Chapter 90: Trouble in Cloud Terrace City

“The spiritual treasures in the underground palace are not meant to prolong life at all. I do have a few Demonblood Pills here, refined from the flesh and blood of monsters I have slain. They are more than enough to extend an ordinary mortal’s lifespan.”

“Really?”

The moment Qian Youyou heard that Lin Feng truly possessed a treasure capable of prolonging life, her eyes lit up.

Still carrying herself with that lofty air, she hurried forward and reached out to take the jade bottle from Lin Feng’s hand.

But there was no such thing as a free meal in this world.

With a turn of his wrist, Lin Feng slipped the jade bottle back into his sleeve.

“One Demonblood Pill can extend one’s lifespan by a year. I have ten here. One billion yuan apiece. One hundred billion in total. Money first, goods afterward,” Lin Feng said coldly.

“What! One hundred billion for a mere ten pills? Why don’t you just rob me!”

The moment Qian Youyou heard the price, she nearly lost her composure.

No matter how wealthy the Qian family of Nanyang was, all that money did not belong to her alone.

Although she had accumulated some assets through her own ventures over the years, they were nowhere near one hundred billion.

Moreover, the international situation had been unfavorable of late, and the Qian family’s assets had been shrinking year after year. At present, the family had at most one hundred billion yuan in liquid funds.

This one bottle of pills, whose effects were still unknown, would take away a tenth of the Qian family’s entire liquid capital. It was simply outrageous!

Lin Feng raised one sword-like brow, completely unmoved by Qian Youyou’s attitude.

This bottle of Demonblood Pills was the only one of its kind in the entire world.

If she did not want to die, she had no choice but to buy them.

“You think they’re too expensive? Fine. I was asking for yuan before, but now… I want U.S. dollars.”

“What! You…”

Was this any way to bargain? The buyer had barely said a word, and the price had already increased seven- or eightfold. How was anyone supposed to negotiate like this?

“Two hundred—”

Before Qian Youyou could finish, Lin Feng looked ready to raise the price again.

Seeing him about to name an even higher figure, Qian Youyou had no choice but to agree at once.

“I’ll pay! I’ll pay, all right!”

The corners of Lin Feng’s lips curved upward slightly, while Qian Youyou felt as though she might cry.

Then her eyes shifted, and an idea sprang to mind.

“I can’t produce one hundred billion U.S. dollars right now! How about this? I’ll sign you an IOU first. Once I return to the Qian family and test the pills’ effects, I’ll have my grandfather transfer the money to you personally. What do you say?”

Lin Feng frowned faintly. One hundred billion in a single payment was indeed a little excessive.

“Fine. But I, Lin Feng, never lend money on the strength of an IOU. Take your Demonblood Pills and go.”

Lin Feng tossed the jade bottle containing the pills straight to Qian Youyou.

Qian Youyou caught it, her face wreathed in smiles. She turned and walked away, secretly delighted.

“Transfer the money to you? Dream on! No one in this world has ever managed to swindle money from the Qian family and lived to tell the tale. Goodbye, then. Just stay here obediently and wait for me to pay you!”

Watching her retreating figure, Zheng Xuance stepped forward and asked with a frown, “Senior Brother Lin, you gave her the pills so easily. What if she refuses to pay?”

“Refuses to pay? Hmph. No one in this world can default on a debt to me—unless he is dead.”

A cold smile appeared at the corner of Lin Feng’s mouth as he spoke with calm indifference.

Hearing the murderous intent in those words, Zheng Xuance felt a chill run down his spine.

Miss Qian, you would do well not to harbor any clever schemes. Otherwise, even the immortals would be unable to save you.

…

After more than a month of secluded cultivation, Lin Feng’s cultivation had reached the pinnacle of the first-grade Meridian-Opening Spirit Adept realm—the twelfth tier!

All twelve meridians had been completely opened, forming a small heavenly cycle within his body.

Now, Lin Feng no longer needed to consciously circulate his energy. The Three Purities True Spirit Art within him would automatically operate, drawing in spiritual energy with every breath.

He had become astonishingly powerful.

After regulating his breath for a while, Lin Feng took the spiritual treasures and left the underground palace with Zheng Xuance.

