Caution Is King

September 15th. On the path back to Yangxing Garden. Liu Hong's figure suddenly flickered into sight, appearing beside Zheng Yunhui. Seeing Liu Hong, Zheng Yunhui wasn't particularly surprised. In a languid, insolent tone, he said, "Teacher Liu, you've finally shown your face. I thought you were too embarrassed to see me!" "Yunhui..." Before Liu Hong could finish, Zheng Yunhui sneered, "Drop the intimacy! Calling you 'Teacher' is just me being polite! I haven't even settled accounts with you for losing my Sky-Breaking Slash yet. Do you really think I, Zheng Yunhui, am an idiot? I suspect you did it on purpose!" Zheng Yunhui snorted, looking thoroughly displeased. Yet, as if recalling something, a grin suddenly surfaced on his face. It was a look that clearly said: *Fortunately you lost my stuff, or else how would I have come across such an opportunity?* Liu Hong naturally saw through his thoughts and chuckled without taking offense. He said slowly, "Yunhui, losing Sky-Breaking Slash wasn't what I wanted either. Because of that incident, I can't even carry on with my business anymore..." "Don't push the blame on me!" Zheng Yunhui wasn't buying it. His playboy arrogance was on full display. Taking advantage of his taller stature, he looked down at Liu Hong condescendingly. "I know what you're thinking. My family has little influence in the Civilization Academy, so of course you aren't afraid of me. You caught me and milked me dry because you knew I couldn't do anything to you!" "Yunhui, saying that means you've truly misunderstood me." Liu Hong sighed. "Do you really think... I would dare use you? The Zheng family has a peak Shanhai Realm expert, after all. Is that someone a mere Tengkong like me can afford to offend?" Liu Hong hesitated, then shook his head after a long pause. "Never mind. Just consider it my fault for losing your Sky-Breaking Slash intentionally." "Hmm?" Zheng Yunhui raised an eyebrow. "Those guys did it?" He felt somewhat uncertain. It made sense—would Liu Hong really dare provoke the Zheng family? Could someone have ordered him to do it? Liu Hong smiled slightly and said, "It's all in the past, let's not speak of it. I'll give you an explanation for what happened sooner or later. But what did you mean by the message you had Liu He pass to me earlier?" "Did I not make myself clear enough?" Zheng Yunhui grinned. "I have a set of data that you'll be very interested in! Fifty thousand merit points and it's yours. Of course, you might not be able to afford it, so..." Liu Hong laughed despite himself. "Yunhui, if you want to get another Shanhai-rank copy of Sky-Breaking Slash, I can figure out a way for you. As for some data... keep it for yourself." Feigning retreat to advance was something Liu Hong excelled at. He clearly acted as if he didn't care in the slightest. Zheng Yunhui frowned. "I'm not joking! It's real!" "Real, real, of course." Liu Hong nodded, smiling. "Still, I genuinely can't afford it, so forget it. The reason I came this time was actually to ask: do you still want to buy a Shanhai-rank willpower text? I promise this time, no deposit required. Payment on delivery—cash on the spot! It's also to make up for the trouble and losses I caused you last time..." "Not buying!" Zheng Yunhui looked thoroughly impatient, but soon turned serious again. "I'm telling the truth! Liu Hong... forget it. If you don't want to buy it, fine. I'll find another way myself!" With that, he turned to walk away. The space between Liu Hong's brows twitched. *Oho, the kid has quite a bit of confidence. Seems like he really doesn't need to sell to me.* *Then again, if word leaks out, he might really be able to hook up with someone else.* "Wait..." Liu Hong suddenly called out, "You asked for fifty thousand merit points, and you're so sure I'd be interested... You've also been in conflict with Su Yu... Could you two... have made some kind of deal?" At those words, Zheng Yunhui's body shuddered. Partly an act, partly genuine delight—*This bastard really was eavesdropping!* *Damn, I knew he was up to no good!* Previously, he hadn't suspected Liu Hong at all. Had Su Yu not told him that Liu Hong had intentionally lost his item, he wouldn't have paid much attention to Liu Hong. Earlier, Su Yu had said that as long as they chatted a few words nearby, Liu Hong would definitely find out. And indeed! This guy clearly already knew; otherwise, he wouldn't have taken the bait so easily. Zheng Yunhui had actually dropped hints on the black market, but nobody took them seriously or even bothered responding to him. Only Liu Hong had come seeking him out so quickly. And now he had brought up Su Yu... Zheng Yunhui cursed inwardly. *You bastard, it really was you who lost my stuff on purpose last time. Just you wait!