Si put the sliced vegetables into the wok. "To overthrow existing rules you'd have to build a whole new system and maintain it. It wastes too much energy and time. Better to cultivate properly."
He added, "That's probably how Teacher Shion thinks."
Turning true cultivation and fighting into farming-and-management operations—politics and economics—just thinking about it made him bored.
He wasn't interested in changing the world.
Even if one day he ruled all eternity, he would still leave world management to the Disaster Control Bureau, perhaps letting the Bureau nominally be a vassal of Azure Cloud Sect.
If the code runs fine, don't change it.
It wouldn't stop him from pursuing the Dao.
"Does that mean if you join the Disaster Control Bureau, Teacher Shion wouldn't dare move against you? If you fell out with her you'd still have a way out."
"Are you sure the Disaster Control Bureau would risk a fight with Azure Cloud Sect over me?" Jiang Si warned her.
"Azure Cloud Sect won't rashly provoke the Disaster Control Bureau. That doesn't mean they dare not. If you anger Teacher Shion, so what if she fights? Would the Disaster Control Bureau truly start a full-scale war with Azure Cloud Sect for just me?"
"Ah..."
"I'm so stupid, really." Keke sighed while helping cut vegetables, "I shouldn't have met Teacher Shion. If I hadn't met her, I wouldn't have recognized her as my teacher. If I hadn't accepted her as teacher, she wouldn't have met you. If Teacher Shion didn't know you, you wouldn't be her boyfriend;
if you weren't her boyfriend, she wouldn't toy with you like this..."
"..then big brother wouldn't be trapped in Teacher Shion's palm forever like now."
"Why run away?"
"In case you cheat later, or get domestic violence and want a divorce—you'll need a fallback, right?"
Jiang Si paused mid-swing with the spatula and thought for a long time.
What was Keke thinking?
He couldn't keep leaving Keke to face the dark side of manga creators alone.
Manga causes harm;
from now on she must be forbidden from reading manga—read more web novels instead.
"No, no." Keke handed him pepper and salt. "Before you find a fallback, you must not break up with Teacher Shion!"
"You don't have to tell me that."
"And don't anger Teacher Shion. Keep your distance from other girls..." Keke added, "Of course, Captain Silver Lotus can be a little close."
"Dinner's ready."
"Oh."
They carried the dishes and bowls back to the living room, habitually turned on the TV, and ate while listening.
The Disaster Control Bureau report about Azure Cloud Sect annihilating the Curse Realm was on. The narrative described Azure Cloud Sect completely eliminating a century-old cult hidden across South and East China, praised their achievements, and expressed willingness to cooperate for better citizen protection.
They were quick to respond.
"Brother, are you short on money?"
"No."
"Where did you get money?"
"I earned it myself."
"Oh." Keke spooned a few mouthfuls. "If you need money tell me. I got my salary."
"How much?"
"Twenty thousand."
"That's not small."
"Hehe."
Jiang Si nodded. "Seems the Disaster Control Bureau has its merits."
"Of course." Keke swung her feet proudly in the chair, "Fixed salary, you get paid even if you don't work. That's why Senior Peony slacks off daily—she gets paid even when idle. There's no bonus for doing more work, though."
Her nose almost went up in the air. "Looks like an elementary schooler on the outside, but actually a Magical Girl middle schooler with a monthly income of twenty thousand! Amazing, right? Fantastic, right? I'm a genius!"
She morphed and proudly patted Jiang Si's shoulder. "Brother, you won't need to work later."
"Don't be ashamed of Sister Hua's money. Be proud instead." Jiang Si demorphed.
Hearing Keke act like she'd be the head of the household one day, Jiang Si said nothing.
He had more than the 300,000 Bingtang gave him.
The company in Jiangming City had done well since Ruo Yun—the spendthrift—left. When Hua Hu was still there, that company took over a month to give him two hundred thousand;
Ruo Yun spent it all. Later Ruo Yun sold Hua Hu to the Disaster Control Bureau, drained the company's funds, and used the cash to expand her own little army.
