Chapter 544 The Tang Family in Distress
On the other hand, Tang Ruyan and Zhong Lingtong had become quite used to seeing beast kings on sale. They could no longer offer any comment when Su Ping was selling a beast king for no apparent reason again.
Where did he get so many beast kings? He didn’t need them?
They had never seen Su Ping have many beast kings with him.
If he did have beast kings of his own, why would he keep the Inferno Dragon and that strange dog with him?
They couldn’t understand this, and that was always the case when it came to Su Ping. Therefore, the two girls had long given up on the attempt to find the answer. They were just a couple of innocent onlookers in that place.
Amid disbelieving stares, Su Ping stepped to the door and summoned the dragon he had captured and added to the list of battle pets on sale.
The price was 180 million!
Boom!
The dragon that was dozens of meters tall landed on the street and its wings extended over the roofs on both sides of the street, blotting out the sun. The vicious energy of a beast king dragon stunned everyone present. Many people narrowed their eyes in astonishment.
Beast king?!
The advanced battle pet warriors were scared out of their wits.
A beast king was right in front of them. How shocking!
Even the t.i.tled battle pet warriors were barely able to hold back the urge to scream in fear. Their blood was freezing. They were afraid the dragon would kill them if they made a slight movement!
“What?”
Across the street, on the second floor, Qin Duhuang was surprised by the sudden appearance of a dragon. The next second, he felt something. Is that…
Whoos.h.!.+
He rushed to Su Ping’s store.
The strong energy that came from him allowed him to squeeze through the crowd and reach Su Ping’s door easily. Qin Duhuang found himself by the foot of the beast king.
Even if he was a legendary battle pet warrior, Qin Duhuang still felt some pressure from this beast king, which was like that of the Storm Scorpion, or even stronger.
After all, dragons were the most powerful beasts!
“Do you want it?” Su Ping asked the mayor.
The mayor was still staring at the legs of the dragon. He could not see the dragon as a whole since he was standing inside the store. Still, he was sure that the energy of the beast king was making his blood freeze.
“Buy it?”
The mayor was dumbfounded.
I can get the beast king for 180 million astral coins. Really?
It’s not a joke?
“Are you sure that I can buy it?” The mayor felt compelled to ask again. He was worried that it would be some sort of a test devised by Su Ping, and that agreeing to buy it would make him look too arrogant and Su Ping would belittle him for that.
Buying a beast king for 180 million was like asking for the moon.
“Of course I’m sure,” Su Ping rea.s.sured the mayor, “Now that you’re at my store, you are my customer. Pay the bill. I don’t do transactions on credit.”
Su Ping sounded so calm that it seemed that he wasn’t talking about a beast king. The mayor made up his mind. “Yes, I will take it. I will take it even if the price were 10 times higher. Sir, thank you.”
“Just 180 million. I don’t accept extra money Pay the bill. The QR code is printed on the counter,” Su Ping said. The mayor saw the QR code. He scanned the code and transferred 180 million to Su Ping.
He wanted to transfer two hundred million to Su Ping directly. But on second thought, he wondered if that would please Su Ping at all.
Such a person would not value such a small sum of money!
The young man was basically giving the beast king to him for free!
Since Su Ping had made it clear that the price was 180 million, giving two hundred million would not be a smart thing to do.
Soon, the mayor transferred the money. Su Ping heard a ring on his phone. “All right, go ahead and establish the contract. By the way, once you buy a pet in my store, you cannot willfully cancel the contract within a ten year period. You will have to come to me and explain the reason, then cancel the contract after you have my permission. Do you agree to these terms?” The mayor nodded without hesitation. “Yes, I do.”
Honestly.
This was a beast king. Why would he cancel the contract in his sane mind?
The mayor found the rule unnecessary but he didn’t think too much of it. After all, the big shots were p.r.o.ne to develop some peculiarities. As a matter of fact, people were all peculiar. It was just that those who weren’t big shots were afraid to show them.
“Go ahead,” Su Ping said.
Right then, Qin Duhuang entered the store.
“Mr. Su, long time no see. You must have taken a lot of trouble for my people,” Qin Duhuang said with a smile. He was referring to the Qin family elder that was there for pet training.
“It’s my job,” answered Su Ping.
Qin Duhuang had noticed the mayor but didn’t recognize the man. He just noted that he was at the t.i.tled rank and seemed to be a man of influence. Qin Duhuang cut to the chase at once, “Mr. Su, this dragon is…?”
“On sale.” Su Ping added, “Just sold.”
Qin Duhuang was gloating after hearing the first two words and was disappointed by the last two words. He turned to the man standing by Su Ping That man was surely the buyer.
“I was one step too late…” Qin Duhuang produced a forced smile. Although disappointed, he managed to hide it. It was Su Ping’s right to sell the battle pets to anyone he liked and Qin Duhuang knew he couldn’t have asked Su Ping for privileges.
