Yang Ye appeared within the room. Besides Bai Xiangyao, there was a middle aged man in luxurious robes who Bai Xiangyao bore some resemblance to. Obviously, he was her father.
“Young Master Yang?” There was surprise in Bai Xiangyao’s eyes. Obviously, she hadn’t expected him to suddenly appear here.
The middle aged man’s gaze had descended onto Yang Ye as well, and he was sizing up Yang Ye incessantly.
Yang Ye nodded slightly to Bai Xiangyao and said, “I’m sorry. I never expected that it would drag you into this.”
He hadn’t expected that the Thousand Crane Sect and Mo Clan had actually found out about the Imperial Cloud Shuttle and had even determined that it was Bai Xiangyao who’d lent it to him. However, it did make sense because he’d come to Sky Capital City on many occasions and had dealt with Bai Xiangyao in the past. With the Mo Clan’s strength, it made sense that they were able to determine Bai Xiangyao’s involvement.
She replied, “I was careless!” She too had never expected the Mo Clan and Thousand Crane Sect to find out and even pressure her Bai Clan.
The middle aged man spoke abruptly, “Kid, aren’t you afraid that I would capture you and hand you over to the Mo Clan and Thousand Crane Sect? After all, the Thousand Crane Sect wishes for nothing more than to eat your flesh and drink your blood now!”
Yang Ye replied with a question, “Would that benefit you in any way?”
The middle aged man replied, “Why not? If I capture you, the Mo Clan and Thousand Crane Sect will definitely be on friendly terms with my Bai Clan, and it’ll definitely benefit my Bai Clan’s future business with them!”
Yang Ye looked the middle aged man in the eyes and said, “I’m afraid you wouldn’t be alive to enjoy those benefits.”
The middle aged man gazed at Yang Ye for a short while before he said, “As expected of someone who has killed a Quasi Emperor. You aren’t even the slightest bit afraid when facing a Quasi Emperor as a Half-Saint. Alright, I’ll get straight to the point. I’m not interested in interfering with the nonsense between your White Deer Academy and both the Mo Clan and Thousand Crane Sect. Return the Imperial Cloud Shuttle and we won’t owe each other anything from then.”
Yang Ye spoke decisively, “I refuse!”
The middle aged man was stunned, “Kid, you are intending to act shamelessly?”
Yang Ye glanced at the middle aged man, and then he looked at Bai Xiangyao, “Miss Bai, I’m sorry for dragging you into this matter. I’ll get someone to send the Imperial Cloud Shuttle back in a while.”
Even though it was extremely important to him right now, he still intended to return it. He could act shamelessly towards his enemies, but he couldn’t do that to a friend. He treated Bai Xiangyao as a friend of his.
Bai Xiangyao replied, “There’s no need to do that for now!”
Yang Ye and the middle aged man were stunned, and the middle aged man hurriedly said, “Little girl, what nonsense are you spouting?”
Bai Xiangyao took a deep breath, and then she gazed at the middle aged man and said, “Father, that Imperial Cloud Shuttle belongs to me, so I have the right to choose who I borrow it to!”
The middle aged man spoke solemnly, “I gave it to you as your dowry for your marriage!”
Bai Xiangyao replied, “Right? So, it’s mine now.”
The middle aged man was exasperated, “You….”
Meanwhile, Yang Ye said, “Miss Bai, that isn’t necessary. Even if I don’t have that Imperial Cloud Shuttle, I can still lead those students back to the academy.”
The middle aged man glared at Yang Ye and said, “Kid, at least you have a heart!”
Bai Xiangyao shook her head slightly, “But I believe that you’ll be able to accomplish many things with its help. I’ve made my decision. If you treat me as a friend, then don’t speak another word about it.
The middle aged man said, “Little girl, are you trying to get your father in trouble?”
Bai Xiangyao gazed at the middle aged man and said, “Father, the Imperial Cloud Shuttle belongs to my Bai Clan, and it’s our right to lend it to whomever we like. Why should the Mo Clan and Thousand Crane Sect be allowed to order us around? Besides that, what does it have to do with the Li Clan and Fan Clan? If they say that our Bai Clan is dragging the merchant group down with us, then I’ll just withdraw from the merchant group!”
Withdraw from the merchant group? The middle aged man’s expression changed slightly upon hearing her, and a short while passed before he laughed bitterly, “You’re just like your sister. She likes to speak about withdrawing from the merchant group for every small thing.”
Bai Xiangyao stated, “The merchant group isn’t as harmonious as it used to be. What else are those old bastards good for besides scheming against each other? The harm to our Bai Clan from staying within the merchant group actually outweighs the benefits!”
“Don’t try to change the topic. I’ll deal with the matters related to the merchant group. Don’t worry, your father isn’t a weakling.” The middle aged man continued, “Now, let’s take about the Imperial Cloud Shuttle and this kid.”
Bai Xiangyao’s attitude was very firm, “There’s nothing to talk about. I’ve already lent it to him!”
The middle aged man said, “I respect your decision!”
Yang Ye and Bai Xiangyao were stunned upon hearing this. That fellow changed his mind?
As if he knew what they were thinking, the middle aged man said, “Do you know why I suddenly changed my mind? Because this kid takes you into consideration. That proves he isn’t a heartless and selfish person. To be a little more direct, his potential is huge, and he might be able to help our Bai Clan. Of course, if he was a selfish and heartless person, then I wouldn’t have agreed no matter how great his potential is. As our ancestor once said, if you intend to invest in a person, then consider character before potential.”
Bai Xiangyao spoke softly, “But what about the Mo Clan and Thousand Crane Sect?”
