"Since it wasn't me who destroyed the First Inn, what compensation are you demanding from me?" Pei Buwan slapped the table beside him, his palm force spreading outward as the table collapsed with a clatter. He glared and said, "Kid, do you take me for someone easy to push around?"
"I wouldn't dare!" Yang Kai lowered his hands and bowed his head. "I'm merely here on orders!"
Pei Buwan snorted coldly. "Whoever destroyed your First Inn, go find them. If someone else smashed it up, is that any concern of mine?"
Yang Kai said, "Manager Pei makes a fair point. In that case, I'll take my leave. But there is one thing I ought to let Manager Pei know."
"Out with it!" Pei Buwan cast him a sideways glance.
"Before I left, our Proprietress told me that I was to collect the debt if I could. If I couldn't, she would come here herself to have a proper discussion with all you managers. And if that still didn't work, she'd take the matter to each of your headquarters to argue it out."
Pei Buwan let out a laugh. "You think I scare easily? Let her come! We'll see if she can pry a single coin out of my hand! If she can, I'll call her 'Grand Aunt' myself!"
Yang Kai called out in a loud voice, "I'll remember that and pass every word to the Proprietress without omission! I'll take my leave now!"
He cupped his fists, turned, and strode toward the door.
"Wait!" Pei Buwan suddenly seemed to remember something, his brow furrowing.
"What further instructions does Manager Pei have?" Yang Kai turned to face him.
Pei Buwan's eyes flickered. "You mentioned your Proprietress just now… As far as I know, the First Inn in every location is run by a man, with only a handful of exceptions. What's your Proprietress's name?" The main reason he asked was that those few women were not easy to deal with—especially two of them in particular.
"Others call our Proprietress Madam Lan!" Yang Kai cupped his fists toward the direction of the First Inn with a look of deep respect.
Pei Buwan's face twitched violently. "Madam Lan? Which Madam Lan?"
Yang Kai said, "I don't know how many Madam Lans there are in the First Inn. I haven't been with the Proprietress long and don't know much about the organization, but I do have the Proprietress's token on me. Would Manager Pei care to see it?"
"Hand it over!" Pei Buwan extended his massive, fan-like hand!
Yang Kai presented the jade token with both hands. Pei Buwan took it, infused a thread of power into it, and then his Adam's apple bobbed as he let out a dry chuckle. "So it's Madam Lan! I know her, I know her well. I recall visiting the First Inn a few hundred years ago, and Madam Lan was most hospitable… Haha, a few hundred years have passed in the blink of an eye. It really is… it really is…"
He stalled for a while without finding anything to add, then changed the subject. "Madam Lan has come to this Star Market?"
Yang Kai replied, "Yes. The First Inn has reopened as well, just a few streets from here."
"Oh!" Pei Buwan nodded.
"Does Manager Pei have anything else? If not, I'll be taking my leave. The Proprietress is waiting for me to report back!"
"No, nothing!" Pei Buwan waved his hand and held the jade token out to Yang Kai. Yang Kai took hold of it, but Pei Buwan didn't let go.
Yang Kai looked at him. "What does Manager Pei mean by this? This jade token isn't worth much. If you want one, you're welcome to visit the First Inn—the Proprietress surely has plenty more and could spare a few."
"What the hell would I want this token for!" Pei Buwan snapped irritably, releasing his grip. "Don't rush off just yet. Let me think."
With that, he stood up, clasped his hands behind his back, and paced back and forth, occasionally adopting a contemplative expression as if mulling something over.
Watching this, Yang Kai felt his admiration for the Proprietress grow even more. Even a rough character like Pei Buwan was visibly shaken upon hearing her name—though he tried not to show it, Yang Kai could see right through him. He genuinely wondered what the Proprietress had done to build such a fearsome reputation across the Thirty Thousand Worlds.
After a good while, Pei Buwan finally came to a stop, as though he had made up his mind. He turned his head and looked at Yang Kai. "Kid, you want the debt, right?"
Yang Kai replied, "I'm here to claim compensation!"
"Same difference—both mean money!" Pei Buwan waved his hand dismissively and looked him up and down. "I can see your cultivation is decent. You've already condensed a Dao Seal. How's your combat experience?"
Yang Kai frowned, baffled by the question. He considered for a moment and said, "I come from a Small Universe world." The implication was that he had fought his way up step by step, so his combat experience went without saying.
The moment those words left his mouth, Pei Buwan's ox-like eyes visibly brightened, and a grin spread across his face. "Good, good, good!" He pointed down toward the arena below. "See that fellow?"
Yang Kai turned to look. The young man who had won the previous round was sitting cross-legged in meditation, clearly recuperating and tending to his injuries.
"What does Manager Pei mean?" Yang Kai asked.
"I want you to fight him."
"I don't understand."
Pei Buwan threw an arm around his shoulders, pulled him close, and lowered his voice. "You beat him, and I'll pay the compensation!"
Yang Kai was stunned. "You mean that?"
"Of course I mean it!"