Chapter 532 - One Hundred Eighty-Nine Too Slow
Chapter 532 of "Red Heart Patrols the Sky" opens introducing characters: 532: Chapter One Hundred Eighty-Nine: Too Slow 532: Chapter One Hundred Eighty-Nine: Too Slow No... Find out more!
532: Chapter One Hundred Eighty-Nine: Too Slow 532: Chapter One Hundred Eighty-Nine: Too Slow No matter what price others called, they would up it by a thousand Prime Stones.Such a wealthy and lavish gesture was enough to deter most competitors.
That was exactly the strategy Zhongxuan Sheng employed to âpersuadeâ other potential rivals who might be interested in the Seven-Tassel Flower to withdraw.
When the bidding reached three hundred and one thousand Prime Stones, a servantâs voice suddenly rang out from outside the door: âHey, hey, Master Bao, stop!â
Bang!
The door was kicked open, and Bao Zhongqing strode into the room.
âYou fat bastard, I knew it was you!â
The attendants of the Hundred Treasures Pavilion had intentionally revealed Zhongxuan Shengâs identity in advance, giving him time to react.
They couldnât possibly stop Bao Zhongqing, so this was their only way of warning.
But Zhongxuan Sheng showed no reaction, still lazily reclining in the armchair, not even bothering to move his behind.
He only lifted his hand: âHello there, Bao Mazi.â
Bao Zhongqing, carrying a storm of anger: âAre you deliberately targeting me?
You knew I was here?
Disgusting me?
Purposely driving up my bid?â
Behind him followed faces he knew all too well, Yanâer of the Covering Sea and the Twin Devils of Pingsi.
Perhaps they had made some progress in recent times because, upon entering the room, they looked at Jiang Wang as if eager to wash away their former shame.
Meanwhile, Jiang Wang was still puzzling over the matters of the Performance Dao Platform, with no time to bother with this farce.
He simply flicked out a flame flower, which silently exploded in mid-air; yet the firelight didnât disperse but instead intertwined to form a Flame Sparrow.
The delicate and lifelike Flame Sparrow flapped its wings before landing on Jiang Wangâs outstretched finger, bowing its head to preen its feathers.
Jiang Wang caught the Flame Sparrow with a reversal of hand and extinguished it within his palm.
Yanâer and the Twin Devils of Pingsi instantly averted their gaze, demure and submissive, showing impeccable obedience.
This move by Jiang Wang demonstrated his astonishing control over the fire Dao Technique.
They were making progress, but Jiang Wangâs growth was even more terrifying.
Back outside Xia Mountainâs Villa, they could still exchange a few moves with Jiang Wang, but now they probably didnât even have the qualifications to face him!
Before exploring the Fire Totem and studying the Fire Origin Scripture, Jiang Wang indeed couldnât achieve such a level of control.
The battle with Zuo Guangshu was also very enlightening to him.
However, he was only doing this now to avoid trouble.
He had already slapped Bao Zhongqingâs face before and had no motivation to hit him again.
After displaying this skill, he resumed his contemplation.
The few hundred Prime Stones he had spent only yielded secret techniques that accounted for a mere sixty-five points of Law, barely increasing his total to two thousand three.
But disregarding their rarity, the quality of these few secret techniques was hardly worth the stones.
The rules related to the Taixu Illusion Realm Performance Dao Platform clearly favored originality in someoneâs own cultivation techniques and secret techniques.
On the other hand, the âclashâ between top heirs of Linzi continued.
Facing Bao Zhongqingâs fierce momentum, Zhongxuan Sheng just smiled and asked, âCanât call the price anymore?
Short of cash, Master Bao?â
These provocative words, instead, calmed Bao Zhongqing down, especially since he had a good eye and understood that Jiang Wangâs strength had increased since their last encounter, and his men wouldnât stand a chance.
Of course, he wouldnât show any fear on his face, only coldly said, âIt seems youâre wealthier now after warring with Wang Yiwu, not the same Zhongxuan Sheng that left an auction empty-handed.â
He was poking at Zhongxuan Shengâs âold scar,â as there had been a time when Zhongxuan Sheng participated in an auction, declared a must-win on an item he desired, only to be outbid with Prime Stones by someone else.
