Forget it.
It wasn't worth it.
A minor family that couldn't even rank as third-rate slaughtering an unranked small sect—such a trivial matter wasn't worth his personal attention.
"Someone come!"
The Pavilion Master of Tingfeng called out toward the door.
"Pavilion Master!"
The maid in green from earlier immediately pushed the door open upon hearing the call. She stood with a bow, her posture humble.
The Pavilion Master of Tingfeng walked up to the massive map, extended a slender finger, and tapped lightly on the blank area representing the Great Wasteland.
"Send someone to keep a close eye on this place!"
"Investigate why the Zhao family went to slaughter that sect."
Looking at her Pavilion Master's expressionless face, the maid hurriedly bowed in compliance.
"Yes!"
The maid took the order and quickly retreated.
The study returned to silence.
The Pavilion Master of Tingfeng sat back down in the wide armchair. He casually picked up an account book, glanced at it, and threw it aside in annoyance.
Deficit.
Another deficit.
He only felt that his future was looking incredibly bleak.
...
Three days later.
"Pavilion Master."
The maid in green pushed the door open once more. Only this time, her expression was a bit strange. Holding a jade slip in her hands, she hesitated to speak.
The Pavilion Master of Tingfeng was currently stressing over a pile of jade slips and didn't even lift his head.
"Speak."
"The matter regarding the Zhao family... has been investigated."
The maid respectfully presented the jade slip.
The Pavilion Master of Tingfeng casually took it and sent his spiritual sense into it.
Upon looking at it, a trace of surprise finally appeared on his somewhat numb face.
This Zhao family was even more interesting than he had imagined.
They went to the Falling Cloud Sect to borrow something, or more accurately... to rob.
The Falling Cloud Sect had an ancestral magical artifact called the Three Talents Body Testing Stone, which could identify most of the special physiques in the world.
The Zhao family, having gotten wind of this from somewhere, went to ask to borrow it. After being refused, they actually brazenly attacked, slaughtering all three hundred or so members of the Falling Cloud Sect just to snatch that stone.
What ruthless determination.
A small family that barely made a living by mining for the forces under the Immortal Emperor actually took the lead in causing trouble?
After all, this Immortal Emperor was a huge advocate for peace.
Minor frictions were fine... but major conflicts could easily make them an example...
The Pavilion Master of Tingfeng continued to read, the expression on his face becoming increasingly amused.
The content at the end of the jade slip was the main point.
After snatching the Three Talents Body Testing Stone, the Zhao family went completely silent for several days.
Afterwards, the head of the Zhao family appeared and began frantically inquiring about one thing through various secret channels.
Which True Immortal level expert had recently encountered a shortage of resources.
They didn't care about the origins of this True Immortal, nor their sect background; they only required the other party's stance to be neutral or righteous.
The Zhao family wanted to beg a True Immortal to help them with a small matter.
The Zhao family was willing to exhaust all the foundation their family had accumulated over tens of thousands of years, down to the very last penny, as a reward.
Bankrupting themselves just to ask someone to handle a small matter?
The Pavilion Master of Tingfeng put down the jade slip, his fingers tapping lightly and rhythmically on the desk.
Tap, tap, tap...
The crisp sound was exceptionally clear in the quiet study.
His bright eyes narrowed slightly.
The amount of information in this was simply too vast.
A small family, willing to risk offending their direct superiors, slaughtered a sect to rob a treasure, and then exhausted their family fortune to find a True Immortal.
For what?
This so-called small matter was definitely not small.
It might be a massive gamble that could either let the Zhao family ascend to the heavens in a single step or doom them to eternal damnation.
Interesting.
On the face of the Pavilion Master of Tingfeng, a long-lost excitement belonging to a hunter finally emerged.
He needed a big scoop to reverse the declining trend of the Tingfeng Pavilion.
And this Zhao family seemed to be personally cooking up a gluttonous feast for him.
However...
"Bankrupting themselves..."
"Resource shortage..."
The Pavilion Master of Tingfeng chewed on these two terms, and the smile on his face suddenly turned a bit bitter.
Damn it.
The person this Zhao family was looking for, why did it sound... so much like himself?
If he were a lone wolf, he could live freely and leisurely just by absorbing the essence of the sun and moon every day.
But the problem was, he wasn't.
Behind him was the massive Tingfeng Pavilion, with tens of thousands of mouths waiting to be fed.
The maintenance of the intelligence network, the salaries of the spies, the consumption of magical artifacts and pills... which of these didn't require a massive amount of spirit stones to fill?
A few spirit stones could stump an Immortal.
In the past, the Pavilion Master of Tingfeng would have only considered this a joke.
But now, he couldn't laugh.
Back in the golden age of the Tingfeng Pavilion, what was the Zhao family?
