Chapter 38: Shen Gong
Leaving Shen Gong's room, Lu Yongxiu let out a deep, helpless sigh.
In his early years, he had been determined to find an apprentice to carry on his legacy. Instead, he got this guy, who was a constant source of worry. Shen Gong's martial talent was truly one in a million; he had broken through to the Grandmaster Realm at just twenty-eight, a feat that put him on par with the direct heirs of powerful families. But his character was rotten to the core.
If he could turn back time, Lu Yongxiu would have died before taking Shen Gong as his apprentice.
In the beginning, right after he was accepted, Shen Gong had been obedient and respectful. But the moment he broke through to a high level of True Qi, his true colors showed. While Lu Yongxiu was in seclusion, he abducted and violated dozens of beautiful women. Such wicked deeds naturally drew the attention of the Military Suppression Department.
The Military Suppression Department, to put it politely, is an organization specializing in crimes committed by Martial Artists. When they discovered what Shen Gong had done, they naturally could not tolerate it. They launched a relentless manhunt to capture and kill him. Having only just broken through to a high level of True Qi, Shen Gong was no match for them. At the moment of life and death, Lu Yongxiu arrived and used his Grandmaster cultivation to save him.
That experience scared Shen Gong out of his wits, and he began to cultivate diligently. Lu Yongxiu, believing that Shen Gong had turned over a new leaf, forgave him. Who knew that the moment Shen Gong broke through to the Grandmaster Realm, he would immediately reveal his true face again, violating several more beautiful women. The Military Suppression Department once again moved to apprehend him.
Lu Yongxiu couldn't bear to see the Grandmaster apprentice he had worked so hard to train be lost just like that, so he stepped in to help again. The master and apprentice began to flee for their lives. After shaking off the Military Suppression Department personnel, they returned to the Li Family.
Lu Yongxiu was utterly helpless. He could only blame himself for focusing solely on talent and not character when searching for an apprentice back then. Now, even his own life was at risk.
Before coming, he had warned Shen Gong time and again to behave himself on this visit to the Li Family. But they had only just arrived, and he was already unable to control himself, even planning to make a move on the Li Family's daughter-in-law and granddaughter. This pained Lu Yongxiu to no end.
Before long, the Li Family had prepared a grand feast to welcome them.
The two were called to the table.
Originally, the seating arrangement was as follows: Li Qinghe was at the head of the table. On one side were Li Jianwen, Xia Yi, and Li Huiran. On the other side were Lu Yongxiu and then Shen Gong.
But as soon as he was seated, Shen Gong became displeased. He stared lecherously at Li Huiran and said, "Niece Huiran, how about you come sit next to your uncle!"
Li Huiran quickly shook her head. "No, thank you, Uncle Shen. I'll sit here."
Shen Gong said with a wicked smile, "Then how about your uncle comes over and sits by you."
'So everything I just told this monstrous apprentice was for nothing,' Lu Yongxiu fumed internally.
He immediately roared at him, "Shen Gong, what do you think you're doing?"
Shen Gong picked his ear with a displeased expression. "Master, what are you shouting for? I'm just changing seats!"
As he spoke, he stood up, ignoring Lu Yongxiu's blazing, furious gaze. He walked around the table, about to sit down next to Li Huiran.
"You'd better get lost. That's my seat!"
Carrying an ancient sword on his shoulder, Chen Dong walked into the room!
'Where did this brat come from, daring to tell me to get lost?' Shen Gong thought.
But that one glance stunned him where he stood. He rubbed his eyes in disbelief.
'I'm not mistaken! That's a Divine Artifact! One with its Divine Light concealed within!'
He scrambled over to Lu Yongxiu and whispered in his ear, "Master, that's a Divine Artifact!"
Lu Yongxiu, equally shocked, nodded in confirmation.
"Should we..." Shen Gong whispered quietly in Lu Yongxiu's ear.
But before he could finish, a single look from Lu Yongxiu cut him off. After more than a decade as master and apprentice, Lu Yongxiu knew what Shen Gong was plotting from the moment he opened his mouth.
Chen Dong casually sat down next to Li Huiran and tossed the ancient sword onto the floor. It landed with a CLANG, and a pang of anguish shot through both Lu Yongxiu and his apprentice.
Li Qinghe asked curiously, "Xiaodong, where did you get that treasured sword?"
Chen Dong smiled and replied, "It was a diagnosis fee."
Lu Yongxiu and his apprentice were stunned once again!
