Chapter 751: Negotiating the Terms

Lan Ruobing's cultivation realm turned out to be the first layer of the Zao Hua Realm.

This surprised Ye Liuyun a bit; he hadn't expected a Zao Hua Realm‑level strongman to be among the bandits.

"It seems Lan Ruobing's practiced technique is probably far more advanced than that of ordinary bandits!" Ye Liuyun guessed to himself.

Although Ye Liuyun was assessing Lan Ruobing, there was no malicious thought in his eyes.

So Lan Ruobing felt no aversion toward him; rather, she thought his character was decent and worth courting.

If Ye Liuyun were to look at her with eyes full of malicious desire, she would naturally exploit him and use some tactics.

"Young Master Ye, no need to be formal, have a seat and chat!" Lan Ruobing's voice was gentle and pleasant, neither deliberately cold nor overly familiar.

"Thank you!"

Ye Liuyun expressed thanks and found a seat.

"This woman's background is probably not simple."

Ye Liuyun felt that Lan Ruobing's voice, appearance, smile, and demeanor were all very proper; she didn't at all seem like a bandit, but rather a scion raised by a prominent family.

"May I ask what instructions Sister Lan has for me?"

Ye Liuyun didn't want to beat around the bush, so he got straight to the point.

In fact, he had already anticipated that the bandits, upon seeing his power, would try to recruit him.

Whether it would be mutual exploitation or sincere cooperation remained to be seen.

"I dare not accept such orders! This time we happen to be contesting the management rights, which startled Young Master Ye; I should be the one apologizing!" Lan Ruobing said.

"Sister Lan, no need to be formal! Anyway I'm already caught up and have no choice, right?"

Ye Liuyun was quite relaxed and even made a self‑deprecating remark.

"Hehe," Lan Ruobing gave a light laugh; she understood that Ye Liuyun was not joining voluntarily and said no more on the matter.

"I would like to ask Young Master Ye to lend a hand when the time comes; what does Young Master Ye think?"

She also got straight to the point.

"There are many ways to assist. My leaving a Warship behind is already a form of assistance. I want to know to what extent Sister Lan wants my help, and what conditions there are?"

Ye Liuyun was straightforward, bringing up the conditions without any dithering.

He was right; assistance requires corresponding conditions. Otherwise, who would risk their life for a stranger?

Lan Ruobing hadn't expected Ye Liuyun to be so open‑minded and to speak without beating around the bush.

She was becoming increasingly interested in Ye Liuyun now.

She still hadn't fully grasped Ye Liuyun's strength; she knew that what she saw was exactly what Ye Liuyun wanted her to see.

Therefore, she leaned more toward Lao Gui's assessment: Ye Liuyun definitely possesses strength surpassing Wu Tian's.

Moreover, Ye Liuyun's straightforward character and lack of malicious thoughts made her now eager to cooperate with him properly.

Wu Tian and Lao Gui both nodded silently, appreciating Ye Liuyun's candid style.

The matter was laid out plainly; if Ye Liuyun kept circling around, they would instead find him tedious.

"Young Master Ye, do you know why the three of our bandit gangs are fighting for the management rights here?"

Lan Ruobing didn't answer Ye Liuyun's question directly; instead she asked whether he knew the reason behind the contest for management rights.

"I'm not clear on that; I originally thought it was just to collect more tolls."

Ye Liuyun also sensed that Lan Ruobing's words carried hidden meaning. Likely there were other interests behind the management rights, not as simple as they seemed.

Lan Ruobing nodded and said, "Indeed, it's not just about collecting more tolls. This triangular area is a very special spatial turbulence zone. Its formation is not a natural phenomenon but man‑made!"

"Man‑made?"

Ye Liuyun was greatly startled by this.

He knew that a Martial Cultivator with strong Spatial Power could construct his own Space World. But he had never considered that such a spatial turbulence zone could be man‑made.

"If it's man‑made, then that person's spatial power must be far stronger than mine!" he thought, signaling Lan Ruobing to continue.

"The one who created this space once hid a piece of land here. The three‑year term marks the opening of that land's Guardian Formation."

When Lan Ruobing said that, Ye Liuyun understood. The bandits were fighting for more than just management rights or tolls; they were after the resources within this Secret Realm.

He also realized that since Lan Ruobing mentioned the Secret Realm, she must be using entry to it as a condition to have him risk his life for them.

Yet even if it meant risking his life, Ye Liuyun still had to judge their trustworthiness. However, he had no choice now; since Lan Ruobing had brought it up, he would have to accept.

Whether the eventual risk would be genuine or not would depend on Lan Ruobing and the others' attitude toward him.

"So, Sister Lan wants to use entry to the Secret Realm as a condition, making me devote myself entirely to your contest and serve you, Sister Lan?"

Ye Liuyun asked directly.

"Young Master Ye is indeed clever!" Lan Ruobing praised, then waited for Ye Liuyun's reply.

"What does the Secret Realm contain?" Ye Liuyun didn't rush to answer, but instead inquired about the situation inside the Secret Realm.

Not every Secret Realm contains the resources he desires.

If the resources in the Secret Realm had already been exhausted, Lan Ruobing's promise would become nothing but empty talk.

Lan Ruobing, being the leader of such a large bandit gang, was obviously no fool; when Ye Liuyun asked, she immediately understood what he was worried about.

"Young Master Ye, please rest assured. This Secret Realm was only recently discovered by us; this is the tenth opening. Each opening lasts only three days. So far, less than ten percent has been explored.

My cultivation was originally Yin Yang Eightfold. It was only through the resources of this Secret Realm that I advanced to the Zao Hua Realm. I can vouch for all this with my own integrity; I assure you I'm not deceiving you."

Ye Liuyun nodded; for now he could only temporarily trust Lan Ruobing.

Though he didn't fully understand Lan Ruobing, as a bandit gang leader daring to speak so, it was unlikely to be false; otherwise she wouldn't have such a good reputation.

"What dangers lie within the Secret Realm?" Ye Liuyun asked, concerned about the difficulty of obtaining the resources.

Lan Ruobing didn't conceal anything; she spoke honestly.

"There are indeed many dangers, one could say it's peril at every step. We have opened it nine times before, and entered four of those times. Each entry claimed the lives of many late‑stage Yin Yang Martial Cultivators. From what we know, there are ferocious beasts, mechanical traps, spatial turbulence, and other hazards."

The more dangerous the place, the richer the resources. Ye Liuyun thought of this and, with hardly any hesitation, agreed.

Okay, I promise you!