Chapter 28: Tapping on the Shoulder

At the same time, as the pickup truck burst through the gap in the wall, the masons outside nearly lost their minds!

"This, this, this!"
"How can there be a carriage in this world that moves without being pulled by horses?"
"There seemed to be some commotion inside just now. Come on, let's go in and take a look!"

Before the words had even faded, Shi Dazhuang and ten of his hired hands charged out with an imposing aura.

"All of you, stand still! Your contract period is over. Line up and collect your wages from me."

The masons were stunned. Looking at the ten burly men blocking the gap in a neat, menacing line, they quickly abandoned any thoughts of sneaking inside for a peek. Before long, nearly a hundred masons had gathered, standing in a queue to collect their pay.

On the other side, inside the restaurant, Li Jinglong was already weeping. Zhu Yuanzhang was incredibly annoyed, pacing back and forth. He still held onto a shred of hope, waiting, though in his heart, he knew that the dead rarely returned.

Just then, Mao Xiang ran in, looking excited. "It's here! Your Majesty, Immortal Chen and the others have returned!"

Zhu Yuanzhang trembled violently, looking around. "Where? Where are they? Why don't I see them?"

Mao Xiang bowed. "A report just came from the city gates. They said a tin-plated car just like Yours Majesty’s entered the city. It must be Immortal Chen and his group."

No sooner had he finished speaking than the sound of a pickup truck’s horn echoed from outside: *Beep, beep!*

Zhu Yuanzhang rushed out, only to see a brand-new vehicle already parked at the entrance. Compared to his own battered car, this one was clearly far more advanced. Li Jinglong also wiped away his tears and dashed out, arriving just in time to see Chen Lin step out of the car with a cigarette dangling from his lips. Ignoring the shocked crowd, he opened the back door and hauled out the thrashing Li Wenzhong, dropping him onto the ground.

"Mission accomplished. The Duke of Cao is here!"

Zhu Yuanzhang kept his eyes fixed on the Great Wall Cannon pickup, while Li Jinglong immediately lunged forward to rip off the bedsheet, revealing his father with a foul-smelling sock stuffed in his mouth.

"Father, are you alright?"

*Mmph! Mmph!*

After the sock was pulled out, Li Wenzhong immediately began to curse. "I'm going to kill that brat! Untie me, quickly!"

Li Wenzhong’s cursing brought Zhu Yuanzhang back to reality. He looked at Chen Lin strangely. "What did you do to the Duke of Cao, you brat?"

Chen Lin shrugged. "Nothing much. The Duke of Cao was disrespectful to the Heavenly God, so I gave him a small lesson."

"You're full of it! It was you all along—what Heavenly God?!" Li Wenzhong was absolutely furious.

"Oh ho? Still being disrespectful to the Heavenly God? Take this!"

As he spoke, Chen Lin moved to teach Li Wenzhong another lesson while he was still bound. Mao Xiang hurriedly stepped in to block him. "Oh, Immortal Chen, can we please just settle down for a moment? I beg of you."

By this time, with Li Jinglong's help, Li Wenzhong finally broke free from the duct tape. The moment he regained his mobility, he lunged toward his supposed "Heavenly God" to exact his revenge!

"Stop, Bao'er."

Li Wenzhong trembled. "But Your Majesty, he beat your subject for no reason. It is one thing that you do not speak for me, but why are you siding with him?"

Zhu Yuanzhang said calmly, "Feel your own condition right now. Think carefully before you speak."

Li Wenzhong was taken aback. He then realized that his body, which had been on the verge of total collapse, had completely recovered—he even had the strength to fight. How was this possible? Could he really be... a Heavenly God? Was the beating actually a form of medical treatment?

Li Jinglong finally regained his senses. "Father, your body..."

Li Wenzhong stretched his limbs and made another discovery: the injuries from the earlier thrashing had also vanished!

"Well? Have you figured it out now?" Zhu Yuanzhang asked again.

