Chapter 617 598: The Contest

With Wang Meng's support, Fatty Bai's conviction was renewed. He didn't actually care much about getting the Haojing Royal Family's backing; he just felt that Wang Meng himself inspired confidence. It was an inexplicable feeling—that the man before him could accomplish anything.

When the disciples of the Bai Family learned that Wang Meng would be staying with them as a guest, they burst into thunderous cheers. To see a glimmer of hope in a time of despair was a blissful feeling indeed.

"Has anything interesting happened in Wang City lately?"

"Same as usual... Oh, right. After you left, Brother Wang, the biggest news was that Muhe Xiaoyu was promoted to Fifth Grade Spirit-Controlling Master," Fatty Bai said. "Oh, and Su Xueyou and Pang Hong have done well for themselves, too. They both successfully advanced to Third Grade, but the two old geezers just got into another war of words over it."

They chatted as they hurried toward Wang City. The Jiang Family had been quiet; it seemed things had returned to normal for them after Wang Meng's departure. The Kun Family, however, remained as aggressive as ever. The alliance between the Jiang and Zhe Families was solidifying, making it highly likely that Wu Yuan would be forced out of the picture. After all, with public perception being more or less equal, the Zhe Family could offer much more substantial help.

As night fell, they finally arrived at Wang City.

Upon entering the city, one of the gate guards cried out in astonishment, "Young Master Bai? You're back? Weren't you eaten by the Taiyuan Demon Spirit?" The guard was clearly an acquaintance of Fatty Bai's. He rushed over and added, "Just one ancient hour ago, the guys you hired came running back. What gives? You alright?"

"My meat is too sour for that Demon Spirit's palate," Fatty Bai said, grinning like a Maitreya Buddha.

But just then, an odd voice called out.

"Well, if it isn't Brother Bai. You cheated death, I see," Kun Yaoyang's voice rang out. "Shouldn't you be giving our little business proposal some serious consideration now?"

"My apologies, Brother Kun," Fatty Bai said. "I just sold the Bai Family to Brother Wang. He's the one in charge now."

Kun Yaoyang froze. Only then did he notice Wang Meng, and his expression shifted. A cold sneer crept onto his face. "Brother Wang, really now. You already left. Why bother coming back?"

He didn't seem to fear Wang Meng in the slightest; in fact, there was even a hint of schadenfreude in his tone.

"Wang City is such a wonderful place. How could I bear to leave it for good?"

Kun Yaoyang had also just returned to Wang City, leading the Kun Family's Hunting Team. He shot a cold glance at Fatty Bai's caravan; they might have had some goods, but the quality looked abysmal.

There was a reason the Kun Family had such a firm foothold. They had a stable of experts and brought back a huge haul every time, so it was only natural they could dominate the market.

At the city gate, a crowd of merchants who sold True Essence Beasts to other regions had already gathered. These merchants had the keenest noses; whenever a Hunting Team returned, they were the first to know. If there was a top-grade specimen, you had to act fast to get it. Even if nothing was for sale on the spot, getting firsthand information on new True Essence Beasts meant they could prepare for the subsequent auction.

Business is ruthless. A man of Fatty Bai's considerable size was spectacularly ignored by the merchants. No one was interested in the Bai Family's haul. Besides, there was no such thing as fairness in business. The Kun Family had made it clear: anyone who wanted to do business with them was forbidden from dealing with the Bai Family.

Kun Yaoyang, clearly trying to infuriate Fatty Bai, deliberately ordered his caravan to slow down. He then had the black cloths covering the cages removed, revealing the various True Essence Beasts captured inside.

"WHOA... Isn't that a Seventh Grade Red Tiger? Look, the markings on its forehead have turned from black to blood-red! It's Top Grade! Definitely Top Grade!"

"A Fifth Grade Cyan Light Butterfly! The bane of mazes for any pathfinding or treasure-hunting expedition! That's one of the hardest True Essence Beasts to catch!"

"And this one is even more incredible..."

The merchants were gobsmacked, chattering excitedly. All the while, their hands moved without stopping, recording every item in the Kun Family Hunting Team's haul. In a little while, they'd all be heading to the Kun Family to grease some palms, hoping to secure this shipment.

Fatty Bai's face flushed red, then went pale, his fists clenched tightly!

