Chapter 352 - 232: Seemingly Familiar (Part 2)

Chapter 352: Chapter 232: Seemingly Familiar (Part 2)

"Two of the Four Jade Treasures of Refinement are already lost. The remaining two aren’t that useful anyway. Besides, Yu Fei is already on the case. We can just sit back and watch the Celestial Pride work his magic!"

Mr. Ma cupped his hands slightly. "Patriarch, you may say so, but we can’t afford to be too careless. I’ll keep watch tonight, just in case something unexpected happens."

Zhang Wenji sighed helplessly. "Ah, you... It is my incompetence that has burdened you so. The Zhang Family has failed you!"

Mr. Ma hurriedly replied, "Don’t say that! If Mr. Zhang hadn’t saved me back then, this worthless life of mine would have been long gone. Patriarch, I’ll be on my way!"

With that, he turned and left, giving Zhang Wenji’s second disciple a subtle look as he went.

Not long after, the banquet ended, and the second disciple hurried to the Zhang Family’s ancestral hall!

But neither of them knew that Yu Fei hadn’t left at all. Instead, he had activated his Illusory Sword Intent to enter a stealth state, secretly trailing Mr. Ma while turning on his personal terminal’s recording function.

’There’s something wrong with this man.’ Yu Fei decided to rattle the cage and follow the trail wherever it led.

"What took you so long! Do you know how much time you’ve wasted!"

Under the night sky, Mr. Ma’s face was ferocious as he glared at Zhang Wenji’s second disciple.

"My apologies, sir. I had to wait for an opportunity!"

"Hmph! You stand guard here for me. If anyone comes asking, make up an excuse to get rid of them. Understand?"

"Leave it to me. It’s just... about Yu Fei..."

Mr. Ma flicked his sleeve and said without turning back, "Just do your job! It’s not like you can back out now!"

With that, he leaped up, soaring into the night sky like a wild goose.

Mr. Ma sped through the night, so fast that he didn’t even bother with concealment, at times even exposing his figure to the eyes of ordinary people.

Clearly, he was anxious and had lost his composure.

He rushed all the way to a guesthouse in the northern part of the city. He knocked carefully in a rhythmic pattern of long and short taps. Soon, the door opened, and Mr. Ma slipped inside in a flash.

"What’s the rush? Is something wrong?"

Before he was even fully inside, an honest-looking man within asked with dissatisfaction.

"Cheng Jinlong, I’ll confirm with you one more time. Do you have both the Vast Sea Pearl and the Void-Breaking Jade Pendant?"

Mr. Ma’s expression was grim. In truth, he felt very uncertain.

Cheng Jinlong shrugged. "Of course I do. What are you afraid of? Relax, no one can find them! Two million merit points, and they’re yours!"

’How dare this lowly thief try to jack up the price on me?’ Anger flared in Mr. Ma’s heart upon hearing this.

"You son of a bitch, you dare raise the price!"

Cheng Jinlong laughed. "Is it really that surprising? You’re an old man. Don’t act like some innocent little flower."

Mr. Ma’s expression darkened. "But we originally agreed. I’d give you two million after you got all Four Jade Treasures of Refinement. Cash on delivery."

The man, dressed like a common laborer, sneered. "Oh, my apologies. Just a last-minute notice: the price has gone up! For the two pieces I already have, it’s one million each."

Mr. Ma suddenly scoffed, "What gives you the right to raise the price? Worst comes to worst, I just won’t buy them. You can keep those two pieces of broken jade and play with them yourself!"

He said, turning to leave.

Cheng Jinlong immediately burst out laughing. "HAHAHA... You don’t want them? Hilarious. You think the Kong Family’s money is that easy to earn?"

Mr. Ma’s eyes narrowed sharply. He moved like a phantom, closing in on Cheng Jinlong in an instant, and grabbed his neck in a death grip, pinning him against the wall.

"Who are you?"

His tone was incredibly grim. As a genuine fifth-realm cultivator, Mr. Ma could easily handle Cheng Jinlong, who barely possessed Inner Qi.

"Heh heh..." Although his life was in another’s hands, Cheng Jinlong wasn’t the least bit worried.

"Who am I? Shouldn’t you know best? I’m just the partner you found on the black market!"

Mr. Ma didn’t speak, merely tightening the grip of his hand.

"COUGH COUGH... Let go!"

"I’m... a member of the Night Owl Mansion... Kill me, and you’ll never get the items... and you’ll die too!"

Mr. Ma threw Cheng Jinlong aside, his heart filled with rage.

’Dammit, what kind of person did that bastard Mr. Fan from the black market find? Doesn’t he do background checks?!’

The Night Owl Mansion was a clandestine organization that specialized in assassinations. He had only wanted to find a thief who understood restriction seals, so how did he end up with these guys?

Thinking of how difficult the Night Owl Mansion was to deal with, he was suddenly caught between a rock and a hard place.

After a moment, he said in a chilling tone, "Fine. Two million. I want you to deliver the items to the designated location first."