Not that spending was impossible—investments had returns. Ruo Yun's returns weren't small, so Jiang Si didn't resent the spending too much...
Well, maybe a little.
But he trusted Ruo Yun to earn it back.
If they could obtain Mirror Kingdom materials and finish forging the Supreme Emperor's Weapon, everything would be worth it.
With Hua Hu gone, the company's funds were nearly depleted, nearly bankrupt.
Jiang Si himself had pretty much given up on it.
After all, it was a side project in Jiangming City;
he did not care too much.
Unexpectedly, the company later received funding, someone took over Hua Hu's role and contacted him, claiming to be Hua Hu's subordinate, and took over operations.
In half a month the company was revived and back to profitability and normal operation.
Far more effective than Hua Hu's management.
Keke, busy for a month, earned two thousand;
he, doing nothing, got six thousand from that company in a few days.
No wonder everyone wants to be a boss.
Who wouldn't want to make money while lying down?
The big brother holding nearly four hundred thousand watched his sister proudly flaunting her twenty thousand and shook his head.
He patted his savings and showed a disdainful smile.
A frog in the well.
Two thousand makes her act like this;
I've got nearly four hundred thousand and say nothing.
Being so dazzled by that little money was worrying;
this child will be dangerous, a future problem.
If she encounters a rich person she'll be easily deceived.
Let Bingtang take her out and show her the world.
When he had ten Black Gold Cards, Jiang Si felt their value but not the fullness of owning so much.
It was simply too much.
So much that it felt suspicious—there must be tricks.
But since it was truly a lot, Jiang Si couldn't help but accept it first.
Bait and hook together—if necessary, eat the fisher too.
He couldn't kill himself with it.
Sadly, it all shattered in the end.
Still, with so much money he didn't know how to spend it;
he really didn't need that much.
Keep pocket money and let Bingtang handle the rest—expanding Azure Cloud Sect made more sense.
Bingtang was best at turning money into more money;
he himself only bred maggots with money.
Since three years ago, Bingtang, under the Disaster Control Bureau's watch, used legitimate channels to quietly build Azure Cloud Sect into a balanced, then profitable organization.
Bingtang was only thirteen then.
When they had just become Magical Girls and weren't even Seedling yet, although they could poach people from Beihai Disaster Control Bureau, Jiang Si, having seen Kingfisher's strength, knew that if they truly provoked the Central Bureau, Azure Cloud Sect couldn't develop.
Even genius talent needs time against the foundation of ancient organizations.
Didn't the Flame Emperor and Martial Progenitor once flee under pressure from big organizations?
Only when Jiang Si entered Seedling did Azure Cloud Sect start to gain some confidence and operate openly.
Two years ago, before Jiang Si reached Peak Blooming Great Perfection, Shion only reached her peak last year and then hit a bottleneck.
When Azure Cloud Sect's combat power was insufficient, Bingtang had already recruited many disciples and started many legitimate businesses.
By the time Azure Cloud Sect quietly grew into a profitable organization under the Disaster Control Bureau's nose, Bingtang had just turned fourteen and was in the last year of middle school.
When the Beihai Witch Association used illegal means to get funds and caught the Bureau's attention and suppression, Azure Cloud Sect had already become a pillar of Beihai.
The righteous path is slow but steady. Azure Cloud Sect developed legitimately, won public support, and had mutually beneficial business ties with other companies without showing force.
Now whenever Azure Cloud Sect wants to start a business, many companies in Beihai and East China are willing to cooperate.
This made it difficult for the Disaster Control Bureau to make trouble. All Azure Cloud Sect's income was legal, which is why there was no resistance when the Bureau announced formal cooperation.
Azure Cloud Sect had never lacked money to the point of needing to seize other companies' funds by force, nor behave like the Witch Association that bankrupted many firms and forced employees to jump.
