The reception hall of the auction house was quiet. There wasn’t even one guest here. Only two maids were here with Zhang Yang.
Seeing that Lu Li came with Ye Cha and Yu Huashen, Zhan Yang immediately put on a smile as warm as summer’s sun. He bowed and said, "Well come, Young Master Lu. Welcome, my lords."
Lu Li nodded. Zhan Yang made an inviting gesture and said, "Please come in. Our Chief Patriarch is waiting for you inside."
Zhang Yan showed them to an elegant hall with luxurious decorations. Eight amazing-looking maids were here. Delicious fine dining was spread out on the golden tables, waiting for the arrival of Lu Li.
Du Zheng didn’t go out to welcome Lu Li nor did he sit down. He stood in the hall, looked at Lu Li with a smile and said, "Young Master Lu, you are a rare visitor. I have been meaning to meet you after last our conversation, but you have never come back to do business with us."
Of course, Lu Li didn’t buy those polite words. He just randomly replied with a laugh. He took a seat behind a golden table while Ye Cha and Yu Huashen stood behind him.
After Du Zheng took his seat, he asked the maid to offer them tea. Then he said, "Young Master Lu, this tea is called the Virgin Tea. It comes from Mount Virgin at the north of the Central Plains. The tea tastes as sweet as a virgin. Have a try, please."
Yu Huashen and Ye Cha looked at the tea. Ye Cha even used his psychic power for fear that there might be something in the tea.
Lu Li picked up the cup without any hesitation, smelled it and took a sip. He even closed his eyes to enjoy it. Then he nodded and said, "I don’t know much about tea but I can tell that this is very nice. It seems to… be good for the soul?"
"Ha, ha, ha!"
Du Zheng laughed. He gave Lu Li a thumb-up and said, "Young Master Lu, you are impressive. You are an unusual person and you have done unusual things. Yes… this tea is an elixir that is good for the soul. It costs one million Xuan Crystals to buy 50 grams. I am taking this tea out especially for you."
With that said, Du Zheng looked at Ye Cha and Yu Huashen and said, "Brother Ye, Brother Yu, how about you have a try as well? Well… Brother Ye, your secret skill is marvelous, but I happen to have a secret skill of my own that enables me to see your true appearance. As for your identity, Brother Ye, don’t worry. I will not say anything."
"Eh…"
Lu Li’s expressions changed while Ye Cha let out some killing intent. Du Zheng had seen through his disguise?
The Cyan Phoenix Race had some terrible enemies at the Central Plains. Once those families learned about the fact there were some surviving members of the Cyan Phoenix Race, powerful warriors would be sent to hunt them down.
"Ha, ha!"
Du Zheng smiled, waved his hand and said, "Brother Ye, Young Master Lu, don’t be nervous. I don't have untoward intentions. If I had, I wouldn’t be here with you now, would I?"
Lu Li and Ye Cha loosened up. They believed so. If Du Zheng had other thoughts, powerful warriors of the Central Plains would have been here already.
Lu Li took another sip of his tea and asked, "Chief Steward Du, I have some doubts. I don’t know if I can ask about them."
Du Zheng was acting quite out of the ordinary, so Lu Li decided to get to the bottom of this. He couldn’t even sleep without figuring out Du Zheng’s plan. He was the second most powerful warrior of the Northern Desert.
Du Zheng seemed to have expected that Lu Li would ask him. He nodded and said, "Young Master Lu, ask away. I will tell you anything that I know."
"Okay!"
Lu Li bluntly asked, "Did you take part in the actions at the Haunted Hollow?"
Yu Huashen and Ye Cha didn’t take the tea. They simply stood behind Lu Li, looking at Du Zheng with curiosity.
Du Zheng waved his hand to let the maids and Zhan Yang leave. Then he nodded and replied, "Yes, I did. I e
ven… did all the planning. I asked Du Heng to contact Brother Yu and we killed the Old Man of Heaven Prison. Of course… Brother Yu, you know I didn’t make a move myself. I only laid out a formation to trap the Old Man of Heaven Prison."
