Chapter 241

"That's all the people we've got—I only got a slight discount from the tailor, not enough. We need more bottom-tier markets to absorb this surplus. Ye Ge, interested in joining me? Let's start a business together in the game, build an unprecedented commercial empire, surpass Wei Liang, and become the undisputed king of commerce in Mo Cun!"

Wow, he even knows Wei Liang—he must've done market research!

He's never been this detail-oriented during his usual cultivation!

"No need for cooperation. Just keep pushing. By the way, Wei Liang is already dead. Mo Cun is leaderless—maybe you really can become the next person to take over its vacant market."

"What?! Wei Liang is dead?!"

Niu Niu was stunned—Wei Liang had only been dead seven days, and the news hadn't spread yet; very few people knew.

His face shifted several times, his excited body trembling slightly.

"This is our chance! Ye Ge, lend me a hundred taels—I'll take over Mo Cun for sure!"

"No money."

"Come on! You're the Captain…"

"No."

"... Fine, I'll do it myself! From a small merchant to a dominant tycoon of Mo Cun—that'll have its own unique flavor."

Before Niu Niu's eyes, an image formed: step by step, hard work, eventually growing into a merchant as wealthy as a nation.

But Fang Yue's next words instantly pulled him back to reality.

"How's your sister's surgery?"

"Ah… the surgery went well. A few days ago, I earned enough Silver to convert into real money and cover the cost. But expenses are still huge—I need to earn more."

Most people enter the game to enjoy it while earning a little extra cash.

"Same as before—if you need emergency help, you can come to me."

"No need, no need, I'll figure something out myself."

Just as Niu Niu was speaking, his eyelid twitched—he shot past Fang Yue in an instant and dashed out of the shop.

Immediately, chaos erupted outside.

Fang Yue walked out, puzzled, and saw Niu Niu pinning someone to the ground in the crowd, grinning stupidly at a girl with a single ponytail and a cold expression, drool dripping from his mouth.

"Wai bi wai bi!"

"I don't need your help."

Niu Niu's plea was met with a cold response.

Her icy gaze and expression seemed to repel him from a thousand miles away.

Then again, Niu Niu's appearance wasn't exactly appealing, and he couldn't speak—at least to NPCs, he was just a drooling idiot.

"Aba aba!"

Niu Niu skillfully pulled out a notebook and pointed to the writing on it.

Fang Yue squinted slightly, studied the crooked, apocalyptic-level ugly handwriting, and barely made out what the guy had written.

"Dear… Ni Dongmei, I adore you since the first day I saw you… puke puke puke, puke puke puke, puke puke puke!"

What followed wasn't Niu Niu's writing—it was Fang Yue, simply nauseated by those words.

This was too disgusting—how could he even write such sappy nonsense? Doesn't he have any shame?

And you're trying to court a girl? Brother, look at your own condition—no face, at least grow a mouth!

No mouth, no face, and you expect a girl to decipher your tadpole-like scribbles and feel your love? Puke—no explanation needed!

Slap.

Before Fang Yue could finish vomiting, Ni Dongmei slapped the notebook, sending it tumbling to the ground.

"Stop bothering me."

She gave Niu Niu a cold, disgusted glance, snatched the necklace from the man he was pinning down, fastened it back around her neck, then walked past Niu Niu, pushing through the crowd, and vanished from sight in moments.

Niu Niu stood there, utterly heartbroken—so pure and tragic!

"Niu Niu, seriously? You're chasing her? An NPC?"

"Yeah! Her name is Ni Dongmei—so beautiful! She's exactly my type!"

"... Chasing a pile of code? Isn't that a bit…"

Though this remark from Fang Yue felt a bit hypocritical, to ordinary players, weren't all women in the game just piles of code? Could you even develop feelings for that?

"Ye Ge, you don't get it! Haven't you played dating games? That pure, innocent romance—that's the real fun of gaming!"

"... Then why didn't you ever chase girls in Gu Yue Cun?"

"Gu Yue Cun? A bunch of ugly girls—what's there to chase? Wait—Ye Ge, you're not saying that Ma Ling'er'er is pretty, are you?"

Uh… Ma Ling'er'er really was pretty, but unfortunately she was a weirdo.

Fang Yue remembered Ma Ling'er'er returning to her normal form, so he acknowledged her beauty.

"Even if you want to pursue someone else, Niu Niu…"

Fang Yue walked over, patted his shoulder, and spoke solemnly: "Face reality—you're mute, uglier than a dog, and a complete idiot. Put yourself in her shoes—would you like a deformed, mute idiot?"

"I would!"

Niu Niu answered with complete conviction.

Fang Yue fell silent, then quietly patted his shoulder and spoke solemnly again.

"Niu Niu, you can fool Da Ge—but promise me, don't fool yourself!"

"No, Ye Ge, I really can! What matters most is the heart—inner beauty!"

"Oh. Good luck."

As they chatted privately, the crowd around them began pointing and whispering, and the murmurs grew louder, more pointed.

Fang Yue's heart sank—he subtly stepped away from Niu Niu.

"I don't know him!"

"Over there, don't talk nonsense—I'm Ye Captain of Gu Yue Cun! Defame my reputation, and I'll sue you for slander!"

"You need evidence to speak. Did I just pat that idiot on the shoulder? I was trying to drag him away so I could grab the robber on the ground and take him to the Guard Team!"

"That's right—I, Ye Captain of Gu Yue Cun, am upright and incorruptible! A messenger of justice! I don't even know someone who drools like a fool!"

Watching Fang Yue repeatedly tell passersby he had nothing to do with it, Niu Niu was completely stunned.

For a moment, two long-forgotten words surfaced in his mind.

"Hidden Endurance!"

But after enduring so long, Niu Niu also wanted to explode—to make Fang Yue stop being so brazen right in front of him! It hurt!

"Ye Ge, you didn't!"

He angrily sent the message, and soon received Fang Yue's reply.

"Mmm, remember to deliver that guy you caught to the Guard Team—there's a reward: at least two or three hours of Yang Shou."

"Ye Ge, forever the god!!"

Fang Yue rolled his eyes.

Niu Niu was always easy to handle.

In the past, Fang Yue would have cared deeply about those two or three hours of Yang Shou.

But now, after breaking through his realm, his Yang Shou had reached a full year—plenty to waste for the foreseeable future, no rush at all.

Besides, it was Niu Niu who caught the man; giving him the reward was only fair.

But Ni Dongmei…

Fang Yue frowned slightly.

After leaving the crowd, he had been following the direction Ni Dongmei had gone, searching for her trail.

He'd only just heard the name Ni Dongmei this morning from Tian Dan Zhi Yuan Wu—never expected to run into her so soon.

SN, SN!!

Heartbroken, heartbroken!!

(End of Chapter)