Chapter 172 The Reason for Not Selling

It was 2 PM when Zhang Yuanqing was jolted awake by a piercing ringtone. *I should have turned it off…* Annoyed by the interruption, he grabbed his phone, ready to hang up, when he caught sight of the caller ID—Fu Qingyang!

“What are your orders, Centurion?”

Zhang Yuanqing’s attitude shifted instantly, his tone sincere and patient.

…

“You haven’t written the dungeon guide?” Fu Qingyang’s voice was rich and cool.

*The higher-ups really value the Silent Village guide. Probably out of curiosity, too, considering it’s a dungeon that even made the Demon Lord, in the Saint stage, remark that he "survived purely by luck"*… Zhang Yuanqing countered:

“What’s wrong?”

Anyone else who spoke to Fu Qingyang like that would be coldly informed that it wasn’t the way to address a superior.

But Yuan Shi Tianzun was different, after all.

Fu Qingyang succinctly explained, “What do you mean?”

“You have to understand, the Five Elements Alliance and the Taiyi Sect are both official organizations. There’s competition and conflict, yes, but when it comes to stance, we advance and retreat together. A guide, no matter how precious, shouldn’t shake that alliance.

“And I don’t think a transcendent-level dungeon guide can shake the organization’s policies.”

“I know!” Zhang Yuanqing said.

Hearing this, Fu Qingyang knew he had his reasons and said immediately:

“Then come over. Tell me in person!”

Hanging up, Zhang Yuanqing yawned, filled his stomach, browsed the forums, and then, feeling sleepy, took a nap.

Daytime sleep was beneficial for Night Wanderers to recover. Moreover, with the increase in experience points, his energy and stamina had improved. Even though he only slept for two hours, the fatigue from the dungeon had been washed away.

Zhang Yuanqing put on his running shoes and went to the living room.

In the living room, his grandfather, wearing reading glasses, sat at the computer, leisurely playing cards.

Seeing Zhang Yuanqing come out, the old man picked up his thermos cup filled with goji berries, unscrewed it, took a leisurely sip, and scrutinized his grandson with a knowing look.

His grandmother sat beside him, watching him play cards. Hearing the footsteps, she turned her head, her tone gentle as she said:

“You’re awake? Are you hungry? I saved some food for you.” With that, she went into the kitchen and brought out the warm dishes.

Zhang Yuanqing wasn’t actually hungry, but he was touched that his grandmother had saved him food. “I’m actually a little hungry. Thank you, Grandma…”

As he spoke, he saw his grandmother place a bowl of soup in front of him. In the dark but clear soup floated a pigeon, several goji berries, and a few slices of ginseng…

Zhang Yuanqing raised his head, his expression stiff, and looked at his grandmother, silently sending her three question marks.

His grandmother said with satisfaction:

“Even though you’re young, you still need to take care of yourself. Oh, right, remember to bring that girl home for dinner. Yesterday, I heard people in the neighborhood saying that girl came looking for you again? The car she drove was different from last time. She’s really rich…”

After speaking, his grandmother patted her grandson’s shoulder and returned to his grandfather’s side to watch him play cards, content.

*Coming home after not returning all night and then going straight to sleep—does she think I was working hard until dawn? So she made me soup?*

*No, it’s not like that, Grandma, listen to my explanation, please listen to my explanation…* Zhang Yuanqing thought painfully, mentally reaching out to stop her.

…

“I feel like a lifetime of good reputation has been ruined in an instant. It’s so awkward. It’s all Jiang Yuer’s fault. Why did she have to lie and say I had a girlfriend?”

“Should I bring Guan Ya home, or invite Aunt Xiao Yuan? Hmm, although Aunt Xiao Yuan’s appearance doesn’t reveal her age, her temperament is mature, and her aura isn’t weaker than my mother’s. It’s not suitable to bring her home. Otherwise, Grandma will think I’m being kept by a rich woman and become even more dissatisfied with society…”

Zhang Yuanqing was lost in thought as he took a taxi, soon arriving at Fu Family Bay.

