Too Many Traps

Zheng Yunhui nursed his battered body as he stepped out of the dojo, his face full of vigilance. Just as he walked out, a masked figure appeared. Zheng Yunhui panicked. He was about to yell when the masked man revealed something in his hand. Zheng Yunhui gave him an odd look, swallowed his shouts, and quietly followed him out. …… In the restaurant next door. Several elders had already departed to tail the mysterious figures. At this moment, only Jia Mingzhen remained. When he saw yet another person show up, Jia Mingzhen was slightly dumbfounded. Why were there so many of them? Why was Zheng Yunhui leaving with this one? Who was this newcomer supposed to be? Filled with suspicion, he pondered for a second. With a flicker of his figure, he vanished on the spot. …… At the same time. Inside the Heart Cultivation Pavilion. Wan Tiansheng's eyes glinted strangely. He smiled and halted the footsteps he had been about to take. No rush. Take it slow. …… Zheng Yunhui followed the masked man, feeling increasingly puzzled. The item the man had produced was Su Yu's cultural weapon. Had Su Yu sent him? Cultural weapons weren't handed over lightly. Of course, it was also possible Su Yu had been killed… Still, that likelihood was minuscule. Assassinating a genius inside the academy would mean an unending blood feud. The academy would scour the entire Great Xia Prefecture to hunt down the culprit. "Where is Su Yu?" After following the masked man for some distance, Zheng Yunhui was growing exhausted. He had sustained quite severe injuries this time. "Almost there!" the masked man replied in a muffled voice. A moment later, the two arrived at a hotel. Heading upstairs, they entered a room. Su Yu was currently recuperating from his injuries. Seeing Zheng Yunhui arrive, he smiled and asked, "It worked out?" Zheng Yunhui eyed the masked man curiously, then glanced at Su Yu, frowning. "Who is this?" The masked man removed his hood. Zheng Yunhui stared with curiosity, but he didn't recognize him at all. He genuinely had no idea who this was! "My martial uncle!" Su Yu answered casually. "Don't overthink it. I was just afraid you'd run off, so I had my martial uncle bring you here!" "……" Was that something a decent human being would say? Zheng Yunhui was utterly speechless. By now, he realized who the man was and hastily bowed. "Greetings, Director Chen!" Chen Yong nodded slightly without speaking. He looked toward Su Yu with genuine curiosity. That research data had clearly been fake, so how had Su Yu managed to produce innate blood essence? Bai Feng hadn't breathed a word of this to anyone. Su Yu didn't care much. Knowing what was going through their minds, he said casually, "My teacher once wrote a willpower text for me, and I outlined a special divine character. It can temporarily convert ordinary blood essence into innate blood essence…" At those words, realization dawned on both of them! Zheng Yunhui gasped in amazement. "There's actually a divine character like that?" "There are countless divine characters out there. How many could you possibly know?" Su Yu dismissed the matter nonchalantly. He hadn't understood much about divine characters before, but now that he knew more, he understood there were tens of thousands of them with every imaginable attribute. Even the exact same character could manifest completely different traits. A special divine character converting ordinary blood into innate blood essence was somewhat peculiar, but still well within the realm of possibility. He had heard that certain divine characters could even let a person travel across past and future—would anyone believe that? "How much did you get, and who did you sell it to?" "Liu Hong…" Zheng Yunhui said, feeling thoroughly aggrieved. "That bastard saw right through our scheme…" "Hm?" Su Yu paused, slightly taken aback. "What do you mean?" "He figured it out!" Zheng Yunhui recounted what had just transpired, venting his frustration. "Then he quoted Zhou Pingsheng eighty thousand, gave me thirty thousand, and pocketed fifty thousand for himself!" "Dog eat dog!" Chen Yong suddenly gave a low snort. A classic internal dog-eat-dog struggle within the Single Divine Character Faction. That rascal Liu Hong was truly audacious—not only did he dare to inflate the price, but he even dared to accept the deal while knowing full well it was a scam. Su Yu frowned, asking irritably, "And you just agreed to that?" "What else was I supposed