Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Jiang Chen finally realized what was wrong. He showed an interesting smile.
He threw Ji Ruxue a glance. She obviously was relieved when the problem
had been solved, and Young Master Xuan had left her a better impression.
By comparison, Jiang Chen wasn’t equal to Young Master Xuan at all, since
he didn’t really do anything helpful for the situation.
Ji Yinyi looked emotionless. Her response was also cold.
“My sister has brought you here to help us out, but what did you do? Now my
sister owes him a favor,” Ji Ruxue said in a low voice.
Young Master Xuan looked towards him, too. Showing an angry face, he said,
“I suppose you are Miss Ji’s fiancé? I don’t know who you are, but as lucky as
you, how could you allow others to treat Miss Ji like this?”
“Hehe.”
Jiang Chen really wanted to applaud for the sincerity he had showed. Rolling
his eyes, he said, “Did I allow them to treat her like this, or did you allow it?”
“What are you implying?”
“Don’t you think it weird that a Celestial Venerable and three Spiritual
Venerables were blackmailing us? Even if I gave them the 10% that they had
asked for, would it be enough for them to split it?”
Jiang Chen said, “This is how you gave yourself away.”
“Anything to do with me? Maybe they are just trying to sell more goods with
less interests. It still will be profitable, won’t it?” Young Master Xuan was
smart. He tried to wash his hands of it right away.
However, he wasn’t smart enough.
“So, you admitted they were blackmailing us, and you knew about it. However,
you came here pretending you had no idea of what was going on, and you
even put the blame on me. Why are you doing this?” Jiang Chen went on.
Jiang Chen had been digging a pit for him since the very beginning.
Young Master Xuan’s plan was almost perfect. Even Jiang Chen wasn’t 100%
sure that he was involved in it.
However, Young Master Xuan blew his cool and gave the game away.
“You knew what was going on in the shop?” Ji Yinyi asked him right away.
Young Master Xuan cursed to himself, but he tried to stay calm. He said, “The
inquiry fee is to prevent those who don’t mean to buy anything at all from
wasting the shop assistants’ time. That’s why the Elixir Association has
allowed it!”
Then looking at the shop manager, he said, “Why did you charge the inquiry
fee?”
The shop manager had thought he had finished the task, but then he was
struck dumb. Fortunately, he was smart enough to come up with a quick fix.
He said in anger, “Young Master Xuan, I didn’t mean to do that, but this guy
defamed Master Tao. He said this furnace was showy but not practical.”
It was easy to tell from Young Master Xuan’s look that he was satisfied with
his answer. Turning to look at Ji Yinyi, he said helplessly, “Miss Ji, did he say
that?”
Ji Yinyi and Ji Ruxue nodded.
“It’s okay not to buy it, but he shouldn’t have left such a comment. It was too
much,” Young Master Xuanji said.
“You mean it was just an excuse? Couldn’t it be true?” Jiang Chen said.
Young Master Xuan flicked his sleeves, as if he had anticipated Jiang Chen’s
reaction. He said proudly, “Master Tao is a class-seven alchemist. He is not
only capable but also experienced. You criticized a furnace designed by him.
Who do you think you are?”
He said the last six words in an extremely low voice. His tone didn’t sound
arrogant, but sounded disdainful and scornful.
“Another self-righteous guy,” Jiang Chen said helplessly.
“You don’t say uncle, do you? What if I invite Master Tao here? Do you dare
repeat what you said in his presence?” Young Master Xuan decided to make it
hot for him.
It was such a trifle thing. The two sisters of the Jis wouldn’t like to get an
alchemist involved.
“Hey, don’t make the Elixir Association hate me, okay?” Ji Ruxue’s
nervousness was even perceivable when she spoke through holy awareness.
“An alchemist should have the courage to question things. If you believe
whatever the authority says, you won’t be successful forever. Remember what
I’m telling you. This is your first lesson to be an alchemist.” Jiang Chen looked
towards her seriously.
