Sun Lotus City, Auction Hall
The auction has just concluded. Many of the participants were taking their leave after collecting their items.
Zhao Feng was making his way toward a particular VIP room. He wanted to meet the person behind the inheritances and establish a connection with the Scholarly Merchant Association. He arrived before the room.
A nervous servant stood at the entrance of the VIP room, he was politely blocking the way in.
"Please understand, Lord Zhao. Our esteemed customer requested to participate anonymously." - Explained the man in front of Zhao Feng with a troubled expression.
Zhao Feng felt wronged. Just as he was about to berate the servant who dared to ignore his status and not give him face, when a young man parted the curtains behind the servant. It was Bao Zhi.
Bao Zhi: "Mm. Thank you for your services. You may leave now." - He gestured to the servant. Next, he looked at Zhao Feng:
"Lord Zhao, shall we?" - He looked at him with an understanding gaze, inviting him inside.
Zhao Feng frowned. To him, Bao Zhi seemed very confident. Why was Bao Zhi acting like they knew each other? This was the first time they met. After a fleeting moment of awkwardness, he entered Bao Zhi's VIP room.
"Please take a seat." - Bao Zhi gestured to the seat across from him. He was smiling helplessly, looking at Zhao Feng.
Zhao Feng sat down.
Before Zhao Feng could start his talk, Bao Zhi addressed him with a question:
"I wonder what Lord thinks of our wares. Are they to your liking?" - He asked as he drank a sip of his tea nonchalantly.
Zhao Feng had a solemn expression. Previously, he couldn't uncover anything about this organization. This made him feel exposed while the other party was hidden in the shadows.
Zhao Feng: "Mm. How can I address you, Sir? And also, why is the Scholarly Merchant Association targeting my family?"
Bao Zhi: "My identity is not important, I'm just an intermediary. Lord Zhao can address me as Bao Zhi. Our organization had no intention of harm towards Lord." - He explained with a helpless expression. His act was without flaws, not exposing his fabricated story.
Zhao Feng: "Oh?" - Zhao Feng raised his eyebrows, visibly wanting to hear more.
Bao Zhi: "The Scholarly Merchant Association has a long-established tradition. We deal in knowledge and nothing else. Our aim is to spread the Great Dao and bring enlightenment to the people. Precisely so, we do not wish to gather fame or power. We did not target your family." - Bao Zhi explained.
Zhao Feng: "What you say is very strange. If your aim is not to seek fame or power, then why are you becoming involved with the Zhao Family? I can't imagine how this would further your cause."
Bao Zhi: "Lord, this is a misunderstanding. We are one of the most discreet organizations in the world. We do not wish to stir trouble." - Bao Zhi talked slowly and placed emphasis on the word 'discreet' and 'trouble' while his face showed a faint smile.
Zhao Feng was not convinced. He was racking his brain internally: "Who would believe this? You sent our inheritance to us in the letter clearly to blackmail us. Where did the other two inheritances come from you sold today? Did they not comply with your demands so you sold their inheritances? How did you get them in the first place? Does our house have a spy?"
Zhao Feng did not reply, he was troubled by too many unknown scenarios he guessed. He felt cornered. Not wanting to play along with Bao Zhi's schemes, he directly cut to the chase:
"Tell me, what do you want?"
...
Two servants from the Zhao family were waiting for their lord in front of the auction hall. They gossiped about the auction events when Zhao Feng appeared.
He had a satisfied expression. He wouldn't have thought that the Zhao family received the letter with the inheritance, not with the intent of blackmail. Instead, he learned, that the inheritance was meant to be sold on behalf of the Scholarly Merchant Association at the auction by Bao Zhi originally with the other two inheritances. This revelation equally shocked and terrified Zhao Feng. He thought they had a special relationship as they were targeted. It turned out their inheritance was not any more important and was sold as common cabbage. This meant that the Scholarly Merchant Association had boundless foundation, for one thing.
Zhao Feng subconsciously had already rejected the idea of offending such an organization. As the saying went, a hidden blade was the most dangerous. Wasn't this then a hidden ox-cleaver he faced?
The other thing that surprised him was the fact that Bao Zhi was willing to sell the inheritance to them directly. He wanted to save face for the Zhao family by not selling their inheritance to others, but he was still required to send back the earnings to the organization as he explained. This left a favorable impression on Zhao Feng. He felt that Bao Zhi was willing to gamble by contacting them and going against this mysterious organization. Bao Zhi offered that he would only report thirty thousand primeval stones back about their inheritance as a show of his goodwill.
The other two inheritances were sold for sixty and eighty thousand, thirty thousand was letting them off easy. Was it worth thirty thousand primeval stones that their inheritance did not end up in one of their rivals' hands next door?
It absolutely did!
This made Zhao Feng think, Bao Zhi could be trusted as long as enough benefits were offered. He saw a reliable ally in him, thinking he had a man of his own in the enemy camp already. And he was worried about spies in their family previously?
They have agreed on directly transacting in the next time when Bao Zhi would be 'assigned' inheritances to sell at a lower price if Bao Zhi got his 'cut'.
Back in the Auction Hall, Bao Zhi waited for Zhao Feng to leave before he left as well. He was also having similar thoughts about their 'cooperation'.
"This Zhao Feng is a good pawn. The rumors were true about his character, he can be exploited further."
