Ming Qi, who had been agonizing over the mysterious Celestial Clan member, felt much better the moment he felt the aura dissipate. Thinking about how he'd actually been drinking with a Celestial Clan member, even he found it hard to believe.
Though, throwing away a thousand Yuan Crystals in vain was a bit of a shame.
A quiet night followed. The next day, Ming Qi didn't go to the trading area again, instead staying quietly at the Fenglai Restaurant. Partly because there weren't many valuable treasures to be found in the trading area, and partly because he didn't want to run into that Celestial Clan elder, Mo Changli, again. While the chances of encountering him were slim, they were still possible.
But who would have thought that Ming Qi's absence from the trading area wouldn't affect his chances of running into Mo Changli at all? Instead, it increased the probability from less than 10% to 100%.
"Oh, what a coincidence!"
At that moment, outside Ming Qi's room at the Fenglai Restaurant, Mo Changli was grinning heartily, his eyebrows and beard twisted together, as if meeting Ming Qi in such a place was truly a rare occurrence.
Coincidence?
Ming Qi didn't think it was such a coincidence. It wasn't a coincidence at all.
This guy had simply come to see him.
"I say..."
Ming Qi was about to say something disrespectful, but changed his mind as the words reached his lips. "This is quite a coincidence."
"I wonder what you want from me?"
Ming Qi had no intention of leaving, so he simply invited the old man inside to sit down.
"It's just a coincidence, isn't it? I've come to have a drink and chat with you."
Mo Changli was lying to Ming Qi's face, but the old man remained calm, his expression seemingly unchanged, his persuasive smile still on.
Ming Qi was speechless. It seemed he had truly stumbled upon a rare, exquisite piece of taffy.
Let's drink, let's chat.
Ming Qi said nothing. He simply placed the wine the waiter had brought him, and the two of them sat there and began to drink.
Touching the wine glass, Ming Qi noticed something was off about Mo Changli. He had drunk three glasses in a row without saying a word. This was clearly not his style.
Even after three glasses of liquor, the old man's expression remained unchanged. He remained exactly the same, smiling and rather affable.
"Young man, I need your help with something."
After three glasses, Mo Changli finally spoke, but his tone had noticeably changed.
When Ming Qi heard this, he immediately guessed what he was up to. Could this guy be asking for money again?
Sure enough, before Ming Qi could even open his mouth to agree, Mo Changli sighed, "Alas! I've been a shrewd sleuth for so many years, and I never imagined I'd be ripped off by a bunch of scoundrels."
After saying this, Mo Changli shook his sleeves, and a pile of scrap metal and paper scattered to the floor.
"Look at this pile of junk!"
Mo Changli looked furious, smacking the pile of fake fragments.
Ming Qi could see that the pile had originally been filled with magical weapons and talismans, but they were clearly fakes. The weapons had been beaten to pieces, and the talismans were torn and rubbed together.
He spent a thousand Yuanjing crystals and bought a bunch of fakes?
Ming Qi was puzzled. How could this old man still have such a pink and tender head after living so long?
Not to mention anyone else, even Ming Qi could tell at a glance that these were all fakes, let alone a Celestial Clan member with divine bloodline? Could he have bought these things blindfolded?
Ming Qi remained silent, his eyes fixed on the pile of junk.
"I bought these to save my life, and now look..."
As the old man, Mo Changli, spoke, he stamped his feet in anger, apparently still brooding over this matter.
Knowing his purpose, Ming Qi didn't want to beat around the bush. After a moment's observation, he asked, "Tell me, how much do you want to borrow this time? One thousand, two thousand?"
Mo Changli's eyes flickered, and he said, "Two thousand, for the last time! Those scammers are unreliable. I'd rather spend more this time and buy from someone I know well."
Ming Qi remained silent. With a flick of his finger, a fiery red, high-grade Yuan Crystal popped out and landed on the table.
"I'll give you ten thousand."
"Ah!"
Mo Changli's eyes widened when he saw the top-grade Yuan Crystal trembling on the table.
The value of one top-grade Yuan Crystal is conservatively equal to one hundred mid-grade Yuan Crystals. One mid-grade Yuan Crystal is equivalent to one hundred low-grade Yuan Crystals. By analogy, this one top-grade Yuan Crystal is worth more than ten thousand low-grade Yuan Crystals.
It was clear that Mo Changli hadn't expected Ming Qi to be so generous and was completely stunned.
"But I have a condition." Ming Qi placed his right hand on the Yuan Crystal and said to Mo Changli, "I don't know your intentions, but I must tell you this: from now on, don't cling to me. Otherwise, I won't give you Yuan Crystals, but a killing power!"