Let alone asking him for a favor, even the dog at his door wouldn't bother to give them a straight look.
But now...
The Pavilion Master of Tingfeng looked at the mountain of deficit account books on the desk, then looked at the area named the Great Wasteland on the map, and fell into a long silence.
Face?
How much was face worth?
When a True Immortal started worrying about spirit stones, face became the most worthless thing.
"Pavilion Master?"
The maid in green looked at her Pavilion Master's fluctuating expression and spoke cautiously, afraid of touching a sore spot.
"You may step down for now."
The Pavilion Master of Tingfeng waved his hand.
"Yes."
The maid felt as if she had been granted amnesty and bowed as she retreated.
He was once again left alone in the study.
The Pavilion Master of Tingfeng stood up and paced back and forth in the room.
To go? Or not to go?
If he went, what if the request was too demanding?
He, the dignified Pavilion Master of Tingfeng, actually colluding with a third-rate minor family. If word got out, where would he put his old face?
But if he didn't go...
He looked at those account books and only felt that the world before his eyes had turned gray.
After a long time.
He stopped pacing and let out a long breath of stale air.
Whatever.
No matter how thick his skin was, it wasn't as thick as reality.
He sat back down in the armchair, and there was no longer a shred of hesitation in his eyes.
He was definitely wading into this muddy water!
However...
He wouldn't foolishly offer himself up at their door.
That would be too degrading.
He, the Pavilion Master of Tingfeng, played the game of information asymmetry.
He wanted to make the Zhao family find him on their own.
He picked up a blank jade slip and branded an instruction into it.
"Someone come."
He called out toward the door once more.
The maid in green pushed the door open and entered.
The Pavilion Master of Tingfeng handed the jade slip to her.
"Handle things according to what is said in here."
The maid took the jade slip and sent her spiritual sense into it. With just one glance, she froze in place.
The instruction in the jade slip was very simple.
Find a way to casually leak a piece of news to the Zhao family, who were currently searching everywhere for a connection.
The content of the news was: The Pavilion Master of Tingfeng seems to be selling off some properties recently, suspected of having cash flow problems.
Disbelief was written all over the maid's face.
This... wasn't this exposing their own weaknesses?
The current predicament of the Tingfeng Pavilion was already an unspeakable secret. Why... why was the Pavilion Master actively exposing it to the outside?
"Pavilion Master, this..."
"If I tell you to do it, just do it."
The Pavilion Master of Tingfeng's voice was calm but carried an indisputable authority.
"Remember, it must be casual."
He deliberately emphasized the pronunciation of the last word.
"Yes!"
The maid didn't dare to ask any more questions and hurriedly left to carry out the order.
Watching the maid's retreating figure, the Pavilion Master of Tingfeng leaned back in the chair, those bright eyes flickering with a calculating gleam of absolute control.
The Zhao family.
Let me see exactly what tricks you are hiding up your sleeves.
You had best...
Not disappoint me.
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
ng to die together with you." Lin Xuan is dead, his body thrown into the river by his scumbag lover and her accomplice. She, the president of the Su Group, is decisive, ruthless, and ice-cold. For three days and three nights, she had his body fished out of the river, and without hesitation, she kissed the bloated corpse of Lin Xuan. She laid down beside him in a cold coffin, their fingers intertwined, a smile lingering on her lips as she closed her eyes. The noble and cold-hearted woman, only bending for one man—Lin Xuan. Lin Xuan, with his golden finger, is reborn and returns to the day of his wedding to the treacherous woman. Su Qiang comes to steal the bride. Lin Xuan's eyes light up, eager to pledge his loyalty on the spot, but instead, her kiss transfers a glass of drugged wine into his mouth, causing him to pass out... 【Male Protagonist with Single Female Lead】【Yandere Tycoon】【Action-Packed】【True vs. Fake Heir】
Cheng's father told him he was getting remarried—to a wealthy woman. Cao Cheng realized his time had finally come: he was about to become a second-generation rich kid. Sure, it might be a watered-down version, but hey, at least he'd have status now, right? The wealthy woman also had four daughters!! Which meant, starting today, Cao Cheng gained four stunning older sisters?? But that wasn't even the whole story... "My name is Cao Cheng—'Cheng' as in 'honest, smooth-talking gentleman'!"
tions: attribute allocation, analysis, proficiency, and simulation. Specializing in mechanical alchemy, from crafting sorcerous battle armor to handcrafting mechanical maidens, his mechanical legion conquers endless realms... Relying on his wits, he begins with a student-teacher romance, wins over a female director, enslaves a female assassin and a underworld queen, becoming the husband of a Grand Duchess... He enslaves the Goddess of Magic from the divine realm, developing his power simultaneously in both the Wizard World and the Realm of Gods...
