The heir of White Tiger, Bai Zhanyun and the heir of Vermillion Bird, Hong Tiantong were surreptitiously discussing something in a secluded tavern in the capital.
âBrother White, the kid is extremely cocky. He thinks nothing of you or me, particularly you Brother White. You and he arrived at almost the same time, but he stole the Dragonbone Sun Grass from you, this cannot be tolerated!â
Hong Tiantong was obviously quite crafty and his words carried evident overtones of provocation.
âHuh! Jiang Chen, insulting I, Bai Zhanyun, is to seek death!â
As Bai Zhanyun spoke, an underling in charge of following others came hurriedly rushing in.
âYoung duke, the kid didnât go back to the Jiang Han manor. He seems to have gone to the Turquoise Hall.â
âTurquoise Hall? Whatâs that kid doing there? Does he want to buy spirit stones?â Hong Tiantong was a bit skeptical.
Bai Zhanyun, on the other hand, displayed a strange smile upon hearing those words. âTurquoise Hall is it? Are you sure?â
âYour servant has been continuously following him and could not have been mistaken.â
Bai Zhanyun laughed joyfully. âJiang Chen you brat, youâve brought this upon yourself. The owner of Turquoise Hall is my uncle!â
He grew even more proud when he finished speaking. âBrother Hong, come. Letâs go watch the show and ruthlessly insult this kid. Letâs also seize the Dragonbone Sun Grass while weâre at it!â
Their current location wasnât that far from the Turquoise Hall. The two of them quickly arrived and entered through the back door.
Turquoise Hall was a retailer that specialized in spirit and exotic stones. Its scale of operations was all encompassing, and was a premier brand in the capital.
Jiang Chenâs visit was naturally not for viewing or admiring stones, but to customize a stone.
He wandered around the Turquoise Hall for half a day, calling upon his past lifeâs various memories of appraising stones to decide on a particular stone. He discussed, and settled on the price.
The owner of Turquoise Hall hastily walked out when Jiang Chen was waiting to pay. He smiled, âLittle brother, what a horrid coincidence. Iâve only just learned myself that the crouching yang stone youâve reserved was already reserved by someone else last night.â
âWho reserved it? What a coincidence!â Jiang Chen was quite surprised, did such a coincidence truly exist in this world?
âWhy, the great me of course!â An ear piercing voice rang out from behind as Bai Zhanyun sauntered out.
âJiang Chen, how unfortunate. Iâve purchased this yang stone. You want it? Hand over the Dragonbone Sun Grass. I may just consider giving the stone to you if Iâm in a good mood.â
Jiang Chen was quick on his feet. When he saw Bai Zhanyun, that coyly smirking Hong Tiantong behind him and then the owner of Turquoise Hall, he understood the situation at once.
It seems like this Bai Zhanyun was bored out of his empty mind. Heâd started a fight at the Hall of Healing and continued it to the Turqouise Hall. He really wanted to start something with Jiang Chen.
However, the owner of Turquoise Hall was greatly demeaning himself in taking orders from the son of a duke. Jiang Chenâs opinion of the man was abruptly revised downwards.
âInteresting. Interesting. Boss Song, are you sure youâre not selling the stone to me?â Jiang Chen asked as he maintained his composure.
Bai Zhanyun bellowed, âJiang Chen, Iâve already told you that I will only give up the stone if you hand over the Dragonbone Sun Grass. Otherwise, donât even think of getting the crouching yang stone.â
âOh? What if I must have it?â Jiang Chen smiled lightly.
âHahaha, do you think I, the mighty Bai Zhanyun, would give it up to you? Iâd sooner buy this stone to line my latrines than give it to you.â
âYour householdâs latrines are certainly fancy. So, thereâs no room for negotiation?â
âNegotiation my ass! Either you hand over the Dragonbone Sun Grass or get the hell out of here!â Bai Zhanyun also more or less knew that it would be unrealistic to expect Jiang Chen to hand over the Dragonbone Sun Grass.
Jiang Chen laughed heartily and paid Bai Zhanyun no heed. He couldnât be bothered to waste spittle on idiots like Bai Zhanyun. Itâs not like he was buying stuff for himself.
