Chapter 194: Chapter 119: One Man Suppresses a City
Taking the porcelain vial, Zhong Ming understood. The Prince had been watching him all along and knew he was practicing Body Forging and lacked these kinds of Elixir Pills.
’That makes sense,’ he thought. ’There probably isn’t much in Qinghe Prefecture City that can be hidden from him.’
Seeing him accept it, the old man gave Zhong Ming another solemn reminder. "Young Master Zhong, there is one more thing you must remember. Although this Power of Origin from the Demon Star Tai Sui has undergone one round of Refinement by our Prince Mansion’s Alchemist, eliminating most of its violent Demonic Qi, you cannot consume too much in a short period. Otherwise, you risk being tainted by the Demon Star Tai Sui’s aura, which could cause your body to mutate."
"Thank you for the warning, Senior. I will be careful."
With his task complete, the old man’s figure flickered and vanished into the night like a specter, leaving behind only faint fluctuations of Spiritual Qi.
What Zhong Ming didn’t know was that as he spoke with the old man, another conversation was taking place in the Prince Manor.
"The Prince thinks highly of that Zhong Ming?" The speaker was a woman. If Zhong Ming were present, he would have noticed a slight resemblance between her and Qin Rou of the Golden Jade Tower.
"He is indeed a very interesting little fellow."
"So you, Prince, are pinning your hopes on him."
"Haha..." Prince Qinghe laughed at her words. "If that were the case, would Master Qin be preparing to abandon me?"
Master Qin replied, "You jest, Prince."
Seeing her reluctance to give a direct answer, Prince Qinghe shook his head and then spoke frankly, "Rest assured, I’m not foolish enough to place all my hopes on one little fellow. He’s an unexpected variable, but he also makes for an excellent target and bait to draw everyone’s attention."
"And every day he’s around is another day I can keep my trump card hidden."
"Besides, the undercurrents moving in the shadows need a ’disruptor’ like him to stir things up..."
Before he could finish, Prince Qinghe shook his head. Clearly, he didn’t believe Zhong Ming could last that long.
...
Zhong Ming was unaware of the conversation in Prince Qinghe’s Mansion, but he didn’t think the Prince would pin all his hopes on him anyway.
’He had no idea I was coming, nor does he know my true strength. And even if I am powerful, I’m still just a junior... Therefore, he must have other support backing him.’
’And me? Am I the bait, or am I the target meant to divert attention?’
Before he could finish his thoughts, Zhong Ming shook his head, casting all these troubles to the back of his mind.
’Forget it. Who cares? Whatever he’s using me for, as long as he provides enough resources, everything is negotiable.’
With that in mind, Zhong Ming prepared to consume the Power of Origin from the Demon Star Tai Sui to see its effects on his body.
However, before Zhong Ming could act, Ji Qingyue burst in at midnight, accompanied by several female guards and looking extremely anxious.
"Young Master Zhong, this is bad! The rumors spreading outside are very unfavorable for you. They’re all calling you the ’number one’ in Qinghe Prefecture City and saying you look down on everyone... We have to make a statement, clarify that everything you said today was directed at the Void Moon Sect, not the entire Prefecture City!"
Ji Qingyue was genuinely concerned for Zhong Ming and saw him as a close friend, which was why she was so agitated.
Zhong Ming, for his part, could naturally sense the danger in such a reputation.
But having accepted Prince Qinghe’s benefits, Zhong Ming’s options for how to respond were now locked in.
And he didn’t think Prince Qinghe would want him to tell his daughter everything.
Considering the considerable resources he had been given—and that this was just a ’down payment’ with the possibility of more to come—Zhong Ming’s response was, "Bad? What’s so bad about it?"
"Ugh..."
This reply left Ji Qingyue momentarily stunned.
A few breaths later, she remembered that Zhong Ming had always been proud and arrogant.
She thought others were ’setting him up for a fall,’ but Zhong Ming wouldn’t necessarily see it that way. He might even think it was praise.
This made Ji Qingyue rub her forehead, vexed. She then quickly laid out her entire analysis.
"Young Master Zhong, they are setting you up for a fall! ’Number one in Qinghe Prefecture City’ is not a title to be taken lightly. They’re pushing you into the eye of the storm, trying to make you an enemy of the entire city."
To make Zhong Ming understand the gravity of the situation, she took another step forward and looked him straight in the eye.
"If you truly accept this title, it won’t just be the disciples of the Major Sects who will come after you."
"The geniuses from all the minor sects, and those who want to make a name for themselves by defeating you, will also challenge you one after another!"
"Young Master Zhong, no matter how strong you are, can you withstand the relentless challenges from every genius in Qinghe Prefecture City?!"
Ji Qingyue spoke this last sentence with extreme gravity. But what happened next left her helpless and her female officials and guards speechless.
"I can." Knowing he was about to make enemies of the entire city, Zhong Ming’s expression remained perfectly calm. He then shrugged, adding nonchalantly, "Didn’t I say it before? To me, all the geniuses in Qinghe Prefecture City are just challengers."
"If they’re not convinced, I’ll give them the chance to challenge me. Let them throw everything they have at me. Then, I will show them what a true genius is."
With that, Zhong Ming also stepped forward, looking down at Ji Qingyue. "Princess, have a little faith in me."
"..."
These words left Ji Qingyue utterly speechless.
As she stared into Zhong Ming’s eyes, which were filled with confidence, she found herself unable to think of a rebuttal.
Finally, knowing she couldn’t change Zhong Ming’s mind, she let out a soft sigh, took half a step back, and said to him, "Since you are so insistent, I won’t try to stop you."
