My Secret Is Deadly—Are You Sure You Want to Hear It?

The decor on the fifth floor was completely different from that of the four floors below.

There were no display cases, no light shows, no dazzling array of equipment ornaments.

What met the eye was an entire wall of floor-to-ceiling windows, offering a panoramic view of Tianyuan City.

Rooftops,

tower spires,

distant mountains,

layer upon layer stretching into the distance like a magnificent painting of breathtaking scenery.

The floor was covered in some unknown beast hide, soft as cotton, and the air carried a faint scent of sandalwood.

When Jiang Chuan stepped onto the last stair, only one thought remained in his mind.

Being rich was great.

Xing'er stopped half a step ahead of him and bowed slightly without continuing forward. Turning her head, she gave Jiang Chuan a standard professional smile. "Mr. Jiang, the Pavilion Master is already waiting for you inside."

"The Pavilion Master?"

Jiang Chuan paused. "You didn't mention that before."

Xing'er smiled. "You are Artisan Pavilion's newest diamond member. Naturally, you should be received personally by the Pavilion Master. Mr. Jiang, rest assured, the Pavilion Master is a very nice person."

Jiang Chuan thought that had nothing to do with whether she was nice or not. He had only come to sell a few pieces of gold equipment and did not want to make things too complicated.

Still, he said nothing more. He nodded and walked straight into the fifth-floor hall.

At the far end of the hall, near the floor-to-ceiling windows, stood a long table.

The woman beside it rose upon hearing his footsteps.

She was tall and slender, dressed in a dark purple gown. A light veil covered her face, revealing only her eyes and a small patch of skin on her forehead. Her emerald eyes were as clear as autumn waters beneath a cloudless sky.

"Mr. Jiang, I have heard much about you."

Her voice was younger than Jiang Chuan had imagined. "I am Yuan Ziyi, the Pavilion Master of Artisan Pavilion. Forgive me for receiving you so abruptly."

Jiang Chuan replied calmly, "Pavilion Master Yuan is too courteous. I'm only a junior. How could I dare trouble you to receive me personally?"

"Mr. Jiang is too modest."

Yuan Ziyi smiled, and her veil shifted slightly. "Please, have a seat."

Yuan Ziyi got straight to the point without beating around the bush. "Mr. Jiang, have you come to do another deal with us today?"

Jiang Chuan did not beat around the bush either.

He took two pieces of equipment directly from his backpack.

They were two gold-grade items: a two-handed heavy sword and a shield, both in fine condition.

They were not top-tier items, but in a place like Tianyuan City, they were absolutely solid goods that would never be difficult to sell.

Yuan Ziyi's gaze swept over the two pieces of equipment.

Her brows rose slightly.

What surprised her was not how good their attributes were, but the fact that Jiang Chuan had managed to obtain them.

She had already investigated Jiang Chuan. He was an F-rank dismantler from a poor background, with neither money nor status. What channel could he possibly have had to acquire gold equipment?

"These two pieces of equipment are both of excellent quality, especially this shield."

Her gaze settled on the shield. "Although it is only a first-tier gold item, its craftsmanship is flawless and its materials exceptional. It could fetch a good price on Tianyuan City's market."

"Just give me an appraisal price, Pavilion Master Yuan."

Jiang Chuan lifted his teacup and took a sip. The tea was slightly bitter upon entry, but its sweetness came quickly afterward. Warmth slid down his throat, leaving his whole body far more comfortable.

"Seven hundred thousand for the shield. The two-handed sword will be slightly cheaper—I can offer six hundred thousand."

Yuan Ziyi named a price.

After hearing it, Jiang Chuan nodded without changing expression. The price was already much higher than he had expected.

"Deal."

Yuan Ziyi smiled faintly and picked up a small bell from the table, giving it a shake. Xing'er quickly appeared and collected the two gold items.

Before long, the payment arrived in Jiang Chuan's account. Seeing all those zeros after the number put him in an excellent mood.

But he did not leave immediately.

Nor did Yuan Ziyi seem eager to send him off.

Jiang Chuan said, "I also intend to buy some things to replenish qi and blood."

"That is easily arranged."

Yuan Ziyi did not even ask what he wanted. With a simple instruction, Xing'er soon returned carrying an exquisite wooden box.

