[Smack!]
[A crisp slap echoed, and a clear handprint appeared on Feng Zhenxin’s face.]
[Ye Yu shook his hand.]
[He slapped the old fox truly out of feeling—sometimes you just have to hit to feel better.]
[After reading Feng Zhenxin’s memories, Ye Yu finally understood why the man had acted so warmly when they first met at the Conscience Workshop.]
[All that talk about wanting only friendship was a complete lie.]
[His real intention was to stall Ye Yu to sell him to Xiang Hanye and Chixiao Sheep Lord Yang Xiao.]
[To play the perfect ‘sell one, gain two’ scheme.]
[Of course, before that, Feng Zhenxin wanted to figure out what exactly the ancient great demon blood Ye Yu carried was.]
[Then Ye Yu caused a huge disturbance at the Conscience Workshop.]
[Which only made Feng Zhenxin more interested in him.]
[The ability to make over ninety-nine percent of the demons present go berserk was terrifying.]
[Thus, Feng Zhenxin was willing to spend three million demon stones on the bounty for Ye Yu’s whereabouts.]
[At the same time, he didn’t forget to contact Xiang Hanye by communication stone, informing him of Ye Yu’s recent appearance in Jianyao City.]
[He promised to notify him immediately once Ye Yu’s whereabouts were found.]
[Not to forget their original agreement.]
[Xiang Hanye naturally agreed wholeheartedly.]
[But in reality, Feng Zhenxin was plotting a larger scheme—like the mantis stalking the cicada while the oriole watches behind.]
[He planned to have Xiang Hanye strike first.]
[After Ye Yu and Xiang Hanye fought each other to a stalemate, Feng Zhenxin would come out to clean up the mess, reaping all the benefits.]
[After all, Ye Yu’s strength displayed in Jianyao City was obvious.]
[Feng Zhenxin, despite his late Golden Demon Realm cultivation, was not good at fighting.]
[Capturing Ye Yu without letting him escape would be difficult.]
[His own great demons were no match for Ye Yu.]
[To be absolutely sure, he might have to call upon Jianyao City’s lord Hua Nianhe.]
[But if that happened, Ye Yu would fall into Hua Nianhe’s hands to be studied, and Feng Zhenxin would get no benefit — too costly.]
[Reason and logic said it was better to use Xiang Hanye as a free pawn.]
[One must admit Feng Zhenxin’s scheming was brilliant, making people more and more irritated the more they thought about it.]
[However, Ye Yu himself had grown very interested in Xiang Hanye.]
[From Feng Zhenxin’s memories, he learned Xiang Hanye was a four-eared demon monkey.]
[This reminded Ye Yu of another demon monkey of the ancient top ten — Chang You.]
[Ancient records stated Chang You looked like a monkey with four ears and often appeared related to floods.]
[The reason Xiang Hanye wanted to buy that drop of ancient great demon blood at the auction was probably because he sensed its powerful allure.]
[But because he bought the Bihai Yinchao Technique, he had no demon stones left to continue bidding.]
[This was the loophole Ye Yu exploited.]
[Interesting—perhaps he should meet him.]
[In the process, he could get back the Bihai Yinchao Technique—killing two birds with one stone.]
[After some thought, Ye Yu’s figure suddenly vanished.]
[Feng Zhenxin quietly waited for the redness on his swollen face to fade, then returned to the Conscience Workshop.]
[As if nothing had happened.]
[But secretly, he began instructing subordinates to gather demon realm cultivation manuals.]
[Price was no object; the key was that the grade must be high.]
[This was one reason Ye Yu spared his ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ life.]
[Two days later, when Jianyao City’s lord Hua Nianhe entered seclusion again,]
[Feng Zhenxin immediately announced two things.]
[First, the bounty on Ye Yu was temporarily lifted.]
[Second, after investigation, the loss of Conscience Workshop goods was caused by Chixiao Sheep Lord Yang Xiao.]
[From today, a public bounty was placed on Yang Xiao’s head.]
[Reward: five million demon stones!]
[The news shocked the entire demon realm.]
[Everyone knew Yang Xiao was a great demon lord of the Golden Demon Realm, incredibly powerful.]
[Why would he cause trouble with the Conscience Workshop?]
[Moreover, Feng Zhenxin was a famously cunning fox in Jianyao City, never tearing ties without necessity.]
[But now he directly started hunting Yang Xiao’s life.]
[There had to be something wrong.]
[But where there’s a high reward, there will be brave souls; five million demon stones was astronomical.]
[Many ambitious demons in the demon realm took notice.]
[When Yang Xiao heard the news, he was furious.]
[He couldn’t understand why Feng Zhenxin would frame him.]
[No reason at all.]
[And the bounty was five million demon stones.]
[Dammit! He almost wanted to kill himself.]
[After venting, Yang Xiao immediately fled to lay low.]
[With the demon energy resurgence and Youjun Realm elders awakened,]
[He couldn’t be sure someone wouldn’t take the bounty and kill him.]
[Running later would be too late.]
[Still, Yang Xiao wasn’t stupid; he sent Lu Ye to negotiate with Feng Zhenxin to see if there was a misunderstanding.]
[Since they were all in the same boat, Lu Ye had to swallow his reluctance and take on this unpleasant task.]
[He was also curious if Yang Xiao really stole from the Conscience Workshop.]
[Otherwise, why would Feng Zhenxin offer such a sky-high price?]
[Reasonably, if it was true, Lu Ye would want a share.]
[After all, everything was about利益 (profits).]
[But when Lu Ye rushed to Jianyao City’s Conscience Workshop, he was firmly refused.]
[According to the small demons there, Feng Zhenxin had left early that morning.]
[No one knew where the master had gone or when he’d return.]
[If he really wanted to see him, they could make an appointment and inform the master upon his return.]
[The idea of needing an appointment made Lu Ye, the dog demon, furious.]
[Since entering the Golden Demon Realm, no one had dared treat him like that.]
[But when he glanced at the nearby lord’s mansion,]
[He held back his anger.]
[Because he knew Hua Nianhe was not someone to provoke, even Master Xiang Mocheng had to show respect.]
[So Lu Ye could only leave disappointed.]
[In fact, the small demons of the Conscience Workshop did not lie—Feng Zhenxin had left early.]
[To meet a certain monkey demon, Xiang Hanye.]
