Chapter 197 Unbelievable News

As Jiang Ming received a rain of curses from the patrons that clearly failed to recognize him, he wanted to smack all of them.

Though he managed to restrain his anger considering they were just abiding by the rules to line up to purchase the item legally. Thus, he couldn't just start a fight with them and endured it silently.

After all, he would surely be able to explain everything when a worker from the Moon Bazaar comes out to clarify his actual status.

And as expected, a worker came out and while he was trying to calm the crowd, he noticed Jiang Ming skipping in the line.

'Are these bunch of people retarded? I was wondering who had the nerve to skip the line in the presence of Princess Bing Tong, but it was our owner.' The worker thought, feeling that the patrons were ignorant.

He stepped forward and made a hand gesture toward Jiang Ming, "Welcome back owner, Manager Hong Ling and Princess Bing Tong are currently in the VIP room discussing things."

When the other patrons heard the respectful tone of the worker and his revered expression, they finally came to realize that the person they had been pointing their fingers at was the owner.

How laughable of them? Even though they failed to recognize Jiang Ming as the owner, they weren't at fault since Jiang Ming rarely appeared in public besides the opening ceremony.

The most people could recall in the opening ceremony was how Jiang Ming ruthlessly decapitated a person in front of the emperor, and as for his appearance, everyone was simply too shocked to remember it.

Meanwhile, Jiang Ming took this chance to head inside and walked upstairs, ignoring the chattering among the patrons. That way, he'll be safe from the trouble of having to deal with their bootlicking.

He had basically given all the administration rights to Yang Liqin and Hong Ling whereas he would leech off them. Never once had he studied business before, so it was best to give it to others that are more proficient.

Sometime later, Jiang Ming noticed two bodyguards guarding the entrance of a VIP room, prompting him to infer that Hong Ling and Bing Tong must be inside.

After all, he could subtly tell these two bodyguards are much more powerful than the usual guards he saw around the Central District.

However, he couldn't take another step forward when one of the bodyguards raised his arm up to block Jiang Ming's movement.

"Sorry, the room is currently unavailable so please leave." The bodyguard said in a polite yet stern tone.

They were specifically ordered to stay put and not create a scene here by Bing Tong. Hence, he didn't outright attack Jiang Ming even though he found him suspicious for lurking around when everyone was ordered to leave.

Jiang Ming didn't mind the attitude of the bodyguard. He was a reasonable man and understood he was merely trying to do his duty well.

Only a petty man would get enraged and start a fight like that. In a calm tone, Jiang Ming smiled, "I'm the owner of the Moon Bazaar, Jiang Ming. Your princess should have informed you about this detail already, right?"

The bodyguard remained silent.

"You can just ask your other bodyguard to enter and tell them that I'm here. It's not much of a hassle, and if you think about it carefully, I wouldn't be able to walk up here without being blocked by the workers if I was an intruder."

Seeing the sincere look and tone of his speech, the bodyguard didn't feel like Jiang Ming was lying to him. Not to mention, he had heard rumors about the relationship between Bing Tong and Jiang Ming.

Unwilling to offend someone accidentally, the bodyguard made an eye signal to his partner, clearly telling him to head inside to verify the information.

"While we are going to verify, can this gentleman please take three steps backward? We are just doing this as a primitive measure for the safety of the people in the VIP room." The bodyguard said.

Jiang Ming nodded his head.

Given the attitude of the bodyguard, Jiang Ming calmly stepped back and waited for them to finish verifying. Either way, it'll save him the hassle of starting a fight that could easily be prevented.

The Moon Bazaar was his and there was nothing for him to hide.

'With the increased popularity of the Moon Bazaar again, I fear the other clans are finding us to be a threat now.' Jiang Ming thought.

Although he hadn't made it obvious, he could tell some of the patrons in the line were in fact spies from the other clans. It was also them that had shouted and pointed him out when he was trying to enter directly.

If the spies purposefully prevented others from skipping the lines, then it's pretty obvious that they were tasked by their employer to obtain a pill on their behalf.

Sometime later, the bodyguard that had gone inside to verify the information became respectful in front of Jiang Ming.

He bowed slightly and made a hand gesture, "Apologies for the delay, Sir Jiang Ming. Princess Bing Tong is currently inside along with Lady Hong Ling, and requested your attendance."

The other bodyguard understood the situation quickly when he saw his partner turning respectful in front of Jiang Ming.

It was clear that they had some brain cells considering how they managed to become a bodyguard for the princess. Otherwise, they should really dig a hole and bury themselves for their lack of knowledge.

Jiang Ming shook his head as he paid it no mind.

"Rest assured, those who are merely doing their duties and not provoking me on purpose do not offend me at all." He said calmly, entering without caring to listen to their response.

By the time he entered, Jiang Ming closed the door behind him and was about to greet them.

Alas, who would have thought that a woman would surprisingly lunge herself forward to him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"I missed you dearly," The woman said gently while holding back her tears.

Jiang Ming smiled bitterly when he heard her mellow tone. "I wasn't gone for too long, Hong Ling. Why are you acting like I've been gone for more than a year?"

Jiang Ming was joking at first, but when he noticed the change of atmosphere, he abruptly stopped his next sentence.

From afar, he could see Bing Tong giving him a cold glare, almost like she wanted to skin him alive.

"W-What's going on?" He asked stutteringly. He couldn't comprehend why Bing Tong would use such a cold gaze at him and even seemed to have some killing intent on him.

How did he offend this princess?

Could it be because he hadn't met up with her after curing her disease or could it be because he ditched her straight away even though she came to the crime scene to see him?

"Are you really feigning innocence?" Bing Tong finally asked as she stared at Jiang Ming. She didn't even flinch at the sight where Hong Ling was still embracing Jiang Ming in front of her.

At this point, Jiang Ming realized that something was amiss, and he would be stupid if he can't catch a hint.

"Hong Ling, just what has happened and why is Bing Tong angry at me?" Jiang Ming hurriedly whispered to her and asked for clarification.

Hong Ling tried her best to suppress the tears in her eyes as she pulled her head slightly away to glance at him.

"You really didn't know?" She asked in a disbelief tone. "You and Madam Yang were gone for more than half a year without leaving a trace behind. Did you know how distraught I was when I had to manage everything alone?"

It was at this moment that Jiang Ming felt like lightning had struck his body literally.

Gone for half a year?

Who was she kidding now?

Didn't Yuan Chunhua say that she kept on coming to their house to ring their doorbell, so how was it possible for them to be gone for half a year?

Seeing his perplexed expression, Hong Ling sighed softly as she began explaining the circumstances.

"When you and Madam Yang told me that you would be going into seclusion, I made sure to be prepared beforehand. However, people started becoming suspicious when so many times had passed and you didn't show up at all." Hong Ling said.

And she continued, "To make things more believable that you were really in seclusion and not gone, Instructor Yuan Chunhua had purposely created a show where she would keep on visiting your house."

'I see… no wonder why Yuan Chunhua was shocked to death when she saw my sudden appearance. She didn't expect me to actually be in the house and was merely creating a facade to trick others.' Jiang Ming thought, finally understanding the weird feeling he got in the meeting with Yuan Chunhua.

"This is bad… if we're gone for half a year as you claim, then wouldn't the situation in the Northern Continent change drastically?"