Jiang Si called Azure Cloud Sect the leader of the righteous path with full confidence.
Even standing before Azure Cloud Sect's ancestral founders, he could proudly say, "My Azure Cloud Sect has no shame before the world! I, Jiang Si, only slay evil and follow a clear conscience path."
Knowing how hard they had fought, Jiang Si was reluctant to spend Azure Cloud Sect's funds easily.
He wasn't truly short on cash;
if his sister needed school fees, he could take from Azure Cloud Sect.
Bingtang, for the sect master's face, would even handle such needs to spare him the embarrassment of asking.
Raising funds through the Saint Hall was actually to finance his chaotic personal projects—alchemy, forging—things he knew were likely sunk costs. Using Azure Cloud Sect's money would weigh on him;
money from the Saint Hall wouldn't bother him.
After eating, Jiang Si pulled his left hand away from the 300,000 bank card and tidied the dishes.
Before he washed them, Keke ran over and washed his dishes along with hers. "You cook, I'll wash. Next time I'll cook and you wash."
"Okay."
Back in his room he planned to refine pills.
He saw a message on the crystal ball.
"Lord Simo Tu! I got as many potions as possible, I got one ton of potions! Isn't Xilan awesome, Lord Simo Tu!"
Jiang Si examined it closely to confirm the unit wasn't wrong.
"One ton? Where did you get the money?"
"Report, Lord Simo Tu! It's a loan, I used a loan!"
"How much did you borrow?"
"Don't worry, Lord Simo Tu, only eighty million! The seller said since it's a legendary figure like you buying, Xilan got an 'insider price', 'cost price',
'wholesale price', it's thousands of times cheaper than selling to individuals!"
"If we just pay fifty million as a deposit, we can take a ton of witch potions, with discount upon discount, an eighty percent deal, we'll make a killing, Lord Simo Tu!"
With Xilan's credit, getting a loan was a pipe dream.
Jiang Si frowned. "Who gave you the loan?"
"The great Prince-sama, Lord Simo Tu! She is such a good person, she helped with the paperwork. Normally it's hard to get a loan when you're not around, but she found a way and did the paperwork for you!
"Your Witch Association account's 80 million limit has been activated, the fast approval window opened successfully, the loan's been approved! Now we're only short fifty million, Lord Simo Tu! If you nod we can get it, it's a limited-time opportunity!"
The missing fifty million was the point.
Jiang Si looked at his cracked Black Gold Card. "Help me contact Prince-sama. I have something to discuss with her."
"Okay! But it may take a few days."
The Ice Color Era Group building.
A middle-aged man sat in his office, looking at incoming calls with a blank expression.
He didn't answer a single one.
After a long time, the office bell rang and a girl in ice-blue pushed the door open.
She still held the door key.
Closing the door, she sat on the sofa as if unconcerned.
"Bingtang."
The middle-aged man spoke first, "What do you want?"
Bingtang smiled with the air of a well-bred lady. "Father, you're not at the age of senile dementia yet, are you?"
Another call came;
he frowned.
Even he had to pick up at the name on the screen. After listening to the other side, he simply said "Oh" and hung up.
Bingtang calmly brewed herself tea and sipped slowly.
"Azure Cloud Sect, Disaster Control Bureau." The man sneered. "Big moves."
"Don't be mistaken, Father." Bingtang gently reminded him. "It's just normal business cooperation."
The man stood abruptly, a vein bulging on his forehead.
Bingtang remained mildly smiling and dropped a sugar cube into her tea.
"Don't be rash. Being rash makes you look cornered—that's what you said back then."
"You think violence will make me yield?"
"I said it's normal business cooperation." Bingtang casually added a sugar cube into her tea.
"Even when faced with threats and torture from the Witch Association, you never bowed. The toughness of Ice Color Era's CEO is known. I'm proud of you, Father. So this isn't a threat—no one can threaten you."
