Spending Money Was Too Damn Satisfying

"What are you doing?" The teacher who had only left a short while ago heard the earthshaking roar from this side and specifically rushed back.

What he saw, however, was that all the Iron Wood Benches that had been arranged for sitting had somehow ended up in the Martial Arts Arena. At that moment, more than a dozen people were desperately rushing forward as though they were trying to save someone.

They were utterly baffled. What exactly had happened? Could Iron Wood Benches collapse and bury someone? It had only been such a short time—could someone tell them what had happened? "That was too damn satisfying..." Gao Ren had had a blast throwing them and was still looking around with lingering reluctance, searching for more Iron Wood Benches.

"Mm, mm, I hit him several times. That felt great." Tie Ta grinned and nodded vigorously as well.

"Enough enjoying yourselves. Hurry and leave, the teachers are here." Seeing that the two were still reluctant to stop, Ren Jie hurriedly dragged them out of the Martial Arts Arena.

They were not the only ones. Many others also came to their senses, and whether they had managed to grab money or not, they quietly slipped away.

"W-what? 150,000 taels? You mean you... actually threw away all 150,000 taels of gold?" After returning to their quarters and hearing that Ren Jie had thrown away the entire next month's expenses, including the maximum amount he had advanced, Gao Ren was instantly dumbfounded.

He had been planning to buy plenty of Medicinal Materials and had even thought up many new dishes. It was over—what were they supposed to do now? "You can't catch a big fish without using small bait. Besides, we just won 500,000 taels of gold." Ren Jie now understood that Jade Coins were the true circulating currency in this world. Silver and gold existed in enormous quantities and served as common currency. In Ren Jie's mind, silver was like cents from his previous life, gold was like dimes, and Jade Coins were the actual dollars. But in terms of purchasing power, it was roughly comparable to the 1980s of the previous century. 500,000 taels of gold was enough for an ordinary family to live on for a lifetime.

But to truly important figures, it was merely 50,000 Jade Coins.

"It would already be good if Gao Fei didn't come after us desperately. You still expect him to give you 500,000 taels of gold?"

"What a joke. This family head is the head of a family—how could I fail to collect such a small sum?" Ren Jie had long made his plans. "What account is there to settle? He jumped up there himself and said he wanted to gamble. A bet was a bet, and he had to accept the loss. At most, the academy could say we damaged Iron Wood Benches, and we did not destroy many in total. I'm not afraid he'll default on the money either. There's an Imperial Court Banquet tomorrow. I'll directly ask the Gao Family head for it then."

An Imperial Palace banquet, directly demanding money from the Gao Family head—once Gao Ren imagined that scene, he immediately felt it was incredibly bold. But... it would definitely be fun.

Normally, Gao Ren hid in the academy and never went out, nor did he attend any banquets with Ren Jie. Yet for the first time in his life, he took the initiative to ask to go along. Naturally, Ren Jie did not mind bringing him.

Tie Ta had originally intended to leave after staying a while, but Ren Jie worried that Gao Fei's lackeys would not dare cause trouble at his place and might instead go after Tie Ta. So he had Tie Ta stay with him for now and follow him these next few days. Tie Ta had received his father's teachings since childhood and had long firmly believed that he would become Ren Jie's guard. He had no objections whatsoever to Ren Jie's words.

What happened in the Martial Arts Arena set the entire first year of Jade Emperor Academy ablaze. News soon spread that fortunately, the teachers had intervened in time to rescue him; otherwise, Gao Fei might truly have been in mortal danger. Everyone was discussing the matter, while Ren Jie, the very person who had set it all in motion, carried on as though nothing had happened.

The Five Great Families of Jade Capital City all possessed businesses spread across the land, with more trades than could be counted. Yet within Jade Capital City itself, the Imperial Palace stood at the center, while the old residences of the other four great families occupied the east, south, west, and north.

The Fang Family was located in the southern part of Jade Capital City. At this moment, the Fang Family was already in complete chaos.

Smash! Fang Tianen, the Fang Family head, fiercely hurled the teacup in his hand to the ground. His sword-like brows trembled slightly. Fang Qi was the daughter he had only had in middle age, despite already being over fifty. Moreover, she had always excelled in every respect and was regarded as the pearl in his palm. Yet now, she had actually been poisoned.

"What are all of you good for? It has already been a full day and night, and she still hasn't awakened!" The more Fang Tianen spoke, the angrier he became. He suddenly raised his head and glared furiously at a young man in his early twenties who had just come to report. "What kind of elder brother are you? Commander of the Imperial Guard, my ass—I say you are nothing at all! If your sister hadn't helped you get close to the Seventh Princess, would you be sitting in the position of Imperial Guard commander now?"