* With these thoughts in mind, Zheng Yunhui turned around, cast a glance at Liu Hong, and said in a low voice, "Teacher Liu, I don't understand what you mean. If you don't want to buy what I'm selling, then forget it. What does Su Yu have to do with this?" Liu Hong said unhurriedly, "You were so sure I'd buy, and asked for such a high price. Normally, that must be something I desire, something of immense value... The Zheng family doesn't have anything like that." Zheng Yunhui's face darkened. What did that mean—looking down on the Zheng family? "The person you've had the most contact with recently is Su Yu. And on Su Yu's end... coincidentally, there are a few things I'm very interested in!" With the posture of someone who had foreseen everything, Liu Hong smiled and said, "Could it be... something from the Wen Tan Research Center?" At this, Zheng Yunhui shuddered again, his expression souring. "Teacher Liu, you sure know how to make wild guesses!" "Then tell me, what do you want to sell me?" "I'm not selling anymore!" Zheng Yunhui turned to leave. Liu Hong chuckled. "If you don't sell to me, who will you sell it to? Who would dare take it? Are you counting on my Senior Brother Zhou? Or Elder Zheng? Be careful they don't confiscate your goods straight away in the name of the academy!" Zheng Yunhui sneered, "Confiscate? Fine! Then prepare for an eighth-stage Shanhai Civilization Master to come knocking on their door! Confiscation? Scaring me? Sure, if you don't care about the fallout, go ahead and play robber baron, swallow my stuff!" He didn't believe for a second that the Single Divine Character Faction would confiscate it, let alone in the academy's name. Not to mention Hong Tan, even Wan Tiansheng would never permit such a thing. Of course, once it fell into the academy's hands, that would be another story, but either way, the Single Divine Character Faction wouldn't get a single slice of the pie! And doing it off the books, swallowing his goods in private? They wouldn't dare. Zheng Yunhui was no nobody! Even if a Shanhai Realm expert stepped forward, he wasn't afraid to blow the matter wide open. Zheng Yunhui turned back toward Liu Hong with a scornful grin. "Don't try to scare me; I don't scare easily! To put it bluntly, even if I don't look for you, Liu Hong, I can sell it to anyone else! If you dare blow my cover... heh, believe it or not, your own Single Divine Character Faction would tear you apart!" Zheng Yunhui now wore the look of someone with nothing to lose. "To be blunt, I need merit points, and you need the goods! In essence, this is a collaboration. If you mess things up so that I can't get my hands on it, do you benefit? Neither of us benefits!" Liu Hong laughed too. "Yunhui, you really are an outlier in the Zheng family. The Zheng family... I always thought all of you only knew how to fight and kill." Zheng Yunhui bristled, "Are you provoking the Zheng family?" "Not at all," Liu Hong said with a smile. "Fighting and killing requires strength. Without strength, one can only take a few detours. I'm complimenting you." Moving past the subject, he asked with a chuckle, "So it really is Su Yu? Does that kid have the guts?" Zheng Yunhui no longer concealed it, sneering, "That kid relies on having hidden a bit of strength and thinks he's guaranteed to beat me! Besides, the stakes I offered... are something he can't refuse. The Multiple Divine Characters Faction is so dirt poor; if he doesn't seize this chance, he might never get the benefits I offered in his entire lifetime!" Liu Hong smiled. "Then it seems the stakes you put up weren't low either! Let me ask another question: their research center has an enormous amount of data. What aspect is it regarding? And how will you verify whether it's authentic?" "Innate blood essence!" Zheng Yunhui chuckled mischievously. "I've asked around. This has been their most crucial research breakthrough over the past few decades! Of course, it's only a portion, but fifty thousand merit points is definitely not too much! The Single Divine Character Faction is a power within the academy, after all; selling to you won't bring much heat. If I really sold it to outsiders, I'd be worried about stirring up huge trouble too!" Zheng Yunhui added somewhat smugly, "I'm not dumb. If I sold to the wrong person—like selling to the All-Races Sect—I'd be in deep shit! Even