He was purchasing equipment for the royal princess. He wasnât about to waste time and effort in explanations. Since the village idiot Bai Zhanyun wanted to go up against the royal family, then by all means let him try.
âBoss Song. It seems like youâre a smart guy engaging in dumb transactions.â Jiang Chen laughed lightly and shook his head with a sigh. âIf you donât sell to me now, it will be too late even if you come to me crying in the future.â
He waltzed out without a glance at Bai Zhanyun or Hong Tiantong after that.
Heâd just reached the main lobby when an associate came tearing in, his expression extremely terrified. He murmured a few sentences next to boss Songâs ear with a face full of fearful reservations. He didnât even dare meet Jiang Chenâs eyes.
Boss Songâs face abruptly whitened after heâd finished listening. It was as if all the blood had been suddenly sucked out of his body. His face was starkly white and his lips infused with bitterness.
He called out in a voice that was almost crying, âYoung duke Jiang, hold your steps, please hold your steps! This crouching yang stone is yours. Turquoise Hall will not charge you anything and will immediately courier it to your manor.â
Boss Songâs attitude did a complete 180 in a blink of an eye, greatly surprising Bai Zhanyun and Hong Tiantong.
Particularly Bai Zhanyun, his very foot hopped in astonishment.
âUncle, are you serious? Havenât we already agreed?â
Boss Song had a woeful face. âI say little emperor, donât make things tough for your uncle. Donât throw us mere mortals into the middle when you celestial beings are fighting.â
Bai Zhanyun became enraged. âCelestial being? Faugh. What kind of crap celestial being is Jiang Chen? His Jiang Han dukedom doesnât even rank in the top out of all 108 Eastern Kingdom dukedoms. Youâre scared of him uncle?â
If he hadnât been intimidated by Bai Zhanyunâs old man, boss Song would have definitely rushed up and dealt out the beating of a lifetime. He would first beat Bai Zhanyun so hard that he wouldnât be able to function normally, and then disdainfully spit on him a few times for good measure.
This brat was not only the ruination of his family, but also dragging boss Song down with him!
Boss Song almost leapt forward and attached himself to Jiang Chenâs thigh. âYoung duke, I was senseless and blind. I beg you, I beg you to accept it! Please view this crouching yang stone as a token of old Songâs devotion!â
They said to forgive and forget, Jiang Chen had no intentions of making too much of a fuss over a small business owner.
He smiled, âBoss Song, your words actually highlight that I am an ungrateful person. Since you are so sincere, I will accept this stone if I must. As for the price, someone will naturally pay for it. Send the stone to a certain address on the day after tomorrow. I will notify you of the address when itâs time.â
âYes, yes. The young duke is magnanimous and generous. I am shamed, shamed.â
Jiang Chen laughed heartily. How could he not know that someone outside must have intervened, resulting in old Songâs about face?
As for who intervened, that was even more obvious.
How many houses within the capital possessed such power that not even the great dukes dared to defy? And at this moment, who else other than the royal family would protect Jiang Chenâs interests?
âIt would seem that ole Eastern Lu has made certain preparations. Afraid Iâll renege?â Jiang Chen shook his head in his mind and stepped out merrily.
Heâd finished preparing all the components needed for the initial steps.
Bai Zhanyun had been repeatedly ignored by Jiang Chen and suffered under a most ignoble feeling of defeat. He glared ferociously at boss Song, âUncle, you must give me an explanation for this matter!â
Boss Song rolled his eyes, âBai Zhanyun, youâd best watch yourself! This is the capital, not your White Tiger territory! Think about whether or not you can afford to offend someone before behaving atrociously. As your uncle, Iâll give you a word of advice. Be careful of ruining generations of your familyâs work in a single night if you make one wrong step!â
Boss Song was absolutely not being an alarmist. His associate had only spoken two sentences just now.
The first was, âCommander Tiandu of the royal guard is outsideâ, and the second was, âwe must sell the crouching yang stone to Jiang Chen, or else face the consequences.â
Those two sentences alone were enough to alter boss Songâs attitude.
