“What? Huo Yuhao!” Xu Jiujiu was immediately riled up, and she leapt to her feet as her perky chest pumped up and down. She gritted her teeth and said, “It hasn’t even been two days, and you’re playing me already?”
Huo Yuhao shivered all over and said, “I wouldn’t dare to think of it. You can’t say things like this, princess! I still have to find a wife.”
“You…” Xu Jiujiu felt as if she were going insane – this guy was just too hateful.
Wang Dong’er was behind Huo Yuhao, and she discreetly pinched him in the back. This bastard – he’s twisting her words, and yet he’s making himself sound so logical, as if he’s right. She was also a girl, and Wang Dong’er was starting to sympathize with Princess Jiujiu. Of course, she was dressed like a guy at the moment, so she couldn’t express anything that resembled a girl’s emotions, so she could only lower her head and force back her amusement.
The Starcloud Douluo immediately became a little unfriendly. She lowered her voice and said, “Do you know what you’re doing? Karma will find you if you go back on your word.” It was obvious that her words were hostile and threatening.
Huo Yuhao heaved a faint sigh. He forced a laugh and said, “I’m so sorry – I don’t wish for this to happen either. But you guys also know the Sun Moon Empire has monopolized seventy percent of the Continent’s rare metals, and they’ve prohibited exports. The Tang Sect has just been reestablished, so how can we have any channels or avenues to purchase resources and materials in bulk? Thankfully, Shrek City is developed and wealthy enough. Otherwise, we might not even be able to guarantee delivery and supply of our goods. The lack of resources and materials will undoubtedly lead to a rise in price. There’s nothing I can do about that.”
Xu Jiujiu said angrily, “Enough with that nonsense. The few of you make the decisions within the Tang Sect anyway. Furthermore, do you dare to claim that the Tang Sect is not related to Shrek Academy in any way? How can you guys lack materials and resources with Shrek Academy redirecting resources from Shrek City? Furthermore, all you need to craft your Zhuge Divine Crossbow Cannon is some relatively high-density steel.”
Xu Jiujiu was responsible for the Star Luo Empire’s intelligence, so she wasn’t that easy to deceive.
Huo Yuhao sighed and said, “Since that’s the case, then you can find out how many customers we have at the moment. Both the Heavenly Soul Empire and the Dou Ling Empire are both important business partners for us. You’re right – our Zhuge Divine Crossbow Cannon’s outer body only requires tough steel. But what about its formation arrays? Can we actually craft these formation arrays without rare metals?”
Xu Jiujiu laughed coldly and said, “We can’t take apart its formation arrays anyway. It will explode if we do that, so you can say whatever you want about it.”
Huo Yuhao frowned and said, “Princess, if you keep negotiating with me with such a rejecting attitude, I believe there’s no need for us to continue this negotiation. If we want to be partners, we have to build this partnership on mutual trust and benefit as the foundations. I’m really sorry about the rise in price, but there’s really nothing we can do about that. How about this – you can go back and cool off, and you can calculate how much our Zhuge Divine Crossbow Cannons and our sealed Milk Bottles are worth after the inflation before we continue any further negotiations.”
“Hmph!” Xu Jiujiu grunted furiously before she started walking out of the room. She seemed enraged, but she was extremely calm inside – she was clear that she had been completely defeated by Huo Yuhao in this negotiation, and there was no other possible outcome than accommodating his demands if they continued with the negotiation. But she was absolutely unwilling to do that! She believed that Huo Yuhao and the Tang Sect would never give up a customer as big as the Star Luo Empire.
Right at this moment, knocking sounds could be heard once more, and Princess Jiujiu halted in her tracks as she was walking to the door.
Wang Dong’er walked over to open the door, and there were two pretty girls and a middle-aged man standing outside.
The person standing in front of the group was a young girl in a long white dress. She had a certain cold and crisp quality about her, and her features were very attractive. This girl was also mildly surprised when Wang Dong’er opened the door, and her eyes seemed to be searching her memory as she mumbled, “You… Who are you?”
