Chapter 307: Four Young Masters

Boss Rat didn't offer his own assessment of Yan Jing's answer, but both Hu San and Xiong Er could tell he was highly satisfied with it.

This wasn't a good thing.

Plague only had so many operations. Adding Mao Si meant one more person taking a slice of the pie.

But neither of them let it show.

Boss Rat absolutely loathed infighting.

Mocking Mao Si in private was one thing, but letting Boss Rat catch them doing it was another matter entirely.

It wasn't that they genuinely disliked Mao Si. Their usual teasing lacked any real malice, but that was strictly on the premise that he didn't encroach upon their interests.

Soon, the final auction item was brought out.

It was a painting.

The canvas depicted a young woman in a white veil. She held a bright, blooming sunflower, standing in front of a trash heap made of scrapped machinery.

"What do you think of the painting?"

Boss Rat spoke up, once again directing his question at Yan Jing.

"It's completely mediocre."

Yan Jing answered honestly.

He was at least half a painting cultivator, after all. With his current artistic attainments, he could tell the creator of this piece hadn't even reached the level of a professional.

At best, they were a seasoned amateur.

"You're just guessing blindly, aren't you?"

Boss Rat cast a sideways, smiling glance at Yan Jing, then said slowly, "But it really is quite mediocre. You guessed correctly on that front."

"Then take a guess—how much do you think this painting will sell for?"

Yan Jing thought for a moment before answering slowly, "Probably around 200,000 eerie points."

?!

As soon as those words left his mouth, Xiong Er and Hu San both turned their heads to stare at him.

Though the price was slightly off from their own estimates, the difference wasn't large.

But coming from Yan Jing, such a number felt somewhat bizarre.

After all, Yan Jing had just stated that the painting wasn't very good, and Boss Rat had agreed.

To come up with a price like that meant Yan Jing had deduced the true nature of this auction from the earlier conversation between that man and Council Member Li—

—bribery.

Boss Rat couldn't help but look his way as well.

"You've grown quite a bit, kid."

"To be precise, it should be 372,000 eerie points."

Boss Rat provided an exact figure.

If an outsider had heard him, they would never have guessed he was merely "predicting" the final price of the upcoming item.

"This was painted by Council Member Li's daughter, who studies art,"

Boss Rat said.

"But officially, the consignor will be listed as some mysterious figure."

"When the time comes, the money will be wired to an independent account registered under some poor bastard's name, sugarcoated as a donation from a philanthropist who admires his political platforms."

Weren't they afraid of being overheard?

That was Yan Jing's first reaction to Boss Rat's words. He immediately looked around, only to find that no one seemed to have noticed their conversation.

'Control over sound.'

Yan Jing instantly made the deduction, drawing on his past experience of holding the Domain core of Tranquil Valley.

He then smiled helplessly.

His current strength wasn't exactly great, yet he had dabbled quite a bit in these crooked tricks. It was rather amusing.

Soon, the auction for the painting began.

Exactly as Rat had predicted, the winning bid came to 372,000 eerie points—not a point more, not a point less.

The buyer was none other than the very man who had just spoken rudely to Council Member Li.

"Pops, if you ask me, with your skills, our Plague should really expand a bit more,"

Yan Jing remarked with a sigh.

Knowing the precise amount of the bribe between the council member and that man was enough to prove that Boss Rat was no simple figure.

"Heh."

Boss Rat chuckled.

"Then, in your opinion, kid, why hasn't our Plague managed to expand up to now?"

At those words, Xiong Er and Hu San cast sideways glances once again.

Boss Rat had asked the two of them the exact same question in the past.

Xiong Er had answered that they needed to be steady and cautious because they lacked the strength.

Hu San had answered that they should lay low and bide their time because the moment wasn't right.

But without even thinking, Yan Jing smiled and said, "Because you like to keep things too clean, Pops."

"Your loan sharking only targets gambling addicts and psychos shooting up illegal contraband. You never indiscriminately hike protection fees. Most importantly, you don't touch illicit businesses. If you ask me, we could start selling a bit of illicit Happy Water."

"I guarantee we'd go big and go strong within a month."

As soon as that answer came out, not only Xiong Er and Hu San, but even Boss Rat was stunned.

A moment later, he burst into loud laughter.

This time, it was out loud.

But presumably, only the four of them could hear it.

"You're mostly right,"

Boss Rat said with a smile.

"Which part did I get wrong?"

Yan Jing asked.

"Figure it out yourself."

Boss Rat dropped the topic. Instead, he reached out a small claw, pointing toward the figures he had previously stopped Yan Jing from asking about.

"Those four people are known as the Four Young Masters of Muke District."

"Two men, two women. All children of the conglomerates."

"They founded a secret organization called the Four Masters Society, which specifically takes in the frustrated, out-of-favor scions of those conglomerates. It is also the true ruling power behind Muke District."

"Thanks to their massive network of connections, half the politicians in Muke District have ties to them."

"What about underground factions like ours?" Yan Jing asked.