if Su Yu went down, I'd go down with him. So after weighing everything, you guys are the most suitable! You've been fighting for so many years anyway, both being academy factions. Even if they find out, they can't do anything to you!" "Smart!" Liu Hong praised with a smile. This kid from the Zheng family wasn't stupid. Indeed, selling to the Single Divine Character Faction was very safe. They were the backbone of the academy. Once it leaked outside and the All-Races Sect produced results from it, even with Principal Zheng around, Zheng Yunhui would be done for. Thus, the material could never fall into the hands of the All-Races Sect. "Then how will you verify authenticity?" Zheng Yunhui chuckled, "You don't need to worry about that. Naturally, I'll verify it thoroughly! Su Yu said the breakthrough is nearing completion, and he will concoct a portion of 'Tengkong blood essence' on the spot based on the data he gives me. Of course, it won't be complete or perfected yet, but as long as I take a drop, I'll naturally know whether it's genuine!" Liu Hong couldn't help but ask, "Can they really concoct Tengkong-rank innate blood essence?" "We'll know once we test it!" Zheng Yunhui said dismissively, "If not, concocting Wanshi-rank essence is practically guaranteed. I don't really expect them to produce Tengkong-rank essence anyway. Wanshi-rank... is already a massive harvest! Since Su Yu has taken it before, it's a hundred percent real! If you get the formula for this, hehe, isn't that an enormous profit? Fifty thousand merit points would still be worth it, wouldn't it?" Elder Jia Mingzhen and a few elders might not consider concocting Wanshi-rank innate skill blood essence particularly important, but if such a thing truly existed, it would be an absolute treasure for countless Qianjun cultivators. How many Qianjun cultivators were there in the Human Realm? Likely several billion! If even one in ten bought a single drop of blood essence for self-defense, yielding a profit of just one merit point each, that would be a multi-hundred-million-point business! Of course, it couldn't always be calculated so simply. Yet regardless, even concocting Wanshi-rank innate blood essence represented immense profits. Just selling the formula and data alone could easily fetch hundreds of thousands of merit points. Liu Hong nodded slightly and took a deep breath. True, Wanshi-rank innate blood essence was useless to him, but that didn't mean it was useless to others. Even if Su Yu couldn't obtain Tengkong-rank data, the Wanshi-rank data alone was an enormous fortune! "Yunhui, since you've laid it all out, let me say a few things..." Liu Hong said seriously. "First, your Zheng family can't take this away unless you want to go to war with the Civilization Academy!" Zheng Yunhui fell silent. "Second, the All-Races Sect can't have it. If they get it, you die, and Su Yu dies!" "Third, within the academy, there are only two parties who can take this without running into massive trouble: one is the Principal, and the other is us!" Liu Hong smiled. "If the Principal takes it, naturally nothing comes of it. If we take it, well, we've fought the Multiple Divine Characters Faction for so many years that adding one more grudge makes no difference. "Besides, their own person leaked it; it has nothing to do with us. Even if Hong Tan flies into a rage, it'll be useless!" Liu Hong said with a genial smile, "When it comes down to it, you really only have one choice. If you hand it to the Principal... you won't even get a single hair!" Zheng Yunhui frowned. "Fair enough, but... you aren't the only person in the Single Divine Character Faction!" "True. But... if we don't offer a high price or refuse to buy, that item will rot in your hands. And if you dare trade it to someone else... be prepared for us to expose you!" Zheng Yunhui grew somewhat exasperated. "You want to drive down the price? In your dreams!" Having said that, as if struck by inspiration, he suddenly cursed, "Fuck off, I'm not selling to you! I'll sell it to the Xia family, to Marquis Xia! Marquis Xia is a businessman. Once the Xia Family Firm gets ahold of this, hehe, why would I need to care about you lot!" Zheng Yunhui suddenly had an epiphany and exclaimed in delight, "I'll sell it to the Xia family! Go expose the Xia family, see what happens! Did you really think you guys call all the shots in the Great Xia Prefecture?" Liu Hong felt a wave of helplessness. He hadn't forgotten; he had intentionally omitted them. Unfortunately, Zheng Yunhui was indeed slightly sharper than he anticipated. Liu