Chapter 407: Give Him Some Lesson

Qin Lao's words fell, and the middle-aged man beside him and the woman holding a long flute exchanged a glance.

The woman was fine; her gaze was the same as before, showing no fluctuation.

The middle-aged man, however, showed a hint of smile in his eyes, looking interested, wanting to see what choice Jiang Cheng would make.

Of course, before arriving, he had already heard from Qin Lao about Jiang Cheng's experience under Gu Zhanglin, but he still kept a half‑believing, half‑doubting attitude toward it.

Now, this is a great chance to discern Jiang Cheng's character, for to see through a person one must not watch what he says but what he does.

"If you intend to take his life, it's unnecessary."

Jiang Cheng shook his head, his gaze turning to the now‑asleep Gu Zhanglin.

"By the way, Qin Lao, could you help me check this jade pendant, is it the Azure Jade Coiled Dragon Pendant?"

Speaking, he took a jade pendant from his pocket.

The three of them almost simultaneously fixed their eyes on the pendant.

"Let me see."

Qin Lao took the pendant, sensed it with Spiritual Power for a moment, and immediately furrowed his brows.

"Strange, strange. Looking at the shape, it is indeed the Fifth-grade Treasure Azure Jade Coiled Dragon Pendant, but the internal structure is off. However, I'm not an expert in this area, so I can't give a definitive answer."

"Leader, would you like to take a look?"

"Sure."

The middle-aged man took the pendant, sensed it for a moment, shook his head and said: "Qin Lao is correct; looking at the shape, it seems to be the Azure Jade Coiled Dragon Pendant, but the internal structure is not. If I'm not mistaken, it should be the Fourth-grade Treasure Moonlight Pendant. Both accelerate Spiritual Power recovery, but their effects differ by seven or eight times."

"Is it really like that?"

Jiang Cheng muttered to himself.

"You know this isn't the Azure Jade Coiled Dragon Pendant?" the middle-aged man asked curiously.

"No."

"No," Jiang Cheng shook his head. "I just have some doubts. As the saying goes, one should not have a heart to harm others, nor lack a heart to guard against them. It would be unreasonable for Gu Zhanglin to say, 'I'll lend you a Fifth-grade Treasure worth dozens to hundreds of billions,' and have me truly believe it. So I've been uneasy. After receiving it, I even searched online and found something off, but it's not appropriate to ask him directly. I've waited until today to have you all examine it. Since you, Leader, say so, it proves my feeling was correct—I was deceived by him."

Jiang Cheng took a deep breath, and his gaze toward Gu Zhanglin now held more anger.

The three exchanged a glance and nodded.

They all knew about Gu Zhanglin initially advancing Jiang Cheng an Azure Jade Coiled Dragon Pendant to lower the profit share.

Now, judging from the Moonlight Pendant in hand, it is clearly true.

After all, the purpose of turning the Azure Jade Coiled Dragon Pendant into a Moonlight Pendant can be understood; perhaps it was to hide one's skill, avoid attracting others' covetous eyes, and mainly for self‑preservation.

But turning a Moonlight Pendant into an Azure Jade Coiled Dragon Pendant as a substitute is most likely ill‑intentioned.

As for whether this is Jiang Cheng's self‑sacrificial scheme.

The probability is low.

After all, refining pills and refining artifacts are two different matters, let alone that whether it's the Fourth-grade Treasure Moonlight Pendant or the Fifth-grade Treasure Azure Jade Coiled Dragon Pendant, the level requirement for an artifact smith is not low.

Moreover, Jiang Cheng was right under Gu Zhanglin's very nose, making it even more impossible to pull off such a thing. Thinking this, the middle-aged man returned the pendant to Jiang Cheng and asked, "Young brother Jiang Cheng, since Gu Zhanglin has treated you as a tool from start to finish, deceiving you with a substitute, are you just going to let him off that easily?"

"To be honest, he did shelter me for a while, and I don't want to hurt him, but one thing for another, since he deceived me, I'll give him some punishment."

Jiang Cheng put away the pendant, "Leader, please take all the treasures on his body; consider it a small welcome gift from me to the organization."

When the words fell, not only the middle-aged man but also the woman beside him and Qin Lao both showed surprise in their eyes.

Honestly, the treasures on that Gu Family heir's body even pique their interest; just as earlier, Gu Zhanglin, under the flute's sound, persisted for more than ten seconds before falling asleep.

One should know that the woman playing the flute is an Eighth-level Spirit Master; Gu Zhanglin, though gifted, is only a Third-Level Master with family resources, making the gap between them hundreds to thousands of times.

Thus it can be seen how extraordinary that treasure is.

Besides that, Gu Zhanglin also has at least one offensive and one defensive treasure on him, not counting Talismans and the like.

"Do you really want to give us everything? The treasures on his body aren't ordinary; the Azure Jade Coiled Dragon Pendant you just mentioned, he has one, not to mention others, and you aren't even a bit tempted," the middle-aged man laughed.

"I am naturally tempted, but these things never belonged to me. After all, as things stand, I could never match him, let alone take his treasures."

Jiang Cheng shook his head, glanced at Gu Zhanglin, "Moreover, it was you who put him to sleep; the treasures on his body are naturally your spoils."

Qin Lao listened and nodded repeatedly.

He knew that Jiang Cheng was a magnanimous person.

"Indeed."

The middle-aged man smiled and nodded, "Whether or not you truly think that inside, the fact that you can say this shows you are not an ordinary person."

The woman beside him nodded.

If Jiang Cheng truly thinks and says this, then he is indeed a grateful, sincere person.

If his heart does not think that way, but instead uses retreat as advance, then he is pragmatic, knows when to advance or retreat, and has some scheming.

"Alright, after we return, I can let you pick any one of the treasures on his body, but correspondingly, the three Fourth-grade Treasures Qin Lao promised you will be reduced by one."

"Thank you, Leader."

Jiang Cheng quickly expressed his gratitude.

The treasures on Gu Zhanglin start at least at Fifth-grade, right? The market price minimum is ten hundred million, and a high‑grade Fifth-grade would be several tens of billions.

Even if he refines seven or eight furnaces of Top-grade Awakening Pill daily, with profit calculated at half, it would still take several months.

Being able to get one for free is already a great happiness.

If among them there is a Sixth-grade Treasure, he'll choose the Sixth-grade, since Sixth-grade treasures start at billions. Of course, if there's only one, he'll settle for a lower‑grade, as a newcomer should stay low‑key.

"Hahaha, you're welcome, this place isn't for staying long, and making a choice also requires time to consider. Once we reach a safe place, you can take your time to pick."

After the middle-aged man finished speaking, his right hand brushed over Gu Zhanglin here and there, and the five items came into his hand.

In fact, at his speed Jiang Cheng couldn't see clearly, but he deliberately slowed down, probably to avoid any later misunderstanding.

(End of Chapter)