When the box was opened,

several items were arranged neatly inside:

There was lingzhi, ginseng, and several medicinal herbs he did not recognize. Even an outsider could tell they were of exceptional quality, not the sort that could be casually bought on the market.

"A hundred-year Snow Lingzhi and three-hundred-year Black Ginseng—both are excellent for nourishing qi and replenishing blood."

"And this."

Yuan Ziyi took a porcelain bottle from the box. "This is a Dragon-Tiger Pill produced by the Fountain of Youth. It is highly nourishing for older professionals suffering from a deficiency of qi and blood."

She deliberately mentioned older professionals, and her meaning was already obvious.

Jiang Chuan's expression remained unchanged.

"How much?"

Yuan Ziyi said, "They are only small things, not worth much. I heard Mr. Jiang's parents are in poor health. Consider them a small token of my regard."

Jiang Chuan looked at her for two seconds, then smiled. "All right. I'll thank Pavilion Master Yuan on behalf of my parents."

After three rounds of tea,

Jiang Chuan still did not rise.

He said calmly, "Pavilion Master Yuan did not come to see me personally just to make small talk."

Yuan Ziyi sat upright in her chair, her hands folded on her lap in an elegant posture. "Mr. Jiang truly is a clever man. There are indeed a few things I cannot figure out, and I wanted to ask you about them in person."

"Please go ahead."

Yuan Ziyi said, "I took the liberty of looking into your spending records. You have been a member of Artisan Pavilion for less than three days, yet your total spending has already exceeded one million."

"But according to my investigation, you are merely an F-rank dismantler who has just awakened, and your parents are only ordinary workers in Tianyuan City."

"How did you come to possess such a large sum of money?"

"Out of curiosity, I investigated further."

"I also discovered that you once sold a large quantity of materials at the Hundred Treasures Trading House under the name of the Blazing Fire Battle Group. The total value of those materials... happened to be around one million."

Jiang Chuan's expression did not change at all.

He had considered from the very beginning that spending so lavishly would inevitably draw scrutiny.

Being watched now

was merely the outcome he had expected.

However, after his detailed conversations with Xu Yinyin over the past three days, he had gained a rough understanding of where his strength stood.

At the very least, he could trade blows with a seventh-tier professional. In a small place like Tianyuan City, where the strongest experts were only seventh-tier, he could afford to be somewhat unrestrained.

He asked, "Pavilion Master Yuan suspects my items came from questionable sources?"

"I wouldn't dare."

Yuan Ziyi smiled. "These matters are your private affairs, and I have no right to pry into them. But there is one thing I have never been able to understand."

She leaned forward slightly, her veil drifting softly with the movement. "You also entered the Tree God Secret Realm, on the very day it was destroyed."

Destroyed?

Only now did Jiang Chuan realize just how great an impact clearing Nightmare difficulty had had on the Tree God Secret Realm.

"By coincidence, I was at the scene that day as well. Since you are an honored guest of Artisan Pavilion, I paid special attention when I saw the list."

"After the secret realm was destroyed, you disappeared along with it. At the time, I thought you had perished inside."

"Yet I never expected to see you again."

"You..."

"How exactly did you survive?"

Yuan Ziyi's eyes were filled with probing curiosity.

Jiang Chuan said, "That is my secret."

Yuan Ziyi smiled sweetly. "Everyone has secrets, and secrets happen to be the most valuable things in this world. I am a businesswoman. What I enjoy most is dealing with people who have secrets."

Jiang Chuan leaned forward. "What if my secret is deadly to you?"

Yuan Ziyi's smile stiffened. Then, without betraying anything, she clapped her hands lightly. "Mr. Jiang, there is no need to be so guarded. I merely wish to make a deal with you."

Before her words had even faded,

a towering, iron-pillar-like figure emerged behind her.

An oppressive aura as heavy as mountains erupted from the man and bore down directly upon Jiang Chuan. Yuan Ziyi intended to give him a show of strength.

"Heh."

Jiang Chuan gave a cold laugh, and his figure abruptly vanished, leaving only the chair beneath him trembling faintly.

The next moment,

a heavy muffled boom echoed throughout the entire fifth floor.

Boom!!

Jiang Chuan appeared again, having taken the burly man's place. With a single punch, he sent the man flying into the air and embedded him deeply in the wall, his fate unknown.

Jiang Chuan walked over to the stiffened Yuan Ziyi and gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "Pavilion Master Yuan, do you still want to hear my secret now?"