"Why pretend you don't know? Since I'm standing here before you, Liu Xiangdong obviously can't speak with you," Xu Yi said gravely. His doubts hadn't eased for a moment. The fellow before him was far too strange; Xu Yi couldn't quite get a read on him.
Mr. Zhu's gaze pierced straight through his dark cloak, seeming almost tangible. "So the key is in your hands?"
"Do you think I'd be so stupid as to bring the key along to negotiate with you? How do I know you won't turn on me?" Xu Yi replied. The moment Mr. Zhu had come within a hundred li, Xu Yi had sensed him. Unable to judge his strength, Xu Yi had decided it was better to bluff.
"Hand over the key, and I can give you what you want. Profound Yellow Pills, Profound Yellow Essence, Acquired Spiritual Treasures—all are open to negotiation," Mr. Zhu rumbled.
Xu Yi nodded. "Good. Now that's a willingness to negotiate. To be honest, the key fell into our hands, and we don't even know what it's for. We have no interest in studying it, either. Name your price. If it's fair, we can make the deal today."
"Fine, but how do I know the key is really in your hands?" Mr. Zhu asked. Xu Yi swept a hand, and an image appeared in the air: an impression of the bone key. As soon as it appeared, Xu Yi sensed Mr. Zhu's breathing grow heavy and his blood surge.
Xu Yi's heart gave a thump, and his taut nerves relaxed at once. Mr. Zhu's blood and qi had grown powerful, but he had released no pressure at all, nor had he exerted the realm suppression a Divine Diagram cultivator would impose on a lower-level cultivator. Since he wasn't in the