Ch156 – Making Things Difficult on Purpose
Lin Xuanzhi cast a cold glance at him. “Looks like the Bai family’s news are quite outdated. I am no longer part of Profound Sky Sect, and neither am I a ‘Xianshi’. Boss Bai can change the way you address me now.”
Boss Bai feigned surprise and raised his voice, “How could that be? How could Profound Sky Sect easily let go of a swordsman genius like you?” Even the slow-witted Yan Tianhen could tell that there was something wrong when he heard Boss Bai’s clear words.
Yan Tianhen frowned and said, “My Dage’s matters had spread all over various sects a long time ago. Why is this Boss Bai repeatedly bringing it up so intentionally right now?”
Ji Yunwei’s expression darkened. “Continue observing the situation.”
Boss Bai obviously wanted to shame Lin Xuanzhi in public, but Ji Yunwei couldn’t tell who was the one asking him to do so behind the scenes一一 was it the Bai family? Or the Baili family? Or other sects and families?
Also, what kind of benefit could they gain from offending Lin Xuanzhi?
Ji Yunwei was quite interested in spectating the show too. If the Bai family’s face wasn’t thoroughly torn apart by Lin Xuanzhi today, then he wouldn’t be the Lin Xuanzhi that Ji Yunwei knew.
Ji Yunwei secretly made a gesture, and a few of his men hiding amidst the crowd dispersed while he searched for traces in the dark as well.
Discussions had already begun in the crowd.
On the platform, Lin Xuanzhi said, “Looks like Boss Bai is extremely interested in my experiences. We can talk about such matters in private. After all, it doesn’t have much to do with the Treasure Appraisal Convention today.”
Boss Bai’s expression didn’t change and continued with his thick skin, “Why do I feel like Lin Xianzhi doesn’t have any Qi at all within your Dantian Qi sea?”
Baili Yunshan used his Qi to probe and cried in surprise, “There really is no Qi within your Dantian Qi sea! How could it be??”
One must know, a lot of craftsmen in this world were elemental cultivators as well. They had both soul force and Qi bestowed upon them by the heavens, so they could craft and fight, so you could say that they were the darlings of heaven.
Baili Yunsong couldn’t bear to watch any longer. He wanted to get up on stage himself to pull his younger brother down, but Baili Yunshan continued, “But Lin Dage, the soul force in your body is really strong. You must be a really amazing craftsman.”
Lin Xuanzhi looked at Baili Yunshan, who was blinking at him wittily and sensed his good intentions, so he nodded at him and smiled, “That’s right. So the top person in the world for the past and future 500 years that the sect master of Profound Sky Sect talked about was not of someone taking the elemental path, but the craftsman path instead.”
Baili Yunshan’s eyes were bright as he said, “That’s very likely. At the very least, your soul force is much stronger than mine. Even if our soulfire stages are the same, I won’t be able to match you.”
Lin Xuanzhi said, “You’re still young, your feats are already very amazing.”
Their words that didn’t seem to mind being overheard by others travelled into the ears of everyone above and below the platform. The surrounding crowd couldn’t help but laugh.
“That Lin Xuanzhi shouldn’t be a fool ba? How could he dare say such a thing in front of the Bai family?”
“Top person in both the past and future 500 years? That guy probably went mad after his Dantian was destroyed.”
“What? His Dantian was destroyed?”
“You didn’t know? It has already spread throughout our East Continent. He was hurt by a demonic beast in a grotto heaven, so his cultivation level dropped sharply and he can’t be an elemental cultivator anymore.”
“I really don’t know why the Lin family would send him here this time.”
Yan Tianhen’s knuckles cracked loudly. Black vapour emanated from his eyes — he really wanted to kill everyone in front of him who was insulting Lin Xuanzhi.
A strange force began circulating within his body; it was trying to break through the fetters of his body and use black tentacles to absorb all of the souls and cultivation of these people into his body and refine them.
But right at this moment, Lin Xuanzhi suddenly looked over.
His gaze was still as calm as ever, as if all the comments of the outside world were irrelevant to him.
Yan Tianhen was stunned; the black vapour and murderous intent in his eyes vanished without a trace.
But Lin Xuanzhi didn’t miss the black vapour that had enveloped Yan Tianhen. He abruptly stood up, turned around to look coldly at Boss Bai and the corner of his mouth drew up. “Boss Bai, there is no need to spout so much nonsense. What are we supposed to appraise next? Why don’t we start the appraisal now.”
Boss Bai had already achieves his goal of exposing Lin Xuanzhi’s false image. With a hypocritical smile on his face, he said, “Lin Xianshi- oh, no, it should be Craftsman Lin. Anger will only harm one’s body. However, there are many people in this world who know just a little about being a craftsman but still likes to show it off and display such meagre knowledge openly. Yet they don’t know that being introverted and low-key is the most fundamental nature of all craftsmen.”
“Aren’t you just full of crap?” Baili Yunshan jumped off his seat a bit impatiently and said, “Are we still continuing? If you’re not, I’m leaving.”
Boss Bai’s expression changed and instantly seemed like a different person. He smiled kindly and said, “We’ll start now, we’ll start right now.”
Then Boss Bai waved his hand, and nine pieces of materials that were kept in transparent boxes were carried onto the platform by nine female attendants. They were placed on the long platform that faced the audience below.
Boss Bai raised his voice to say, “This is the last batch of materials for our Treasure Appraisal Convention today, many of which are passed down from ancient times. There are a total of seven types, and the remaining two are top-grade magic treasures refined from the materials here.”
“Sss–” Sounds of people sucking in cold breaths could be heard from below.
Boss Bai paused, then smiled, “Including the next two days, the materials and magic treasures displayed during the Treasure Appraisal Conventions will change each day. However, there will be seven types tomorrow, and five types the day after. We don’t know if anyone would be able to take even one of them away.”
