Chapter 9 Its a Tough World (1/2)

The reason why Shen Lian went out early in the morning was to have some peace and quiet.

In spite of his purpose, he was trailed by two bodyguards from the Shen family.

After realizing that a good half of the properties in Qing Capital belonged to the Shen family, Shen Lian wondered if this was how a royal visit felt like.

The most profitable industries were monopolized by the Shen family, one would have to work with the Shen family to make a living. In that sense, the Shen family could be described as the king in the capital.

Looking at how he was the legitimate heir to the Shen family, it would not be entirely inaccurate to describe his outing as a royal visit.

Too bad that being a bully was not his cup of tea, otherwise it would be fun to take advantage of innocent girls with his social status.

The State Capital of Qing was divided into two parts - the inner town and the outer town. The inner town was surrounded by high walls, and the outer town consisted of all kinds of markets and shops. This was one of the capital's uniqueness. It could not be helped that those who lived in the inner town felt that they were better than those who lived in the outer town.

Those who lived in the outer town shared their sentiments too; they would do anything just to be a part of the inner town.

The manors of the inner town were a lot smaller than those at the outer town, but they were a lot more expensive than their counterparts at the outer town. Even then, there was still a high demand for them.

Most of the manors in the inner town were built by the Shen family. These manors were then sold at a high price. The Shen family possessed a significant number of land titles.

Shen Lian was impressed with the business model developed by Old Master Shen, it was almost similar to those back in the modern world where Shen Lian came from.

Indeed, birds of the same feather flock together. Great minds do think alike.

Shen Lian went from inner town to the outer town and noticed that despite its size, the outer town was not as organized as the inner town. Though, it was a lot more happening and bustling with activities.

He went out from the east gate of the inner town. Despite that there was a mountain toward the east, the terrain was mostly flat. This was an important road for traders; the hotels and inns were crowded.

Shen Lian had gone out from the east gate to avoid the funeral procession of the Shen family.

As he left early in the morning, he did not get to have breakfast. The aroma of the fresh biscuits fuelled onto his hunger.

He was not going to settle for biscuits; he made a beeline to the inn, Yue Ke Lai.

The name of the inn literally meant that the shopkeeper would be pleased to welcome customers. The name was unrefined, but it was honest and frank.

Shen Lian did not bring money, but he knew that his bodyguards did.

Shen Lian was not in the mood for a private dining room, and so he went right to the main hall. As it was not lunch time yet, the inn was relatively empty. Shen Lian sat down and ordered a table full of delicious dishes.

Even though Shen Lian was dressed in expensive clothing, the waiter was not sure about letting him order such a huge amount of food – clearly for fear that he could not pay up.

The waiter was about to ask for further instructions from his manager, but before he could ask, the manager was smiling ear to ear and had told him to get the chef to prepare his special dishes.

The manager did not want to keep Shen Lian waiting. He quickly brought over some exquisite appetizer and a pot of old wine.

Shen Lian would love to drink, but he refrained from doing so due to his physical condition. He ordered another pot of tea. Meanwhile, his two bodyguards did not have the gut to sit with him and had got themselves a table of their own not far away.

Shen Lian was sampling the appetizer when a green shadow walked into the hall from the backyard.

The person looked unkempt and disheveled and was dressed in dull green, Shen Lian wondered when was it that he last changed his clothes. He had stubble all over his face and gave off a wild and unruly vibe. His notable facial features would be his hooked nose and his bright eyes, he stood out in the crowd despite not having a towering height.

Even a normal person could sense that he was different, what more Shen Lian. In fact, Shen Lian picked up a hint of danger from him.

The manager spotted the man in green and stopped him in his track without fear. ”You haven't been paying for your accommodation for the past three days, when are you going to settle your outstanding balance?” he said.

”Stop bickering around and bring up some good dishes. We can talk after I have filled my stomach,” the man in green replied.