That incident became one of the clear proofs of Zhongxuan Shengâs lack of influence.
The Bao family and Zhong Xuan Family had been rivals for generations, each well-versed in âmutual harm.â
âFour hundred thousand Prime Stones!â Bao Zhongqing shouted.
The attendant dedicated to serving him immediately went to update the bid, while the attendant serving Zhongxuan Sheng looked at him and, without hesitation, added another thousand.
Life-extending treasures come in two types: those that can surpass oneâs lifespan limit, and those that cannot.
Naturally, the former is much more precious and harder to come by than the latter.
Everyone has a lifespan limit, but due to illness, depletion, etc., hardly anyone lives out their entire natural span.
Most life-extending treasures are actually âcompensatingâ for the lifespan.
The Yearn Life Pill and Lifespan Fruit that Jiang Wang had consumed were of this type.
If your lifespan was deficient by ten years and you consumed twenty yearsâ worth of Lifespan Fruit, it could only make up for those ten years and could not possibly extend beyond the lifespan limit.
The Seven-Tassel Flower also belonged to this category.
Though also very valuable, its current price had already overflowed by too much.
In the business of buying and selling, such events occasionally happen where buyers flaunt their wealth in a fit of anger, willing to throw a fortune.
Itâs a matter of face, not caring about the value of the items but seeking to overwhelm the opponent.
It seemed that this was the case now with Bao Zhongqing and Zhongxuan Sheng.
But Bao Zhongqing suddenly sneered cunningly, âItâs yours!
The Zhong Xuan Family is wealthy and powerful, whatâs bad about being the sucker?
Iâll have someone buy it from East King Valley, and it doesnât cost two hundred thousand Prime Stones!â
He wanted the Seven-Tassel Flower to curry favor with a clan elder.
Though East King Valleyâs Seven-Tassel Flowers were limited yearly and not easy to acquire, someone would be willing to sell for a premium.
Now it looked more like taking advantage of Zhongxuan Shengâs âtemperâ to make a quick buck off him.
However, he didnât know that both the buyer and seller of this âSeven-Tassel Flowerâ were Zhongxuan Sheng himself, and the actual Prime Stones to be paid werenât manyâŚ
âOnly your Bao family would care about this petty change.
I buy what I like, itâs that simple.
Even if Iâm bidding against a dog, Iâll still snatch it away,â Zhongxuan Sheng said indifferently, not caring at all: âAnyway, your carriage trade just lost a large sum to me.â
That single sentence was enough to stoke Bao Zhongqingâs rage fire even higher.
The carriage trade of the Bao family had lost a lot of money because of Su Sheâs inexplicable madness outside of Linzi City.
His face turned completely somber: âIt seems youâre quite at ease now?â
At this moment, the price of four hundred and one thousand Prime Stones had already been called thrice, and the ownership of the Seven-Tassel Flower had been determined.
âDonât bother yourself.â Zhongxuan Sheng glanced at the water mirror: âAnything else?â
Bao Zhongqing stopped talking and left with a sweep of his sleeve.
The people of Hundred Treasures Pavilion quickly fixed the door and brought over the âSeven-Tassel Flower.â
Zhongxuan Sheng casually handed the âSeven-Tassel Flowerâ to Jiang Wang, who then made a show of chewing and swallowing a few petals.
âHow is it?â Zhongxuan Sheng asked.
âThe effect is very good!â Jiang Wang said with satisfaction.
But in fact, there was no damned effect at all.
âThen letâs get going.â Zhongxuan Sheng thus stood up.
Without paying any attention to the people from Hundred Treasures Pavilion, the group of three left the place.
Someone else would take care of the handover of the Prime Stones later.
In this way, the process of supplementing Jiang Wangâs lifespan had become very clear and could withstand investigation by anyone.
As long as there were no problems on Tian Heâs side, it should be impossible for Tian Anping to suspect him again.
After leaving Hundred Treasures Pavilion, inside the carriage.
âWhat dumb riddle were you playing with Bao Zhongqing just now?â Jiang Wang couldnât help but ask.
