Exposing His Identity

Da Dou Shi!

And such a young Da Dou Shi at that!

What made Hai Bo Dong feel even more astonished and puzzled was that he was certain this was the first time he had met the young man before him, yet for some inexplicable reason, he felt an indescribable sense of closeness, as if the aura on their bodies came from the same origin.

But he could be certain that he had never taught his cultivation method to anyone. Many years ago, some Ice Attribute juniors of the Mite'er Family had waited on him with all kinds of attentiveness, but even then, he had never relented.

The Ice Emperor Scripture was not to be passed to mediocrities!

"The maps are all on the counter. Pick them yourself. If you can't find what you're looking for, come ask me."

Suppressing the doubt in his heart, Hai Bo Dong showed no intention of specially getting up to make introductions. He merely greeted him in a flat tone.

He decided to observe a little longer.

Chen Xiao nodded slightly and was in no hurry to force things. This follow-up had already been delayed for so long; a few more moments made no difference.

Besides, Jia Nan Academy's enrollment team would not arrive for nearly another half a year. Chen Xiao had plenty of time to spend.

In addition, to complete this follow-up, Chen Xiao had long since prepared a full seven plans from A to G. Coming here directly today was merely to show his face.

Without wrangling with Hai Bo Dong, Chen Xiao began choosing in the shop like an ordinary customer.

The Tagor Desert could also be considered a rather suitable place for training. Preparing a detailed map in advance was very necessary here; only then would he avoid getting lost in the desert.

After looking over all kinds of maps for a while, Chen Xiao chose the most exquisite and detailed one. He did not rush to pay, continuing to wander around the shop.

Soon, beside an ancient-looking wooden shelf in the corner, some yellowed maps piled there casually drew Chen Xiao's attention.

The surfaces of these maps all showed signs of damage, as if they were failed products from the mapmaking process.

Chen Xiao flipped through them casually, and a damaged picture only the size of a palm appeared in his line of sight in a perfectly natural manner.

With just one glance, Chen Xiao could confirm that this Fragment Map came from the same source as the one he had obtained in the Stone Chamber in the Magical Beast Mountain Range. It was merely exactly half the size.

Knowing full well that Hai Bo Dong had deliberately placed it here as bait, while another smaller half was hidden away somewhere, Chen Xiao smiled and put it back in its original spot untouched.

No rush.

If he was going to take it, he had to take the half Hai Bo Dong had hidden away as well. Otherwise, it would be meaningless.

At the counter, Hai Bo Dong seemed to be busy drawing a map, but his mind had been fixed on Chen Xiao the entire time, observing him. He did not even care that the map in his hand had been drawn crooked and twisted.

When he saw Chen Xiao discover the bait he had set out, Hai Bo Dong's eyes narrowed slightly.

But seeing that Chen Xiao seemed to have no interest in that Fragment Map, he could not help shaking his head inwardly.

He had probably overthought it.

He had tossed that Fragment Map in the shop for many years, and people often found it, but in the end they all discarded it like worn-out shoes.

No one knew that back then, for the sake of this Fragment Map, he had taken a trip to the edge of life and death. His current appearance had been caused by that battle all those years ago.

Unfortunately, although he had obtained the Fragment Map, he had studied it for many years without gaining anything.

Otherwise, he would not have taken it out to fish with.

"Old sir, how many gold coins?"

Chen Xiao walked over with the map he had chosen.

Hai Bo Dong glanced casually at the map and answered offhandedly, "Five hundred is fine. Two hundred is fine. You can take it for one hundred too."

?

There were people who did business like this?

Chen Xiao was stunned.

But on second thought, Hai Bo Dong had not opened this Map Store to make money in the first place.

With his connection to the Mite'er Family, gold coins held no meaning for him.

Once Chen Xiao understood that, he no longer found it strange. He took out one hundred gold coins from his Storage Ring and paid.

However, Hai Bo Dong did not even look at the gold coins piled on the counter. Instead, he stared straight into Chen Xiao's eyes.

"Young man, are you not curious? Or is it that you know Old Man very well?"

Having failed to see any clues from his earlier observations, Hai Bo Dong finally could not resist speaking up to probe him.

