Trade

Three days later, Chen Yu returned to Nuoding Academy.

He did not want others disturbing Clearwater Village's peace, so it was better to leave. By now, people from all the major forces should already have been on their way.

When Chen Yu returned to Nuoding Academy, the dean intercepted him at the academy entrance.

Upon seeing Chen Yu, the dean hurried over. "Student Chen, you're finally back."

"Several important figures want to see you. If you hadn't returned today, they might have gone to Clearwater Village."

Chen Yu looked surprised. From the dean's words, those people seemed to have arrived long ago. Did news travel that quickly?

"Fine, I'll see them. Where are they?"

Hearing Chen Yu's answer, the dean let out a sigh of relief. He had truly feared Chen Yu would throw a tantrum and refuse to meet them.

"Come on. They're all in my office."

Following the dean into his office, Chen Yu found everyone inside turning their eyes toward him.

Though all these people were important figures, Chen Yu showed no timidity whatsoever. He openly let them examine him while observing them in return.

The most eye-catching was naturally the flamboyantly dressed man at the front right. There was no need to think about his identity—he had to be Chrysanthemum Douluo. The sinister-looking man beside Chrysanthemum Douluo was likely his partner, Ghost Douluo.

"Greetings, seniors. May I ask what business you have with me?"

Chen Yu knew perfectly well why they had come. It was nothing more than the matter of his thousand-year second ring.

"Young friend, I am Ning Fengzhi, Sect Master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. The others are..."

These people had likely reached some sort of agreement already, which was why Ning Fengzhi spoke first.

Through Ning Fengzhi's introductions, Chen Yu learned exactly who had come.

There were Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo from Spirit Hall; Crown Prince Xue Qinghe and Prince Xue Xing from the Heaven Dou Empire; Prince Dai Tianxing from the Star Luo Empire; Great Elder Yu Luomian of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan and his daughter Liu Erlong; as well as Sword Douluo Chen Xin behind Ning Fengzhi and Poison Douluo beside Prince Xue Xing.

When Ning Fengzhi introduced Xue Qinghe, Chen Yu gave him several extra looks. After all, this was Spirit Hall's young mistress, Qian Renxue. In terms of background, no one on Douluo Continent could surpass her.

When Liu Erlong was introduced, Chen Yu showed no manners at all. He simply stared at her, focusing especially on her stomach. The others were rendered speechless, while Liu Erlong nearly erupted on the spot before Yu Luomian stopped her.

Only after a long while did Chen Yu pretend to come back to his senses and repeatedly apologize.

"Sorry. The rumors about Senior Liu Erlong and the Grandmaster are rather intense, so I couldn't help looking a few extra times."

Though Chen Yu spoke words of apology, his eyes still occasionally drifted toward Liu Erlong's stomach.

Naturally, everyone else noticed his little movements. A few of them even followed his gaze toward Liu Erlong's stomach.

After the rumors about Yu Xiaogang spread several years ago, all kinds of variations soon emerged.

Bibi Dong was Spirit Hall's Supreme Pontiff, so no one dared fabricate rumors about her. But Liu Erlong was different. She had not married according to her clan's arrangements, so her clan did not interfere with the rumors surrounding her.

No one knew how it had spread, but the rumors about Liu Erlong gradually turned into claims that she had already borne Yu Xiaogang children—two pregnancies, in fact. Yet Heaven disapproved of their conduct, so both pregnancies had ended in stillbirths.

As the saying went, no one knew a daughter better than her father. When Yu Luomian heard the rumors, he specifically arranged for people to watch Liu Erlong and prevent her from doing anything foolish.

Thanks to Yu Luomian's arrangements, Liu Erlong might otherwise have killed many innocent people.

Ning Fengzhi and the others naturally knew of the rumors concerning Liu Erlong. In fact, some of those rumors may even have been spread by certain people among them.

Liu Erlong was so angry that her chest tightened and she panted heavily, making her chest heave spectacularly.

After shooting Chen Yu several vicious glares, she closed her eyes, choosing out of sight, out of mind.

