by Translator: Pokka; Author: 我本纯洁 (I Am Pure); Licensed From: Migu
A young man and young woman had appeared in the restaurant. The young man looked decently handsome, but the air of arrogance surrounding him was rather annoying to look at. As for the young woman, she was akin to a tender flower that attracted all gazes the moment she stepped inside the restaurant.
"Qinyin, let's sit there," said the young man when he saw that there were still empty seats beside Xiang Shaoyun.
That's right. The person Xiang Shaoyun saw was none other than the number one beauty of Martial Hall Palace, Gong Qinyin. Her appearance in Cloud Margin City was quite surprising for Xiang Shaoyun.
Gong Qinyin seemed to have an unsightly expression on her face as she nodded and followed the young man over. After the two sat down, Xiang Shaoyun heard Gong Qinyin say, "Wen Jinnuo, is the information you found accurate?"
"Of course. It hasn't been easy to get that information at all. Some of my fellow apprentices in the pavilion have also noticed the same. If they decide to make a move, you stand no chance," Wen Jinnuo said.
When Wen Jinnuo looked at Gong Qinyin, the lust and desire in his eyes couldn't be hidden.
"How will I know without trying?" Gong Qinyin said resolutely.
"Haha, stop trying to force yourself. You have spent the past two years cultivating in a tiny town. Your speed has been too slow. All the fellow apprentices in the pavilion are in the Transformation Realm. Competing against them is the same as knocking an egg against a rock," said Wen Jinnuo. He added, "If you can agree to be my partner, perhaps I can give your Gong Clan some help and snatch it for you."
Chapter 175: Parting on Bad Terms
"Do you think threatening someone with something like this is how a gentleman should act?" Gong Qinyin asked resentfully.
"Heh, that's not a threat. It is merely an expression of my love to you." Wen Jinnuo smiled and said confidently, "In any case, your Gong Clan is intending to form a connection with our Wen Clan through marriage, right?"
"If that is the cost, I would rather give up on that thing. I will never compromise," Gong Qinyin spat before standing up to leave.
"Leave and your name will be erased from the Cloud Margin Pavilion's list. Do you want to give it a try?" Wen Jinnuo sneered.
"You are pushing it too far!" Gong Qinyin said furiously.
"Just be my woman already, Qinyin. Do you think that I'm actually not worthy of you? I am stronger than you, and my clan is stronger than yours. Become my woman, and we shall work together to become a powerful pair that everyone will be envious of. Won't that be a beautiful future?" Wen Jinnuo said longingly.
Gong Qinyin's expression kept shifting until she eventually said, "You are worthy of me, but I am not worthy of you."
She then left without saying anything else.
Wen Jinnuo blocked her path and said with a low voice, "Are you giving up on the millennium earthcore fire? That is not a flame you can easily find. Without it, I'm afraid the old man of your clan will depart the mortal world very soon."
Millennium earthcore fire! Although Wen Jinnuo was speaking in a low voice that was hardly audible to anyone else, Xiang Shaoyun was able to hear everything clearly with his gift of instincts.
A unique flame was exactly what he was looking for at the moment. He needed it to refine the Overlord Skyslaying Saber and smelt the heavenly eye stone to extract the heavenly eye liquid from within. When he heard about the millennium earthcore fire, he couldn't keep calm anymore.
The millennium earthcore fire was a unique flame that would only form after 1,000 years of existence. From the amount of time it required to form, one could imagine how powerful the flame was.
It was at this moment that Wen Hong arrived with some other people for Xiang Shaoyun. He came in a group of three, and even the Wen Clan leader was part of the group. When Wen Jinnuo, who was speaking with Gong Qinyin, saw them, he quickly stood up in excitement and greeted them deferentially. "Greetings, father and the two elders."
"What are you doing here instead of cultivating in the pavilion?" questioned the clan leader unhappily.
"Father, I've just returned from a training trip and met Qinyin by coincidence. We are having a meal here," said Wen Jinnuo.
The clan leader glanced at Gong Qinyin. The latter quickly stepped forward and saluted him, "Gong Qinyin of Gong Clan pays the Wen Clan leader her respects."
"Haha, so it is a niece from the Gong Clan? It has been quite a while since I last saw you. Look at you all grown up and beautiful now. You have grown very well!" said the clan leader with a smile. He paused for a bit and continued, "Alright, continue. We have business to attend."