Hong could only say, "Fine. Even with the Xia family in play, let me ask you another question: are you certain you can get your hands on it? From what you said, it's a wager with Su Yu. What if you lose? The price you'd have to pay wouldn't be small, would it?" "Me, lose?" Zheng Yunhui was amused. "Sure, Su Yu isn't weak. I'm certain he's probably entered the fourth stage of the Qianjun Realm and even outlined four divine characters! But would I be afraid of him?" Liu Hong smiled. "That might not be so! Yunhui, if you lose, can you bear such a cost? "Moreover, if you don't sell to me and I sabotage this duel, you won't get anything!" "Are you threatening me?" "No, I'm merely speaking the truth," Liu Hong said with a smile. "Sell to me, and I'll give you the price you desire while helping you beat Su Yu so you won't capsize. When the time comes, you'll thank me!" "How much are you offering?" "Five thousand merit points..." "Fuck off!" Zheng Yunhui cursed directly! *Do you take me for an idiot?* *Five thousand? Keep dreaming!* Liu Hong smiled. "That's not little, Yunhui. Any more and you won't be able to stomach it!" "In your dreams!" "Plus a Shanhai-rank willpower text!" "Impossible!" "Then name your price. Fifty thousand is too much." Zheng Yunhui said coldly, "Even if not fifty thousand, it must be forty thousand! Otherwise... I'd rather both of us walk away with nothing. If I can't get it, so be it. Do you really think my Zheng family is that short on cash? You guys, on the other hand—are you sure you don't want that stuff?" "Forty thousand is too much. Twenty thousand!" Liu Hong took a deep breath. "That is already a huge sum. What's more, it might not even be complete data, only a portion. If it's too expensive, no one will pay such a high price! Remember, this is a black market transaction, not a legitimate business deal. If you toss it into an auction house, they wouldn't even dare take it! "In the academy's black market, who else could offer such a price?" "Twenty thousand points..." Zheng Yunhui sank into deep thought. After a long while, he asked, "Such a huge transaction of merit points—can you even produce that much?" "I can!" Zheng Yunhui looked surprised. *He's that rich?* Liu Hong smiled. "I'll submit a request to my superiors. It won't come from me personally; I don't possess such vast funds on my own." "Then with such a massive deal, it won't get busted the moment we finish trading, will it?" Zheng Yunhui gritted his teeth. "I don't trust you!" In other words, he had agreed to twenty thousand points. "Absolutely not!" Liu Hong said hurriedly, "We won't trade using merit points this time. Such a large sum of merit points would inevitably draw attention! We'll trade in yuanqi liquid. Standard rate: four merit points per drop..." "Cut the crap!" Zheng Yunhui retorted bluntly, "Five points is the academy rate! The Great Xia Firm sells it for a hundred thousand coins a drop, and the black market standard settlement rate is three merit points per drop. Do you take me for someone who hasn't seen the world?" The Great Xia Firm didn't actually sell it at an exorbitant price, but the firm had restrictions—merit rank requirements and identity limitations. In black market trades, hard currency like yuanqi liquid was typically valued higher. Three merit points a drop! "If you really trade with seven thousand drops of yuanqi liquid, I'll agree!" "..." Liu Hong laughed wryly. "Even then, it wouldn't come out to seven thousand drops." "Take it or leave it!" Liu Hong proposed, "How about this: six thousand drops, and the remaining two thousand points settled in merit points. That won't draw attention." Two thousand merit points was no small amount, but as long as they weren't caught red-handed on the spot, it wouldn't be much of an issue. "Fine..." Zheng Yunhui nodded, then added, "You said earlier that I might not beat Su Yu. What did you mean by that?" "He's at the fifth stage of the Qianjun Realm!" Liu Hong was direct, smiling. "That is why I told you that you might not win! As for that kid, I suspect he might even reach the sixth stage of the Qianjun Realm by the time of the duel. I ran into him this morning—he's opened sixty-three apertures!" "What?" Zheng Yunhui was shocked. This time, genuinely shocked! So many? How could Su Yu advance this fast? "Now you know why I said your victory wasn't guaranteed!" Zheng Yunhui's expression changed. "How could he possibly make progress so fast?" "I could hardly believe it either, but it's the truth. Yunhui, do you still have confidence now?" "..." Zheng Yunhui