Chapter 7. Wang Ming.

"What?!" Li Chen exclaimed, his mouth agape in an 'O' shape as he absorbed Zhong Yu's words.

One thousand spirit coins for his recent purchase was nothing short of daylight robbery—it was at least four times the usual price!

"I said the price for what you've chosen is one thousand spirit coins," Zhong Yu repeated indifferently upon hearing Li Chen's outburst.

Li Chen was stunned, not because he hadn't heard Zhong Yu the first time, but because the price was unbelievably high.

"You might as well rob me in broad daylight!" Li Chen fumed.

Zhong Yu's smile grew as he saw that he had successfully rattled Li Chen.

"The items you've picked are quite pricey. The cost is non-negotiable. You either pay up or leave the items and come back when you can afford them," Zhong Yu advised. "However, there is another option. If you're in desperate need of the items, I could lend them to you, and you can pay me later," he added with a taunting smile, leaning in to whisper, "Naturally, there will be some interest," he murmured.

'Let's see how you manage this without your dear sister,' Zhong Yu thought to himself with a smirk.

Upon hearing Zhong Yu's proposal, Li Chen clenched his teeth in anger. It was obvious that Zhong Yu was just trying to make things difficult for him in Li Jing's absence.

The surrounding crowd had already formed a circle around them, watching the exchange with curiosity.

"Isn't that Zhong Yu? What's he doing with that trash?" a man asked his neighbor.

"I'm not sure, but it looks like Zhong Yu is seizing the chance to make life tough for him now that Li Jing isn't here to protect him," the neighbor responded.

Another person joined the conversation, whispering, "I heard Li Chen embarrassed Zhong Yu during their childhood. This must be Zhong Yu's way of getting back at him."

The first man snorted at this comment. "Well, I'm not surprised. I heard he was an arrogant kid. It seems karma has caught up with him, making him fail his summoning. He probably deserves it. Who knows how unbearable he would be otherwise?"

"You know, what I still can't understand is why Lady Li Jing keeps company with that worthless brother of hers. Quite unfortunate," the second man added coldly.

Just then, a sweet female voice chimed in, interrupting their chat. "What's happening here?" she inquired.

The three men were irked by the interruption.

"Didn't your parents ever teach you not to interrupt elders' conversations?" the first man retorted, turning with annoyance to reprimand the newcomer. However, his expression turned to one of shock upon seeing who it was.

"La... Lady Li Jing, y... you're here too," he stuttered, fear creeping into his voice.

A chill ran down his spine as he recalled their recent discussion. Had Li Jing overheard their words? If so, they were in deep trouble.

Despite possibly overhearing them, Li Jing paid the man little attention as she began to weave through the crowd, moving towards the center where Li Chen and Zhong Yu stood, the tension palpable between them.

Li Chen found himself at an impasse, unable to find a way to handle the current situation. He considered abandoning the items he had picked out and simply leaving.

But as he was about to drop the goods, a very familiar voice rang out, stopping him in his tracks. "Brother Li Chen, what's going on?" It was Li Jing's voice.

Surprised, Li Chen followed the voice and saw Li Jing making her way through the crowd.

"Li Jing? What are you doing here?" Li Chen couldn't help but express his astonishment.

On the other side, Zhong Yu was nearly having a panic attack, feeling cold sweat bead on his forehead.

After a moment, Zhong Yu collected himself and stuttered, "Lady Li Jing, I... What brings you here?" His shock was evident.

"What? Am I not welcome here anymore?" Li Jing asked with furrowed brows.

"No! No! That's not what I meant, I just..." Zhong Yu began.

But before Zhong Yu could finish, Li Jing turned her attention away from him and back to Li Chen. "Big brother Li Chen, is everything alright?" she asked with a tone of genuine concern, which then turned icy as she added, looking squarely at Zhong Yu, "Has anyone dared to cause you trouble?"

Zhong Yu felt a chill run down his spine under Li Jing's piercing gaze.

"No, no, nobody's been looking for trouble," Li Chen assured with a smile that caught everyone off guard. Was Li Chen trying to shield Zhong Yu from Li Jing's wrath? That was the question on everyone's mind.

"You've arrived just in time. I was about to thank Little Yu for his generous offer," Li Chen continued, further bewildering the crowd.

"Thank Zhong Yu? What's he talking about?" someone in the crowd whispered.

"I thought he was nothing but trash. Has he become a fool too, or did someone knock him too hard on the head before he came here?" another person mumbled.

Confusion rippled through the crowd, as no one could grasp what Li Chen meant.

Even Li Jing was taken aback by Li Chen's words and couldn't help but inquire, "What generous offer?"

Everyone echoed the same question in their heads: What generous offer?

"Oh, before you arrived, Little Yu generously offered to give me everything I bought for free and even add an extra one thousand spirit coins," Li Chen replied with a cunning smile, turning to Zhong Yu. "Isn't that right, Little Yu?"

'What? When did I make such an offer?' Zhong Yu screamed internally, but facing Li Jing's stern look, he could only force a smile and nod.

"Oh, that's very kind of you," Li Jing said, her brows knitting together in confusion. "I never knew you two were this close."

'Close? In your dreams,' Zhong Yu cursed silently to himself, realizing Li Chen was using this opportunity to turn the situation in his favor now that Li Jing had arrived.

'Pathetic, hiding behind your sister's influence. How shameless can you be?' Zhong Yu thought but made sure to keep his smile as bright as possible on the outside.

"I was surprised too. It seems your biggest enemy can become your greatest friend, and a generous one at that," Li Chen replied with a mocking smile. He proceeded to put away the items he had picked out into his spatial ring, and Zhong Yu could only look on, gritting his teeth in anger.

"Oh, before I forget," Li Chen said, extending his hand toward Zhong Yu.

Upon seeing Li Chen's outstretched hand, Zhong Yu could only clench his teeth in anger as he reluctantly tossed a pouch toward Li Chen.

Li Chen, without bothering to verify the full sum, swiftly stowed the pouch in his spatial ring. Then, he turned and departed with Li Jing, leaving Zhong Yu seething with fury. Zhong Yu's glare bore into the receptionist who had informed him of Li Chen's presence, his eyes laden with killing intent.

Once Li Chen and Li Jing had left, the onlookers gradually dispersed, returning to their affairs, though some lingered to discuss the day's events. Many found humor in the situation: Zhong Yu had intended to oppress Li Chen, only for Li Jing to arrive and Li Chen to cunningly flip the script, tricking Zhong Yu out of one thousand spirit coins. The damage to Zhong Yu's reputation was done, and it wouldn't be long before word spread.

Li Chen and Li Jing, after leaving the scene, made their way toward the building's exit.

"Isn't that brother-in-law and sister Li Jing?" an arrogant voice called out just as they neared the exit, halting their progress. They turned to see a group of young men from the Wang Clan led by the tall and handsome Wang Ming, a sword hanging at his waist.

The Wang Clan had become the most formidable family in Silverpeak City, their ascent beginning just thirty years ago when one of their own, Wang Jing, secured a commander's position in the Azure Mist Kingdom's royal army. This connection had propelled the Wang Clan to surpass even the Li Clan in standing.

When Li Jing had summoned a high-tier system spirit, the Wang Clan had proposed a marriage between her and Wang Jing. It was less of a proposition and more of a decree; the Li Clan had no real power to refuse. Li Jing was clearly against the marriage, but the safety of her clan outweighed her desires. Li Chen, powerless to change the situation, despised the arrangement as well.

Wang Ming, aware of their distaste, relished in provoking them.

"Oh, it's Wang Ming. That explains the unpleasant smell," Li Chen remarked.

"Look who's talking, the trash himself," Wang Ming shot back, prompting laughter from his followers.

Stepping forward, Li Jing interjected, "As you can see, we're just leaving. Unless you have a valid reason for stopping us, we'll be on our way." She tugged on Li Chen's hand, indicating for them to depart.

But Wang Ming called out to them, "Why the rush? I came to invite you both to join me at the Golden Moon Pavilion. I've made reservations there."

The Golden Moon Pavilion sat atop the highest floor of the Golden Gates building, renowned for serving the finest dishes and wine in Silverpeak City.

"Not interested," Li Jing declined flatly.

"I thought it would be nice to celebrate together. I heard you've advanced to an adept level," Wang Ming said casually.

Neither Li Chen nor Li Jing was surprised that Wang Ming knew of her advancement, despite it being recent and unannounced by the Li Clan. It was common knowledge that clans kept tabs on each other through spies.

"To become an adept at such a young age, you must be quite talented," Wang Ming continued. "But of course, you are to be Wang Jing's wife. It's only fitting that you should possess such talent," he added with an air of arrogance.

Hearing this, Li Chen clenched his teeth, but a gentle squeeze from Li Jing's hand urged him to hold back his retort.

"Thank you for the offer, but we really must be going now," Li Jing responded as they turned once more to leave. This time, Wang Ming did not stop them. Instead, he stood watching them disappear into the distance, a sly smile playing on his lips.