Swiping two different cards to open the gate, he entered the large villa and, led by a bunny girl, arrived at the study. At the end of the long red carpet, Fu Qingyang was holding a glass of red wine, standing by the French windows, admiring the green scenery of the courtyard.

On the sofas beside him, Guan Ya, Ling Jun, and Li Dongze each occupied a sofa, enjoying the fine wine, luxurious desserts, and food.

These three had come to watch the show, like friends calling out: “Let’s find a place to have fun tonight!”

And then driving over to Fu Family Bay.

Of course, Guan Ya and Li Dongze were also concerned about Yuan Shi’s mental state, because the dungeon was too dangerous and terrifying, and Night Wanderers with twisted mindsets appeared every year.

*All of you, living in luxury and indulgence all day long, enjoying extravagance…* Zhang Yuanqing walked towards the group on the soft red carpet. He naturally sat down next to Guan Ya, inhaling the expensive perfume of the mixed-race beauty.

Fu Qingyang turned around, holding his wine glass, and said, “What’s so special about the Silent Village dungeon?”

Instantly, Guan Ya, Ling Jun, and Li Dongze looked over with curiosity.

They were very curious about what was so special about Silent Village that almost made the Demon Lord stumble, and even more curious about what reason made Yuan Shi think that the Silent Village dungeon guide shouldn’t be sold to the Taiyi Sect.

Zhang Yuanqing pondered for a moment and said, “I encountered the same problem as the Demon Lord in the dungeon and almost died inside. I dare say that the difficulty level of Silent Village has exceeded S-rank and is the same as the She Ling Tunnel.”

“The same as She Ling Tunnel?”

She Ling Tunnel was a bug-level Spirit Realm, a dungeon that couldn’t be cleared normally. In more than thirty years, only Yuan Shi Tianzun had achieved the first clear of that dungeon.

Li Dongze shook his head and said:

“That’s not right. Although we don’t know if anyone other than the Demon Lord has cleared Silent Village, the fact that the Demon Lord could clear it means it can’t be the same as She Ling Tunnel.”

Zhang Yuanqing nodded: “That’s why both the Demon Lord and I almost died inside.”

Guan Ya cut a piece of cake and placed it in front of Zhang Yuanqing, saying:

“An A-level dungeon shouldn’t be this difficult. Stop keeping us in suspense and tell us what’s going on.”

Zhang Yuanqing met everyone’s gaze and said:

“Without a guide, following the dungeon’s guidance means it's a bug-level Spirit Realm. I can say very clearly that no transcendent cultivator can clear Silent Village because the dungeon’s big boss should be a high-level Saint.”

“High-level Saint” meant at least level 5, even level 6. “High-level Saint…” Ling Jun abandoned his lazy posture. A hint of surprise flashed in Fu Qingyang’s eyes.

This was already the difficulty of their level. It was unbelievable that such a boss would appear in a transcendent-stage solo Spirit Realm.

Zhang Yuanqing changed the subject: “But if you have a guide, the Silent Village dungeon is very easy. It shouldn’t be much more difficult than B-level, although I haven’t been to B-level.”

Now they understood.

Li Dongze and Guan Ya hesitated, and Ling Jun said solemnly, “So, those who enter the dungeon are bound to die, unless they are characters like you and the Demon Lord, who have hope of clearing it. Therefore, the guide becomes particularly important.

“You think that such an important guide shouldn’t be sold to the Taiyi Sect, right?”

Ling Jun’s expression was serious, and it was clear that he was a little angry.

In the end, Ling Jun was still the crown prince of the Taiyi Sect, the sect master’s own son, although this sect master had a few too many sons.

If Yuan Shi wanted to take the opportunity to rip off the Taiyi Sect, Ling Jun wouldn’t be angry at all. Instead, he would happily help him rip them off. Anyway, the Taiyi Sect had a lot of money. Who else would you rip off if not the wealthy? A guide to a death-guaranteed Spirit Realm was indeed valuable. But the fact that Yuan Shi wasn’t selling a Spirit Realm where Night Wanderers were guaranteed to die, the intention behind it, was unacceptable to Ling Jun, and he was also very angry.

