BXBX NOVEL Chapter 267: 268: Public Enemy Liu Jinshui
Uncle Bao and Gu Ling of Treasure Pavilion had been egging Li Xiaobai on, urging him to bring out high-profile items for a second auction, even hinting that he could sell another female cultivator’s Inner Armor.
“You can rest easy about the Kingdom of Women, Uncle Bao has been traversing the Mainland for so many years, not for nothing. I can handle a Ling Xue’er,” Uncle Bao boasted with a slap on his chest, but Li Xiaobai didn’t dare believe him.
“Cough, cough, I’ll think about it.”
He knew exactly what calculation this old man was making in his head. Auctioning off a female cultivator’s Inner Armor to stir up topical heat was something Treasure Pavilion could do themselves; seeking him out was clearly just to push him into the limelight to take the blame.
Within Tianfeng City, Uncle Bao and others could certainly protect him, but outside the city, it wasn’t certain.
Just like this trip to the Western Desert, he almost got slaughtered by Ling Xue’er. There was no way he was going to be Treasure Pavilion’s scapegoat.
“Hehe, that’s all well and good. The young master’s triumphant return from the Western Desert is indeed a fortunate event. This return to Central Province must be for the Three Sects conference, right?”
Gu Ling changed the subject with a laugh, not showing a hint of embarrassment.
Li Xiaobai found the old man’s thick skin impressive.
“Indeed, my return this time is to seize the top spot in the grand competition of the Three Sects and to become the rightful number one among the young generation in Central Province!”
Gu Ling was speechless, coughing in response, “That… my granddaughter, the Head of Treasure Pavilion, will also be attending the conference. If Young Master Li doesn’t mind, perhaps you could take her along and look after her a bit.”
“No problem, but since your granddaughter’s identity is so distinguished, she’s bound to be constantly embroiled in trouble when outside. Looking after her might not be so easy.”
Li Xiaobai showed a troubled expression, rubbing his hands non-stop and clicking his tongue, his eyes fixed on the Space Ring in Gu Ling’s hand.
Seeing his attitude, how could Gu Ling not understand what he was thinking? He looked towards Uncle Bao, who also wore a complicated expression. Li Xiaobai was the epitome of self-interest, and Uncle Bao felt a headache coming on.
“Ten thousand top-grade Spirit Stones to escort my young princess, how about that?”
“Tsk tsk, I could barely accept that.”
Li Xiaobai nodded, taking the Space Ring with a disdainful face, which made Uncle Bao’s eyelids twitch. Damn it, ten thousand top-grade Spirit Stones, a sum a Sect might not earn in their entire lifetime, and Li Xiaobai still felt disdainful.
But he did have the right to disdain, considering he had just recently acquired several tens of millions of top-grade Spirit Stones. With such a finicky appetite, of course, he wouldn’t be interested in a mere ten thousand.
“Then it’s settled. Tomorrow Gu Ling will bring over the young princess, and we’ll be counting on the young master to take good care of her then.”
Uncle Bao didn’t want to stay any longer and left with Gu Ling, fearing he might lose his temper if he stayed.
Li Xiaobai pondered in his heart; the granddaughter of the Treasure Pavilion’s Head, her status was probably much higher than the Saint Heirs and saintesses of the Three Sects. Uncle Bao was already at the Mahayana Realm, so the Pavilion Master’s strength was probably on par with that of the Monk from Western Desert, the Kingdom of Women’s Ling Xue’er.
He just didn’t understand why they wanted the young princess to follow him.
No matter who it was, if they dared to make him their scapegoat, he would bury her!
With a flip of his wrist, he took out a copy of the Immortal Spirit Daily, placed a Spirit Stone, and summoned Elder Tianji.
“Yo, Young Master Li, it’s been a while. Are you aiming for a big news story this time?”
“Hmm, watch closely, see how I operate. After today, your newspaper’s sales are going to double.”
Li Xiaobai wrote several articles with flair, Elder Tianji watched with shining eyes.
“Young Master Li, you’re a damn genius!”
“Basic operation, don’t be rash.”
…
At the same time, in a room inside the Treasure Pavilion.
Gu Ling asked, “Uncle Bao, you have so much faith in Li Xiaobai, but the Pavilion Master has only this one granddaughter. If the heavy bet is placed on the wrong side, I’m afraid it could all collapse. In my opinion, it might be safer for her to follow a Saint Heir.”
Uncle Bao chuckled and said, “No worries. This time, I intend to bring Li Xiaobai and Fei’er together. On Wendao Peak, and during this trip to the Western Desert, this young man has shown tremendous potential, proving himself to be among the best of the younger generation. I believe in him!”
Gu Ling continued, “I’ve received news lately that the Evil Sect will also send participants to this competition.”
“The Evil Sect has been too quiet lately, not joining in the liveliness of the Western Desert. Something’s off. They might stir up trouble at the conference. Send a message to the Three Sects to keep a closer watch,” Uncle Bao said.
“I trust Uncle Bao’s judgment. I’ll take care of it right away.”
“How many times have I told you? Do not call yourself an old man in front of me,” Uncle Bao said.
Gu Ling: “This old man dares not.”
Uncle Bao: “…”
The next morning.
The entire Immortal Spirit Continent was blanketed with issues of the Immortal Spirit Daily. Today’s headlines were so explosive that people couldn’t look away.
“Master Xuan Bei, Monastery Fundraising!”
“First-Person Perspective Brings You an In-Depth Exploration of the Secrets of the Western Desert!”
“Immortal Spirit Mainland’s Top Genius, Liu Jinshui, Brazenly Steals Nearly 10,000 Righteous Cultivators’ Space Rings; His Defiant Response: Come Hit Me!”
“Liu Jinshui Openly Provokes Ling Xue’er, King of the Southern Ming Kingdom of Women: Begging for a Swift End!”
“Liu Jinshui Reveals the Truth About the Demon Monk: Are Devilish Monks Not Devilish? Is Righteousness Not Righteous? What Exactly Is Going on with This World?”
“Blood Petition from Ten Thousand People: Please Return the Space Rings, Liu Jinshui!”
No sooner had these messages come out than they become popular topics of discussion in every household.
Every cultivator was talking about who Liu Jinshui really was, why they had never heard of him before, and how he could steal space rings from thousands of cultivators right under the nose of the Western Desert’s old Buddha. This was something not just anyone could do.
However, even more cultivators immediately set out for the Western Desert, hoping to uncover Liu Jinshui’s whereabouts. If they could find this young prodigy and seize the resources he had stolen, they wouldn’t have to worry about their livelihood for the rest of their lives.
Looking at the Immortal Spirit Daily in his hand, Li Xiaobai couldn’t help but smile.
“Sixth Senior Brother, don’t blame your Junior Brother. You were the first to be unkind. You play the first move, I play the fifteenth.”
Now that the whole continent was hunting Liu Jinshui, it had become safe for himself. He could take this opportunity to have some more fun, only he hadn’t expected that today’s front-page headline would be about old Monk Xuan Bei.
To push his own headline out of the front page, this old monk must have spent a good amount of Spirit Stones.
Taking advantage of the big movements in the Western Desert, the old monk exposed all the corrupt monks publicly and purged them completely, creating an image of a righteous Buddhist sect that was steadfast and intolerant of wrongdoing.
Then, with a swift change in subject, he started promoting the Western Desert and fundraising for monasteries. The purge of corrupt monks had destroyed quite a lot of buildings, and there was an urgent need for a fundraising to repair them.
This old guy was no pushover when it came to business operations—his strategy was on point. This round of playing the sympathy card was going to be quite profitable, truly befitting a figure in the Tiangang Rankings!