In a luxuriously decorated private room of a tavern, Shi Bolong sat in the main seat, accompanied by Zhou Zheng.
As they exchanged cups, the two conversed joyfully.
After the wine had been poured several times, Zhou Zheng set down his cup and suddenly asked, "Senior Brother Shi, aside from replenishing the usual supplies this time, is there any other plan?"
At the end of the table, Zhao Ya, who was accompanying them, felt a stir in his heart upon hearing this, but he didn’t raise his head, merely listening quietly.
Shi Bolong smiled slightly and then put down his cup of wine, "What does Junior Brother Zhou mean by this question?"
"No particular reason, just if you, Senior Brother, are looking for something novel, I happen to have some good stuff." Zhou Zheng said mysteriously.
"Oh?" Shi Bolong raised an eyebrow slightly, "What good stuff?"
"You’ll know when you see it!" Zhou Zheng said as he clapped his hands, and immediately someone walked in.
"Bring up that batch of goods."
"Yes!"
The servant turned and left, Zhou Zheng cheerfully raised his wine glass.
"Come, let me toast you, Senior Brother Shi, once more."
Shi Bolong shook his head, pretending to be unable to handle much more drink.
"Can’t drink anymore, can’t drink, I’ll get too much if I do."
Zhou Zheng did not insist, laughed heartily, and then drank the wine from his cup by himself.
At this moment, a chaotic sound of footsteps came from outside, and soon the door was opened, followed by a group of people walking in.
Upon seeing this group, Shi Bolong was slightly taken aback.
For this group consisted of both men and women, all shackled and escorted in.
"This is...?"
"These are martial artists from this world who are not loyal to our Great Cheng Garden Treasure Mountain and intend to rebel! After capturing them personally, those with weaker strength were executed by me, and these remaining ones are basically at the Meridian Opening Realm and above. I couldn’t bear to kill them, so they’ve been locked up in the cell." Zhou Zheng explained with self-satisfaction.
Hearing this explanation, Shi Bolong acted as if he suddenly understood, then smiled slightly and said, "Is this what you meant by good stuff, Junior Brother Zhou?"
"Isn’t it?" Zhou Zheng replied, then winked at Shi Bolong.
"I’ve long heard that Wuyou Longevity Palace’s biological transformation technique is unparalleled, so aren’t these martial artists with Meridian Opening cultivation level the best experimental materials for your sect?"
Shi Bolong said nothing, just slowly appraised the martial artists being escorted in.
Zhao Ya was also observing these people.
He noticed that these people were all very listless, lacking the imposing demeanor top martial artists should have, clearly sealed by some kind of Secret Technique.
Even so, their eyes were still filled with anger and killing intent.
Especially when they saw Zhou Zheng, the hatred was almost overflowing.
It showed just how deep the enmity between these martial artists and Zhou Zheng, or Great Cheng Garden Treasure Mountain, was.
"How about it, pretty good, right?" Zhou Zheng asked with a smile.
Shi Bolong withdrew his gaze and nodded, "Indeed, they’re not bad. What’s most extraordinary is that among them are a few female martial artists of the Primordial Sea Realm, rare treasures indeed."
Zhou Zheng excitedly slapped the table, "No wonder they say you’re knowledgeable, Senior Brother Shi. These women are indeed precious. I’ve never let anyone touch them, so what do you think...?"
Shi Bolong didn’t respond immediately, but instead pretended to be examining the martial artists, actually looking at Zhao Ya sitting in the distance.
Zhao Ya lightly tapped the table with his fingers without drawing any attention, and Shi Bolong understood, maintaining his composure, lightly saying.
"So what price do you intend to sell these goods for, Junior Brother Zhou?"
Hearing this, Zhou Zheng’s eyes lit up, and with a wave of his hand, the martial artists were escorted out again, after which he raised his wine glass, smiled, and said.
"Awesome, I love dealing with a straightforward person like you, Senior Brother. To be honest, I’ve held onto these goods for over a year. I haven’t rushed to sell them because the offers outside weren’t what I was looking for."
"Oh? Then what kind of terms are you looking for, Junior Brother Zhou?" Shi Bolong asked.
Zhou Zheng glanced meaningfully at Liu Yuhuan and Zhao Ya in the distance, Shi Bolong noticed this and explained.
"Relax, both of these followers have been reformed by me, they have no disloyalty. Speak your mind directly."
Only then did Zhou Zheng laugh, "I’ve heard there’s a Secret Technique in Wuyou Longevity Palace that can refine puppets and manipulate avatars?"
"Indeed there is such a Secret Technique, why? Are you planning to play with a puppet, Junior Brother Zhou?" Shi Bolong asked.
Zhou Zheng did not hide his intentions this time, and directly revealed, "It’s not about playing with a puppet, it’s about manipulating an avatar."
"Oh? Why do you want to... I understand now." Shi Bolong was about to ask but suddenly realized something and laughed.
"Looks like years of practicing Child’s Skill really have frustrated you, Junior Brother Zhou!"
Zhou Zheng chuckled, "You truly are perceptive, Senior Brother, though it’s not exactly due to being frustrated. Just that in this life, one ought to try everything; now that I’m the controller of this Lower Mountain Fierce Tiger Realm, no beauty is beyond my reach, yet I can only look and not touch. It’s quite frustrating."
It turned out that Zhou Zheng went to great lengths and even presented a batch of martial artists he had treasured for a long time in order to obtain the Secret Technique from Wuyou Longevity Palace that allows control of an avatar.
Because the Horizontal Refining Technique he practiced required strict abstinence, but having been the head of this Small World for so long and faced with various temptations daily, Zhou Zheng had long been itching for a change.
However, due to the constraints of his cultivation technique, he could only cast longing glances without daring to actually partake.
Until he encountered Shi Bolong, Zhou Zheng’s mind started working.
He had heard long ago of the Secret Technique in Wuyou Longevity Palace that allowed manipulation of avatars, knowing that this technique could let him experience the sensations through the avatar, and thus was tempted.
Shi Bolong laughed heartily, initially intending to pat Zhou Zheng’s shoulder, but remembered that except for his temporarily repaired right hand, his other limbs were still immobile, so he restrained himself.
Yet he couldn’t help saying, "Junior Brother Zhou, you indeed are a character, quite different from the rumored style of Great Cheng Garden Treasure Mountain."
Zhou Zheng also laughed, "My fellow disciples trained their brains dull, they don’t understand the importance of living in the moment, hence our transaction here... "
Shi Bolong glanced at Zhao Ya in the distance, saw him tap the table again, and understood, "Alright, since Junior Brother Zhou is so sincere, this deal is done then."
Zhou Zheng was overjoyed, "Great, fantastic! Servants, bring another table of drinks, today I won’t leave until we’re both drunk!"