"That's right, Your Excellency. That sound wave indeed originated from our chamber of commerce, but it wasn't caused by anyone directly. It was triggered by an antique that this young master found in an ancient ruin and brought here to sell," Wen-Xi nodded, explaining the source of the sound. While he spoke some truth, the rest was fabricated.

"An antique? What is it? May I take a look?" Dan-Ge asked with a skeptical expression, clearly interested in the object Wen-Xi mentioned.

"Unfortunately, you can't. The item has already been sent to our main office in the capital city for evaluation," Wen-Xi quickly fabricated an excuse to dodge Dan-Ge's request.

"What a pity! That item must be incredibly valuable. It's a shame I didn't arrive in time; otherwise, I would have bought it myself," Dan-Ge said. Although he was unsure if Wen-Xi was telling the truth, he knew Wen-Xi had a reputation for being a fair and honest seller, making his story somewhat credible.

"Ha ha ha... Your Excellency, don't worry. The item might soon be up for auction, and you'll have your chance to acquire it then," Wen-Xi replied with a slight laugh, referring to the upcoming auction. Of course, the items to be auctioned weren't antiques as he claimed; they were the elemental spiritual stones he had just obtained from Zheng-Fu.

Though not antiques, they were rare and precious, perhaps even more so.

"Then that's fine. When the time comes, I definitely won't miss the opportunity," Dan-Ge said with a sly smile before turning to Zheng-Fu. "Are you the one who found this antique?" he asked, trying to assess Zheng-Fu's energy level.

"Respect, City Governor. Yes, sir. My brothers and I found it in the northern ancient ruins," Zheng-Fu replied, clasping his hands in a respectful salute and indicating that he and the three others standing nearby had discovered the antique.

Diao and Den were puzzled by this claim, as they had found nothing but the bone saber they had sold earlier. However, before Diao could speak, his elder brother grabbed his shoulder and shot him a warning look, signaling him to stay quiet. Diao quickly realized that something was off and decided to remain silent.

Meanwhile, Luo-Qing noticed the discrepancy in the brothers' reactions, but when she glanced at Jin-Tian, she saw that he remained calm and composed, as if nothing was amiss. This left her confused, unsure of what was true and what was false.

"I want to know what kind of item you brought to the Mo-Qing Chamber of Commerce," Dan-Ge asked Zheng-Fu directly, ignoring the reactions of those around him.

"The matter is a private one between me and the chamber of commerce, Your Excellency. We've agreed not to disclose it. I'm sorry, City Governor, but I can't tell you what it is," Zheng-Fu replied, sensing that Dan-Ge didn't fully believe Wen-Xi's story, and deflected the question.

"How dare you! When the city governor asks you a question, you answer, you low-class bastard!" A middle-aged man with a large frame and a buffalo head suddenly shouted, glaring at Zheng-Fu with contempt.

"Commander Buf-Fa, why have you lost your manners?" Dan-Ge appeared to scold his subordinate, but his expression appeared to show his satisfaction.

"My apologies. I just wanted to remind this lowly bastard to know his place," Commander Buf-Fa said, pretending to apologize to the city governor for his inappropriate behavior, though everyone knew it was merely an act.

Zheng-Fu, however, remained calm and unperturbed, his expression betraying no anger. Wen-Xi could sense the danger in this calm demeanor, understanding that even ten city governors wouldn't be able to handle Zheng-Fu.

"I must apologize to the Commander and City Governor for being unable to reveal the item. If I do, I won't get the payment I deserve," Zheng-Fu said with a regretful look, lying convincingly.

Huh...?

Dan-Ge and Commander Buf-Fa both looked shocked, surprised that Zheng-Fu still refused to disclose the item, even in the presence of the city's highest authorities.

"Uncle, since he can't tell us, we shouldn't force him. When the item goes up for auction, we'll find out then," Luo-Qing interjected, sensing the situation was deteriorating and pleading with Dan-Ge with her eyes.

"Alright! Since my beloved niece has spoken, I won't press him further. But they must come with me to the city governor's residence and stay until the auction so I can keep an eye on them."

Huh!!!

Dan-Ge's words caused the two brothers to turn pale. The idea of being taken to the city governor's residence filled them with dread. They had no idea how they would be treated, nor did they know when the item Zheng-Fu claimed to have sold would be auctioned. The thought of being detained for an extended period was unbearable. Zheng-Fu, too, could not afford to wait that long.

He had many other tasks to accomplish and still needed more information about this continent. Being under constant surveillance would hinder him greatly.

"Your Excellency, I don't think this is the right approach," Wen-Xi suddenly interjected with a smile. He knew Zheng-Fu would be unwilling to go to the city governor's residence, and if Zheng-Fu became upset and decided to kill Dan-Ge, it would spell disaster for Huang-Di City.

"What do you mean? I believe I'm acting appropriately, and I'm sure the four of them are willing to accompany me. Isn't that right?" Dan-Ge asked, releasing a wave of pressure onto the group.

Wooooooosh!!!

As Dan-Ge released his energy pressure, Diao and Den turned even paler, but Zheng-Fu and Jin-Tian remained calm, unaffected by the pressure.

Seeing that the city governor was resorting to force, Zheng-Fu could no longer tolerate it and said, "We still have matters to attend to back at the clan. I don't think we can accompany City Governor to your residence," he stated calmly, as if nothing had happened.

Ah!!?

Dan-Ge's expression instantly darkened. He hadn't expected anyone to defy him like this. But upon reconsideration, he realized that these two young men were completely unfazed by his pressure.

"You two have quite some strength. Fine! If you can withstand one of my palms, I won't force you. But if you can't... well, don't expect to go anywhere else," Dan-Ge said with a mischievous smile.

Resisting Dan-Ge's palm wasn't difficult for Zheng-Fu, but if he did it too easily, it would arouse suspicion. So, he planned to cooperate with Jin-Tian to make it look more convincing.

"Alright, we'll take your palm, but we want to use our own defenses. If you use your full strength, we'll surely die," Zheng-Fu said, feigning worry and sadness.

"Very well! But don't worry; I won't use all my strength. With your current energy levels, I'll only use three parts of my power, which will be more than enough," Dan-Ge replied confidently, believing that Zheng-Fu and Jin-Tian were merely Immortal Soul stage cultivators.

This conversation caught the attention of many people, all curious about who these young men were to dare challenge the city governor. As the news spread, more and more people gathered to watch the impending confrontation.

"Who are those young men?"

"Judging by their appearance, they probably come from a small clan by the mountains."

"Yes! I recognize them; they're from the Bull Elf Race, called the Silver Body Clan, a low-level and poor clan."

"I heard that the Bull Elf Race is very weak, and their status has severely declined to the lowest rank."

"Besides, the strongest of them is only at the elementary Immortal Soul stage. What could those two youngsters possibly do against the city governor's palm?"

"Not modest at all!"

"If those two can withstand the city governor's palm, I'll run around the city naked for three rounds!"

The surrounding villagers and soldiers excitedly discussed the matter, all convinced that Zheng-Fu and Jin-Tian wouldn't stand a chance against Dan-Ge's palm. Given the status of their clan and its strongest member, the two youngsters before them were widely expected to fail.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.