"Sit tight. I'm about to show off!"
Ling Feng crossed his legs and gave Ya Fei a deliberately profound look. "I lack all sorts of things, but money isn't one of them. If money can solve a problem, it isn't a problem."
With that, Ling Feng raised his right hand to his forehead, then winked his right eye at Ya Fei.
Ya Fei's serious expression instantly crumbled at his sudden antics, and she burst into an irrepressible giggle.
"You look beautiful when you smile."
"Smooth talker!"
Ya Fei rolled her eyes at Ling Feng coquettishly, but a smile remained on her face. Clearly, her words belied her feelings. No woman disliked hearing a man call her beautiful.
Ling Feng saw it all and smiled inwardly. Around Ya Fei, he felt inexplicably at ease. Perhaps that was the magic of liking someone.
Their smiles faded, and the two fell silent.
Then Ya Fei lifted her head slightly to look at Ling Feng and suddenly said, "That man in black is extremely powerful. His strength probably far exceeds that of a Da Dou Shi. You'd better not draw too much attention to yourself."
Ling Feng's expression darkened at her words, but he failed to notice the trace of concern in her voice.
"The Xiao Clan and I cannot live beneath the same sky. I must avenge my grudge. Whether it's worth it doesn't enter into it. As for that man in black, I know his background, and I'm confident I can handle him."
Ling Feng looked at Ya Fei with complete confidence. "Miss Ya Fei, I'll leave all this Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid in your hands, provided you follow the conditions I gave you earlier. You don't need to give me the gold coins from the sales. Consider them my apology to you."
Hearing that the apology was meant for her rather than the Mittel Auction House, Ya Fei inexplicably blushed. The meaning beneath Ling Feng's words was plain as day.
But when she thought of the profits the Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid represented, Ya Fei shook her head and refused. "That's a million gold coins. I can't accept it."
"I told you, I lack all sorts of things, but not money. Besides..."
Ling Feng gazed at Ya Fei tenderly. "To me, a million gold coins aren't worth even a single strand of your hair."
Thump!
Her heart suddenly fluttered. Ya Fei lowered her head, seemingly afraid to meet Ling Feng's burning gaze. But she soon looked up again and teased, "Hehe... Little Brother Ling Feng, you certainly have a sweet tongue. I bet you've fooled quite a few girls with it."
Ling Feng gave her a faint smile without answering, then changed the subject instead. "Miss Ya Fei, would you be willing to make a deal with me?"
Seeing that Ling Feng had dropped their previous topic, Ya Fei secretly breathed a sigh of relief, yet she also felt an inexplicable twinge of disappointment.
"What sort of deal?" At the mention of business, Ya Fei grew serious.
"I want the Mittel Auction House to cut off all dealings with the Xiao Clan. Naturally, I'll offer compensation of equal value."
Ya Fei's delicate brows furrowed at his words, and she said with some difficulty, "Ling Feng, the Mittel Auction House has a rule against taking part in conflicts between clans. If we agree to your request, we'll inevitably become embroiled in your struggle with the Xiao Clan. That goes against our rules."
"I can supply the Mittel Auction House with third-rank pills," Ling Feng said calmly.
"Ling Feng, this isn't a question of pills." The temptation of third-rank pills made Ya Fei's delicate hands tremble involuntarily, but she still struggled to hold to her principles.
"Fourth-rank pills are no problem either, as long as you have the formulas."
Ling Feng raised his offer again.
This time, Ya Fei visibly wavered. Her long, beautiful eyes slowly closed, and she drew in a breath of cold air. After a long while, she opened them again and smiled bitterly. "Ling Feng, you win. From now on, the Mittel Auction House will no longer have any dealings with the Xiao Clan."
Although the Xiao Clan had an expert of unknown rank backing them, which gave Ya Fei some misgivings, Ling Feng stirred an urge in her to gamble. Besides, she kept feeling that there was more to him than met the eye, and that prompted her to place her bet on him.
"Hehe... You certainly won't regret today's decision."
Ling Feng grinned. Ya Fei lounged lazily in her chair and replied, "I hope you're right."
Now that she had made her decision, Ya Fei would not regret it.
"There's one more small favor I'd like to ask of you."
"Hmph, you really do have a lot of demands."
Ling Feng's latest request earned him an exasperated complaint from Ya Fei, but she still said, "Go ahead. We're in the same boat now, after all, so long as it's something I can help with."
"I need a large supply of cultivation resources: magic cores, pills, and preferably high-grade medicinal ingredients. The higher the grade, the better. Don't worry about the gold coins. I have plenty."
As he spoke, Ling Feng waved the Storage Ring on his hand, and a huge pile of gold coins covered an area of ten square meters. "I don't know how many gold coins there are here. Count them yourself. If it isn't enough, just let me know."
Looking at the mound of gold coins, a full two meters high and towering like a small mountain, Ya Fei's eyes widened slightly, and she swallowed involuntarily.
She turned to Ling Feng. His obscene wealth had overturned everything she thought she knew, and she could not help asking, "Did you dig up some treasure trove? How can you treat gold coins so casually?"
Seeing her large, curious eyes turn toward him, Ling Feng deliberately teased her with a grin. "My family runs the Bank of Heaven and Earth. Gold coins and the like are mine to spend as I please."
Missing Ling Feng's joke, Ya Fei shrugged slightly and said offhandedly, "More nonsense. I have no idea what you're talking about..."
What Ya Fei did not realize was that, for Ling Feng at that moment, gold coins were something he could produce at the flick of a hand. Thus, although his words were a joke, they were also true.
The affair at the Mittel Auction House had come to an end, but a wave of heated discussion swept through Wutan City. Naturally, the topic was the uproar over the "Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid" that Ling Feng had caused.
Ling Feng's commotion had made it known throughout the city. Naturally, the Xiao Clan was the first to bear the brunt.
The Xiao Clan's council hall.
"Damn it! Our Xiao Clan's business has plummeted these past few days. Even our former trading partners have stopped working with us. Those two old bastards, Jia Lie Bi and Oba Pa, have seized the chance to put pressure on us, too. Jia Lie Bi in particular-that old bastard is far too brazen! How dare he steal our business so openly!"
Inside the hall, the Xiao Clan First Elder pounded the table in fury, his face livid. Tea splashed from his cup across the tabletop.
"The flow of customers through our marketplaces has already dwindled badly. The merchants who remain are terrified by all this turmoil, and quite a few have secretly moved to the Jia Lie Family's marketplaces. At this rate, I'm afraid our marketplaces will have to close in another half month." Seated below, the Second Elder also wore a grim expression as he spoke through gritted teeth.
Beside the Second Elder, the Third Elder suddenly interjected, "Clan Leader, I heard this matter has something to do with your son, Xiao Yan. Is that true?"
"I asked Yan'er. He doesn't know anything about it at all," Xiao Zhan said from the seat of honor, shaking his head.
"Xiao Zhan, you need to get to the bottom of this. If it really is Xiao Yan, perhaps that man in black backing him can help us."
Xiao Yan happened to be passing by and overheard Xiao Zhan and the elders' conversation. At the First Elder's final words, Xiao Yan touched the Storage Ring tucked against his chest and slowly withdrew.
The curtain quietly rose on a dark storm...