Tomb Raider: The man is in the Nine Gates, but the system insists it's the Primordial Era.

The Huo family's living room was decorated in an antique style.

Huo Jinxi, who was having breakfast and morning tea early in the morning, was wearing a brocade robe and standing in front of her, reporting on the commotion caused by the sickly Su Mu, who had suddenly returned to Changsha.

Huo Jinxi, blowing on the hot tea, remained expressionless and her heart remained calm.

"A mere twenty or so people are nothing special. They may have secretly learned some skills from behind the Nine Gates, but they are ultimately not skilled enough. Moreover, they are all cowards and afraid of trouble. Otherwise, they would not have failed to become vassals of the Nine Gates after so many years."

"As for that Taoist nun with the umbrella, that's quite interesting. Later, pretend to be casual and tell the young lady about it."

Huo Jinxi's lips curled up slightly as she made a plan.

"Yes."

The subordinate accepted the order and turned to leave.

in the courtyard.

Huo Xian'er, who was used to being woken up every morning to practice her morning exercises, had a fine sheen of sweat on her nose as she continued to swing her fists and feet.

Among the many sect leaders of the Nine Gates.

Only Qi Laoba doesn't know kung fu. Even the Third Master Half-Li, who only has half a body left, has strange and enormous strength in his arms.

As a martial arts force that makes a living by tomb raiding.

The Nine Gates not only face unexpected ferocious creatures and zombies that rise from the dead when entering tombs.

When traveling the martial arts world, it's inevitable to encounter some people who don't respect the Nine Gates and don't know how to be virtuous.

Therefore, Huo Xian'er was forced to learn martial arts, self-defense techniques, her family's bone-shrinking skills, and the ability to find dragon veins and explore caves from a young age.

"Miss, Su Mu is back."

A servant of the Huo family, who had walked from the living room to the courtyard, offered a reminder.

After finishing her last set of punches, Huo Xian'er calmed her breathing and smiled excitedly, "Where is he? I'll change my clothes and go see him!"

The servant lowered his head and said, "When he came back this time, he gathered a group of people and is heading towards the city now. I don't know what he's going to do. Moreover, he also brought back a young and beautiful Taoist nun."

"I know, what Taoist nun? Young and beautiful? I don't believe it! I'm going to see for myself!"

Huo Xian'er paused, her bright eyes shrouded in a strange emotion.

……

"That old teahouse is just ahead. On the surface, it looks like a place that sells tea. Although many outsiders see it as just a place that sells tea leaves, in reality..."

The bearded man led the way, explaining the real inside story of the streets and alleys ahead to Su Mu.

The aroma of various teas wafted from the street, along with the steam and bubbling of boiling water.

The narrow cobblestone alleyway looked very damp after the rain, perhaps due to the tea shops that have been there for many years.

At the far end of the street, which is called "Old Tea House" by the old Changsha residents, is an old wooden fortune-telling stall.

The fortune-telling stall is followed by a small incense hall.

The stall's old wooden table was worn smooth and shiny, with a copper divination tube, a yellowed fortune-telling book, and an old inkstone.

The area behind the fortune-telling stall was dimly lit, with piles of clutter on both sides. At the far end, a blue cloth curtain hung over the door of the incense hall, and behind the curtain, the air was thick with smoke. Anyone who didn't know better would think that someone was hiding there smoking opium.

"Freshly picked pre-rain tea! Clear and sweet aftertaste, Wushan spring tea, excellent price and quality!"

"Aged Fu brick black tea, good for removing dampness and relieving greasiness!"

"Pre-Qingming tender buds, fine mountain tea, we have it all!"

"..."

I could hear the endless stream of vendors calling out their wares.

Su Mu called out to the bearded man in front of him, "Wait, isn't this Fengshui Street I'm looking for? This..."

The bearded man gave a wry smile: "With Master Qi here, who would dare to set up a fortune-telling stall in the city? Master Su, do you think you would trust Master Qi, who has been stationed here for generations and whose livelihood is fortune-telling, or would you trust some wandering fortune teller?"

Su Mu shook his head: "Okay then. Hey, is that Qi Tiezui's stall? There's an empty stall right next to his."

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound, and their expressions changed upon seeing what was happening.

