The Flower Pinning Conference commenced the following day as usual, but the topic of discussion among the young disciples had shifted from which sect might win to who could capture the little silver snake worth a hundred gold pieces.
It turned out that early in the morning, posters seeking the snake had been posted on the doors of the disciples' rooms from all the sects. A disciple from Li Ze Palace had lost their spiritual beast, the Silver Snake, which they had grown up with since childhood, sharing a deep bond. Desperately unable to find it, it was said they were immensely anxious. They offered a reward of a hundred taels of gold to anyone who could return the Silver Snake to them, promising to deliver it personally with both hands upon their return to Li Ze Palace.
With many disciples of different sects attending to watch the competition and many idle spectators around, the promise of a hundred gold taels had everyone eager to try their luck. Yu Sifeng's room had been crowded with visitors from early in the morning until now.
"Words alone are no guarantee; what if we find the snake but you fail to produce the gold. What then?"
The visitor was a disciple from the Xuanyuan Sect, who had been entangled in Yu Sifeng's room for quite some time.
Next to them, Linglong, who already despised the people of the Xuanyuan Sect, couldn't hold back after seeing their lingering, and coldly shouted, "Either search or leave quickly! Don't waste our time!"
The group was about to react angrily when Yu Sifeng waved his hand and spoke calmly, "As long as the Silver Snake is found, half of the earnest money will be paid upfront."
With a flick of his wrist, he drew a flat, small box from his sleeve, opened it gently, revealing a layer of light blue velvet inside, on which laid a bead the size of a little finger, light green and crystal clear, extremely beautiful.
He pinched the bead, turned to Zhong Min Yan, and gave him a look. Min Yan immediately understood, and covered the windows with black cloth, darkening the room instantly.
Yet, what was marvelous was that a gentle green light, softer than daylight and brighter than moonlight, emanated from Yu Sifeng's hand. He rolled the bead in his palm, and the green luminescent glow reflected on his face, making his eyes crystal clear as well.
"From the depths of the South Sea, a Luminous Pearl," he whispered, "market value, sixty-eight gold taels. Let's use this as the earnest money!"
Upon seeing the Luminous Pearl, the eyes of those Xuanyuan Sect disciples lit up, even brighter than the pearls. One of them reached out to touch it, only to be covered with a smile by Yu Sifeng—"Find the Silver Snake, then it can be given."
The few immediately nodded, almost wishing they could fly out and capture every snake they found.
Just as they rushed to the door, someone at the entrance laughed and said, "Hey—slow down! The so-called water doesn't flow into the fields of outsiders. Since this is Shaoyang Sect's territory, it should rightfully be us who search first."
The others quickly agreed.
Hearing their voices, Linglong couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle. It was the Second Senior Brother and the others coming to join in!
Sure enough, several people entered shortly after, young disciples from the Min Generation, including Second Senior Brother Chen Min Jue, Fourth Senior Brother Feng Mingsheng, and Fifth Senior Brother Ouyang Minli.
Chen Min Jue was still holding two Xuanyuan Sect disciples who had rushed out earlier, chatting nonstop, "Slow down, slow down! Buddy, you're pretty clueless. With Shouyang Mountain being such a vast place full of forbidden areas, you could easily break the rules by running around recklessly, causing much trouble. Instead, how about we cooperate? We guide you, you search for the snake. As for the reward, let's split it fifty-fifty."
The two were about to react angrily, but after considering his words, they found them somewhat reasonable. They shrugged off his hands, annoyed, "Speak up, don't touch! A fifty-fifty split is too unfair for us, it has to be at least seventy-thirty."
Growing up, Chen Min Jue had been somewhat of a troublemaker, wandering alone from place to place and having seen it all, no one could match his gift of gab. He chuckled immediately and replied, "You're too greedy, buddy. We generously offer to guide you, but we only get thirty percent? You might as well go by yourselves then, and if you can't find the Silver Snake but end up trespassing on forbidden grounds, don't expect me to care!"
