Chapter 1 The Beginning

In the cluttered convenience store resembling a hardware shop, Zhang Yuanqing's face was ashen.

Hearing Lian Sanyue's implication, someone had taken a fancy to the Hundred Refinements Furnace's energy storage and wanted to intercept his progress, plundering his achievements.

The furnace contained 85% energy, which he had invested eight items and materials worth tens of millions to accumulate, almost half of his wealth.

Now, someone wanted to snatch the fruits of his labor halfway?

Zhang Yuanqing stared at the landlady's alluring face, narrowing his eyes. "Landlady, I continued to invest valuable items and materials because of your reputation for integrity. I also spent money to seal the furnace because of your trustworthiness. Now you're telling me the furnace can't be used?"

"Are you trying to die?"

Facing Zhang Yuanqing's angry gaze and unkind expression, Lian Sanyue remained unperturbed. She even picked up a cigar again, took a small sip, and said lazily, "We agreed to seal the furnace for seven days, and that's what it will be. Within seven days, no one but you can use the Hundred Refinements Furnace."

After a pause, she chuckled. "But I'm a businesswoman. Someone wants to buy the flint and is willing to pay double the price. I have no reason to refuse."

"But you didn't remind me at the time," Zhang Yuanqing said, staring at her.

Lian Sanyue maintained her languid posture, her eyes playful. "You didn't ask. Besides, why should I remind you?"

*This is very in line with your chaotic neutral style…* Zhang Yuanqing took a deep breath and said, "Who bought the flint?"

"Zhao family's youngest grandson, Zhao Feichen," Lian Sanyue said softly, exhaling a puff of white smoke.

"The Zhao family?" Zhang Yuanqing's brow twitched. He immediately scrutinized Lian Sanyue, and after a moment, he sneered. "So, the landlady took a fancy to the energy in the furnace but cherished her reputation, so she found a second-generation heir to do the job. Tsk, tsk, what a calculation."

Hong Ji-ge had said that Lian Sanyue had an unusual relationship with the Zhao family. The backstage supporter of the Wanbao House convenience store was the Zhao family, one of the three scholar families.

Facing Zhang Yuanqing's mockery, Lian Sanyue didn't take it to heart. She said slowly, "This has nothing to do with me. Zhao Feichen came to my place a few days ago to wander around. He took a fancy to the energy in the furnace. Knowing that I had sealed the furnace for seven days, he bought all the flint from me, cutting off your path."

"What does he want?" Zhang Yuanqing asked directly.

"This was his oversight. It's hard to think of these details when the information isn't equal. There's no point in regretting it now. The top priority is to get the flint and refine the item."

"Zhao Feichen bought all the flint, obviously wanting to take advantage of the situation. If the conditions are reasonable, he will admit to this loss."

"This is a matter between you buyers, I won't interfere, and I'm too lazy to get involved."

Lian Sanyue's tone of voice was lazy. She flicked the ash from her cigar and said, "I almost forgot, the cigar I'm smoking was a gift from you. The taste is mellow and sweet, I like it very much. For the sake of the cigar, I'll talk to you about it."

"Zhao Feichen is the youngest grandson of the Zhao family head. He's been spoiled since he was a child, and he acts recklessly in Huadu. Even the official Lingjing Xingzhe (Spirit Realm Awakened) at the bottom don't dare to provoke him. A few years ago, one of his lackeys took a fancy to a local rich merchant's woman. The two sides fought for the woman, and they had a quarrel. His lackey cut off the rich merchant's kidneys, causing him to be impotent for the rest of his life. The official Lingjing Xingzhe of the Huadu branch arrested the Lingjing Xingzhe, but the office was smashed by Zhao Feichen and his men that day."

*Guan Ya, Xiao Lucha (Little Green Tea), Fu Qingyang... Lingjun... Xiahou Aotian...* Zhang Yuanqing thought, "Are these second-generation heirs of the Spirit Realm families all so arrogant? When I advance to the Ruler stage, I'll give them a good beating. Well, there are still decent people among the aristocratic families. Being able to live to this day shows that the Zhao family head loves this grandson. I just don't know if the old Zhao family head will go crazy one day when he's killed?"

Lian Sanyue glanced at him and laughed. "I'm looking forward to that day."

"There are many other examples of Zhao Feichen's arrogance, I won't list them one by one. You just need to remember that the Zhao family is protective of its own. Provoking Zhao Feichen means forming a feud with the Zhao family. Don't think that my Wanbao House is the only one that makes decisions, it's actually able to operate because it's protected by the Zhao family. Weigh the pros and cons yourself."

After speaking, Lian Sanyue stretched out her hand and said, "Give me the hand牌 (hand token)!"

Zhang Yuanqing ignored her and walked straight to the counter. He scanned it for a long time, picked up a dusty little round mirror, and activated his Star Eyes to look at himself in the mirror.

He saw dark clouds shrouding his "wealth" and "misfortune" palaces, indicating misfortune, predicting that his wealth was facing huge losses and that he was at risk of being seriously injured.

