The subordinate reported clearly once again.
Liu Fu’s eyebrows knitted together immediately, and after thinking for a moment, he asked, "Are these five people in cahoots?"
The subordinate shook his head, indicating that it didn’t seem like it.
Liu Fu lost his patience and snapped, "Doesn’t seem like it? Can’t even find this out? Get out and investigate thoroughly!"
"Yes." The subordinate nodded hurriedly and exited the room."Get back here!" Liu Fu suddenly waved him back, changing his mind, "This matter... I have to handle personally."
Liu Fu felt a sense of foreboding.
He immediately set off and went to the various Cave Mansions rented by newcomers to negotiate.
Wu Chai and others were among the first group; upon seeing Liu Fu, they thought to themselves that he had finally come and all exited their Cave Mansions.
Liu Fu spoke directly, offering ten Mid Grade Spirit Stones for the newcomers to leave immediately.
The newcomers cooperated well, taking the ten Mid Grade Spirit Stones, with some leaving immediately and others even smiling and thanking him.
Liu Fu was relieved once the matter was handled and returned to his residence.
However, not long after, a second group of cultivators arrived.
There were still five of them this time.
Liu Fu’s pupils contracted sharply, and he skipped a heartbeat: "Damn it, someone must be orchestrating this, making things difficult for me!"
Enormous pressure weighed on Liu Fu’s heart.
Why was that?
The reason was that he had taken a benefit—Yu Heye paid twelve Mid Grade Spirit Stones each time for the eviction. Liu Fu secretly took two for himself, only handing out ten to others.
This was a small secret.
Even if exposed, Liu Fu expected Yu Heye wouldn’t care—after all, how much is this amount?
On the contrary, if Yu Heye questioned or punished him, it would make him, a dignified Golden Core cultivator, seem petty.
The initial situation was like this.
But gradually, as more cultivators were evicted, the number of Spirit Stones Liu Fu deducted increased.
The small secret unknowingly turned into a big secret.
Liu Fu was actually beginning to regret it.The amount of Spirit Stones he withheld gradually felt too hot to handle. Yet still, he couldn’t stop.
The reason was simple.
If he gave the new arrivals twelve Mid Grade Spirit Stones, what would the previous cultivators think if they heard about it?
If everyone’s being evicted, then why is your compensation more than mine?
Everyone is smart and would naturally figure out—oh, Liu Fu took a cut.
Thus, doing so would be a tacit admission.
He could only comfort himself privately: "Endure a little longer, just endure for a while more."
"Soon, the Feiyun Conference will officially begin."
"By then, there won’t be too many uninformed people coming here to rent Cave Mansions."
"Soon, very soon..."
As Liu Fu eagerly anticipated the Feiyun Conference, Ning Zhuo’s plan began.
The first group of five cultivators, the second group of five cultivators, made Liu Fu’s heart skip a beat, feeling that things were off!
"Someone is targeting me! Who is it? Who?!" It wasn’t hard for Liu Fu to find out the backstage manipulator.
Ning Zhuo used these lower-level cultivators who were gold-eyed and opened their mouths after Liu Fu offered just one or two Mid Grade Spirit Stones.
"Ning Zhuo?" Liu Fu frowned, feeling puzzled by this answer.
He initially thought someone around Yu Heye was targeting him.
The small circle around Yu Heye didn’t only have Liu Fu; others had various little schemes of their own.
Upon carefully recollecting, Liu Fu found that he couldn’t remember Ning Zhuo’s appearance.
He did remember there was such a young man.
"A young man? A young man, huh...""Could it be he couldn’t take this, so he’s seeking revenge?"Liu Fu thought he understood Ning Zhuo’s intention.He immediately found an excuse, flew off the mountain, proactively found Ning Zhuo, and attempted to bribe him.The meaning Liu Fu expressed was simple: I’ll give you money, buddy, just stop whatever you’re doing! Let it go. I can represent Yu Heye, and not blame you for all this. Young people, they all have their impulsive moments and make mistakes.He also carried an air of arrogance.Though they were both Foundation Establishment cultivators, Liu Fu had Yu Heye behind him.
"What does Ning Zhuo have? It’s clear he’s a newcomer, here to the Feiyun Conference to try his luck and broaden his horizons."
It’s no wonder Liu Fu assumed so, as the Feiyun Conference had become an event in Flying Cloud Country to be eagerly watched by people from all walks of life, big or small, powerful or weak.
Ning Zhuo maintained a friendly demeanor and then smiled, indicating that he couldn’t comply.
