Discovering the Secret

Over ten minutes later, Chen Lie's communicator rang. He picked it up, saw it was Chen Gequn, and immediately answered.

"Hello, Chen Lie. I was in a meeting earlier and didn't see it. I heard from your mother that you were coming to Cloud River Province today. Have you arrived yet?"

Chen Gequn's voice came through the communicator.

"I'm right outside Lingfeng Group. Dad, could you bring out the Psionic Crystal Card for Yaoyao? I'll take it back for her."

"Alright, wait for me a moment. I'll be right out!"

After saying this, Chen Gequn hung up.

About ten minutes later, Chen Gequn walked out of the Lingfeng Group building.

"Chen Lie?"

"Dad!"

Seeing Chen Gequn, Chen Lie immediately walked over.

Upon seeing Chen Lie, Chen Gequn grabbed his arm and began leading him toward the interior of the Lingfeng Group building.

"Come on, let's go to the reception room and rest for a bit."

Seeing this, Chen Lie allowed his father to lead him into the Lingfeng Group building.

Once they reached the reception room in the first-floor lobby, Chen Gequn took out an exquisite box and handed it to Chen Lie.

"This is the Void-Breaking Fist Crystal Card I bought for your sister. This martial arts crystal card is in such high demand that it took a great deal of effort and connections for me to get my hands on it. You can take it back for Yaoyao."

"Alright." Chen Lie took the Psionic Crystal Card.

"Actually, you didn't have to come, as I'll be heading back in a few days myself."

"Heading back? Is something the matter?" Chen Lie asked.

Chen Gequn said, "Didn't your mother tell you? Your second uncle wants to use my military merits to exchange for a Blood Mist Flower for Chen Ye, and he wants me to go back and negotiate in person."

"Is that something worth negotiating?"

"It's better to go. Your second uncle has brought it up several times now, and avoiding him forever isn't a solution."

Chen Lie nodded. He knew his parents couldn't simply disregard family ties, even if his second uncle was less reliable than a neighbor.

"By the way, what are you doing in Cloud River Province?" Chen Gequn asked after a pause.

"I have some business here. I came with a friend," Chen Lie said.

"Do you have enough money on you? Do you need me to give you some?"

"No need, I still have some."

"Hmm, how long do you plan to stay in Cloud River Province? Should I find you a place to stay?"

Chen Lie replied, "No, I'm heading back today."

"Be careful on your way back. How did you get here?"

"My friend's cousin flew us here in an airship."

Chen Gequn asked Chen Lie a few more questions, then had him sit in the reception room for a while.

About half an hour later, Chen Lie felt he had stayed long enough and proposed to leave.

Chen Gequn said to Chen Lie, "I'll see you out."

Chen Lie nodded, and the two walked out of the reception room together.

As they reached the door, a "ding" sounded, and the elevator doors in the lobby suddenly opened. A girl of about sixteen or seventeen years old stepped out.

As the girl passed by the father and son, Chen Gequn greeted her.

"Young Miss."

"Hmm."

The girl didn't even turn her head, walking straight past Chen Gequn.

"Hmm?"

Suddenly, the girl caught a glimpse of the person she had just passed and felt he looked familiar, so she stepped back.

"Wait, you? Why are you here?"

The girl pointed her finger at Chen Lie.

Chen Gequn couldn't help but ask, "Young Miss knows my son?"

"He's your son?"

The girl's face was filled with disbelief.

At this moment, Chen Lie looked at Chen Gequn and said, "Dad, you don't need to see me out. I'll go by myself."

"Alright then, take care of yourself," Chen Gequn said.

Chen Lie nodded and walked out of the first-floor lobby of the Lingfeng Group building.

"Hey, wait!"

Seeing Chen Lie about to leave, the young girl hurriedly chased him out of the Lingfeng Group building and caught up to him.

"Something you need?"

Chen Lie turned back to ask. Wasn't this girl the same person he had encountered at the Divine Sense Master Association? Shen Feixue, he recalled.

"Uh... look, the three martial arts treasures you asked for are too much. They are all rare items that aren't easy to find. Could you settle for one less?" Shen Feixue said.

Chen Lie replied, "If you can't find them, then forget it. There's no need to haggle with me."

Shen Feixue was pleasantly surprised: "You agree?"

Chen Lie shook his head: "I don't accept any form of haggling. If you can't gather the three martial arts treasures I listed, there's no need for a transaction."

"Why are you like this?"

Shen Feixue put her hands on her hips, looking quite annoyed.

"One mental power exotic treasure in exchange for three martial arts treasures—anyone would think you're the ones coming out on top."

"Yet you come here to haggle with me, which makes me doubt the sincerity of your offer."

"If it weren't for you, the mental power exotic treasure would have been my sister Miaowei's sooner or later. You're getting two martial arts treasures for nothing, and you still say we lack sincerity?"

"Fine, then keep your martial arts treasures. I'm not trading!"

With that, Chen Lie bypassed Shen Feixue and walked straight away.

"Hey, stop!"

Seeing Chen Lie intending to leave just like that, the girl chased after him again to call him back.

But Chen Lie didn't even look back; he reached the bus stop and boarded a flying bus.

"Unbelievable, he actually ignored me!"

Shen Feixue burned with rage. In all her life, when had she ever been ignored like this by someone her own age?

"You brat, just you wait!"

Saying this, Shen Feixue took out her Communicator and dialed a call.

"Sister Miaowei, I've discovered a secret."

A pleasant, crisp female voice sounded from the Communicator: "What secret?"

"That kid named Chen Lie we saw at the Divine Sense Master Association earlier—I've discovered his background."

"What did you find, and how did you find it?"

"I saw it with my own eyes, right here at the group building!"

"The group building?"

"Yes, I saw it myself. It turns out that Chen Lie's father is an employee of our family's group."

"Is that so? That's great. With this connection, our transaction with Chen Lie will be even simpler and easier."

A cheerful voice came from the Communicator.

"Uh, he just said he wasn't going to trade anymore and wanted to cancel our deal."

"Cancel the deal? Why?"

"I told him that asking for three martial arts treasures in exchange for the Star Soul Tempering Vine was too much, and offered him two instead. He said we lacked sincerity and insisted on calling off the deal."

"You, really... I don't know what to say to you. Are you still at the building? I'm coming over to find you!"

A sigh came from the Communicator.

"I'm here."

"Good, I'll be there in a moment. Wait for me!"

Shen Feixue put away the disconnected Communicator and waited outside the Lingfeng Group building.

Before long, a luxury yacht landed in the plaza of the Lingfeng Group. As it touched down, the cabin door opened immediately, and Shen Miaowei stepped out.

"Feixue?"

"Sister Miaowei!"

Seeing Shen Miaowei, Shen Feixue gave a sweet smile and walked over.

Seeing Shen Feixue, Shen Miaowei couldn't help but shake her head: "You, oh you, I don't know what to say. Does our Shen Family really lack one such martial arts treasure? Was it necessary for you to step in and haggle?"

"Hmph, this isn't even about the martial arts treasure. His attitude toward me was too arrogant, and he wasn't respectful at all, as if he didn't even see me."

"Even when I chased after him to call him, he just said 'Something you need?' in that cold, indifferent tone. He didn't take me seriously at all."

Shen Feixue spoke with indignation.

Shen Miaowei thought for a moment: "Is he arrogant because of his talent? Aren't all geniuses like that?"

Shen Feixue said with disdain: "What kind of damn genius? His father is an employee of our group, which is the same as being a servant of our Shen Family. If this were a few hundred years ago, the son of a servant like him would have to kneel and kowtow to me, pay his respects, and call me mistress upon seeing me."