Martial King's Retired Life

Everyone present went from wondering why someone from the imperial palace was here, to, “It is us who needs to ask for your pardon, General Manager Bai.” Sir Sui was in charge of arranging Bai Lian and Zizi’s lodging. He wasn’t a servant in the imperial court, but he was the most familiar with regulations and a veteran, so he was most apt for the job. Zizi was introduced as the young master of an affluent family, but nobody at Liu Shan Men was stupid enough to not realise he had to be nobility or related to the imperial family. They just had to observe how General Manager Bai treated him to notice that. As such, they notified Sir Sui so that he could make arrangements.

“Sir Sui is one of the most respected eunuchs among eunuchs. You have no idea how many eunuchs in the palace look up to him. It’s great that he’s handling our lodging. What are you worried about?” Bai Lian cheerfully inspected her sparkling-clean place with Zizi. “Lord Zi, we will be staying here tonight.”

“Yay! Shifu, let’s drink tonight!”

“No you will not! Lord Zi, your mother stressed that you cannot drink. You should be washing up and heading to bed at this hour!”

Only I was unable to mentally come around.

General Manager Bai… is staying?

Bai Lian moved in before I could weigh the pros and cons of her moving in. I appreciated her concern, but there was just something that made me uneasy. My primary question was, it wasn’t rare for her and Zizi to stay the night outside the palace, but was it truly okay for them not to return to the imperial palace?

“Hey! You better not let Lord Zi drink alcohol!” warned Bai Lian, catching Zizi as he tried to escape.

I stiffly replied, “Of course I wouldn’t. Having said that…”

“Having said that what?”

Zizi continued putting up a strong resistance despite virtually being subdued.

“Are you serious about staying here?”

My question distracted Bai Lian enough for her to lose her grip, allowing Zizi to escape. Following a sigh and glare at me, she answered, “We can protect you from assassins if while we’re here. You should be thankful.”

Except… you’re nowhere near my room. Whatever assassin that comes after me would’ve had enough time to roast me and sell me off by the time you arrived…

“Why are you so wishy washy? We need to sleep. Shut the door.”

Sheesh. Is there a need to be so aggressive? I’ll shut the door now.

I shut the door, then turned around to say, “But…”

“I meant for you to shut the door on your way out!”

“But I still have a question.”

Bai Lian suddenly looked nervous.

“If you weren’t going to stay at Liu Shan Men tonight, where were you going to stay?”

“W-we…”

“An inn!” interjected Zizi.

I pulled my brows together as I looked back to Bai Lian. “Lord Zi’s grandparents are the richest family. Why would you stay at an inn?”

“Fine, since you’ve found out… There are numerous reasons. Lord Zi and I currently have nowhere to go home to, and we don’t have much money on us. Had we not run into you today, we probably would’ve had to make do at an abandoned shrine outside the city.”

Now I’m even more lost!

Zizi was Brilliant Consort’s precious son. She’d be able to provide him with a life of luxury for three years if she mindlessly sold a few pieces of jewellery. Damn, she could sell the flowers at her entrance for a fat sum. Additionally, the officials in the capital would’ve had to have been ignorant to have not tried to befriend Bai Lian if she disclosed her identity.

“I can’t divulge the reasons as it pertains to the imperial family’s prestige and secrets. Can you just not ask, and let us stay for a few days? Don’t tell anyone why we’re here. Just tell them I’m helping you fend off assassins.”

“That…”

“Aren’t we friends?”

“I don’t have a problem with that. It’s just… I don’t run Liu Shan Men. I have to explain the situation to my superior.”

Bai Lian smirked for some reason. “If Shen Yiren has something to say, tell her to come talk to me and not make things hard for you. Others may fear her, but I don’t.”

No, Boss is considerate. Plus, she’s about to leave soon. I’m talking about Song Ou…

“Looking for me? I’d like to hear what you have to say.”

Not only was I surprised to hear the sweet voice from several courtyards away, but even Bai Lian was notably taken aback. Boss’ progress in her internal discipline had continued to improve, especially after her fights against Divine Realm opponents. Her utilisation of her internal energy had improved thanks to the experiences; it wasn’t something that could be taught. The fact that she could use Voice Transmission and hear us over such a long distance was proof that she had improved by multiple folds. When she entered the room, she was akin to a sharp sword heading straight for its target. Her aura alone was enough to shake up her opponent.

Bai Lian smiled.

Boss looked to Zizi. “It is a pleasure to see you, Lord Zi.”

“O-oh, hello,” responded Zizi, after recomposing himself.

Had Boss not held back, Boss’ smile could’ve inflicted an internal injury on Zizi due to the discrepancy in levels.

“General Manager Bai.” Boss turned to Bai Lian with a smile, but there were obvious figurative fires in her eyes. “It has been a long time. I had no idea you were our guest.”

“It has been a long time, indeed. I have missed you, so I thought it was time to pay you a visit.”

They both were smiles, but I could see a big white rabbit and a white fox behind them locked in a contest. However, instead of sensing danger, I thought it was kind of cute…