Ji Haoyuan, the "Ruthless Man"; Ji Bochang Offers a Way Out

Hearing the price Zhou Haifeng quoted, both Ji Haoyuan and Ji Bochang were so angry they nearly laughed.

Ten thousand Spirit Stones—he actually had the nerve to say it.

One had to know that the Cloud Iron Ore Vein alone now earned the Ji Family more than ten thousand Spirit Stones every year.

What was even more laughable was that even those ten thousand Spirit Stones would not be paid until several years later.

How was that any different from outright robbery?

Seeing that Ji Bochang had yet to speak, the smile on Zhou Haifeng's face gradually faded.

He simply looked at Ji Bochang, his tone slowly turning cold.

"What? Daoist Ji, is there some problem?"

"My apologies..."

At last, Ji Haoyuan, who had remained silent all along, spoke.

He said, "At present, we have no intention of selling this Cloud Iron Ore Vein, so I'm sorry."

"What did you say?"

Zhou Haifeng immediately turned toward Ji Haoyuan, a harsh chill flashing through his eyes.

Even Zhang Zhilong, who likewise had not spoken from beginning to end, turned his gaze toward him.

"What if I insist on buying it?"

Zhang Zhilong's words immediately made Ji Haoyuan laugh.

His gaze suddenly shifted to Zhang Mingyuan, who was leisurely drinking tea at the side, and he said:

"Daoist Zhang, regarding our struggle with the Han Family of Danyang Prefecture over that Cloud Iron Ore Vein, does this Little Friend Zhilong not yet know about it?"

When Ji Haoyuan suddenly brought up this matter, Zhang Mingyuan's previously composed expression stiffened at once.

This left Zhang Zhilong and Zhou Haifeng beside him somewhat puzzled.

Clearly, neither of them knew about the Ji Family and Han Family's struggle over the Cloud Iron Ore Vein.

More precisely, they had never cared about such matters in the first place, so naturally they had not made a point of asking around.

"Forget it. I'll explain."

Without giving Zhang Mingyuan a chance to speak, Ji Haoyuan directly turned to Zhang Zhilong and Zhou Haifeng, a faint smile on his face as he said:

"Back then, in order to obtain that Cloud Iron Ore Vein, our Ji Family directly crippled Han Pengshan of the Han Family. We even damaged his foundation and cut off his Dao path.

And I was the one who did all of that."

Having said this, Ji Haoyuan directly raised a hand and pointed at himself.

Whoosh—

At that moment, whether it was Zhang Zhilong, Zhou Haifeng, or Zhang Mingyuan sitting there, all of them clearly felt an exceedingly terrifying aura of "bloodshed" emanate from Ji Haoyuan before them.

It was as though a Fierce Beast poised to devour its prey was staring at them with blood-red eyes.

That near-hysterical madness, seemingly hidden deep in his bones, made all three feel immense pressure.

Especially when paired with the smile on his face and his utterly indifferent manner as he spoke those words, it sent a chill through their hearts.

This was a madman!

Almost simultaneously, this thought surfaced in all three of their minds.

It was at this moment that Ji Haoyuan's voice sounded again.

"So, three Daoist friends, you know that the Cloud Iron Ore Vein is an incomparably important source of Spirit Stones for my Ji Family, as well as the resource support for our family over the coming years, even decades.

I hope the three of you will show mercy and not cut off this hope of my Ji Family."

Though his words were polite, anyone could hear the cold intent within them.

At least, that was how Zhang Zhilong and Zhou Haifeng understood them.

Whoever dared touch the Ji Family's Cloud Iron Ore Vein, Ji Haoyuan would fight them to the death.

Faced with such a "ruthless man," it was impossible for Zhou Haifeng and the others not to feel at least some apprehension.

But they were not truly afraid, either.

As an administrator of a Golden Core Sect and a direct disciple of a Golden Core True Person, Zhou Haifeng and Zhang Zhilong naturally had confidence of their own.

Still, they would not risk their lives against someone like this for the sake of the Zhang Family.

That was true for Zhang Zhilong, and even more so for Zhou Haifeng.

Just as the atmosphere in the room had gone stiff, with swords drawn and bows bent, Ji Bochang suddenly smiled and broke the silence.

"Little Friend Zhilong, and Daoist Zhou, please don't take offense.

My junior is simply that sort of person. He does not know how to speak properly.

Come, come. No matter what, you two are guests who have come from afar. This is a small token of my regard for you both. I hope you will not refuse."

As he spoke, Ji Bochang took out two Storage Pouches, each containing four thousand Spirit Stones, and handed them to Zhang Zhilong and Zhou Haifeng.

With Ji Bochang interrupting like this, even if Zhang Zhilong and Zhou Haifeng had wanted to lash out, it was no longer convenient for them to say anything.

If they still insisted on acquiring the Ji Family's Cloud Iron Ore Vein now, they would be openly tearing all ties with the Ji Family.

Judging by Ji Haoyuan's performance just now, what might happen then was hard to say.

At the very least, Zhou Haifeng would not take that risk.

Nor was he willing to put himself and Zhang Zhilong in danger for the sake of a Zhang Family.

That was his principle, and his bottom line.

Therefore.

Seeing the way out Ji Bochang had offered, Zhou Haifeng immediately burst into laughter. As he casually glossed over what had just happened, he reached out and accepted the Storage Pouch.

When he saw the four thousand Spirit Stones inside, the smile on his face became even more "radiant."

"What are you saying, Daoist Ji?

What happened just now was merely a misunderstanding. As the saying goes, even if a deal cannot be made, goodwill remains. We have disturbed your esteemed family today.

If there is nothing else, we shall take our leave first."

Zhang Zhilong, beside him, still wanted to say something, but Zhou Haifeng clearly had no intention of causing any further complications.

After clasping his fists toward Ji Bochang and Ji Haoyuan, he directly led Zhang Zhilong away from the Ji Family's Ganyang Mountain under the personal escort of Ji Bochang and Ji Haoyuan.

Zhang Mingyuan followed behind them as well.

After the three had flown some distance away, Zhou Haifeng finally turned to Zhang Mingyuan and said with a smile that did not reach his eyes:

"Brother Mingyuan, your Zhang Family truly has quite the scheme.

Surely Brother Mingyuan did not know nothing beforehand about the conflict between the Ji Family and the Han Family?"

These words were already somewhat impolite.

As a Foundation Establishment administrator of the Crimson Cloud Sect, Zhou Haifeng could give the Zhang Family certain conveniences for Zhang Zhilong's sake, and could even lend the Zhang Family his support.

But they absolutely should not have concealed such crucial information.

How was that not using them as weapons?

Zhou Haifeng had lived for so many years; what had he not seen?

Almost the moment Ji Haoyuan spoke those words, he had already understood what was going on.

That was also the main reason he had been willing to accept the way out Ji Bochang offered.

Of course, it was not without some apprehension toward Ji Haoyuan and the others.

After all, no matter when, strength was always what came first.

The Ji Family had that strength, so naturally Zhou Haifeng was unwilling to be used as someone else's weapon.