Chapter 82 Examiner

Why is this old man so interested in the steel hearts?

This was the question that lingered in Long Chen’s mind when he followed Zhao Tianfang. The steel hearts belong to the Lingwu family. If he knows this, then he should know that I am a member of the Lingwu family. But the Dawn Trading Alliance is powerful, so there’s no need for him to be this friendly with me.

As if sensing Long Chen’s confusion, Zhao Tianfang turned and smiled. “Young man, I do want to buy your steel hearts. But don’t worry, I will never tell anyone about this trade. Those steel hearts are useless to you anyway!”

The steel puppets weren’t very strong and could easily be leaked into the market by anyone who had remaining steel hearts. That was why Long Chen didn’t have to worry that he was leaking the Lingwu family’s secrets or something of the sort. Although the old man was interested in the steel hearts, Long Chen had noticed that half his focus was on himself.

They soon arrived in a small room. “This is a room for our esteemed guests. Please, have a seat!”

Seeing as this was not far from the public market outside, Long Chen wasn’t worried about the old man doing anything to him. He asked very directly, “May I ask why you brought me here, Mr. Zhao?”

Zhao Tianfang laughed heartily. “Nothing serious. How many steel hearts do you have? Show me all you have, and I will give you a suitable price. Although the steel hearts contain earthly spiritual Qi, martial warriors can’t absorb them. They’re useless to you!”

Ling Xi had told him this before. Long Chen had only mentioned them to try his luck at the marketplace. He never expected to meet Zhao Tianfang. He was in no hurry to take them out and instead asked, “How much is one steel heart worth?”

“The most I can give you for one is three divine jades!”

Zhao Tianfang picked up a pot of tea and poured a cup for Long Chen before pouring one for himself. “To be honest, I am the one who wants to purchase the steel hearts. This is irrelevant to the Dawn Trading Alliance, so I can’t give you a higher price.”

Long Chen had retrieved a hundred and five hearts during the qualifiers and submitted seventy-five, so he had thirty left. Based on Zhao Tianfang’s price, he could get ninety divine jades.

This meant that after buying the Soul Nourishing Fruit, he would become an even poorer man.

Long Chen wanted to negotiate, but the old man’s tone was final. Plus, this was an unexpected turn of events. “Alright.”

“How many steel hearts do you have?”

Zhao Tianfang seemed to care a lot about this.

Long Chen was a bit confused and said, “Thirty.”

Zhao Tianfang grimaced, his eyes fixed on Long Chen. “Seventy-five plus thirty. That makes a hundred and five. Getting a hundred and five steel hearts at the Eighth Draconic Stage already puts you among the best of the outer Lingwu family members. One guy years ago only got a hundred and two. But then again, he was only ten years old.”

When Long Chen heard him mention seventy-five steel hearts, he knew that Zhao Tianfang knew everything about him. So, his questions about the steel hearts were just a ploy. He didn’t care about the steel hearts, it’s me he’s interested in ...

Based on the look in Long Chen’s eyes, Zhao Tianfang knew that the teenager had realized his true intentions and didn’t beat around the bush. He looked at Long Chen approvingly and said, “I won’t hide it. I have my own informants keeping tabs on the Lingwu family. I also know about you to a certain extent, as a new member of the Lingwu family. But the fact that you got a hundred and five steel hearts ... This is shocking to me.”

“Are you looking to poach me, Mr. Zhao?” Long Chen looked at him, slightly amused.

Zhao Tianfang laughed heartily. “Looks like you’re a smart one. Then I won’t waste time on nonsense. If you join the Dawn Trading Alliance, I guarantee we will give you more attention and nurturing than the Lingwu family. There are just too many prodigies in the Lingwu family, you will just drown in the masses there!”

Zhao Tianfang’s words, paired with his dignified status as a powerful master, surely had an impact on Long Chen. However, Long Chen was not afraid. The Dawn Trading Alliance is a great option too. They could probably help me exterminate the Blood Saints. But to leave the Lingwu family like that ...

When he thought of this, Long Chen replied with a small smile, “Mr. Zhao, is that a joke? I just joined the Lingwu family. If I left to join the Dawn Trading Alliance now, would you guys even want such an unstable person? Wouldn’t you be worried that I’d jump ship to another faction in the future when I get another offer?”

Zhao Tianfang froze, then he said confidently, “I believe that no one can give better terms than us!”

Long Chen waved and said determinedly, “I am infinitely grateful for your recognition, but I really don’t want to be known as a fence-sitter, so please give me some time to think about it. Is that alright? If I really have a karmic connection with the Dawn Trading Alliance, I will naturally come to you in the future, Mr. Zhao!”

