Chapter 196

"There will be more in the future!" Su Shang hurriedly said.

"Later? How much later? According to your Immortal Vessel people's sense of time, five hundred years later? Hahaha, can the shops here wait that long?" Si Ke Te covered his stomach and burst out laughing.

"Um… ten… twenty years? Xing, what do we do? I—I can't say." Su Shang's head was already starting to feel dazed.

Si Ke Te saw Xing offering no rebuttal, so he decided to press the advantage, successively bringing up the dock's cargo and rent issues.

But Xing had been waiting for this very moment when Si Ke Te let his guard down; she suddenly produced the proof of dock rent repayment, proudly lifting her head: "The dock has been paid off! The Chamber of Commerce has turned a loss into profit and can now repay the debts!"

"What—what?!" Si Ke Te's pupils behind his sunglasses suddenly shrank to two tiny black dots, his jaw uncontrollably dropping, nearly hitting the ground: "You actually paid it off? On what basis?!"

——

fate。

In the cathedral's basement, Ji Ai Jia Mei Shi leaned back on a luxurious seat, gently swaying the golden cup filled with wine.

Looking at Si Ke Te's sorry state in his ill‑fitting glasses, Ji Ai Jia Mei Shi let out a sneer, his eyes full of contempt: "Heh… a mere cultivator dares to represent the Star Peace Company? … Truly disgusting to the extreme."

"If anyone under my command dared to lose face like this out there, hm…" Ji Ai Jia Mei Shi gave a light chuckle twice, then downed the wine in the golden cup in one gulp.

"Oh? I actually find the distortion on Si Ke Te's face quite delightful."

Yan Feng Qi Li's lips curled slightly, his expression rather tax‑evading, "Hero King, this executive of the Star Peace Company must usually be lofty, yet now he's making a fool of himself before everyone—such a contrast, isn't it exhilarating?"

Ji Ai Jia Mei Shi gave him a sideways glance, disdainfully saying: "Heh, Qi Li, you're still the same, overly eager for the struggles of such insignificant people."

"However, this cultivator named Si Ke Te isn't entirely worthless—at least he let His Majesty watch a fairly decent farce."

——

"The materials provided by the Jinren Xiang Chamber of Commerce are reliable; according to the lease contract of both parties, the Chamber still holds the operating rights to the dock."

Xi Kui shifted her tone, her gaze like a blade slicing toward Si Ke Te: "Next, the Chamber proposes that Si Ke Te's representative has been secretly sabotaging the dock's operations—what do you have to say in explanation?"

"Stop spitting blood!" Si Ke Te flew into a rage, "Why would I pull tricks? Your rundown dock has no shop cooperation and frequent accidents—what's that got to do with me?"

"Besides, I don't even handle the dock's cargo—could I possibly have bribed the dockworkers? How laughable." Si Ke Te crossed his arms and snorted contemptuously.

"Then, is it possible that you actually bribed the dockworkers?"

Xing slowly produced A Feng's prior testimony and handed it to Xi Kui beside her.

The evidence is as solid as iron; even if Si Ke Te had ten more mouths, he couldn't deny it. Xi Kui characterized this as improper business conduct, and the Heavenly Vessel Bureau will continue investigating.

Seeing the situation turn bad, Si Ke Te intended to flee outright, but before he could turn around, Su Shang behind him already called out to him.

"Don't forget our earlier bet—you have to apologize to me in front of everyone!"

Si Ke Te still struggled desperately: "I won't! What right do you have to make me apologize?"

"Just because you trampled on others' efforts, just because you used dirty tactics!" Su Shang retorted without hesitation, "If apologizing would keep those who love Jinren Xiang from feeling cold‑hearted, I'd apologize a thousand, ten thousand times!"

"But now, the one who should apologize is you!"

——

Honkai 3.

"Well said! As expected of me… uh, another version of myself from another world!"

Li Su Shang slammed her hands on the table and jumped up, shaking the water in her teacup so it splashed out: "It's this momentum! You spoke too beautifully! If it were me, I'd definitely not say it as well."

Li Ta elegantly took a sip of tea: "Miss Su Shang, you're being too modest—your phrase 'Supreme Carefree Sect senior disciple Li Su Shang, please instruct me' is just as impressive in aura."

"How—how can they be the same?!"

Li Su Shang's ears tinged red; she always felt that when Li Ta said this line to her face, it had the sensation of a public execution.

Moreover, every time she herself utters this line, it's when she's about to come to blows with someone.

If Si Ke Te were facing her instead of Su Shang, she'd probably have to demand that his head and the ground make "intimate contact" the moment he refused to apologize.

——

"……" Si Ke Te's Adam's apple rolled up and down a few times, but he only managed a few dry, raspy coughs.

His eyes behind the sunglasses darted left and right, unwilling to meet Su Shang's gaze—until the boos of the onlooking crowd left him no escape, he finally lowered his eyes.

"I, I'm sorry, Jinren Xiang..." His voice choked, as if something were strangling his throat.

"Ha—? I can't hear you, speak louder." Xing mimicked his posture, deliberately leaning her ear closer.

Su Shang stood with hands on hips, imposing: "Hey, hurry up!"

Si Ke Te collapsed before everyone's eyes at visible speed, as if his spine had been ripped out in an instant, he spoke weakly: "I, I want to apologize to the elders and folks of Jinren Xiang——"

"I'm an eye-less fool! Blind to my limits, all I do is bark like a mad dog!" The words seemed squeezed from between his teeth, each uttered through clenched jaws.

Xing and Su Shang exchanged a smile, quite pleased with the situation.

But, something was still missing——

"You haven't learned to bark like a dog yet?" Xing glared at Si Ke Te.

Su Shang, however, felt reluctant: "... Do we really have to do this?"

From the crowd came murmurs of agreement: "Right, right!"

Amid the crowd's echoing agreement and jeers, Si Ke Te's expression gradually twisted; finally unable to bear it, he jerked his head up and roared: "Ah—enough!"

"Woof! Woof woof woof woof woof! Woof—"

"Woof woof howl—"

Si Ke Te's hysterical barking not only frightened his coworkers, it also made Su Shang's eyes widen with a "swish," shocking her into covering her mouth.

I've never seen a scene like this……

Xi Kui beside them gave a cold smile: "Tsk, what a disgraceful display—let's call it a day."