Chapter 289 - 113: Hater 3

Chapter 289: Chapter 113: Hater 3

"Damn, Bajin, I never realized you were such a goddamn genius."

Fang Rui was utterly speechless.

A reputation as the "Rabbit Lord" is bad, but a reputation as the "Cao Thief" is any better?!

"Bajin, get the hell out of here. I don’t want to see your face for a while." He waved his hand dismissively.

"But, Chief..." Niu Bajin tried to argue, wanting to persuade Fang Rui to accept his suggestion.

"Get out!"

Fang Rui snatched up a case file, threatening to throw it.

"Alright, alright, Chief! I’m going, I’m going now!" Niu Bajin scurried away, covering his head.

After he left, Fang Rui leaned back in his chair, stroking his chin. ’Someone’s trying to slander me. Is it a jealous colleague, or someone else?’

’But if they think a cheap trick like this can drive a wedge between me and Zhen Daoji, they’re dreaming.’

He wasn’t too worried. A man like Zhen Daoji wasn’t the type to be swayed by public opinion.

’It’s fine. I have plenty of patience. These haters always give themselves away in the end.’

Fang Rui thought to himself.

...

「Zhen Mansion.」

"Dao Ji, these past couple of days, quite a few rumors about your romantic escapades have been spreading through the city!" Zhen Yi said with a teasing smile.

"Idle people and their idle talk. Why pay them any mind?"

Zhen Daoji shook his head. "Getting back to the matter of the Zheng Family, our greatest gain was the Qi Fortune."

"Indeed!"

At the mention of Qi Fortune, Zhen Yi’s expression also turned serious. "It is. It’s just a pity that our State Mansion’s replica Secret Treasure, the ’Ten Thousand Miles of Mountains and Rivers Map,’ is far inferior to the Saint Emperor’s Relic, the ’Map of Mountains and Rivers.’ The loss incurred when harvesting Qi Fortune is immense."

"The Saint Emperor’s Relic... that’s something we can only dream of. In any case, this time, we successfully completed the harvest of the Zheng Family of Huaiyin Prefecture."

Zhen Daoji continued, "Besides the Qi Fortune, there’s also the Dragon Pearl."

"This is a Yin Attribute Dragon Pearl. It’s highly compatible with the negative emotions of the Extreme Yin. If we use it as the core to set up an Array, we can build a large-scale ’Spirit Medicine Cultivation Base.’ In that case, you won’t lack for the Martial Arts resources you need on your path..."

"Second Uncle, say no more. You know I would never do that."

Zhen Daoji said with contempt, "Relying on devouring people makes one’s foundation impure and subtly warps one’s disposition. No matter how talented you are, it closes off the path to breaking through beyond First Grade on your own."

If he had been willing to consume ’Human Medicine,’ he would have reached the threshold of Second Grade long ago, given his talent and resources. He was still only Third Grade because he exclusively consumed Old Medicine, Great Medicine, and naturally grown Half-Spirit and Spirit Medicines.

To be honest, only a ’core seed’ from a State City Noble Family like Zhen Daoji could afford to cultivate so extravagantly.

"Beyond Martial Arts First Grade is the ’Seed Path.’ While breaking through that way would make you beholden to others, there is no other way!" Zhen Yi frowned.

"There was no path in this world, but now that I am here, there shall be one," Zhen Daoji replied with domineering confidence.

"Confidence is a good thing, Dao Ji, but..."

Zhen Yi shook his head.

The implication was clear: he was not optimistic.

"Don’t worry, Second Uncle, I’m not an idiot. So many breathtakingly brilliant people throughout history have failed to forge a new path. I’m not going to be that hard-headed."

The term ’hard-headed’ was, of course, an import he had picked up from Fang Rui.

"My idea is to first achieve a breakthrough on the path of Body Refinement, pushing my body’s strength beyond that of a First Grade Martial Artist, and see if that can in turn bolster my Martial Arts..."

A glint appeared in Zhen Daoji’s eyes. "This will require a massive amount of resources. One Yin Attribute Dragon Pearl isn’t enough; I’ll also need a Yang Attribute Dragon Pearl."

"That seems plausible. But how will we find another Dragon Pearl?"

"First, we capture Sun Shouchai!"

...

「That day.」

Fang Rui was strolling along, having gotten off work early. He thought to himself, ’I wonder what kind of shocked expressions Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family and Third Lady will have when I bring home my share of the riches from today.’

Just then—

"Fang Silver Seal!"

A voice suddenly called out from behind him. It was none other than Sun Shouchai, who took the initiative to greet him with a broad smile. "That disciple of Daoist Ge, is he doing alright with you?"

"Sigh."

As he spoke, he let out a sigh, his face a mask of pain. "Speaking of the matter makes me feel so guilty! Back then, Zhang Yuzhang came to me and dragged me into his scheme against Daoist Ge... I didn’t want to do it, but I suppose I can only blame my own weak will."

’This rotten old bastard is a crafty one. He’s just taking advantage of the fact that Zhang Henshui is dead and can’t exactly jump out of his coffin to argue back!’

That was right. Due to the Yin Qi eruption, Zhang Henshui had died a very unpeaceful death just two days prior.

...