Chapter 61: News of That Red-Haired Female

Chapter 61: Chapter 61: News of That Red-Haired Female

But watching helplessly as the Jade Pendant was carried away, she’d never imagined a powerful Beastman would appear out of nowhere and shatter all her carefully laid plans.

’If I can’t win with coins, we have to compete with power?!’

Furious and deflated, Feng Si sank into the sofa, clutching the Incubator to her chest as rationality slowly returned.

’No, I can’t give up this easily!’

She stroked the Incubator, the indignation in her heart growing stronger with each pass.

She lowered her gaze, lost in thought.

’I just have to find out who the new owner of the Jade Pendant is. Then I can just buy it from him, can’t I?’

’Green jade is expensive, but this pendant isn’t large. Its market value is around six or seven hundred million. So, as long as I can offer a price higher than that...’

’I refuse to believe it.’

’He wouldn’t be tempted by a billion coins.’

Feng Si managed to recover from the blow.

Clutching the Incubator, she stood up and walked out of the private room.

Her gaze swept across the walls, which were covered in green vines. The doors to the private rooms were concealed behind the green leaves, and tiny, shining points of light twinkled from within the covering of branches.

The lights and vines blended together seamlessly, like a modern art installation—a wall of infinitely extending, illuminated green vines. All she could see was an expanse of green.

Feng Si looked for a long time but couldn’t tell if the ’Jade Pendant buyer’ was in one of the private rooms on this floor.

She looked down and untied the small pouch from her waist. It was a palm-sized coin purse made of soft rabbit fur, with a strap that tied perfectly around her waist. The small, pale-white pouch was currently bulging.

She took all the cash coins out of the pouch and counted them. There were over twenty-one thousand coins in total. The stack of five-hundred-coin denominations was still thick.

’Time to let my money do the talking.’

Feng Si put the coins back in her pouch and headed downstairs, a look of grim determination on her face. The coins gave her all the courage she needed; in her mind, she could hear the CLATTER of a golden coin shower.

’This is a sure thing. It’s definitely going to work this time.’

Downstairs, Feng Si found the gray-clothed sub-female, the acquaintance with whom she’d made a covert ’deal’ earlier. They met in the same deserted, dim corner. She first took out the bulging pouch and placed it right in front of them.

The gray-clothed sub-female looked down, her eyes practically glued to it.

Feng Si opened the pouch and spoke softly, "I need to ask you about something. When we’re done, the money in this pouch is yours."

The gray-clothed sub-female’s breath hitched.

’So... so much money!’

"I’ll talk! I’ll talk! Ask me anything! If I know it, I’ll tell you..." The gray-clothed sub-female stared, unblinking, at the coins in the pouch.

’It’s a neat stack as thick as my hand!’

’I have to get that money.’

Unwilling to lose out on this huge sum, she gritted her teeth. "And if I don’t know, I’ll ask my associates and find out for you!"

Hearing this, Feng Si looked up at the gray-clothed sub-female in pleasant surprise and whispered, "Can you tell me who bought that green Jade Pendant? And where are they?"

The gray-clothed sub-female’s face froze. She stared in shock at the dark-spotted sub-female before her and lowered her voice even more. "The whereabouts of such a VIP... I can’t, I can’t reveal that!"

She had just seen it—the City Lord himself constantly wiping away sweat as he stood in the stairwell, personally giving instructions to the steward.

Then, the steward—a man one could usually only see from a distance—personally walked onto the stage and cut the final auction short. Not even the guests of the Jade Tower Scripture dared to utter a single complaint.

And that didn’t even touch on the person who could order around the Black Snake City Lord himself...

That was definitely a VIP no Beastman in the entire city could afford to offend. One wrong move, and she would lose her head.

The gray-clothed sub-female across from her was terrified, but Feng Si’s expression remained unchanged.

She pushed all the coins toward the other sub-female and said in an even lower voice, "Don’t worry. Just tell me his location. You don’t have to lead the way; I’ll go by myself. Whatever happens after that has nothing to do with you."

Seeing the gray-clothed sub-female hesitate, Feng Si added, "What can a sub-female like me do to a VIP? I’m just going on behalf of... to buy back the Jade Pendant with coins."

The gray-clothed sub-female listened to Feng Si’s vague words. She noted that Feng Si wasn’t trembling in fear like she was when discussing VIPs; the sub-female with the dark-spotted face was completely calm. Suddenly, she understood.

’Her master must be someone important, too.’

’You only get that calm by being around VIPs all the time.’

Feng Si nudged the coins toward the sub-female again. Her expression was nonchalant and composed, and her entire demeanor exuded an air of relaxation.

The gray-clothed sub-female subconsciously took the coins and stuffed them into her own pouch. With a look of grim resolve, she said:

"Ah, so you’re delivering money to a VIP. That’s a good thing. So I will absolutely *not* tell you that we’ve been forbidden from setting foot anywhere near private room number twenty-eight, in the middle of the third floor."

...

Black Snake clutched the Crystal Box, walking into the third-floor private room with a deep sense of unease.

Ying Kong was sitting on the sofa, ordering his subordinates to bring everyone who had handled the Jade Pendant to the Sacrificial Hall and wait for him there. When he saw Black Snake enter, he raised a finger and pointed at the box in his arms.

Black Snake understood instantly. He carefully placed the Crystal Box on the wooden table in front of the sofa. "I have retrieved the Jade Pendant as you commanded, My Lord."

Ying Kong didn’t answer, and his expression showed no signs of impending anger. Black Snake stood respectfully by the sofa. When he glanced down and saw the magnificent green jade, he couldn’t help but feel a flicker of curiosity.

’Who does this Jade Pendant actually belong to?’

’Why does it make Lord Ying Kong look like he’s on a battlefield, facing a formidable enemy?’

’He didn’t dare ask. He’d already tried once.’

All he’d gotten was a cold laugh from Lord Ying Kong, a death glare, and a single sentence:

"You are not worthy of knowing."

Black Snake stood in the room, his mind wandering. Out of his usual cautious and timid nature, he was terrified of accidentally overhearing something he shouldn’t. He could already picture Lord Ying Kong sending assassins to silence him in the dead of night. He didn’t dare ask another word.

Ying Kong looked up and saw the dazed-looking Black Snake. He picked up the crystal box, stood up, and then offered a word of praise. "You’ve performed a meritorious service by finding the Jade Pendant. I will remember this."

"Oh... Ah!" Black Snake, still standing there dumbfounded, felt his pupils dilate for a second.

’I performed a meritorious service?’

’Who cares what it means!’

’It’s a great thing, that’s for sure.’

Black Snake finally snapped out of it. "Thank you, My Lord!"

As he walked, Ying Kong kept his head down. He brutally sliced open the so-called "hardest Diamond Box" with just his fingertip, carefully took out the Jade Pendant, and tossed the box to the floor.

The Jade Pendant was cool to the touch. Ying Kong’s eyes flickered, and his breathing quickened.

’Finally!’

’I’ve finally found a clue about that red-haired female!’

’I just need to find the Beastman who had the Beast King’s Jade Pendant and interrogate them. Then I’ll get information about that red-haired sub-female from the very beginning, and then—’

’I’ll find her!’

Black Snake couldn’t decipher the joyful look on Ying Kong’s face. He simply followed obediently behind his lord, walking along with the guards.

「In the stairwell.」

Having gotten the location of the Jade Pendant’s new owner from the gray-clothed sub-female, Feng Si wasted no time in rushing up to the third floor.