Chapter 15: Pang Dahai and Sincerity

"One must be careful when choosing a sect; if chosen well, you might just fulfill your desires." A voice suddenly came from the side.

Lu Ye and Yu Xiaodie turned their heads in surprise, only to discover that at some point a plump man had appeared beside them, smiling amiably at them with his tiny eyes nearly squished shut by the flesh on his face.

It was none other than the fat man who had previously been registering the slaves and checking their identities.

Lu Ye didn't even notice when he had come over.

"Greetings, senior!" Yu Xiaodie hastily paid her respects, her expression tense. Although she had opened several orifices, a fat cultivator of this stature was still a lofty figure to her, and she couldn't help feeling nervous.

Lu Ye followed suit and paid his respects as well.

"I couldn't help but come over after hearing your enthusiastic conversation; you don't mind, do you?" The fat cultivator patted his large belly with one hand, his demeanor warm and friendly.

"Not at all." Yu Xiaodie quickly waved her hands. Despite her nerves, her thoughts were clear, and realising this was an opportunity, she sought advice, "May I ask what senior meant by that statement just now?"

She knew more about the cultivation world than Lu Ye, but her knowledge was limited compared to a bona fide Haotian Alliance cultivator like the fat cultivator.

"It's exactly as it sounds. Do you want to know?" The fat cultivator's smile grew even warmer. While he answered Yu Xiaodie, his gaze was fixed on Lu Ye.

Lu Ye didn't understand why the man was staring at him but had a feeling he meant no good. Still, as it related to his future, he politely said, "Please enlighten me, senior."

"If you want to know..." The fat cultivator affectionately patted Lu Ye's shoulder, "then it depends on whether you have enough sincerity."

Sincerity?

Lu Ye raised his eyebrows, recalling the first time he met the fat cultivator and how the latter had eyed the storage sack at his waist.

Could it really be? That wouldn't be right, would it?

After all, he was a powerful figure with high cultivation. Would he bother with someone like him, a nobody?

But the meaning hinted at by the fat cultivator's words was very clear, obvious to anyone but a fool.

After a moment of silence, Lu Ye tentatively raised his hand and reached into the storage sack at his waist. He noticed the fat cultivator's eyes, squinted to slits, slowly widening a bit, his smile becoming even more pleasant.

When he lowered his hand, the fat cultivator returned to his previous demeanor.

When he raised his hand again, the fat cultivator's eyes opened a bit wider...

After several such exchanges, Lu Ye finally confirmed that things were just as he had suspected.

The fat cultivator couldn't take it anymore. He had never seen anyone dare to tease someone so blatantly and swept his sleeve in displeasure, "It seems you don't want to know."

He was about to turn around when he felt a weight in his hand. Looking down, he saw a bottle of blood Qi pills and Lu Ye standing in front of him with an expression like he'd lost several pounds of flesh.

The fat cultivator couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth: "Is this your sincerity?"

What a worthless trinket. He had come over here on purpose, not for such garbage!

"Then what would senior like?" Lu Ye asked.

The fat cultivator couldn't stand him anymore and laid it out clearly: "Ore!"

Lu Ye asked curiously, "Big Brother, being such a lofty figure, how can you take interest in those minerals?"

The plump cultivator replied, "Then you're unaware. The minerals produced by the veins in Evil Moon Valley are all fine products, very rare indeed. Besides, if you want information, you naturally need to pay a price, it's not like I can just give you whatever you want for free, especially since we have no ties."

"That makes sense." Lu Ye nodded in agreement, casually took out a piece of ore from his storage sack, and passed it to the plump cultivator.

The plump cultivator didn't take it immediately, squinting his eyes and shaking his head faintly, "I can't see your sincerity."

"Such a big piece!" Lu Ye held up the basin-sized ore, the largest piece in his storage sack around his waist.

The plump cultivator hummed a little tune, ignoring him.

Unable to hold back, Lu Ye clicked his tongue, his face twisted in a pained expression, placed the ore on the ground, and took out another piece from his storage sack.

Having mined for over a year, he had some understanding of these ores. Though he wasn't sure of their exact value, the easily found ones were definitely of lower value. The two pieces he took out looked sizeable, but they were actually not rare during his mining, belonging to the type that was relatively easy to find.

Zhou Cheng's storage sack didn't have many ores, only five or six pieces, mostly those common types, while Manager Yang's storage sack not only had a larger quantity but also many more rare items.

As the second piece of ore was taken out, the plump cultivator's face showed a bit more of a smile, "Kid, don't think I'm taking advantage of you. I see that we get along, so I specifically came to give you a few pointers. I, Pang Dahai from the Righteousness Sect, do have some reputation in the cultivation world of Bingzhou, others wanting my guidance, I wouldn't even bother."

Yu Xiaodie, who was nearby, watched the two conduct such transactions brazenly under broad daylight, especially since the plump cultivator kept claiming he was from the Righteousness Sect. She felt something shatter inside her heart.

Lu Ye found it hard to deal with as well, "You're from the Righteousness Sect?"

Where is your awe-inspiring righteousness?

In the midst of speaking, he had already taken out a third piece of ore.

Pang Dahai's eyes were still narrowed, obviously still unable to see any sincerity.

Lu Ye's eyelid twitched, wishing he could pry open that man's eyelids to make him see clearly.

Helpless, since he definitely wasn't Pang's match, he took out a fourth piece, and this time, he chose a precious piece of origin magnetic ore.

Pang Dahai's eyebrows twitched, his smile remaining on his face.

Lu Ye clapped his hands and pointed at the four ores on the ground, "Isn't that enough sincerity?"

Pang Dahai smiled without a word.

"Alright then, there's nothing more I can do." Lu Ye sighed, and under the stunned gaze of Pang Dahai and Yu Xiaodie, he crouched down, put the first piece of ore back into his storage sack, and then looked up at Pang Dahai, "Is that enough?"

Pang Dahai's eyes finally widened, looking at Lu Ye with a shocked expression, his mind in disarray.

Yu Xiaodie was equally stunned by Lu Ye's slick move, not understanding what Big Brother Lu meant.

Lu Ye put back the second piece of ore he had taken out and looked up to ask Pang Dahai again, "Is that enough?"

"I..." Pang Dahai seemed wanting to curse but held it back, struggling to maintain the composure of a powerful figure, though his face was starting to look frantic.

Lu Ye's hands were already reaching for the third piece of ore when a hand pressed on his arm. Lu Ye looked up to see Pang Dahai looking at him through gritted teeth, "Enough, it's enough!"