Young Lord Quentin never imagined Evan Chu would throw out a condition like that—one that completely ignored his status and reputation. Sure, he was someone whose word carried weight, but if he agreed to this, where would his face go? How would he ever stand tall in the Azure Tide Ruins again?
"No way. Pick something else—I’m not agreeing to that." Young Lord Quentin snapped, his voice bristling with pride and frustration.
Evan Chu had known all along there was no way Quentin would accept. If he did, he wouldn’t be one of the Four Young Lords—sometimes face is worth more than life itself. A man lives for pride, just like a buddha fights for incense. There’s no way he’d swallow this.
"Guess Young Lord Quentin’s all talk, huh? I’d say your reputation’s nothing but hot air." Evan Chu grinned, laying the taunt on thick.
"It’s not that I’m breaking my word, just—can’t you pick something else? Anything but that, I’ll agree. I can’t drag my sect’s dignity through the mud." Young Lord Quentin pleaded, frustration and helplessness written all over his face.
Only now did he realize he’d been played. From the very start, this guy had been hiding his true strength, pretending to be just another talented youth. Turns out Evan Chu was a dark horse, packing power no one could’ve guessed.
Evan Chu frowned slightly. "Alright, how about this? We’re already close to Freewind Palace. If you can help me get the Gold Spirit Pearl, I’ll drop the whole thing. Deal?"
When Evan Chu said that, Young Lord Quentin nearly lost it. Wasn’t this just making things harder for him on purpose? The first condition was about face; this one was about risking his life.
If getting something from Freewind Palace were that easy, it wouldn’t be Freewind Palace—the strongest sect among the Nine Great Sects. That’s like searching for a needle in the ocean.
"So you’re just out to mess with me, huh? I agreed to your condition in good faith, and you’re deliberately making it impossible. You think Freewind Palace is some place you can just stroll in and out of?"
Even I have to get special permission just to set foot in Freewind Palace, let alone touch the Gold Spirit Pearl. Do you even know what that is? It’s the personal dowry the current Palace Lord set aside for Serena Dream, the Saintess. Only her future husband will ever get his hands on it.
Too bad Serena Dream and Soaring Feather Young Lord Ethan have been head over heels for each other forever. After this sect martial gathering, they’ll get married. What, you want me to steal Serena Dream from Soaring Feather Young Lord? Even if I wanted to, I’d have to be insane to try it. Three years ago, Ethan was already the number one genius among the younger crowd. Challenging him for his woman is basically suicide." Young Lord Quentin’s face was twisted with frustration.
"Oh, is that how it is? I really didn’t know. Alright, forget that idea—let’s go with my first condition: you become my little brother. But don’t worry, I won’t make you agree right now. Once I’ve beaten Soaring Feather Young Lord and married Serena Dream, you can decide then." Evan Chu grinned, all swagger and confidence.
Young Lord Quentin’s words caught Evan off guard. Winning Serena Dream’s heart was a long shot, but for the Gold Spirit Pearl, he figured it was worth risking his pride.
"You? You think you can win over Serena Dream? Give me a break. And beating Soaring Feather Young Lord? That’s the funniest thing I’ve heard all day. It’s not just you—even if the two of us teamed up, we couldn’t take him down. Those two are already made for each other. Honestly, I don’t even know what to say to you." Young Lord Quentin shook his head at Evan Chu, totally speechless.
"Hey, I never said it’d happen right now. Who knows what the future holds?" Evan Chu just laughed it off, acting like it was no big deal.
"Alright, if you really pull it off, I’ll gladly call you big brother. But for now, let’s get into the city. You know about the auction, right? It only happens once every three years—a ton of rare treasures up for grabs." Young Lord Quentin said, his tone shifting to anticipation.
"So that’s why you came to Golden Ram City? What about the Warren Manor mess—aren’t you going to deal with that?" Evan Chu asked, curious.
"Warren Manor? That’s small potatoes. No way I’m wasting my time on that. Someone else will look into it—Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion runs that territory, so trust me, they won’t ignore something that big." Young Lord Quentin brushed it off and headed straight for the city gate.
The guards at the city gate spotted Young Lord Quentin and broke into wide grins. "Young Lord Quentin! You’re here too? The other two Young Lords arrived yesterday—looks like the Four Young Lords are all coming together again!"
"Oh, looks like they got here fast. Here’s my entry fee—split the rest among yourselves." Young Lord Quentin tossed a supreme-grade Starstone to the guard, showing off his generosity.
"Thank you, Young Lord Quentin! Thank you so much!" The guard’s face lit up; a supreme-grade Starstone was worth half a lifetime’s salary.
Evan Chu caught sight of that supreme-grade Starstone and couldn’t help but frown a little. Man, Young Lord Quentin really is loaded.
He stepped forward and handed the guard ten high-grade Starstones before heading in. Young Lord Quentin saw Evan’s payment and laughed, "Everything at this auction is crazy expensive. If you spot something you want but don’t have enough Starstones, you’ll be out of luck. Want me to lend you ten supreme-grade Starstones and call off our bet?"
"I don’t really need anything, and even if I did, I’ve got enough Starstones. No need to trouble yourself." Evan Chu turned him down without hesitation.
"Alright, no worries if you’re not interested. But I do want your help with something at the auction. If it works out, I’ll make sure you’re rewarded." Young Lord Quentin said, sounding persuasive.
"What’s up? Don’t tell me you want me to cause a scene—I’m not that crazy. Golden Ram City’s under Freewind Palace’s thumb, and the auction’s definitely run by their people. I’d rather not get myself killed." Evan Chu said seriously.
"It’s nothing that wild. I just want you to act as my shill—drive up the prices on some items so others bite. After a few rounds, people will start to notice you.
When I actually want to buy something and you bid, folks who’ve been burned by you will back off, and I can snag what I want for cheap." Young Lord Quentin explained, a sly grin on his face.
"What if I jack up the price and nobody else bids? You’ll be stuck paying through the nose." Evan Chu asked, secretly amused—his own auction tricks were way slicker than this. Shill bidding? Child’s play.
"Just play it by ear. If the price gets high and people are still bidding, stop there. If nobody else bites, you’ll have to buy it yourself. But don’t ever go above ten million Starstones per item. I’m not made of money—I’ve only got thirty million, and the stuff I need will cost me around twenty million." Young Lord Quentin laid out the rules.
This guy really is loaded, Evan Chu thought, then asked, "Does anyone here ever use Star Crystals for bidding?"
"Star Crystals? You gotta be kidding. One Star Crystal’s worth at least a hundred million Starstones. In all of Azure Tide Ruins, maybe five people have one. You’re dreaming, man." Young Lord Quentin scoffed.
Just then, two young men walked over from not far away. Spotting Young Lord Quentin, one of them called out, "Quentin, you finally showed up! We’ve been waiting for ages…"