Chapter 132: Digging One's Own Grave

Following the direction of his finger, Yuan Zhonghuang’s gaze fell upon Ye Tianci, and he immediately strode forward.

Zhang Mingyu shouted triumphantly at Ye Tianci, "Kid, kneel down and beg Master Yuan for mercy right now! Otherwise, Master Yuan will..."

His words came to an abrupt halt. His eyes widened instantly, to the point where they seemed about to pop out of their sockets. He stared ahead as if he had seen a ghost.

"Mr. Ye, why are you here? What is going on?" Yuan Zhonghuang rushed up to Ye Tianci, bowing respectfully. His demeanor and expression were like that of a primary school student seeing his most respected teacher.

Zhang Mingyu was completely dumbfounded. The onlookers’ jaws dropped; everyone stared with wide, disbelieving eyes. The legendary Master Yuan of Shucheng was actually being this respectful toward Ye Tianci! If they hadn't seen it with their own eyes, no one would have believed it.

After Ye Tianci spoke a few brief words, Yuan Zhonghuang was instantly incensed. He turned and marched up to Zhang Mingyu.

"Master Yuan, my Mingyu Studio has always been under your protection. You must uphold justice for me," Zhang Mingyu said, his face full of expectation.

*Slap!*

The response was a fierce, stinging blow to the face. Yuan Zhonghuang’s slap was so solid that half of Zhang Mingyu’s face immediately swelled up.

"You scoundrel! How dare you toy with and bully Mr. Ye!" Yuan Zhonghuang roared.

Zhang Mingyu clutched his face, looking at Yuan Zhonghuang in terror; he had been stunned by the slap.

"What are you standing there for? Kneel down and apologize to Mr. Ye immediately!" Yuan Zhonghuang bellowed like a fierce demon.

Zhang Mingyu shivered, his legs turning to jelly—how could he possibly remain standing? *Thump!* He collapsed to his knees, his face drained of all color. Even if he was foolish, he now understood that he had provoked someone he shouldn't have—Ye Tianci was someone even Yuan Zhonghuang feared and respected.

"Brother Ye... no, no! Mr. Ye, I’m sorry!"

"It... it was my ignorance. You are a man of great stature; please don't hold this against me."

*Slap!*

As Zhang Mingyu begged for mercy on his knees, he slapped himself. The force was light; he was just putting on a show. Ye Tianci looked at him with playful mockery and sneered, "If you're going to slap yourself, do it harder. That was so light, are you trying to give yourself a massage?"

Zhang Mingyu looked pitiably at Yuan Zhonghuang, whispering, "Master Yuan, please put in a good word for me."

Yuan Zhonghuang snorted coldly, "Zhang Mingyu, if you can't satisfy Mr. Ye, your Mingyu Studio will be closed down today!"

Several burly men stepped forward like demons, shouting in unison, "Do it yourself, or shall we help you?"

Zhang Mingyu was terrified. His last shred of wishful thinking shattered. Daring not to hesitate any longer, he raised his hands and began to slap himself violently.

*Slap!* *Slap!*

The Mingyu Studio fell into a dead silence, with only the sound of Zhang Mingyu’s self-inflicted slaps echoing through the room. Everyone held their breath as they watched. At first, Zhang Mingyu had been forced, but as he thought about it, he grew more frustrated and hated himself even more. He increased his strength, slapping his face hard from both sides. After a dozen slaps, both his cheeks were swollen, and blood leaked from the corners of his mouth.

"That’s enough," Ye Tianci waved his hand.

Zhang Mingyu stopped and crawled up from the floor, looking at Ye Tianci with trepidation. "Mr. Ye, I know I was wrong. You can take the remaining eleven raw jade stones and keep them, free of charge."

Ye Tianci smiled coldly. "Sorry, I don't feel like carving them anymore."

Zhang Mingyu’s lips trembled, and he was on the verge of tears. "Mr. Ye, please... please just let me off."

"Didn't you want to buy them back? I agree. Four million, take the whole lot and buy them back," Ye Tianci said, his face full of mockery.

"Sir, four million is a bit too high," Zhang Mingyu said with a mournful face.

"No bargaining," Ye Tianci said with a cold expression.

