Fairy, Please Forgive Me, I Never Meant to Impersonate Your Husband - Chapter 25

Chapter 25: Return and Rewards

Wu Yuan had actually been planning to leave for a while—he just hadn’t known how to bring it up. Now, the situation resolved itself naturally.

He had important matters to attend to after 10:30 p.m., so even if Su Ruoqing hadn’t kicked him out, he would have found an excuse to leave.

By 2 a.m., he could log back into the Tianyuan World, where his growing enterprise awaited his attention.

For now, he viewed his relationship with Su Ruoqing as nothing more than a casual fling.

If she could be so carefree about it, so could he.

At 9:30 p.m., the U.S. stock market opened.

By 10:30 p.m., Wu Yuan received a call from Aria confirming that the five-times leverage had been secured.

His total available funds now stood at 30 million Longxia yuan—equivalent to $4.2 million USD.

He could use this capital to buy stocks or engage in short selling.

Without hesitation, he opened the trading app and quickly located his target: Gibon, a major U.S. agribusiness conglomerate with a complete supply chain from farm to retail. It covered the entire supply chain from grain farms to end-point sales and had a total market value of ten billion dollars. Its current stock price was close to seventy dollars.

There seemed to be some mildly positive news today, so the stock was up by about one percent.

He immediately opened a position at the current price. In less than an hour, he had short-sold sixty thousand shares in succession. The transaction prices were mostly below seventy dollars, averaging about twenty cents lower.

Once that was done, he put down his phone and pushed all thoughts of stocks aside.

He actually had little interest in financial trading and only had knowledge of broad future trends. Minor short-term fluctuations meant nothing to him. If stock trading hadn’t provided a legitimate way for him to raise large sums of money, he wouldn’t have touched something so unhelpful for the future at all.

Time kept passing, and soon it was two in the morning.

Lying flat, he focused his will, and the hidden wristband on his arm emitted a soft white glow.

Unlike his first login, this re-entry didn’t route him through the Rebirth Stone Hut. His consciousness flickered, stretched into a streak of colored light, and then—

He was back.

Warmth flooded his senses as power—far surpassing his Blue Star body—coursed through him. He opened his eyes to the familiar interior of the Town Spirit Pagoda.

Everything was as he had left it.

His clone stood nearby, having spent the past ten days in relentless training. Surprisingly, its cultivation had advanced to another stage, reaching the mid-tier of Skin-Shedding.

“I’m back.”

A wave of nostalgia hit him, followed by hunger—not from his main body, but the clone.

To avoid disruptions, the clone had subsisted on Blood Essence Pills, taking one every two days.

While the pills provided enough energy to sustain it and even aid cultivation, the clone wasn’t yet capable of true “grain avoidance” (辟谷). Ten days was manageable, but prolonged deprivation would harm its foundation—and hunger was inevitable.

He quickly led the clone out of the pagoda and headed to the inn’s kitchen, part of the relay station’s facilities.

His sudden reappearance caused a minor stir—by Tianyuan’s timekeeping, the “Boss” had been absent for ten days.

Key personnel intercepted him before he could reach the kitchen, each with urgent reports.

Wu Yuan had no choice but to order a meal for his clone—Black Pearl Spirit Rice, of course.

Chen Yong spoke first: “Boss, in the ten days you were secluded, things outside the station have changed. The demonic human-beasts and vicious insects aren’t swarming us like before.”

“We’re now seeing about a hundred a day—less than a third of the peak. Our material income has dropped significantly.”

Wu Yuan shook his head. “It’s fine. Material harvesting was a focus, but not a necessity.”

“They were drawn here when the station was built. That attraction lasts about a month. Now that the month is ending, the decline is natural.”

Next, Black Loach reported: “Boss, the 200 spear soldiers under my command are combat-ready. We lost eight more in the past ten days, but replacements are already in place.”

“Total kills: 387 demonic humans, 1,576 vicious insects. Of those, 220 were Level 13 or higher, with 28 reaching Level 17. All materials have been stored.”

Wu Yuan nodded, satisfied.

A few slave soldiers dying was inevitable in continuous combat—especially since they lacked proper cultivation. Mistakes happened, and casualties were part of the process.

In a way, these losses weren’t entirely bad. Surviving battles hardened the troops, teaching them courage through bloodshed.

He smiled. “Any standout talents?”

Black Loach answered immediately: “Two. Feng Du and Zi Shou.”

“Good. Once the demonic beasts stop besieging the station, bring them to me.”

“Understood, Boss.”

After Black Loach came Caiyu, who handed Wu Yuan two thick ledgers.

The first detailed recent income and expenses, warehouse inventory, and resource consumption—covering both the station’s staff and the 2,000 slaves in the wooden fort.

Actually, the fort now held over 2,500 slaves. Stragglers had continued to arrive near Redleaf Cliff, either captured or persuaded to join.

Currently, besides the 600 fully trained spear soldiers, the fort housed 900 young women and 1,600 able-bodied men.

The second ledger covered the Glowdream Cave.

The cave had remained sealed since its discovery, accessible only to the original scouts—not even Chen Yong was permitted inside.

Harvesting of the Black Pearl Rice was ongoing, but with limited manpower and the need for careful packing, only 1/20th of the mature crop—about 500,000 jin—had been collected so far.

Some had already been moved to the public warehouse, but a significant portion remained in storage rooms, awaiting Wu Yuan’s personal handling.

—

After hearing from all key personnel and inspecting every corner—including the completed wooden fort—Wu Yuan was pleased.

While minor administrative hiccups had arisen in his absence, they were negligible. His chosen leaders had performed diligently, with no breaches of trust.

Overall, his enterprise was thriving.

Now, it was time for rewards.

Since his subordinates had proven their loyalty and competence in his absence, Wu Yuan saw no reason to withhold due recognition.

First, Chen Yong.

He had worked tirelessly during the station’s construction, shuttling back and forth to Greenbridge Town without complaint. Despite his seniority, he had never acted entitled, remaining diligent whether Wu Yuan was present or not.

As a reward, Wu Yuan granted him a military role he had missed earlier—command of 500 archers, to be trained from the slave population.

The spear-wielding stationmaster would now have to master bows and crossbows.

Next, Caiyu.

The veiled woman from Greenbridge had shouldered the duties of an estate steward without the title or authority. She had never complained, and during Wu Yuan’s absence, her oversight had been flawless—down to the last material logged.

Wu Yuan decided to formalize her role, granting her full stewardship of the public warehouse.

He authorized her access to the spatial storage on the spot. From now on, she could manage high-value deposits like the Black Pearl Rice without his direct involvement.

He also allowed her to select 50 women from the slaves as assistants.

With the enterprise expanding, Caiyu needed a team to handle the growing workload—especially concerning the Glowdream Cave.

Lastly, Liuyan.

The rapid construction of the wooden fort—complete with housing for all slaves, secure livestock pens for Horned Beasts and Flatback Horses, and defensive barriers—was largely her achievement.

The fort’s Oversight Office was still rudimentary, with only 40 administrators struggling to maintain order without proper enforcement power.

Wu Yuan decided to equip the office with 100 longblade soldiers, recruited from the slaves.

With these adjustments, the relay station’s management became more structured—freeing Wu Yuan from micromanagement as he prepared for the next phase of his plans at Redleaf Cliff.