325: extortion

Lu Xingchen said in a deep voice, "Although I haven't figured out the secret of this sculpture yet, I can feel its preciousness, so I'm afraid I cannot part with it. Young Pavilion Master Zuoqiu, please forgive me!"

Hearing this, Zuoqiu Qingluo's expression fell.

"Alas, it's a pity our Tianji Pavilion doesn't have a Saint; otherwise, I would have just killed you. Why would I need to say so much?"

"You don't know the secret of this sculpture, but I do. This sculpture contains Secret Manuals left by our Tianji Pavilion's founder, Old Man Guanxing. Obtaining it might strengthen my Prophecy Technique. However, this Secret Manual is useless to ordinary Martial Artists, so it's no use for you to keep it. Why not exchange it with me?"

Hearing this, Lu Xingchen's eyebrows slightly raised.

"Then it seems I indeed have no use for it. But since this sculpture is so important to you, why didn't you bring enough money? You, the dignified Young Pavilion Master of the Tianji Pavilion, don't even have a million gold coins?"

Zuoqiu Qingluo made a bitter Face and said softly, "That's what I find puzzling. Before I set off, I used Prophecy Technique to predict that the Heavenly Dao told me this sculpture would be ignored, and I could get it for two or three hundred thousand gold coins. I brought five hundred thousand gold coins, which was already quite cautious."

"But I didn't expect you to compete with me for it. This makes no sense! My Prophecy Technique has never been wrong, at most it can't predict details. But now, you've jumped out of my prediction, which is simply illogical."

"Lu Dazhuang, who exactly are you?"

Hearing this, Lu Xingchen was startled.

He recognized the uniqueness of this sculpture entirely by the system map. Without the System, this sculpture would indeed have been ignored.

Perhaps because he was a Transmigrator, and had not been accepted by the Heavenly Dao of the Tianyuan Continent, he exploited a bug with the System, which caused Zuoqiu Qingluo's Prophecy Technique to fail.

But he would never tell anyone this, so he merely feigned confusion and said, "I don't know either. Perhaps your Prophecy Technique isn't proficient enough."

Hearing this, Zuoqiu Qingluo's small Face puffed up, with a hint of anger in her tone.

"Lu Dazhuang, are you provoking me? My Prophecy Technique is absolutely fine; even my grandfather, Zuoqiu Jing, praises it endlessly. The problem must be with you!"

Hearing this, Lu Xingchen was startled.

This little girl is quite difficult to fool!

He quickly changed the subject and said softly, "I'm not sure either. However, the Tianyuan Continent is vast and boundless, so it's not strange for a few special Physiques to appear occasionally. What do you plan to exchange with me?"

When it came to business, Zuoqiu Qingluo put away her temper and smiled, "I'll stay by your side as your personal bodyguard for three years, and during that time, I'll provide you with free divination services. How does that sound? You know, I usually charge by the number of times for others' divinations."

Hearing this, Lu Xingchen fell into contemplation.

Having a Martial Venerable Expert as a bodyguard sounds pretty good.

Moreover, as one of the eight prodigies, Zuoqiu Qingluo's combat power definitely far exceeds a One-Star Martial Venerable.

But there's probably a catch here.

She has a lot of Spiritual Artifacts and treasures in her hands, so why would she sacrifice three years to obtain this sculpture?

She must have other motives!

If Zuoqiu Qingluo really stayed by his side, the invisible cost would surely be even higher.

Lu Xingchen raised his head and said in a deep voice, "Zuoqiu Qingluo, if you want to stay by my side, what do you hope to gain from me? If you don't make it clear, our transaction might not be able to continue."

Hearing this, Zuoqiu Qingluo's small Face fell again, and she said with a bitter smile, "Lu Dazhuang, you really are a shrewd one. With huge profits in front of you, you can still calmly think about the problem."

Lu Xingchen chuckled, "It's only natural. If Young Pavilion Master Zuoqiu is unwilling to say more, then let's part ways here!"

Hearing this, Zuoqiu Qingluo hastily grabbed Lu Xingchen's sleeve and said with a bitter smile, "Don't be in such a hurry to leave! Can't I just tell you?"

"The moment the sculpture was auctioned off by you, I used divination to try and get information about you. But all I saw was Chaos; I couldn't get any information about you, nor could I predict your future. This is simply too incredible!"

"I even found people from the Book Sword Vengeance Sect while you were collecting the auction item to learn your name and other information."

"But I immediately discovered that as long as I stay by your side, I can generate a unique connection with the Heavenly Dao. It's a very peculiar feeling, like the Heavenly Dao is closer to me, and my divination becomes easier to succeed."

"That's why I want to stay by your side."

"But this is only beneficial to you. I can deal with ordinary Martial Venerable Experts, and I can provide you with free divination. If you really encounter danger, I can even use my identity as Young Pavilion Master to deter enemies. Lu Dazhuang, you won't lose out!"

Lu Xingchen smiled slightly, already having an idea in his mind.

"The three points you mentioned hold no attraction for me. I don't pay attention to ordinary Martial Venerable Experts. Since you cannot divine my future, what good are you to me? My master Jiang Taishen's Face is not necessarily weaker than the Tianji Pavilion's."

"And you will gain benefits by staying by my side. Now that you want both that sculpture and to stay by my side to get closer to the Heavenly Dao, you must offer more bargaining chips."

Hearing this, Zuoqiu Qingluo's Face flushed, and tears welled up in her eyes.

"Lu Dazhuang! You are truly too much! How can you extort me like this?"

Liu Ruyan and the other two at the side were all shocked, desperately trying to suppress their laughter.

Junior Brother is too amazing! To negotiate terms to this extent is simply bullying.

But since they are all family, Junior Brother's gain is equivalent to Lingyun Sect's gain, so the three of them fully supported Junior Brother's "extortion."

Junior Brother, well done!

Lu Xingchen smiled slightly and said softly, "Young Pavilion Master Zuoqiu, you exaggerate. I am merely negotiating terms normally. Since you want to gain benefits from me, you must surely pay a price, right?"

Zuoqiu Qingluo bit her lip fiercely and said in a deep voice, "Alright, Lu Dazhuang, you win! Aren't your Lingyun Sect and Qingnang Sect competing for the soul refining pill? I know the Alchemist who refines this soul refining pill; he is Li Chen, the Grand Elder of Medicine King Valley. He once asked me to divine for him and gave me a soul refining pill."

"I'll use this soul refining pill to exchange for the sculpture, how about that? But you must agree to keep me by your side."

"Lu Dazhuang, I've already shown great sincerity. If you continue to be unreasonable, I won't be polite!"

Hearing this, Lu Xingchen was overjoyed.

A mysterious sculpture in exchange for a Martial Venerable Expert as a bodyguard, and a soul refining pill.

One must know that this soul refining pill was auctioned for a high price of twelve million!

He had made a huge profit from this transaction!

Indeed, a person who is shameless is invincible. When it's time to extort, you can't let it go!