As the head figure of the Golden Character Workshop, with dozens of cultivators and hundreds of Xiantian experts under his command, Xu Ning naturally had very well-informed sources.
Chen Dengming had only just entered Master Hu's shop through the front door when Xu Ning received the timely reported news from his subordinates through the back door.
In fact, as early as two days ago, he had already learned that Chen Dengming had completed the task entrusted to him by Eldest Miss Lüo, and even caught wind that Xu Wei would also remain at the Lüo Mansion to become a tea-serving maid by the young lady's side.
What this meant was already self-evident.
Xu Ning was a smart man, temporarily dismissing all petty thoughts and pressing down his raw malice and greed. He had people prepare wine and dishes in advance, waiting for Chen Dengming to come knocking.
When the two met, the usual exchange of hypocritical pleasantries and polite formulas was naturally indispensable.
Amidst the mutual toasts and exchanging of cups at the banquet, Xu Ning's words were filled with probing, while Chen Dengming responded with guarded and measured evasiveness.
Neither of them was a greenhorn.
The art of speech among old foxes of the martial world was steeped in the ways of the world.
In the end, this competition boiled down to nothing more than whose foundation and backing were stronger.
As for this backing, even though Xu Ning's strength was obviously superior, compared to Chen Dengming's imposing momentum of a "ferocious tiger descending the mountain", he was clearly still lacking. What he truly feared was none other than Lüojia Mountain!
After three rounds of drinks, Chen Dengming admitted to nothing, stating outright that his meeting with Eldest Miss Lüo was merely a chance encounter, that the two had no relationship beyond transactional dealings, and that he would still need to make a trip to Lüoshan City three years later to fulfill the agreement.
Hearing this, Xu Ning felt his heart tremble violently, secretly cursing that Chen Dengming must have run into incredible blind luck to have managed to kiss Eldest Miss Lüo's feet so successfully.
This was precisely the sentence he had been waiting for. Believing that Chen Dengming was speaking the truth under the influence of alcohol and had revealed a three-year pact, he felt deep apprehension.
"Hahaha, I always said Brother Chen is no mere mortal confined to a ordinary pond!
Now that you have earned the favor of Eldest Miss Lüo, your future prospects are bound to be limitless. As your elder brother, I will certainly have to rely on you in the future, old brother!"
Xu Ning raised his wine cup, offering deliberate and flattering laughter.
Chen Dengming immediately feigned a look of being flattered beyond expectations, laughing, "You mustn't say that, you mustn't, Big Brother Xu. It's little brother who needs to rely on you. In the future, the market for Gu worms and Gu poisons in this gathering place will still depend on big brother helping little brother open it up."
Xu Ning frowned. "What kind of talk is that, Old Brother Chen? How can a great man only fixate on these meager earnings right in front of him?
The gathering place is so vast, why don't I help you with some manpower so you can strike out on your own and build your own faction?"
Chen Dengming quickly put on a timid and embarrassed expression, waving his hands. "Big Brother Xu, look at me—I'm hardly cut out for that sort of thing. I've grown used to walking alone and don't want to build any faction or be a boss.
You could let me manage a hundred fish, but ask me to manage a hundred people and I'm useless.
That won't do, that won't do!
Me? I just want to follow Big Brother Xu and make a bit of money. You eat the meat, I'll drink the soup. Tell me, Big Brother Xu, do you feel like little brother has been taking too much?
How about this: last time you said we'd split the Gu poison market fifty-fifty once it opened, but now I'm willing to cede ten percent of the profits. Six for you and four for me, how does that sound?"
It seems this kid really has no ambition at all.
Xu Ning was suspicious, but immediately felt a wave of relief in his heart as the muscles on his face relaxed considerably. Well, after all, he's just someone who shot up recently, and he used to be a mere fishmonger anyway—how much vision and perspective could he possibly have? I was just overthinking it.
He immediately smiled, pulling Chen Dengming back to drinking as he spoke.
"What are you talking about, brother? Your Brother Xu said fifty-fifty, and fifty-fifty it is. The crucial thing is your technique for refining Gu worms."
"This? Sigh, this... Fairy Lüo said when I came down the mountain that she didn't want to see a third person in the gathering place practicing the same Gu arts as her, otherwise there would be no amnesty. This... Big Brother Xu, you have people behind you too, right?
I figure your influence is vast. Why don't you have the people behind you ask Fairy Lüo? Perhaps she'll give you some face."
Give my ass some face!
Xu Ning cursed viciously in his heart, the smile on his face growing somewhat stiff as he simply changed the subject and looked at Chen Dengming with suspicion.
Was this brat truly drunk, or was he faking it?
Were his words true or false? Or was he just making a fool of him?
Late in the night.
Chen Dengming laughed foolishly as he muttered drunken nonsense, being supported away from Xu's manor by several hairpin-shop maidservants summoned by Xu Ning. They headed for the residence they had just agreed upon that evening—a smaller courtyard situated right in the city.
This small courtyard was located in a prosperous district of the city, where neighboring houses stood scale upon scale, no longer as chaotic and disorderly as the shantytowns. It featured projecting eaves, upturned roof corners, and carved lattice windows, possessing a very distinct charm.
It was only after Chen Dengming had been helped away in a stumbling, leaning stagger that the smile on Xu Ning's face faded.