The two from Xuanyuan Sect hesitated momentarily before responding, "Then let it be forty-sixty, but absolutely not fifty-fifty."
Chen Min Jue was about to argue further when a loud commotion followed by a loud voice came from outside, "I alone demand ten percent."
Everyone turned around and saw Wu Tong leaning on the door with a smile that was not quite a smile. The surrounding spectators all avoided him, making way for him.
It was said that in today's second trial, he had drawn the first number again, overwhelmingly defeating a disciple from the Xuanyuan Sect. Previously, Pian Pian and Yu Ning were considered the favorites to win the crown, but now his reputation overshadowed theirs, and some even believed that he would inevitably be the champion of the Flower Pinning Conference.
Chen Minjue saw that the fish he wanted to catch was on the hook, so he chuckled, "I was wondering who it was, turns out it's Mr. Wu Tong from Dianjing Valley! Since Mr. Wu has arrived, there is no room for dispute here, the spot is yours."
He waved to his fourth junior brothers, and the three of them, with a reluctant and resentful expression, walked out.
The two from the Xuanyuan Sect hesitated, but seeing Wu Tong walk over with a smile, and glance at the Luminous Pearl, he said, "Not bad! However, I am more interested in knowing what kind of spiritual beast is worth a hundred gold taels to you?"
Before Yu Sifeng could speak, the two from the Xuanyuan Sect quickly interjected, "Why ask so many questions? If you're not doing it, don't obstruct others' good business!"
Wu Tong turned back and gave them a fleeting glance, and the two immediately fell silent.
"I will take this deal," Wu Tong said flatly, "the two of you may leave. Or perhaps, we could find a time to compete and see who is more suitable?"
His indifferent words quickly sent the two scurrying away dejectedly.
Linglong, seeing him so arrogant, felt annoyed and couldn't help saying, "You don't need to take this deal! You hurt my sister yesterday, and I haven't settled that with you yet!"
Wu Tong was slightly stunned, then realized the two little girls sitting behind Yu Sifeng were the ones from yesterday. Seeing Linglong's delicate and beautiful complexion, coupled with her sharp words, he couldn't help but smile, "Could it be that the spiritual beast is yours? Otherwise, why does it concern you?"
Linglong angrily responded, "Of course it's not mine! But it belongs to a good friend of mine! We don't like you, just go away!"
Wu Tong raised an eyebrow, "Miss, your words are amiss. In such matters, the most capable should toil the most. Could there really be someone more suitable than me?"
Linglong wanted to argue more, but Yu Sifeng interrupted, "I know this big brother. I've heard that he has been winning continuously since yesterday. Linglong, among those who came, he has the greatest ability. Let us put aside our grievances for now. Finding the Little Silver Flower is what's important."
Linglong furiously grabbed Xuanji and said sharply, "It's your snake, find whoever you want to find! Why can't I dislike him? Xuanji, let's go!"
Pulling Xuanji, she quickly walked out. They rounded the corridor and, seeing no one around, both burst into laughter, clapping their hands together.
"He took the bait successfully!"
As Si Feng had said, Wu Tong was a person with a strong desire to win. Observing his features, he was also suspicious. If he recognized Linglong and Xuanji, he might become doubtful, so it was better to reveal their identities right away, turning danger into opportunity.
Since his desire to win was strong, this showed he was very worldly. Upon encountering such a situation, he would surely intervene. Perhaps he had been watching secretly for a while, only entering confidently when sure that it was not a trick. After all, a hundred gold taels was a huge temptation for these poor cultivation disciples.
As everything proceeded according to the plan, it was time for Si Feng to make his move. He would signal to the Little Silver Flower using a secret sound, luring Wu Tong to the trap in the back mountain. The real show was about to begin!
Linglong and Xuanji looked at each other and laughed, finding the whole situation extremely entertaining. They quickly got ready and ran to the back mountain to watch the excitement.