"Can’t do it? How’s it possible for you not to do it?" Liu Fu shouted unhappily, "You must do it, whether you want to or not!"
He slammed his palm forcefully against the table and then stood up, staring down at Ning Zhuo.
With ordinary cultivators, they might have been intimidated by Liu Fu.
But Ning Zhuo had dealt with even a Divinity Transformation cultivator, so why would he fear a small person of the same level?
He grinned, revealing a more sincere smile, but his words were full of provocation: "Send someone immediately to rent five more Cave Mansions!"
Seeing Liu Fu’s face turn red and his anger intensify, Ning Zhuo laughed aloud: "Oh no, make that ten this time!"Liu Fu’s anger froze on his face.
At that moment, he realized he couldn’t easily bluff Ning Zhuo.
"What do you want?!" Liu Fu lowered his voice, veins throbbing on his forehead as he growled.Ning Zhuo’s smile slightly receded as he pointed at him: "Speak nicely, don’t scare my people."
Ning Zhuo wasn’t talking to Liu Fu alone; beside him stood Qing Chi.
The girl was from the Ghost People Clan, and Liu Fu glanced at her, assuming she was Ning Zhuo’s attendant, so he paid her no mind.
Ning Zhuo, on the other hand, took care of Qing Chi because of her memory loss and brought her along to learn about the cultivation world through experiences.Liu Fu placed both hands on the table, lowered his head, closed his eyes, and took a few deep breaths.
Suppressing the anger in his heart, he suddenly opened his eyes: "Young Master Ning... What do you want?"
He almost gritted his teeth as he said this.
Ning Zhuo rubbed his fingers: "Give me one thousand Mid Grade Spirit Stones, and I won’t pursue this matter further."
Liu Fu glared incredulously at Ning Zhuo, shouting, "Are you insane?! One thousand?! Do you think I’m a fool?"
"Is my head as big as you think?"
Ning Zhuo: "One thousand... seems a bit much."
"How about this, let’s cut it in half."Liu Fu’s eyes turned bloodshot as he calculated: "Five hundred? If I give that, I’d still lose money, wouldn’t I?"
"Even that amount is unreasonable!" Liu Fu lowered his voice again, exclaiming.
Ning Zhuo: "I’m not exactly poor either, let me halve it for you again. However..."
Ning Zhuo took out a letter: "This is my letter of greeting for Senior Yu Heye, please deliver it for me. Don’t worry, I won’t report you to him, I just want to make acquaintance."Liu Fu looked at the greeting letter, his expression unreadable for a moment, unsure of Ning Zhuo’s intentions.
Wouldn’t an ordinary cultivator just retreat?
Why was this kid going the opposite way?
Isn’t he afraid that his small arms and legs as a Foundation Establishment cultivator would get beaten by a Golden Core cultivator?
Liu Fu realized that the greeting letter was Ning Zhuo’s real purpose.
He gritted his teeth and said, "What exactly are you trying to do?"
Ning Zhuo smiled lightly, shaking his head slowly: "You don’t need to know."
Liu Fu took a deep breath, slowly extended his hand, and took the greeting letter.
After half an incense stick of time.
He knelt in the Panshi Cave Mansion, his face full of shame.
The negotiation with Ning Zhuo made Liu Fu realize that the former, although young, was not to be trifled with and had different plans.
This made Liu Fu feel scared.
So after some painful self-reflection, Liu Fu returned and proactively confessed and pleaded guilty to Yu Heye.
Yu Heye smiled: "It’s just a few hundred Mid Grade Spirit Stones. It’s no big deal."
He looked at the greeting letter in his hand, which was the one Ning Zhuo had asked Liu Fu to deliver.
An orb of flame suddenly rose in Yu Heye’s hand, burning the greeting letter entirely.
He snorted, "An insignificant Foundation Establishment youth, trying to pay respects to me? Does he think he’s already won?"
"Haha, naive."
He looked at Liu Fu: "Why do you think I kept you all by my side and nurtured you?"
"The people Ning Zhuo has gathered may be numerous, but their cultivation level is low."
"You all go together, use the martial arena, and challenge them. Once they are held in check and taught a lesson, who will still come to rent a Cave Mansion?"
Yu Heye would never personally deal with the situation.
Being a dignified Golden Core, attacking lower-level Qi Refinement and Foundation Establishment cultivators was beneath him.
But the cultivators around him could.
They should stand up and deal with the current situation to relieve Yu Heye’s worries.