"Clan leader, there he is," said Wen Hong as he pointed at Xiang Shaoyun.
The Wen Clan group then walked toward Xiang Shaoyun's table. Wen Jinnuo and Gong Qinyin were naturally not qualified to go with them. When they looked over, they were astonished to find that the clan leader actually had business with the people who were previously seated near them.
"Mister, this is our clan leader. He will be personally handling the negotiation. May we move to a private room now?" Wen Hong said in a friendly manner.
Both Xiang Shaoyun and Mo Mo stood up and greeted the Wen Clan people. Xiang Shaoyun was able to sense that the clan leader was a King Realm cultivator, one that was likely to be far stronger than a regular King Realm cultivator.
"Let's book a private room in this restaurant to continue the talk," said the clan leader. When he saw that Xiang Shaoyun and Mo Mo were both only Transformation Realm cultivators, he started to think less of them.
"There is no need for that. Just offer a price. If it is a price we find agreeable, we can stay in touch and complete the transaction," said Xiang Shaoyun in a straightforward manner. He had no interest in wasting too much time on this. In any case, he could see from the clan leader's eyes that he was looking down on them.
"This—" Wen Hong wanted to say something, but the clan leader interrupted him, "That is fine. If you really have some top-quality goldsteel stones with you, we are willing to pay 500 low-grade spirit crystals for each catty of top-quality goldsteel stone. We will buy everything you have."
Xiang Shaoyun's face fell. He said, "Looks like the clan leader is not sincere in wanting to buy the stone after all. Fine, I won't be selling it then."
Top-quality goldsteel stone was a true emperor-grade material. On the market, each catty would be worth at least 1,000 spirit crystals. But this person was only offering half the market price. Where was his sincerity?
Xiang Shaoyun was no idiot. He knew better than anyone else here the real value of the top-quality goldsteel stone. Since this person was looking down on him that much, there was no point for him to be courteous. Wen Hong had not expected his clan leader to offer such a low price either. It was not what the clan leader had promised when they were on their way here.
"Haha, you should be honored that this clan leader is even bothering to talk to you. The price I offer is a good price. If you refuse, well, you would need to be on the lookout for yourself after this," said the clan leader with a sneer. He then added, "Crime rate in Cloud Margin City has been increasing as of late. A missing person every now and then is a common occurrence."
After saying that, he directly turned and left, placing Wen Hong in an awkward position. After a slight hesitation, he left as well.
Wen Jinnuo and Gong Qinyin remained, with Wen Jinnuo looking at Xiang Shaoyun with a toying expression. He said, "I don't know who you are, but I advise you to do as told. Otherwise, you won't be able to leave Cloud Margin City alive."
"Haha, if I had known that the Wen Clan is such a clan, I wouldn't have bothered wasting my breath talking with you people," Xiang Shaoyun sneered as well. He then spoke to Gong Qinyin, "Miss, it is better to keep your distance from a person who looks decent but is in fact immoral like this. Otherwise, you will have your life ruined by him."
Wen Jinnuo pointed at Xiang Shaoyun and furiously berated, "Are you courting death?"
If they weren't currently in t
he restaurant, he would have attacked directly. This fellow dared to sow dissent right in front of his face?
"Hah, try touching me if you have the guts," Xiang Shaoyun provoked.
"Big words. If you have the guts, don't leave the restaurant. Or else, you won't live to see the sun tomorrow," declared Wen Jinnuo. He then pulled Gong Qinyin and left, but Gong Qinyin broke off from his hold and said, "Don't touch me!"
"You will pay for this, whore!" Wen Jinnuo scolded. He then shot Xiang Shaoyun a final glare before leaving.
"Young master, what should we do? The Wen Clan is a local tyrant," asked Mo Mo anxiously.
"Don't worry. Everything will be fine," replied Xiang Shaoyun in an uncaring manner.
"If you don't mind, I will be able to help you leave the city," offered Gong Qinyin kindly.
Just for the words Xiang Shaoyun had said earlier, she felt responsible to help the two before her. For some reason, she kept feeling that the man before her was familiar, but she couldn't recall where she had seen him before.
