Chương 71: Yun Xi

Sea of Clouds Pavilion, Lingjiang Branch, 7th Floor. Encountering such a top-tier, ultimate beauty for the first time, Grandee Song's heart began to beat wildly. Having not "tasted meat" for a long time, and being at an age full of youthful vigor and hot blood, many things beyond his control began to stir restlessly. Fortunately, the Tesseract continuously released energy, keeping his mind sharp and composed; otherwise, he might have embarrassed himself in front of the beauty.

Secretly reminding himself not to leave a bad first impression, he quickly and forcibly adjusted his mindset. Looking straight at her, he smiled:"I am Song Que. Greetings, Pavilion Master." Observing him from head to toe with a smile, the young woman nodded generously:"Greetings, Young Hero Song. I am Yun Xi, the current Pavilion Master of the Lingjiang Branch. Please, sit." Yun Shan, who was originally planning to introduce the two, was left standing awkwardly.

He rubbed his nose in embarrassment and followed them to sit down. Yun Xi was someone who acted swiftly and decisively. Without any beating around the bush, she got straight to the point:"Young Master Song, Uncle Shan has already told me about you. I now, representing the Yun Family once again, wish to invite you to come work for us. What do you think?"

"I wonder what Pavilion Master Yun means by 'work'?" Song Que was curious to know.

"Our guiding principle has always been a win-win situation. How we proceed naturally depends on your wishes. Regarding the conditions Uncle Shan offered previously, if there is anything you find unsuitable, Young Master Song, we can slowly negotiate." Song Que pondered for a moment before answering honestly:"I won't hide it from you, Pavilion Master Yun. I was tempted before. I only refused because the period of 'selling myself' was too long. But after thinking it over carefully... my personality dictates it.

I don't want to sell myself to anyone. Therefore, I don't think there's a need to discuss this further." If this were his past life, he absolutely wouldn't have thought this way. As someone who had to struggle to make a living from a young age, whatever pride and stubbornness he had were ground away by society long ago. But in this life, perhaps because he possessed a superpower and his life had been relatively smooth, Song Que had gradually come to believe that he was a special, unique existence in this world.

Because of this, an air of arrogance and untamed pride had unknowingly taken root and sprouted in his heart. At the very least, he now had a temper and had grown accustomed to the aura of a superior. He didn't want to bow and scrape beneath others. Hearing this answer, Yun Xi wasn't particularly surprised. Genius often goes hand-in-hand with arrogance. She had met many young talents, and which of them wasn't somewhat rebellious and untamed?

If someone truly capable spent all day acting submissive and obsequious, that would surprise her!

"In that case, I wonder what path Young Master Song has planned for your future? If I may be blunt, the path of a rogue cultivator (independent martial artist) cannot take you far."

"Let alone martial arts manuals and guidance from renowned masters, just searching for resources and pills will cause you countless hardships."

"You will expend more than half your energy just searching for suitable martial arts manuals, and you'll have to find channels to purchase pills and tonics. That time will be wasted uselessly, and success isn't even guaranteed. Furthermore, when you encounter a bottleneck or a difficult problem—like the one you are facing now—doesn't it needlessly cause you to stagnate, wasting your innate talent?"

"Practicing martial arts is like rowing upstream; not advancing means falling back. Why don't you reconsider joining a faction, Young Master? Once you do, you only need to focus entirely on cultivating and fully unleashing your talent. Whatever pills or weapons you need, someone will gather them for you. Any doubts in your cultivation will be answered by experts. Wouldn't that be much more comfortable?"

"As for your fear of being restricted and losing your freedom, you can set your mind at ease on that point. We will absolutely not interfere with your private life, nor will we force you to do anything you dislike. All the Yun Family asks is that if you become successful in the future, you appropriately step forward to provide us with protection and assistance."

Looking at the beautiful woman in front of him, listening to her pleasant voice breaking down the situation as if pouring honey into his ears, there were moments when Song Que was genuinely tempted to agree immediately. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. What formidable negotiation skills! This woman truly knows how to leverage all her advantages!

If it were another hot-blooded, vigorous youth, they probably wouldn't have been able to resist the temptation. Moreover, the things she said weren't exaggerated in the slightest. She was simply stating facts and painting a bright future for the listener. Taking a deep breath to clear his wandering thoughts, Song Que resolutely refused:"Thank you, Pavilion Master Yun, for pointing out a bright path for me; I am deeply grateful. But currently, I have no plans to join any faction.

I hope we will have the opportunity to cooperate in the future." Seeing Song Que's resolute and clear gaze, devoid of the slightest hint of greed or hesitation, Yun Xi felt a trace of admiration for him for the first time. Looking deeply at the youth before her, she smiled and nodded:"That is truly a pity. I hope, as you said, Young Master, that we will have opportunities to cooperate in the future. Meeting you today has left a deep impression on me. Consider that Black Iron Saber a greeting gift from me to you.

Tomorrow, the Sea of Clouds Pavilion will hold an auction. I sincerely invite you to attend and support us, Young Master Song." Little did she know that the 'cooperation' Song Que mentioned didn't mean joining the Yun Family. He had merely tentatively calculated that he would have many businesses to run with the Sea of Clouds Pavilion in the future and would inevitably need to collaborate with them! Social favors. Owing a slight favor would actually bring their relationship closer.

