Hearing Lu Dajun mention a river, Ye Tiancheng immediately closed his eyes and used his true qi to sense if there was any sound of water, thinking that perhaps this river was the key.
However, after sensing for a long time, Ye Tiancheng heard no sound of water, only the rustling of the green vines in the wind, which made him feel agitated.
"Lu Dajun, you said that after so much time, the river might have turned into land. Should we find a place to start digging?"
"I think these vines are quite strange. Look, the color is so lush green here, and there's plenty of moisture. If we're going to dig, let's dig here."
Lu Dajun's words gave Ye Tiancheng a lot of hints, and Ye Tiancheng immediately decided to dig there.
"Lu Dajun, you go rest for a while. I'll handle it here."
"Mr. Ye, I'm not trying to be difficult, but why are you acting so strange, as if you're trying to get rid of me?"
In fact, Lu Dajun had guessed correctly. Ye Tiancheng did want to get rid of him. The matter of digging the river with his true qi couldn't be known by anyone. Ye Tiancheng had to try to appear normal. Even with his abilities, he didn't want to be treated like a monster.
"Do you have any objections? You've already taken the money, and you have to listen to me. If you don't, you won't get the final payment."
This tactic was always effective. After Ye Tiancheng said this, Lu Dajun immediately became obedient.
"Understood, of course I want the final payment. I'll go find a place to rest right away. I definitely won't delay your important work. I wonder how secretive Mr. Ye's engineering team is. They always conduct construction mysteriously. It seems a mere mortal like me is not worthy of witnessing it."
Lu Dajun actually wanted to see. After all, the speed at which Ye Tiancheng's subordinates had worked was incredibly fast, a speed Lu Dajun had never witnessed in his life, so he wanted to see what kind of divine power it was.
However, since Ye Tiancheng wouldn't allow it, Lu Dajun couldn't insist further. He quickly found a place to stay, afraid that if he angered Ye Tiancheng, the final payment that had already been agreed upon would be forfeited.
After a few minutes, Ye Tiancheng called out again, "Lu Dajun, hurry over here. Is this the river?"
Lu Dajun ran over quickly and found that a large pit had suddenly appeared beneath the green vines. There had been a door in the pit, but it had been violently destroyed by something. Now, a gurgling stream of water could be seen.
"It seems to be here. It's just that the river was on the surface before, and now it's an underground river. But if we remember correctly, it's this river."
Lu Dajun remained quite calm, but Ye Tiancheng was already excited. Seeing that a breakthrough had been found, Ye Tiancheng urged Lu Dajun, "Then stop the nonsense. Since it's this river, let's follow the route you remember and hurry inside. We've already wasted a lot of time."
Lu Dajun slapped his forehead and then bowed with a smile, "Understood, Mr. Ye. However, since this river is underground, we'll need some diving equipment. Otherwise, my swimming skills aren't very good, and I'm worried I'll suffocate in the water."
Ye Tiancheng was not afraid. He had his true qi protecting him, so he could breathe freely underwater just as he could on land.
In fact, Lu Dajun wouldn't need any diving equipment if Ye Tiancheng simply used his true qi to protect him.
"No need, Lu Dajun. Just follow me, and I guarantee you'll be fine."
Ye Tiancheng said it lightly, but Lu Dajun didn't want to take such a risk. This was related to his life. What if Ye Tiancheng was just bragging? Wouldn't he, Lu Dajun, drown in the river at such a young age?
"Mr. Ye, please don't joke with me. I still want to live a few more years. I just received your money, and I don't want to die before I can spend it!"
Seeing Lu Dajun's face turn a bit pale with fear, Ye Tiancheng couldn't help but laugh. This guy looked like a ruffian, but he was actually quite unreliable.
"Hahaha, don't worry, I always keep my promises. This isn't difficult for me at all."
Lu Dajun was still very worried. How much divine power did Ye Tiancheng possess to allow someone who couldn't swim to travel back and forth in this bottomless underground river?
"No, no, no, Mr. Ye, please don't joke with me. No matter how powerful you are, you can't transfer your skills to me if I can't swim."
Seeing that Lu Dajun absolutely refused to enter the underground river, Ye Tiancheng had no choice but to dismantle all the obstacles above the underground river, creating a path.
However, before dismantling them, he still needed to ask Lu Dajun to step aside.
Lu Dajun was such a coward. Ye Tiancheng was worried that if he revealed his divine power in front of him, Lu Dajun would be scared half to death. "Turn around, count to one hundred silently, and then turn back when you're done."
Lu Dajun listened to Ye Tiancheng very obediently, turned around, covered his eyes with his hands, and began to count down.
Ye Tiancheng used his true qi to blast away all the obstacles above the riverbed.
In a flash, a river channel appeared before Ye Tiancheng, stretching far into the distance, its end unseen.
They didn't need to walk in the river; they could walk on the land beside it. This was actually more convenient.
"Alright, Lu Dajun, we should continue our journey."
When Lu Dajun turned back, his face looked even more troubled. "Mr. Ye, are you an immortal, or do you have an immortal helping you? Just a moment ago, there was only an underground river here, how has it all been cleared now?"
