Chapter 199: Dream Island Resort

The boat docked.

The tourists walked up a wooden bridge onto the island. A line of beautiful, uniformed waitresses stood before a flowerbed to greet them, their smiles as identical as if they’d been copied and pasted.

“Hey, this place isn’t bad! It’s got class!”

“Tsk, this was worth every penny. Real class! Look at those girls, every one of them is like a Fairy.”

“What line of work is this gentleman in?”

“What was it you do? CA? That sounds so fancy!”

“Heh, I’ve been looking at a few CBD projects myself recently.”

A nouveau riche man, his arm around a young female companion, enthusiastically struck up conversations with those around him, his voice booming as if afraid he wouldn’t be heard.

He tried desperately to fit in with the group of refined-looking tourists, as if saying a few more words would make him one of them.

The other tourists just smiled and offered a few perfunctory replies.

First, some of them had sensitive identities.

Second, this was a place for vacation, not for networking.

And third…

Dream Island only welcomed a handful of guests each week.

Anyone who put in a little effort could find out the names and general backgrounds of everyone present.

The harder they were to find information on, the more you knew they were someone you couldn’t afford to offend.

Many people had a good read on this nouveau riche man.

His family had gotten over ten million from a demolition payout, so his cash flow was indeed substantial.

But cash flow was all he had.

If he just sat on that money and behaved, it would be enough for him to live comfortably for the rest of his life.

But if he tried to invest—with his level of skill, he’d lose every last cent of the money he’d gotten through sheer luck.

A few people quietly cast their gazes toward Jiang Chaosheng.

This man was the most mysterious.

He was constantly taking pictures, like a tourist who’d never seen the world.

But no one knew his name or his profession. They couldn’t even find a fake identity to serve as a smokescreen.

Utterly unfathomable.

Seeing that no one was paying him any mind, the nouveau riche man grew awkward and muttered to his companion:

“Let’s not be like him, snapping pictures of everything. It’s so classless. What’s the difference between that and taking photos of your food to post on social media before you eat?”

His companion didn’t respond.

She was just an ordinary college student. When would she ever have seen a private island estate like this?

Her eyes had long since been dazzled by the luxury before her.

A dozen or so waitresses in maid outfits walked over, their hands pressed together as they bowed slightly.

A man who looked like a butler took a step forward and gave an elegant bow.

“Welcome to Dream Island. I will be your butler for this trip. If you need anything at all, please don’t hesitate to find me.”

The nouveau riche man chuckled and sidled up to him.

“Now this is fancy! A butler, huh? First time I’ve gotten this kind of treatment.”

The butler ignored him, maintaining his smile.

“Please forgive my rudeness. I must first escort our most distinguished guest away. Afterward, the maids will lead the rest of you to your rooms.”

The nouveau riche man looked around, wanting to know who the most distinguished guest was.

The butler’s gaze swept across the crowd and settled on Jiang Chaosheng.

He walked over, gave Jiang Chaosheng a deep bow, and elegantly extended his hand.

“Mr. Huang, please follow me.”

The nouveau riche man was stunned.

Him?

The other tourists wore expressions that said, ‘Just as I expected.’

No one was annoyed. In fact, they were a little grateful to the Island Lord.

A man the Island Lord would risk offending everyone else to curry favor with must have an extraordinary background.

This was a reminder to them to be careful when dealing with this person, lest they needlessly ruin their vacation mood.

Of course, the Island Lord’s actions might also offend Mr. Huang.

Jiang Chaosheng put away his camera. “You know me?”

The butler smiled politely.

“In order to understand our guests’ preferences, Dream Island does its best to grasp all information about them. Mr. Huang, you are the only one about whom we know nothing.”

Jiang Chaosheng understood.

“Let’s go.”

The butler bowed his body and led the way.

Just then, a woman who looked like a head maid walked up to an old monk, her hands pressed together.

“Master, please follow me.”

The nouveau riche man was not happy.

“On what grounds? Didn’t you say everyone is equal on Dream Island? I can let it slide that Mr. Huang gets to go first, but what gives this old monk the right?”

The head maid bowed.

“Master Hai Yin is our ancestral master. We dare not forget to honor our teacher and his teachings.”

The nouveau riche man’s mouth twitched.

‘Ancestral master?

So the Island Lord is a Buddhist Disciple?’

Monk Hai Yin sighed and pressed his hands together.

“Amitabha Buddha.”

His expression held not a trace of joy at seeing his disciples and grand-disciples, only an indescribable complexity.

The head maid bowed again.

“Master, please.”

The other maids led the remaining guests away, smiling brightly.