Thinking this, Song Que cheerfully agreed:"Then I thank Pavilion Master Yun! I will definitely come to support you tomorrow."

"The Sea of Clouds Pavilion welcomes your presence, Young Master Song. I have some matters to attend to today and cannot host you further. I hope you will forgive me." Song Que: "Pavilion Master Yun is too polite."

"Qing Xue, please see Young Master Song out for me."

"Yes, Pavilion Master." Qing Zhu, who had been waiting outside the door, walked in, smiling and gesturing for Song Que to follow her. Song Que cupped his hands to bid the two farewell, then followed Qing Zhu out. Before walking through the door, he didn't forget to cast a glance at the old man who was still sitting there. Following Qing Zhu to the storeroom to retrieve the Black Iron Saber, he also received a list of tomorrow's auction items. Only then did Song Que bid her farewell and leave....

Watching Song Que leave, Yun Shan, who had been sitting quietly on the side, finally vented his frustration:"Pavilion Master, this kid truly doesn't know what's good for him. I've wasted your time today."

"Uncle Shan, when there are no outsiders around, you can just call me Little Seven or Xinxin." The aloof and elegant Pavilion Master Yun finally displayed a rare girlish demeanor, wrinkling her nose as she chided Yun Shan. In reality, the two had a very close relationship. She was the daughter of the current Yun Family Patriarch, Yun Tianxiang. Being the seventh child, she was often called 'Little Seven' at home. As for Yun Shan, he was Yun Tianxiang's cousin, so technically, she should call him 'Uncle'.

Furthermore, the fact that he stubbornly insisted on following her when she received the assignment to transfer to Lingjiang Commandery clearly showed how close and intimate the two branches of the family were. Yun Shan had watched this girl grow up since she was a child. As a member of a branch family, he had been instilled with the concept of devoting everything to the main family since youth.

Therefore, ever since discovering Yun Xi's talent for business, Old Yun had been determinedly following and assisting her. Although he was her senior in terms of generation, his status was ultimately that of a subordinate. Fortunately, this girl wasn't arrogant or impetuous; instead, she was extremely respectful and polite to him, making Old Yun feel warm inwardly.

Squinting his eyes in a smile, Old Yun looked at her affectionately and said:"Little Seven, if I knew this person was so arrogant, I wouldn't have brought him to meet you today. We just wasted a good saber for nothing."

"Hehe, Uncle Shan. It's just a little bit of money. Geniuses are often arrogant; it's nothing to be blamed for. Besides, didn't he say he hopes we have opportunities to cooperate in the future? There's no need to mind these minor details." Saying that, she turned to the old man by the door and asked:"Elder Kong, you saw him today as well. What do you think of this person?"

The old man, whose eyes had been half-closed, slightly raised his eyelids, frowned, and replied:"Little Xi, I didn't test his strength, so I cannot speak clearly on that. But purely in terms of spirit, to be able to calmly face my oppressive aura, this person's mind is far more resolute and unyielding than ordinary people." Nodding slightly, the smile in Yun Xi's eyes grew more joyful:"That's not bad. Consider today's encounter as forming a good karma with him. As for what happens in the future, who knows?

Uncle Shan, don't hold it in your heart. Look at the bigger picture." Yun Shan wasn't actually heartbroken over the money; he had just originally wanted to introduce a talent to her to provide future assistance. Unexpectedly, the matter fell through, which was why he felt unhappy. Hearing Yun Xi say this, he quickly tossed the slight discomfort to the back of his mind.... Returning to the inn, Brother Hong hadn't come back yet.

Casually flipping through the auction list—a thin sheet of paper with over 50 items—Song Que spent only a few minutes reading it clearly. To his delight, he discovered two items that he needed! It seems I cannot be absent from tomorrow's auction, no matter what! Only then did he have the time to pay attention to the Black Iron Saber on the table. The saber was housed in a wooden box. Song Que opened it, revealing a pitch-black saber about a meter long resting quietly inside.

Grasping the saber, he finally felt a sense of solid weight he hadn't experienced in a long time. The entire saber weighed over 350 catties. Adding his own weight, the chair beneath him began to creak ominously. Standing up and taking a few test swings, Song Que finally nodded in satisfaction and sheathed the saber. He wasn't as ecstatic as he thought he would be, just simply happy and satisfied.

Perhaps, given how quickly his cultivation was growing, the weapons he wielded wouldn't accompany him for a very long journey. It's a pity this world isn't a video game; there's no such thing as upgrading items! Song Que smiled, shook his head, and went down to the lobby to find a table and wait for Zhong Hong. He wanted to buy a few things at the auction tomorrow, so he needed to make some preparations.

That evening, after finishing dinner and parting ways with Zhong Hong to return to their rooms, Grandee Song rested for a bit. Then, completely alone, he strolled over to several large casinos nearby. Since he rarely visited the Commandery Capital, he didn't even bother with a disguise. Easily winning over 3, 000 taels, the 'God of Gamblers' Song returned to the inn satisfied and went to sleep.