to do?" Zheng Yunhui said helplessly. "If I didn't agree, wouldn't he have exposed us on the spot? Then we wouldn't have gotten a single cent!" "Bullshit!" Su Yu frowned. "A greedy guy like him would never pass up an opportunity like this! Still, he's got nerve. Isn't he afraid we'll rat him out?" Chen Yong interjected, "He isn't afraid, because the Single Divine Character Faction won't believe a word we say…" Chen Yong sighed. "Even if we went to Zhou Pingsheng right now, he'd only assume we were trying to take back the research materials, not that the materials were fake. Liu Hong has nothing to fear. By the time they discover the research is bogus, the responsibility will fall squarely on Zhou Pingsheng. It won't have anything to do with him!" Su Yu's brow furrowed. "He really had the guts to open his mouth and swallow fifty thousand points in one bite…" With that, he turned to Zheng Yunhui and said coolly, "And you only took thirty thousand points?" "That's right!" Zheng Yunhui sighed. "Six thousand drops of yuanqi liquid, ten thousand merit points, and the rest was the deposit paid to me…" Pausing, he added, "It sold for a bit more than expected this time. I don't want too much. Aside from the deposit already paid to me, I just want another four thousand drops of yuanqi liquid, and that'll be enough." To the side, Chen Yong clicked his tongue in secret awe. These two brats truly dared to demand astronomical sums! Fleecing so many merit points in one go—tens of thousands of them! Su Yu glanced at him, waiting a good while before saying, "According to the original split, it was supposed to be divided into three parts. Your share was ten thousand points. You already used two thousand before, so giving you another eight thousand should be plenty…" Zheng Yunhui said miserably, "Didn't I get injured? If I don't spend money treating these wounds, it'll take months to recover! In my condition, can't you give me a bit more? Otherwise, I could have split it based on twenty thousand, and you wouldn't have known to ask…" Su Yu said placidly, "Three thousand drops of yuanqi liquid—that's yours! I don't care to ask how much you pocketed for yourself. The remaining three thousand drops of yuanqi liquid and ten thousand merit points belong to me!" "Isn't that way too little…" Su Yu stared at him, his gaze making Zheng Yunhui's skin crawl. "Zheng Yunhui, do you really think I'm an idiot?" Zheng Yunhui coughed dryly, looking sheepish. "Honestly, I only got thirty thousand points. The lion's share was taken by Liu Hong!" Ignoring him, Su Yu tossed out his merit card and said, "Transfer ten thousand points to me… Actually, transfer five thousand points to me, give the rest to my martial uncle, and leave three thousand drops of yuanqi liquid for him as well!" "Su Yu…" Chen Yong was about to speak when Su Yu cut in. "Martial Uncle, keep it to cover the deficit! This was originally Teacher's share anyway, so I'm just giving it to you in advance. Five thousand merit points is more than enough for me!" Chen Yong hesitated, feeling rather embarrassed. Having a student subsidize him like this… it was downright humiliating! "Martial Uncle, the position of Director of the Cangshu Pavilion cannot be lost. Before the year ends, I will definitely fight my way onto the Top 100 Rankings!" Su Yu said solemnly. "I'll avenge Senior Sister, and that Huang Qifeng… I'll settle accounts with him too! When Senior Sister re-enters the Top 100 Rankings, she only needs to pass the first assessment. As long as the deficit is filled, there shouldn't be much trouble on your end, right, Martial Uncle?" Chen Yong nodded slightly. He gave Su Yu another look, sighed softly, and said nothing more. He truly didn't know what to say! Today's Su Yu had exceeded his expectations in far too many ways. Su Yu turned back to Zheng Yunhui. "What are you still hanging around for?" "I…" Zheng Yunhui felt stifled and couldn't resist saying, "Are we just going to let Liu Hong off like that? Su Yu, we were planning to fleece him, but now he's the one who walked away with the biggest prize!" "You didn't do badly yourself!" Su Yu retorted irritably. "Don't think I don't know. Whatever, considering you're injured, I won't bicker with you!" Zheng Yunhui looked sheepish. *Dammit, was my lying really that obvious? Why does it feel like everyone can see right through me?