439: Unworthy of his position

Shang Wan Ning also smiled. Just as she was about to pay, the old man quickly waved his hands repeatedly: "No charge, no charge. Consider it making a friend. This phoenix suits you; it's worth it!"

The two thanked him, took the sugar painting, and walked toward a less crowded area.

Just as they turned the street corner, they heard a familiar voice.

The four girls were taking photos at the alley entrance.

"Hurry, hurry, help me take a picture with this graffiti wall. Make sure it captures that cool and casual feeling." The girl in the slip dress commanded the girl with the high ponytail holding the phone, while adjusting her skirt.

The high ponytail girl, holding her phone, looked up and ran right into Shang Wan Ning and Ling Qi, instantly freezing in place.

The other three girls followed her gaze and also froze where they stood.

The sugar-painted phoenix in Shang Wan Ning's hand shone brightly in the night, infinitely more delicate than the flat design on the spinning wheel.

The short-haired girl whispered, "Sh-she really won the phoenix..."

Shang Wan Ning didn't even bother to lift her eyelids, walking straight past the frozen group of girls as if they were insignificant pebbles on the roadside.

Ling Qi, however, stopped and adjusted her glasses: "Some things cannot be obtained just by relying on luck."

The four girls exchanged glances, their faces flushing alternately red and pale. They glumly put away their phones, stopped taking pictures, and pulled at each other's sleeves, leaving as if fleeing again.

[((유∀유|||))]

After walking a dozen meters, Shang Wan Ning let out a soft scoff, broke off a small piece of the phoenix tail feather, and tossed it into her mouth.

She bit it with a "crunch," saying, "AQi, why bother competing with them?"

It's not about competing.

Ling Qi looked at the sugar painting in His Majesty's hand. "It's that some people need to learn respect."

It's that some people need to learn respect.

Shang Wan Ning brought the remaining large portion of the phoenix toward Ling Qi's lips: "Want a taste? It's very sweet."

Ling Qi took a small sip of the melted syrup along the edge from her hand and nodded.

"Mmm, sweet."

"Sweet is right."

Shang Wan Ning withdrew her hand contentedly and broke off a small piece of the wing for herself.

Her divine sense casually swept forward, landing on a ring toss stall nearby that was surrounded by many people.

The prizes of various colors were dazzling, piled up everywhere, from plush toys to small household appliances.

Behind the stall, a man who looked to be in his fifties, with an empty left sleeve, was busy handing rings to customers, wearing a slightly strained smile.

"Want to go play that?"

Shang Wan Ning raised an eyebrow, a little interested.

Ling Qi followed her gaze and nodded lightly.

The two walked up to the stall. Shang Wan Ning pulled out her phone and swiftly scanned the code to pay: "Boss, ten rings, please."

The one-armed boss responded and skillfully counted out ten bamboo rings with one hand and passed them over.

"Beautiful lady, keep your hand steady. Whichever one you aim for, you get it. If you ring it, it's yours."

Shang Wan Ning took the rings, weighed them in her hand, and casually tossed out the first one.

The bamboo ring floated lightly in an arc, soaring past the scattered prizes close by, and landed squarely and perfectly around the neck of the palm-sized pikachu figure farthest away.

"Aiyo, what luck! A great start!" The boss immediately cheered loudly, drawing a small commotion from the surrounding crowd.

Shang Wan Ning didn't react much.

The second ring immediately flew out, landing around a half-human-sized plush bear.

The third, the fourth... the tenth.

After all ten rings were thrown, the ten most valuable prizes at the stall were all firmly ringed by the bamboo circles, without a single miss.

"Oh my god, she got them all!"

"This young lady is too amazing!"

"Has she practiced this?"

The onlookers buzzed with discussion, and some even raised their phones to take pictures.

The smile on the stall owner's face completely froze. His mouth twitched a few times, and he barely managed to maintain his tone: "Beautiful lady... you truly are something."

He gave a thumbs up. "Master, these, all of these are yours."

Shang Wan Ning glanced at the prizes on the ground, which held no appeal for her. She bent down and only picked up the pikachu figure she had ringed, tossing it lightly in her hand.

Then she told the boss, "I'll just take this one. You can keep the rest to continue your business."

The boss was stunned, looking at her in disbelief, his eyes slightly red. He quickly bowed: "Thank you! Thank you, beautiful lady. You are truly... truly a generous person."

"Otherwise, I would have set up this stall for nothing tonight."

Ling Qi silently accepted the pikachu figure Shang Wan Ning handed her, feeling the cool plastic casing of the toy in her palm.

She suddenly remembered a long time ago, in the three-bedroom apartment, a certain person wearing oversized pikachu pajamas, with messy hair, looking for water with sleepy eyes.

Back then, His Majesty was not as composed as she is now. The occasional naive demeanor she revealed was much easier to handle than the unfathomable, reserved woman she is today.

After walking a few steps away from the crowd, Shang Wan Ning suddenly spoke, her voice carrying a hint of confirmation: "Is the stall owner from just now Lu Jiahao, the Wealthy Male Mother who gave birth to Seven Treasures in One Go?"

Ling Qi nodded slightly.

"It is him. After decades of struggle, the once infinitely glorious Second Young Master Lu has also fallen to this state."

Shang Wan Ning sneered, "He truly is rotten mud that can't be plastered onto a wall. Born with the fate of great wealth (Zi Wu Shuang Bao), he has utterly ruined himself into this state."

"Too good a fate can sometimes be a death warrant. Without the schemes of his nephew-grandson from back then, other Evil Cultivators and Transcendent would still target him as 'fat meat'."

Ling Qi adjusted her glasses and continued: "The Branch Division has records concerning Lu Jiahao losing his arm."

"Ten years ago, Xiao Chi and his disciple suffered damage to their foundation during a commission and returned to Changchun Temple to enter life-or-death seclusion, unable to protect their troublesome nephew anymore. The Eldest Young Master Lu had long disliked the mother and son and took the opportunity to kick him out."

"His mother certainly did her share of malicious deeds back then to seize the family fortune."

"She schemed against her husband and stepson, swallowing up collateral family assets. She even tricked her own younger brother. With such a corrupted heart, no matter how strong her children's fates were, they couldn't withstand it."

Shang Wan Ning nodded with interest, "So, as they say, where virtue does not match position, disaster is certain."

"What if he was born with both wealth and honor?"

"Without matching virtue, in the end, it's just drawing water with a bamboo basket—a total waste—and he had to sacrifice himself in the process."

Right after saying this, the Empress suddenly raised her hand and slapped her thigh, her gaze sweeping over Lu Jiahao, who was still busy nearby.

Her fingertips rubbed against the seam of her trousers. She turned to Ling Qi: "This matter actually gave Me a reminder."

"The Underworld now has more and more Ghost Messengers, and those who pass the exams inevitably have active minds."

She took two steps forward, crushing a sycamore leaf on the ground. "Even gods have selfish desires, let alone ghosts?"

"When we return, have the Propaganda Department busy themselves collecting true stories about infighting among wealthy families in the Mortal Realm and Cultivators falling due to greed. Organize them into cautionary cases and regularly distribute them to all Ghost Messengers."

"Especially the newcomers, whose foundations are shallow and are easily tempted, they must be monitored closely."