However, his "fate" palace was clear and free of haze, indicating that there were no problems with his current cooperation and the contract he had signed, and that there was no situation where his business partners had abandoned the contract. If Lian Sanyue had intentionally violated the contract and deliberately sold the flint, there would be haze in the "fate" palace. Through his facial reading, Zhang Yuanqing temporarily believed that this matter was not instructed by Lian Sanyue.

As a precaution, he took out his phone and sent a text message to Fu Qingyang. If he had an accident or disappeared, it was done by Wanbao House and the Zhao family.

After sending the message, he returned to the cashier, grabbed the hand token from his inventory, handed it over expressionlessly, and asked:

"What's Zhao Feichen's level?"

"Level 3 Extraordinary," Lian Sanyue said while taking the hand token. "He hasn't been a Lingjing Xingzhe (Spirit Realm Awakened) for long, only about two years. It's already extremely talented to have this level, after all, not everyone is like you."

Zhang Yuanqing nodded and looked towards the entrance of the store.

Blood Rose, who was waiting outside, came in.

*Kacha!*

She crushed the hand token, and the incantation engraved on it emerged and quickly spread, and the surrounding scenery changed rapidly. The next moment, Zhang Yuanqing saw the familiar "market" again, seeing the customers wearing masks or cloaks.

Lian Sanyue, with a cigarette between her fingers, crossed her arms and nodded towards the distance, "Zhao Feichen rented a spot here, specializing in buying flint, ha, waiting for you."

Zhang Yuanqing looked over and, through the layers of walking passers-by, saw a delicately dressed young man lying lazily in a rocking chair behind a stall.

He was wearing all name brands, his shoes were autographed by a certain ball star, his short hair was styled and neatly groomed, and his appearance was also very good, a fair and handsome young man. Next to this young master was a middle-aged man in black, holding an ancient sword.

There were also two young women in short skirts and t-shirts, one squatting in front and one standing behind, massaging his legs and shoulders for him.

The young master closed his eyes for a nap, leisurely and content. The surrounding passers-by and stall owners frequently glanced sideways, marveling.

The only one who could be so "ostentatious" in Wanbao House was Zhao Feichen, the number one playboy of the Zhao family. Even Saints wouldn't dare to be as flamboyant as him.

At this time, the young girl who was gently kneading his shoulders saw the landlady wiggling her waist and leading an ordinary-looking young man over, and immediately lowered her head and whispered a few words to the young master.

Zhao Feichen immediately opened his eyes and fixed his gaze on the man next to Lian Sanyue for a few seconds.

"How's his level?" he asked, looking ahead.

"Saint, his aura is far inferior to mine," the middle-aged man behind him holding the sword said in a deep voice.

Zhao Feichen's mouth curved into a smile, he waved his hand to dismiss the two women, got up to meet them, and looked at Lian Sanyue with an ingratiating smile, deliberately saying loudly in front of Zhang Yuanqing:

"Aunt."

"Aunt?!" Zhang Yuanqing couldn't help but turn his head to look at the alluring landlady, somewhat caught off guard.

*She's Zhao Feichen's aunt?*

*Then she's the daughter of the current head of the Zhao family?*

Lian Sanyue giggled, her playful eyes shifting between Zhang Yuanqing and Zhao Feichen. She pointed at Zhang Yuanqing with her cigar and said, "He's the one who sealed the furnace, you guys can talk it over yourselves."

After saying that, she swayed her waist in a charming manner, walked to the rocking chair and lay down, rocking back and forth to watch the show. Zhao Feichen scrutinized the young man in front of him and chuckled...

"What's your background, brother?"

"Just a small fry," Lian Sanyue interjected with a smile.

Zhang Yuanqing glanced at her in surprise.

Zhao Feichen said, "Let's not beat around the bush. Only my aunt can buy flint here, and now it's all in my hands. I've taken a liking to the item you're refining."

"How about this, I'll refund your furnace sealing fee and give you another ten million in cash. You can open the furnace and let me have it. I'll be responsible for the subsequent 15% energy accumulation. How about that, this is a good deal, right?"

Zhang Yuanqing looked at him calmly, his playboy attitude was disgusting.

"You want to buy an invaluable item for only twenty million? You're not buying, you're robbing."

He had invested eight items worth tens of millions to accumulate 85% energy, plus the sealing fee, and he wanted to take it all away for a mere twenty million? Not only was he greedy, but also arrogant.

Zhao Feichen啧啧(tsk tsk) and opened his arms, putting the two young women in his arms, leisurely saying, "You don't want to? Okay, I, Zhao Feichen, never force anyone. How about this, I'll sell you the flint, one billion per piece, not sold separately. If you want to buy it, buy all ten pieces, one hundred billion, pay up."

One hundred billion... Zhang Yuanqing mocked, "Why don't you just rob me."

Zhao Feichen laughed exaggeratedly, "Haha! That's right, I'm going to rob you, what are you going to do about it. I'm not taking advantage of my power, I'm playing by the rules. You left such a big loophole yourself, so don't blame me for exploiting it."

"Today I'm not only going to rob you, but I'm also going to rob you until you're convinced."

While saying that, he raised his voice, "Everyone, I'm捡漏(picking up a bargain), learn from me!"

The surrounding passers-by gathered around, constantly啧啧(tsk tsk).

Some, not minding the excitement, chimed in, "To tell you the truth, giving two ten thousands is too much, just give twenty thousands to send him away."

"Young Master Zhao's ability to pick up leaks is really enviable."

"Just forget it, aren't you afraid of being killed right after you leave Wanbao House? Only Young Master Zhao can do this."

The two young women in his arms covered their mouths and giggled, softly saying, "Young Master, if you were to do business, you would definitely be a stormy business elite."

Zhao Feichen stared at Zhang Yuanqing with a grin.

Zhang Yuanqing heavily exhaled a mouthful of turbid air. "How about this, Young Master Zhao, I heard from the landlady that you bought all the flint for twice the price. I'll offer three times the price, sell it to me. We're out and about, harmony brings wealth, let's be friends."

"One hundred billion, not a cent less," Zhao Feichen raised his chin, his face full of a winning smile, with an attitude of having Zhang Yuanqing in his grasp.

Zhang Yuanqing stared at him deeply and sneered, "Young Master Zhao, you're going to ruin everything."

"I don't care!"

Young Master Zhao spread his hands on the shoulders of his female companions, showing a confident posture, smiling and saying, "Anyway, I have nothing to lose. If you don't want the flint, there will be plenty of people who want it after today. But brother, you'll lose out badly. I asked Aunt, you invested at least a small goal in the furnace."

"I advise you to cut your losses in time, take some money and leave, so you can recover some of your losses."

The day before yesterday, he had asked his grandfather for a few worthless Extraordinary items, and his gambling addiction flared up, so he ran to Wanbao House to gamble with the Hundred Refinements Furnace, but was told that the furnace was sealed.

After a little inquiry, he learned that there was a guy who was hard to say whether he was unlucky or lucky, who had spent a full eight items, worth tens of millions of materials, to accumulate 85% of the energy. Zhao Feichen was so envious and jealous, that according to the rules of the Hundred Refinements Furnace, he was going to refine a top-quality item. After inquiring again, he discovered that the fool hadn't even bought out all the flint.

It was simply a windfall.

He immediately bought all the flint from his aunt's hands, and today he was specially waiting at Wanbao House for the sucker to come.

Zhao Feichen said leisurely, "You don't have to feel like you're losing out. Although the flint is only worth 500,000, but many times, the premium of something has nothing to do with its own value, but with the needs of the demander. I have flint in my hand, so I have you by the short hairs. Either you get nothing, or you open the furnace and let me have it, and take twenty million and leave. You have no choice."

Zhang Yuanqing sighed. "The ruining everything I'm talking about isn't what you mean."

Zhao Feichen shrugged, his smile as frivolous as ever. "How so?"

"I'll give you two choices too. One: sell me the flint at three times the price."

"Two: I don't want the cost of the furnace, I'll go out and block you right now. If you dare to come out, I'll chop you with one knife," Zhang Yuanqing simply didn't suppress the戾气(baleful aura) in his heart.

Zhao Feichen's face darkened, he pushed away the two young women, put his face in front of Yuan Shi Tian Zun, and said coldly:

"Just a Saint, so arrogant!"

"There are plenty of Lingjing Xingzhe (Spirit Realm Awakened) like you in the Zhao family. Just based on your words, don't even think about leaving Huadu today."

Zhang Yuanqing turned to leave.

"Hold on!"

Zhao Feichen suddenly raised his voice: "This young master appreciates people with backbone the most. How about this, I'll give you a chance."

Zhang Yuanqing stopped and looked back.

Zhao Feichen restored his frivolous and lazy second-generation heir posture, and smiled: "You go to the ring to fight with my bodyguard, if you win, I'll give you the flint, without taking a penny. If you lose, tell my aunt to let me have the furnace."

"You know the rules of the ring, only one can live. If you agree, sign the life-and-death contract now."

Zhang Yuanqing stared at him for a few seconds and shook his head: "It's not fair!"

"Scared?"

"If I win, I not only want the flint, but also your two legs."

Zhao Feichen laughed: "You have character!"

He turned his head, his face gloomy, and said to the middle-aged man holding the sword with murderous intent: "Sign the life-and-death contract, even if he is an official enforcer, I want him to die! After it's done, you can choose any item from the Zhao family's treasure house, and I'll reward you with another ten million in cash."

He must get the things in the Hundred Refinements Furnace. The top-quality items in the Saint Realm are rare even in large organizations.

Don't look at how Grandpa loves him, but it's impossible to give such good items, don't even think about it.

The middle-aged man nodded slightly: "No problem!"

Zhao Feichen ran to the rocking chair happily, his face full of flattery!

"Aunt, are you satisfied with what your nephew did?"

Lian Sanyue rocked back and forth with the rocking chair, her beautiful eyes half-closed, and said with a smile: "The Zhao family's affairs have nothing to do with me, and your affairs are even less qualified to bother me. But since you've signed the life-and-death contract, even if he is an official enforcer, you can kill him, and the Five Elements Alliance can't say anything. The opposite is also true."

"I'll ask you one last time, are you sure?"