He had a haul of his own—in fact, it was supposed to be the cargo that would save the Bai Family—but its quality was nothing compared to theirs. The Kun Family's beasts were not only high-grade, but also incredibly varied. Common True Essence Beasts fetched low prices; if a beast was low-grade, it had to be rare or have a special ability to be valuable. At the very least, it had to be visually impressive, as many young nobles—men and women alike—had a taste for such things.

And among the Kun Family's spoils, they truly had everything, and every single item was a prize.

Kun Yaoyang didn't seem to want to pass up this chance to crush Fatty Bai, and it looked like he was also targeting Wang Meng.

"So? What treasures did you lot drag back from the jaws of death? Show everyone! You've thrown in your lot with Wang Rencai, after all—oh, right, I should call him Wang Meng now, shouldn't I? Tsk, tsk. If your goods are better than the Kun Family's, I certainly won't stop our friends here, who've traveled so far, from making a profit."

Kun Yaoyang directed this at Wang Meng, and the crowd of True Essence Beast merchants erupted in laughter. Wang Meng sensed it clearly—Kun Yaoyang was provoking him.

'Just three months ago, Kun Yaoyang seemed unwilling to cross me, but now he's actively looking for trouble.'

Fatty Bai noticed it too. "Kun Yaoyang, if you have a problem, direct it at me! Cut the fucking bullshit!"

"What's wrong, Young Master Wang? Not going to indulge us? Or are you afraid of losing face? Let me introduce him to everyone. This is the Young Master Wang from Haojing! I'm sure you've all heard of him—the number one young master of our Great Zhou, and the number one *useless* young master! HAHA!"

Kun Yaoyang cackled. The name Wang Rencai was hardly unknown to these well-informed merchants. They were even clearer on his situation: the Wang Family had completely abandoned him, and the powerful figures he had once offended were now making their moves. There were already all kinds of bounties on his head in the underworld. They'd all assumed he'd fled Wang City to save his life, so to see him reappear so brazenly... the man truly had a death wish.

Kun Yaoyang's taunts were clearly a performance for certain powerful factions. By stomping on Wang Meng, he could curry even more favor with them.

In Kun Yaoyang's imagination, a piece of trash like Wang Meng would surely be goaded into attacking. Then, he would have another chance to put on a good show. Countless people were chomping at the bit for a chance to humiliate Wang Meng; the more brutal the humiliation, the happier a certain powerful figure would be.

'It seems my luck is the best after all. I'm the first one to run into him.'

Contrary to Kun Yaoyang's expectations, Wang Meng didn't fly into a rage. Instead, he smiled calmly. "Fatty, I told you, good things are meant to be shared. I know you're angry, but business is business. It wasn't easy for everyone to come all this way. I'll make the call—let's show them what we've got."

Sweat immediately beaded on Fatty Bai's forehead. The things they'd caught weren't even in the same league as the Kun Family's haul. It was better to hide their flaws than to display them for ridicule. This...

Kun Yaoyang took in Fatty Bai's expression and was delighted. 'This Wang Rencai really is the type to suffer just to save face,' he thought. 'Somehow he managed to trick Fatty Bai into following him. Then again, the Bai Family is in such dire straits they'd grasp at any straw. Two idiots bundled together just make one giant idiot.'

"Oh? In that case, we'll all be eager to see! If your haul is better than mine, I'll see to it that the Bai Family's position among the Wang City Hunters is restored. I, Kun Yaoyang, am a man of my word!"

Not just anyone was qualified to participate in the large-scale True Essence Beast trade. The Bai Family once held this qualification, but ultimately lost it due to the Kun Family's opposition. If Kun Yaoyang were to drop his objection, the Bai Family could regain their license for large-scale trading.

"That's great. I agree!" Wang Meng said with a smile.

"However, if it's *not* as good as ours... what do you think should happen, Brother Wang?" Kun Yaoyang said, his eyes crinkling into a smile.

Wang Meng smiled faintly. "I have nothing to my name. What does Brother Kun have in mind?"

(On this one and only March 25, 2013, Skeleton is here to solemnly ask for a monthly ticket. Thank you! Waaah, it's the end of the month, please give me monthly tickets! Skeleton is rampaging and thrashing about ^_^) (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote with recommendation and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)