* "As for Liu Hong…" Su Yu murmured, "Having him help keep it under wraps isn't a bad thing. It'll buy us some time, giving us a window to develop without getting targeted by the Single Divine Character Faction right away. They'll find out the materials are fake sooner or later!" "So we're just letting it go?" "Letting it go!" Su Yu chuckled. "Isn't it great to have someone help shoulder the pressure?" "But I…" Zheng Yunhui said resentfully, "I still feel cheated! That bastard even tossed away my Sky-Breaking Slash before." "That's mine now!" Su Yu had almost forgotten about that. When Zheng Yunhui lost, it had become his prize. Without any hesitation, he stood up and plucked it straight off Zheng Yunhui's person. Zheng Yunhui was at a loss for words. What was this guy doing?! "You can go now. Three thousand drops of yuanqi liquid, plus the resources you used earlier, plus whatever you skimmed off the top—you've already pocketed twenty thousand merit points!" "No way!" Zheng Yunhui hastily protested. Su Yu sneered. "If you hadn't gotten as much as I did, would you ever accept it so quietly? With someone like you, I can read your mind at a single glance!" "……" Having said that, Su Yu gave a slight cough and resumed his honest, naive smile. After all, his martial uncle was present; he couldn't act too brazen! Seeing that smile, Zheng Yunhui felt like he was looking at Liu Hong. A wave of disgust washed over him, and he muttered a curse, "Don't smile at me like that! Fine, I took a little extra, but didn't I earn it? I took risks bringing out the blood essence too! But I only skimmed three thousand points…" Even now, the fellow still tried to put up a token struggle. Su Yu couldn't be bothered to entertain him and waved his hand to chase him out! Naturally, the merit points had to be transferred first. …… Zheng Yunhui left, grumbling and cursing all the way. Su Yu obtained five thousand merit points, while Chen Yong received five thousand merit points plus three thousand drops of yuanqi liquid, an amount worth fourteen thousand merit points in total. Chen Yong felt awkward, extremely awkward! Su Yu, however, took it completely in stride, smiling. "Martial Uncle, please don't be like this!" "Su Yu… why don't you take the yuanqi liquid? Five thousand merit points… is already a massive sum!" Chen Yong said earnestly. "Your teacher and I haven't brought you any benefits; instead, we've brought you a ton of trouble. How could a junior student ever be expected to subsidize his elders…" "Martial Uncle, this is called shared risk!" Su Yu smiled. "Otherwise, with my frail little frame, how could I possibly withstand the Single Divine Character Faction?" "Sigh!!" Chen Yong sighed again, feeling a sense of heroic helplessness. "Zheng Yunhui took quite a lot… Do you really not care? If you had demanded more just now, he would have given it to you." "No need to press him!" Su Yu chuckled. "Zheng Yunhui has to bear his own risks. That blood essence he brought out… he might not even manage to carry it away!" "Hm?" Chen Yong was slightly surprised. Su Yu explained, "They called this a secret transaction, but in reality it caused such a huge commotion that countless people know about it! Do you think the academy remains in the dark? Following the academy's usual principle of seizing the big fish while letting the minnows go, a massive transaction like this might very well have drawn their attention! That's why I asked you to escort him part of the way, so he wouldn't get raided the moment he stepped out!" Pausing, he added, "Of course, the chances aren't terribly high either. The transaction is already over, and what he brought was his own family's property. The academy might not necessarily have a pretext to trouble him." He didn't particularly dwell on it; whatever happened to Zheng Yunhui was none of his concern now. At this moment, Su Yu gritted his teeth and said, "Liu Hong is the truly detestable one. Without lifting a finger, he opened his mouth and walked away with the lion's share! Zheng Yunhui and I fought tooth and nail, while he sat back enjoying the show, only to swoop in and harvest the spoils… In his dreams!" Chen Yong sighed. "We have no way to deal with him, unless your teacher challenges him. Even if your teacher wins, there isn't much to gain from it. And even if you report him… it'll be useless. Like I said, the Single Divine Character Faction won't believe that we handed over fake research." Su Yu nodded. "I never planned on reporting him! That's meaningless and would only expose us prematurely. I