Chapter 184 Who is the Prodigal Son

Ye Qingchen cupped his hands toward Qin Yue and said politely, "I must thank you for your help this time, Miss Qin. I wouldn’t have obtained the Thousand-Year Peony Heart Grass so smoothly without it."

Seeing his formal manner, Qin Yue let out a laugh. "You’ve said it before. Between us, there’s no need for such courtesies."

Ye Qingchen scratched his head.

I really did say something like that to her.

For a moment, he was at a loss for words.

Qin Yue could see his awkwardness and spoke up. "The auction has just ended, and I have some things to attend to. I won’t keep you company any longer." After speaking, Qin Yue stood up and left.

Only after she was long gone did Ye Qingchen realize he hadn’t mentioned the matter of the Spirit Stone advance. Although guests in the private rooms had a credit limit of ten thousand Low-grade Spirit Stones, Ye Qingchen understood his situation. He had only been able to enter the private room thanks to Qin Yue. Therefore, he felt it was only right to write her an IOU for the advance; otherwise, the matter would weigh on his conscience. With this in mind, Ye Qingchen also stood up and left the private room.

Now that the auction had concluded, the once-bustling hall had grown considerably quieter.

Li Zongrui had not left; instead, he was pacing around the hall, waiting for Ye Qingchen. He had far too many questions. Although asking Ye Qingchen directly about how he got the token for the private room or where he acquired so many Spirit Stones would likely yield no answers, Li Zongrui felt that just mocking him would be satisfying enough.

I believe I’ve caught him in a minor slip-up.

Unfortunately, even though the auction was over, the guards of the Rising Sun Pavilion were still at their posts, so Li Zongrui was prevented from going up to the second floor to find Ye Qingchen. He could only wait impatiently in the main hall. This only made Li Zongrui more annoyed.

Why should I, the dignified Young Sect Master of the Qingyun Sect, have to wait in the main hall for a mere disciple? If word of this got out, I’d be a laughingstock!

Luckily, Ye Qingchen didn’t keep him waiting long. Just as Ye Qingchen started down the stairs, Li Zongrui hurried over.

Ye Qingchen frowned upon seeing Li Zongrui, but he still greeted him out of politeness. "Young Sect Master, you haven’t left yet? I saw you spend extravagantly to purchase the top-grade Soul-Enhancing Pill earlier, and I haven’t had the chance to congratulate you."

What Ye Qingchen intended as a simple courtesy sounded entirely different to Li Zongrui. He took it as mockery for spending his money foolishly, and his expression soured.

If Ye Qingchen knew Li Zongrui’s thoughts, he would have cried foul. If not for your lavish spending, Young Sect Master, how could I have possibly afforded the Thousand-Year Peony Heart Grass? I don’t have enough time to thank you, let alone mock you!

Li Zongrui had intended to bring up the matter of Ye Qingchen spending six thousand Low-grade Spirit Stones on a useless piece of jade. Hearing Ye Qingchen broach the topic himself, his brief irritation gave way to a sneer. "Ye Qingchen, I don’t know where you got so many Spirit Stones, but did my father never teach you to spend money wisely? Wasting so many Spirit Stones on a worthless piece of rock... I think the title of ’spendthrift’ suits you better."

Ye Qingchen just smiled and shook his head.

He probably just stayed behind to mock me. Well, I’m certainly not going to broadcast that the jade contains a Spirit Fire Seed. Making a fortune quietly is the safest approach. As for what others say, I couldn’t care less.

Li Zongrui had expected his words to leave Ye Qingchen speechless or even infuriated. He had already planned his next round of insults, but Ye Qingchen’s calm reaction felt like punching cotton—there was nothing to grab onto. Ye Qingchen offered no explanation and simply turned to walk away.

This only angered Li Zongrui further. He shouted at Ye Qingchen’s retreating back, "Ye Qingchen, do you believe that when I get back, I’ll tell my father all about this and have him teach you a proper lesson?"

Naturally, Ye Qingchen paid no mind to Li Zongrui’s impotent fury. It was doubtful that Sect Leader Li Qingfeng would listen to Li Zongrui’s troublemaking. Besides, even if Li Qingfeng did ask, Ye Qingchen had earned those Spirit Stones himself, making him completely different from a wastrel like Li Zongrui, who was born with a silver spoon.

However, another voice from behind him made Ye Qingchen stop.

Just as Ye Qingchen was about to leave, Cheng Zhibin happened to walk out of his own private room. He was delighted to hear Li Zongrui’s mockery.

After all, it was my secret meddling that made him waste so much money, forcing him to swallow a bitter pill he can’t even complain about. His hasty departure must be a sign of his shame and anger. He just wants to get out of here.

So, after Li Zongrui finished his taunt, Cheng Zhibin immediately chimed in, "So you’re the kid with more money than sense? And here I find out you’re a disciple of the Qingyun Sect."

As he spoke, Cheng Zhibin descended the stairs and approached Li Zongrui, cupping his hands in a salute. "You must be the Young Sect Master of the Qingyun Sect, right? They say the Qingyun Sect is the number one sect in the Northern Desolate Country, but from what I’ve seen today, it’s not all it’s cracked up to be."

Hearing this, Ye Qingchen turned back around. If Cheng Zhibin had only insulted him, Ye Qingchen might have laughed it off. But he was not only mocking him but also slandering the Qingyun Sect. Ye Qingchen couldn’t let it slide.

Before Ye Qingchen could speak, however, Li Zongrui lashed out first, bellowing at Cheng Zhibin, "And who might you be? Is the Qingyun Sect something you can judge?"

As the Young Sect Master, Li Zongrui naturally couldn’t tolerate someone speaking ill of his sect. However, Cheng Zhibin’s next words made him hold his tongue.

Cheng Zhibin spoke calmly, "Don’t take offense, Young Sect Master. I have no intention of offending the Qingyun Sect. But this boy right here was merely goaded by a little trick of mine into spending six thousand Low-grade Spirit Stones on a worthless piece of rock. Isn’t that kind of temperament tarnishing the Qingyun Sect’s good name?"

Seeing Cheng Zhibin shift the blame to Ye Qingchen, Li Zongrui’s anger over the insult to his sect subsided. He pointed a finger at Ye Qingchen and said, "Do you hear that, Ye Qingchen? It’s because of you, you spendthrift, that others are ridiculing our Qingyun Sect. Don’t you feel ashamed?"