Chapter 25: The Amethyst Vein

The crowd burst into laughter in an instant. “A sixth-grade warrior actually threw it away? Who would believe that?”

“He really did,” Li Chengzhu said innocently, looking at everyone.

Chen Lin, trying to suppress a chuckle, cleared his throat and said to Li Chengzhu, “Fellow cultivator, you should sit down.”

“If you don’t believe me, forget it,” Li Chengzhu cursed under his breath. This group had no appreciation at all. He was still a disciple of the Celestial Envoy’s attendant, but if he told anyone, he’d probably just get spat on again.

“Alright, Chengzhu,” Gu Linglong comforted Li Chengzhu. “Next time I go to the Heavenly Court, I’ll help you get another one.”

“No need,” the big boss Li pouted like a child, venting his frustration on the spiritual fruits and wine on the table.

Once the crowd calmed down, Chen Lin spoke again, “My lord, about what I mentioned earlier.”

“Ah, that matter,” Gu Linglong said, clearly torn. It was difficult to offend either side. “Haven’t you negotiated?”

Chen Lin said bitterly, “We have. As you know, if only our family mines the Purple Jade vein, it’ll be depleted in less than three years. If we share it with them... My lord, our Chen family discovered the vein first and mined it on your behalf. We only ask for five percent of the profits; the rest will be handed over to you for management.”

“Hmph,” a cultivator slowly approached Chen Lin, bowed slightly to Gu Linglong, then dragged over a meditation cushion and sat down, glaring coldly at him. “Five percent? Chen Lao, how much have you handed over in these three months?”

“Weng Haiming!” Chen Lin’s eyes blazed with anger at this uninvited cultivator. “My lord was away. All mined Purple Jade is being tallied and will be delivered to your lordship’s residence soon. No need for your concern.”

Weng Haiming smiled slightly. “Still tallying? Your family handles all the mining, collecting, and transporting alone. Who knows if your final numbers are true or false?”

“Don’t slander me!” Chen Lin jumped up, glaring fiercely. “The Chen family is one of Rainbow City’s big clans. How could we stoop to such despicable acts?”

“Really?” Weng Haiming still smiled, turning to Gu Linglong. “My lord, you only need to ask Uncle Cai if he knows anything about the Purple Jade vein.”

“The innocent remain innocent,” Chen Lin gritted his teeth.

“So, what do both your families want?” Gu Linglong’s head ached. Just back and already dealing with disputes. It was difficult to decide who should get the mining rights.

“The vein was discovered by my Chen family, so naturally, we should mine it,” Chen Lin said, cupping his hands.

“You’ve mined for three months but haven’t handed over a single piece. My lord, I strongly request the mining rights be given to my Weng family,” Weng Haiming retorted fiercely.

“This...” Gu Linglong hesitated.

“Heh heh,” the big boss Li downed his cup and said, “Let’s bid for it.”

“Bid?” Chen Lin and Weng Haiming exchanged confused looks.

“Yes, bid,” Li said with a flushed face, pouring himself another cup. “Whoever offers the lowest labor fee gets the mining rights.” What kind of wine was this? Wasn’t celestial wine made from spiritual fruits? Why did it make him feel dizzy?

Weng Haiming and Chen Lin glanced at each other. This was indeed a method, though a bit cruel. Both glared resentfully at the slightly drunk Li Chengzhu.

Li Chengzhu continued, “Each bidding period is three months. When the time’s up, we bid again. Whoever wins gets the next three months’ mining rights.”

Both Weng Haiming and Chen Lin suddenly felt murderous. Where did this guy come from?

Gu Linglong clapped her hands softly. “Alright, let’s do it that way. Everyone bid.”

The city lord made the decision, and the heads of the two big families reluctantly responded, “Yes.”

Gu Linglong continued, “No matter which family mines, aside from seventy percent of the Purple Jade paid to the Heavenly Court, I will distribute the remainder to all cultivators in the city.”

“Thank you, City Lord. We swear our loyalty to you,” everyone at the table quickly stood and bowed to Gu Linglong upon hearing the favorable terms.

Li Chengzhu glanced coldly at the crowd. When he saw the same look in Yuan Mu’s eyes, they exchanged a knowing smile.

Halfway through the assembly, Xiao Ying finally arrived, fashionably late.

By this time, the big boss Li was already flushed, clutching the wine jug and competing with Yuan Mu in drinking. Gu Linglong chatted about the Red Rock Plateau battle while occasionally casting worried glances at Li Chengzhu.

“Why are you only here now?” Li Chengzhu stared intently at Xiao Ying’s face. Why did she seem so sad today?

Xiao Ying forced a smile. “Got held up with some things.”

“All done now?” Li called out, “Come drink with me.”

“Chengzhu, drink less,” Gu Linglong couldn’t help but say.

“Okay.” Xiao Ying didn’t resist at all, took the wine from her table, and sat beside Li Chengzhu obediently, refilling cups for him and Yuan Mu.

Li Chengzhu reached out to touch her forehead, puzzled. “You’re not running a fever, are you?”

“You’re the one with a fever,” Xiao Ying snapped, brushing his hand away and downing her cup.

“As expected of a heroine,” Yuan Mu boasted, afraid the lively atmosphere would die down. He raised his cup and drank as well. The big boss Li had no choice but to follow.

Though celestial beings didn’t need to eat, they occasionally enjoyed spiritual fruits and wine to add some joy to life. The big boss Li thought spiritual wine, brewed from spiritual fruits, wouldn’t intoxicate. Yet Yuan Mu steadily got him drunk.

Yuan Mu wouldn’t let Li Chengzhu use his energy to sober up—truly ruthless.

Gu Linglong glanced back at the bustling assembly, frowning. Such lively scenes didn’t suit her. If not for her position as city lord, she would have run off alone. Seeing her man already passed out, she looked to Xiao Ying. “Sister, help him back to the city lord’s mansion to rest.”

“Okay,” Xiao Ying nodded gently and helped the slumped Li Chengzhu up.

Yuan Mu laughed heartily, “This guy finally fell to me once, haha.” Upon seeing Xiao Ying and Gu Linglong’s hostile looks, he quickly swallowed the rest of his words and sipped quietly to himself.