Chapter 176: You Better Not
In Cloud Margin City, the Gong Clan was a rather well-known clan as well. They had their own King Realm cultivator, and regular organizations would not wish to provoke them for nothing.
Unfortunately, the patriarch of the Gong Clan had encountered trouble recently. As a result, he might lose his life at any moment. If something happened to him, the Gong Clan would be greatly affected. That was why Gong Qinyin had rushed back to the city from the Martial Hall Palace. Otherwise, she would rather stay at the Martial Hall Palace than return here. As for the reason for that, only she and her clan knew.
From Gong Qinyin's tone of voice, Xiang Shaoyun could guess that she was likely a local of Cloud Margin City. But he did not find that surprising. Everyone had their own secrets.
"Hehe, thank you for your good intentions, miss. But you are in trouble yourself. You will only make things worse for yourself if you help us," Xiang Shaoyun said. Looking at Gong Qinyin, who looked even more beautiful than before, he couldn't help but recall a certain enchanting sight he had seen once, a sight that caused his blood to boil.
For reasons unknown to Gong Qinyin herself, Xiang Shaoyun's gaze felt especially penetrating, causing her a slight amount of discomfort. She said, "They won't dare to push it that much."
"If you are really willing to help us, we can have a chat about it," Xiang Shaoyun said.
Those words put Gong Qinyin on guard as she replied, "Looks like you don't need my help after all. I'll be leaving."
Gong Qinyin kept having a feeling that the man before her was harboring evil designs. Just as she was about to leave, Xiang Shaoyun whispered, "Senior Sister Gong, it's me, Xiang Shaoyun!"
Gong Qinyin instantly stopped in her steps. With an astonished expression, she stared at Xiang Shaoyun, trying to find some clues from his face.
"Don't bother. I'm wearing a mask," Xiang Shaoyun said. He then gestured at Gong Qinyin before walking back to his room.
Mo Mo followed closely behind him as she thought, The young master is indeed someone with a background.
After a slight hesitation, Gong Qinyin went with them as well. He is indeed still alive! Gong Qinyin thought to herself, a slight trace of joy surfacing at the realization.
After the Golden River Valley battle, Xiang Shaoyun had gone missing. Everyone assumed that he had been killed by the gold serpentine crocodiles. Surprisingly, he was alive and had even arrived at Cloud Margin City.
She still remembered how back then she would be extremely fierce whenever she met Xiang Shaoyun. But now, she felt no anger toward him. Instead, she was glad he was alive. Not even she herself had noticed the change in her attitude toward him.
Gong Qinyin followed Xiang Shaoyun back to his room. As for Mo Mo, she tactfully stayed outside the room and did not follow them inside. In the room, Xiang Shaoyun took his human skin mask off and smiled at Gong Qinyin. "Senior Sister Gong, it has been a while."
"It really is you!" Gong Qinyin cried out in excitement.
"Senior Sister Gong, you can't keep trying to kill me anymore, ok? I still remember your promise that so long as I can defeat the Gateflag Academy people, the grudge between us will be erased," Xiang Shaoyun quickly said, afraid that she would suddenly do something drastic.
Gong Qinyin burst out in laughter when she saw how nervous Xiang Shaoyun was. Her smile was as enchanting as a blooming flower, causing Xiang Shaoyun to blank out slightly staring at her.
"Senior sister, you are so beautiful!" Xiang Shaoyun praised her with heartfelt sincerity.
Xiang Shaoyun had seen a lot of beauties, but Gong Qinyin's natural smile was still a sight that warmed the heart and delighted the eyes.
Gong Qinyin glared at Xiang Shaoyun and said, "Don't think I will spare you just because you are a smooth talker. The grudge between us won't be settled so easily."
Whenever she thought of how Xiang Shaoyun had once seen her naked, she would blush uncontrollably.
"Cough, cough, fine, if that is not enough to settle the grudge, the only thing I have left to offer is my body." Xiang Shaoyun shrugged.
"Ohh look at how pitiful you look. Do you think I actually desire you?" Gong Qinyin grumbled.
"Yeah, you better not," Xiang Shaoyun said.
"Bastard, are you saying I'm not worthy of you?" Gong Qinyin said furiously.
Xiang Shaoyun replied gloomily, "Those are your own words. You can’t blame me for that!"
"Talking to you is a waste of time," Gong Qinyin snorted coldly.
