Chapter 111: We Shall See

Upon hearing Kang Wei’s words, Li Sibai understood the entire sequence of events. To be honest, he was filled with anger. After all the effort it took to find a way to make money, coaxing and deceiving to recruit the unsuspecting Zhao Kang as a big spender, and finally winning the contest to earn 200 Xuantiān Yùqīng Pills, he still hadn’t received them. Instead, Kang Wei had placed a bet to earn more, only to be swindled out of all 200 pills! And the swindler even told him this was a discounted price—just thinking about it made him feel crushed.

He had fought tooth and nail in the competition, while Qin Feng had mortgaged his Crimson Gold Bear Core for just 30 Xuantiān Yùqīng Pills, yet now someone demanded 200 pills to buy it back. It was utterly unfair. As the saying goes, one does not fear a godlike opponent, but rather a teammate as foolish as a pig. Looking at Qin Feng, Li Sibai’s face was full of contempt.

But there was no use dwelling on this now. The real issue was how to reclaim his Crimson Gold Bear Core. Though this core required refining before use, and Li Sibai had not yet learned alchemy since he had just entered the inner sect, making it useless to him for the moment, the sting of being cheated burned fiercely. This matter had to be resolved—no matter who the person was, not even the Heavenly King himself could greedily take his hard-earned money.

Despite his anger, Li Sibai found himself somewhat admiring Kang Wei. On reflection, the ability to swindle Qin Feng so thoroughly spoke to a certain skill. Kang Wei’s money-grubbing nature also suited Li Sibai’s taste. If he could be befriended and put to good use, that would be perfect. Besides, Kang Wei had just claimed to be an appraiser.

Li Sibai didn’t know much about appraisers, only that those with such abilities could discern the origins of unknown treasures and even detect hidden attributes. If Kang Wei truly was an appraiser, then he was definitely worth cultivating a relationship with.

With a smile on his face, Li Sibai said to Kang Wei, “Brother Kang, I can give you this Crimson Gold Bear Core, but I have one condition. If you can meet my request, I will continue to provide you with opportunities to act as the house in similar dealings.”

“Oh?” Kang Wei was caught off guard by Li Sibai’s approach and grew curious. He had expected this man either to provoke him into a fight or to admit defeat and step aside. Unexpectedly, Li Sibai took neither path and even dared to impose a condition on him. This piqued his interest. As a wealthy scion accustomed to entertaining himself with interesting people and matters, Kang Wei was eager to see what kind of performance Li Sibai would put on next.

Suppressing his excitement, Kang Wei’s voice dropped low, “Oh? What’s your condition? Speak it plainly.”

---

Li Sibai had anticipated Kang Wei’s interest and smiled gently, taking his time. “This Crimson Gold Bear Core is precious, but it cannot be directly absorbed. It must first be refined into a Crimson Gold Spirit Pill, which is even more valuable. Am I correct?”

Kang Wei nodded, expressionless, replying coolly, “Everyone here knows that. If you have a request, just say it.”

Seeing Kang Wei’s eagerness, Li Sibai smiled. “My request is simple: when you arrange for someone to refine this Crimson Gold Bear Core, allow me to observe and learn from the process.”

Kang Wei’s curiosity deepened. This request was very modest and posed no loss to him. He asked, “How can you be so sure that I will refine this Xuantiān Yùqīng Pill?”

Seeing that Kang Wei was completely on board, Li Sibai nodded with satisfaction. “If I’m not mistaken, you have Wood-element True Qi, so this Crimson Gold Bear Core is useless to you. As a person who sets up gambling tables and acts as the house, though you aren’t short of money, refining this core will bring you even greater profit. I doubt you would refuse.”

Kang Wei laughed. Proud and outwardly reckless due to family reasons, he actually had strong earning abilities and plans for his future. He was surprised that this stranger could guess his thoughts on their first meeting, which made him more cautious about Li Sibai.

Li Sibai, however, did not reveal everything—whether because he had not figured it all out or deliberately left room to maneuver was unclear. There was no use lingering on this further.

“Very well,” Kang Wei said, “I agree to your request. When I have someone refine the Crimson Gold Bear Core, I will send you advance notice.” Without waiting for a response, he turned and disappeared into the crowd in moments.

Li Sibai shook his head and ignored him.

He then took out 100 Xuantiān Yùqīng Pills from his storage list and handed them to Qin Feng as compensation for the advance payment. Qin Feng had initially refused, feeling ashamed that he had not handled the matter well and had been cheated, having done little and yet being paid. But Li Sibai insisted, acknowledging Qin Feng’s contribution despite the failure. Reluctantly, Qin Feng accepted and thanked Li Sibai repeatedly.

Seeing that there was nothing more of interest, and with night falling, the crowd dispersed.

---

In the distance, an elder had been observing the events. Seeing no further commotion, he smiled faintly and turned to leave.

Had Li Sibai seen him, he would have recognized the elder as his master, the Venerable Yun Ling.

On the stage, Zhang Qiang, supporting Zhao Kang, prepared to leave. Zhang Qiang felt there was no use staying; he did not want to lose face here and decided to leave early to inform Guo Jian, hoping he could help figure out what to do next.

Seeing them about to leave, Li Sibai hurried onstage to stop them.

Zhang Qiang’s expression darkened. “Li Sibai, what do you mean? You’ve already won, why are you still bothering us?” Though a little afraid, Zhang Qiang’s cultivation was higher, and if it came to a fight, he would give his all. For cultivators, reputation was often more important than life itself.

Li Sibai smiled. “It’s not that I’m stopping you from leaving. You just seem to have forgotten something.”

Zhang Qiang’s face flushed. He clearly understood the implication. He dropped a storage list and said, “Li Sibai, don’t get cocky. We’ll see about this!”

(The end of this chapter)

Ps: Dear readers, I am Jian Xin. I recommend a free app that supports downloads, audiobooks, ad-free experience, and multiple reading modes. Please follow and support it!