Chapter 584: Bluffing Too Much (IV)

Chapter 584: Bluffing Too Much (IV)

Apart from the three origin weapons, there were also three other treasures. Li Hao only recognized the Goldensky Lotus. He didn’t know what the other two were. One of them seemed to be the fragments of a weapon, but it looked quite esoteric. It might be the remnants of a powerful weapon that’d broken.

There was something else that appeared to be a medallion, but the characters on it were too blurred and hard to make out. Li Hao didn’t know what kind of token it was, or if it was just an ordinary cube.

As for the three origin weapons, they were indeed of a higher caliber than the ones on the floor below. They felt stronger than the wind chime that he’d obtained before. The Xus were indeed a powerful family with vast operations. They were worthy of being the eastern overlord for the past two hundred years! And the key was that this was only part of their family wealth, it couldn’t be everything. The real treasures were likely with Xu Qing.

Even so, this place should hold most of the Xu fortune. Li Hao wants nothing more than to loot it all!

“Forget it, there’s nothing good here,” he dismissed scornfully, hiding his desire. “The Goldensky Lotus is not bad, but it’s not that useful for monster spirits. You guys keep it for yourself! What a waste of a trip!”

Xu Xing was quite resigned. The issue is that you’ve seen too many nice things! He’d wanted to trade some treasures for a few drops of Water of Life, but didn’t have the room to make that request now. Who would’ve thought that the Xu family treasury would one day be held in contempt?

“None of this trash is worth looking at.” Li Hao maneuvered Panther down the stairs. “When can I take a look at the Windchaser Boots?”

“Ah, please wait for a little while longer. The boots are with my father and we will report to you at once when my father is out of seclusion...”

“Hurry up! Humans really do drag their feet when they conduct business!”

“Of course, certainly!” Xu Xing was so humble that it was like the monster spirit was his ancestor, but he found nothing untoward with their arrangement. He glanced at the transmission pendant as they walked and asked carefully, “Envoy, if the Windchaser Boots are not what the Kui Mountains need, then our partnership...”

“Will be on hold!” Li Hao answered curtly, instilling the man with a sense of urgency. He hoped the boots were what the monster spirits needed!

“Envoy, if I may be so bold to ask, the dragon god of the mountains and the imperial palace...”

“The venerated dragon god is the guardian of the palace’s outskirts. The existence within the palace cannot easily emerge. The venerated dragon god received a few pointers from the ancestor and could cultivate his way to this stage due to excellent potential. These days, he is quite close with the imperial palace.”

Xu Xing understood. So that one was a guard dog. No wonder it only dared say that the golden monster spirit possessed a lofty identity, and nothing else.

“Envoy, if the Windchaser Boots are indeed what the dragon god requires, then will you really provide five Novas for us to use?”

Li Hao smirked. They were tempted! It looked like this question came from old fart Xu Qing hiding behind his son. He started bluffing once more, cockiness filling his mental ripples. “It’s just five Novas! If the dragon god successfully ascends and the safety of the palace’s outer perimeter is guaranteed, what are five Novas worth? We can send you as many monster spirits as you need! There are countless races in the Kui Mountains!

“We need powerhouses, true heavyweights beyond Nova. Nova is just scrabbling in the dirt. But if the dragon still does not ascend and those in the palace are... Ahem, I won’t tell you this. Anyway, we won’t be needing the dragon god much longer if he still doesn’t advance!”

“No!” Li Hao played hard to get.

“Father might emerge from seclusion then,” Xu Xing hastily added. “If he does, the Windchaser Boots will be there!”

“Very good, this king will be there!” Li Hao immediately changed his mind.

Xu Xing was overjoyed, but also cursed inwardly to himself because his father had said not to offer up the Windchaser Boots at daybreak! More precisely, Xu Xing wasn’t to take out the one in his possession. He was to wait for Xu Qing to personally oversee the ceremony!

Damn it!

This made it more than apparent that the one Xu Xing looked after was fake! His old man had given him a fake treasure to fool others with! But now that a monster spirit envoy was here, he couldn’t be allowed to bring forth a fake. If the envoy discovered it wasn’t what they needed, it would be the height of disaster if it stomped off after that.

Plainly, his father was prepared to make an appearance himself and bring out the real treasure. He was the trash! He spoke so righteously about the Xus being unafraid of enemies, but still gave Xu Xing a fake!

The more Xu Xing brooded over this, the more incensed he grew! A tiny conspiracy formed in his heart when he looked at the golden monster spirit. He’d once thought his father to be so lofty that he was out of reach, but now it looked like this was all there was to the man. If he could form a relationship with this monster spirit himself and receive the support of the palace, would his father still not dare step aside?

No... perhaps... he could dream a bit bigger. Was it enough to just be a duke? The key to everything was the golden dog in front of him.

With that running through his mind, Xu Xing abruptly became much more humble and enthusiastic. His smile turned so fawning that it made Li Hao’s scalp crawl. What was he smiling like this for? Had the young man bluffed so much that he’d been exposed?

Li Hao turned apprehensive; there was nothing for it but to continue the act at this stage. He sauntered out of the treasury without a care in the world, his own ideas shifting as well. It wasn’t just enough to take the Windchaser Boots anymore, he wouldn’t be satisfied without taking the treasury too! But how would he swing that?

It’d be best if he could create a ton of trouble for the duke! Otherwise, the first thing that the old man would do after having the time to react would be to chase him to the ends of the world.

......

The day slowly brightened after a night of activity. Today was the memorial for the young master and his eldest son of the Steadfast Duke’s household. Xu Feng was also being honored at the same time.

The latter two had died in Li Hao’s hands. One could say that the blood feud between Li Hao and the Steadfast Duke eclipsed the one between him and Red Moon for the moment. Of course, this was when viewed through the lens of the duke against Li Hao. Just as Li Hao hated Red Moon, so did the Steadfast Duke itch to feast on Li Hao’s flesh.

Such was the way of the world. You kill me, I kill you. There was no shortage of grudges to go around. So even though the Xus hated Li Hao with a fiery passion, the young man didn’t care—just as Ying Hongyue likely didn’t care whether or not the young man hated him. History was ever written by the victors. This grudge would naturally dissipate once the Xus killed Li Hao or Li Hao killed Ying Hongyue.

A bustle of activity started in the manor as the sky brightened. Voices could be heard from the plaza outside the front doors. The Steadfast Duke was close to the people and had built a plaza for leisure in front of his estate. Although his son and grandson were dead, it was open for business all the same. Such a hypocritical person was a rare find. Of course, if he won in the end and conquered the world, then he would be a paragon of all that was good and beautiful, not a hypocrite.

Someone like him was the most terrifying at times.