Ye Tiancheng smiled faintly and then patted Lu Dajun's shoulder. "Dajun, didn't you say you wanted to live a few more years? Stop asking so many questions. As long as there's a path for you to walk, why ask so much? Let's go quickly."
Lu Dajun couldn't understand it at all, nor did he dare to ask Ye Tiancheng further. He could only obediently act as a guide in front, but his expression remained troubled.
Looking at his surroundings, he realized that Ye Tiancheng's so-called engineering team didn't exist at all; everything was done by Ye Tiancheng himself. He seemed to be an unfathomable master. Lu Dajun became increasingly curious but dared not ask more.
Lu Dajun had been quite talkative earlier, but now he was scared stiff by Ye Tiancheng, looking as if he had swallowed a fly. His face was not only troubled but also silent, and he just led the way quietly all the way.
Lu Dajun looked like a wandering ghost. Ye Tiancheng found it quite eerie. "Lu Dajun, don't be afraid. I just used some explosives. Don't think I have any divine powers. Even if I did, I wouldn't harm you. You being silent like this is quite terrifying."
Facing Ye Tiancheng's questioning, Lu Dajun just turned his head and gave Ye Tiancheng a somewhat awkward smile. "I understand, Mr. Ye. Look at the bridge ahead. It's the same as I remember from my childhood, except this bridge is much more dilapidated than before. I'm worried it might be dangerous if we step on it."
Ye Tiancheng could have flown across directly, but with others present, he couldn't be so brazen, so he could only comfort Lu Dajun, "It's fine. Although no one has walked here for decades, the bridge still looks quite sturdy. It won't break easily."
"No, I'm timid, Mr. Ye. Please spare me. I really don't dare. I'm so scared I'm going to die."
"Look at your timid nature. What do you plan to do? You've come this far, and you're not going to continue being my guide anymore, and you don't want the money either."
Lu Dajun's expression changed, as if he was contemplating something. Soon, he reached a final conclusion. "How about this, Mr. Ye, you go first. If I see you walk across safely, then I'll go. Otherwise, I really don't dare. It's so high and empty underneath. If I fall, I'll be smashed to pieces. I really haven't lived enough."
Ye Tiancheng was too lazy to argue with Lu Dajun any longer. Since he was scared, Ye Tiancheng would just put on a show.
Anyway, Ye Tiancheng wasn't afraid. Even if the bridge broke, it wouldn't matter. Ye Tiancheng could use his true qi to fly across. The distance wasn't that far, and there wouldn't be any danger. Thinking of this, Ye Tiancheng confidently stepped onto the broken bridge.
Ye Tiancheng did borrow a bit of true qi to make his body exceptionally light, so when crossing the bridge, he was fast and put very little pressure on it. The entire process was completed with ease.
"See? It's not difficult at all, very easy. Lu Dajun, I've already crossed. You hurry up and come over."
As Ye Tiancheng spoke, he also waved at Lu Dajun. The reason Ye Tiancheng was so anxious was that the fragments of the Fuxi Qin on his body had begun to stir, indicating that another fragment should be nearby. It was possible they could reach the destination in one step.
"Mr. Ye, I want to increase the price. It's too dangerous. Give me two million in total. No, that's too little. Give me five million in total."
Ye Tiancheng was furious. This Lu Dajun was truly a rogue, with no sense of contractual integrity. Seeing Ye Tiancheng's urgency at this critical moment, he directly raised the price. Such behavior was truly despicable, but Ye Tiancheng could do nothing about him and could only try to persuade Lu Dajun.
"This amount of money is nothing to me. As long as we find the Fuxi Qin fragments, everything else can be discussed."
"Mr. Ye, you're a big boss. I know you always keep your word. I don't need you to give me the money now, just a promise. Five million shouldn't pose a great threat to you, but for an ordinary person like me, it can completely turn my life around. The fairy tale of a carp leaping over the dragon gate can happen to me too. It seems I, Lu, am blessed."
Lu Dajun seemed to think that Ye Tiancheng was so wealthy that he wouldn't mind this little bit. He was almost certain that Ye Tiancheng would easily agree to his terms, and he almost started a celebration feast right there.
"Lu Dajun, are you getting too arrogant? I've already given you enough face, but you keep raising the price, completely disregarding the trust between us. If you continue like this, you're simply asking for trouble."
Seeing that Ye Tiancheng's tone had turned unpleasant, and his words were almost a threat, Lu Dajun was also at his wit's end and wanted to seize this opportunity to get rich.
If the opportunity slipped away, it wouldn't come again. Lu Dajun told himself to calm down, suppressed his fear with all his might, and then mustered up his courage to continue negotiating with Ye Tiancheng.
"Mr. Ye, you're a businessman who does big deals. You shouldn't lose the chance to obtain a treasure for a mere four million, should you?"
Ye Tiancheng was already very angry. The money was secondary; the main issue was that Lu Dajun was too arrogant and kept threatening him. Ye Tiancheng hated being threatened the most.
"Fine, you really think I can't do anything to you, don't you?"
Suddenly, Lu Dajun leaped into the air as if an invisible hand was pulling him up. He slowly rose into mid-air and then moved above the broken bridge.
"Lu Dajun, do you want to be a good guide for me? If we still can't come to an agreement, I'll throw you down directly."