"They have no desire to associate with sewer rats like us."

A mocking smile tugged at Rat's lips.

"I heard the leader of Intellect Brain once tried to join the Four Masters Society. He prepared lavish gifts and planned it out for a long time, only to be rejected."

He paused, then continued, "To be precise, he was humiliated."

"So, if they ever stand against you one day, what would you do?"

This time, Rat wasn't just asking Yan Jing; he was questioning Xiong Er and Hu San as well.

Before they could answer, he spoke again.

"Consider this your test for the near future. Once you have an answer, you can come report to me at any time."

With that, he had the female companion holding him stand up, preparing to leave with the crowd.

Just then, Yan Jing asked, "People like them must have at least Sixth Tier entities protecting them, right?"

"..."

Rat shot Yan Jing a profound look.

"Do you think Sixth Tiers are like corn grown in a greenhouse? For abandoned pawns like them, they'd be lucky to have a decent Fifth Tier."

"I see."

Yan Jing nodded.

"Don't get any twisted ideas."

Rat seemed to see right through him and warned, "Even the weakest Fifth Tier isn't someone a brat like you can handle right now."

"Understood, completely understood."

Yan Jing nodded.

The auction officially ended.

For the evening banquet that followed, Yan Jing made an excuse to leave.

"Pops, I've got something to take care of. I'll head home and sleep once I'm done, so don't wait up for me."

"You little brat."

Rat sighed. "You never give it a rest."

...

...

In the center of the banquet hall.

A group of people in lavish clothes mingled, toasting and chatting merrily.

And at the very heart of this group were the two men and two women Rat had just spoken of.

"Are you in a bad mood today?"

The man in the third seat asked the man in the lead.

"Am I? I don't think so."

The leading man gave a wicked smirk.

"Don't you think that old bastard went too far?"

"He calls us over, and then prepares this kind of trash for us."

"Let's drop it. It's bad luck just talking about it."

"Where are we going to have some fun after this ends?"

The third man laughed.

"I can't make it today. I have a date with a girl to see a movie."

"Hey, hey, hey, seriously? Playing the innocent romantic? Why not just toss some money at her?"

The leading man teased.

"You aren't out of cash, are you? Want me to lend you some?"

"Do you think I'm like you, only chasing physical collisions?" The third man smiled.

"Stop joking."

"Heh."

Mildly annoyed by the third man's counter, the leading man didn't press it. Instead, he turned to the woman seated second.

"What about you? Got plans tonight?"

"I have an appointment."

The second woman's tone was icy.

"Fucking bitch."

The man finally looked at the fourth woman.

"Our Xiaojing is definitely free, right!"

"I... I think so..."

The woman kept glancing at the Information Component on her right wrist, appearing quite irritable.

"What's wrong with you? Do your hands itch?"

The leading man glared at her.

"Waiting for a message."

The woman sounded very impatient.

"Did you eat gunpowder today or what?"

The leading man grew even more irritated. What the hell was wrong with everyone today? He reached out to grab her hand. The woman tried to dodge, but his left arm hooked around her waist, forcefully pulling her close.

Unexpectedly, the woman bent backward at a bizarre angle, dodging him once again.

"Fuck, Chen Xiaojing! Don't refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit. Hurry up and let me look, or else you can toss that matter you brought up last time to the dogs!"

Defied by the woman time and time again, the man's gaze darkened. He was clearly getting genuinely angry now.

The other two were just about to step in and intervene, but the Information Component on the last woman's wrist suddenly buzzed. She glanced at it and immediately stood up to leave, her face lighting up with pleasant surprise.

"You guys talk, I have something to do."

"Fuck your mother!"

The man violently smashed his wine glass against the floor.

He completely disregarded the stares of the people around them.

"She really does have something to do,"

The third man explained on the woman's behalf.

Surprisingly, this only enraged the leading man further. He lunged forward and grabbed the third man by the collar.

"Fuck, you think you're so smart? You know it all?! Are you showing off that you know more than me? Huh?"

"Stop making a scene."

The third man reached up and swatted the hand off his collar, seemingly giving the man no face whatsoever.

The bystanders who witnessed this scene couldn't help but take a few steps back.

And then, a single thought arose in their minds.

The legendary Four Young Masters didn't seem to be as harmonious as the rumors claimed.

...

...

The fourth-ranked woman ran out the door, and her Information Component buzzed again.

"Sorry, I just saw the message. I can tell you the secret I heard yesterday."

This was the first message she had received back in the hall.

"That little girl told me that the hospital eats people."

Seeing this, a flash of joy and excitement passed through the woman's eyes. After pondering for a moment, she replied, "Can we meet up?"

"I knew there was something wrong with that hospital."

"Maybe we can go over there together after dark."

The message was sent, but she didn't get an immediate reply.

This caused the woman to grow agitated once more.

She wanted the man on the other end dead so badly she didn't want to wait a single second longer.

Fortunately, a few minutes later, a message came through.

"Sure. You pick the place."