Lin Xuanzhi smiled and said, “Boss Bai, if one were to get it right, don’t tell me the Bai family will really give these treasures away just like that?”
Boss Bai placed both hands behind his back, puffed his chest out and glanced at Lin Xuanzhi with disdain. “Of course. Do you think our Bai family will go back on their words?”
“Then if I were to get it right, yet you insist on saying that I’m wrong, how would it be resolved then?” Lin Xuanzhi continued being oppressive.
Boss Bai’s expression darkened, “My Bai family’s reputation is the resolution.”
Lin Xuanzhi smiled magnanimously, “Something like ‘trustworthiness’ may be enough for others, but not me. Why don’t you write down the answers somewhere and pass them to a third party? Then it can be distinguished later. Also… whether or not you can represent the entire Bai family is something I have doubts about too.”
Boss Bai was about to curse when Baili Yunshan nodded, “Yeah, that should be so. There are tens of thousands of materials in this world, and there are a lot that I’ve never seen before. If someone were to guess it right and you don’t want to give it to them by coming up with a fake, we won’t know either ah.”
Boss Bai resisted the urge to vomit blood and said, “Since Craftsman Lin doesn’t trust the Bai family, I won’t continue arguing with you. Guards.”
Boss Bai took a scroll, picked up a brush and used his Qi to write down the answers for the nine materials on it. After he was done, he kept the scroll and threw it up into the air, and the scroll was suspended in mid air.
Boss Bai thundered, “The answers are already written on that. Would that be enough to satisfy Craftsman Lin?”
Lin Xuanzhi nodded, “Yes.”
Yet snickers and disdainful voices rang out from below the platform.
“This Lin Xuanzhi actually dares doubt the Bai family’s trustworthiness? Isn’t he being a little narrow-minded?”
“A third-rate family will always be a third-rate family.”
“Which is why there’s a difference between families ah.’
“Just trying to curry favour through claptrap. The Lin family’s face will probably be thoroughly thrown away today.”
Yan Tianhen was so angry his eyes turned red. He had just swung his fist up to hit someone when his wrist was pulled back by two hands at the same time.
“Henhen, darling, don’t be impulsive.”
“Please wait a minute, little friend.”
Duan Yuyang and Ji Yunwei looked at each other and loosened their grips at the same time.
As soon as Yan Tianhen saw Duan Yuyang, he pouted and lunged into his embrace to say with much grievance, “Yuyang Gege, they’re bullying people!”
Duan Yuyang rubbed Yan Tianhen’s head and said, “It’s okay. Just wait and see how your Dage make the Bai family regret this to death.”
When Ji Yunwei saw this, he said, “Young Master Duan, looks like you’re quite familiar with Little Friend Yan.”
Duan Yuyang nodded. “Of course, he’s my Didi ma.”
Ji Yunwei thought, don’t tell me this is some sort of weird love triangle? This is getting more complicated and interesting now.
If Duan Yuyang knew what Ji Yunwei was thinking, he would definitely spit out a right now.
On the platform, the splendid materials were emitting radiant lights of different colours. Even though they were quite far away, and the materials’ Qi had been sealed off by special wares, the crowd could still feel the tremendous Qi overflowing from those materials.
“Sure enough, they’re all excellent items.”
“The Bai family has taken out all their treasures. It’s worthwhile for me just to catch a glimpse of such ancient treasures.”
“Even the Bai family themselves may not know what these materials are ba?”
Duan Yuyang’s gaze were fixated on those materials, and he couldn’t help but matter, “Good items, they really are good items.”
Ji Yunwei’s gaze was stuck to the materials as well. He couldn’t help but sigh, “I now finally know why the Bai family is the richest family throughout the Five Continents’ mainlands. Just one of these materials would probably be enough to buy a first-class family, and we don’t even know just how many of these materials the Bai family has.”
Everyone else most likely thought the same way.
When Yan Tianhen saw these materials, he couldn’t help but think they seemed familiar. As if in his dreams, when he was little, he had once seen them before. In fact, when he looked at the dark red flame pulsating in the last transparent vox, a vague memory fragment flashed through his mind.
Within the dark red flame, a cold hand covered his face, and a hoarse voice rang out, “Henhen, be a good boy, follow Uncle Lin Zhan ba. Forget everything here and be an ordinary child. If Daddy can stay alive, I’ll definitely come and pick you up.”
A faint black flame jumped a few times in Yan Tianhen’s eyes, but it was soon extinguished.
He rubbed his head and felt a bit confused. He looked at Duan Yuyang and Ji Yunwei, who were infatuated by the peerless materials, yet he didn’t seem very frazzled himself.
Why did he find these materials common?
On the platform, Baili Yunshan kept his eyes wide open as he looked over these materials and magic treasures over and over, then shook his head sadly, “I can tell that these are good items, but I’m not knowledgeable enough to tell what they are. So I admit defeat, and will head down first.”
After that, Baili Yunshan readily jumped off the platform.
Baili Yunsong had extended a hand and was ready to pull Baili Yunshan, but Baili Yunshan shook his hand away, and Baili Yunsong even got a glare from him.
Baili Yunsong, “…”
What did he do?
Baili Yunshan said indignantly, “Second brother, I didn’t expect you to be such a person.”
Baili Yunsong, “…”
Baili Yunshan complained, “Were you the one who asked Boss Bai to make things difficult for Lin Xuanzhi?”
Baili Yunsong almost spat out a mouthful of blood. He yanked Baili Yunshan over and pinched his face, “Is Second brother such a despicable person in your heart? I don’t even know who he is, why would I slander him?”
Baili Yunshan blinked and said a little guiltily, “It really wasn’t you? But you’re really suspicious ei!”