Fu Qingyang glanced at him, then looked at Zhang Yuanqing and said, “I understand.”

“But if that’s all there is to it, there’s no harm in selling this guide to the Taiyi Sect. We won’t suffer a loss in terms of price.”

Unexpectedly, Zhang Yuanqing shook his head:

“Centurion, consider whether you want to take back that sentence after you see these three items.”

Under the four people’s frowning gazes, he took out a pitch-black, translucent female doll, a dusty luan-phoenix bronze mirror, and a silver rouge box from his inventory.

Zhang Yuanqing said, “As long as you clear the dungeon according to the guide, you’re bound to get three items.”

Fu Qingyang walked to the coffee table with some curiosity, put down his wine glass, and grasped the Yin Jade Doll.

A few seconds later, the item information appeared, and Fu Qingyang’s expression froze. He looked up at Zhang Yuanqing in surprise, but he didn’t say anything. He put down the Yin Jade Doll and picked up the Luan-Phoenix Bronze Mirror.

This time, Fu Qingyang’s expression suddenly became serious. He quickly put down the bronze mirror and reached for the rouge box, somewhat impatiently.

A few seconds later, after reading the information on the rouge box, Fu Qingyang fell into a long silence.

Throughout this process, Guan Ya, Ling Jun, and Li Dongze witnessed the “rich and varied” changes in the high-cold young master’s expression.

They stared at the three items on the coffee table, gnawing at their hearts with curiosity.

After a long time, Fu Qingyang pinched the space between his eyebrows and said:

“I can’t make a decision on this matter. I have to inform the elders… The Songhai branch might not be able to make the decision either. We have to notify headquarters.”

Ling Jun tentatively asked:

“Um, can I… take a look?”

Fu Qingyang nodded, “You can!”

The three of them reached out their hands together, each grabbing an item and reading the item information.

Then, the three of them widened their eyes almost simultaneously. They exchanged the items with strange expressions and quickly finished reading the information of the three items. Ling Jun was dumbfounded:

“This, this, this… It seems… it really can’t be sold to the Taiyi Sect…”

This sentence of his was based on the Five Elements Alliance’s point of view.

According to Yuan Shi, as long as they followed the guide, they could clear Silent Village without damage, and clearing the dungeon would definitely reward them with three replicas of the items.

Low risk, high reward!

It was a Night Wanderer-exclusive Spirit Realm. The Five Elements Alliance cultivators couldn’t enter. In the future, only the Taiyi Sect could obtain this thing.

What did this mean? A few years later, the Taiyi Sect’s warehouse might have a large number of replicas.

Ten years later, the Taiyi Sect’s Night Wanderers might each have a replica.

And these three items were extraordinary. Those who mastered them could even fight with a level 4 Saint.

What did this mean?

For the Five Elements Alliance, it was like handing a nuclear warhead to an ally, while they didn’t have one.

The Taiyi Sect’s low- and mid-level forces would expand rapidly.

In the future, which Five Elements Alliance transcendent cultivator could still hold their head up in front of the Taiyi Sect’s Night Wanderers?

This guide was too special. It was more special than an S-level dungeon guide. No, it was no longer as simple as a guide. It involved the game between two official organizations.

Ling Jun now understood the reason why Yuan Shi didn’t sell to the Taiyi Sect. Fu Qingyang didn’t speak. He strode to the desk at the end of the red carpet, grabbed the landline, and dialed Elder Gou’s number.

Soon, the call connected, and Elder Gou’s voice was calm and gentle:

“Yuan Shi submitted the dungeon guide?” Fu Qingyang said in a deep voice:

“Elder, you must come to Fu Family Bay in person regarding the guide. I can’t make the decision.”

PS: After writing a dungeon for a week, I got used to that rhythm, and it’s a bit difficult to adjust back. Also, thinking about the real-world plot takes up a lot of energy, so this chapter has fewer words.