Chapter 40: A Fierce Assault on Shen Lang's Weakness, New Troubles Emerge!

Less than half a stick of incense later, He Xiufei arrived at Zhao Tianba's mansion with a solemn expression.

"Master Zhao," he asked in a deep voice, "you summoned me late at night—is there some major matter?"

"Zhou Huaian just passed me a piece of information. I want you to analyze its credibility for me..."

After hearing Zhao Tianba's account, He Xiufei's face turned incredibly grim. "Are you certain that Shen Lang is Nalan Yanran's puppet?"

"There is no doubt about it!"

"That kid Shen Lang was a useless wastrel to begin with. Without someone behind the scenes pulling the strings, how could he have become a threat that even we find troublesome?"

Upon hearing this, He Xiufei nodded with great seriousness. He had long suspected that there was an expert behind Shen Lang, but he had never imagined it would be Nalan Yanran. Even more shocking was the realization that Nalan Yanran also harbored ambitions for the throne.

Realizing the gravity of the situation, He Xiufei narrowed his eyes. "If it is Nalan Yanran, then there is a high probability that the Wu family has been drawn into the game. However, I still feel there is something fishy about all this."

"What kind of fishy business?" Zhao Tianba asked, looking at him in confusion.

"Whether it is the Zhou family or the Wu family, they are acting far too eager. It goes against their interests! It’s not as if Shen Lang is their own son, is it?"

*Clatter.*

The remark was a wake-up call. Zhao Tianba slapped his thigh, "You’re right! Both families are prominent clans. Back when my brother was still Emperor, even when promised official positions, they were never this enthusiastic. But this time, they are being far too generous! To actually offer thirty million spirit stones—it defies all logic!"

Seeing that Zhao Tianba’s intellect had returned, He Xiufei waved his feathered fan. "So, either Zhou Huaian is trying to swindle you out of a massive sum of spirit stones, or he is hiding some secret he hasn't told you yet!"

"I’ll contact Zhou Huaian again; you analyze it from the side." As he spoke, Zhao Tianba pulled out his communication token.

Seeing this, He Xiufei immediately waved him off. "Master Zhao, it’s useless to contact Zhou Huaian. He won't tell you the truth!"

"Then how am I supposed to determine why the Zhou and Wu families are acting so abnormally?" Zhao Tianba raised an eyebrow.

"I suggest you contact Shen Lang!"

"What?" Zhao Tianba's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "Contact Shen Lang? Have you lost your mind? That kid is Nalan Yanran’s man—do you think he’ll tell us anything?"

He Xiufei gave a playful smile. "Master Zhao, that Shen Lang is a notorious playboy. We all assumed he was merely biding his time, so we never tried to bribe or test him. But now that we know he is just a puppet for Nalan Yanran, why not try to strike at his weak point?"

"After all, a playboy always likes to think of himself as an unrecognized genius."

Hearing this, Zhao Tianba's eyes lit up. Shen Lang's previous displays had been so ruthless and imposing that they had all felt he was difficult to deal with. But now that he knew Shen Lang was still that same old wastrel, Zhao Tianba felt that a little bit of flattery would be enough to extract the information he wanted.

Having reached this conclusion, Zhao Tianba nodded firmly. "Good, I leave this to you. I will have someone prepare thirty million spirit stones for Zhao An to stall the Wu family!"

"Master Zhao is truly brilliant!"

...

The next day, within the City Lord's mansion, Wu Peiyuan looked at Wu Yong, his eyes turning red with anger.

"Who allowed you, you little beast, to bid twenty-five million spirit stones? Do you have any idea how much money that is?"

Seeing Wu Peiyuan’s predatory expression, Wu Yong feigned helplessness. "Father, you were the one who told me I had to stop Shen Lang from trading with the Zhou family. The Zhou family had already bid twenty million, and you saw the attitude of that old dog Zhou Huaian—if we didn't raise the price, we would never have been able to intercept the deal!"

Although Wu Peiyuan understood that Wu Yong was technically correct, the price far exceeded his expectations. However, thinking of the miraculous utility of the divine artifact and the eligibility for the candidate selection, he gritted his teeth. "Do you think we could negotiate it down to twenty million?"

Wu Yong scratched his head awkwardly. "I’m afraid not. If it were twenty million, they would rather deal with the Zhou family!"

"Then twenty-five million—is it certain we can close the deal today?" Wu Peiyuan pressed.

Wu Yong continued to scratch his head. "I'm not certain, but it should be possible! After all, they are in urgent need of spirit stones to complete the task assigned by Her Majesty!"

"Fine, go and invite them over to discuss it further!"

Receiving his orders, Wu Yong walked out of the room with a serious expression. But the moment he was out of sight, a playful, cold smirk curled his lips.

Soon, Wu Yong arrived in Shen Lang’s room. His attitude was extremely humble. "Master, that old thing has accepted the bid of twenty-five million!"

At these words, Nalan Yanran suddenly hugged Shen Lang’s arm. "You’re amazing! If Master gets these twenty-five million spirit stones, her injuries might just recover."

Watching Nalan Yanran’s excitement, Shen Lang looked somewhat dismissive. "It’s only twenty-five million spirit stones, what’s there to be excited about? My small goal is one hundred million!"

"What?!"

Upon hearing this, not only was Nalan Yanran stunned, but even Wu Yong, who was kneeling on the floor, felt his face twitch violently. He instinctively warned, "Master, I fear the Wu family cannot come up with that many spirit stones!"

"You can't even produce one hundred million? And you call yourselves a prominent clan?" Shen Lang looked at Wu Yong with displeasure.

Fearing a misunderstanding, Wu Yong hurriedly explained, "Master, please don't misunderstand. While our Wu family is one of the Eight Folk Kings, we are merely vassals to others. Ninety percent of our annual revenue is turned over to them! If you demand too much, we truly cannot provide it!"

"Oh?" Hearing this new piece of information, Shen Lang instinctively glanced at Nalan Yanran.

Nalan Yanran realized she had forgotten to tell Shen Lang this crucial detail. She nodded immediately. "The reason Master hasn't dared to move against the Eight Folk Kings easily is because they are all vassal families to second-tier sects. If we strike at them, it will trigger massive trouble!"

*Tsk...*

Seeing Nalan Yanran confirm this, Shen Lang clicked his tongue. He had previously thought that if he played this correctly, he might be able to use force to suppress the Zhou family and make them kneel at Shen Chen’s grave to repent. But he hadn't realized that the so-called Eight Folk Kings were merely dogs for others.

Shen Lang narrowed his eyes. "How many resources can the Wu family scrape together right now?"

"I estimate at most thirty-five million," Wu Yong calculated.

"And the Zhou family?" Shen Lang raised an eyebrow.

"Probably about the same. After all, the throne of the Great Qin is not very tempting to second-tier sects! The only reason they are willing to pay this price is because of the divine artifact. If we ask for any more, I’m afraid they..."

Wu Yong didn't finish his sentence, but the gesture of drawing a finger across his throat made Shen Lang click his tongue again. He understood; if the Zhou and Wu families didn't have backers, a candidate's trial qualification would have been enough to lure them into a trap. But with both families backed by second-tier sects, if he pushed them too hard, there was no guarantee they wouldn't resort to murder to seize the treasure.

Just as Shen Lang was contemplating how to handle this unexpected situation, the resentful voice of Lv Duo sounded from outside the door: "Young Master, He Xiufei is here to see you; he is waiting right outside!"