"Didn't expect you, the dignified Great Master Ye, to also fall into a ditch. Your best disciple betrayed you and stole your spatial ring. You must feel quite frustrated?"
Nuwa Stone couldn't help but mock Ye Tiancheng. Ye Tiancheng had never suffered a loss before, and when he did, it was such a significant one that it was shocking.
"Alright, stop kicking me while I'm down. Can you help me track Lin Xue's location? I urgently need to get my spatial ring back."
"The world is vast. If Lin Xue hides in any random mountain valley, you won't be able to find her. By the time you do, she might have already ruined your spatial ring."
Nuwa Stone's words were a great blow to Ye Tiancheng, making him even more anxious. His tone of voice couldn't help but become heavier.
"I told you I'm not joking. Please stop watching the fun and quickly help me find Lin Xue. I need to know her location immediately."
"Although I am the Nuwa Stone, the ancient divine stone intended for Nuwa mending the heavens, I am not omnipotent. Your request is a bit too much. The world is so big, where am I supposed to find that traitor?"
Seeing that Nuwa Stone was being evasive and couldn't help him, Ye Tiancheng had to turn to the Great Green Snake for help again.
"Great Green Snake, that stinky rock is clearly useless. I can only place my hope on you. Please help me find out where Lin Xue is right now. As long as I can find her, I'm willing to pay any price."
Ye Tiancheng had truly suffered a great loss this time, so he was determined to get revenge. No matter what, he had to catch Lin Xue and clarify everything face-to-face. He had treated this disciple very well, willing to hand over all his ventures for her to manage, yet this traitor treated him, her master, with such disregard, showing no respect, only ruthless betrayal.
"I can't help you find her. I can contact other minor deities, but it's like finding a needle in a haystack in this vast ocean. Unless you can find a treasure called a 'Person-Seeking Artifact'."
"Person-Seeking Artifact!"
Ye Tiancheng had never even heard of this treasure before. Now, hearing it from the Great Green Dragon's mouth, Ye Tiancheng felt completely bewildered.
"Yes, this treasure was circulated in the martial world for a long time and was eventually acquired by the Hou family. It was auctioned for three hundred million. If one isn't extremely wealthy, no one would dare to do something like that. That's an item worth several hundred million, bought just like that. They are simply willful."
"You mean the Hou family? Is there any news about Hou Mingzhu?"
Ye Tiancheng hadn't thought of this woman in a long time. The last time he heard about Hou Mingzhu was when she went abroad for a trip. He didn't expect the Hou family to be involved at this time, which made him have to recall Hou Mingzhu.
"Yes, you're not familiar with the Hou family. If you want to make any progress, you'll probably have to find Hou Mingzhu. This young lady is as her name suggests, the pearl of the Hou family. If you find her, she can help you resolve this."
Just mentioning Hou Mingzhu gave Ye Tiancheng a headache. He had finally managed to get rid of that troublesome woman, so how could Ye Tiancheng go looking for her now? Wouldn't that be asking for trouble?
"No need. I'd rather die than go look for Hou Mingzhu. No matter what treasure it is, it has a price. I can buy it."
Spending three hundred million was not a big deal for Ye Tiancheng. Even if it were a big deal, it wouldn't matter. Ye Tiancheng would rather sell his houses and land than fail to find Lin Xue. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to swallow his pride. If he couldn't even accomplish this and get revenge, he might as well just smash his head against a wall.
"You have a past grievance with the Hou family. I'm afraid it won't be that easy. You can try, but don't blame me for not warning you. You might very well be shut out!"
Nuwa Stone was being contrary again. Ye Tiancheng wouldn't listen to what it said. He would do whatever he felt was right. Asking him to beg that woman Hou Mingzhu was worse than killing him.
When Ye Tiancheng rushed to the Hou family, he found that Old Master Hou was celebrating his birthday. It was at that birthday banquet that Ye Tiancheng had encountered Bai Wuxie. Now, Bai Wuxie was so terrified of Ye Tiancheng that he dared not show his face again. Everything had become chaotic.
However, Ye Tiancheng had now arrived at Old Master Hou's birthday celebration. It seemed that everything was destined. Thinking this, Ye Tiancheng was no longer so angry. Otherwise, he might have been angered to death by his rebellious disciple, Lin Xue.
In the past, Ye Tiancheng was very carefree, believing that nothing could affect his emotions anymore. But after being betrayed by Lin Xue, Ye Tiancheng truly couldn't swallow his pride and felt like he was about to collapse.
As soon as Ye Tiancheng reached the main entrance, he was stopped.
"Our master does not welcome you to attend his birthday celebration. Please leave immediately."
Now, for anyone who wanted to stop him, Ye Tiancheng only wanted to do one thing: directly blast their brains out. Otherwise, he wouldn't feel satisfied.
"I don't want to resort to violence. Please move aside."
Given his urgency, Ye Tiancheng was already behaving quite well. If it were his usual personality, he might have directly attacked and sent everyone flying.
But doing so would make the news again. He had been in the news enough lately, and Ye Tiancheng really didn't want to be in the spotlight anymore.
