# Chapter 289: Never Offend a Petty Person
"What do you mean?"
Han Li's gaze darkened, and a cold aura emanated from his body, adding a chill to the entire estate.
Han Qiu was not afraid of her father's imposing presence. "Father, if you want to know what happened, why not summon the Lin siblings and ask them directly?"
Han Li stared deeply at Han Qiu for a moment, then finally sent someone to summon Lin Chenyu and Lin Ningshan.
Before long, Lin Chenyu and Lin Ningshan arrived at the estate, led by a white-bearded elder.
The white-bearded elder bowed respectfully to Han Li and then tactfully withdrew.
"Greetings, Sect Leader. Greetings, Senior Sister Han."
Lin Chenyu and Lin Ningshan appeared exceptionally respectful, bowing deeply with reverent expressions.
Whether it was Han Li or Han Qiu, both were extraordinary figures in their eyes.
Han Li, in particular, was a legendary existence, holding a transcendent position in the Demon Ridge. Even the Yunwu Commandery Prince would bow and address him as Senior Uncle when meeting him.
Han Li sat in a large armchair, picked up his teacup, took a light sip, and fixed a cold, sharp gaze on Lin Chenyu. "Lin Chenyu, you are Zhang Tiangui's servant. You should understand the consequences of a wicked servant slandering his master, shouldn't you?"
Although Han Li merely cast a glance at him, Lin Chenyu felt as if a mountain had collapsed upon him. His vision went dark, and he immediately prostrated himself on the ground in fear.
The gap in martial cultivation was too vast. Even a single glance from such an expert was enough to terrify a lower-level martial artist out of their wits.
Lin Chenyu lay on the ground, his face nearly touching the floor, and said in a trembling voice, "Reporting... reporting to the Sect Leader, this disciple... this disciple would not dare speak a single false word. Back then, when Senior Sister Han was investigating Zhang Tiangui and traced it back to me, I had already told Senior Sister Han everything I knew."
Han Qiu said, "Lin Chenyu, don't be afraid. Tell everything you know again."
Lin Chenyu remained prostrate on the ground, a cold, sinister smile hidden in his eyes.
No one saw his expression.
"Sect Leader, Zhang Tiangui is actually a treacherous and petty person. To achieve his goals, he stops at nothing. Back then, I offended him over a trivial matter. To retaliate, he not only had me castrated but also forcibly made me his slave. This shows how dark his heart truly is, how utterly lacking in magnanimity. He is nothing like the upright and honorable image he projects."
"Actually, this disciple was the one at fault first, so I don't hold too much resentment toward him."
"What I resent most is that, to take revenge on the Ninth Prince, he forced my sister to marry him as his concubine. The Ninth Prince loved my sister deeply; they grew up together as childhood sweethearts. Yet Zhang Tiangui snatched her away, taking the woman his own younger brother loved. I only hate that I am no match for him, that I lack the power to protect my sister, and could only submit to his tyranny."
Lin Chenyu then proceeded to list Zhang Tiangui's crimes one by one. Some were true, while others were embellished with falsehoods, all to exact revenge on Zhang Tiangui.
Better to offend a gentleman than a petty person.
Lin Chenyu was an unrepentant petty person. Once offended, he would surely retaliate, stabbing you in the back when you least expected it.
Over the years, Lin Chenyu had endured humiliation and followed Zhang Tiangui with bowed head, all to wait for this day.
Castration—what greater humiliation could there be for a man?
The resentment that had accumulated in Lin Chenyu's heart now erupted completely.
The more Han Li listened, the darker his expression became. "Qiu'er, could it be that he bears a grudge against Zhang Tiangui because of the castration and is deliberately distorting the facts?"
Han Qiu said, "I already sent people to investigate in the Yunwu Commandery. Most of what Lin Chenyu said is true."
Seeing that the moment was right, Lin Chenyu added, "There is one more thing. The reason Zhang Tiangui treats Senior Sister Han so well is that he wants to marry her and obtain the cultivation method of the 'Ultimate Sacred Qiankun Technique.' Moreover, he said that once his divine technique is perfected, he intends to become the Sect Leader of the Cloud Terrace Sect."
Han Li took a deep breath, his eyes seeming to blaze with fire. His fists clenched tightly. "Despicable! To think he would set his sights on me. Truly impressive. Truly formidable."
Lin Chenyu continued to drive the point home. "Zhang Tiangui is the kind of person who would even harm his own brother. What wouldn't he do?"
"Hmph!"
A violent force erupted from Han Li's body. His hair and robes billowed without wind, and crackling airburst sounds came from between his fingers.
"You two may withdraw now!" Han Li said, restraining his anger with effort, waving his sleeve.
Lin Chenyu and Lin Ningshan stood up, trembling as they retreated cautiously out of the estate.
Once outside, a cruel smile finally appeared on Lin Chenyu's face. He thought to himself, "Zhang Tiangui, let's see how you can still be so glorious now. I will have my revenge for the grievances of the past."
In the past, Han Li might have spared Zhang Tiangui for his exceptional talent.
But now, Han Qiu's displayed talent was no less than Zhang Tiangui's. In Han Li's eyes, Zhang Tiangui was no longer as important as before.
Han Qiu asked, "Father, how do you plan to deal with Zhang Tiangui?"