fell silent, his brow furrowed tightly. Liu Hong smiled and said, "So if you want to beat him, you'll need my help! Twenty thousand merit points—you earn it easily and win cost-effectively. Otherwise, if you lose, the price you pay will definitely be steep. Do you think you'll have an easy time?" "You help?" Zheng Yunhui asked in surprise, "How will you help? Help me ambush him?" "That won't do!" Liu Hong shook his head. "Plotting against him in secret—if word gets out, everything falls apart. Su Yu isn't dumb either. If he suspects foul play and welched on the wager, you wouldn't be able to do anything about it." "Then how do I win?" Zheng Yunhui said in a heavy voice, "If he didn't have Wanshi blood essence, even the sixth stage of Qianjun wouldn't affect me at all! The key is that he has the assistance of Wanshi blood essence. If my energy is depleted too much, even after surviving the burst period of the Wanshi blood essence, I might not be his match!" With that, Zheng Yunhui frowned deeply. "I can't lose. If I lose, I'll be in massive trouble! If worse comes to worst, I'll just forfeit... I never expected that guy to hide his strength so deeply. I thought he was only at the fourth stage of Qianjun!" He genuinely had not imagined that Su Yu might have advanced to the sixth stage of the Qianjun Realm. That was simply too fast! "Don't panic!" Liu Hong chuckled. "Beating him isn't actually that hard! You are currently at the seventh stage of Qianjun, and nearing the eighth stage. As I see it, you're only four apertures away from the eighth stage. If all you need is a temporary burst of immense power, I have an Aperture Invocation Art that can help you temporarily open a few apertures with minimal side effects. Do you want it?" "Don't want it!" Zheng Yunhui snapped irritably, "The War Academy has tons of those methods, and my family has them too! The side effects are severe and would stall my cultivation progress. Do you think I'm like Su Yu, completely ignorant, trying to swindle me?" After cursing, Zheng Yunhui's eyes flickered, and he said, "How about... you get me a Heavenly Origin Fruit? That thing is a miracle medicine for aperture opening. Opening four apertures with a single Heavenly Origin Fruit wouldn't be hard at all!" Liu Hong cursed inwardly! *He sure has the nerve to ask!* What was a Heavenly Origin Fruit? Even Su Yu knew of it. The current Prefecture Lord of the Great Zhou Prefecture, Zhou Potian, had consumed one in the past, directly opening nine apertures in three days to advance to the Qianjun Realm! Su Yu had read records of this in a book back in the intermediate academy. It was a treasure produced in several powerful realms; using it to open apertures for a Qianjun cultivator was a waste. It was best suited for the Kaiyuan Realm, saving an immense amount of time during Kaiyuan. Qianjun cultivators could cultivate using yuanqi and blood essence, but Kaiyuan cultivators could not. "I don't have a Heavenly Origin Fruit, but I can find you an Earthly Origin Fruit..." Liu Hong smiled. "How about you buy an Earthly Origin Fruit? It opens one or two apertures at a time, so two should be enough." "Too expensive!" "Not bad at all. Earthly Origin Fruits are suitable for opening apertures in the Qianjun Realm—five hundred merit points each..." Zheng Yunhui retorted crossly, "That's not expensive? Opening one or two apertures would only take me a few days anyway, or a week or half a month at worst! Five hundred merit points apiece..." "But you need them right now!" Liu Hong laughed. "Two of them are only a thousand merit points. Don't forget, if you win, you get twenty thousand; if you lose... you'll have to pay a hefty price in merit points! If you aren't willing to invest, how can you reap a harvest?" "Fine, then give me two as a deposit!" Zheng Yunhui held nothing back, hesitating no longer. "You offered twenty thousand, and I agreed. You didn't think I wouldn't collect any deposit at all, did you? If I actually get my hands on it and you try to play tricks on me again, how do I know you'll definitely produce the money! Give me two Earthly Origin Fruits first as a deposit. That way, even if I get scammed, I'll still have gained something." "..." Liu Hong felt rather drained. The kids these days were every single one full of crafty schemes! Having said that, Zheng Yunhui added, "Almost forgot: you'd better give me a third-stage Wanshi offensive divine talisman, and oh, a defensive divine talisman as well, just to guarantee that my victory is certain! Consider that a total deposit of two thousand points from you, and afterward, just hand over the six thousand drops of yuanqi liquid directly!" Zheng Yunhui had his own little calculations. If the plot was seen through, he would have reaped profits regardless. As for Su Yu... *who cares about him!