Zhang Tao had no intention of explaining further, and Li Zhen didn't ask. After all, it was too shocking. Who could have guessed that the little cat perched on Zhang Tao's shoulder was a high-ranked demon beast? The cat was so small that even Qin Shigang, a Rank 9 Great Grandmaster, hadn't thought much of it just now. Besides, even if he had, he wouldn't have been able to see through Grey Cat. After all, Grey Cat was Emperor Rank, with a mental strength of two hundred thousand hertz.
Poor Li Zhen had no idea what kind of existence Grey Cat was.
But there was more to Grey Cat following Zhang Tao into Hope City than met the eye. High above the Forbidden Sea, an old man watched them. When he saw that Grey Cat had truly followed Zhang Tao, his brows furrowed.
Grey Cat usually invested in the Child of the Era. But this should be the final era, and his good brother Zhan's contingency plan didn't seem to have been activated yet. Why had the cat chosen someone?
"Could someone be scheming?" the old man muttered. After all, hadn't someone replaced Gong Juanzi in the previous era?
"Let's watch and see." The old man sighed and vanished.
Atop Wangwu Mountain, the Heaven Suppressing King raised his brows as well. Seeing that Grey Cat had really followed Zhang Tao, he sighed. There was no point bringing up that stupid descendant of his. He'd paved the way for him, and the brat still couldn't beat a small-time thug. It was downright ridiculous.
But now the Heaven Suppressing King understood. Zhang Tao was probably the leading figure of this era. Was he the one who would bring this great era to an end?
Zhang Tao had no idea that two hidden old men had already taken an interest in him.
Inside Hope City, Grey Cat felt much more at ease. While outside, it hadn't noticed the Earth Emperor or the Heaven Suppressing King watching it, but it had sensed someone's gaze. That was why it had agreed so quickly to follow Zhang Tao. Now it perched on Zhang Tao's shoulder, curiously taking in everything in Hope City and looking this way and that. Zhang Tao followed Qin Shigang to his residence. Qin Shigang's eyes were shining with eagerness. "Zhang Tao, this Rank 9 big fish demon is a treasure. Would you sell it?"
Zhang Tao looked at Qin Shigang in surprise. The senior wanted to buy it? Was he that rich?
But a Rank 9 weapon was no use to Zhang Tao right now. He was only Rank 6, so a Rank 7 Divine Weapon was more than enough. Besides, his own weapon was being forged, and it should be ready by the time he returned to Capital City.
"Since you want it, Senior, name your price."
Zhang Tao was indeed planning to sell it. He didn't care how much he got; the main thing was that Qin Shigang was a senior powerhouse from the Sect World. Zhang Tao wanted to win him over. After all, if he wanted to rise to prominence in the future, he would need the support of seniors like him.
Qin Shigang was taken aback. He truly hadn't expected Zhang Tao to agree. Of course, he'd never considered forcing a sale. Neither Li Zhen, the martial arts scion of Zhenxing City, nor Zhang Tao himself was someone to be pushed around.
After thinking it over, Qin Shigang's face reddened slightly. Damn it, he might not be able to afford it.
A Rank 9 Divine Weapon was something one might never come across in a lifetime. Of Huaguo's twenty-eight Rank 9 Great Grandmasters, only eight had Rank 9 Divine Weapons. The rest had none.
"Well, our sects once joined forces to invest in the Pill Company, trading formulas for a considerable number of shares. I have ten percent of the Pill Company's original shares. How about I trade them for the big fish's Heart Core and Brain Core?" Qin Shigang said after a moment's thought.
Zhang Tao agreed at once. Ten percent of the original shares was worth a great deal. At current market prices, a Rank 9 Divine Weapon could sell for a little over a hundred billion, while ten percent of the original shares could be worth several hundred billion. The future earnings would be substantial too, and a ten-percent stake would give him a say in the Pill Company.
All things considered, he wasn't losing much. It was just a matter of valuing things differently.
"That's wonderful! I'll have someone prepare the paperwork right away!" Qin Shigang was overjoyed. He might have been over a hundred, but even at that age, he'd never used a Rank 9 Divine Weapon. Besides, Old Ancestor Jiang was stationed at the Magic City Catacombs, where trouble broke out every few days. They had no choice but to join the fight. Rank 9 powerhouses didn't participate often, but sometimes, when the fighting got heated, even he had to go in.
If he had a Rank 9 Divine Weapon, his chances of surviving would undoubtedly improve greatly.
While they waited, Qin Shigang chatted warmly with Zhang Tao, whose impression on him was excellent. No wonder Zhang Tao was a human prodigy. If Zhang Tao hadn't been affiliated with the Education Ministry, Qin Shigang would have wanted to recruit him into the sects.
Soon, the paperwork arrived. Qin Shigang signed it and handed it to Zhang Tao. "Little Zhang, if you ever need anything, come to me. I'll definitely help you!"
Zhang Tao accepted the documents with a smile. "Then I'll be counting on you, Elder Qin!"
Qin Shigang waved it off, saying it was nothing. Then he dug out the Rank 9 fish demon's Heart Core and Brain Core, while Zhang Tao carried the big fish outside.
Outside, Li Zhen and Nan Yunyue were chatting. Nan Yunyue asked about what had happened, but Li Zhen didn't go into detail. He only said it had been exchanged for cat food, leaving Nan Yunyue utterly stunned. Two bags of cat food had gotten them a Rank 9 demon beast? They'd made a killing!
"What are you two talking about? We should get going. Once we're out, I'll have to figure out how to transport this thing back to Kyoto. The meat of a Rank 9 demon beast would be very important to the Education Ministry, wouldn't it?" Zhang Tao said.
Li Zhen didn't care about that. Seeing that the Heart Core and Brain Core were gone, he knew what had happened. He felt the cat was more important and needed to be treated with greater caution.
At Li Zhen's subtle reminder, Zhang Tao chuckled and rolled his eyes, not wanting to deal with him. He only brushed him off, saying he knew what mattered and would report it to the higher-ups.
Li Zhen snorted but said nothing more.
Nan Yunyue looked as though she wanted to say something. She glanced at the cat on Zhang Tao's shoulder, but ultimately kept quiet. After leaving the fish demon in storage here, Zhang Tao went straight out of the Magic City Catacombs. Now that he had the cat with him, he no longer needed Li Zhen to accompany him.
Li Zhen, however, clearly didn't realize that. He followed close behind Zhang Tao. Seeing him still there, Zhang Tao waved a hand. "Don't you have things to do? Go take care of them. You don't need to follow me anymore!"
Li Zhen froze, then cursed inwardly. This guy—wasn't he the one who'd begged and clung to him earlier, refusing to let him leave? Now that he had the cat, he was sending Li Zhen away? Hmph.
But he really did have plenty to do, and following Zhang Tao had delayed him. He snorted and turned to leave.
Zhang Tao found a phone booth and made a call. Someone answered almost immediately.
"Hello, Chief Overseer? It's Zhang Tao. I left a Rank 9 big fish demon in storage at the Magic City Catacombs. Could you send someone to transport it?" Zhang Tao said without preamble.
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