A sharp, piercing gleam flashed in his eyes. Exuding a natural authority without anger, his gaze turned fierce as he gave a cold snort.
"How did the people sent to follow turn out?"
From behind the screen, a graceful figure stepped out with dainty steps. A delicate hand rested on Xu Ning's shoulder, massaging it as she spoke, "Master, rest assured. It was this slave who personally arranged for a sharp-witted one. After tonight, she will bring back the information you want to know."
Xu Ning snorted, grabbed the hand on his shoulder, pulled her roughly into his arms, and commanded in a domineering, low growl, "Because your master's temper is running very hot right now!"
Daybreak was fast approaching.
When dawn was about to break, the morning mist parted and the eastern sky turned pale.
A red sun trembled as it stepped through the clouds and pierced the mist, shaking itself out sluggishly before coming to a halt.
Chen Dengming, at this moment, was stirring.
He 'thoroughly' sobered up in the courtyard of his new dwelling, his clothes disheveled as he shooed away the women who had escorted him back the previous night.
Then, massaging his head, he returned indoors. After carefully checking the spirit crystals and items in his pack, he let his heart settle, pressed against his abdomen, and opened his mouth to vomit.
"Pfft, pfft—"
To his surprise, pitch-black loach Gu emerged one by one from his mouth, each of them bloated in size to resemble sea cucumbers and exuding a rich scent of alcohol.
The loach Gu could not only harm people, but could also be used to cure drunkenness.
Yet this was a method that only a Gu expert like Chen Dengming could pull off; if an ordinary person dared to imitate this, they would either be poisoned to death or have their intestines chewed to shreds by the loaches.
Yesterday, before attending the banquet, he had made preparations well in advance by swallowing the loach Gu in secret. He had harbored suspicions from the start, and in the end, it had indeed allowed him to avert a liquor disaster.
He washed his face with cold water, his gaze exceptionally clear and calm, and shook his head internally, thinking it was a bother.
This Xu Ning was far too cautious and meticulous, actually sending people specifically to escort him back and observe him for an entire night, purely to see if he was truly drunk.
Even those women last night had tested him repeatedly, costing him nine bulls and two tigers' worth of effort to barely fake intoxication and fool them.
This man... is far too obsessed with power. If he had poured the majority of his energy into cultivation, perhaps he would be stronger today.
He believes that I have earned Fairy Lüo's favor and will become the next Qian Yuan, constituting a threat to him, which is why he tested me. Unfortunately, I genuinely have no desire to deliberately cultivate influence.
Chen Dengming returned to his room, preparing to continue his arduous cultivation while refining a batch of Gu worms to hand over to Xu Ning for sale, in exchange for even more cultivation resources.
Since ancient times, there was no telling how many grand enterprises of ambitious heroes had been built upon the two words "power".
And yet, countless people ultimately had their minds deluded and their eyes blinded by that very power.
If one treated "power" as their slave and utilized it to accomplish a grand undertaking, that was success.
But if one allowed themselves to become the slave of "power", that was truly a tragedy.
In Chen Dengming's eyes, Xu Ning had fallen into the trap of becoming a slave to power.
He was different. He was the master of power, and power was merely a tool for him to become stronger.
Once a tool was spent, it could be discarded at any time.
In the past, he had been able to resolutely cast aside mortal power in pursuit of the immortal path; knowing what to take and what to yield was the hallmark of a wise man.
Not long after.
The few women who had escorted Chen Dengming back made a detour to Xu Ning's manor to report the conditions they had observed the previous night.
"This Immortal Master Chen is truly drunk. The three of us tried every trick in the book, and he didn't react at all. As long as he's a normal man and hasn't drunk himself to that absolute degree, he should have had some reaction."
"However, he did react strongly to spirit stones. All through the night, he was hugging his pack. We were curious and opened it just a tiny bit to look, only to discover the bag was completely full of spirit stones."
"Did your hands stay clean?"
"No, no! How could we ever dare to touch an Immortal Master's belongings!"
"It seems my Burning Immortal Brew—at three low-grade spirit stones a bottle—truly is fine stuff. The kid really was drunk yesterday, speaking his true mind after the wine. Drunk well, drunk wonderfully!"
"Still, he really is a miser. Being greedy for money is a good thing; the only fear is when someone isn't greedy!"
Xu Ning stroked the empty wine bottle, a smile hanging at the corner of his lips as he enjoyed watching the beauties dancing passionately ahead of him, feeling as though everything was completely within his grasp.
For Chen Dengming to dare slay a immortal cultivator with a mortal's physique—that showed great bravery.
For him to dare cooperate with a Qi Refining First Layer practitioner to monopolize the Gu creature market—that showed small cunning.
For him to have the favor of Eldest Miss Lüo yet possess no desire to build his own faction—that showed a lack of ambition.
Such a person of great bravery and small cunning, devoid of ambition, might be called a capable individual, but could hardly be considered an ambitious overlord. Both his vision and perspective were low, making him entirely unworthy of concern.
Smiling, he rose to his feet, raised his wine cup, and spoke to the beauties who had just finished their dance routine.
"Keep the music playing, keep dancing!"
(To be continued. Another chapter will be updated around morning time, still a double update totaling 6k characters. Begging for monthly votes!)
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