Han Li had already calmed down. "Although Zhang Tiangui's conduct is improper, he has not yet done anything to harm the Cloud Terrace Sect. If I expel him directly, many would likely be dissatisfied. There are still many elders in the sect who support him."
"For now, let this matter rest. When the time comes, if he truly reveals his ambitions, we can deal with him then."
Han Qiu nodded. It was enough to have planted a seed of caution in her father's mind.
This way, her father would no longer force her to marry Zhang Tiangui.
Zhang Tiangui, after all, bore the halo of "Number One Genius of the Demon Ridge" and was watched by countless martial artists. Dealing with him was no simple matter.
"Sect Leader, Elder Zhang from the Martial Market Academy has sent a letter." The white-bearded elder from before entered and reported respectfully.
Han Li asked, "What letter?"
"It is said to be a personal letter from the Silver-Robed Elder Council's Council Leader."
Han Li's eyes lit up. "Quickly, invite him in."
Led by the white-bearded elder, Zhang Ying, dressed in a neat silver robe, entered the estate and bowed to Han Li. "Greetings, Sect Leader Han. This is Council Leader Lei Jing's personal letter."
Zhang Ying produced the letter and presented it with both hands.
After delivering the letter, Zhang Ying hurriedly left to deliver the next one.
Han Li tore open the envelope and read the contents, then laughed. "This Lei Jing is quite fortunate, discovering an ancient cavern from the Middle Ages and finding five spatial treasures inside."
Han Qiu stood nearby. Hearing the mention of spatial treasures, she immediately thought of the space ring on Zhang Ruochen's hand. She asked, "Father, what is it about?"
Han Li put away the letter paper. "Lei Jing is sending those five spatial treasures to the auction house and hopes I will attend to show my support. Spatial treasures are rare things; there are only a few in the entire Kunlun Realm. I suspect the ones Lei Jing obtained are only defective products, or else he wouldn't have chosen to auction them in the Demon Ridge."
Even defective spatial treasures were extremely precious, each one worth fighting over.
Although Han Li was powerful and held a high position, he had never seen a spatial treasure before. Naturally, he was looking forward to it and planned to bid for one.
"Qiu'er, come with me to the auction to broaden your horizons. Since Lei Jing is auctioning spatial treasures, he will surely invite many important figures. The auction five days from now will definitely be a grand event, and many rare treasures will likely appear." Han Li said.
At this moment, Han Qiu was thinking about something else. Was it Zhang Ruochen who discovered the ancient cavern from the Middle Ages, or Lei Jing?
Han Qiu was more inclined to believe it was the former, since she had personally seen Zhang Ruochen use a space ring, and he had also taught her the Yin Yi Nine Swords.
Perhaps even the Yin Yi Nine Swords were treasures Zhang Ruochen had obtained from that ancient cavern.
Although she knew this, Han Qiu did not say anything. Instead, she chose to keep Zhang Ruochen's secret.
...
...
By the time Lei Jing's letters reached the hands of the major figures in the Demon Ridge, the Martial Market Bank had also received Lei Jing's orders and began preparing for the year's most grand auction.
Zhang Ruochen, unaware of these events, returned to his cultivation residence and resumed practicing the "Ten Meridian Sword Waves."
The Solar Meridian Sword Wave had only just begun; he needed to continue cultivating and consolidating it to increase its power.
At the same time, Zhang Ruochen began studying the other nine meridian sword waves, intending to cultivate all ten simultaneously.
Time passed, day by day.
After cultivating for about half a month in the inner space of the Time-Space Crystal, Zhang Ruochen finally received a notification from Lei Jing that the auction would be held tonight.
It was already noon, with only a few hours left until the auction. Zhang Ruochen temporarily stopped his cultivation.
After a simple inventory, Zhang Ruochen found that his space ring contained 110,000 spirit crystals, worth 110 million silver coins.
Most of these spirit crystals came from when Zhang Ruochen killed Mu Qing and obtained them from the Red Spider Giant Ship—a considerable fortune.
"Since it's an auction, many rare and precious treasures will surely appear. I can purchase a batch."
Zhang Ruochen was about to leave with Kong Xuan when two figures walked in from outside—Si Xingkong and Chang Qiqi.
Zhang Ruochen was slightly surprised and asked, "Senior Brother, Senior Brother Chang, how did you get in?"
Si Xingkong carried a gourd of wine, his long hair parted on both sides, his body reeking of alcohol. He said casually, "We walked in, of course. Did you think that flimsy door of yours could stop us?"
Chang Qiqi glanced at Kong Xuan, showing an expression of admiration, and sighed, "I was wondering why no one answered after we knocked for so long. So Junior Brother Zhang was hiding a beauty in his golden house, having a secret rendezvous, afraid we would disturb you. Senior Brother, it seems we really did barge in on something. Maybe we should go back."
"Yes, you're right. We shouldn't have barged in. If Mistress Yanchen asks later, we won't know how to cover for him."
With that, Si Xingkong hooked his arm around Chang Qiqi's shoulder and started walking out.
Zhang Ruochen was caught between laughter and tears. He quickly stopped them. "Don't misunderstand. Kong Xuan is just my maid, not what you're imagining."
Chang Qiqi stopped and grinned. "If she's just a maid, why not sell her to me, Junior Brother? We can negotiate the price."