217 AN INVITE FROM THE TENG CLAN
Lu Ming rested within the Crimson Lord artifact while another avatar took his place in the real world. He wanted to roam around the market in search of some exotic herbs and equipment. One never knows when they might get lucky and get their hands on an incredible treasure.
Moving around he did find some rare kinds of herbs that were not present within his garden in the Crimson lord world and hence purchased them. There was also the case of Su Menqi who required particular pills during her cultivation. She was already nearing the boundary of the Qi King realm and was preparing for her breakthrough.
“Buy those two sets of herbs. Ice husk is also a good alternative. Get your hands on some of those too.” The Keeper would just scan the area around it and continuously report it to Lu Ming.
It was during this time that they came across a scrawny seller, who wore shabby clothes and was selling some scraps. His clothes were torn up and his face and body were covered up with scars. His pale figure showed the amount of hardship he underwent.
What attracted Lu Ming to the shop was a message from the Keeper:
“Look to your right. The scrawny man who is selling scraps on the floor.”
“Is there something worthwhile in there?”
“I scanned the area and felt a unique aura. Please inspect some of the items. Once you hold them in your hands, I will be able to clarify my doubt.”
Lu Ming followed the Keeper’s direction and went to the scrawny seller.
.....
“May I know the price of the commodities, sir?” The seller looked up. To Lu Ming’s surprise, the eyes were surprisingly resolute and gave him a unique feeling. The seller then pointed at the placards in front of the commodities.
The people around looked at Lu Ming with mockery in their eyes. The scrawny man was somewhat famous within this market for demanding high prices for the scraps that he sells. Although some of them attracted a few buyers, all of them were repelled by the humongous prices he set.
The prices were astonishingly high, but for Lu Ming, it was no big deal as all of them were in terms of Qi stones, and he had loads of elemental stones with him. He also managed to amass quite a bit of fortune during his time as an alchemist and a weapon forger. He also looted lots of resources from Chu country.
“Which scraps do you need me to test?”
The Keeper referred to some of the scraps and Lu Ming began to examine them. Every time the Keeper found something with an ancient aura, he would ask Lu Ming to buy it. LU Ming knew that he couldn’t show too much interest within the scraps or the merchant would take advantage of him.
Hence, once the testing was over, he began the negotiation:
“How much for all of this?” Even the scrawny man was surprised to hear this statement. He examined Lu Ming from head to toe and then finally said his price. Incidentally, not a single penny was reduced. Lu Ming Tried to bargain and finally, after long hours of convincing, the Man agreed to sell the scraps with 3/4th of the price tag.
Lu Ming was about to pay up when a sudden voice rang from his back:
“Allow me to pay for these scraps.” Lu Ming turned around to find a middle-aged man staring at him with a smile on his face.
“The guy is an advanced, Qi King. Tread carefully.” The Keeper warned.
“I possess enough wealth to pay my own bills, and don’t require your assistance.” Lu Ming took out a small pouch from his storage ring and handed it to the scrawny man. He then proceeded to collect the scraps into his ring and began to exit the area.
The middle-aged man obstructed his path and said with a calm tone. “I apologize for the disrespect caused in the earlier interaction. I would like to invite my fellow brother for a short drink and would request you to spare some time to have a short chat with me.”
Lu Ming decided to go with the flow. He wanted to see what this man wanted to discuss with him. Although he had some initial suspicion about this to be a trap, his thoughts were somewhat diminished when the man led them to a fairly popular eatery, which was filled with customers.
...........
Glazed food pagoda-
The pagoda was famous for its incredible cuisine and specialty dishes. The top tier groups often visit the pagoda to try out the meal here. There were different levels, which were graded based on the ranks provided to its regular customers.
Lu Ming was soon sitting on the third floor of the building which was adorned with great ambiance and had a private space for each table. The man ordered some of the premium dishes and once the dishes were served the conversation began.
“I am thankful to my brother Lu Ming for providing this opportunity to me. I would like to propose a toast in congratulations to your astounding success within the two performances. You are sure to become the future star of Pill Valley.”
“Let’s cut the chase and get to the point. Why has an advanced Qi King desired to meet me?” The man was shocked that Lu Ming could identify his cultivation level.
“My name is Teng Mengshen, and I am Teng Huan’s elder brother, as well as one of the inner elders of the valley. I come on behalf of my family to apologize for the earlier indifferences between the two parties. I hope brother Lu Ming will be the bigger person here and pardon the acts of some impatient people within the clan”
“I assure you that the people involved in this situation have been thoroughly punished by the patriarch and will be undergoing a thousand lashes and months of imprisonment within the clan prison.”
Lu Ming sipped the tea served to him. It was surprisingly good and left a bitter yet savory taste in one’s mouth. After Lu Ming thoroughly enjoyed the process, he looked at Teng Mengshen and spoke.
“I didn’t expect the Teng clan to have punished their grand elder.” Teng Mengshen was shocked on hearing this sentence.
“He was the main instigator behind the incident, wasn’t he? Is he undergoing a thousand lashes as of now?” Lu Ming asked with a grave tone.
Teng Mengshen couldn’t handle the fact that Lu Ming knew about the inner workings of their family. That’s just how he got the information. “I fail to understand the matter my brother is talking about. What does the grand elder have to do with this situation?”
“Your expression tells me that you didn’t expect this question. Did you really think that a death grudge would be resolved so easily? Why do you think I left that dog in your family alive? Did you really believe that I didn’t know about the meeting your family holds regarding my matters?”
“I would like you to convey a message to your patriarch. Tell him that some people in this world are not scared by his name, or rather don’t need to hold his name with importance.”
Lu Ming got up to leave, but a sudden sentence made him laugh out loud.
“Are you sure about making an enemy out of the Ten families?”
Lu Ming was amused by the desperation of Teng Mengshen. “Let’s be clear about something. Ten families are not that united. The very fact that the two families end up in different forces says it’s not about your alliance.”
“Even if you were united, an advance Qi King is not worthy enough to intimidate me.” Lu Ming picked up the Teacup and said “I just made a deal with Xuan Ying in exchange for his young miss with huge resources.” As he approached Teng Mengshen, “He asked the same question as you, and I told him that I held the confidence to escape his reach.”
“As per your request, I guarantee I can kill you right here. Don’t try to test my patience.” He turned around and left a flabbergasted Teng Mengshen behind.
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