The Master and His Wealthy Fiancée

Li Huiran ultimately transferred ten billion to Cai Feiyu. She had even borrowed two billion of that from Wang Mengyu before coming to private room number eight.

Remembering the resentful look in Cai Feiyu's eyes, Li Huiran felt the exhilarating thrill of a good girl getting away with mischief.

In contrast to her delight, Li Wang was completely disgruntled. Pouting, she trailed behind them. "We had to fly all the way to Jiangzhou to mortgage a hotel just to raise the money, then fly right back. We basically snatched it, and we still had to pay!"

The money Chen Dong used to buy the Divine Artifact had come from mortgaging the Jiangzhou Hotel for thirty billion.

Chen Dong helplessly ruffled Li Wang's hair. "Li Wang," he said gently, "we can't just do whatever we want because we're stronger than others. Cultivation isn't just about increasing your power. It's also about refining your character and understanding your true nature. You pay for what you buy. That's what's right."

Li Wang stuck her tongue out at Chen Dong. "Silly Chen Dong, I was just teasing you. I'm a good kid! I wouldn't even snatch a snack from a grade-schooler, so how could I steal something for real?"

Chen Dong slapped his forehead, feeling a familiar headache coming on.

Just as they were about to leave the auction house, a flushed Yunxing ran over. She returned Chen Dong's bank card with both hands and said expectantly, "Mr. Chen, I've settled your account. The final charge was seventeen point one billion, which has been transferred. That's after we credited you the three billion for the Black Feather you auctioned. We also waived all commission fees! And you can call me anytime, even if you're not auctioning anything. I'm always available for you!"

Chen Dong took back the bank card, smiling but saying nothing. 'The side effects of this Jiao Blood body are still affecting people without me realizing it,' he thought. 'There's a strange scent on this bank card.'

After Yunxing departed, glancing back every few steps, Li Huiran, Murong Qing, and Xiaoyu all asked him at once, "You were the one who auctioned the Black Feather?"

Before Chen Dong could answer, Li Wang spoke up. "It's just a feather. What's the big deal? I have plenty!" As she spoke, her bracelet glowed faintly, and a handful of black feathers—at least thirty or forty of them—appeared in her hand.

The Corpse Dove had certainly been tormented by her lately. Its nearly full coat of plumage had been plucked bare once again!

Although these feathers didn't contain a Cultivation Technique, their ability to gather Spiritual Qi was the same. This was a feature she'd had You add after she learned how valuable the feathers were.

Chen Dong's brow furrowed. "Put them away!" he said to Li Wang. In that brief moment, he had sensed the spiritual awareness of dozens of Martial Artists.

Like a child who'd done something wrong, Li Wang put the Black Feathers away. "I'm sorry, Chen Dong! I forgot we need to keep a low profile!"

Chen Dong smiled faintly. "It's alright. Let's go."

Chen Dong had originally auctioned the Black Feather to raise money to buy an ancient sword. When he sensed the sword was right here at the auction house and would be up for sale soon, he had no choice but to return to Jiangzhou and mortgage the hotel. He hadn't auctioned more Black Feathers at once because he was afraid of being targeted.

With his current cultivation, he was naturally fearless, but it was a different story now that he had sacrificed his fortune. According to You, without his good fortune, he would feel as if the entire world was his enemy, and those around him would be dragged into it. So, preparing for the worst, Chen Dong had only auctioned the feathers one by one.

Outside the auction house, Li Huiran asked, "Where are you two going next?" She had already sensed that something was on Chen Dong's mind.

Chen Dong said calmly, "You all head back first. Li Wang and I will take care of these guys with ill intentions, then we'll find you. Besides," he added, looking at Li Huiran, "I still want to ask you about your hair."

Murong Qing immediately spoke up. "I'm going with you!"

Chen Dong shook his head. "It's not safe for them to be alone. You go with them."

Murong Qing looked like a pouting newlywed. "Alright..."

Watching the others get into a car and drive away, Chen Dong led Li Wang on a stroll. He deliberately chose sparsely populated streets, heading into more and more remote areas until they arrived at an abandoned construction site.

Six Martial Artists emerged from behind them, chuckling sinisterly. "Hey, you two. We're just here for valuables, not to take lives. Toss over the spatial Divine Artifact on the little lady's wrist, and we'll be on our way!"

Another one of them chimed in, "Child of Calamity. You've got quite the reputation. I wonder if your cultivation is high enough to protect that little girl beside you."

Chen Dong could tell with a single glance that the six were merely Grandmasters, just a few opportunists blinded by greed. He shook his head in exasperation. 'Logically, my reputation should have spread throughout the entire Martial Artist Circle by now. People like Yunxing at the auction were incredibly respectful,' he thought. 'And yet, there are still people who aren't afraid to die, and it's not just these six.'

Chen Dong frowned and called out, "Everyone in the back, you can all come out now. No need to hide any longer!"

Another dozen or so people emerged. Their cultivation was even weaker. Only the three leaders—a short, thin old man and two middle-aged men—were Grandmasters. The rest were all merely in the True Qi Realm.

The old man chuckled. "Worthy of the name Child of Calamity, to be able to sense our presence. You must be a Celestial Spirit Realm expert, I presume!"

Chen Dong raised an eyebrow. 'How did I get demoted to the Celestial Spirit Realm?' he mused, but still asked aloud, "And why are you all following me?"

"Naturally, we want to know how you cause disasters. If we could master that, the whole world would be under our control. Of course," he added, "we'll also be happy to take those Black Feathers and the Divine Artifact off your hands."

Chen Dong shook his head, looking resigned. The old man wasn't the first person to have such thoughts. But those other people were no longer in this world.

He let out a soft sigh. "You dare make a move against me when you haven't even achieved the Inner Scenery realm?"

The six Martial Artists who had played robber were already dumbfounded, but now they were utterly stupefied. The dozen or so who had arrived later were also stunned.

"Inner Scenery? Don't be ridiculous. How could someone as young as you have reached that realm?"

Chen Dong sighed wistfully. 'It seems all these people joined the Martial Artist Circle after the Spiritual Qi resurgence. They have no idea how things used to be.' After gaining a little power, they'd become arrogant and lawless. A single appearance at an auction had drawn twenty-three of them.

This was just the tip of the iceberg. There were bound to be countless others like them in the world. 'It looks like the world is already starting to descend into chaos,' he thought.