Thinking up to this point, Ying Lan suddenly thought of something and quickly called out to the waiter again and instructed him, “Go and prepare an invitation card and write the words, ‘Remote Paddy Inn came up with new dishes and desserts. As we are indebted to Young Lady Luo Chu, we would like to invite Young Lady Luo Chu to test our new dishes this afternoon.’ After writing the letter, you will quickly deliver it to the former general’s residence personally. Do not deliver it to the current great general's residence, otherwise, your life will be at stake. Do you remember my instructions?”

“I will keep it in mind. Commander Ying doesn’t have to worry, I might only be a waiter, but I carry out all my tasks properly. I will go right now.” That waiter immediately headed off to carry out the tasks instructed by Ying Lan.

Ying Lan had entrusted this task to this waiter because he was the most quick-witted among all the other servants in the Remote Paddy Inn, not counting Cai Ling who had left with Bai Luochu. Ying Lan saw that there was nothing else for him to do and he quickly left the inn. He prepared to contact all the capable craftsmen in the city. To avoid encountering any problems, he went to the accounts room to redeem some silver notes in case of an emergency.

While Ying Lan completed his work in the morning, Bai Luochu shoved the last of her breakfast in her mouth. She immediately continued her spiritual energy cultivation. Since she wanted to set up a contract with a spirit beast, she had to greatly improve her spiritual energy before anything else. Otherwise, if she attempted to make a contract without sufficient strength, she would suffer a backlash. If she was fortunate, she would suffer some damage mentally and turn into a retard. If she was unfortunate, she would have to take a trip to the netherworld. These were all bloody precedents left by predecessors and she wasn’t going to follow in their footsteps.

Bai Luochu had just entered her room for a short moment before she heard knocking at her door. She then heard Cai Ling’s voice, “Mistress, there is an invitation card from the Remote Paddy Inn.”

When Bai Luochu heard the three words, ‘Remote Paddy Inn’, she knew that Ying Lan probably had something urgent that required her attention. She immediately allowed Cai Ling to enter.

After Cai Ling entered, she closed the doors tightly in order to avoid anyone from eavesdropping. She walked in front of Bai Luochu and handed over the invitation card. Cai Ling waited for Bai Luochu to read the entire card before asking carefully, “Mistress, is something wrong?”

Bai Luochu shook her head. “Nothing much is written on the card. It simply says that the Remote Paddy Inn made some new dishes and requests for me to head over at noon. It was probably Ying Lan who asked someone to write this note. He is always very careful and is probably afraid that this letter might be intercepted by someone. If the issue cannot be stated in the card, it will probably have something to do with the Palace of Brilliance Resurgence. I will continue my cultivation now. When it is almost noon, come in and inform me again.”

Bai Luochu placed the card by the side and continued her cultivation. Cai Ling left quietly to avoid making any commotions and disrupting Bai Luochu’s cultivation.

Time flashed by. For Bai Luochu who was immersed in cultivation, the long morning passed in the blink of an eye. When Cai Ling saw that it was almost time, she knocked on the door and pulled Bai Luochu back from her state of cultivation.

When Bai Luochu arrived at the Remote Paddy Inn, Ying Lan had already waited for a long time in the private room.

When Bai Luochu entered the room, she immediately heard a ‘plop’ sound and saw that Ying Lan was already kneeling on the floor.

“This subordinate is incapable! Will Mistress please punish me!”

Bai Luochuo was confused by Ying Lan’s actions. She helped him up and didn’t know how to react for a moment. She assumed that something happened during the construction of the Palace of Brilliance Resurgence and consoled him, “It is difficult to finish constructing the palace in half a month. You don’t have to blame yourself too much, just do your best.”

Seeing how his mistress was so understanding, Ying Lan felt even more guilty and stuttered as he spoke, “It… it isn’t that. Mistress, do you remember that silver-haired man who was with me when we were pursued by the disciples of the Phoenix King Valley?”

Silver-haired man? 

Bai Luochu frowned. Of course she remembered him. However, she was awfully busy these few days and she hadn’t been able to venture out during this period of time. It seemed like it had been some time since she encountered him back on the streets. She felt that it was weird for Ying Lan to mention him and she immediately asked, “I remember. Why did you bring him up?”

Ying Lan shot a glance at Bai Luochu and confirmed that Bai Luochu was in a rather good mood. He then mustered his courage and explained. “To be honest, yesterday night when I was done with the allocation of tasks, someone came to inform me that a silver-haired man came to visit. I was suspicious, but I still met him. He had the intention to assist us in the construction of the Palace of Brilliance Resurgence in exchange for treatment of his illness. He also wanted the opportunity to head over to the Falling Cloud Mountain Range with us. My sword was already placed on his neck but he was still very determined. I had no choice but to send him away by saying that I needed your opinion.”

When Bai Luochu heard Ying Lan’s story, she didn’t speak for a very long time and continued to taste the food on the table. After finishing the last dish, she said, “Do we have sufficient manpower to finish constructing the palace in half a month? You can speak freely.”

“We should barely have enough manpower.”

“Since that is the case, it isn’t impossible for him to join us. You have to monitor him closely. As for the treatment, it’s nothing for me. Previously when the two of you were struggling against the disciples of the Phoenix King Valley, I observed him closely and his cultivation is indeed profound. If he were to follow us on our trip to the Falling Cloud Mountain Range, he might be of some help.” Bai Luochu spoke of her decision to Ying Lan.

Ying Lan was rather surprised at Bai Luochu’s decision. However, he respected his mistress and didn’t express his objection. He simply asked, “Mistress, do you really trust him?”

“It isn’t important whether or not I trust him. Important tasks take priority. Since we are really in need of manpower and someone is delivering themselves to us, why not take him in? Another thing…”

Bai Luochu carefully thought about her second encounter with the silver-haired man and explained herself. “After that incident, I encountered him again in the streets. He… didn’t seem to be hostile towards me. Instead, he offered me his protection both secretly and out in the open several times. Since he is helping with the construction of the Palace of Brilliance Resurgence, I will not be seeing him that often. Let us temporarily put aside the fact that he has other motives. Just make use of him for now.”

Ying Lan heard the explanation and understood that his mistress had already made the decision to make use of the silver-haired man to assist the construction of the Palace of Brilliance Resurgence. “This subordinate understands Mistress’ intention. I will ask someone to notify him. This table of dishes is carefully prepared by the chefs in the Remote Paddy Inn and Mistress should be hungry after running all the way here. Please enjoy your lunch.”