The matters in Binhai City had yet to be resolved, and so had the martial arts tournament of the five provinces. Lin Feng therefore planned to return to Binhai City in the near future.

“Grandmaster Lin! You have finally emerged from seclusion!”

The moment Luo Qiankun saw Lin Feng walk out of the underground palace, he hurried forward to greet him respectfully.

Lin Feng waved his hand. “There is no need for such formality. This is the redesigned blueprint for the underground palace. Give it to Wang Jisheng and make certain that he follows it strictly during construction. If there is even the slightest error or omission, he is to present his head to me.”

“Yes!”

It was the first time Luo Qiankun had heard Lin Feng issue such a severe order. He dared not be negligent and carefully put away the blueprint.

At that moment, Cao Rengui, who had vanished for many days, suddenly appeared.

His eyes brimming with tears, he fell to his knees before Lin Feng, clasped his hands together, and begged piously.

“Great Immortal, Great Immortal, please, you must help us! You must save Yuntai City! As long as you are willing to intervene and rescue Yuntai City, let alone granting me the contract to develop Mount Yunfeng—even if you asked me to climb a mountain of blades or descend into a boiling cauldron, I would do it!”

Lin Feng looked coldly at Cao Rengui kneeling on the ground. Though the man appeared extremely humble, he was in fact using the development rights to Mount Yunfeng as leverage.

So this was why Wang Jisheng had been unable to secure the contract for more than a month.

The local official had the final say. It seemed Cao Rengui wielded considerable influence in Yuntai City.

To avoid unnecessary complications, Lin Feng was displeased, but he still asked, “Tell me. What is it you want?”

“Great Immortal, the matter is like this. Yuntai City’s tourism and service industries depend almost entirely on the jade mines of Mount Yunfeng. The annual Jade Festival is an even grander event. But not long ago, the jade mine suddenly stopped producing jade! The city invited countless experts and even brought in geomancy masters, but none of them could do anything! You must help us!”

As he spoke, Cao Rengui began knocking his head against the ground again.

Lin Feng looked down at him and said blandly, “Very well. I will go there personally. But do you know what I hate most? Being threatened by others. Do you think yourself very clever?”

“Ah? I wouldn’t dare! I am merely a mortal. How could I possibly threaten a Great Immortal like you? Please don’t frighten me!”

His little scheme exposed, Cao Rengui’s heart began pounding violently. Yet he kept his expression unchanged, pouring out his grievances and pleading desperately.

Lin Feng could not be bothered to haggle over such trivialities with a man like him. He patted Cao Rengui on the shoulder and said coldly, “You had better mean it.”

With that, Lin Feng took Zheng Xuance and Luo Qiankun and prepared to set out for the Jade Festival venue.

…

Four hours later, guided by Cao Rengui, Lin Feng and the others arrived at the festival grounds.

Yuntai City was the only place within several surrounding cities where jade was produced.

Moreover, the jade from Yuntai City was renowned for its excellent quality and ease of extraction.

To establish the city’s reputation for jade and promote economic development, the city government had begun holding an annual Jade Festival ten years earlier, after the jade deposits were discovered.

Hundreds and thousands of jade merchants came from all over the country and gathered in Yuntai City, hoping to purchase high-quality jade at the festival.

When Lin Feng and the others arrived, they found the grounds packed with people.

The vast Jade Plaza was filled to capacity.

All kinds of jade, rough stones, and other goods were displayed at the stalls, though most were old stock. The newly mined material had yet to be brought out.

“Father! Father! Look who I’ve brought! With the Great Immortal here, this year’s Jade Festival will certainly go off without a hitch!”

Cao Rengui pushed excitedly through the crowd and made his way to the raised platform at the center of the plaza, enthusiastically recommending Lin Feng to his father.

Lin Feng followed him onto the central platform. There, a middle-aged man dressed in a traditional tunic stood drenched in sweat, relentlessly questioning the experts beside him.

Hearing his son’s call, the middle-aged man turned around. His gaze swept over Lin Feng, and his brows immediately drew together. He shouted angrily, “Rengui, this is the Great Immortal you were talking about? What nonsense! He’s just a young fellow who hasn’t even grown all his hair, no different from you. What could he possibly know? Get out of here at once, and stop causing trouble!”