Murder and Robbery

In the end, the deal went through. When Ling Li took out nine hundred thousand Gold Coins piled into a small mountain, Ole was somewhat startled. It was his first time seeing so many Gold Coins.

It was not that Ole had never seen that much money, but he had never seen that many actual Gold Coins. Large transactions like this were generally conducted with gold deposit cards. Swiping a card for hundreds of thousands of Gold Coins and seeing hundreds of thousands of Gold Coins directly were two entirely different shocks.

A Second Tier Magic Core was only the size of a quail egg. Three hundred of them together did not amount to much. Ling Li took the scroll of the Profound Tier High-Grade Sword Skill from the maid. Since he wore a ring disguised as a Storage Ring, after a simple inspection, he placed the combat skill and Magic Cores into the System Space.

Ole waved his hand, signaling the maid to leave. Then he took out a purple card and said to Ling Li, "Since your total spending has exceeded one million Gold Coins, we are giving you a Level 2 VIP Card. With this card, you will receive a ten percent discount on all purchases at the Mitel Auction House."

Ling Li accepted the purple card, gave it a brief look, and asked, "Can the things I just bought be discounted? If so, return one hundred and fifty thousand Gold Coins to me."

Ole's mouth twitched. Changing the subject, he said, "Sir, you can tell me that information now, can't you?"

Ling Li grinned. "I once went to Desert City on the empire's border. There, I met someone called Miter Haibodong."

After saying that, he ignored Ole's spectacular expression and quickly left.

If Ling Li wanted to fleece the Mitel Auction House, this was the only method he could think of. The whereabouts of a Dou Huang expert were worth more than three hundred thousand Gold Coins, but Hai Bodong was not someone easy to approach.

After Ling Li left, Ole slowly let out a breath. The expression he had worn while bickering with Ling Li gradually vanished, and he muttered, "So he really was a lucky fellow who found a treasure? This information is certainly explosive..."

Miter Haibodong—the Miter Family's Supreme Elder, and its only Supreme Elder in the last century—had vanished without a trace decades ago. If Hai Bodong had not been one of the previous Gamma Top Ten Experts and possessed such a great reputation, Ole might not even have remembered this remnant of a bygone era.

Rumor had it that Hai Bodong had fallen, but the Miter Family had neither found his corpse nor received definite confirmation of his death.

"Young Master, that brat is only a Fighting Master. Shall I capture him and bring him back?" From a corner of the room behind Ole, an elderly man in black robes suddenly emerged and respectfully asked Ole.

Had Ling Li still been here, he would definitely have been shocked. He had deliberately inspected the entire room and had not sensed anyone else's presence at all. He had never expected someone to be hiding right under his nose.

Ole shook his head, a rare trace of seriousness appearing on his face. "If this information is true, then if certain people in the family learn of it, the Miter Family will not have peace for a long time to come..."

After Hai Bodong disappeared, the Miter Family fell into a long period of chaos. Undercurrents surged within the family, and factions large and small fought endlessly. It was only over a decade ago that the Miter Family finally stabilized once more. If Hai Bodong suddenly returned now, would those old foxes who had already seized power willingly hand it over?

"Young Master, rest assured. This old servant will not breathe a word of this matter. As long as you give the order, this old servant will immediately capture that brat and bring him back!" The elderly man in black also spoke with a solemn expression.

Ole: "..."

"Can you stop thinking about killing people all the time..." Ole rubbed his temples, utterly speechless.

Murdering and robbing others would have a major impact on a merchant family like the Miter Family, especially when the target was a lone adventurer like Ling Li. Which one of them did not have a few hidden cards? It would be fine if they could kill him cleanly and decisively, but if they failed, they might end up covered in trouble.

Besides, there was no need for the Mitel Auction House to cause trouble personally. Someone would naturally help the Mitel Auction House handle this matter. Steward Wang, who guarded the warehouse, had accepted quite a few yellow fish over the years...

If Ling Li emerged unscathed, then everyone could remain at peace. But if Ling Li were dealt with, then the Mitel Auction House could swoop in afterward and reap the rewards. Wouldn't that be wonderful?

After a moment of silence, the black-robed elder said, "Rest assured, Young Master. I will absolutely not let a fourth person learn this information!"

"That won't be necessary. Why hide information bought with money?" Ole stroked his chin, a shrewd glint flashing through his eyes.

This information was not particularly useful to someone as cautious as him, but to certain people within the family, it was priceless!

"Young Master, you mean..." the black-robed elder asked in confusion.

"Elder Xue, I'll have to trouble you to make a trip to Wutan City..." Ole smiled faintly like a cunning fox and continued, "Sell the information to my sister. One million Gold Coins—not a single coin less!"

"Young Master, what if Miss Ya Fei refuses to buy it?" Elder Xue's expression turned somewhat strange. Yet he also seemed accustomed to this, and he asked with some difficulty.

Why were they clearly blood siblings, yet always thinking of ways to swindle each other...

"Don't worry. That won't happen. My sister definitely won't let this opportunity pass..."

There was no shortage of people in the Miter Family who wished to change their fate, who did not want to spend their lives with piles of Gold Coins that did not truly belong to them, who wished to escape the family's control and alter their destiny. His sister Ya Fei was one of them. At least, Ole believed his sister had both the desire and the ability.

Since that was the case, why not use this opportunity to pave a path for her?

Meanwhile, Ling Li, who was preparing to leave Black Rock City, naturally had no idea that Ole was Ya Fei's younger brother. Otherwise, he would definitely have made this friend!

In his previous life, some had starved while others drowned in abundance. Now that he suddenly had both the opportunity and capital, how many people could suppress the lecherous nature buried deep in their hearts?

Of course, Ling Li did not know about any of this yet, nor did he have the leisure to think about it, because he was being followed!

They started following me not long after I left the Mitel Auction House. Could the Mitel Auction House be trying to murder me and steal my goods? Ling Li thought to himself. Even amid the crowded streets, he could clearly sense several auras following roughly ten meters behind him like tails. The owner of one of those auras seemed to have a cultivation level slightly higher than his Fighting Master Seven Stars.

After advancing to Fighting Master Seven Stars, Ling Li's soul perception had increased severalfold. Even the slightest movement within five meters could not escape his notice, and he could sense things within ten meters as well.

No, I can clearly sense all of their auras, which means they aren't particularly strong. If the Mitel Auction House wanted to act, why would they send out this sort of trash? But aside from the Mitel Auction House, who else could be targeting me?

Generally speaking, the higher one's strength, the stronger one's perception and the more restrained one's aura. This made it impossible for the weak to detect the auras of the strong. Since Ling Li could clearly sense those several auras, their owners were probably Fighting Masters as well, at most low-star Great Fighting Masters.

Ling Li licked his lips, and anticipation unexpectedly rose in his heart. He did not want to provoke trouble, but that did not mean he feared it. If trouble came knocking, he would make them understand just how sharp Dark Night was!

It just so happened that after increasing his strength with the medicinal herbs from the cliff cave, he had not fought anyone yet. These people would make perfect whetstones to test just how much his strength had improved!

At that thought, a rather strange smile tugged at Ling Li's lips. His pace suddenly quickened as he ran toward the city gates. After a brief pause, the several auras behind him followed closely, like sticky plasters.

He wondered what kind of battle these people would bring him...