They had recently heard a rumor.

After taking office as the head of the Nine Gates, Buddha became very close to Master Qi, and their relationship was very intimate.

He also planned to win Qi Tiezui over to his side, and to this end, he spread the word in the city that no one dared to provoke Master Qi.

At the same time, he also had the idea of ​​expanding the Eighth Master's gambling business.

The empty shop next to Qi Tiezui's stall was definitely not some idle shop with no business; it was probably...

"Has Partridge Whistle not arrived yet?"

"I'm going to ask, so don't follow me. Otherwise, people might misunderstand and think I'm trying to force a sale. Just stand here and wait for me."

"Let's go, Flower Spirit."

Su Mu stopped the group of slum followers behind him who didn't look like good people at all, and only let Hua Ling continue to hold the umbrella for him, then quickly walked forward.

The owner and his assistant of the tea shop next to Qi Tiezui's shop were taking down the signboard and packing up their belongings with long faces.

"Is this shop for sale?"

"Where did this come from...?"

Just as the tea shop waiter was about to speak, somewhat impatiently, the owner suddenly covered his mouth.

The tea shop owner glanced at the handsome young man and the Taoist nun with an umbrella beside him, then instantly jumped over the two and saw the group of 'fierce' thugs waiting for Su Mu not far away.

In these difficult times, if someone holds an umbrella for you in the rain and you act nonchalant and take it all for granted, it's impossible without status and position.

"Turn it around!" The shop owner glanced at Qi Tiezui's fortune-telling stall, which hadn't reacted at all, and said excitedly.

"How much? But my friend who's going to collect the money hasn't arrived yet, boss, you'll have to wait a bit." Su Mu's lips curled up slightly.

"No need, how much do you have on you?"

"I only have this much left on me."

"Enough! More than enough! This shop is yours from now on! Brother-in-law, let's go! Still looking?"

"Um, this shop doesn't even make ten dollars a year?"

"..."

Su Mu looked at the tea shop owner and his brother-in-law's employee, who had run away with the money, with a strange expression, completely baffled.

He didn't know much about the power dynamics within the city.

When Huo Xian'er first came into contact with him, she knew very little about the Nine Gates and the power structure of other forces.

"Stop standing there, get to work! Take down the doorplates, and then..."

Su Mu summoned the group of followers who were blocking the street corner and began to give them specific instructions.

This tea shop is piled with tea leaves year-round, and the air is filled with a complex tea aroma. I'm afraid that even after cleaning it many times, it will be difficult to cover up the smell.

In addition, the layout was not to Su Mu's liking at all.

"Master Su, I'm afraid this place..."

"What are you afraid of? I haven't offended anyone. Go find me a plaque maker, ask him how much he charges, and then buy some cleaning tools. These are all broken; what needs to be torn down must be torn down, and what needs to be repaired must be repaired. By the way, where's Partridge Whistle? I'm out of money."

"You don't know the cost of living until you're in charge. After asking around, I'll gather the information and see how much we have left. We don't even have a proper place to live yet; we still need to buy a house. And next time we travel, we can't walk anymore; we'll need a horse-drawn carriage or an oxcart. Everyone's clothes are the same; none of them are clean. And then there's your filthy hair and beards..."

Not far away.

After hearing the news that someone dared to steal the store that Buddha had given to Master Qi.

Instantly, countless heads popped up throughout the teahouse, eagerly watching the ungrateful stranger.

"This is going to be good, hehe!"

"How dare they! They even dare to steal what Buddha gave to Eighth Master?!"

"They probably don't know about this. Oh, to be honest, I only found out because a friend told me. That shop was named by Buddha."

"According to the shop owner who ran away, the boy bought out his shop for ten silver dollars. Heh heh, that kid is a greenhorn. He doesn't know that any random shop in the city costs more than a hundred silver dollars."

"Since Buddha became the head of the Nine Gates, it has been a very long time since any civilian force has come to choose him."

"What did this guy say? Hahaha, I wonder if he has enough money to buy shop decorations and other items? Hahaha, he's really thinking ahead! Let's see if he can make it through tonight, hahaha."

"Hey, you over there, what's that shop...?"

"Shut up! Do you still want to watch the show? What's it to you? Is he your father?"

"I……"