The mayor was surprised. Too late? So, this man was also trying to buy the battle pet? The mayor then recognized that the old guy was Qin Duhuang!
The leader of the Qin family!
Dozens of years in the past, Qin Duhuang had been a famous t.i.tled battle pet warrior, just like Venerable the Blade. He later retired to oversee his family and gradually lost his fame.
Still, not too long ago, he had reached the legendary rank! He had attracted much attention after breaking through.
“Mr. Qin, it is my honor to meet you,” the mayor said at once.
He was curious. It appeared that this wasn’t Qin Duhuang’s first time in the store to buy a beast king.
That had to be the case with Venerable the Blade as well… The mayor was stunned speechless. He stole a glance at Su Ping. How many beast kings had this man sold…
“Are you the mayor of the Hancheng Base City, Mr. Jiang?” Finally, Qin Duhuang recognized the man. After all, the Qin family would keep information about base city mayors and t.i.tled battle pet warriors. The mayor smiled.
“Mr. Jiang, you are one lucky man…” Qin Duhuang exclaimed. He was a bit envious. He had been living across the street and yet that mayor had beat him to it, while he even wasn’t from that base city.
But Qin Duhuang didn’t bother over that fact because he could tell that Su Ping had meant to sell the beast king to someone else. Qin Duhuang was afraid that complaining would upset Su Ping.
The mayor also realized that buying the beast king could make others envious. He expressed his thanks again and as Su Ping instructed, he went outside to sign a contract with the dragon.
The sheer size of the dragon frightened the mayor when he saw it whole. He even wondered if he would be able to sign the contract, and if the dragon would fight back.
After all, it was a beast king, and a healthy one at that. Generally speaking, a t.i.tled battle pet warrior would technically be unable to establish a contract with such a beast king.
The mayor tried with care and soon the contract was smoothly built.
The dragon would not fight back while the pressure from the system was in effect. It would stay loyal to its master, to begin with. The dragon would only fight back if the mayor were to act abusively or anger it on purpose.
Those standing on the street were stunned speechless at how the mayor signed the contract without any difficulties.
People had a.s.sumed that it was Su Ping’s pet when the dragon came out.
However, a t.i.tled battle pet warrior had become the master of that dragon, right in front of them!
What happened?
Whoos.h.!.+ Whoos.h.!.+ Whoos.h.!.+
Several people arrived; they were the elders of the Mu family and the other major families.
The elders noticed they were too late, once they noticed that the dragon had already taken a master. They were afraid that their family heads were going to blame them for not acting faster.
“Mr. Su, you’ve sold another beast king.”
The Ye family elder smiled fawningly.
The Liu family elder asked about the unfamiliar man, “And you are?”
The mayor was still in a daze after the contract was finalized and the new consciousness appeared in his. A dream had come true.
The question pulled him back into reality. The man asked to probe for information. As such, the mayor decided not to reply; he didn’t want more people to find out that he wasn’t from the Longjiang Base City. “Mr. Su, thank you.”
The mayor turned around and bowed to Su Ping.
That was how he expressed the magnitude of his grat.i.tude.
“I’m merely doing business. You don’t have to thank me,” Su Ping said, “I’m the one who should be thanking you, for the materials.”
“Sir, you are very welcome.”
Su Ping didn’t indulge in small talk. He went back inside.
Qin Duhuang and the other family elders realized that Su Ping had purposefully sold the beast king to that man because he had provided some materials Su Ping needed.
They remembered the materials Su Ping had asked them to find for him. They then realized they had found a great way to get beast kings.
The ones standing outside on the street were so stunned that they couldn’t close their mouths.
Su Ping sold that beast king?
A beast king?!
The onlookers gulped. The words “Pet Store” above the door felt offending to the eyes. It was a pet store run by a legendary battle pet warrior!
The mayor rode the dragon with his two men right after he said his thanks. Even though he was the current source of envy since he had nabbed the beast king, no one would eagerly follow him to s.n.a.t.c.h the dragon from him. A t.i.tled battle pet warrior with a beast king could be regarded as a Fate Challenger.
Fate Challengers usually came once in a few hundred years and yet, just then, a man had become one. He had the power of a legendary battle pet warrior!
Since the battle pet was gone, Qin Duhuang said goodbye, dejected and disappointed.
The other family elders also left; they had to wait for another chance.
Su Ping waited for a while but no one went to pick up their pets. However, about thirty minutes later, those who were waiting outside the store suddenly swarmed in.
They first greeted Su Ping.
“Sir, I heard that you offer pet training services. We’re here to have our pets trained,” a middle-aged man asked, smiling fawningly. They had been afraid to go in at first. They later obtained some information from the locals and understood that Su Ping’s store offered pet training services.