"Alright senior sister, let's talk about something else. I need to know if you really have information on the millennium earthcore fire," Xiang Shaoyun asked.
Gong Qinyin looked at Xiang Shaoyun and asked, "You overheard everything we said earlier?"
Xiang Shaoyun nodded. "Yes. Otherwise, I wouldn't have risked revealing my identity to you."
If he hadn't overheard them, he would have assumed that Gong Qinyin was on Wen Jinnuo's side and wouldn't have dared to reveal his identity to her.
"You're interested in the millennium earthcore fire as well?" Gong Qinyin asked.
"Yes, I need it to refine some stuff," Xiang Shaoyun replied seriously.
Gong Qinyin sighed, "Our Gong Clan needs it urgently as well, but it is located at a dangerous location. Furthermore, the information about that location has long been spread, and a large number of people are eying it as well. I doubt we stand any chance at getting it."
"How will we know without trying?" Xiang Shaoyun replied.
"Fine, I'll tell you the location." Gong Qinyin hesitated slightly but still decided to tell Xiang Shaoyun what she knew.
After all, it was not really a secret anymore. It did not matter if Xiang Shaoyun knew about it as well. It turned out that the millennium earthcore fire was located at an uninhabited area not far from Cloud Margin City. One could reach the place in about two or three days of journey.
It was initially a dormant volcano that had for some reason erupted suddenly and turned into a flaming mountain. Before long, it was discovered that a millennium earthcore fire had appeared there.
With that discovery, the Cloud Margin Pavilion decreed that only those below the King Realm would be allowed to fight over the millennium earthcore fire. Entry would be prohibited for all above that cultivation realm.
There was a reason for that decision. They were creating an opportunity for their disciples to fight over the fire and see if there was a lucky disciple who could obtain the fire and quickly rise into the King Realm through the struggles.
Not long ago, a large number of cultivators below the King Realm went there trying to subdue the fire. However, a large majority of them had died. Gong Qinyin had learned all that from Wen Jinnuo.
"Currently, the Flame Mountain has turned into a tempering location just for Cloud Margin Pavilion disciples. It won't be easy for others to enter that place," Gong Qinyin said with a dispirited expression.
"Haha, doesn't that make thi
ngs better? Without Kings, it will be much easier for us to obtain the fire," Xiang Shaoyun said.
"Yeah, keep smiling. Although your combat power is rather impressive, how can you compare with the disciples of Cloud Margin Pavilion?" Gong Qinyin said. She paused for a bit and shifted the topic, "Also, you have your issue with the Wen Clan. Aren't you worried at all?"
"What is there to worry about? If I walk out now just like this, they won't even recognize me. And I don't even need to do that to deal with them," Xiang Shaoyun said confidently.
Chapter 177: Arrangement
"Do you have a backer or something? But I don't recall hearing about a Xiang Clan in the Cloud Margin City before," Gong Qinyin asked doubtfully.
"No such thing. I don't have any backers in the Cloud Margin City," Xiang Shaoyun said. He paused for a bit then said, "Are things looking bad for your Gong Clan currently?"
"What do you know about that?" Gong Qinyin frowned.
"I know nothing except for the fact that your Gong Clan is currently weaker than the Wen Clan. Is that right?" asked Xiang Shaoyun.
"Yes," Gong Qinyin gave an honest answer.
"If I can help your Gong Clan build some sort of relationship with a Cloud Margin Pavilion elder, would things be better?" Xiang Shaoyun probed.
Gong Qinyin was surprised. "Is that possible?"
Although the Gong Clan wasn't exactly a weak clan in Cloud Margin City, they never had any sort of deep relationship with the Cloud Margin Pavilion elders. Only their patriarch had some sort of personal friendship with some of them. If Xiang Shaoyun was able to help their clan establish a relationship with the elders, it would only benefit the Gong Clan.
"I won't lie to you. You see..." Xiang Shaoyun proceeded to tell Gong Qinyin his plan.
Gong Qinyin was overjoyed after hearing the entirety of the plan. "If we can really do that, the Wen Clan will hit a dead end with us, while the Gong Clan will benefit greatly from it."
"Um. Just follow my plan and things won't go wrong. After dealing with the Wen Clan, we can focus on the earthcore fire," Xiang Shaoyun said.