Chapter Eighty-Seven: I Am a Person Who Obeys the Rules

The cigar that the office manager had brought to his lips was now caught between his teeth, and the way he looked at Lin Qingyun had changed completely.

He had seen more than a few children of powerful families and prominent figures come to Hanze to gain experience, even bringing along protectors at the upper reaches of the Soaring Clouds realm. If they had connections, they were naturally to be treated well; even ordinary ones only needed to be handled politely.

Of course, they still had to obey his rules.

Yet even among all the children of great clans he had seen over the years, he had never seen one carrying a storage item on his person. Such a thing was far too rare. Even now, not even a few hundred million would buy one. In the early years after spiritual energy revived, when they were even scarcer, not even tens of billions could have purchased one.

“Interesting. Which family are you from? Didn’t your elders tell you that when you come onto someone else’s turf, you follow someone else’s rules?”

Countless thoughts flashed through the office manager’s mind in an instant, but with no other information or intelligence to rely on, he could only ask again.

Lin Qingyun drew on his cigar and walked to the huge balcony, gazing out at the view beyond. “Which family I belong to can wait. Let’s talk about rules first. I’d like to ask, Manager Wen, when exactly did I break the rules? You can pull up every recording of my time in your Paradise of the Mortal World, including the one from just now.”

“Little Black, you know the rules better than anyone. Tell us, did I break any of the rules of the Paradise of the Mortal World?”

By now, Little Black was so tense that her palms were soaked with sweat. Yet when Lin Qingyun asked her, she still took a deep breath and steadied herself. Her voice, though not perfectly calm, was at least controlled.

“My lord, the Paradise of the Mortal World forbids private fighting here. Anyone who incites private combat will be punished, whether they strike first or retaliate. If other people are affected, or if anything in the Paradise of the Mortal World is damaged, the punishment will be severe, including direct execution.”

“At the time, I was with my lord over there watching the matches, and we had paid for the best seats in front. After those people arrived, they immediately drove away the ones beside my lord, then insulted, provoked, and threatened him.”

“They released their pressure, and I could no longer bear it. I had no choice but to crawl away. Even in that situation, my lord still obeyed the rules of the Paradise of the Mortal World and did not make a move.”

“They may claim that my lord insulted them through sound transmission, but that is only one side’s story and cannot be trusted. Besides, even if there was insult, that would still count as ordinary exchange. It was they who attacked my lord with a finger. My cultivation is too low for me to understand what that technique could do, but I know that a single finger truly could have taken my life.”

“After that, my lord was injured, but from beginning to end, he never violated the rules of the Paradise of the Mortal World. Even if the injury came from him, I believe it was the other side that caused it. Saying that my lord burst his own flesh apart is only an excuse. Even taking a step back, even if he truly injured himself, that still would not have broken the rules here.”

By then, Little Black no longer dared lift her eyes to Manager Wen, much less meet his gaze.

She stood there with her head bowed, muttering as if being punished, only speaking a little more loudly than before. Of course, even if her voice had been soft, these two would still have heard every word clearly.

After she finished in one breath, Little Black kept her head lowered, standing there as if in disgrace.

It had to be said that this girl possessed astonishing composure. Although her heart had pounded rapidly at first and she had been somewhat nervous, by the end, the pose she struck was clearly deliberate.

“I said so. I’m a law-abiding man, one who follows the rules wherever he goes,” Lin Qingyun said, clearly pleased with Little Black’s words.

“Knowing how to kill someone within the bounds of the rules—indeed, a child of a great family. Still, you’d best be careful yourself. In a place like Hanze, unless someone is protecting you every step of the way, flaunting your wealth is just courting death. I hear a group under Zhou Wanlong was killed recently. That should have been your doing, yes?” Manager Wen shifted the topic, evidently already accepting what Little Black had said.

In truth, his earlier threat had only been to see how Lin Qingyun would react.

Otherwise, he would have treated him the same way he had treated Zhou Wanhu, never giving him any chance to argue.

Lin Qingyun smiled. “If I were really flaunting my wealth, they wouldn’t even have the right to look at it. It’s only their own overconfidence. Since I’ve come all the way here to see you, isn’t it a bit dull to keep talking about them? Let’s talk about something more interesting.”

As he spoke, a reclining chair appeared in his hand. With another casual lift, an antique tea table and a full tea set appeared as well, followed by water and tea leaves.

“Little Black, since you know so much, I’ll give you another chance. Brew us a pot of spiritual tea from a demon plant.”

When he finished, Lin Qingyun leaned back in the reclining chair and turned his head to look at Manager Wen.

“Don’t mind me, Manager Wen. I hate freeloading off others. Since I’ve come to visit, I should at least show some sincerity. Let me treat you to tea while we chat.”

If Lin Qingyun’s revelation that he possessed a storage treasure had already startled and even made Manager Wen envious, then seeing that treasure contain so many of these items left him at a loss for words.

Storage treasures had limited space. Who would stuff such things inside, unless he were some unbelievably spoiled young master?

Even Manager Wen had been tempted just now. After all, he had spent decades struggling, only to seize a chance and kill someone by fortunate accident in order to obtain a storage treasure with less than five cubic feet of space.

Even so, that already put him above ninety-nine percent of Soaring Clouds realm experts.

“It seems you didn’t come after Zhou Wanhu at all—you came for me. Since that’s the case, we ought to speak plainly, shouldn’t we? I’m only a manager, after all.”

At this, Manager Wen also settled into a reclining chair, no longer looking at Lin Qingyun. He shut his eyes and took a deep drag from his cigar.

