Just as Yang Hao was racking his brains over how to dissuade Li Bo from hiring the swordsmen group, Zhuge Jian, who had been sneaking around and hiding inside, finally mustered the courage to step out of the room.
“Hahahahaha!” Zhuge Jian laughed, a sound more unpleasant than crying. “Boss Li Bo, why are you so angry?”
Li Bo merely cast a sidelong glance at Zhuge Jian and sneered disdainfully, “Do you old fool have the right to speak here?”
“This is our store’s senior consultant, of course he can speak,” Yang Hao said, tapping the sign of his store to remind Li Bo that they were still on his territory.
“Actually, in the end, the two bosses are merely arguing over business matters and a sense of righteousness,” Zhuge Jian said again, beginning to wave his goose-feather fan—it was truly a comical sight.
“Will I have a dispute over righteousness with him?” Li Bo sneered, his face full of disdain.
“Then aren’t you here today just to pick a fight?” Yang Hao retorted sharply.
“Just here to teach you a lesson.”
“Now I wonder who’s the one who got taught a lesson,” Yang Hao said, lifting his chin arrogantly. The eight swordsmen at the shop entrance were still stripping each other’s clothes off, nearly becoming eight naked pigs.
Li Bo was so angry that he bit his lip hard; he was practically fuming with rage. “Since that’s the case,” he said, “just wait for the swordsmen to come knocking on your door.” With that, he turned around and strode away, his sleeve flaring.
“Wait, wait a minute!” Zhuge Jian quickly tried to stop him. “Mr. Li, in fact, there are many things that cannot be resolved through brute force.”
Li Bo frowned, glaring at Zhuge Jian whose aged face was wrinkled like an orange peel: “Spit it out if you’ve got something to say!”
Zhuge Jian had an excellent mindset. Even when insulted, he didn’t so much as raise an eyebrow: “You two bosses are both in the same business. Everyone is competing for the same aphrodisiac market—who decided this has anything to do with physical fighting? Even if Boss Li or our very own Boss Yang Hao defeats the other in a fight, does that prove their aphrodisiac is better?”
“What do you mean?” Li Bo turned around slowly, obviously starting to believe that Zhuge Jian’s words held some truth.
“Ancient sages wisely said to engage in intellectual contests rather than physical battles,” Zhuge Jian, looking every bit the scholarly sage with his feather fan and silk scarf, expounded grandly, “Since the two of you are competing over aphrodisiacs, you might as well have an intellectual duel to determine whose aphrodisiac is superior.”
This speech truly enlightened Li Bo. Originally, Li Bo had thought that by causing a scene today with his men, he could at least show Yang Hao how powerful he was and force him to withdraw from the aphrodisiac market completely. However, things turned out quite the opposite—he ended up suffering a major humiliation. Although Li Bo had spoken very harshly just now and could certainly seek out a swordsman to salvage his dignity, even if he won a fight, what would it really achieve? If Yang Hao was determined and persistent, he could continue operating his shop indefinitely. As long as Yang Hao’s reputation in the aphrodisiac business remained strong, it would be extremely difficult to win back the customers from him.
The only way to permanently resolve the issue is to expose Yang Hao’s counterfeit aphrodisiacs, making everyone realize that the products he sells are actually ineffective.
Li Bo’s mind was made up, and a sinister smile once again appeared on his face. “Well, well, it seems there’s someone here who actually understands reason,” he sneered. “Fine then, since I wouldn’t want anyone to think I’m bullying children, I’ll agree to this little competition of aphrodisiacs, as you suggested.”
“A competition for love potions?” This new development was once again beyond Yang Hao’s expectations. He looked at Zhuge Jian with confusion, but Zhuge Jian merely winked at him, subtly urging him to agree.
Yang Hao hesitated for a moment. He noticed the crowd of onlookers surrounding him, people who thrived on spreading gossip. If he didn’t agree today, it wouldn’t take long before everyone in the city knew he had backed down from the infamous “Ten Million Stimulant.” That would be a reputation he could never recover from.