Who didnât know that the royal guard was the kingâs personal guard, a contingent with one of the highest fighting competencies, an entity that held the power of life and death in the Eastern Kingdom?
It wouldnât be an exaggeration to say that if the royal guard was offended, even the White Tiger duke would end up in pieces, not to mention a mere boss Song!
The royal guard was also one of the most powerful forces within the kingdom. What did this indicate when an entity of this caliber was secretly protecting Jiang Chenâs interests?
Boss Song wasnât an idiot, he could read the writing on the wall and discern the seriousness of the situation.
It was with certain resignation that he couldnât clearly explain himself in the face of Bai Zhanyunâs whining complaints. His warnings fulfilled the duties of being a relative.
If Bai Zhanyun insisted on pursuing this like moths to a flame, then boss Song would have to draw a line between the White family and his at the earliest opportunity.
Bai Zhanyun was still cussing and ranting as he accused boss Song of not honoring relationship ties. Hong Tiantong however, was deep in thought. He thought this development was too strange. This had happened not only once, but twice!
âIs it possible that this Jiang Chen really has some influential figure backing him up?â
As for Jiang Chen, he didnât loiter outside once heâd completed his errands, but made straight for the Jiang Han manor.
Two people walked out as soon as heâd set foot into the doorway. One of them was Jiang Feng, the duke of Jiang Han and father that heâd gotten for cheap.
The other was a middle aged man with a gloomy and ominous face. His expression was cold and he walked straight towards the exit. The duke of Jiang Han was accompanying him with a somewhat obsequious smile, murmuring something in a low voice.
His manner was even a bit humble.
But no matter how warmly Jiang Feng came off, it was as if he was putting a hot face next to a cold butt. The middle aged man remained remote and had no reaction at all.
When they reached the door, they ran into a just returning Jiang Chen.
Jiang Chen finally recalled who this man was from his past selfâs memories. Assistant Organizer Du?
This man was actually one of the main organizers of the Hidden Dragon Trials.
âChenâer, youâve come back? Come and greet the great Organizer Du. Iâve finally been able to invite him to our manor but unfortunately, master Du needs to go attend to a few matters.â
That Assistant Organizer Du flicked a glance at Jiang Chen, and smiled without really smiling, âYouâre Jiang Chen?â
As one of the main organizers of the Hidden Dragon Trials, he naturally knew who Jiang Chen was. This question was obviously fake.
Jiang Chen was a smart guy and a keen observer. He feared that his father had gotten a face full of dust from this fellow, and replied noncommittally, âThatâs me. Youâre Assistant organizer Du?â
Du Ruhai, the assistant organizer of the Hidden Dragon Trials, was ranked number two in terms of real power. It wouldnât be an exaggeration to say that he held the fortunes of all the great families participating in the Trials!
No matter which duke it was, who didnât present a polite and ingratiating front when they met Du Ruhai? Who wouldnât humble themselves?
If he threw a wrench into the works at a critical moment because you offended him, you wouldnât even know how you died.
Therefore, seeing that Jiang Chen was not only not eager to please, but in fact questioned him back with this sort of tone, organizer Du was quickly incensed.
It wasnât that Du Ruhai had no measure of subtlety, but more like he had no need to pretend he was generous and forgiving in front of the Jiang household.
His expression froze, âDuke of Jiang Han? Your son is quite a character. He dared desecrate even the Rites of Heavenly Worship, no wonder he doesnât think much of a mere organizer .â
Jiang Feng knew things were bad when he heard those words, and was about to apologize.
Du Ruhai spread out his hands and laughed coldly. âDuke of Jiang Han, no further words are necessary. I was planning to help your son during the Hidden Dragon Trials. But Iâve received a lot of messages from other dukes this afternoon, saying that your son has no understanding of morals or ethics. Helping him would be akin to putting myself in harmâs way. Therefore, youâre on your own for the Trials!â
âOrganizer Du, this...â Jiang Feng was extremely agitated.
âDuke of Jiang Han, donât blame me for speaking frankly. Even without the dukesâ reminders, based purely on your sonâs good-for-nothing attitude, you should be offering daily prayers that I donât make life difficult for him!â
Du Ruhai arbitrarily decided to cast aside all consideration for others.