Chapter 15: Pang Da Hai and Sincerity

"You need to be careful when choosing a sect. If you choose wisely, you just might achieve your aspirations." A voice suddenly came from the side.

Lu Ye and Yu Xiaodie turned their heads, surprised to find a portly man standing beside them, seemingly having appeared out of nowhere. He was smiling at them, his small eyes almost lost in the folds of his face.

It was the same portly man who had earlier registered and verified the identities of the enslaved.

Lu Ye hadn't noticed him approach at all.

"Greetings, Senior Brother!" Yu Xiaodie quickly bowed, her expression reserved. Although she had already opened a few meridians, a cultivator of his standing still seemed lofty to her, and she couldn't help but feel nervous.

Lu Ye followed suit.

"I heard you two chatting so spiritedly and couldn't resist coming over. Do you mind?" The portly cultivator patted his ample belly with one hand, his expression amiable.

"Of course not," Yu Xiaodie quickly waved her hand. Despite her nervousness, her thoughts were remarkably clear. Recognizing an opportunity, she decided to ask, "May I ask, Senior Brother, what did you mean by that remark just now?"

Although her knowledge of the cultivation world surpassed Lu Ye's, it was still limited. It couldn't compare to that of a proper Haotian Alliance cultivator like the portly man.

"It means exactly what it says, of course. Do you want to know?" The portly cultivator's smile grew more friendly. While answering Yu Xiaodie, his gaze was fixed on Lu Ye.

Lu Ye didn't know why this guy was staring at him; he felt he had some ulterior motive. But since it concerned his future, he politely said, "Please enlighten me, Senior Brother."

"If you want to know..." The portly cultivator gave Lu Ye's shoulder a familiar pat. "Then it depends on whether you show enough sincerity."

Sincerity?

Lu Ye raised an eyebrow, recalling the first time he met this portly cultivator, when the other man had stared at the storage bag on his waist.

No, surely not? This can't be right.

He's a high-level cultivator, after all. Would he really bother with a nobody like me?

But the meaning hinted at in his words was clear; anyone who wasn't a fool could understand.

After a moment of silence, Lu Ye tried raising his hand and reaching into the storage bag on his waist. He saw the portly cultivator's squinted eyes slowly open a little, and his smile became even more hearty.

He put his hand down, and the portly cultivator returned to his previous state.

He raised his hand, and the portly cultivator's eyes opened a little more...

After repeating this several times, Lu Ye finally confirmed that things were indeed as he had suspected.

The portly cultivator, however, couldn't take it anymore. He'd never seen anyone string him along so openly. Annoyed, he flicked his sleeve and said, "It seems you don't want to know."

Just as he turned around, his hand felt heavy. The portly cultivator looked down to see a bottle of Blood Qi Pills shoved into his hand. Lu Ye, standing before him, had a face that looked like he'd just lost several pounds of flesh.

The portly cultivator's lips twitched. "Is this your sincerity?"

What is this rubbish? He came all this way, not for a bottle of trash like this!

"Then what do you want, Senior Brother?" Lu Ye asked.

The portly cultivator couldn't stand him anymore and simply stated, "Ore!"

Lu Ye asked curiously, "A figure as distinguished as Senior Brother, can you also be interested in those ores?"

The portly cultivator said, "Well, you wouldn't know, but the ores produced from this mine in Evil Moon Valley are all excellent quality, quite rare. Besides, if you want information, you naturally have to pay a price. I can't just tell you things for free; we don't have any particular relationship."

"That makes sense," Lu Ye nodded in agreement, then casually took out a piece of ore from his storage bag and handed it to the portly cultivator.

The portly cultivator didn't take it immediately. His eyes narrowed into a slit, and he lightly shook his head. "I don't see your sincerity."

"This big!" Lu Ye held up the basin-sized ore. It was the largest piece of ore in his storage bag.

The portly cultivator hummed a little tune, ignoring him.

Lu Ye couldn't help but click his tongue, a pained expression on his face. He placed the ore he was holding at his feet and took out another piece from his storage bag.

Having mined for over a year, Lu Ye had some understanding of these ores. Although he didn't know their exact value, those that were easy to find were certainly of lower value. The two pieces of ore he took out looked quite large, but they weren't uncommon during his mining days; they were the kind that was relatively easy to find.

There weren't many ores in Zhou Cheng's storage bag, only about five or six pieces, mostly common types. Manager Yang's storage bag, on the other hand, contained not only a large quantity of ores but also many rare items.

As the second piece of ore was taken out, a broader smile appeared on the portly cultivator's face. "Kid, don't think I'm taking advantage of you. I just feel a connection with you, so I specially came to give you some pointers. My name is Pang Dahai of the Righteous Qi Sect, and I have some reputation in the Bing Province cultivation world. Others who want my guidance, I can't even be bothered with."

Yu Xiaodie, standing by, watched these two openly engaging in such behavior, especially the portly cultivator who kept claiming to be from the Righteous Qi Sect. She felt something shatter within her.

Lu Ye also couldn't take it anymore. "You're from the Righteous Qi Sect?"

Where is your righteousness then?

As he spoke, he had already taken out a third piece of ore.

Pang Dahai's eyes were still narrowed to a slit, clearly still not seeing enough sincerity.

Lu Ye's eye twitched. He wished he could pry open the man's eyelids to make him see more clearly.

Helpless, and knowing he was no match for the man, he took out a fourth piece. This time, he chose a valuable magnetic ore.

Pang Dahai's eyebrow twitched slightly, but he maintained his smile.

Lu Ye clapped his hands, pointing at the four pieces of ore on the ground. "Isn't that enough sincerity?"

Pang Dahai smiled but said nothing.

"Alright then, there's nothing I can do," Lu Ye sighed. Under the bewildered gazes of Pang Dahai and Yu Xiaodie, he squatted down and put the first piece of ore he had taken out back into his storage bag. Then he looked up at Pang Dahai. "Is that enough?"

Pang Dahai's eyes opened completely. He stared at Lu Ye in shock, his mind in disarray.

Yu Xiaodie was also taken aback by Lu Ye's audacious move, completely bewildered by what "Brother Lu" was doing.

Lu Ye then put the second piece of ore he had taken out back into his bag, and again looked up to ask Pang Dahai, "Is that enough?"

"I..." Pang Dahai seemed about to curse, but he bit back the words. He tried hard to maintain his air of a senior figure, but his expression was already a mix of exasperation and annoyance.

Lu Ye was already reaching for the third piece of ore when a hand pressed down on his arm. Lu Ye looked up to see Pang Dahai glaring at him through gritted teeth. "Enough! That's more than enough!"