“Shizun, could it be that Jiang Wuhen saw through the true nature of this little pagoda?”
Xiao Chen used divine sense to communicate with the voice in the depths of his consciousness.
“That’s possible, yes, but… not very likely.”
“This little pagoda is far too ancient. Even this master cannot determine what kind of treasure it is.”
“And even if it was once a treasure, by now… it may well have been damaged beyond use and reduced to a lump of scrap iron.”
“This old man sensed no ‘dao protector’ aura on Jiang Wuhen. Relying on his own abilities alone, he absolutely couldn’t have spotted anything special about this pagoda. Therefore, what he did earlier was most likely a blind cat stumbling on a dead mouse.”
The voice analyzed.
“What a waste of that supreme treasure…”
Xiao Chen said helplessly.
“I wouldn’t call it a waste exactly. Even if you bought it, whether you could use it was still unknown.”
“This spirit cultivator market is vast. There’s certainly more than one treasure here. Keep looking around. There may be an opportunity that suits you even better.”
The voice urged.
Xiao Chen nodded.
“I understand, Shizun. Should we shake off Jiang Wuhen?”
“So he doesn’t steal another of my opportunities?”
The voice let out a helpless laugh.
“Shake him off? How?”
“He may be treating you politely now, but at the end of the day, you are still his prisoner. The only reason you could come out at all was because he graciously allowed it. If you accidentally anger him, you might not even get the chance to set foot in this market again.”
“Besides, his status is very useful in this market. With him around, you can avoid a great deal of trouble. At the very least, you’ll waste less money on being swindled…”
That much was true.
Right now, all Xiao Chen wanted was for Jiang Wuhen to stop meddling.
Meanwhile—
[Ding dong. Today’s quest: Mine, mine, all mine!]
[Quest objective: Snipe the Son of Fortune Xiao Chen’s opportunities at least seven times!]
The system’s voice rang out. Jiang Wuhen frowned.
“System, this is unbecoming of you. Don’t you know that Xiao Chen is my flesh-and-blood brother, my dearest friend…”
“That’ll cost extra!”
Jiang Wuhen: You’ve got the wrong guy!
The next instant, the system’s voice sounded again.
[Quest reward: Illusory Dragon Roaming (divine-grade movement martial skill), seventy thousand villain points!]
Tsk. The system really knows how to read a person!
From there, Jiang Wuhen followed close behind Xiao Chen, chatting and catching up on the surface while staying ready to snipe every opportunity at a moment’s notice.
Whatever Xiao Chen took a fancy to, Jiang Wuhen bought on the spot at an inflated price without a second word.
[Ding dong. The host has sniped the Son of Fortune’s opportunity. Reward: five thousand villain points!]
[The host has destroyed the Son of Fortune’s chance encounter. Reward: eight thousand villain points!]
[The host has left the Son of Fortune empty-handed for three consecutive hours. Reward: twelve thousand villain points!]
[The host has sniped the Son of Fortune’s opportunity for the fifth time, completing ‘Penta-Kill Supremacy.’ Reward: fifteen thousand villain points!]
[……]
Over the course of a few hours, the system notifications rang out one after another.
Though nearly a hundred thousand spirit crystals had been spent, to Jiang Wuhen this was mere pocket change.
The various treasures he’d sniped out from under Xiao Chen remained unidentified and unusable for now, but one thing was certain: anything the system acknowledged as a treasure was priceless.
Xiao Chen, on the other hand, had come up completely empty after all that searching. Worse yet, his psychological trauma toward Jiang Wuhen had only deepened.
Whatever he took a fancy to, Jiang Wuhen bought it without a second thought. The scene was practically identical to some domineering CEO flaunting his deep pockets in front of his little wife.
Could Jiang Wuhen actually have taken a fancy to him?
At this thought, a chill ran down his spine and he felt utterly wrong.
“Shizun, with Jiang Wuhen tagging along today, I don’t think we’ll find much.”
“Maybe we should just head back…”
Being watched by Jiang Wuhen gave him a deeply unsettling feeling.
“Very well. Until we understand this man’s true intentions, it’s best not to get too close to him.”
“Let’s go back… hmm?”
“Wait!”
The tone of that voice suddenly grew excited.
“Shizun, what is it?”
Xiao Chen asked.
“Little Chen, don’t be in a rush to leave. There’s something good at the stall right beside you!”
The voice said urgently.
Xiao Chen’s heart jolted, though his face betrayed nothing.
He slowed his pace and, from the corner of his eye, glanced at the stall beside him.