Of course, their primary goal was not to have their pets trained; they mainly wanted to get closer to Su Ping. If they could get a beast king like the one they had just seen, their trip over would have been more than worthwhile.
“Sure.”
Su Ping said calmly, “I’m fine with you if you come here for my services. I do not only offer pet training but pet food as well. Be my guest and take a look. My products have the highest quality.”
“Of course.”
“Sir, your pet store must be the best there is.”
All of them tried to b.u.t.ter Su Ping up.
He wasn’t in the mood to correct them anymore.
Those people looked around and many wanted to leave upon learning the prices.
They had antic.i.p.ated that the prices in a store run by a legendary battle pet warrior would be high, but they didn’t know that the prices could be that steep.
Training one advanced pet would cost a hundred million!
Just training, not buying one!
The highest market price for a ninth-rank adult dragon would be one hundred million, unless the dragon was at the peak of the ninth rank and had a rare bloodline. Training would do nothing more than improve the pet a little bit.
While Su Ping was a legendary battle pet warrior, he hadn’t been recognized as a trainer. Asking for such a whooping price was unacceptable to many people.
While some decided to quit, some chose to spend money to forge a friends.h.i.+p. Some paid the one hundred million, although it pained their hearts to do so.
Su Ping understood what people were thinking but he didn’t care. He would convince his customers with his work, not his mouth.
While he was busy taking care of his customers, a girl in her twenties noticed Tang Ruyan, who was helping receive the customers.
She had to take a closer look to be sure that it was indeed Tang Ruyan. The girl stepped out from the line and a t.i.tled battle pet warrior hurried to fetch her. “Miss, what are you doing?” The old man sounded nervous.
Su Ping was behind the counter. The old man was worried that his young lady’s rash behavior would upset that legendary battle pet warrior.
The girl ran to Tang Ruyan and asked, “Ruyan, is it really you?”
Tang Ruyan was bored because everyone was behaving and there was no order for her to uphold. She was surprised by the girl that ran to her. “Xiao Meng, what are you doing here?”
an
The girl named Xiao Meng was excited. “It is you. I knew I was right. What are you doing here? I heard from the Tang family that you were dead. I wanted to go to your memorial but they said no outsiders were allowed…”
Tang Ruyan produced a forced smile. “I’m dead to them, as far as the Tang family is concerned.”
“Why? What happened?” Xiao Meng asked.
Tang Ruyan shook her head. “Nothing. What are you doing here? You are the most precious to your family. I cannot believe you were allowed out of your family territory.”
The Xiao Meng girl was a young lady of the Xia family and Tang Ruyan’s friend.
“Nice to meet you, Lady Tang,” the old man behind Xia Yumeng said in a low voice.
He also stole a glance at Su Ping and was relieved that he didn’t mind their little interactions.
Tang Ruyan found the old man’s fear of Su Ping amusing. Having spent so much time with him, Tang Ruyan no longer found Su Ping intimidating. “I’m no longer the young lady of the Tang family. You don’t have to do this.”
“You’re not?” Xia Yumeng stared at Tang Ruyan, bewildered.
Tang Ruyan was not in the mood to talk about the past unhappiness. “Let’s not talk about this. Since you’re here, why don’t you stay for a couple of days? I will show you around after I finish my s.h.i.+ft; I can ask for a leave from my boss.”
“Eh…”
Xia Yumeng failed to locate a response.
The old man was just as baffled.
Asking for a leave from the boss?
Does she mean the legendary battle pet warrior?
So, Tang Ruyan was working for a legendary battle pet warrior?!
The girl and the old man looked at each other, surprised. They remembered how they saw Tang Ruyan was trying to keep order in the store.
The young lady of the Tang family who was rumored to have died was working for a legendary battle pet warrior, and she claimed that she was no longer part of the Tang family. So, had the Tang family devised a different plan for her?
If so, had they stumbled upon a big secret of the Tang family? Xia Yumeng was concerned. She didn’t want too many complications in her relations.h.i.+p with Tang Ruyan. She was about to turn down Tang Ruyan’s offer when she thought of something
“Ruyan, the Tang family is in trouble. Did you know that?”
“What?”
Tang Ruyan turned pale.
Xia Yumeng was surprised since Tang Ruyan had been kept in the dark.
She explained. “I heard that the Tang family offended someone horrifying. It happened recently, something went wrong when your family head was cultivating and was badly wounded. That information was somehow leaked. Right now, the Situ family, the w.a.n.g family, and other families were giving the Tang family a hard time. I believe they’re going to join hands.”
Tang Ruyan could not believe that.
The Situ family and the w.a.n.g family were two of the four ancient families. Any one of them was able to compete with the Tang family. The four ancient families were quite similar in strength.