Chapter 199: Lian Cheng Scheme-Final

— Night – Thousand Treasure City – Auction Hall —

Within an opulent auction hall, one of the smaller subsidiary auction halls of the Thousand Treasure Pavilion, Lian Cheng sat in a VIP booth, gazing at the ceiling as if reminiscing about something.

Because of the results of the artifact sale to Ximen Hao, along with his own speech, the owner of one of the Thousand Treasure Pavilion’s subsidiary auction houses had personally come forward and volunteered to manage his auction for only a ten percent cut, an extremely generous rate.

The auction was still ongoing, but the bids and the auctioneer’s voice announcing prices and winners did not register in Lian Cheng’s mind at all.

If someone were to see him now, they might think he was deep in thought, planning how to spend his money, or contemplating something profound.

But in reality…

His mind was filled with questions.

Did that really happen, or did I imagine it?

Am I the only one who thinks this is not normal?

Or is everything happening right now just a long dream caused by that despicable Fate Weaver Sovereign?

Every thought questioned his own sanity and his understanding of what he had just witnessed. The situation felt like something that could only happen in a dream.

The kind of dream that no one would have unless they were completely out of their mind.

The scene he had witnessed before coming here could be summarized in three words.

Amicable. Civilized. Harmonious.

Alright… maybe harmonious was a bit of an exaggeration, but overall, the environment still felt civilized, reasonable, and even…

Law abiding.

Yes, law abiding.

If he had told someone in his previous life that cultivators or young masters were law abiding, they would have laughed and said he was dreaming.

Which was exactly what he was beginning to question himself.

Especially the young masters. Those people were the very definition of arrogance, believing the world revolved around them.

The term law abiding should never exist in the same sentence as young master.

It was like putting the words fish and tree climbing together. Completely absurd. No sane person would believe in such a thing.

And yet…

He had just witnessed it with his own eyes.

Before arriving here, he had seen a young master arguing with a shopkeeper, who was clearly trying to take advantage of him.

Yes, a mortal shopkeeper attempting to exploit a young master who could have easily killed him.

And just when Lian Cheng expected the young master to kill the insolent man, the young master calmly took out an artifact called a “U Phone 2” and tapped something on it.

Later, after asking around, Lian Cheng learned that the young master had called for an enforcer to handle the situation.

A young master calling city enforcement?

What a joke. Surely he had called for reinforcements to destroy the place.

That was what Lian Cheng thought.

But…

After about five minutes, a group of enforcers arrived. The shady shopkeeper was arrested, and the young master was asked to follow them to the nearest guard post to give testimony.

Yes.

Not only did the young master call the enforcers, he actually cooperated and went with them.

What in the world had happened?

Was he still dreaming? Was he the only one seeing this? Or was everything normal, and he was the one living in delusion?

A delusion created by his peace loving mind.

He had expected violence. It never came.

He had expected arrogance and bloodshed from the young masters. None of it appeared.

But still…

Because of this environment, his artifacts had been accepted into this auction house, and now the auctioneer was doing everything possible to bring him both wealth and fame.

He should have been happy.

But something…

Something kept gnawing at his mind.

This was not right.

This was not how things were supposed to be.

Something had changed them.

While Lian Cheng was in the midst of questioning his own sanity, a voice came from outside his booth.

“Mr. Lian, may we come in?”

The call from the people standing outside his door brought him back from his stupor.

“Yes, you may. Please come in,” Lian Cheng said.

A group of people walked in. The leader wore a polite smile. His cultivation was not strong, only at the meager Qi Gathering Realm. It seemed he was a mortal who cultivated merely for longevity, not a true cultivator. As for those following him, all of them were mortals.

“Hello, Mr. Lian. I am the manager of the Thousand Treasure Pavilion Public Relations Third Division. I am here on behalf of Lady Mo Xingyao.”

The moment the man mentioned Mo Xingyao’s name, all of Lian Cheng’s self doubt vanished. In its place was anticipation and excitement.

However, he controlled his expression, not allowing it to show on his face.

But as a manager of the Public Relations Third Division, would he miss such a subtle change?

No.

His professional training demanded that he observe even the slightest shift in expression from the people he spoke to.

So the leader immediately noticed that Lian Cheng seemed to be greatly looking forward to hearing that name.

Which raised an alarm.

Either this man was one of the many admirers who would do anything for a chance to meet Lady Mo Xingyao…

Or he was someone seeking to meet her ladyship in order to gain her resources or favor, with everything carefully planned in advance.

Neither possibility was good for her ladyship.

The manager noted this in his mind. He would need to report it to her later.

After that, Lian Cheng followed the manager toward the Thousand Treasure Pavilion to meet Mo Xingyao, who was waiting for him.

{Yaoyao… we finally meet again. This time, I will definitely protect you and not let anyone harm you.}

Lian Cheng thought to himself as he followed the group.

— Thousand Treasure Pavilion HQ —

After about half an hour, Lian Cheng finally arrived at the executive office where Mo Xingyao resided.

He was now waiting in front of the door for the call from inside to enter. After a few minutes, the same manager came out and invited him in.

Lian Cheng entered the room. He had expected to see a familiar scene, with Mo Xingyao sitting behind her desk, and the decorations of the room exactly as he remembered.

But…

Aside from Mo Xingyao sitting behind the desk, everything else felt strange and unfamiliar. The arrangement of the bookshelves, the sofa, the tea table, and many other details were different.

Lian Cheng frowned. He looked at Mo Xingyao once again. That part was still the same. She was sitting behind the desk, and beside her stood Yin Lan, her bodyguard.

In his previous life, Yin Lan had been the first to die under the onslaught of those who tried to kill Mo Xingyao. But she died fighting, unlike Mo Xingyao, who had been disgraced and violated, all because she wanted to give him a chance to escape.

Lian Cheng tried his best to hide his excitement and the complicated emotions in his heart.

But…

His body was not a machine.

The rapid beating of his heart gave him away to Yin Lan, revealing his excitement.

Yin Lan touched Mo Xingyao’s back, giving her a signal to be wary of this man. Mo Xingyao acknowledged it by lightly tapping her finger on the armrest.

Lian Cheng, who had spent a long time around Mo Xingyao in his previous life, also noticed the change. He recognized that subtle communication between the two, and he understood that Mo Xingyao was now on guard against him.

In his previous life, he had not had a good relationship with Yin Lan. This female bodyguard had always been wary of him, constantly warning his Yaoyao to stay cautious and not give him any chances.

Hmph. What a narrow minded woman.

Mo Xingyao showed a businesslike smile. This was the expression she usually used when speaking to customers or people she was not familiar with.

“Hello, you must be Mr. Lian. Please, have a seat,” Mo Xingyao said, gesturing toward the guest chair near the tea table. A servant soon entered and poured him a cup of tea.

After Lian Cheng took a sip, he noticed its strange yet pleasant sweetness and the rich aroma that followed. He could not help but praise it.

“This tea… it must come from a treasure tea bush. May this humble one know its name?” he asked.

Mo Xingyao smiled.

“Yes, this tea is quite expensive, but it does not come from any treasure tea bush. It is made from a blend of various herbs and fruit peels. Its name is Earl Grey. It was invented by my fiancé,” she said with a smile.

This was her first move. A quiet warning to ensure that any inappropriate thoughts in Lian Cheng’s mind would remain there, and that he would not try to act refined or attempt to court her like some foolish scholar.

She already has a fiance.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep