Chapter 162 - 162: 162: The Smile Gradually Becomes
Chapter 162 - 162: 162: The Smile Gradually Becomes
He chuckled, “Gentlemen, there were some misunderstandings before, but I’m not a petty person. I’d rather see a harmonious Four Seas City, don’t you agree?”
“Naturally, who would want their home to be in chaos?” Liu Dongsheng laughed.
Across from him, Qin Zheng managed to force out a stiff smile.
In the past, he had tried for so long to win over the previous Mayor, only to be cast aside when Liu Dongsheng offered a better deal. This left Qin Zheng with a bitter taste in his mouth, and at this point, he didn’t want to deal with such people any longer.
Seeing this, Yuwen Tiancheng chuckled and nodded, “Very well, both the Qin Family and the Liu Family share the blame for this incident. I am a forgiving man, so let bygones be bygones. Let’s not dwell on the past.”
“However, I hope you both can coexist peacefully in the future. After all, all these troubles were caused by that thief, Jiang Bai. Us, on the other hand, should stick together.”
With that, Yuwen Tiancheng glanced at Qin Zheng: “Considering the bounty on that thief is a whopping eighty million Top Grade Spirit Stones. If you have any information, I hope you won’t keep it from me.”
His meaning was clear, he hoped that Qin Zheng wouldn’t harbor this thief, Jiang Xiaobai.
Qin Zheng could only muster a stiff smile and bow: “You can rest assured, Mayor, that thief has caused my family no end of trouble. If I get wind of his whereabouts, I will report it to you immediately!”
With that, Yuwen Tiancheng nodded, continued chatting for a while, then left to greet other guests.
The looks on the faces of Qin Zheng and Liu Dongsheng darkened instantly.
“Qin Zheng, you got lucky last time.” Liu Dongsheng smirked.
Qin Zheng retorted coldly: “Likewise. I hope you don’t give me a reason.”
“What a joke, you think your Qin family, in its current state, scares me?” Liu Dongsheng scoffed.
The two stared each other down briefly, then finally parted ways.
Not too far off, Yuwen Tiancheng saw all of this with ice-cold eyes.
“Mayor, I think the Qin Family doesn’t appreciate your good grace. You give them opportunities that they don’t appreciate.” On the side, a gorgeously curvaceous woman respectfully commented.
“Ling Yue, how long have you been with me?” Yuwen Tiancheng asked suddenly.
Ling Yue lowered her head: “One hundred and thirty-six years, Mayor.”
“Hmm, in such a long time, you should know my temperament. Have someone watch the Qin Family. If we don’t find Jiang Bai in the next few days, take action.”
The corners of Ling Yue’s mouth turned down in a vile smile.
Soon, Yuwen Tiancheng smiled warmly again, and went back to chatting with the guests.
The Mayor’s manor was bustling, and it was filled to the brim with small and big factions from Four Seas City. The martial arts arena, which could hold thousands of people, was bustling with guests.
Among the crowd, two figures, a large and a small, sat at a table feasting. They were none other than AnRan and Jiang Xiaobai.
“Darn it, slow down when you eat. From the way you’re wolfing down food, people may think you haven’t eaten for centuries!” Jiang Xiaobai poked AnRan’s belly, annoyed.
“Stop it, let me eat in peace, I need energy to enjoy the show!”
His mouth full of food, AnRan mumbled, “Do you have a plan?”
“How many gifts do you think our trusty mayor will receive at this banquet tonight?” Jiang Xiaobai asked, beaming.
Upon hearing this, AnRan, who was stuffing his face, paused, his eyes flashing with greed.
“Jiang Bai, your idea is a tad dangerous, but I like it. Tell me, what’s the plan?”
Jiang Xiaobai smiled, “It’s simple, I’ll take action. Let’s aim to take enough to make the new mayor spit blood.”
“Shh… that seems like a bit of an overreaction…
“Heh, the real show has yet to begin.”
Jiang Xiaobai smirked, “You hear about the Qin family losing their stake? Who do you think will get that share of Spirit Stone proceeds?”
“The new mayor?” AnRan retorted.
“Exactly. I have a relationship with the Qin Family, and I originally had no intention of touching that Spirit Stone vein, but the greed of this Thousand Yuan Dynasty leaves me no choice.” Jiang Xiaobai said with an icy smile.
Upon hearing this, AnRan looked shocked, “No way, Jiang Bai, have you gone mad? That Spirit Stone vein has the backing of the Mayor’s Mansion of the Thousand Yuan Dynasty, and there are shares from many big factions too.
You’re not scared of getting chased down to your death, are you?”
“Oh please, am I not already being chased by the Thousand Yuan Dynasty?”
“That’s a good point…”
AnRan nodded in a daze, then snapped, “So what’s the plan? The vein hasn’t been mined yet, you can’t just loot it.”
“Who says we can’t loot it without excavating?” Jiang Xiaobai’s smile slowly turned sinister.
Generally speaking, unexploited Spirit Stone veins are considered dead assets. They can’t be moved because the Spirit Stones are embedded in the ground and it would take a tremendous effort to dig them out.
No ordinary person would come up with such a crazy idea to target these veins, but Jiang Xiaobai isn’t ordinary. He has the divine artifact “Meandering Veins
Record.”
No matter whether the Spirit Stone vein has been exploited or not, in his eyes, it’s a treasure trove that he can loot at any time.
But this sort of scheme borders on insanity.
“After we’re done tonight, we go straight to the mine.” Jiang Xiaobai patted AnRan on the shoulder, and soon, both of them were grinning savagely.
Halfway through the banquet, Jiang Xiaobai had become restless, for he had witnessed countless carriages of treasures being sent to the Mayor’s manor. He found it hard to resist rubbing his hands together.
“Congratulations, host, you’ve triggered a choice!”
“Choice one: Attend the banquet until the end. Reward: A year’s worth of cultivation energy.”
“Choice two: Rob the Mayor’s manor, Reward: Use of the Nirvana Qiankun Formation (beggar version) once.”
“Choice three: Reveal your identity. Reward: Unlock one level of the heavenly spiritual treasure.”
The three options were all tempting, especially the last one. It was quite alluring to Jiang Xiaobai, but it was a no-go.
If he revealed his identity, he’d likely be attacked and killed on the spot.
So, naturally, he chose option two.
Without delay, he knew it was time. He glanced at AnRan, who gave him a thumbs-up.
The main focus here was to ensure Jiang Xiaobai’s heist went off without a hitch, while AnRan was assigned to divert some of the attention, allowing Jiang Xiaobai to escape in case things went wrong.
Jiang Xiaobai then nonchalantly got up, sauntered around a bit, found a
secluded place, and promptly transformed into a mosquito.
His goal was unmistakable. He was headed straight for the Mayor’s vast treasury, where countless treasures were waiting for him.
In no time, Jiang Xiaobai arrived at the treasury. Using ‘Divine Concealment’, he hid his aura and bypassed an infant of Yuan stage and three transcendences, who were posted as guards. That did not, however, stop him from going in.
The only hitch was, Jiang Xiaobai found a formation within..