Star Gate

Chapter 584: Bluffing Too Much (IV)

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!”

A shocked Xu Xing understood the connotations. Were the ancient monster spirits about to emerge from the palace? Urgency gripped the man, the mountains weren’t too far from the eastern provinces! Trouble might be upon them!

“Are the lords in the imperial palace about to emerge in the world?” he asked carefully.

“It has nothing to do with you!” Li Hao declared presumptuously. “We won’t care about you if we do emerge. I know what’s on your mind! If we come out, we head to Silver Moon! Our goal is not here or even this world! It lies in the depths of the firmament—you wouldn’t understand it if I spoke of it.

“We follow the ancient Human King’s footsteps and seek the emperor’s path in leaving this land. Your vision is so limited that you focus only on this continent. Back in the day, the core of the Skystar Dynasty—the central continent that you revere—was just a piddling Skystar Island! This royal family of yours simply occupied the ruins of Skystar Town, that is how they have some capital to their name...”

Xu Xing felt his worldview imploding! What did all this mean?!

......

At the same time.

“Skystar Island... Skystar Town... I see!” Xu Qing’s face flickered through a variety of expressions. “Silver Moon... So these ancient existences have never set their sights on this land... So the heart of the dynasty is just an island... How incredible!”

He believed the monster spirit as what he heard corroborated with some reports he’d received. There was only shock and desire in his eyes!

Li Hao’s spiel solidified one belief for him—that the Kui Mountains really weren’t interested in his family’s territory. They wouldn’t care if the Steadfast Duke became king of the east!

But he cared.

In that case, there was a possibility for their partnership. The monster spirits’ request for cooperation might only be temporarily valid. The fact that those existences couldn’t easily emerge at the moment was an opportunity for him. It might not come back around if he missed it.

“The Windchaser Boots...” He clenched his jaw. He’d already lost one of them, he’ll just lose the second as well! Perhaps the monster spirits really would return it to him.

Based on what the minor monster spirit had said, the snake king would be discarded soon if it still didn’t break through. Once it was discarded... there was no need for the Windchaser Boots. Therefore, he should help the snake king break through. When it found solid footing, it would be grateful that the Xus had rendered it a favor. The snake king would be the family’s connection to reaching an agreement with the Kui Mountains imperial palace.

Xu Qing knew what to do when his thoughts trailed here. He fully believed Panther’s identity by now—there was no helping it, the monster spirit knew too much. Some of what it spoke of went beyond the family’s understanding, despite two hundred years of endless excavations.

The duke firmly believed Li Hao precisely because he only knew half of the truth. If he hadn’t known any of it, then Li Hao would’ve been preaching to deaf ears no matter how much he said. The crucial detail here was that the duke knew a bit of what the monster spirit spoke of, but not all of it. That made these revelations particularly deadly; each word was immensely shocking.

......

Xu Xing seemed to receive some sort of instruction at this time and asked, “Envoy, our family’s grand ceremony will be commencing at daybreak. Those from the other eastern provinces will be present. Are you interested in attending the ceremony?”

“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.