'What kind of family would use a Divine Artifact as a diagnosis fee?!'
'The only possibility is that they had no idea it was a Divine Artifact. That's the only explanation that makes sense.'
The master and apprentice exchanged a look. 'We can snatch up a bargain!'
Li Huiran glanced at Chen Dong. "So does this mean you went to see a patient today?"
Chen Dong nodded!
A bright smile blossomed on Li Huiran's face, her mood instantly improving by thirty percent. Even though Shen Gong had disgusted her today, her spirits were suddenly lifted.
Lu Yongxiu spoke up, a little nervously. "Young friend, I am Lu Yongxiu, a Tributor of the Li Family. Might I take a look at this treasured sword?"
Li Qinghe suddenly made the introductions. "This is my grandson-in-law, Chen Dong. This is Grandmaster Lu, a Grandmaster expert."
Chen Dong raised an eyebrow. "Sure. Take a look yourself."
Lu Yongxiu and his apprentice scrambled to their feet and went to pick up the ancient sword.
After observing it for a moment, the hands holding the ancient sword began to tremble.
'It really is a Divine Artifact!'
'And an ownerless Divine Artifact at that!'
'Could this be my, Lu Yongxiu's (Shen Gong's), great opportunity?!' both master and apprentice thought simultaneously.
'This kid is just walking around carrying an ownerless Divine Artifact! Isn't he afraid of being robbed? This is too outrageous! It's no different from a child carrying a pile of gold through a busy market!'
Lu Yongxiu said with some excitement, "Ah, Chen Dong! This treasured sword... would you be willing to part with it?"
Chen Dong asked casually, "Are you sure you want it?"
Lu Yongxiu nodded eagerly.
At the mention of money, Chen Dong's interest was piqued. He said seriously, "Name your price!"
'What price would be appropriate? If he knew this was a Divine Artifact, he surely wouldn't have said something like that,' this sentence sent Lu Yongxiu into deep thought.
So, he held up two fingers.
Chen Dong assumed he meant twenty thousand yuan. He grimaced and shook his head. "This is a Divine Artifact that contains the Dao of Life. Your price is too low."
Lu Yongxiu and his apprentice were stunned. That sentence contained too much information; they couldn't process it all at once.
'He knows it's a Divine Artifact, and he even knows its ability.'
'Even knowing it's a Divine Artifact, he's still willing to sell it?'
Lu Yongxiu and his apprentice were dumbfounded!
They had never seen anyone sell a Divine Artifact. Every single one was a priceless treasure. No one was ever willing to sell one. Even if such people existed, they had never met them.
If a Divine Artifact appeared at an auction, they could easily imagine the scene. Even a trash-tier Divine Artifact with a useless ability would cause a bloodbath among the Grandmasters bidding for it, with the price soaring past ten billion.
And now, here was a Divine Artifact containing the Dao of Life, and he was being asked to name a price.
The only silver lining was that he was the only bidder.
So, Lu Yongxiu swallowed hard and said, "One point three billion. This is my entire fortune." He took out a bank card. "All my money, including my annual stipend as the Li Family's Tributor, is in here."
One point three billion? Chen Dong was floored.
'One Divine Artifact can be exchanged for one point three billion? Then how much money are Master's several rooms full of Divine Artifacts worth?'
'Maybe I should find some time to go back to Celestial Essence Mountain and clear him out.'
Chen Dong suppressed his glee and quickly snatched the bank card. "Deal!"
In his great mood, he gave a kind reminder, "This Divine Artifact is very vicious. Be careful not to suffer a backlash when you try to claim ownership of it."
Lu Yongxiu and his apprentice were even more ecstatic, unable to contain themselves. They clutched the ancient sword protectively, terrified a thief would suddenly appear and snatch it from them.
After a flurry of thanks, they didn't even stay for the welcome feast and went straight back to their room.
Seeing the reaction of Lu Yongxiu and his apprentice, even a fool in the Li Family would know the ancient sword was no ordinary object. Li Qinghe asked curiously, "Xiaodong, who paid you this diagnosis fee? And what kind of illness warrants a Divine Artifact as payment?"
Pocketing the bank card, Chen Dong replied gleefully, "The Yang Family. They were cursed by a Divine Artifact, so they called me to break it. They didn't have the money afterward, so they gave me this instead. At the time, I thought they were being cheap, but now I realize what good, generous people they are!"
"The Yang Family? Which Yang Family?"
"They said they were the Yang Family of the Four Great Families!"