“Shizun, you mean…”
Xiao Chen said with a frown.
“See that beast fang?”
“There is an aura from the ‘Great Desolation Domain’ on that fang. Moreover, hidden inside it is a single drop of primordial fierce beast precious blood!”
“Only one drop, yes, but this old man can confirm it is the blood of a pure-blooded ancient demon. It contains boundless vitality and power.”
“You must obtain that drop of precious blood no matter what. In the future, when you seize the ‘Eternal Green Spirit Flame,’ one of the nine great ancestral fires, you may use this treasure as a medium to refine the ancestral fire!”
The voice urged repeatedly.
Ancestral fire was not only the foundation for upgrading the blaze art, it was Xiao Chen’s most important fortune and opportunity.
This ancient demon precious blood could assist in refining the Eternal Green Spirit Flame. For Xiao Chen, it was a supreme treasure of tremendous opportunity!
For a moment, Xiao Chen couldn’t contain his excitement.
Every other treasure can go to Jiang Wuhen. But this one…
Xiao Chen’s gaze sharpened. He stopped at once, bent down, and directly seized the beast fang.
“I want this.”
“Name your price!”
Xiao Chen said bluntly.
At this point, Jiang Wuhen had already sniped six of Xiao Chen’s opportunities. Only one more remained before the quest was complete.
This time, seeing Xiao Chen’s decisive attitude as he grabbed the beast fang without even pretending otherwise, Jiang Wuhen knew instantly that this fang was an absolute treasure!
Just as Jiang Wuhen was about to snipe the beast fang, a streak of afterimages flashed past.
The beast fang in Xiao Chen’s hand vanished into thin air.
“Hm?”
Xiao Chen’s brow furrowed as his gaze swept to the side.
Not far off, a cyan-robed youth with an unsettling, otherworldly aura was examining the beast fang in his hand, a wicked smile on his face.
“This beast fang has caught this young master’s eye. One spirit crystal, and it’s mine.”
The cyan-robed youth sneered, casually tossing a single spirit crystal at the feet of an elderly stall owner.
“Young master, you can’t do this…”
“This beast fang cost this old man a great deal of money. I bought it from the ‘Death Spirit Legion’ in the Great Desolation Domain.”
“One spirit crystal would cost this old man his life. This… this simply won’t do!”
The old man hurried forward, his face fraught with distress.
The cyan-robed youth sneered in contempt.
“What do you mean it won’t do? The fact that this young master is gracing your sorry little stall is good fortune earned over eight lifetimes!”
“Fine, fine. This young master can’t be bothered to lower himself to your level, you filthy human scum. I’ll give you one more spirit crystal.”
“Old man, don’t be ungrateful!”
With that, he tossed down another spirit crystal and turned to leave.
“Young master, this… this won’t do!”
The old man pleaded in desperation.
The next instant, the cyan-robed youth’s gaze went cold, his face twisting with disgust.
“You filthy human, you are deliberately defying this young master!”
“Get out of my way, or die!”
The cyan-robed youth snarled. He raised his hand, gale-force winds erupting as he swung a fist toward the top of the old man’s head.
And at that very moment—
Thud!
A muffled impact!
The cyan-robed youth’s fist was seized in an iron grip.
“That’s going too far, friend!”
Xiao Chen had caught the blow, his voice low and stern.
The cyan-robed youth raised an eyebrow.
“Hmph. A mere human, filthy and lowly, dares to stand in my way?”
“I am the son of the ‘Dragon Peng Venerable,’ bearer of the ‘Ancient Dragon Peng’ bloodline, of the highest nobility. If you know what’s good for you, get lost this instant!”
The words left his mouth as the cyan-robed youth’s aura erupted, a terrifying pressure laced with dense demonic qi that faintly coalesced into the phantom of an ancient dragon peng, bearing down on Xiao Chen.
Xiao Chen, however, stood unmoved beneath that gale, his white robes billowing but his figure steady as a mountain.
Not far off, Jiang Wuhen watched the scene with keen interest, arms folded, a smile on his face.
Xiao Chen truly was the Son of Fortune. Just like that, he’d stumbled into a chance to play the righteous hero.
As for this cyan-robed youth claiming to be an ancient dragon peng—
He may be a villain like me, but a brainless idiot like this deserves to be the Son of Fortune’s stepping stone!
Jiang Wuhen thought to himself.
And he had no intention of intervening.
But the next thing that happened made Jiang Wuhen’s eyes narrow, a surge of fury rising on his face.
“You stupid bird! Are you looking to die?!”