"Ha, ha. I actually am at great risk by telling you this. The families of the Central Plains will blame the Du Family if they know that I got involved in the disputes of the Northern Desert. By that time, I will definitely be punished by death. I hope that Young Master Lu, Brother Ye and Brother Yu, you can keep this secret for me!"
"What…"
Lu Li and the other two were shocked. Not only did Du Zheng admit his involvement, he also stated that he had made the arrangement. He also said that what he did was risky and that he would be killed if the Central Plains ever knew this.
This was practically to give a piece of evidence to Lu Li. If Lu Li went to the Central Plains and told the story, Du Zheng and the Du Family would be in big trouble.
Lu Li could not understand. Why didn’t Du Zheng kill him but saved him in the end after he made so many arrangements?
Lu Li frowned and asked, "Chief Steward Du, I don’t understand. If it is you who made the plan, then why didn’t you kill us?"
"Why would I?"
Du Zheng shrugged and replied, "I am doing this for you. Why… I want to give you the entire Thousand-island Lake and even the Northern Desert. Think about it. Who can beat you at the Northern Desert? If you want to unify the Northern Desert, it will be like putting a hot knife through butter."
"You have seven Noble Lord Realm warriors and none of the forces or families can compete with that. Young Master Lu, by now, you should have known how important territories are for the cultivation of warriors. With the Thousand-island Lake and even the Northern Desert, you will have endless resources and you can control the lives of the hundreds of millions of the Northern Desert. You will become the new emperor of the Northern Desert."
Zi Huanyu, Madam Yan and Bai Qiuxue’s speculation was confirmed. Du Zheng had made a grand plan to help Lu Li unify the Thousand-island Lake and the Northern Desert…
Lu Li’s jaw was dropped as he was utterly stunned by the information. He couldn’t come back to his senses.
Ye Cha and Yu Huashen were in deep thoughts. Yu Huashen seemed to have a faint idea of all this and what Du Zheng said had confirmed his ideas.
After some thinking, Yu Huashen soon realized the rationale behind Du Zheng’s actions. It would seem that Du Zheng was crazy while in fact everything made sense. His plan was very good.
Du Family had no intention of taking the Northern Desert. Their focus was on developing at the Central Plains. To have the Northern Desert wouldn’t bring them much, but to befriend a disciple of the Lu Family, the son of Lu Renhuang, would be more beneficial. What was more, Lu Li was only 16 now and he could already kill warriors of the peak of the Fate Wheel Realm. He even had servants of mysterious races and he had a promising future ahead of him…
The Old Man of Heaven Prison would be dying of old age soon. By then, the Thousand-island Lake would be attacked by the three kingdoms just as well. To let the Thousand-island Lake be conquered by the three kingdoms was not as good as giving it to Lu Li…
Lu Li said nothing in the time for three incense sticks to burn. The he sighed and said with a bitter smile, "Du Zheng… you are crazy!"
To make a friend, to give him a favor, to give him the Thousand-island Lake, Du Zheng had made such a plan and all the powerful warriors of the Northern Desert were his pawns.
His plan was a good one, but so many souls had passed away. The Thousand-island Lake was bleeding right now…
The Old Man of Heaven Prison died and so did Bai Xi. The Family Patriarch of the Ye Family passed away, and a warrior of the Noble Lord Realm of the Heaven Martial Kingdom did so as well. Most of the powerful warriors of the Thousand-island Lake and almost all the 10,000 warriors of the Soul Pond Realm perished. More than half of the civilians died as well.
All this was to give Lu Li a favor. But people were plunged into the abyss of suffering and so many died. The Thousand-island Lake was covered in blood. What else could Du Zheng be if not crazy?
Du Zheng smiled without feeling offended. Instead, he solemnly, said "Young Master Lu, the Northern Desert is such a small place and you will go to the Central Plains to try out your luck sooner or later. The Central Plains is a crueler world. There are millions of brutal and sinister things. You will grow numb to all this. If you want to stand at the peak, you must do so by burying lives and taking them as your stepping stones. I want to give this to you as a piece of advice from a senior warrior and this will be your lesson. Also, this is a humble gift presented by the Du Family. I hope… that we can be friends."