Mo Changli stared at Ming Qi for a moment, nodded jokingly, and then, after Ming Qi removed his hand, he pocketed the Yuan Crystal.
Before leaving, Mo Changli suddenly turned at the doorway and said to Ming Qi, "You're a good person."
Then he left.
"Good person?"
The smile on Ming Qi's face was indescribable. "It's a pity you didn't see me kill someone."
There's no distinction between good and bad. Ming Qi knew well that in his past life, countless people who committed heinous crimes in secret were often seen as respectable, virtuous, and philanthropists.
Ming Qi was no different. Although he had his own principles, he always believed that, in both his past and present lives, he was walking a path intertwined with good and evil.
"Good people don't get good rewards..."
Ming Qi sighed, then went into his room, closed the door, and went back to study his skills and magical powers.
The next day at noon, Ming Qi was eating in his room when he heard a chaotic sound of footsteps outside, followed by a loud slamming of the door.
Ming Qi frowned and just stood up when the door was violently flung open, and a small, white-bearded old man tumbled in like a rolling gourd.
"Young man, give me a hand!"
The old man, face-first on the ground, hadn't even had time to turn over when he was already frantically greeting someone.
Seeing this annoying guy return, Ming Qi's face darkened.
But Ming Qi still turned his attention to the group that had just appeared at the door.
Eight men, now menacing and ferocious, appeared at the door, each exuding a powerful aura. Ming Qi was surprised to discover that three of them were Xiantian cultivators!
"Old man, how dare you steal my Yuanjing? I'll skin you alive and feed you to the dogs!"
The first to rush in was a Xiantian realm warrior. Tall and bearded, he bore the look of a natural bandit. He held a large, black-bladed sword in his hand.
Standing at the door, he looked like a gatekeeper, a demonic deity.
"Who stole it from you? It's clearly mine!"
Mo Changli argued angrily, struggling to his feet.
The bearded man, having entered the room, raised his greatsword without hesitation, slashing out with a blast of sword light.
Before the old man Mo Changli could fully regain his balance, the sword light rushed towards him like a gust of wind, forcing him to roll over again to avoid the blade.
The bearded man's sword missed, but the furniture in the room was affected. With a loud crash, the table and benches were instantly shattered by the sword light.
With a slash of sword, the bearded man took a step forward, raising his greatsword again.
Bang!
A flame appeared in front of the bearded man, the blazing celestial fire blocking him completely.
"Get out!"
Ming Qi shouted coldly, his eyes blazing with murderous intent.
The burly man completely ignored Ming Qi, which infuriated him. Even though Ming Qi had no intention of protecting Mo Changli, the feeling of being barged into his room was unpleasant.
"Oh, tough guy!"
At this moment, another man had come out from behind the bearded man.
He was also a powerful innate being, but his build was noticeably smaller and thinner than the man in front. It was only his sinister-looking eyes that repelled Ming Qi.
Even his eyes looked so sinister, so his character was out of the question.
Soon, several more people entered.
It was clear they were all in the same group.
"Didn't you say you shouldn't come looking for me again?"
After Ming Qi unleashed a stream of heavenly fire, he turned to Mo Changli.
"Human lives are at stake, young man!"
Mo Changli stood behind Ming Qi, his neck hunched, as if he had found a powerful backer.
Ming Qi fell silent. Not only was Mo Changli's life at stake, but even his own was at stake.
"Boy, he stole my Yuan Jing. I'm going to beat him up. Do you think you're going to interfere?"
The bearded man, his eyes wide and wide, glared at Ming Qi and shouted gruffly, his sword pointed threateningly at him.
Mo Changli was completely hidden behind Ming Qi. The short old man was truly shielded by Ming Qi. While his physique might have shielded him, his strength was uncertain.
Ming Qi had already released his aura, amplifying it, and closely observing the men's strength.
Mo Changli was a Celestial Clan member. Logically, he should have been formidable in combat, but Ming Qi didn't see a single trace of Celestial Clan superiority in him.
Could it be that the Celestial Clan member wasn't him?
Ming Qi began to doubt his judgment.
However, it was clear that this vicious group of men didn't give him time to consider. Seeing Ming Qi's silence, the thin man sneered, "Since you're silent, you're all in the same group. Let's beat them up together first!"
He raised his hands and began to summon magical powers, his energy surges becoming unprecedentedly powerful.
The bearded man immediately agreed, "That's absolutely right!"
Then he thrust his greatsword into the ground, and a circle of black ripples rapidly spread from the sword.