Invincible Soul Emperor

"I can give you the item, but there is one thing I’d like your help with," Ye Qingchen said slowly.

Old Cui was a little surprised. "Let’s hear it. What is it?"

This guy, why didn’t he just say so earlier? Wasting both of our time! As long as his request isn’t too excessive, I’m willing to make this trade!

Ye Qingchen said slowly, "You’re aware that the Zheng Family is planning to make a move against me. I want them to pay the price for it. Can you do that?"

If this old man dares to refuse, I’ll throw this incomplete Cultivation Technique away before I give it to him.

However, Old Cui agreed with a cheerful laugh a second later. "I thought you were going to ask for something difficult! Is that all? A trivial matter! Since you brought it up, I won’t hide it from you. The person the Zheng Family arranged to deal with you hasn’t made a move yet, and as it happens, I know him. So just leave this to me."

Seeing him agree, Ye Qingchen immediately took out his incomplete Cultivation Technique.

"I’ve split the item into two halves. I’ll give you the first half now. Once I see results, the other half will be yours."

Old Cui took the item from his hand and inspected it with a smile. After confirming it was what he expected, he nodded at Ye Qingchen.

"Since we’ve reached an agreement, I’ll spread the word when I get back that the treasure you were carrying is now in my possession. No one will bother you again."

After saying this, Old Cui vanished in an instant.

Meanwhile, the crowd of onlookers was completely dumbfounded. They had been too far away, and in the dimness of the night, they couldn’t see what the two had traded.

"What just happened? Old Cui just left? Did he get the treasure and go? Or... could it be that he couldn’t beat him?"

"No way! Don’t tell me even Old Cui was no match for that man! That’s terrifying! How could that guy possibly have driven him off?"

"It’s a good thing we ran when we did! If even Old Cui isn’t his match, we would have been killed for sure."

"And look at him, he still seems full of energy. He probably didn’t even break a sweat driving off Old Cui. If Old Cui couldn’t handle him, that guy might really be able to fight off anyone else who comes for the treasure."

"Hiss! If that’s the case, then we have no chance at all. Forget it, let’s get out of here."

"Yeah, a few of our brothers are already injured. Let’s go."

With that said, the group hurried away.

Once he sensed there were no more threats within a few miles, Ye Qingchen slowly made his way back to his residence.

At the same time, Xiao Xiao was standing anxiously at the door, peering into the darkness. After she had rested for a bit, a sudden feeling that something was wrong had unsettled her. When she came out to check, her young master was nowhere to be found.

"Young Master! Young Master! You’re finally back! You scared me to death! What happened just now?" Xiao Xiao was just about to go searching for him when his figure appeared in her line of sight.

Ye Qingchen waved a hand dismissively. "I thought the Zheng Family had learned their lesson, but it seems they decided to stir up trouble again. Don’t worry, Xiao Xiao. It’s already been taken care of. The Zheng Family won’t be acting so arrogantly anymore."

His words of comfort didn’t soothe Xiao Xiao’s worries; on the contrary, they made her angrier.

"The Zheng Family! It’s always them! How dare they try to hurt you again and again, Young Master!"

A flash of red glinted in Xiao Xiao’s eyes, but Ye Qingchen didn’t notice it. He just patted her soothingly on the head.

"Don’t be angry, Xiao Xiao. Do you really think they can bully me? The Zheng Family will pay for what they’ve done. We just have to wait and see."

His words quelled some of the rage in her heart. A smile returned to Xiao Xiao’s face as she looked at him. "I understand, Young Master. Let’s wait and see the Zheng Family get what’s coming to them!"

***

「On the other side of town.」

Zheng Ming was enjoying a tender moment in bed with his wife when a frantic knocking suddenly echoed from the door.

"Who is it?! Knocking at this hour! Don’t people sleep?!" Furious, Zheng Ming crawled out from under the covers and glared toward the door.

His angry shout startled the man outside. "Master, Madam, someone from that side sent me to deliver a message," the servant replied quickly.

At his words, the couple inside instantly grew excited.

"Honey! This person is incredible!" Zheng Ming exclaimed as he scrambled to put on his clothes. "It’s barely been any time at all, and the matter is already settled! HAHAHA! Wonderful!"

His wife was equally thrilled, her face beaming. "Of course! Did you expect any less from the person I found? He must have already retrieved your armor and everything. We must thank him properly when this is over!"

Zheng Ming nodded, "Absolutely! He deserves our sincerest thanks!"

The two of them dressed in a hurry and threw open the door.

When they opened the door, however, they found only their servant standing there empty-handed.

"Where are the items?!" Zheng Ming demanded, his voice booming.

The servant flinched, startled by his master’s tone. "Master... what items? The man only sent me to give you and the madam a message. He said..."

"Said what? Stop stammering and spit it out!" Zheng Ming snapped, a bad feeling rising in his gut.

The servant’s body trembled as he forced the words out. "He said... he said he can’t help our family with this matter anymore. He said you and the madam should find someone else."

Zheng Ming’s eyes widened. "What did you say?! He’s not helping us anymore? How is that possible? We had an agreement!"

His wife was just as agitated. "That’s right! It was all arranged! How could he back out now? Are you sure you didn’t get the message wrong?"

They both glared at the servant, who was so terrified by their expressions that he immediately dropped to his knees.

"Master, Madam, even if you gave me ten times the courage, I would never dare to misdeliver a message! He just said he wouldn’t help anymore and didn’t give a reason. I came straight here as soon as he told me." The poor man looked like he was about to burst into tears.

Zheng Ming knew the servant wouldn’t dare lie to his face. He let out a cold snort, his expression turning grim. "Look at the person you found!" he roared, turning his anger on his wife. "To back out at such a critical moment! What are we supposed to do now? Without his help, the items on Ye Qingchen will be snatched up by someone else, and we’ll never get them back!"