There was no helping it. He could hardly bear to keep looking. His own side was luxurious and magnificent, yet anything casually taken out by this youth seemed to belong to an entirely different level.

“Honestly, I really did just want to have a chat with you, Manager Wen. I came here to look around and gain some experience. On the side, I also wanted to learn more about the gathering zones and Hanze as a whole, so that when I go back home, my family won’t say I came out for a trip and learned nothing but idleness.”

Since the other side had mistaken him, that was for the best.

In truth, it was not really a mistake. Given Lin Qingyun’s background, coming here for experience did make him much like a young scion of a great family.

“Hanze is just an abandoned land, not even as good as those lawless, chaotic places. As for the so-called gathering zones, they’re only places where a bunch of people temporarily put down roots. There’s nothing worth understanding. It’s not some ancient cultural kingdom with a grand history or deep heritage.”

Manager Wen did not know whether Lin Qingyun was telling the truth, so he spoke casually.

“It doesn’t matter. I’m闲 anyway. Oh, right—earlier I asked the little girl here to be my guide and asked her about the structure of the gathering zone. Since you’re among the highest-ranking people in the gathering zones, you should know who controls the different zones, shouldn’t you? Also, why don’t you tell me about any especially interesting or unusual things that have happened in Hanze over the past few decades...”

Lin Qingyun spoke like an ignorant and indulgent young rich man, chatting completely at will. As for Manager Wen’s attempts to probe his origins and background, he gave no direct answer.

That style of conversation left Manager Wen rather displeased.

If not for the cigar, if not for the scent of the tea tempting him almost beyond endurance, he would have truly wanted to send this boy out.

Whatever the other man’s background, so long as he had not broken the rules here, there was no need to bother with him, much less keep him company in conversation. But with these things laid out before him, he found it hard to refuse.

Fine. If the boy wanted idle chatter, then he would indulge him. Once they finished the tea and he still refused to reveal anything concrete, he would drive him away.

Of course, since Lin Qingyun refused to state his purpose or reveal his identity and background, Manager Wen would not disclose any real secrets either. He merely tossed out a few things he considered harmless, the sort of information everyone already knew.

What he regarded as trivial, Lin Qingyun found greatly rewarding. On one hand, many bits of information Little Black had heard secondhand were now confirmed. On the other, his perspective suddenly expanded to encompass all of Hanze.

For someone like Little Black, it was possible she might spend her entire life without ever coming into contact with another gathering zone. Only if, after growing up, she reached the ninth level of the Heart-Lute realm and had a group to help her, might she have a chance to cross the hundreds of dangerous li and enter a different zone.

But for Manager Wen, communication between the major zones was still common. They constantly transported huge quantities of supplies from within the country, and the same was true of the other zones, so naturally they exchanged information as well.

Gradually, as Little Black began brewing the tea and fragrance filled the air, Manager Wen’s expression turned one of enjoyment.

...

In the Wolf-Sea Demon Hunting Squad, Zhou Wanhu and the others, who had been ransomed back, now stood before Zhou Wanlong. Feeling Zhou Wanlong’s fury and that terrifying oppressive force, none of them dared make a sound.

Naturally, the other four deputy captains were all looking at Zhou Wanhu as well, because this time he had not only led the team, he had also been the one caught in the trap.

Whether he had truly made a move or had simply been set up, that was his business.

“Very good. You really know how to handle things, don’t you? I sent you to intimidate him a little, to pressure him. And what did you do instead? You actually caused trouble in the Paradise of the Mortal World and got yourselves fined ten million. What exactly were you thinking? You’ve been in the gathering zones for so many years—do you not even understand such basic rules and common sense? Was that really the place for you to stir up trouble?”

They had only just returned and had not even had time to explain when Zhou Wanlong had already erupted into furious condemnation.

“Brother, listen to me. We didn’t make trouble there. That brat framed us. At the time...” Zhou Wanhu also felt wronged and hurriedly explained the situation in detail.

“That’s how it happened, but Manager Wen wouldn’t listen to us at all,” Zhou Wanlong said, feeling equally aggrieved.

“Captain, that man is not ordinary. If Manager Wen were punishing people regardless of right or wrong, that would be one thing, but I think that fellow may not be punished at all,” said the only female deputy captain among the six.

She did not dare say too much, but her words carried another layer of meaning.

If that man could establish a connection with Manager Wen, then he was not someone they could move against.

“Idiot. You went there to intimidate someone, and you didn’t even guard against being set up? And you still dare cry injustice? Put all those expenses on your account. It has nothing to do with the others.”

Zhou Wanlong continued to berate his younger brother.

At that, Zhou Wanhu immediately grew anxious. The five of them had all been detained; splitting the cost would have been fine. Why should everything fall on him? A ten-million fine was no small sum.

Unfortunately, Zhou Wanlong gave him no further chance to speak. With nothing more than a glance, a terrifying force sealed him in place, leaving him unable to move.

“Hmph. Useless fool—good for nothing but making trouble. Stay here and cool your head for a few days. Think carefully about your mistakes.”

After saying this, Zhou Wanlong looked at the other deputy captains. “Mobilize everyone. Keep a close watch on that man. Whoever he is, if he kills my brother, he dies. Rest assured, at worst we’ll kill him and then move to another zone. The Third Zone is still a little smaller; the Fifth Zone is wider and even more chaotic. By then, there will still be a chance to open the road to heaven for you all, and give you the chance to strike at the Soaring Clouds realm as well.”