“Ladies and gentlemen, Dream Island is a place where everyone is equal. But sometimes, certain situations are unavoidable. The Island Lord asked me to apologize to you all on his behalf. He is hosting a banquet in the drawing room tonight and hopes you will all grace him with your presence. There will be gifts at the banquet~ A red wine from Baisino Manor, from the Island Lord’s personal collection of many years.”

The guests exchanged smiles.

The Island Lord had really spared no expense. A single bottle of that wine was worth tens of thousands, at the very least.

…..

「The Villa.」

The butler bowed.

“Mr. Huang, is there anything you need? I can have it sent over shortly.”

Jiang Chaosheng glanced around the bedroom.

It wanted for nothing.

The standards of this Dream Island could rival those of the Black Rose Manor that Xia Li had given him.

But he had long since become immune to this kind of luxury.

The second floor of Antique Shop Zero was as extravagant as an ancient Emperor’s bedchamber.

“Nothing,” he said, sitting down in a chair.

The butler walked to the table, took out a photo album, and handed it to him.

“I noticed you seemed interested in the island’s scenery earlier, so I took the liberty of having a collection of Dream Island’s photographs prepared for you.”

Jiang Chaosheng accepted it.

“I like this gift.”

He had promised Meng Xing he would bring back photos of Dream Island.

‘This butler certainly knows how to please.’

The butler added:

“There is one more thing. There is a banquet this evening. The World Honored One hopes you will grace him with your presence.”

‘World Honored One?

What kind of chuuni name is that?’

Jiang Chaosheng raised an eyebrow.

“The Evil Qilin?”

The butler nodded.

“Yes.”

Jiang Chaosheng thought for a moment.

“The old monk who came with me today, where is he staying?”

A strange smile touched the butler’s lips.

“Right next door.”

Jiang Chaosheng put the photo album into his backpack.

The butler asked:

“If you have no other orders, I will take my leave.”

Jiang Chaosheng nodded.

After the door closed, a thought crossed Jiang Chaosheng’s mind.

“Daji.”

A trail of white fluorescent light drifted from his chest, and Daji appeared charmingly before him.

Jiang Chaosheng stood up and walked to the window.

Outside the window was the sea. Seabirds circled near the shore, the scene as tranquil as a painting.

“Can you sense anything wrong?”

Daji closed her eyes and focused her senses for a while, then frowned.

“No.” She walked to Jiang Chaosheng’s side.

“It’s very quiet. There’s nothing abnormal at all. Husband, could there be a dangerous Taboo Item here?”

Jiang Chaosheng shook his head.

“There definitely is. But I can only sense the aura of a single Taboo Item. And that aura is coming from the Evil Qilin. He has a way of shielding Taboo Items, so I can’t sense what it is specifically. I only know that it has already been contained, and he probably stole it from some buyer.”

He paused, his brow furrowing slightly.

“But there must be another one here. A very dangerous one. The strange thing is, I can’t sense its presence at all. It’s as if… the only one on the entire island is the one the Evil Qilin is carrying.”

Daji asked, confused.

“Then why don’t you just take out the Evil Qilin and take the Taboo Item, Husband? You could interrogate him to find out where the other one is hidden.”

Jiang Chaosheng pressed his lips together.

“That isn’t the Evil Qilin’s true body. An interrogation would yield nothing. I can only wait for him to show his claws.”

‘The Evil Qilin isn’t that stupid.

He knows I’m here, so how could he possibly leave his real body behind?

If his fatal gambit against me fails, wouldn’t he just be throwing his life away for nothing?’

Daji thought for a moment.

“Since the big fish isn’t here, why did you still risk coming, Husband?”

Jiang Chaosheng scoffed.

“Because I had to. This is the Evil Qilin’s overt plot.”

He walked to the window, his gaze falling upon the distant sea.

“His so-called ‘renovations’ must have been to hide a Taboo Item on the island meant to deal with me. And I… must contain Taboo Items.”

He paused, a flicker in his eyes.

“Besides, I want to use him to find Niu Lang’s location.”

Daji was even more confused.

“But this is just a clone. How can you interrogate it?”

Jiang Chaosheng said:

“There’s a buyer whose Taboo Item can track the Evil Qilin. But it requires a hair or fingernail from the Evil Qilin, plus an item he has used. He left a strand of hair at Antique Shop Zero. With that and the Taboo Item on this island, I’ll be able to find him.”

That buyer acquired their Taboo Item from the previous Manager, Li Qinglian, and is still alive.

Jiang Chaosheng’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“It’s time for these naughty little rats from Taiping Dao to show themselves.”