Cheng Jinlong unbuttoned his shirt, gasping for air. Even though he was out of immediate danger, his eyes showed no fear.

"Oh? Didn’t you want all four pieces? Why do you only want two now?"

Mr. Ma said grimly, "The goal hasn’t changed. We still need to get the remaining two Jade Treasures. However, you need to hand over the Vast Sea Pearl and the Void-Breaking Jade Pendant first. We’ll make our next move after the heat dies down."

Cheng Jinlong’s interest was piqued. "’The heat?’ What heat?"

Mr. Ma sneered, "The old man posted a mission on ’Subjugate the Heavens,’ and a Celestial Pride from Shenhan University accepted it. He’s already at the Zhang Family’s villa. You’d better watch your step. If a person like that finds even a single clue, don’t expect the Night Owl Mansion to protect you. You’ll be crushed like an ant!"

Cheng Jinlong’s expression turned grim. He naturally knew what one of the Seven Great Celestial Prides signified. Compared to a figure like that, who was like a divine eagle soaring in the heavens, he was just a rat in the sewer. The two of them were not on the same level at all.

According to rumors, people like that usually traveled with a Guardian. If he fell under their watch, escape would be nearly impossible.

"Damn it!"

Cheng Jinlong couldn’t help but curse aloud. He couldn’t stay in this place any longer.

Although he felt a sense of urgency, he didn’t let it show on his face. At the very least, he had to finish this act in front of this old bastard, Ma Pei.

"Then why did you still dare to come out? Aren’t you afraid of being discovered?"

"Heh heh. That person went to find a helper, claiming he’d discovered something. I was worried you’d get into trouble if you stayed here, so I’m telling you to move out tonight. It would be best to leave Songfeng City! Understand? The sooner you transfer the items, the safer you’ll be.

"As long as you leave this place, there’ll be no direct evidence. That Celestial Pride’s suspicions alone aren’t enough to pin anything on me. People of his stature need proof to act, otherwise, they can’t command respect!"

Cheng Jinlong’s face turned fierce. "I can cooperate with you and leave Songfeng City, but you have to add more money! Three million! I want it now!"

Ma Pei looked scornful. "No more money. I can only pay you one million now. Take it or leave it. In this situation, if you get discovered, it’s a dead end. Is your life or money more important? Can’t you figure that out?"

Cheng Jinlong’s expression was manic. "Of course the money is more important! My life is worthless! I should’ve died a long time ago!"

The two faced off for a long time. Seeing Cheng Jinlong acting more and more unhinged, Mr. Ma’s attitude gradually softened.

"You lunatic! I can only give you two million. If that’s not enough, we can die together!"

"Then let’s die together! Three million. Not a penny less!"

"Fuck you!"

Ma Pei suddenly attacked, kicking Cheng Jinlong to the ground!

"Three million! Go to Fenghe Manor in Xiling City to the east immediately. Someone will contact you there. But if you dare to run off with the goods, I’m telling you, there will be nowhere to hide, in heaven or on earth. You know how powerful the Jingshan Kong Family is."

Cheng Jinlong immediately took out an unfamiliar account number and had Ma Pei transfer the money on the spot.

Ma Pei was displeased, but he still transferred the three million right then and there.

Cheng Jinlong confirmed the transfer was complete and was about to leave immediately, but Ma Pei stopped him.

"I need to see the goods. To make sure you actually have them on you!"

Cheng Jinlong gave a contemptuous smile. "Then look. And watch closely!"

As he spoke, he stiffly held out his right hand, palm open. A pigeon-egg-sized, ink-black jade pearl abruptly appeared in his palm.

Ma Pei rubbed his eyes in astonishment. To be honest, he really hadn’t seen how this Vast Sea Pearl had appeared.

He stared with wide eyes. Cheng Jinlong’s methods were simply unbelievable.

Then, Cheng Jinlong closed his right hand into a fist, and the Vast Sea Pearl immediately vanished.

He then opened his left hand, and a jade pendant made of ice jade appeared there.

"How did you do that?!"

Ma Pei involuntarily moved closer.

Yu Fei was also very curious. Even with his neural reaction speed, he hadn’t seen how that guy Cheng Jinlong had taken the items out.

Ma Pei refused to believe it. Relying on his higher cultivation realm, he immediately resorted to violence, searching Cheng Jinlong’s entire body—not even sparing the crack of his ass—but found nothing.

This rough treatment made him extremely furious.

"Hey, old man, find anything?!"

Ma Pei was completely baffled. He had to admit that this guy was a bit uncanny.

"How do you do it?"

Cheng Jinlong, his anger mixed with mockery, pulled up his pants and fastened them.

"Old man, call me ’Grandpa’ and I’ll teach you!"

As he spoke, his fingers moved in a blur, and he unexpectedly pulled out a "Black Emperor" cigarette. He immediately lit it, took a drag, and blew a cloud of smoke right in Ma Pei’s face.