Not long after the Ghost King avatar had left aboard a spaceship, several cosmic ships bearing the Treasure Pavilion emblem appeared in the void where the fighting had just taken place.
"Big brother, we're one step too late. They're already gone."
The Demonic World Master looked at the wreckage drifting in the void, a flash of anger crossing his eyes.
"Who? Who dares to be this bold?! They actually dared to rob my Treasure Pavilion's merchant ship—and they killed Buer..."
Kunshaluo roared in fury. Ever since he had broken through to the Undying Deity realm, very little had happened to make him this angry.
"Big brother!" The Demonic World Master gritted his teeth. "Buer's death is actually a small matter. The real problem is that this shipment contained Black Obsidian Mother Stone worth a hundred Hunyuan units..."
The Demonic World Master had not told Kunshaluo about this in advance. He had meant to bring it up once the deal was done, never expecting an accident like this.
"What? Just what happened?"
Kunshaluo sensed trouble at once, killing intent sharpening in his eyes.
The Demonic World Master didn't dare conceal anything. He laid out the whole matter of the man who had come to the shop to order Black Obsidian Mother Stone, leaving out not a single detail.
"I thought, the man had already paid a deposit of one Hunyuan unit, so the transaction should go smoothly. I never imagined..."
"You idiot!" Kunshaluo shot the Demonic World Master a ferocious glare. If this weren't his own younger brother, he would have loved nothing more than to slap him to death on the spot.
A hundred Hunyuan units. The entire fortunes of ten World Masters came to no more than that.
"That man did it deliberately. His target was that hundred-Hunyuan-unit ore, and you—you idiot—got played!"
Kunshaluo understood everything in an instant.
It was a plot. A plot aimed at the Treasure Pavilion.
In the course of it all, his younger brother had been a little foolish, true, but he had not really done anything seriously wrong.
Because not even Kunshaluo himself had ever imagined that anyone would be bold enough to rob the Treasure Pavilion's goods in the starry space outside Qianwu City. Nothing like it had happened in countless years.
The universe was full of space pirates, but those pirates were smart people. They never dared provoke a merchant house backed by an Undying Deity.
Besides, he, Kunshaluo, was right there on Qianwu Continent and could arrive at any moment!
"The bank records of the transaction—can we dig anything out about who the other party is?"
Kunshaluo roared.
"I shouldn't think so. The account was unregistered. I checked just now, and it's already been closed."
Kunshaluo drew a deep breath, trying to force himself calm. That result was within his expectations. If it was a plot, the other side would not have left him a single lead.
"Investigate... quietly look into where large quantities of Black Obsidian Mother Stone have been put up for sale lately. The moment you hear anything, report to me at once. Whoever bought up that much ore will have to find a way to move it! And this matter must be kept quiet. No one else is to know!"
Kunshaluo suppressed his rage with an effort.
Right now he was at a critical point in a negotiation, and he could not let this affect Treasure Pavilion's standing in the other party's eyes.
The Demonic World Master gave a bitter smile. "Big brother, I'm afraid that will be hard. Several merchant ships were nearby and saw the whole thing. They were all terrified and ran for it at once—not one of them even dared record any footage."
Traders are all smart people. Recording footage would be simple, and they could even sell it for a tidy sum. But if that mysterious figure took a grudge against them over the footage, they could forget about doing business ever again.
That fellow dared to rob even the Treasure Pavilion. Small merchant houses like them simply did not dare offend him!
"Warn them to keep their mouths shut, or they'll find out I don't take that kindly!"
Kunshaluo's eyes were full of killing intent.
Because of that crucial negotiation, he had no choice today but to grit his teeth and swallow this loss. He couldn't even borrow the official forces of the Qianwu Universe Kingdom to investigate, or word would certainly reach the ears of those people.
Still, this would not be the end of the matter. Once he had dealt with that important business, he would pay it all back with interest.
Kunshaluo already had a few suspects in mind.
"Was it that foolish Black Dragon of the Black Dragon Mountain Empire, or..."
Over the years he had offended quite a few people. Especially a few years back, when he had used that incomplete Secret Realm map to swindle countless people, getting many World Masters killed in some Secret Realm, and leaving others so badly wounded that to this day they had not recovered. All of them were suspects.
