"The formation is available for purchase. I wonder what price this gentleman has in mind?" Qin Chaoyang asked, his voice tight with anger.
The man surnamed Fu seemed to have been prepared for this. At the question, he raised a single finger. "Ten million!"
"Why don't you just rob us?" Qin Chaoyang seethed.
The others all stared at the man surnamed Fu with expressions of utter disbelief.
Ten million Source Crystals was no small sum, but for the Black Tortoise Seven-Section Formation, the price was insultingly low. At the auction, a single Dao Source Fruit had fetched over ten million Source Crystals — let alone a peerless formation like this one.
If such a formation were put up for auction, it would trigger a frenzy among the great Sects, and selling it for tens of millions of Source Crystals would be effortless. A mere ten million was far below what Qin Chaoyang could accept.
"Ten million. Not a single crystal more, not a single crystal less!" The man surnamed Fu ignored Qin Chaoyang's fury and snorted coldly. "Keep talking, and you won't even get that."
"My, my. This gentleman from the Flying Sacred Palace is quite domineering, aren't you? What an eye-opening display." Hua Qingsi suddenly let out a delicate laugh.
"Flying Sacred Palace?" Zhuang Pan cried out in alarm, and Du Lisheng's expression shifted as well.
Duan Yuanshan was equally stunned — partly because he had suddenly learned the background of the man surnamed Fu, and partly because of Hua Qingsi. Everyone had guessed that the man might have an impressive origin, but none had known his true identity. Only Hua Qingsi had seen through him at a glance. It was unclear where she had picked up the clue.
Upon hearing those words, Yang Kai's heart tightened with alarm. He cast an unobtrusive glance at the man surnamed Fu, sensing that this fellow was no friend to any of them.
He had killed Ning Yuancheng, the young master of the Flying Sacred Palace, who had been possessed by a Wood Demon. Though he had been left with no choice, he had effectively cut the man down.
After that, he had confiscated Ning Yuancheng's tower ship and refined it for his own use.
If that was the case, then this man's appearance in Maple Forest City was no coincidence. He was likely here to investigate the young master's death. Several days ago, outside the Alchemy Hall, this man surnamed Fu must have spotted the tower ship.
Chances were, he had already identified him as the killer!
At that thought, Yang Kai's expression darkened subtly.
The man surnamed Fu, his cover blown by Hua Qingsi, narrowed his eyelids slightly. He fixed his gaze on the beautiful woman and said, "This lady has sharp eyes. Might I ask where you hail from?"
Hua Qingsi reached up and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, smiling lightly. "I am merely a wandering cultivator. What background could I possibly have?"
"Hmph!"
The man surnamed Fu naturally did not believe a word of it. Even as suspicion churned within him, a flicker of wariness finally appeared in his eyes.
Anyone who could see through his identity at a glance was certainly no ordinary person. Still, arrogance was his habit, and he did not place much weight on Hua Qingsi.
"Have you made your decision?" The man surnamed Fu turned his attention back to Qin Chaoyang.
Qin Chaoyang let out a long sigh. "Can the price not be any higher?"
The situation was clear — they were lambs laid out on the chopping block. He still had Qin Yu to worry about, and in the end, an arm could never wrestle against a thigh. But if he could secure a higher price, he was willing to try.
"What do you think?" The man surnamed Fu deflected the question with one of his own.
Qin Chaoyang's face fell, and he seemed to age a decade in an instant. "Then let it be as the gentleman wishes."
"Very good!" The man surnamed Fu was visibly pleased. He waved a hand at Qin Chaoyang. "Hand the formation over to me, and I will not go back on my word."
"Wait a moment!"
At that instant, an abrupt voice cut through the proceedings.
All eyes turned toward the speaker. It was Yang Kai, seated in the center of the group. From the verbal sparring between Hua Qingsi and the man surnamed Fu to the coercion of Qin Chaoyang to sell the Black Tortoise Seven-Section Formation, Yang Kai had not uttered a single word, and the others had nearly forgotten he was there. Now, at this critical juncture, he suddenly spoke, leaving everyone bewildered as to what he intended.
Hua Qingsi's beautiful eyes glimmered with intrigue as she regarded Yang Kai with undisguised interest, a faint smile lingering at the corner of her lips.
The man surnamed Fu, however, narrowed his eyes. A trace of murderous intent flickered in the depths of his pupils as he said coldly, "Boy. What are you trying to do?"
"Don't be nervous, sir," Yang Kai said with a chuckle. "I'm not here to compete with you for the deal. But seeing how you've handled this, it suddenly occurred to me that the alliance between us few is far too fragile. Anyone can simply threaten to walk out and hold the rest of us hostage. That's rather problematic, don't you think?"
Duan Yuanshan spoke up in a heavy tone, "It was Duan's oversight."
He had originally welcomed the arrival of two Dao Source Third Stage cultivators volunteering to join their group, never expecting things to spiral into this. Fortunately, apart from the man surnamed Fu, Hua Qingsi at least appeared relatively trustworthy for now. If she turned out to be just like the man, then they had better turn back immediately — before they all ended up as demonic creatures with their minds utterly destroyed.
"It's not Lord Duan's fault. There are precious few Dao Source Realm cultivators in Maple Forest City — any outside help is a welcome addition," Yang Kai said evenly.
Duan Yuanshan heard this and let out a long sigh, heavy with resignation.
"To prevent this sort of thing from happening again, shouldn't we have a proper discussion?" Yang Kai said, his gaze sweeping over the group. "For instance, we need an agreement that no one can pull this kind of stunt anymore."