plan on repaying him—repaying his kindness for not blowing our cover!" "Hm?" Chen Yong couldn't wrap his head around his martial nephew's train of thought. What did that mean? Su Yu grinned. "Didn't I just earn five thousand merit points? I plan to return Lin Yao's three hundred merit points to him. On top of that, I'll pay a visit to Liu He to cozy up to him, gift him a thousand merit points, and prepare another thousand merit points as a red envelope for Assistant Instructor Liu!" Su Yu sighed with deep emotion. "Without him, I wouldn't have gotten a single cent! I have to thank him properly. Keeping just a little for myself is enough; the rest I'll give to him! I'll present it to him with great fanfare… assuming, of course, that he fails to recognize the situation!" Su Yu ground his teeth and said, "If he doesn't cough some of it up, I'll kneel right outside his office door and address him as my revered mentor! Martial Uncle, remember to help explain things to Teacher for me. I might very well end up betraying our sect—Assistant Instructor Liu has been far too good to me! Without him, how could I have achieved what I have today? I must go thank him!" "……" Chen Yong was struck dumb. …… Downstairs. Jia Mingzhen, who happened to be "passing by," felt an itch in his throat and coughed softly! *Holy hell, we've fallen behind the times!* There were actually so many hidden layers and schemes they knew nothing about. This entire thing was a setup! The research was fake, Liu Hong had seen through it, Zheng Yunhui had skimmed ten thousand merit points, and Su Yu… he was going to take Liu Hong as his master! Jia Mingzhen truly felt out of touch! Su Yu going to apprentice himself, flattering Liu He, handing out gifts of money, returning merit points… *Damn!* Would Liu Hong dare to accept it? Would he dare to take it? One moment the Single Divine Character Faction shelled out eighty thousand merit points, and the very next, Su Yu, who had sold the research, defected to Liu Hong! Where had those merit points gone? Were they with Su Yu? Now that you've defected to the Single Divine Character Faction, where are those merit points? Why on earth did he give you so much! Giving you a few thousand would already be generous—cough up the rest right now! Liu Hong wouldn't even be able to refuse! Furthermore, once the research was proven to be fake… no matter how Liu Hong tried to shift the blame, it would be utterly futile. *You're in cahoots with Su Yu, for fuck's sake!* "Young people… are getting more terrifying by the day!" Jia Mingzhen murmured, turning around and walking away. There was no need to listen any further. In any case, not a single person involved in today's mess was clean. From beginning to end, it was an entire den of swindlers playing games of mutual deceit! …… Inside the dojo. Liu Hong felt faintly uneasy. What was going on? Everything seemed entirely in order, so why did he feel this nagging sense of foreboding? …… Back in the hotel room. Chen Yong had thought through the ramifications as well and couldn't help saying, "If you do that, once word spreads, you'll be in serious trouble too…" "No problem at all, because Liu Hong won't let word spread!" Su Yu gritted his teeth. "He swallowed so much—would he ever be willing to let go of it? Once word gets out, we were already opponents to begin with, so it doesn't matter much to us. But he… he'd be completely ruined! Not only would he have to spit out everything he swallowed, but he'd also have to endure the wrath of the Single Divine Character Faction. His situation would be infinitely worse than ours!" "Did he think I would go report him?" Su Yu beamed an honest smile. "I'm a good person, an upright soul. How could I ever treat our benefactor like that? Benefactors deserve repayment ten times over! Whenever I see him from now on, I'll kowtow and pay my respects!" "……" Chen Yong didn't know whether to laugh or cry. If Su Yu kowtowed and paid his respects every time they met, Liu Hong would probably wish he were dead. A genius of the Multiple Divine Characters Faction acting so reverently toward him—what kind of bizarre spectacle was that? Even an idiot would realize something was wrong! Even if there were no problem, people would invent one! Looking at his martial nephew's simple, honest smile once more… Chen Yong was rendered speechless. After a long pause, he said, "Your martial uncle is getting old and doesn't enjoy meddling in these