As for Lu Qingshan, Kunshaluo did not turn a trace of suspicion his way at all—the fellow was still tucked away comfortably in the Qianwu Secret Realm and simply did not dare set foot out of it!
...
Though the Treasure Pavilion tried its utmost to suppress the story, it was still a step too late.
By the time Kunshaluo contacted the ships that had been present, some people had already passed the news along.
After all, at least several hundred people had witnessed the event firsthand, and being traders, they had friends everywhere. A little casual chatting was enough to send the number who knew climbing exponentially.
The Treasure Pavilion quickly issued a denial, insisting the ship was not theirs and warning others against spreading rumors. But once water is spilled it cannot be gathered up again; completely choking off the spread was hardly possible.
Wind Thunder Island, Qianwu Secret Realm.
Yang, in a white robe, came to Lu Qingshan's residence carrying a jug of fine wine.
"Brother Qingshan, I've got some good news to go with a drink. Care for a few cups?"
"Brother Yang, what good news has you so pleased?"
Lu Qingshan waved a hand, and the table filled with food. These were all dishes cooked by his little chef, Ling Xi; they tasted quite good...
Over the past ten years, the Qianwu Dojo had held another Secret Realm Qualification Tournament. This time Ling Yu's younger sister, Ling Xi—the girl with short blue hair whose domain had been problematic before—had successfully made it into the Secret Realm.
On Ling Yu's recommendation, she had moved into Lu Qingshan's villa and taken charge of his meals.
Ling Yu had her own motives in doing this. She was about to leave the Qianwu Secret Realm for the Genius Battle, and she wanted her younger sister to receive guidance from Teacher Lu. After all, in the entire dojo, she was the only one who knew just how formidable this teacher, Lu Qingshan, truly was.
Ling Xi and Teacher Lu already knew each other from the Qianwu Dojo—she had been his student before—so Ling Yu's introduction was not abrupt at all.
Yang poured Lu Qingshan a cup of wine and said with a chuckle, "Whether I'm pleased, I can't say. But once you hear this, you'll certainly be pleased."
He drew out the suspense, and only after a sip of wine did he speak. "The Treasure Pavilion has fallen on hard times. One of their freighters was robbed out in the space not far from Qianwu City. The whole caravan—including a World Master—was wiped out. Not a single survivor!"
When Yang had said before that he was well informed, he had not been bragging.
Others did not dare be certain of this, yet he spoke with such conviction—clearly he had his own sources.
"Heh, is that so?" Lu Qingshan took a sip of wine, the corners of his mouth curving into a faint smile. "One who does much evil brings ruin upon himself! Seems Treasure Pavilion has swindled too many people. Retribution has finally caught up with them!"
"Exactly. I heard a single shot from a Star Annihilation Cannon blew the ship out of existence. What kind of grudge is that? Facing an enemy that strong, the Treasure Pavilion will surely keep its head down for a while, which will make things a little easier for you too, Brother Qingshan."
Yang was sincerely happy for Lu Qingshan.
Lu Qingshan laughed. "Since Treasure Pavilion has provoked such a formidable man, their stock is bound to drop right away. Want to short a few positions and pick up some pocket money?"
"Ah, Brother Qingshan, you really do come up with the wildest ideas. I honestly never thought of that. But the market carries risk, and investing calls for caution. Treasure Pavilion was attacked this time, but the news was quickly suppressed, and what's out there is nothing but baseless rumor. It will probably be hard to move the share price much. Treasure Pavilion may even prop the stock up itself, in which case a short could easily cost money."
Old and shrewd as he was, Yang saw an opportunity, yet he also keenly sensed the risk in it.
Bearish news did not necessarily drag a stock down; in the short term it might even push the price up.
"Never mind all that. As long as we can make the Treasure Pavilion squirm, that's enough. If we make money, we make money, and what does it matter if we lose a little?"
Lu Qingshan snorted, his intense displeasure with the Treasure Pavilion plain in his heart.
"In that case, I'll throw in a few positions too... Let's see if we can really drive Treasure Pavilion's stock into the ground!"
Chapter 74