Zhao Feng was simply led by his nose by Bao Zhi. The moment he entered the private room he was already entangled in a web of manipulation. Even before they met, Zhao Feng was put under mental pressure. When he thought he saw through Bao Zhi was actually the moment he fell into his trap. Bao Zhi had vast experience compared to Zhao Feng, Zhao Feng was suppressed without even knowing it.
Obtaining benefits had many ways, and fighting was only a third-rate option. Winning a battle without it even occurring was clearly a superior and more efficient method.
Bao Zhi examined the Primeval Elder Gu he received. It was floating inside his fake aperture. This rank three gu was a storage type gu, specialized in storing primeval stones. It looked like a ball made of crystal, half-transparent and fist-sized. The inside was cloudy and an elderly figure could be seen in it. The Primeval Elder inside showed a sad and wrinkled face, his back hunching, it was a sorry sight. The primeval elder gu would show a happy expression when full and sad and pitiful when empty.
But this sad image did not discourage Bao Zhi, because the Primeval Elder Gu could hold up to a million primeval stones!
This gu was given to him by the auction hall, of course, its cost of seven thousand primeval stones was deducted. It had to be said, this was a precious gu worm.
Now, this gu worm held roughly fifty-three thousand primeval stones.
Bao Zhi had yet to refine this gu worm. He had to refine it as soon as possible, he could not continue to have this gu lent to him, it still contained the will of another gu master from the auction hall.
He was careful on his way back, intentionally taking a detour and only heading home when he was sure he wasn't being tailed by someone from the auction. The privacy of the auction hall could only go so far, even if the participants didn't know who he was, all they needed to do was figure out who left the sixteenth VIP room and follow him.
He reached his house without problems, but he didn't let his guard down. He stopped before his door and respectfully bowed.
"Master, your disciple has completed his mission."
He did not know if anyone was secretly watching him or not. It was better to be safe than sorry. Another layer of deterrence was worth a few words in his opinion.
After five breaths of time, he straightened his back. Seeing that nothing happened he calmly entered the house.
Two hundred meters from him, a gu master stood on the rooftops with a frowning expression. Bao Zhi was indeed tailed by someone!
* * * * *
Brilliance Lotus Academy
A few days had passed.
Today was a big day for the students of the academy. Today would be the first opportunity for them to pit their strengths against each other in a mandatory tournament.
This event was organized each year multiple times. This was a way for this school to simultaneously motivate the students with prizes and assess their fighting abilities.
Teacher Tao was looking over his class of students, he assessed their morale. He wanted to know if they were ready for the tournament. He was pleased with what he saw.
Many were eager to participate and establish their name.
He wanted to ensure that his students would bring honor to the academy. However, there was a problem that he was aware of. The problem was with his top student.
Zhao Min was the number one student in his class. He was incredibly gifted and displayed his talent often. He had not just achieved this position by chance, everyone was aware of his background and high aptitude, placing great expectations on him. However, his personality was not a good fit for the academy. He was aloof and arrogant. He would often not listen to the teachers. He also already had a powerful background, so he could not be easily roped in.
Teacher Tao had already disregarded Bao Zhi as a genius. That kid was simply put, disappointing. Never had he encountered such a person before. Bao Zhi would not put much effort into anything. He didn't participate in events not mandatory, nor did he interact with the other students on his own.
This defied Teacher Tao's expectations, he wanted to nurture a leader figure from this A grade talent originally. Yet, he did not create his own sphere of influence among his classmates. Teacher Tao remembered how lucky he felt when he was informed back then that two A grade talents would be entrusted with him by the academy. Now he felt bitter.
"This Bao Zhi couldn't even refine his vital gu to this day." - He cursed in his heart.
Everyone else was already done refining their own vital gu in the class.
He felt helpless to motivate him, Bao Zhi's indifferent attitude felt like an immovable rock to him.
He was not concerned about Bao Zhi's performance.
Teacher Tao felt he was a lost cause, he had given up on him long ago.
His focus was on the tournament today. He wanted to make sure his students were in the best of their condition. He was ready to help his students if they needed him. He was concerned with their results, it would influence his status if they performed well.
Zhao Min was his top student. He was expectant of him getting the first prize. It was not just a way to promote the academy's reputation but also a way to boost the morale of his students. He wanted his top student to show off his prowess.
Teacher Tao took a brief look at his students. He did not want to waste any more time.
"Class is dismissed! You all know how important the tournament is, I hope you all will bring honor to our academy! Good luck! You can go to the tournament now!" - Teacher Tao shouted.
The students gathered their things and left the class.
Teacher Tao gave a glance at Bao Zhi, who was sitting in the last row of the class.
Bao Zhi looked back at him calmly.
Bao Zhi stood up to leave the class.
Teacher Tao had a bitter expression on his face.
Zhao Min: "Bao Zhi! I hope you will not disappoint me today!" - Zhao Min said as Bao Zhi passed by him.
Bao Zhi looked at him with a cold glance.
"I hope you don't disappoint yourself." - Bao Zhi said.
Zhao Min was silent.
Bao Zhi ignored him and turned around.
Zhao Min looked at his back, he felt frustrated.
Bao Zhi continued to walk forward.
Bao Zhi was not interested in the tournament. He was only interested in the rewards being offered.
Even though this was a trivial amount compared to his newly acquired wealth, he wasn't willing to slack off and wanted to grab every opportunity he could.
Bao Zhi felt that he had nothing to prove. He wanted to win, but he wasn't going to go all out.
He didn't want to draw attention to himself. He wanted to stay low-key.
* * * * *