schemes. Aside from a bit of strength, I don't have much else to offer. If you run into real trouble, come find me!" "I will, thank you, Martial Uncle!" Su Yu's voice sounded completely innocent as a bright smile spread across his face, making Chen Yong feel somewhat uncomfortable. Whenever he saw that smile on his martial nephew now, he couldn't help finding it unnerving. Su Yu stood up. "Martial Uncle, time is of the essence. Tell me Benefactor Liu's address so I can go check out his residence first. If that doesn't work, I'll turn around and look for Liu He, gifting him a thousand merit points to express my gratitude!" "……" Chen Yong felt utterly exhausted. Whatever, let them stir up trouble. Young people ought to get out and stir things up more! After giving Su Yu the address, Chen Yong still asked with some uncertainty, "Will Zheng Yunhui run into trouble?" "Who knows!" Su Yu was thoroughly indifferent. The partnership was over; what did he care? He added, "Even if he can keep the blood essence, I doubt he'll keep the yuanqi liquid. Several thousand drops of yuanqi liquid—where did they come from? Where were they traded? Martial Uncle, you need to be careful too. Merit points can be explained away as borrowed or repaid debts, but yuanqi liquid… who loaned it, and who repaid it? Something like that has to have a legitimate source…" Chen Yong murmured, "The academy wouldn't be that unscrupulous, would they?" Su Yu was at a loss for words. *Wouldn't they?* His martial uncle had stayed in the academy for so many years, yet why did it feel like he understood it even less than Su Yu did? *They're unscrupulous as hell!* One could tell just by looking at Xia Huyou's experiences—the black market got raided, and the betting pools got raided. As long as the academy caught a slip-up, they would sweep you clean without hesitation! "Let's not talk about him. Martial Uncle, I'll be taking my leave!" Su Yu couldn't be bothered to dwell on it. Bidding Chen Yong farewell, he walked straight out. He had to go pay his respects to his benefactor! Liu Hong, what a great benefactor! *If you don't cough up some of the spoils to me today… tomorrow I'll find a carpenter to carve a plaque for you!* *Inscribed with: 'Great Benefactor of the Multiple Divine Characters Faction!'* *Damn it, your heart is far too black. You actually wanted to eat the lion's share? Then wouldn't I have taken a beating for nothing?* …… Inside the Yangxing Garden. Zheng Yunhui's vision went dark. After an unknown amount of time, he scrambled out of a patch of bushes, patted down his body, and abruptly erupted into furious curses. "You beast! Robbing a student's possessions in broad daylight!" "You're practically subhuman!" "I'm reporting this to the academy! Someone committed highway robbery in the Yangxing Garden!" Zheng Yunhui cursed loudly. After venting for a while, he turned around with immense indignation and stormed toward the academy gates. *I'm going home!* "I'm finished…" "The goods are gone. I don't even know if three thousand drops of yuanqi liquid can buy that stuff back so I can return it quickly…" With a weeping expression, Zheng Yunhui muttered, "I'm dead meat. If Grandfather finds out, he'll beat me to death!" "What am I supposed to do now?!" "How does the academy dare to rob me so brazenly…" Zheng Yunhui ground his teeth in fury. Aside from those few figures at the top, no one else had the gall! After being mugged, he had yelled at the top of his lungs, yet not a single ripple had answered. He wasn't stupid; he knew full well whose handiwork this was! *Son of a bitch!* *I never imagined you'd really be this shameless!* *Grandfather was right to curse you. No wonder he curses you every day. When you're this wicked, who wouldn't curse you?* Zheng Yunhui broke into a quick trot and soon sprinted beyond the academy grounds. Fortunately, the yuanqi liquid and merit points were still there; that distinguished figure probably looked down on such pocket change. Only the blood essence was gone! Shortly after he left the academy, a Lingyun Realm expert picked Zheng Yunhui up and escorted him away. …… Inside the Heart Cultivation Pavilion. Wan Tiansheng rubbed his chin, feeling that something was amiss. The academy's newcomers these days… were getting harder and harder to figure out! Uncorking the vial, a surging power of qi and blood burst forth! A single drop of blood essence flew out! Wan Tiansheng's expression shifted slightly. In the next instant, a burst of booming laughter echoed from the blood! "Hahaha, fuck your ancestors! I knew you weren't a decent piece of shit! I'm going to make you lose all face!" *Boom!