* He had to scrape some benefits for himself first! Even if Liu Hong hadn't brought it up, he would still have demanded a deposit. "And what if you lose?" Liu Hong raised an eyebrow. "If you lose, wouldn't I take a loss?" "Lose?" Zheng Yunhui snapped irritably, "If I lose like this, I might as well go die! If I really lose... if I truly lose, I'll... give you a drop of god race blood essence, alright? If I lose anyway, I'm a dead man either way!" Liu Hong was instantly overjoyed! *I was waiting for you to say that!* If you lose, I won't lose out; I'll make a profit instead. If you win, I profit even bigger! As for the six thousand drops of yuanqi liquid... he didn't have that kind of money, but someone else did! "Good, it's a deal!" With that, Liu Hong said swiftly, "Tomorrow, I'll deliver the items to you. By the way, tell me what day you duel and where. I'll observe in secret so Su Yu doesn't pull any dirty tricks!" "No problem!" Zheng Yunhui agreed briskly, smiling radiantly. Profit! Regardless of what happened, at least two thousand merit points were in the bag. All his previous expenditure on purchasing Sky-Breaking Slash had been earned back. ... Zheng Yunhui walked away in high spirits. Liu Hong remained where he stood, lost in thought. This kid... agreed remarkably swiftly. To be honest, twenty thousand merit points really wasn't much. If the deal went through, he could sell it to anyone and turn a massive profit, or simply sell it to the Single Divine Character Faction for fifty thousand merit points. Elder Zheng would praise him for his efficiency, pay him, and credit him with merit! *Is there anything amiss?* Liu Hong sank into contemplation. There shouldn't be, right? Tracing his line of thought from the eruption of their conflict, to the private wagered duel, and betting god and demon blood essence against research data—everything seemed completely natural and logical. *It feels like nothing is wrong... The only fishy things are Bai Feng suddenly entering seclusion, me overhearing those two kids' conversation... and... Zheng Yunhui agreeing too readily!* Liu Hong raised an eyebrow. Yes, too readily! Wasn't he in contact with Zhou Pingsheng's disciple? Didn't he even go ask Zhou Pingsheng? Why did it feel like... he was targeting me specifically? *A coincidence... or am I overthinking?* Looking at Zheng Yunhui's departing silhouette, twenty thousand merit points was no small sum. If something went wrong, he would be ruined. *Could these two kids... actually have the gall to plot against me?* Liu Hong laughed at the absurdity, but after laughing... his expression stiffened. Why wouldn't they dare? Back when he was in the Yangxing Realm, hadn't he plotted against and killed a Tengkong expert himself? That was several years ago. In order to break through to the Tengkong Realm, he had taken massive risks alone, playing dumb to infiltrate an All-Races Sect branch altar, and eventually killed everyone to reap enough benefits to reach Tengkong... If he had dared, why wouldn't others? When Wu Qi broke through to Tengkong, hadn't she also risked her life and charged into the All-Heavens Battlefield? Monstrous geniuses—what wouldn't they dare to do? Even Bai Feng's breakthrough to Tengkong was accomplished amidst perilous hardship, wasn't it? *Surely not...* Even as the thought crossed his mind, Liu Hong still felt it was unlikely. Would those two kids be that audacious already? Tapping his head lightly, Liu Hong smiled. "Simple..." "A little probe and I'll know!" He exhaled softly. He had to stay vigilant. Even facing those below the Tengkong Realm, he couldn't afford to capsize! "Su Yu..." "That kid's smile has always been rather cunning. He's no saint!" "Who should I use?" "My own people won't do... Ah, I know... that fatty... Heh heh, he's the one!" Liu Hong chuckled again. A test was necessary. The sum was simply too massive for him to relax. ... September 16th. All was quiet. As usual, Su Yu arrived early and left late. After class, the moment he walked out of the classroom, Xia Huyou dragged him down the stairs. Jogging until they reached a deserted spot, Xia Huyou said urgently, "Su Yu, do you have some big business in the works?" "What?" "Don't hide it from me, I got wind of it!" Xia Huyou lowered his voice. "That punk Zheng Yunhui is suddenly buying up