Disappointment showed in the eyes of Prince Xue Xing and the other spectators. Don't chicken out! Go on, hit him. We definitely won't stop you.

Yu Luomian could no longer stand this group of bastards. If he did not change the subject soon, his daughter would explode. He could already sense her Soul Power circulating.

Yu Luomian coughed twice. "Young friend Chen, has your Soul Power grown so rapidly because of some special method? And is there also a method for obtaining a thousand-year second ring?"

He went straight to the point, unwilling to beat around the bush. He wanted to finish this quickly so he could take his daughter away.

Chen Yu stopped staring at Liu Erlong as well. Too much was as bad as too little. It would not be good if he truly enraged her; if he did not want a beating, he would have to reveal his strength.

He casually found a seat and sat down, then spoke directly as well. "My Soul Power grew quickly because my master prepared medicinal baths and pills for me, but my master never told me what medicines were used."

"As for the thousand-year second ring, I do know. I can tell..."

Chen Yu suddenly stopped speaking. His eyes fixed on the doorway, then he glanced once more at Liu Erlong, whose eyes remained closed.

The others also curiously looked toward the doorway.

Once they saw who stood there, they too turned to look at Liu Erlong. The show that had just stopped was about to begin again.

Yu Luomian naturally saw the person standing in the doorway as well and helplessly closed his eyes.

Fuck, what kind of mess was this?

The person at the door was Yu Xiaogang. Having only recently recovered, he had come today to bid the dean farewell. He planned to leave Nuoding Academy to find his good brother Flender, but he had not expected to see his second uncle and Liu Erlong here.

Chen Yu behaved himself and said nothing. He could use the rumors as an excuse for provoking Liu Erlong earlier, but if he dared speak now, he would be completely disregarding the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. Being too reckless would not be wise.

For a moment, the room was unusually quiet. Yu Xiaogang neither left nor entered, merely standing in the doorway and looking at Liu Erlong.

In the end, Yu Luomian was the one who could no longer bear it. He coldly said, "Get in here."

This was the perfect chance to complete the task his elder brother had assigned him and make Liu Erlong and Yu Xiaogang settle things once and for all.

Hearing her father's voice, Liu Erlong opened her eyes, wanting to see who had made him angry.

The moment she opened them, she saw the person she had longed for day and night. Joy appeared on her face, and she wanted to rush over, but she felt a cold gaze shooting at her from the side and forcibly stopped herself.

Remembering what her father had said before they came—that she was to make a clean break with Yu Xiaogang—she found herself unable to say it. So she simply closed her eyes again.

Seeing the shameless look on his daughter's face, Yu Luomian was helpless. There was nothing he could do; he could not control her. He turned and shot Yu Xiaogang another vicious glare.

Yu Xiaogang braced himself and walked in. He had heard the earlier rumors as well. It was already fortunate enough that his second uncle had not come to trouble him, but now that he had delivered himself to him, would his second uncle break his legs?

And why were there so many important figures here? Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo, Sect Master Ning of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, and so on.

What could a tiny Nuoding City possibly have that warranted these important figures coming in person?

His gaze inadvertently fell upon Chen Yu, and he instantly understood why these people had come. The thousand-year second ring—they had definitely come for the thousand-year second ring.

Hah, Liu Erlong, you're such a coward.

Chen Yu silently mocked Liu Erlong.

"Seniors, I can tell you how to obtain Spirit Rings with higher cultivation levels."

"But I won't tell you for free. Let's treat this as a transaction. Payment and goods exchanged simultaneously."

"You don't need to bid against one another. The price is the same for everyone: ten million Gold Soul Coins per force. What do you think?"

Everyone was quite satisfied with the proposal. Ten million Gold Soul Coins was nothing; any of their forces could easily afford it.

Before Ning Fengzhi and the others could speak, Yu Xiaogang, who had just entered, stepped forward.

"Chen Yu, how can you be so selfish? You should make the method public and benefit everyone in the world."