"Mr. Ye, we all know you are very capable. We are just employees. I hope you don't cause trouble for everyone and leave quickly. Since the host doesn't welcome you, there's no need for you, a guest, to stay here. You're just being an annoyance."
These words were quite cutting. No matter how you put it, they were too blunt, and Ye Tiancheng couldn't accept them.
"I didn't want to act, but your words are really too unpleasant."
As soon as Ye Tiancheng finished speaking, he channeled his true qi. The bodyguards blocking his way suddenly collapsed on the ground, convulsing and foaming at the mouth, frightening those nearby into not daring to approach.
"What's wrong? It's not even hot, why are they acting like they have heatstroke, foaming at the mouth?"
"It doesn't look like heatstroke. It looks like they've been possessed. Let's get away from here quickly. It feels too sinister. They were standing fine just now, and then they suddenly collapsed, rolling their eyes. It's terrifying."
People nearby were chattering, but no one dared to get close. They even quickly retreated, fearing that if they were tainted by some evil energy, it would be disastrous.
Seeing that everyone nearby had run away, a few bodyguards who were further away came over, but halfway there, they suddenly collapsed, completely losing all strength. This time, Ye Tiancheng had held back and the bodyguard who had spoken the unpleasant words didn't suffer as bad a fate. At least he just collapsed on the ground, powerless, without foaming at the mouth or feeling excruciating pain all over.
Seeing that no one was blocking him anymore, Ye Tiancheng walked unimpeded towards the main venue of the banquet.
"Mr. Hou, I have a business deal for you. Can you talk to me privately?"
"It's you?" Old Master Hou's attitude towards this former quasi-son-in-law, who was no longer related to Hou Jia, was not good. The main reason was that this man had hurt his precious daughter. As a father, he naturally couldn't give him a good look. It was already generous that he didn't directly chase him out.
"I came in too much of a hurry and didn't bring you a birthday gift. I'll make it up to you later. Can you spare a moment to chat?"
With so many people watching, Old Master Hou couldn't refuse Ye Tiancheng's request. Ye Tiancheng still had a certain social status, and there might be future cooperation. The Hou family members were all shrewd individuals. How could they go against a god of wealth? They were all extremely astute and wouldn't block their own future paths.
"Alright, come with me."
Ye Tiancheng was led into a small room. As soon as the door was closed, he couldn't help but state his request.
"I hope you can give me the Person-Seeking Artifact."
"That's not really a treasure. Mingzhu took a liking to it and bought it for three hundred million, but it's just a dusty, idle item. They call it a treasure, but no one knows how to use it."
It was normal for this old man not to know. This Person-Seeking Artifact needed to be activated by true qi. How could an ordinary person know the secret to using the treasure?
"That's perfect. I can buy this idle item of yours. Three hundred million. I won't make you lose money. I'll pay you the same amount you bought it for."
This treasure could not only find Lin Xue but would also be very useful in the future. Ye Tiancheng felt that spending these three hundred million was worth it. Once his newly built twenty branches of his bakery and dessert shop opened, he estimated he would earn back these three hundred million in a few months.
"That was something I gave to Mingzhu on her eighteenth birthday. You can't get it from me now. I'd actually like to sell that useless thing. I can give it to you for thirty million, or you can cooperate with me once, and I won't charge a single cent. But I can't make this decision. It belongs to Mingzhu."
The Hou family truly doted on their daughter excessively. This was the first time he had heard of giving a treasure worth three hundred million as a birthday gift, and it was useless to them. Truly willful with their wealth.
"You are Hou Mingzhu's father. I believe your words carry authority, and your daughter must listen to you. I have some conflict with Hou Mingzhu, and I believe you are aware of it. If I were to directly buy this treasure, I'm afraid Hou Mingzhu wouldn't agree and would be furious. Why don't you mediate between us?"
Even though Ye Tiancheng was pushed to this point, no one could make him do what he didn't want to do. He really didn't want any further contact with Hou Mingzhu. He believed that woman would seize this opportunity to extort a large sum from him and also exert emotional pressure.
"I can't control this daughter of mine at all, and as I said, it would be counterproductive. That girl is very rebellious. This is something between you young people. You should go find her directly. That girl is abroad. As for whether she wants to see you, I can't control that."
This woman Hou Mingzhu was simply too magical. Not only was Ye Tiancheng afraid of her, but even her own father seemed afraid to provoke her. This showed that she was a fiery little chili pepper. Provoking such a woman would likely make it difficult to escape.
"Old Mr. Hou, you know my dessert shop has been doing very well recently. I can consider cooperating with you, but the prerequisite is that you must help me obtain the divine artifact."
Old Mr. Hou shook his head frantically: "Young man, please don't make things difficult for me. I have withdrawn from many fields. It is now the world of young people, and all my future industries will be inherited by Mingzhu. You were once our Hou family's son-in-law, and I still remember some past affections. But I really can't help you with this matter. Please don't make things difficult for this old man. I still want to live a few more days. Provoking that girl will only shorten my lifespan."
Seeing that Old Mr. Hou was genuinely afraid, Ye Tiancheng begged him in a low voice several times, but to no avail. In the end, he simply left in a huff.