Chapter 32

Chen Qing and Su Ziling were also startled when they first saw Chen Hai, seemingly feeling ashamed to acknowledge him. Their gazes lingered on Chen Hai's face for a moment before they deliberately turned away.

Seeing Chen Qing and Su Ziling, two women, appear in the city of Mengyi, Chen Hai was also quite surprised.

Chen Lie served as the General of the Duwu Brigade in the Weijiang Camp, and the Chen clan's disciples who had achieved cultivation mainly served in the Weijiang Camp on the northern slope of Mount Taiwei, rarely venturing into the southern slope of Mount Taiwei. He never expected Chen Qing and Su Ziling to accompany a group of unfamiliar young men and women, appearing in the city of Mengyi, and even wandering into the Medicine Master's Armory.

"You are the owner of this shop," the young man in brocade clothing, who wanted to buy the two swords, glanced at Chen Hai and Zhou Jingyuan, quickly ignoring Chen Hai, and his proud gaze fell on Zhou Jingyuan's face. He said impatiently, "These two swords suit me, and I want to buy them to give to my female companion. But your shop manager refuses to sell them. Are you trying to overcharge me?"

Zhou Jingyuan was very smooth. Seeing the six or seven young men and women in fine clothing, most of whom had reached the Spirit Opening Realm, with their attendants waiting outside on the street, he knew they were likely the direct descendants of sects or noble families, each with a sense of superiority and formidable backgrounds. He wouldn't dare to offend them for the sake of the rules he had established.

Worried that Chen Hai might not be able to put aside his pride, Zhou Jingyuan first leaned out of the counter, smiling and said, "I'm really sorry, these two swords are indeed displayed as samples and are not for sale. The manager didn't dare to make the decision on his own, and I apologize for the inconvenience to the esteemed guests. Since this young master has such a fondness for our shop, I will sell them to you at the original price. Is that acceptable?"

Chen Hai guessed that these young men and women, like Chen Qing, were likely inner disciples of the Taiwei Sect, whose status far exceeded that of the Dao soldiers. Since Chen Qing pretended not to recognize him, he wouldn't embarrass himself by acknowledging her. He lifted the curtain and was about to return to the inner courtyard.

The others didn't pay much attention to Chen Hai, but Su Ziling heard the manager's words clearly, feeling both surprised and suspicious. She never expected the eccentric "Yao Xing," who had been sent to the Iron Stream Dao Academy, to not only survive the brutal treatment by the Chai clan's disciples but also to thrive and collaborate with others to open an armory in the city of Mengyi. She really wanted to know what had happened to Yao Xing in the Iron Stream Dao Academy over the past year.

Seeing Chen Hai about to leave by lifting the curtain, Su Ziling had a sudden idea. Her clear and lively eyes glanced at the two swords on the counter, and she said with a pout, "I think they are trying to deceive Young Master Jie, perhaps to pressure him into buying these two ordinary-looking swords for a million coins..."

Chen Hai stopped, surprised that despite his and Zhou Jingyuan's efforts to resolve the matter peacefully, Su Ziling, the despicable maid, had maliciously stirred up trouble again. It seemed she couldn't bear to see him living comfortably in the Iron Stream Dao Academy.

Looking at Chen Qing and the others, all of whom had reached the Spirit Opening Realm and could refine true magical weapons, ordinary weapons, no matter how finely crafted, wouldn't impress them. The young man in brocade clothing, with his narrow eyes, was likely trying to please Su Ziling, whose cultivation was still somewhat lacking.

These two swords were indeed specially designed by Chen Hai to please female cultivators at the Profound Understanding Realm. The weapons were small and light, and while the materials were secondary, Chen Hai had put a lot of effort into the accessories, making them not only sharp but also beautiful works of art.

Upon hearing Su Ziling's words, the young man in brocade clothing, Jie, indeed raised an eyebrow and glanced at Zhou Jingyuan with suspicion. Since even Su Ziling looked down on these two swords, what was the point of buying them?

Zhou Jingyuan, not understanding why the beautiful girl was maliciously making things difficult, smiled awkwardly at the young man in brocade clothing, Jie, and said, "Since Young Master Jie's companion thinks these two swords are not worth the price, our shop will not force the sale. Please, Young Master Jie and the others, take a look at what else our shop has to offer. We have only been open for a few days, and today everything is at an 80% discount..."

Zhou Jingyuan didn't want to offend these people and was extremely polite, but among the young men and women, there were those who enjoyed stirring up trouble. One of them unstrapped the sword on his back and said with a smile, "Whether the shop owner is bluffing, whether these two swords are good or not, and whether they are worthy of Miss Ziling's affection, can be tested with my sword..."

Zhou Jingyuan, despite his good temper, his face darkened slightly.

The sword unstrapped by the young man, with its scabbard and hilt engraved with luminous Daoist runes, subtly drew on the surrounding spiritual energy, clearly a well-refined magical sword.

Even in terms of sharpness and durability, a magical sword far exceeded ordinary iron weapons, which could be easily shattered like tofu.

Such a high-quality magical sword would require tens of thousands of sect merit points to obtain in the Dao Academy. Now this young man wanted to use this magical sword to test the ordinary iron weapons of the Medicine Master's Armory. Wasn't this a form of mockery?

The young man in brocade clothing, Jie, was at a loss for how to gracefully back down in front of the beautiful woman. Hearing the young man's words, he laughed and said, "Testing the swords is fine..." As he spoke, he reached out to grab the two swords on the counter to test them with the young man.

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. If someone likes these two swords and finds them worth the price, they would be willing to pay even more. If they don't like them, they can just put them back and leave," Chen Hai, seeing that these noble disciples completely looked down on them, coldly laughed and walked back to the counter, staring at Chen Qing's face for a moment before sternly rebuking her, "Chen Qing, this is the Chen family's armory in the city of Mengyi. Are you really going to stand by and let this despicable maid, Su Ziling, team up with outsiders to destroy the Chen family's business?"

After saying this, Chen Hai, regardless of Chen Qing and Su Ziling's expressions, bowed to the young man and Jie and said, "I am Yao Xing, the nephew of General Chen Lie of the Weijiang Camp. I don't know your noble surnames, but why are you playing this joke on me today?"

The aura Chen Hai emitted was like a reef, no matter what waves these noble disciples wanted to create, they would be shattered in front of him today.

"Yao Xing..."

Most people present knew that Chen Lie had a useless nephew, who was also a member of the Yao clan, one of the Thirty-Six Royal Families, and had been expelled. However, they had never associated this mediocre-looking young man with Yao Xing. Now, seeing him suddenly step forward from behind Zhou Jingyuan, his brows revealed a piercing sharpness.

They were at a disadvantage and caught off guard, and their aura was completely suppressed by Chen Hai's presence. They stood there, looking at each other, not knowing what to say.

The young man in brocade clothing, Jie, and the young man with the white face stood there awkwardly, feeling embarrassed and angry at Chen Hai's impolite words, but they had no room to vent their anger.

In terms of cultivation, the young man in brocade clothing, Jie, and the young man with the white face didn't take Chen Hai seriously, but Chen Hai had made it clear that this was a Chen family matter, and they were standing in a Chen family armory in the city of Mengyi. Could they really destroy a Chen family business to please a maid?

Chen Qing never expected Chen Hai's aura and words to be so sharp, calling Su Ziling a despicable maid and accusing her of colluding with outsiders. Although she wanted to protect Su Ziling, she was overwhelmed by Chen Hai's sudden burst of authority, her face turning red, and she forgot to argue.

Su Ziling's beautiful face turned pale with anger.

Although she was a maid in the Chen family, she had grown up with Chen Qing like sisters. With her exceptional talent, she was about to open her Spirit Sea, not inferior to the direct descendants of noble families. In the Jianyun Cliff Cave, no one would look down on her.

Now, being called a despicable maid by Chen Hai, she was so angry that her chest felt like it was on fire, and she wanted to draw her sword and stab Chen Hai to death. However, without Chen Qing's word, she had no right to speak.

Chen Hai's cold eyes fixed on Su Ziling. The mystery of her supposed death from a cliff fall was still unsolved, and he didn't want to provoke her. But since she had a sinister mind and never let him off, he didn't need to avoid her. He said coldly, "Su Ziling, I will let you off today, but if you accept gifts from others without my permission in the future, be careful, or I will punish you according to the family rules."

"Yao Xing, what do you mean by that?" Chen Qing, unable to contain her anger, questioned Chen Hai.

"What do I mean?"

Chen Hai thought that if he couldn't humiliate this small maid today, it would be a waste of his past experiences. He said coldly, "My uncle personally promised to send this despicable maid, Su Ziling, to my room to serve me. Has he changed his mind? You don't strictly discipline this maid but let her collude with others, tarnishing the Chen family's reputation. What do you mean by asking me?"

At this moment, the young man in brocade clothing, Jie, and the young man with the white face wished they could dig a hole and hide in it. Although they were angry at Chen Hai's unfriendly tone, the rules were the rules. If their affair with a maid was exposed, it would be a disgrace.

Chen Qing was almost driven mad by Chen Hai. Accusing Su Ziling of tarnishing the Chen family's reputation, and since Su Ziling was her personal maid, how could she defend herself? But Chen Hai's words hit her where it hurt, leaving her no room to argue. She couldn't act like a shrew, and her body trembled with anger, wishing she could tear Yao Xing to pieces on a dark night.

"Chen Qing, think about it. The profound techniques you cultivate, the spirit pills and elixirs you take, the magical swords and treasures you carry, which of these did you earn through your own efforts? They are all the result of the Chen family's hard work, accumulated bit by bit. You don't appreciate our efforts in running the business but let Su Ziling cause trouble in the shop. How will you explain this to my uncle?" Seeing Chen Qing about to explode, Chen Hai changed his tone to a more patient one, explaining the difficulties of running the family business.

Chen Qing's chest was filled with anger, but she couldn't vent it. She never thought that Yao Xing would be so eloquent, leaving her speechless. Her body trembled with anger, and she didn't want to continue being humiliated by Yao Xing. She left the shop, her sleeves flapping.

Su Ziling also never expected Yao Xing to have such an aura. Seeing Chen Qing so angry, she glared at Chen Hai and followed her out.

Seeing Zhao Shan and Qian Wenyi standing at the door, about to leave with Chen Qing and Su Ziling, Chen Hai said sternly, "Zhao Shan, Qian Wenyi, stay. I have something to tell my uncle!"

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