Li Wenzhong closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Being a man who understood right from wrong, he stepped forward to Chen Lin, bowed, and offered a salute. "I was ignorant of the situation earlier. Thank you, young brother, for saving my life. Thank you."

Chen Lin patted Li Wenzhong on the shoulder. "No need for formalities. We’re all on the same side. Here, have a cigarette."

Li Wenzhong looked at the cigarette being offered with a confused expression. Though he didn't understand it, he accepted it politely before pulling Li Jinglong aside to get the full story. Zhu Yuanzhang then gestured for Chen Lin to go inside to talk.

"Tell me, why didn't you resurrect here this time?"

Chen Lin stubbed out his cigarette. "I never said I had to resurrect here."

Zhu Yuanzhang frowned. "Does that mean you can resurrect anywhere?"

"No comment."

"You!"

"What about me? Do you have business or not? If not, why don't you get back to the Imperial Palace and handle state affairs? You're an Emperor, yet you're idle all day. I’m blushing for you."

Zhu Yuanzhang closed his eyes and tried to regulate his breathing. The familiar sensation of irritation returned. *I must endure. I must endure, Zhu Yuanzhang.*

Standing to the side, Mao Xiang and Chen Xiaolan were both thinking: *Truly professional. Only you dare to talk down to the Emperor like that!*

Opening his eyes again, Zhu Yuanzhang had regained his composure. "That car outside—did you just buy it?"

"Why? Do you want one too?"

"This one is expensive. It costs 50,000 taels of silver."

"Fifty thousand taels?!"

Zhu Yuanzhang hurriedly waved his hand. "I don't need it. The old one is fine."

"Besides that car, what other good things did you bring back this time?"

Chen Lin looked at Zhu Yuanzhang and suddenly realized that the man might already be aware of the "future" nature of the modern world. Should he come clean? *Confess, my foot! Let Zhu Chongba keep guessing. If he wants answers, he’ll have to pay.*

Thinking this, Chen Lin retorted, "That’s none of your business. If there's nothing else, please leave my shop."

Zhu Yuanzhang was losing his grip again. "Fine. Very well. I hope you can keep being this straightforward. Mao Xiang, let's go!"

Mao Xiang took one last look at Chen Lin and hurried to follow. Chen Lin followed them out, only to see Zhu Yuanzhang beckoning Li Wenzhong and his son to get into the car. Chen Lin shoved his way forward, pushed the Emperor aside, and leaned in to check the fuel gauge.

*Not bad, still half a tank. It’ll last a while longer.*

"What are you doing? I’ve already paid for this car!"

Chen Lin backed away from the vehicle. "What’s the rush? I was just helping you check if the car was damaged."

Zhu Yuanzhang was startled and asked hurriedly, "And? How is it?"

Chen Lin patted Zhu Yuanzhang on the shoulder. "It’s in great shape. Drive it hard; it'll be fine."

Zhu Yuanzhang frowned. "Stop patting my shoulder. I am the Emperor."

Chen Lin nodded and patted the Emperor on the shoulder again. "I know, I know. 'Long live, long live, long long live,' right? Get in, I'll close the door for you."

Zhu Yuanzhang climbed in, fuming, and rolled down the window to point at Chen Lin. "You’d better behave yourself these next few days. The Empress has her birthday in five days. Come to the palace then; I want to introduce you to some people."

Chen Lin blinked. "Are you openly asking me for a gift?"

Zhu Yuanzhang impatiently shifted into first gear. "Don't come if you don't want to!"

He stomped on the gas pedal—*vroom*—and stalled the engine!

"Hahaha!" Chen Lin roared with laughter, mocking him. "Your driving skills still need work, Old Zhu."

Zhu Yuanzhang’s face turned bright red with embarrassment. "None of your business!"

With that, he hurriedly turned the key, slammed on the gas, and fled the place that caused him such extreme frustration.