“Fine, let’s compare,” Yang Hao replied, refusing to back down. “How and where do we do this?”
Li Bo’s lips curled upward in a confident smile, as if he already held the victory in his grasp: “In the capital city, there is naturally only one place that is most qualified to host the competition.”
“Where?” Yang Hao asked, puzzled.
“Rush to the Star Sea!” Almost all the men present roared together.
Obviously, the venue of this competition has left a deep impression on people’s minds.
“According to what you’re saying, I’m definitely going to lose?” Yang Hao asked, walking along gloomily.
“Who said you’re definitely going to lose…” Zhuge Jian trotted behind Yang Hao, “I clearly said you have a thirty percent chance of winning.”
“Thirty percent!!!” Yang Hao lamented. “What’s the difference between that and certain defeat? If it’s going to end up like this, why did you even suggest the match?” Yang Hao was truly furious. Zhuge Jian, that guy, had seemed so confident when Li Bo was around, urging Yang Hao to accept the challenge. But as soon as Li Bo left, he dropped his mask and shamelessly insisted that Yang Hao would lose.
“If I hadn’t suggested a literary contest, Li Bo would have called in the swordsmen from the martial arts school to fight, which would have been a guaranteed loss,” Zhuge Jian still thought he had a strong argument. “This is what they call choosing the lesser of two evils.”
Yang Hao pouted, feeling extremely wronged. Today when Li Bo came to cause trouble, Yang Hao had clearly come out victorious. Yet, how did he end up being forced into a corner in the end?
“Don’t worry, though. We still have a three-in-ten chance. That’s exactly why I’m taking you along to scout the situation right now,” Zhuge Jian awkwardly reassured Yang Hao.
Yang Hao wasn’t fooled at all: “I think you’re just driven by your own lust and trying to use public matters for personal gain.”
“It’s all the same, all the same,” Zhuge Jian chuckled, his face stretched into a grin so sleazy it was impossible to tell how repulsive he looked.
“Why is my chance of winning so low?” Yang Hao still couldn’t wrap his head around it. “You also said that my love potion is much better than Li Bo’s. No matter how I look at it, I should definitely win.”
“You don’t know the whole story,” sighed Zhuge Jian. “The key issue of today’s match isn’t the aphrodisiac, but rather the location of the competition.”
“What’s wrong with the place?” Yang Hao asked curiously. “Isn’t it just Ling Fei Star Sea? It’s merely a brothel.”
“The Lingfei Star Sea in the capital city is the largest brothel in the nearby star systems, and the woman who runs this skyscraper is a woman named Ling Ziyun.” Zhuge Jian coughed slightly, his eyes flickering, “According to rumors, this Ling Ziyun is Li Bo’s woman…”
“What?!” Yang Hao was greatly shocked. He had just arrived at the capital and, of course, didn’t know about the complicated interpersonal relationships there. However, Zhuge Jian should have understood them. “If that’s the case, why did you still agree to have the competition in Lingfei Star Sea?”
“This isn’t what I agreed to,” Zhuge Jian said, looking equally wronged. “You saw it yourself during the day. There were so many people around us cheering on, could we really have refused? It’s just that Ling Fei Chenxinghai is too popular among men.”
Upon learning this news, Yang Hao immediately became dejected. Earlier that day, Li Bo had said that in a week’s time, at the Ling Fei Starry Sea, Madam Ling Ziyun would personally set a difficult challenge. If Yang Hao could solve it using a love potion, he would be considered the winner.
Yang Hao originally thought this was going to be a fair and square match. However, who would have guessed that Li Bo had something going on with the female boss? If that’s the case, then what’s there to compete? Li Bo probably knew all along what tricky challenges the boss would throw at them, so he must have been well-prepared in advance.
Zhuge Jian saw Yang Hao’s face darken and realized he was hesitating. Eager to make amends, Zhuge Jian quickly suggested, “I know Li Bo will certainly contact Ling Ziyun first, so we can’t just sit around waiting for things to happen. Let’s head over to Ling Fei’s Star Sea today to scout out the situation and get a sense of what’s going on.”
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage