505: More than valuable! Let the merchants die in public! (47k words)

“Alas, so be it.”

In the end, the short, stout elder did not refuse Shang Chengfeng’s request and said, “The most this old man can do is keep this little girl alive for another ten minutes.”

“Ten minutes is enough, thank you, Elder!”

Zhang Bu repeatedly thanked him, then boarded a spaceship and rushed back to the Shang Family’s Lin Yang Villa.

As soon as he landed, Zhang Bu immediately bowed before Lin Yang: “I beg Your Excellency Lin Yang to save my Miss Shang!”

He had asked the short, stout elder to keep Shang Qingluo alive precisely so he could rush back and ask Lin Yang for help.

“Zhang Bu.”

Lin Yang spoke:

“I already know about the situation at Le Bo Mining Area, but unfortunately, I cannot save Miss Shang.”

“Ah? How, how could this be?!” Zhang Bu was stunned.

In his heart, Lin Yang was an almost omnipotent being.

His healing methods were inconceivable.

But now… “Zhang Bu, it’s not that I don’t want to save her, but I truly cannot save her right now. Miss Shang’s Life has been drained by that black mist power; it’s not an injury in the usual sense. What that old man said earlier is correct; almost no one in the world can save her.”

Lin Yang sighed.

He had also been observing from afar just now.

That’s why he was able to arrange for Chengfeng to go over in time, allowing that short, stout elder to kill the two Tang Family members out of a desire to cherish talent.

However, he truly couldn’t solve Shang Qingluo’s problem right now.

That black mist directly drained Shang Qingluo’s Life force.

It was a very strange power.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Bu became somewhat disheartened: “Your Excellency Lin Yang, is there no hope at all?”

Even Lin Yang said he couldn’t save her, which made him feel despair, but he was still unwilling to give up.

Lin Yang paused, then slowly said, “If Life force is directly drained, it’s not entirely without a solution to save her.”

Zhang Bu was instantly overjoyed.

“Don’t get happy yet.”

Lin Yang glanced at Zhang Bu and said in a solemn voice:

“In Miss Shang’s current situation, probably only an existence who has reached the peak in the Life characteristic path could possibly heal her, but unfortunately, as far as I know, no such existence currently exists.”

Zhang Bu was suddenly disheartened again.

“Zhang Bu.”

Lin Yang then added:

“However, although there is no such top-tier existence in the world, there is still some news that can barely be called good news.”

As hope rekindled in Zhang Bu’s eyes, Lin Yang slowly said:

“That is, Chengfeng possesses extremely high talent. Perhaps he can reach that stage in the future.”

“Now, you need to find good enough hibernation equipment for Miss Shang, to let her enter endless slumber. If Chengfeng can reach that stage in the future, there might still be a chance for her to be cured.”

Zhang Bu instantly trembled and repeatedly said, “Thank you, Your Excellency Lin Yang, for showing me the way! I’ll go get a hibernation pod right away!”

“Don’t rush. Miss Shang’s Life force has been drained to very little, and the remaining Life force is not enough to sustain a long period of hibernation. Therefore, her Life force needs to be replenished quickly, otherwise hibernation will be useless.”

Lin Yang called out to Zhang Bu again and gave him a high-quality spiritual universal substance:

“But I don’t have a very good way to replenish Life force right now. First, give this item to that old man and have him inject it into Miss Shang’s body to temporarily nourish her. Let me think of another solution.”

“This is…” Zhang Bu looked at the high-grade spiritual substance and once again felt the same sensation as when he first saw the top-grade spiritual universal substance.

Although not as intense as that time, it instantly made him realize that this substance was also unimaginably precious.

“Your Excellency Lin Yang, I…”

Zhang Bu opened his mouth as if to say something, but Lin Yang waved his hand and said, “Go quickly, and remember not to say that I gave it to you.”

“Understood!” Zhang Bu bowed deeply and quickly returned to Le Bo Mining Area.

“It seems I also need to improve my own Life characteristic.”

After Zhang Bu left, Lin Yang murmured.

He took out the high-grade spiritual universal substance, unafraid that the short, stout elder would snatch it away.

Firstly, when he sent Chengfeng over earlier, it was precisely to display Shang Chengfeng’s inherent talent, to make the short, stout elder feel a desire to cherish talent.

The other party indeed recognized Shang Chengfeng’s talent and, as he planned, intended to take Shang Chengfeng as a disciple.

Therefore, the short, stout elder would not possibly miss such a great opportunity to take Shang Chengfeng as a disciple for the sake of this high-grade spiritual universal substance.

Furthermore, by attributing it to the mysterious expert on Gu Yin Star, the short, stout elder would also be wary.

As for why that mysterious expert would give the Shang Family a high-grade spiritual universal substance, that would depend on Zhang Bu’s storytelling ability.

“That old man is at least a Spirit Realm expert, and he should be stronger than me. It’s not suitable to expose myself directly for now; I’ll observe him further.”

Lin Yang arranged this also to observe the strength of Spirit Realm experts in this Ten Thousand Realms Universe through the short, stout elder.

He could have disguised himself and appeared in person earlier, but afterward, he wouldn’t be able to stay in the Shang Family as Lin Yang and continue to interact with the other party.

Once he used spiritual power and had an interaction with the other party, if he then returned to his identity as Lin Yang and had close contact with them, even if he concealed his spiritual power, the other party would definitely sense something abnormal.

But if he didn't act and directly concealed his spiritual power, the short, stout elder would almost certainly not detect any abnormality.

There was a significant difference between concealing after acting and directly concealing without acting.

Because he didn’t possess strength far superior to the short, stout elder, once he had acted, even if he concealed himself, he wouldn’t be able to escape the keen perception of a Spirit Realm expert’s own senses.

This was the innate intuition of a strong individual.

Just like a common person’s sixth sense.

Therefore, Lin Yang did not appear at Le Bo Mining Area to take action… Le Bo Mining Area.

Zhang Bu quickly returned.

He carried a hibernation pod from the spaceship to Shang Qingluo’s side.

Seeing this, the short, stout elder couldn’t help but say, “Young man, you intend to prolong this little girl’s Life by putting her into hibernation, but that won’t work.”

“I know.”

Zhang Bu nodded, then took out the high-grade spiritual universal substance Lin Yang had given him and said:

“Please, Elder, help inject this item into my Miss Shang’s body to nourish her. With this, plus hibernation, my Miss Shang’s Life can be extended as much as possible.”

“Hmm? This is…”

The short, stout elder was instantly surprised:

“A spiritual universal substance? And, it’s high-grade?!”

He suddenly looked at Zhang Bu, excitedly asking, “Where did you get this thing??”

Zhang Bu looked at the short, stout elder’s excited expression, didn’t answer directly, but scratched his head feigning ignorance and asked, “Is this thing very valuable?”

“Valuable?”

The short, stout elder’s voice rose considerably:

“It’s more than just valuable!”

“This is a spiritual universal substance, and it’s high-grade!”

“Of course, you might not understand what a spiritual universal substance is, so let me put it another way.”

The short, stout elder glanced at Zhang Bu and sighed with emotion:

“This thing, for experts above the extraordinary, is a rare treasure!”

“Normally, it’s already very lucky to get some ordinary quality ones, and getting a medium quality one is considered a stroke of great luck.”

“As for this high-grade one…”

“To be honest, the War Alliance only has a few of these, kept for Life-saving moments in critical situations!”

“You tell me, is it valuable or not?”

The short, stout elder was very shocked, to actually see a high-grade spiritual universal substance here!

“This…” Zhang Bu was also greatly shaken again upon hearing this!

He knew this thing was precious.

But, he didn’t know it was precious to such an extent!

Even in the Human War Alliance, there were only a few!

“Your Excellency Lin Yang actually used such a precious item to save Miss Shang and Young Master Chengfeng.”

At this moment, Zhang Bu’s heart was filled with endless gratitude towards Lin Yang.

The short, stout elder then continued to lament:

“It is said there is also a top-grade quality, which is even more like a divine object, incredibly clear and translucent, with spiritual power so pure to the extreme that even a tiny bit can prolong the Life of an ordinary person.”

“However, no one has ever seen it with their own eyes, and some even suspect that the top-grade quality might have become extinct several eras ago, and that top-grade spiritual universal substances can no longer be born in the world.”

Zhang Bu’s heart trembled once again, the shock in his heart reaching its peak at this moment.

“Like a divine object, clear and translucent?”

“Isn’t that… the substance Your Excellency Lin Yang often uses to treat Young Master Chengfeng…”

Zhang Bu was stunned!

Boundless shock surged in his heart.

“Your Excellency Lin Yang… actually used such a divine item to heal Young Master Chengfeng, yet never asked for any reward…”

Zhang Bu’s eyes suddenly reddened.

He had only known before, based on his own feelings, that the substance Lin Yang produced would be very precious.

But he never expected it to be precious to such an unimaginable degree!

Yet Lin Yang never mentioned any of this.

He just kept treating Shang Chengfeng day after day.

“Your Excellency Lin Yang’s great kindness… I can never repay even a fraction of it in this lifetime!”

Zhang Bu felt deeply moved and couldn’t help but look at Shang Chengfeng.

He planned to inform Shang Chengfeng of everything Lin Yang had done and sacrificed for them once Shang Chengfeng’s mind recovered!

“Young man, what are you spacing out for?”

After finishing his lament, the short, stout elder said to Zhang Bu:

“You still haven’t answered my question. Where did you get this item?”

“This… was given by an Elder, who said it could be injected into the body to save one’s Life in a critical moment!”

Zhang Bu took a deep breath and began to fabricate a story:

“That Elder was very fond of Young Master Chengfeng, and even personally treated Young Master Chengfeng and gifted this item.”

Hearing this, the short, stout elder’s eyes flashed: “Oh? When did you meet him? Where did you meet him?”

“It was when Gu Yin Star was invaded by foreign races that time, and we accidentally met him after returning to Qianpan Star,” Zhang Bu replied.

The highest realm of lying is nine truths and one falsehood.

What he said was basically all true, except he replaced Lin Yang with that mysterious expert from Gu Yin Star.

“Oh… What did the other party look like?” the short, stout elder asked again.

“This… that Elder had a mysterious power about him, so I couldn’t see his face clearly, only a blurry figure,” Zhang Bu replied.

What he said was also how Lin Yang appeared when facing those generals at the time; those generals could only see a blurry figure then.

The short, stout elder’s heart stirred: “Could it be that mysterious expert on Gu Yin Star?”

Immediately, he asked again, “Did that expert leave you any contact information?”

“No.” Zhang Bu shook his head, “That Elder said he had an urgent matter after treating Young Master Chengfeng and left in a hurry, only saying he would come back to see Young Master Chengfeng again when he had time.”

“Alas… what a pity. If only this old man had come a few months earlier!” The short, stout elder expressed regret.

Then, without saying anything more, he glanced at the high-grade spiritual universal substance and used his spiritual power to inject it into Shang Qingluo’s body:

“Since it’s from that person, then let it be as you say. Let’s use this item and the hibernation pod to sustain this little girl’s Life for now, so that… your Young Master’s name is Shang Chengfeng, right? So that he can recover his soul in a few days and properly see his sister again.”

“Thank you, Elder.” Zhang Bu expressed his gratitude.

“It’s just a matter of convenience. If you want to thank someone, you should thank that expert. He is the one you should be grateful to; he not only cured your Young Master’s mind but also gave such a precious item.”

The short, stout elder shook his head and said:

“If he hadn’t cured your Young Master’s mind, even if this old man or even the War Alliance came to treat him, it would have been extremely difficult!”

He also felt a surge of relief in his heart. If not for that mysterious expert’s treatment, he would now have to watch Shang Chengfeng’s talent continue to be wasted!

Because he had almost no confidence in being able to cure him!

Zhang Bu nodded silently.

They owed Your Excellency Lin Yang too much, too much!

Soon, with the help of the short, stout elder, Shang Qingluo’s hibernation pod was transported back to the Shang Family.

“Little fellow, do you mind if this old man bothers you at your home for a few days?” the short, stout elder said with a smile.

“This…” Zhang Bu looked at Ma Bo.

Now that Shang Qingluo was in hibernation, Ma Bo had to make all the decisions for the family.

Ma Bo, though filled with immense grief at this moment, forced himself to endure it and respectfully said, “Your presence, Elder, is our family’s good fortune. Zhang Bu, arrange a quiet villa for the Elder. I’ll go find Changshan.”

“Understood, Ma Bo.” Zhang Bu nodded, then, following Lin Yang’s earlier instructions, arranged for the short, stout elder to stay in another villa near Lin Yang’s villa.

“Chengfeng, you go to Your Excellency Lin Yang’s place first. I still have some things to do.”

After settling everything, Zhang Bu told Shang Chengfeng to go find Lin Yang on his own.

“Okay.” Shang Chengfeng nodded and obediently walked towards Lin Yang’s place.

“Hmm? Little fellow, do you have other guests in your home?” The short, stout elder couldn’t help but ask upon seeing this.

“Yes, Your Excellency Lin Yang is someone my Miss Shang rescued before. He is recuperating at our home and is very congenial with Young Master Chengfeng,” Zhang Bu said.

“Oh, then do you mind if this old man goes with your Young Master?” the short, stout elder said.

He came to the Shang Family specifically for Shang Chengfeng.

Now seeing that there was another outsider who was very congenial with Shang Chengfeng, he was somewhat wary.

“Please feel free, Elder. Please allow me to first go to the medical department to apply for a better hibernation pod for my Miss Shang,” Zhang Bu replied.

“Alright, you go first. As for the hibernation pod, this old man has some connections. I’ll arrange for them to deliver the best one over later.”

The short, stout elder said, then followed behind Shang Chengfeng towards Lin Yang’s villa.

At the same time.

Tang Family.

“Young Master Xuzhang, it’s bad! Tang Zongxian and Tang Ye are both dead!”

A subordinate reported the news in a panic.

“Hmm? Dead?”

Tang Xuzhang’s eyes turned cold:

“What about Shang Qingluo? What’s the situation with the Shang Family now?”

When Shang Qingluo specifically demanded that Tang Zongxian and Tang Ye must go, they all knew that Shang Qingluo was definitely going to make a desperate gamble.

But just as Tang Ye had said before, even knowing it was a trap, the two of them had no choice but to go.

However, Tang Xuzhang had made arrangements before they left, ensuring their safety.

Yet they still died… “Young Master Xuzhang, the situation of the Shang Family is currently unclear. Our people outside were blocked by some loyal servants of the Shang Family and couldn’t enter the vicinity of the mining area handover point.”

The subordinate reported again:

“But we heard there seemed to be a big commotion above, so Shang Qingluo should also not be doing well.”

“Understood. Go to the Shang Family’s side and check the situation again. If Shang Qingluo is dead, or seriously injured but not dead, report back,” Tang Xuzhang instructed.

“Yes.”

“Wait, also, regardless of whether the handover was successful or not, go and seize the Le Bo Mining Area. Even if Shang Qingluo doesn’t die this time, she definitely won’t have any strength left to contend. My teacher will arrive in a few days, and I must give this gift to my teacher!”

Tang Xuzhang added.

“Understood, Young Master Xuzhang.”

Tang Xuzhang then raised his hand again and said:

“Spread the news that the Shang Family killed Tang Zongxian and Tang Ye.”

“Openly defying imperial law, with this move, I want the Shang Family to die in plain sight!”

His eyes held a cold glint.

He felt no grief for the deaths of Tang Zongxian and Tang Ye; instead, he intended to use this opportunity to completely eliminate any chance for the Shang Family to rise again.

A sinister light gleamed in Tang Xuzhang’s eyes:

“Report to the empire again, saying we demand justice, and have the empire send people to investigate the Shang Family.”

“My teacher will arrive in a few days. I imagine this task will be directly handed to my teacher.”

“By then, with my teacher overseeing the operation, not a single person from the Shang Family will be able to survive!”

“All will be executed!”

“Young Master Xuzhang is brilliant!” the subordinate flattered.

Tang Xuzhang waved his hand, dismissing the subordinate.

The reason he chose not to continue private actions and invade the Shang Family residence was that he had a plan ever since Shang Qingluo asked Tang Zongxian and Tang Ye to go together.

If Tang Ye and the other truly died in Le Bo Mining Area, then he could legitimately eliminate the Shang Family!

“Tang Zongxian, Tang Ye, for the sake of the family, your sacrifice is also necessary!”

Tang Xuzhang snorted softly.