While he was speaking, the people around him somehow all perceived the
unique energy emitted from him.
It had nothing to do with state, but he was really convincing.
“Okay. Let’s invite Master Tao over!”
Seeing Jiang Chen behave like this, Young Master Xuan wasn’t afraid to
make a big deal out of it. If Master Tao got angry and Ji Ruxue failed to join
the Elixir Association, they would ask for his grandpa’s help, and he would be
able to steal Jiang Chen’s fiancée by then.
“I’ll go to invite Master Tao over.”
The shop manager said actively. Master Tao gave the design to him, so he
was the best person to run this errand.
“You know what you should say?” Young Master Xuan said through holy
awareness.
“Trust me, young master.”
The shop manager certainly got what he meant. He went to Master Tao’s
residence as fast as possible. Master Tao’s servant took him to meet the
master, who was playing chess.
The manager knew he’d better not disturb Master Tao when he was playing
chess. But this time he had to break the rule. He ran to the master in a hurry,
pretending he was anxious.
“What’s up?” Master Tao was quite unhappy to see him. He didn’t want to go
on playing the chess anymore, since the manager had ruined his mood.
“Brother Tao, take your time. I can wait.” The person sitting opposite to him
smiled, not thinking it a big deal.
“Master, some customers came to my shop today. I recommended the rose
gold furnace you designed to them. However, one of them commented before
many people that the furnace was showy but not practical, and there was
nothing good about it. Then I thought, if I let him go, who else would buy the
furnace?”
The manager continued, “So I called some people over to stop him, but he
just kept saying the same thing, that the furnace was just so-so.”
“You made the furnace according to the design I had given you, didn’t you?”
Master Tao asked.
“Yes, master. The craftsmanship is the best,” the shop manager said.
Master Tao nodded. Then he got to his feet. Straightening his rumpled
clothes, he said casually, “Let’s go. I would like to meet this boastful guy.”
“Brother Tao, I’ll go with you,” his chess friend said with a smile.
“No problem. Elder brother, just feel free to go with me,” Master Tao said.
The shop manager was piqued with curiosity. As he knew, Master Tao was a
proud person. Staying in a great desolate land wasn’t good enough for him,
so he wasn’t quite happy here. And he was even aloof and arrogant.
However, he was being so nice to his chess friend. The manager wondered
who this person could be.
He threw Master Tao’s chess friend a glance. He looked about 40 years old.
But to take a closer look, he looked like a youngster in his twenties.
If he hadn’t heard Master Tao call the man elder brother, he would have
thought this man was the master’s son. It wasn’t impossible judging from his
appearance.
For the same reason, the manager felt more curious about him. He couldn’t
be a simple person.
…
Outside the shop, Young Master Xuan was still chitchatting with Ji Yinyi,
although she was quite cold to him. However, he was very confident
everything would go as planned.
Jiang Chen came up to them. Standing beside Ji Yinyi, their shoulders made
a gentle contact.
“Stay away from my fiancée,” Jiang Chen said.
This was the last thing Young Master Xuan wanted to hear. Gnashing his
teeth in anger, he gave Jiang Chen a stare.
“I’m curious to see what you will do later as her fiancé,” he said to Jiang Chen
through holy awareness.
“At least I’m strong enough to kill you,” Jiang Chen said.
“Anything you say.”
Young Master Xuan certainly didn’t believe him. They were both Spiritual
Venerables, and he was in the middle stage. He only thought this guy was
arrogant.
However, if he weren’t an arrogant guy, he wouldn’t have had something on
Young Master Xuan.
At this moment, the shop manager came back with Master Tao, along with
some onlookers, who had heard about the incident and wondered who the big
idiot was, because no matter whether he had told the truth, speaking it out did
him no good.
If it was true, how would Master Tao let go of Jiang Chen, since he was the
one that disclosed the master’s flaw?
If he was just lying, the consequence would be even more unpredictable.