Bingtang's father had once fallen into the Witch Association's hands, but that was long ago—before Bingtang was born.
The struggling father, with a wealthy company, had been targeted by the Witch Association;
they pressured, lured, tortured, and threatened death to force him to give up company interests.
He never bowed. He sneered at them as a group of trash.
Trash takes money and squanders it;
he didn't give money to trash.
After the Disaster Control Bureau rescued him, that tough reputation went public and his fame rose;
the company prospered and became the giant it is today.
No violence could break his spine;
in his life of struggle he believed only losers resort to violence.
Moreover, the Disaster Control Bureau provides protection for large industries like Ice Color Era. When personal threats arise the Central Bureau reacts quickly. Retired Magical Girls might be hired as bodyguards.
Bingtang never intended to use threats.
If she wanted violence she could use ordinary means without transforming into a Magical Girl.
Raised by her father, she knew it was pointless.
This supposedly iron-boned father couldn't be broken by violence.
"As long as you follow my rules, you can formally inherit Ice Color Era without doing anything extra."
Bingtang sat on the sofa savoring her father's fury.
He had always sat across from her enjoying her expressions.
He had raised her as both a pupil and competitor.
Their father-daughter relationship wasn't hostile, but as serious rivals there had never been normal warmth.
Winner takes all, loser bows.
"What you give me, I don't want. What you don't give me, I'll take by force." Bingtang set down her cup. "I don't need your inheritance, Father. I'll seize Ice Color Era from you. Most of Ice Color Era's industries, shareholdings, and external partnerships have been transferred."
"Sign a paper and retire. Rest."
The man took a deep breath and steadied himself on the desk. "How long have you been planning this?"
"Since you said you wanted me to be your business rival."
"Thirteen, huh."
The man inhaled. "When did you prepare? Make me lose clearly."
"Well... Within the group, since the first half of the year." Bingtang poured water and handed it to her father. "When we invested in Jiangming for Ice Color Era."
"Heh, so that's it. I wondered why that deficit couldn't be Zhang Feng's doing. Zhang Feng wouldn't dare!"
The man drank the cup in one gulp. "Then you should've been completely ready! Why act now?"
"One reason is I enjoy watching you, Father," Bingtang said teasingly. "Like watching a sick cat bluff, it's entertaining."
The man nearly smashed the cup!
He never thought his daughter would be so infuriating.
"Another reason is there's no need. Ice Color Era is huge and hard to manage. I have my own things;
I'm not in a hurry to take Ice Color Era."
The man snorted. "Now you're in a hurry? Why?"
"My sect master needs pocket money."
After a long silence, the man looked at her suspiciously. "Huh?"
"Fine. If you don't understand, I'll say it another way."
Bingtang rose, poured herself tea, and clinked cups with her father. "My boss needs pocket money. I'm a little short on liquidity. Five hundred million all at once is troublesome, so taking Ice Color Era is an emergency move."
"Just for that?"
The man widened his eyes in anger. "Five hundred million!"
"That's already a lot." Bingtang shook her head at her pampered father's ridiculousness.
When Azure Cloud Sect expanded across South, West, and North China, it used only a few billion. Now taking out five hundred million at once for the sect master's pocket money would impact expansion.
Yet the man shouted, "Just ask me directly!"
"I'm giving money to my sect master." Bingtang removed the nameplate from his chest. "Not you, and not Ice Color Era."
Watching her trembling with anger father, Bingtang smiled softly. "Suck it up, Father. You won't be a first-time loser, will you?"
He suddenly smashed the cup to the floor!
The violent temper he'd always despised surfaced.
He slumped to the desk and sat trembling.
After a deep breath he looked decades older.
She had never seen such a listless, powerless father;
the once mighty figure had grown fragile.
Bingtang pushed prepared documents across the desk to him.
"Happy birthday, Father."
She presented the papers of the new life of the loser.