Finally! At Last!

Huang Shang had judged correctly. From beginning to end, Xu Feng and Xu Yue had been watching him in secret.

A listening device had been planted in his room.

The Goblin bug was no bigger than a grain of rice. It allowed Reincarnators a thousand meters away to hear conversations inside the room clearly through an earpiece.

Wang Jiantong was, after all, a first-rate expert. If the two got too close, they might well be exposed.

This was the only way to guard against being caught off guard.

But as she listened, Xu Yue furrowed her pretty brows. "Huang Shang is incredibly ambitious, with lofty goals. Can we really recoup what we invest in him?"

Xu Feng didn't think much of it. "Sis, aren't scholars always like that? They shout slogans loud enough to shake the heavens and plaster their banners everywhere. Then they put on a whole show..."

He stopped, because he suddenly noticed Xu Yue giving him a sidelong look.

Xu Feng had a strong instinct for self-preservation, so he smoothly changed tack. "But being educated is impressive. You can govern the country and bring peace to the people, unlike us uncouth brutes who only know how to fight. Huang Shang wants to wipe out Western Xia, the Liao Kingdom, and Jin, right? We can help him do it. I used to dream of traveling back in time to ancient China and slaughtering all the foreign enemies who invaded our homeland. Now I'm living that dream too. Ow..."

Before he could finish, a slender jade finger flicked him on the forehead.

Xu Yue rolled her eyes. "You think you're amazing, don't you? You can't just decide to destroy a country and make it happen. The worlds of the Heavens aren't illusions. They're real, from top to bottom. Forget a nobody like you, who hasn't even reached two-star rank—even Sweeping Monk could go on a killing spree and still not shake Western Xia or the Liao Kingdom!"

Xu Feng drew his head back. He knew Xu Yue was in a terrible mood and didn't dare provoke her, so he quickly shut his mouth.

Xu Yue muttered to herself, "We may not be able to use the soul-cultivation techniques from [Yang God], but they're still worth over two thousand Reincarnation Points. If we spend them on Huang Shang and can't contract him in the end, it'll be such a waste..."

Why were women often more prone to impulsive spending than men?

It wasn't prejudice about their personalities. It was determined by their physiology.

Studies showed that women's baseline dopamine levels were thirty percent higher than men's. When they got emotional, their dopamine levels rose. Since women's were already high, strong emotions pushed them past the optimal level, impairing their cognitive abilities.

So when women were in high spirits, they ignored everything else and spent impulsively. Once they calmed down, they often reflected on their actions.

Ever since Xu Yue had chanced upon Huang Shang and decided she wanted to contract this future grandmaster, her dopamine had been rising.

But as time passed, her dopamine returned to normal, and her clever mind took over.

Nobody's money fell from the sky, and Reincarnation Points were even more precious.

Knowing Huang Shang would be difficult to contract, yet still foolishly investing a huge sum in him—wasn't that just plain stupid?

Xu Feng saw Xu Yue muttering to herself for a while and couldn't help saying, "Actually, we could get some martial arts from the Xiaoyao Sect or Shaolin Temple in this world and use them to train Huang Shang first. It wouldn't cost much. If we manage to contract him, great. If we fail, it won't matter much."

Xu Yue sighed. "That is an option, but it would leave Huang Shang half-crippled. He'd have a hard time reaching two-star rank in the future. A grandmaster who creates his own techniques and an inheritor who learns someone else's are worlds apart!"

Though reluctant, she could settle for that if there was no other choice.

But just then, a clear voice suddenly sounded through the earpiece. "To establish the heart of Heaven and Earth! To establish the lives and destinies of the people! To carry on the lost teachings of the sages of old! To bring peace for all generations! The people of the martial world know to defend their homes and protect their country. I should live by these words as well, and not disappoint my teacher's earnest guidance!"

Xu Feng picked at his ear. "Does he have to repeat it over and over? I'm sick of hearing it!"

Xu Yue reacted differently. Her eyes suddenly sharpened. "Wait. Wang Jiantong mentioned earlier that Huang Shang said those Hengqu Four Verses?"

Xu Feng caught on too. "Oh, right! Weren't those said by Confucius?"

Xu Yue gave him an exasperated look. "Ignorance is terrifying. Zhang Zai said them."

Xu Feng gave an awkward laugh. "You were the top scorer in the college entrance exams, and I was a lousy student. How was I supposed to know who said those famous lines? Anyway, if you don't know who said something, it was Lu Xun."