Fang Yan, commander of the Imperial Guard, was only in his early twenties, yet he was already one of the outstanding members of Jade Capital City's younger generation. Three years ago, he had graduated from Jade Emperor Academy. After training in the army for a year and repeatedly earning military merits, he returned and entered the Imperial Guards as a commandant. Over the following two years, he rose one step each year, and he had now become one of the twelve Imperial Guard commanders who held real power.

Last year, he had nearly won the title of Martial Arts Champion. Had that heaven-defying person not appeared at the time, he would not merely have taken second place in any other year. Furthermore, he was very close to the Seventh Princess. Rumor had it that he was highly likely to become the Imperial Son-in-Law, and would then become the youngest deputy commander of the Imperial Guards.

Fang Yan, looking exceptionally spirited in his armor, could neither laugh nor cry at Fang Tianen's scolding. What did this have to do with him? He had already found a way to invite the Imperial Physicians over at once. Although Fang Tianen was not his father, he was the Fang Family head. Fang Yan might have thought this in his heart, but his expression was full of guilt.

"It is all my fault. But the Imperial Physicians from the palace and the Miraculous Apothecaries of our family have no solution whatsoever. They can only temporarily stabilize her condition. The most urgent matter now is finding a way to save Sister Fang Qi. The Seventh Princess has already begged Your Majesty to bestow a Middle-Grade Life-Preserving Pill. The Imperial Physicians said it should buy us a few days, so we must race against time to find another solution." Fang Yan repeatedly nodded and admitted his fault, then carefully shifted Fang Tianen's attention elsewhere.

"A Middle-Grade Life-Preserving Pill..." Upon hearing this, Fang Tianen's expression eased slightly. He knew very well how precious a Middle-Grade Life-Preserving Pill was. Even the Imperial Palace did not possess many of them. This showed that Fang Yan had truly done his utmost.

"Even the Imperial Physicians are helpless, and the Middle-Grade Life-Preserving Pill can only delay things for a few days. Who dared strike with such a vicious poison..." Burning rage flared in Fang Tianen's eyes, and killing intent flickered. If he discovered who had done this, he would never let the matter rest.

"Family Head, based on the circumstances at the time and what the Imperial Physicians and our family's Miraculous Apothecaries have said, the person capable of concocting such poison is definitely no ordinary person. If that person truly wished to kill Sister Fang Qi, it would have been much easier than leaving us so helpless now. Therefore, that person likely did this deliberately. I believe we should publicly offer a reward. When the person who comes to cure the poison appears, that person will certainly be the poisoner." Though Fang Yan was young, being able to reach his position at this age was not simply because he was a Fang Family descendant.

Fang Tianen's voice was icy enough to freeze someone stiff. "The poisoner would still dare show himself?"

"At the very least, we have no other options right now. The reward might also draw some extraordinary person with unusual abilities. And if the poisoner has some purpose, whether seeking something from us or wanting to make some deal with the Fang Family, that person will naturally appear then. Meanwhile, we will also do everything we can..." Fang Yan knew Fang Qi's place in Fang Tianen's heart, so he was especially cautious with his words.

In truth, Fang Yan had earned Fang Tianen's regard because he had always stuck close to Fang Qi, currying favor with her and steadfastly supporting her.

Fang Qi had even discussed many matters with him beforehand. The schemes to exploit Gao Fei's impulsive nature, see if they could kill Ren Jie through childish quarrels and jealous rivalry, provoke conflict between the Ren Family and the Gao Family, and cause internal strife within the Ren Family—all of those plans had been devised by Fang Yan together with Fang Qi.

Therefore, when Fang Qi met with trouble, Fang Yan had to appear as though he were giving everything he had. As the person Fang Qi trusted most and her staunchest supporter, he had to make a display for everyone to see—for Fang Tianen, the Seventh Princess, and all the rest.

"It can only be so. Don't let me find out who laid hands on Qi'er, or I will absolutely never spare them. Bang..." Fang Tianen had just reached an enormous pillar that would take two people to encircle with their arms. He smashed his fist heavily into it. In an instant, the pillar was wrapped in a layer of frosty aura, then began cracking apart nonstop with sharp crackles. Fortunately, it was only one of the many pillars in the grand hall, and its collapse would not affect anything. Still, it made Fang Yan secretly shudder.

Even toward his two sons, Fang Yan had never seen Fang Tianen care this much.

"And continue following up on that information. If there truly is no other way in the end, we can only take a dangerous gamble."

What? Fang Yan's heart abruptly clenched. Only now did he realize that he had been wrong—terribly wrong. He had still underestimated Fang Qi's place in Fang Tianen's heart.

