Mr. Huang

Stellar Transformation World

Cao Bing woke from the antique bed. Three months had passed here since his first crossing, meaning that one month had passed since Qin Yu's coming-of-age ceremony. By the timeline, Qin Yu had already obtained the Meteor Tears.

But Cao Bing was helpless. If he had enough strength, he would have braved the danger and stormed Cloud Mist Villa to seize the Meteor Tears.

Yet he lacked that strength. Though he had trained diligently over the past three months and supplemented himself with medicine and ferocious beast meat from the Devouring Starry Sky World, his physical fitness had only barely reached the Intermediate Trainee Level.

Moreover, because the beast meat had altered his genes and constitution, Cao Bing's external cultivation was actually one tier below his physical fitness—only at the Houtian Early Stage.

As for his internal cultivation, it was still stuck at the Houtian Mid Stage Peak, stubbornly refusing to break through to the Houtian Late Stage. His progress was unimaginably slow.

This won't do! This body's physical fitness is falling further and further behind what the Devouring Starry Sky World requires. Ultimate techniques like the Nine Layered Thunder Saber simply can't be practiced by this body. My consciousness can keep up, but my body can't. Forcing it will only damage it. If that happens, I won't be able to gain double the time to train martial skills, and there'll be no point in staying here any longer.

Cao Bing pondered this, unable to suppress his frustration. The reason he had progressed so quickly before was that he could also practice saber techniques and movement techniques in the Stellar Transformation World.

But now that this body's physical fitness could not keep up, its help to the Devouring Starry Sky World had diminished by more than ninety percent.

I have to find a solution here! Cao Bing thought gravely.

"Uncle Chen, I'm heading out!" Cao Bing called out to Uncle Chen, who was still sweeping the floor, before turning and leaving the room.

Although his strength had not improved by much, Cao Bing was no longer the same as before. At the very least, he had made quite a bit of money. During this period, he had done plenty of cross-world trading. His wealth was now hundreds of times what it had once been; even in Yanjing City, he could be considered moderately well-off.

Inside an alley.

With every step Cao Bing took, his figure changed slightly. In the span of three to five steps, he transformed from a youth around 1.7 meters tall into a sturdy young man over 1.8 meters tall. With a little fake hair and a beard added, Cao Bing soon looked like someone who could not possibly be recognized as his former self.

The Bone-Shifting Skill could be considered the only truly meaningful secret manual Cao Bing had obtained during all this time.

Cao Bing moved swiftly and soon arrived before an ordinary-looking residence.

Knock, knock. Knock, knock, knock. Knock!

Following the rhythmic knocking, movement finally stirred within the house.

"Who's there?" a low voice came from inside.

"Buying wild game?" Cao Bing answered.

"Come in!" Upon hearing the correct code, the door finally opened from within, revealing an ordinary-looking young man in rough cloth clothes. He looked no different from an ordinary farmer.

Cao Bing scanned both sides of the street. Seeing no one, he hurried into the house, and the young man shut the door behind him.

"Mr. Huang!" After passing through the outer room, Cao Bing followed the young man into a secret chamber. A middle-aged man in a yellow robe was seated there, leisurely drinking tea.

"Haha, Boss Luo! It's been quite some time!" The middle-aged man's eyes lit up the moment Cao Bing entered. He set down his teacup and laughed.

"Mr. Huang, you remain as impressive as ever!" Cao Bing replied with a smile. This Mr. Huang was no simple man; in Cao Bing's current estimation, he was at least a Xiantian expert.

"Haha, Boss Luo, you're quite accomplished for someone so young. Come, have a seat!" Mr. Huang gestured for Cao Bing to sit and personally poured him a cup of hot tea.

His practiced movements showed that he had done this sort of thing many times. Mr. Huang was a merchant—at least on the surface. And since he was a merchant, harmony brought wealth. No matter how strong or weak his business partners were, he treated them with courtesy.

"I wonder what Boss Luo wishes to sell this time?" Mr. Huang asked with a beaming smile.

"Haha, since Mr. Huang is a businessman, you should know that business involves both buying and selling." Cao Bing smiled, then raised his tea and took a small sip.

"So Boss Luo has come to buy something this time?" Mr. Huang's smile did not fade.

"Then what would Boss Luo like to buy?"

"I want to meet someone." Cao Bing set down his teacup and looked at Mr. Huang across from him.

"Someone?" Mr. Huang looked at Cao Bing in confusion, only to find Cao Bing's gaze completely calm as he stared straight at him.

"Who?"

"Prince Zhen Dong!" Cao Bing's words were astonishing.

When those words reached Mr. Huang's ears, they struck like a bolt from the blue. His pupils shrank to pinpoints.

Only after a long while did he return to normal. He stared gloomily into Cao Bing's eyes before speaking in a low voice. "That won't come cheap."

"Not cheap, but it can be done, can't it?" Cao Bing smiled. It seemed his guess had been correct—this Mr. Huang truly was one of Prince Zhen Dong's men.

Thinking about it, it made sense. Prince Zhen Dong had considerable hidden power. He had the Heavenly Net organization responsible for assassinations, led by the elders Hui and Lan.

Then why could he not have other businesses operating in the shadows? Having an elder in yellow or something similar was not hard to understand. Besides, Mr. Huang was no ordinary man. Cao Bing had sold him goods worth over a million taels in total. For him to run such a large underground trade network in Yanjing City, there was over a seventy percent chance that he was one of Prince Zhen Dong's men.

"What price do you intend to offer?" Mr. Huang asked in a deep voice.

"A price Prince Zhen Dong cannot refuse!" Cao Bing smiled confidently. The price he intended to offer was indeed one Qin De could not refuse.

"What is it?" Mr. Huang pressed.

"We'll discuss it when we meet," Cao Bing said.

"Fine!" Mr. Huang's expression shifted repeatedly. After hesitating for a long while, he finally said, "Ten days from now, at dusk, Mirror Moon Lake."

"Fine! See you then. And don't have anyone follow me. They won't be able to keep up."

Having received Mr. Huang's answer, Cao Bing rose and left without hesitation. Before departing, he turned back to remind Mr. Huang.

"Elder Huang, should we...?" After Cao Bing left, the young man from earlier walked to Mr. Huang's side and asked quietly.

"No need. Since he said that, sending our men after him would be useless!" Mr. Huang waved a hand, stopping the young man's intention, then fell into deep thought.

"What exactly does this man want by meeting the prince?"

Meanwhile, after leaving the residence, Cao Bing sped away and vanished in the blink of an eye. He circled Yanjing City several times, then ducked into another alley. After changing his appearance and wandering around for quite a while, he disguised himself a third time before finally returning to the martial arts hall.