Zhongxuan Sheng looked at him somewhat surprised: âEven you noticed?â
Jiang Wang: âŚ.
âWould it be somewhat unfair to beat you up right now?â Jiang Wang asked.
âHahaha.â Zhongxuan Sheng carefreely let out a very happy laugh, then explained with a smile: âHe was willing to help me completely clear out Zhongxuan Zunâs business, on the condition that he gets a share of the pie, which I refused!â
Now, seeing the collapse of the Jubao Business Association, with Wang Yi Wu turning to defense, itâs already too late to want to get involved.
Especially in Bao Zhongqingâs view, Wang Yi Wu should still be able to hold on for quite a while.
But from Zhongxuan Shengâs perspective, with everything ready except for a favorable wind, thereâs simply no need to risk involving someone else in the sharing of the spoils at this moment.
Particularly not someone from the Bao family.
Jiang Wangruo pondered: âHave you formed a secret alliance behind the scenes?â
âHow could that be!
With the relationship between our two families, forming an alliance would mean cutting off our own retreat.
Itâs just an understanding,â Zhongxuan Sheng said lazily: âTwo individuals who were always on the fringe, weâve always had this understanding between us.â
The carriage moved through the bustling Linyi City, with the noisy world ceaselessly pressing in from outside.
Yet inside the carriage, it was very calm.
âItâs too slow,â Zhongxuan Sheng suddenly said.
Jiang Wang knew what he was referring to but kept silent.
Yes, it had already dragged on for too long.
Zhongxuan Zun had stayed in Under Jixigaon for far too long already!
Zhongxuan Sheng had been responding appropriately, maintaining a defensive stance until now, gaining the upper hand, all based on the fact that Zhongxuan Zun was unable to directly intervene.
But nobody could say for sure when he would be able to come out.
âItâs too slow.â
At this moment, in a street known for funerals, called Small Lian Bridge, a voice also said this.
The speaker was Zhao Xuan, who sported a fine beard, and whose brows and eyes revealed the handsomeness of his youth.
He was a senior official in the Ministry of Rites, with a high rank but little power, in charge of the burial affairs of officials.
In general, this meant directing the funeral rites that officials of varying ranks should follow, and sometimes, assisting with them.
With his Grade-4 title, menial tasks shouldâve been left to deputies or clerks, as officials of his level usually didnât get personally involved.
But he was different.
He took his work very seriously.
Even minor details like the materials for longevity tokens and funeral clothes were often personally attended to by him.
Having been at the Ministry of Rites for so long, he had never made a mistake.
He had achieved great things for Qi Country.
It was he who vehemently advocated for the integration of Yang Countryâs protective array with Qi Countryâs, sharing both the risks and benefits to achieve âlong-term peace and stability.â
Soon after this achievement, he moved his family to Qi Country and joined the Ministry of Rites.
In terms of official rank and salary, Qi Country treated him well.
But indeed, his actual power was limited, and even his subordinates didnât hold much regard for him.
Often, the people of Qi Country displayed a sense of superiority towards those from Yang Country.
Many people said Zhao Xuan was overly prudent and meticulous because he was from Yang Country.
Of course, Yang Country didnât exist anymore.
With no Yang Country, it meant he could now be a true citizen of Qi Country, possibly gaining more trust from Qi TingâŚ
and a chance to wield real power.
For someone like him, under fifty, strong and vigorous, with cultivation matching his official rank, sometimes all one needs is an opportunity.
Now, many were rekindling their interest in him, almost turning his cold stove into a hot one.
Yet, he still displayed the same conscientious attitude.
Once again, he went to Small Lian Bridge, to personally inspect the funeral materials for the old eunuch who had died in the palace the day before.
The old eunuch had no real power, was not pursued by many while alive, and was even less regarded in death.
But since he had an official post, the funeral had its own standards.
âSir, it was painted last night and just needs to dry in the wind.
It will be delivered soon!â
In old Zhangâs coffin shop, old Zhang said in a flattering tone.
His voice was thin and cold, and despite his deliberate flattery, it hardly conveyed much warmth.
Zhao Xuan was usually very patient, but for some unknown reason, he felt a sense of unease today.
âHurry up!â he urged.