Long Chen’s tone was final, and Zhao Tianfang knew that impatience would not get him anywhere. He chuckled darkly. “In that case, Long Chen, please come visit us in the future. If you ever feel like the Lingwu family doesn’t suit you, the doors of the Dawn Trading Alliance will always be open for you!”

His eyes were filled with sincerity, and Long Chen was torn for a long moment. However, he decided not to betray his own beliefs and declined for now. “Thank you so much, Mr. Zhao!”

Zhao Tianfang nodded. “It’s alright. Right, what did you come to the Dawn Trading Alliance for?”

“I want a Soul Nourishing Fruit.”

Zhao Tianfang laughed heartily. “I’ll ask Ao Xue to give you that one!”

Long Chen shook his head. “Mr. Zhao, I’m not a member of the Dawn Trading Alliance right now, so I can’t take it without having made any contributions. I think I still want to buy the fruit. I’ll give you these thirty steel hearts and ten divine jades for now!”

Zhao Tianfang’s eyes darkened. “I’m giving it to you as a friend. This is irrelevant to the Dawn Trading Alliance. Is that not allowed?”

Long Chen wasn’t scared. He smiled. “Mr. Zhao, to be honest, I really am grateful for your recognition of my strength. But the truth is, you’re still a representative of the Dawn Trading Alliance. If you want to give me something, we’ll wait until I decide to join you. Is that alright?”

Zhao Tianfang eyed him for a while. This kid is talented and holds many secrets. He’s a calm and bold person who stands firm with his beliefs. A rare talent indeed. If I get impatient and overdo it, it’ll only drive him away!

And so, he took Long Chen’s things and nodded. “If you insist.”

“May I ask if you have other soul-nourishing herbs?”

“When it comes to herbs in this category, the low-tiered ones have almost no effect at all, while the high-tiered ones are useful in improving a person’s intelligence and comprehension, though the effects vary with each person. In general, these herbs are very rare, and I only have one Soul Nourishing Fruit with me. But if you need it, I’ll send someone to let you know when I have new stock.”

Long Chen nodded. “Thank you, Mr. Zhao! I still have matters to deal with, so I’ll excuse myself.”

“Mhm. I’ll get Ao Xue to give you the Soul Nourishing Fruit.”

Both of them walked out. Ao Xue was waiting outside, and she glared in disgust when she saw Long Chen.

Under Zhao Tianfang’s instructions, although she was unwilling, she gave Long Chen the fruit and even walked him out of the marketplace after the old man’s reminder.

“You’ve benefited from the Dawn Trading Alliance and now you’re patting your ass and leaving just like that?” [1]

Ao Xue was mumbling to herself, but Long Chen heard her. “Who said I patted your ass? You have no shame! I wouldn’t do that for fear of dirtying my hands.”

Afterwards, he fled the Dawn Trading Alliance under her furious glare. “Xiao Xi, look at how furious she is! Don’t you think she looks like she has cow dung on her face?”

Ling Xi burst into giggles and scolded, “You’re evil! She only insulted you a little bit and you made her this angry.”

“She deserved it!”

Now that he had successfully gotten the Soul Nourishing Fruit, both were extremely excited. Although he had experienced many things in life, he was still young and had the heart of a teenager. He was overjoyed to get his hands on the fruit.

Both of them quickly headed towards Lingwu City and arrived back at the Turquoise District’s Turquoise Willow Residence at almost noon.

When he arrived, he noticed Gan Lin sitting in the Martial Hall waiting for him. “Did you actually get a hundred and five steel hearts?”

Long Chen calmed down immediately.

When Gan Lin saw his face, he grinned. “You brat, you really know how to hide your talent. If I hadn’t found thirty more dead steel puppets in the tunnel during my final check, I wouldn’t have known! But that is in the past. I’m actually here to talk to you about something else.”

Gan Lin quickly moved on from the topic, not dwelling on it. Long Chen sighed in relief. Thank goodness he didn’t ask me for the extra hearts, or I’d be dead. Looks like the steel hearts are worthless. I guess Zhao Tianfang bought them at three divine jades each only to please me.

Long Chen put this away in his mind and asked, “May I ask what it is you wanted to talk to me about?”

Gan Lin sat in a chair and said, “Administrator Liu wanted me to tell you that the Blood Saints haven’t done anything in Baiyang Town yet, so you can rest easy and complete your first mission. But ...”

When he heard this news, the weight on his chest disappeared until he heard the “but.” “You need to execute your first mission in four days. It isn’t set yet, but I think Administrator Liu intends to let Huang Feiyang and Wen Ya come with you as your examiners, so ...”

1. Note: to pat your ass and leave - to leave irresponsibly / quickly without caring about anything else. In the next line, Long Chen is deliberately acting as if he misheard Ao Xue ?