The moment Chen Xiao heard this, he immediately realized that his reaction just now had been too quick and had exposed a flaw, giving the other party an excuse to test him.

These old fellows were all thousand-year foxes that had become spirits.

A single sentence, a look, a small movement—any of them could have a deeper meaning.

Compared to them, he really did still need more practice!

His thoughts raced, and Chen Xiao swiftly abandoned Plan A, which involved slowly making contact.

Plan B, activate!

Immediately, Chen Xiao took out a VIP Card made of crystal by the Mitre Auction House from his Storage Ring.

Over the past few years, Chen Xiao had done quite a lot of business with the Mitre Auction House in Wu Tan City, so naturally, he had long since obtained VIP status.

Moreover, he had also learned that the VIP Cards issued by the Mite'er Family had a total of five ranks.

The one in Chen Xiao's hand was neither high nor low, just right at the third rank.

"I wouldn't say I know much, but I often deal with Mitre Auction House and once happened to see a portrait. According to them, the person in the portrait was the Ice Emperor, one of the Ten Great Experts of the previous generation in the Jia Ma Empire. And that person bore a sixty-percent resemblance to you, sir."

When away from home, one could not be too honest. One had to learn how to make things up on the spot.

In any case, as long as there was no way to verify it, no one could be certain you were lying.

Hai Bo Dong thought for a moment. He had hidden himself in Mo City for many years and had never contacted the Mite'er Family. Many people probably thought he had already fallen.

But knowing Teng Shan's nature, as long as he had not seen Hai Bo Dong's corpse, he definitely would not give up searching for him. Afterward, he would have portraits drawn and distributed to the Mitre Auction Houses in every city. Put that way, it could just barely make sense.

In addition, Chen Xiao's clothing and that fair, delicate skin were enough to prove that he had indeed come from the other side of the Magical Beast Mountain Range.

So his words had about thirty to forty percent credibility.

"You've mistaken me for someone else. Old Man is no Ice Emperor."

Hai Bo Dong had no plans to return to the Mite'er Family for the time being, and he denied it without even thinking.

Otherwise, if the mercenaries in the shop heard it and spread the news, he dared to be certain that within three days, Teng Shan would personally come looking for him.

The thought was fine, but Chen Xiao did not care about any of that.

Since he wanted to lay things out in the open, there was no point in being evasive.

"Originally, I wasn't sure whether you were the Ice Emperor or not. After all, in my perception, you are only a Dou Ling. But your probing just now made me another three parts certain. It's just that I can't understand it either—why would the Ice Emperor, once so stunning in legend, become so frail that he doesn't even dare reveal his identity openly?"

Why had it become like this?

Wasn't it simply because he had been sealed?

Chen Xiao's words instantly made Hai Bo Dong think of that unbearable past, as well as the woman in the desert who had terrified him so deeply that he never dared take another step into the desert again.

Once this scar was torn open, it hurt. It hurt too much!

Dangerous words spilled from Chen Xiao's mouth, yet the Dou Qi inside his body had already begun circulating quietly.

In the shop, those mercenaries who looked as if they were choosing maps but had long since pricked up their ears to enjoy the gossip could not help raising their heads in shock when they heard Chen Xiao speak with such certainty.

Hai Bo Dong glanced at them, his expression slightly cold.

With a sweep of his sleeve, the shop doors flew open, and his sharp gaze fell on the mercenaries. His meaning could not have been clearer.

Seeing this, the mercenaries no longer dared keep enjoying the show. One after another, they put down the maps and scrambled for the door.

Whether it was the aura Chen Xiao was revealing at this moment or this shop owner who was suspected to be the Ice Emperor, both made them feel immense pressure.

If they did not run now, they would inevitably be caught in the crossfire.

Very soon, inside the not particularly spacious shop, only Chen Xiao and Hai Bo Dong remained.

"Young man, you deliberately exposed Old Man's identity. What are you after? State your purpose!"

No more pretending. Time to lay the cards on the table.

After casting off his disguise, Hai Bo Dong's aura suddenly changed. Even his gaze became sharper, and a Dou Ling-level presence flickered in and out around him.

Chen Xiao seemed not to feel the slightest pressure. He smiled faintly and stated his objective.

"I want to make a deal with the Ice Emperor!"