Zhang Mingyu looked at Ye Tianci, then at Yuan Zhonghuang and the burly men behind him; he was genuinely on the verge of tears. But he dared not say a single word of dissent. With a heavy sigh and a stomp of his foot, he said, "Fine! Four million! I'll buy them!"

He had dug his own grave today, losing both the girl and the soldiers!

"Boss Zhang, one must be fair in business and honest in character," Ye Tianci patted Zhang Mingyu on the shoulder. Zhang Mingyu nodded tremblingly, not daring to speak further.

"Young man, my Qingbao Group is willing to purchase these jade stones you’ve carved at a high price! Would you be willing to part with them?" Pei Qingzhi stepped forward.

Many people nearby had wanted to buy the jade from Ye Tianci, but once Pei Qingzhi made his stance known, they all sighed and retreated. No one had the strength to compete with the Qingbao Group. Everyone thought Ye Tianci would sell the jade to Pei Qingzhi, especially since the old man had spoken up for him earlier.

Unexpectedly, Ye Tianci refused without hesitation. "Old man, I’m sorry, but I’m not selling any of these jade stones."

Pei Qingzhi was stunned; he hadn't expected to be refused. In Shucheng, no one had ever denied him when it came to jade.

The young woman beside him stood up angrily. "My grandfather is buying your jade to give you face! Anyone else would be begging to sell their jade to my grandfather!"

Ye Tianci frowned slightly. Why were there always such self-righteous people? He said coldly, "Others are others, and I am me. I am not selling. Do you intend to force a purchase?"

"Oh? You dare talk back to me? You really have no idea how high the sky is. Let me tell you..." The young woman wanted to continue threatening Ye Tianci, but Pei Qingzhi barked at her, "Rou'er! Do not be rude!"

"Grandpa! Look at this man, he is just too..."

"Say no more. Let’s go." Pei Qingzhi waved his hand and, supported by the young woman, began to walk out.

Watching Pei Qingzhi’s retreating figure, Ye Tianci frowned and said, "This old gentleman’s physical condition is not optimistic. If he is not treated soon, I fear there may be a danger to his life."

"My grandfather is perfectly healthy! How dare you spout nonsense and fear-monger here?!" The young woman turned back and glared fiercely at Ye Tianci.

Ye Tianci shook his head helplessly. He had only offered a kind reminder because he saw that Pei Qingzhi was a man of integrity who had spoken up for him. He hadn't expected his granddaughter to be so arrogant.

Saying no more, Ye Tianci said to Yuan Zhonghuang, "Send someone to deliver these jade stones to my residence. Also, you are responsible for collecting the four million that Boss Zhang owes me. Take the money and use it to treat the brothers of the Zhongyi Hall."

Yuan Zhonghuang grinned. "Don't worry, Mr. Ye, I will get it done!"

Yuan Zhonghuang sent men to deliver the jade stones Ye Tianci had chosen to his villa and escorted Zhang Mingyu to collect the money. When Ye Tianci returned to the villa, Yuan Zhonghuang’s men had already delivered all the stones.

He moved the eight best-quality jade stones, which contained the most spiritual energy, into the basement of the villa. He arranged them in the formation of the Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams, placed the Blood Spirit Jade at the center, formed hand seals with his palms, and struck the core of the formation!

*Hum!*

The air in the basement emitted a roar, as if it were vibrating. Then, it returned to calm. A smile curled at the corners of Ye Tianci’s lips.

The Spirit Gathering Array was complete!

Ye Tianci had bought the jade specifically to use the Blood Spirit Jade as the core to set up this array. The moment it was completed, thin wisps of spiritual energy from heaven and earth began to pour into the villa from all directions. Although each wisp was faint, gathered together, the amount was substantial.

The villa was now like the center of a vortex, slowly drawing in the spiritual energy from the surrounding miles. It was a continuous flow! Most importantly, all the gathered spiritual energy, if not consumed by Ye Tianci, could be temporarily stored within the eye of the array. It would condense and not dissipate!

Whenever Ye Tianci practiced, he could draw this spiritual energy from the array at any time, making his cultivation twice as effective with half the effort. This was the true benefit of the Spirit Gathering Array.