That item was a royal secret treasure. Fang Tianen was actually willing to set his sights on such a thing for Fang Qi's sake. Could it be that he truly intended to make her the family head...

"Yes." The shock in Fang Yan's heart was beyond measure, but none of it showed on his face. The moment Fang Tianen spoke, he hurriedly nodded in agreement.

As night gradually deepened, Gao Fei lay inside a massive and luxurious carriage. Though it was not a Spirit Beast Carriage, it was no less grand. Earlier, he had been battered by five thousand Iron Wood Benches in the Martial Arts Arena, like a violent storm.

"Ah... ahh... damn it, Ren Jie, you bastard! Just wait until this young master recovers—I'm not done with you..." Gao Fei groaned in agony. Dozens of bones in his body had broken, and quite a few places had been shattered. Although he had already taken life-preserving Medicine Pills and some medicinal concoctions, such injuries could not possibly heal in less than ten days or so.

"You shameless bastard, how could the academy let him off so easily?"

"He didn't dare come up himself, yet he used such despicable methods. Idiot, despicable..."

"Once I recover, I'll personally smash every bone in his body..."

As Gao Fei writhed in unbearable pain, groaning and cursing Ren Jie, another person sat quietly in a chair within the spacious carriage. He held an ancient scroll and read, with sandalwood incense curling beside him. He and Gao Fei, lying there, seemed to belong to two entirely different worlds.

"Brother... did the academy really not punish him at all?" Gao Fei cursed by himself for quite some time. Though he had already imagined dozens of ways to take revenge on Ren Jie after healing, he still could not let go of being incited by Ren Jie and then pelted with thousands of Iron Wood Benches. The academy had actually made no real response to the matter, which left him extremely unhappy.

The young man reading had a sixty to seventy percent resemblance to Gao Fei, but he appeared composed, dignified, and steeped in scholarly refinement. Only then did he slowly close his book and turn his head toward Gao Fei.

"What punishment do you want? You jumped onto the Martial Arts Arena yourself, and Ren Jie never said he wanted to fight you. You called him an idiot and a good-for-nothing here, yet you were outplayed by an idiot and a good-for-nothing. What do you think that makes you?"

"Brother, I..." Gao Fei immediately wanted to argue.

But when he saw the scholarly young man's expression darken slightly, his body tensed in fright, pulling at many injured areas. Pain made him bare his teeth, but he did not dare make a sound. Gao Peng was his own elder brother and only two years older than him, yet Gao Fei feared Gao Peng even more than their father. It was not only because his brother had been exceptionally intelligent since childhood and had placed second in last year's grand examination. Had a heaven-defying, monstrous person not appeared last year, Gao Peng would certainly have become the Civil Champion in any other year. More importantly, Gao Peng had now taken full control over Gao Family affairs and wielded immense authority within the family. Not only those of his own generation—some elders would rather see the family head than see Gao Peng.

"What do you mean, 'I'? Fang Qi played all of you in the palm of her hand, and you still don't realize it. Do you truly think she would fancy you? After getting beaten, you didn't report to the family first and instead knew enough to run away, did you? Once your injuries heal and the academy's grand examination is over, return to the family and enter secluded bitter training for three months. Do not come out until you reach Body Refining Realm Great Perfection."

The moment Gao Fei heard "secluded bitter training," tears nearly burst forth beyond his control. Bitter training in the family had always been terrifying, and after Gao Peng's modifications, it had become even more inhumanly unbearable. Three months of bitter training was practically like having a layer of skin peeled off. The flesh on Gao Fei's face, which had not yet fully swollen down, twitched continuously. His mouth opened several times, but he did not dare say anything before Gao Peng.

Only after seeing Gao Fei finally shut up did Gao Peng pick up his book again. Yet though his eyes were on the pages, his mind was considering the events of recent days. In his eyes, it was merely a group of children making trouble, but did Fang Qi's instigation of Gao Fei have a deeper purpose? If Ren Jie had truly died because of it...

And who had set fire to Fang Qi's residence? According to reports from the spies, Fang Qi should already have been poisoned. Who had poisoned her?

Ren Jie suddenly playing Gao Fei in the Martial Arts Arena was something that had never happened before. Was it an accident, or...

Had someone pushed things from behind after Gao Fei beat him, or was there something strange about Ren Jie? But if Ren Jie truly was strange, the first people to become anxious should be those few members of the Ren Family, shouldn't they?

Tomorrow was the banquet. He could use the opportunity to test Ren Jie. If Fang Qi's poisoning and Gao Fei's beating had both been Ren Jie's handiwork, then before leaving Jade Emperor Academy, Gao Peng should find a way to eliminate this hidden danger first. Only after clearing away these trash fish could he properly clash with that fellow Lantian in the imperial court...