“They can’t do anything to me!” The middle aged man continued, “At the very most, we just can’t do business within their territory. As for the merchant group, can they remove me from my position? They wouldn’t dare to do so no matter how brave they are.”
Meanwhile, Yang Ye suddenly said, “Thank you!”
The middle aged man turned around to gaze at Yang Ye, “You think you’re very strong, right?”
Yang Ye replied, “It’s not bad!”
The middle aged man said, “You think I didn’t notice your presence just now?”
Yang Ye glanced at the middle aged man and said, “So what if you did?”
The middle aged man gazed at Yang Ye for a short while, and then he said, “Next time… next time let’s fight in single combat. I’ll allow you to realize that not all Quasi Emperors are as weak as that fellow from the Thousand Crane Sect. Just like you. Even though you’re a Half-Saint, not all Half-Saints are as strong as you. There’s a difference in strength between Quasi Emperors as well!”
As soon as he finished speaking, the middle aged man grunted before leaving the room.
Yang Ye was at a loss for words.
Meanwhile, Bai Xiangyao suddenly asked, “Young Master Yang, did you come here for something?”
Yang Ye nodded, and then he withdrew 10 spatial rings and passed them to her, “Look at these. See how much they are worth.”
Bai Xiangyao asked, “They are your spoils from the Thousand Crane Sect?”
Yang Ye nodded, “Will it cause you any trouble?”
She shook her head in response, “My Cloud Merchant Group never considers the origins of things that it buys. Please wait a moment. Let me have a look and appraise their value.” She moved aside once she finished speaking.
Meanwhile, the middle aged man’s voice suddenly arose within Yang Ye’s mind, “Kid, come out here for a chat!”
Yang Ye hesitated for a moment, and then he left the room. Bai Xiangyao glanced at Yang Ye, and then she pondered deeply for a moment before starting to inspect the contents of the spatial rings.
…
Outside the room.
Yang Ye walked over to the middle aged man’s side and asked, “Senior, do you need something?”
The middle aged man replied, “White Deer Academy can’t be saved. Are you interested in joining my Bai Clan? Don’t worry, so long as you agree, I’ll deal with the Mo Clan and Thousand Crane Sect for you!”
Yang Ye replied with a question, “Will you really accept me?”
The middle aged man remained silent for a short while, and then he smiled, “Indeed. If you abandon White Deer Academy right now, then I would really not dare to accept you. I refuse to foster an ungrateful bastard.”
At this point, the middle aged man spoke seriously, “To be honest, White Deer Academy is in a hopeless situation. At the very least, I don’t think there’s a way to turn the situation around. So, what is your plan?”
Yang Ye replied, “What else? They want to kill me, so I can only kill them!”
The middle aged man said, “If the Mo Clan really goes all out, then even the White Deer Academy before it split up wouldn’t be a match for them!”
Yang Ye replied with a question, “Senior, do you intend to assist my White Deer Academy?”
“Don’t even think about getting me to help!” The middle aged man continued, “My Bai Clan won’t allow itself to be dragged into the enmity between you and them. I’m just very curious about what your plans are for the future.”
Yang Ye replied, “I have no plans! I intend to fight to the very end!”
The middle aged man glanced at Yang Ye. He was about to say something, but Bai Xiangyao walked out from the room. She glanced at them, and then she walked over to Yang Ye, “According to my estimations, the treasures within those 10 spatial rings are worth around 50,000 violet crystals. But if you don’t sell them in one go and allow us to auction them off, then it might sell for 60,000 or even 70,000 violet crystals. However, we’ll take commission from the sale, and the merchant group should take around 5,000 violet crystals!”
“How can you do business like that!” The middle aged man laughed bitterly, “You revealed everything to him!”
Yang Ye shook his head and said, “I don’t have the time to wait for the auction to be conducted.”
“Then should I give you 50,000 violet crystals right now?” Bai Xiangyao continued, “But you’ll lose quite a bit like that.”
Yang Ye replied, “It is what it is. In any case, it’s still a profit for me!”
Bai Xiangyao grinned, “This is a huge deal for me. There’ll probably be no one who can compete with me in the performance evaluation this year.”
As she spoke, she turned around and left. It didn’t take long for her to return, and then she flicked a spatial ring to Yang Ye.
Yang Ye didn’t even inspect its contents before he said, “Senior, Miss Bai, I have many matters to attend to, so I’ll be bidding my farewells now.”
The middle aged man chuckled, “You can come here if you gain more treasures. We’ll take them all no matter how many you have!”
Bai Xiangyao glared at the middle aged man, and then she gazed at Yang Ye, “Be careful!”
“Farewell!” As soon as he finished speaking, Yang Ye’s figure vanished on the spot.
Bai Xiangyao looked ahead towards the distance while her jet black brows were knit slightly together, and she seemed to be lost in thought.
The middle aged man suddenly said, “Have you fallen for him?”
Bai Xiangyao immediately revealed a wisp of anger on her face, and she said, “What nonsense are you spouting?” She turned around and left once she finished speaking.
The middle aged man instantly heaved a sigh of relief, “That’s good. If you really fell for that fellow, then I can dream of living in peace throughout my lifetime. That kid’s a madman, and only the Nether Pavilion or Evil Faction are able to protect that madman.”
…
Yang Ye had just returned to the Imperial Cloud Shuttle when Qiu Yuan and Zi Nan came over to greet him, and they had extremely solemn expressions on their faces.
Qiu Yuan spoke solemnly, “The Mo Clan, Thousand Crane Sect, and Law Faction have started to attack the city!”
Yang Ye’s eyes instantly narrowed.
