Inside the tea room, several people sat together silently drinking tea, no one speaking, creating an unusually awkward atmosphere.
After a while, Qi Rong put down her teacup and praised, "It tastes good."
Ding Mengchao's true intentions were not in the tea; upon hearing this, he vaguely replied, "I'm glad you like it, Senior Brother," while his eyes kept glancing at Qinghe.
Qi Rong subtly leaned forward, blocking Ding Mengchao's unbridled gaze, and asked, "Where is Elder Ding?"
Ding Mengchao was somewhat annoyed, but dared not vent it. He said, "Ever since we obtained the divine pearl, Father has been in his study all day. I haven't seen him for a day now."
Qi Rong: "He knows about the rumors outside, doesn't he?"
Speaking of the rumors, Ding Mengchao was somewhat angry: "It's just a bunch of rumors from the streets. They're jealous that Father won the Divine Pearl and gained supreme power, so they made up this set of rumors to slander Father."
Qi Rong and Qing He exchanged a glance, and then he said, "Today's Pearl Appreciation Ceremony was held by Father to dispel the rumors. He will not only prove to everyone that the Divine Pearl is real, but he will also personally guide the power within the Divine Pearl into his body to break through the bottleneck." He picked up his teacup, took a sip of tea, and said with emotion, "This is Father's wish for many years, and it will soon be fulfilled."
Upon hearing this, his fellow disciples all bowed and offered their congratulations, displaying a sycophantic manner, while Qi Rong and Qing He remained silent.
After a long silence, Qinghe suddenly spoke up: "What if the divine pearl is fake?"
Ding Mengchao clearly disliked this topic, and his gaze towards Qinghe sharpened: "The Divine Pearl cannot be fake. Everyone witnessed the scene at the auction that day, and with the reputation and word-of-mouth accumulated by the auction house over the years, how could they possibly sell counterfeit goods!"
Qing looked at him calmly: "What if the Yichang are being coerced, or what if they don't even know if the Divine Pearl is real or fake? Have you ever thought about why they would put such a treasure like the Divine Pearl up for auction instead of keeping it for themselves?"
Ding Mengchao, upon hearing her words, not only did not give them serious consideration, but instead said in a disdainful tone: "What else could it be for? It's just money. The charity fair is, to put it bluntly, just a business, and businessmen are ultimately after money."
Qinghe shook her head inwardly. This child, I've made it so obvious, why can't you understand?
After failing to persuade her, Qinghe felt there was no need to stay any longer and turned to leave.
The moment she stood up, Qi Rong also stood up, and the two walked out side by side.
Ding Mengchao hurriedly spoke from behind, "Why are you leaving? Won't you have another drink?" He spoke to the two of them, but his eyes remained fixed on Qinghe.
Qinghe said calmly, "No need. If we drink any more, the tea will taste different."
Despite the woman's nonchalant tone, Ding Mengchao felt a chill run down her spine. There was indeed something in the tea, but she hadn't expected this woman to be so secretive, not just someone with the Foundation Establishment cultivation level she displayed on the surface.
And then there's Qi Rong... and judging from her interaction with Qi Rong, the two obviously know each other.
What is your relationship?
Qi Rong glanced at him, then looked at Qing He gently, her eyes like spring water, and said softly, "She is my wife."
A casual remark was like a sharp arrow piercing Ding Mengchao's heart. He never expected that the two of them would have this kind of relationship. Wasn't it rumored that Qi Rong was not interested in women? What's going on here?
And wasn't his 1,500 taels of silver notes wasted?
His heart was in turmoil, but he tried his best to remain calm on the surface, saying with a hint of surprise, "Oh, I see. How come I've never heard that you, Senior Brother, are already married?"
Qi Rong glanced at him coolly, fanned herself, and tilted her head slightly, saying, "I like it, it's none of your business."
*Thud*, another arrow shot towards him.
If he continued to ask, Ding Mengchao would probably lose his gentlemanly image. Right now, he just wanted to get rid of these two big shots as soon as possible.
He forced a smile, saying, "In that case, I won't keep you two any longer. Take care."
Even after the two had walked quite a distance, Ding Mengchao continued to stare intently at their retreating figures, unable to snap out of his daze for a long time.
Several fellow disciples gathered around to comfort him, saying, "It's just a woman. With your wealth and status, you can find any woman you want."
"That's right, she's gone, so don't go and provoke her again. Qi Rong is not someone to be trifled with."
"Yeah yeah……"
After being comforted by several people, Ding Mengchao finally calmed down. A fierce light flashed in his eyes as he secretly vowed that one day he would surpass Qi Rong and become a top being in the Three Realms. At that time, he would definitely take revenge on them!
...
In a quiet corridor, Qinghe walked slowly ahead, while Qirong watched her back from behind. After thinking for a long time, he stepped forward and said to her, "I'm sorry about earlier."
Qinghe stopped in her tracks and looked at him: "Why are you apologizing?"
Qi Rong pursed her lips: "For that sentence, 'You are my wife.'"
Qinghe rolled her eyes, and after a moment said, "I accept." Then she continued walking forward.
Qi Rong breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that she wasn't angry, but he also felt inexplicably disappointed that she didn't show any other emotions. He raised his hand to press his chest, lowered his eyes and stood still for a long time.
...
At 1:15 AM, Ding Zhaoshan appeared precisely on time, and the noisy crowd gradually quieted down.
Ding Zhaoshan stood on the high platform, with a table in front of him. On the table was a raised piece of yellow brocade, which was obviously the divine pearl.
The people below had all come for the divine pearl, and their eyes were all on the brocade cloth on the table. Ding Zhaoshan was well aware of this, so he didn't waste any words and got straight to the point after a few polite exchanges.
"You have all come from afar, and you must have heard of the great name of the Divine Pearl. It is said that the appearance of the Divine Pearl will bring a great calamity. I do not think so. Although the Divine Pearl is powerful, if it is used for good and brings benefits to all, it will be of great merit. Today, I will use the Divine Pearl to draw energy into my body and break through the bottleneck that I have been stuck in for many years, so that Luochuan City can have a place in the Three Realms in the future."
After he finished speaking, there was another uproar from the crowd.
Qinghe overheard someone whispering, "They talk a good game, but it's all for their own benefit."
Someone nearby chimed in, "That's right. He says it's for Luochuan City, but the Divine Pearl is still only for his own use. If he's really so selfless, he should just give up the Divine Pearl. What are you talking about here!"
Qinghe did not comment on this. The Divine Pearl was obtained by Ding Zhaoshan at the auction and should rightfully belong to him. Although his words were a bit impassioned, they were not unreasonable. After all, if Ding Zhaoshan really cultivated into a god with the Divine Pearl, then Luochuan City's status in the Three Realms would soar to new heights.
She just didn't expect anyone to use this as a pretext to launch a massive attack; truly, greed knows no bounds.
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