Xu Yue ignored his wisecrack and thought it over. "Huang Shang became Zhang Zai's disciple, yet he was the one who said Zhang Zai's Hengqu Four Verses. Did the world change?"

Xu Feng thought it made perfect sense. "It's [Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils], not a historical time-travel story. Of course things are different. In actual history, Guo Jing didn't defend Xiangyang, and Yang Guo didn't kill Mongke!"

"'Not disappoint my teacher's guidance'... Was that teacher Zhang Zai, or someone else?"

As Xu Yue analyzed the situation, her expression suddenly darkened. "Could someone besides us have their eye on Huang Shang?"

Xu Feng froze, immediately dropped his joking manner, and assumed a fighting stance as he looked around.

Xu Yue continued thinking aloud. "There are only two possibilities. Either the Heavens Consciousness arranged it—Huang Shang becomes a martial arts grandmaster later, but in the early stages he's a Confucian scholar, and these four lines show his breadth of mind and spirit—or another Reincarnator got here before us and is already laying the groundwork to cultivate Huang Shang."

Xu Feng asked urgently, "Which is more likely?"

Xu Yue lightly bit her lip. "Of course, it's more likely the Heavens Consciousness changed things. We're probably the only ones who descended into Eastern Capital Kaifeng Prefecture, but..."

Xu Feng finished for her. "But what if some old schemer is hiding in the shadows? Sis, let's make a move. If there really is someone else lurking around, we can force them to show themselves. And if we guessed wrong, we can just call it an investment. Nothing in this world comes for free. If you want a return, you have to put something in!"

Before, he'd been reluctant to give up the [Yang God] inheritance, and his lack of enthusiasm had affected Xu Yue to some extent.

Now he'd done a complete about-face.

When someone had to choose between two things, they weighed them up, compared them, and fussed over every detail, trying to be as rational as possible.

But when two people were fighting over one thing, it didn't matter whether it was good or bad. You grabbed it first and worried about the rest later.

That was why salespeople often said there was only one left and it would be gone if you didn't buy it now.

Customers in later generations had seen that trick too often to believe it, but right now there really was only one Huang Shang.

Xu Yue had already been tempted by Huang Shang's Character Card. With Xu Feng urging her on, she finally stopped hesitating. "All right. We'll approach him directly."

Xu Feng's face lit up, but then his dear elder sister turned to him with a kindly look. "I was going to wait for Huang Shang to get into trouble and then have us step in to save him. There's no time for that now, so we'll do it in reverse. You're tough. Just bear with it!"

A moment later, Xu Feng let out a muffled cry.

"Sis, that hurts!"

Huang Shang lay in bed, staring at the ceiling.

After reciting the Hengqu Four Verses, he'd followed them with a misleading remark. Those two Reincarnators had definitely heard him.

If they were sharp enough, they should have noticed something suspicious.

Back when he'd been plagiarizing famous works, he'd thought of using this to make up a nonexistent Reincarnator and create pressure through competition.

He hadn't meant to do it so clumsily.

Unfortunately, Wang Jiantong had thrown his plans off. He'd had to change them at the last minute.

By now, he'd done everything he could.

What happened next was up to fate.

"What I hate most is fate."

With a silent sigh, Huang Shang closed his eyes.

Sleep.

Thud!

Half asleep, he suddenly heard something heavy hit the ground in the back courtyard, followed by a pained groan.

Huang Shang hadn't been sleeping well to begin with. He opened his eyes at once, but didn't get up.

The groaning continued. Only after a full quarter of an hour did Huang Shang climb out of bed, light an oil lamp, and head into the courtyard.

In the dim light, he saw a burly figure lying in the back courtyard. A cruel wound ran across the man's back, blood streaming from it. He looked to be on the verge of death.

Huang Shang couldn't help laughing when he saw him.

Wasn't this Bao Zheng's son?

Xu Feng didn't know he'd acquired that nickname. He recited his lines to the letter. "Young master, don't raise the alarm. Quickly, help me inside. I have a great secret, one that concerns the fate of the Great Song!"

Seeing Xu Feng appear and even use a self-sacrificing ploy, Huang Shang finally felt the weight lift from his heart. He stepped forward and helped him up.

The instant they touched, both men's eyes flashed with relief. They thought the same thing:

"You're finally here!"

(Please vote and add this book to your collection. The new-book period is very important.)

Thanks to the readers "Marvel Iron Man," "Heaven Crystal Hunyuan Treasure Mirror," "Feng Yu Wu Fei," and "Xiao Luo Luo" for the tips.