Earthly Origin Fruits and divine talismans on the black market. Is he making a move on you? Or are you getting ready to scam him? He spent money lavishly—two thousand merit points without batting an eye!" "Huh?" Su Yu paused, taken aback. "How much?" "Two thousand merit points! If it weren't for my wide network, I wouldn't even have found out that it was actually Zheng Yunhui making the purchase!" Xia Huyou whispered, "This intelligence is worth quite a bit! My mole undercover near Liu Hong got it. How did he hook up with Liu Hong again? As a friend, I'm giving it to you for free. Do you have some wagered duel with him? Don't hide it from me, otherwise why would he buy Earthly Origin Fruits right now? Is he an idiot?" Five hundred merit points to open one or two apertures! Not even an idiot would do such a thing! Of course, if one had too much money to burn at home, or was stuck at a bottleneck, they might buy one. Su Yu had spent quite a lot on opening apertures—fifty merit points per aperture. But five hundred merit points for one or two apertures? Earthly Origin Fruits were things one only bought when facing a bottleneck. "Two thousand points..." "Liu Hong..." Su Yu cursed inwardly. *Did that punk Zheng Yunhui scam Liu Hong behind my back and not tell me?* *Where did he get so much money!* "Su Yu, is there really big business going on?" Xia Huyou urged hurriedly. "If there is, I think you should just give up. He might break through to the eighth stage of Qianjun, and with divine talismans, he'll be ridiculously strong. You'll definitely lose! "Forget about being at the third stage of Qianjun; even if you were at the seventh stage, you wouldn't necessarily win!" Su Yu ignored him. He hadn't planned on winning anyway. He was pondering whether that bastard Zheng Yunhui had scammed a batch of resources ahead of time. *And he didn't even share the spoils!* "I got it... There's no such thing, stop talking nonsense!" "Su Yu..." "There really isn't. I'm heading back; I still need to cultivate." "Really nothing? If there is, be sure to inform me!" "Got it!" "..." Xia Huyou looked a bit disappointed. Was there really nothing? It didn't feel like it! Could Zheng Yunhui's sudden purchase of these things be to charge up the Top 100 Rankings? Xia Huyou scratched his head. "I thought it had to do with Su Yu. It really isn't?" ... On the roof of the classroom building. Liu Hong silently watched Su Yu leave. Stability above all! Even if it alerted the enemy, it didn't matter. If Su Yu learned this news and called off the duel, it would prove genuine. But if he went ahead as if nothing had happened... where would he get the confidence to defeat Zheng Yunhui at the eighth stage of Qianjun equipped with divine talismans? Even if he were at the sixth stage of Qianjun, it wouldn't be enough! By then, Zheng Yunhui would possess genuine Top 100 strength! *If the duel still goes ahead... and Su Yu hasn't increased his strength, then it's a fake!* *If Su Yu stalls for time, then it's likely real. He would need to reach at least the seventh stage of Qianjun before daring to continue the challenge for a guaranteed win. Without certainty, how could Su Yu dare take the risk!* Liu Hong made his assessment internally. He was in no rush. Both Su Yu and Zheng Yunhui coveted each other's items, so the duel would definitely continue. But if Su Yu wasn't at the seventh stage of Qianjun, had learned this news, and still dared to proceed, then Su Yu would be a fool. Was Su Yu... a fool? "Let's wait and see!" Liu Hong smiled faintly. It all depended on when Zheng Yunhui notified him. As long as Su Yu wasn't at the seventh stage of Qianjun... he was being played! "Interesting..." "Still... the older ginger is spicier. Boys, you're still a bit too green!" It was merely a simple test, costing him nothing. At worst, he would wait a few more days. Compared to twenty thousand merit points, such caution was necessary! If those two kids could truly drag it out for another month until Su Yu reached the seventh stage of Qianjun, then even if he got played, he'd accept it! Because there really would be no flaw! With these thoughts in mind, Liu Hong's figure gradually faded away. But if he really was being played... would he just let it slide? If those two kids truly set a trap for him and even he had nearly fallen for it... what about others? "Fascinating. If this truly is a setup... then things get interesting. I... might even get a share of the spoils!" His gaze turned toward the distant Cangshu Pavilion. *Heh heh, perhaps... I actually hope it is a setup!*