* A deafening explosion rang out! The top floor of the Heart Cultivation Pavilion… blew up! It didn't shatter completely, only partially, as Wan Tiansheng's willpower erupted to envelop the pavilion. In the blink of an eye, more than a dozen Shanhai Realm cultivators soared through the air from outside. "Academy Head!" "What happened?" Everyone was shocked. What on earth had occurred? Opening a window on the top floor, Wan Tiansheng said calmly, "Nothing, just conducting a minor experiment! Don't make a fuss over nothing!" "Academy Head, why did it sound like we heard Old Ghost Zheng's voice?" "You misheard!" Wan Tiansheng replied placidly. "I was testing a voice-recording divine character. It blends various voices together, so Old Ghost Zheng's voice might have been in the mix!" "……" The crowd exchanged glances. *Was that so?* Come to think of it, that made sense! Old Ghost Zheng was still at the War Academy; how could he possibly be here? This was the Heart Cultivation Pavilion! They didn't pry any further. An experiment going awry was perfectly normal. It was just that they had heard Old Ghost Zheng's voice moments ago and had assumed he had come knocking on their door to pick a fight. …… Closing the window. Wan Tiansheng still held several drops of blood essence in his hand! A surging power! Yet this power… dammit, this wasn't god or demon blood essence at all! This was a blood bomb that Old Ghost Zheng had condensed himself! *That bastard!* Wan Tiansheng gritted his teeth. *I've hunted wild geese all my life and beaten Old Ghost Zheng my entire life, yet I actually ended up getting scammed by his foolish grandson!* *Wait…* *Zheng Yunhui…* Wan Tiansheng suddenly chuckled! "Fascinating. The Zheng family actually produced quite a remarkable character!" You thought he merely possessed petty cleverness, yet he showed you he possessed true cunning! He had been waiting for this all along! No wonder the brat had picked himself up, hurled a few curses, and immediately fled! He was terrified that Wan Tiansheng would rob the rest of his stash! …… At that very moment. Inside a large courtyard at the War Academy, a burly man sensed something and abruptly burst into hysterical laughter! "Hahaha!" "Wan Tiansheng, you turtle bastard, even you have a day like this!" "Hahaha, my precious grandson, you actually fucking predicted it!" "The Zheng family is truly blessed!" Zheng Ping roared with laughter, laughing like a madman. *I lost to you for an entire lifetime, so how does it feel now? Explode, you bastard!* "It wasn't in vain that I spent several days specifically crafting that thing!" Zheng Ping laughed uproariously, feeling utterly elated. *My grandson… is too damn brilliant!* "Hahaha, isn't my blood far more potent than god race blood? It's the blood of a peak Shanhai cultivator!" The burly man danced with excitement! Peak Shanhai blood essence—was it potent or what? Blowing you to bits would be best! Of course, he knew that was wishful thinking, but leaving Wan Tiansheng thoroughly disheveled was plenty satisfying. That shameless old fellow had actually set his sights on the Zheng family's blood essence! The moment he thought of his precious grandson, Zheng Ping couldn't close his mouth from grinning! How had the Zheng family produced such a genius? "His father is stupid to death, hardly taking after his old man at all… but the boy inherited my brilliance and wit!" Zheng Ping rejoiced. Love truly skipped a generation! Not far away, a middle-aged man glanced at his raving father in the courtyard and sighed inwardly. *Dad, after decades, you only gained such a tiny advantage. Do you really need to carry on like this?* *No wonder Wan Tiansheng looks down on you. But… it also proves that you were tormented far too miserably by Wan Tiansheng. Look at you—scoring a petty advantage just once, and you're overjoyed to this extent!* "It's because my son is clever… what does it have to do with you!" The middle-aged man ignored his father. From the looks of it, his son had made a killing again, though he didn't know who had ended up on the losing end. "If the Zheng family wants to rise, we'll have to rely on my son!" The middle-aged man also chuckled foolishly for a moment. Like father, like son—it was still because he had taught him well!