Wang Dong’er smiled and said, “What? Don’t you recognize me, Mu Xue? I’m Wang Dong. We’ve been acquainted for some time.”
Dong’er dressed like a guy was something that most girls couldn’t resist. Even though Wang Dong used to have short hair, her unrivaled good looks were enough to enchant every single girl.
Mu Xue cleared her throat, and the iciness on her face melted a little. “Oh, it’s you. When I last met Huo Yuhao, the girl beside him looked a lot like you.”
Wang Dong’er answered plainly, “Her name is Wang Qiu’er, and she’s part of the team representing Shrek Academy. I believe you will meet her soon during the competition.”
“She’s your sister?” It was clear that Mu Xue’s eyes sparkled with curiosity and the desire for gossip.
Wang Dong’er smiled. “Are you here today to ask me about such things?”
Mu Xue froze, and she shot a faintly resentful look at her as she said, “Can we go inside now? Is Huo Yuhao around? We’ve already conducted experiments and field-tests with the item that he’s given us. We’re here today to talk about becoming business partners.”
Wang Dong’er opened the door and made a gesture to invite them inside.
The three of them entered the room, and they ran straight into Princess Jiujiu, who was just standing there. Xu Jiujiu’s eyes didn’t pause on Mu Xue, and she looked beyond her at the second girl behind her.
This girl was wearing a long yellow dress, and she seemed extremely gentle. Water seemed to meander within her beautiful eyes, and Xu Jiujiu could still feel that subtle tenderness even though she was looking her from afar. This girl was even prettier than Mu Xue.
“Wei Na?” Xu Jiujiu exclaimed.
The young girl looked at her and said, “Why are you here, Jiujiu?” The yellow-dressed girl’s pleasant voice could be heard as she took a few steps forward. She had a look of pleasant surprise on her face.
Wei Na and Mu Xue were part of the company from the Heavenly Soul Empire that Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong’er had run into when they were inside the Great Star Dou Forest. The middle-aged man that had accompanied them here today was Mo Feiyun, the same man that led the group back then.
Huo Yuhao turned his wheelchair with one hand, and he smiled at Mo Feiyun. “Greetings, Uncle Mo. It’s been a while.”
Mo Feiyun was astonished when he saw the state that Huo Yuhao was in. “Yuhao, you…”
Huo Yuhao forced a laugh and said, “I was in an accident. I can only move this arm at the moment.” He moved his right arm as he spoke.
Mu Xue and Wei Na looked over when they overheard Huo Yuhao and Mo Feiyun’s conversation. Mu Xue was also momentarily stunned when she saw Huo Yuhao sitting in a wheelchair.
“You… what happened to you? Why are you like that?” It wasn’t too long ago that she had met Huo Yuhao and Wang Qiu’er. She had never expected that this energetic and fearsome youth from before would be a cripple when they met again.
Huo Yuhao laughed mockingly at himself. “Perhaps this is my punishment for trespassing over the airspace of the Heavenly Soul Empire’s capital city. Greetings, Mu Xue. Hello, Wei Na.”
“Hello.” Wei Na stared at Huo Yuhao, and it was clear that her eyes flowed with faint pity and sympathy. It was a terrible thing for a soul master to be able to move only one arm, but he seemed very open-minded about it.
The organizing committee had allocated the lowest-tier room to the team from the Tang Sect, and there were now so many people standing around inside that it felt a little packed.
Huo Yuhao looked at Xu Jiujiu and said, “Aren’t you going back to think about this, princess? I won’t escort you out, then.”
Xu Jiujiu stared deeply into his eyes. She grunted coldly and said, “I haven’t seen Wei Na in a long time. I’m going to accompany her for a little while more.” Her eyes gradually became aglare as she spoke. There was no question that Huo Yuhao had planned this seemingly coincidental encounter.
Huo Yuhao naturally understood what she was trying to say. He laughed bitterly and said, “Would you believe me if I said this was all a coincidence?”
“What do you think?” Xu Jiujiu raised her chin.
“Alright. Then think of it as if I’ve planned it, then,” Huo Yuhao said exasperatedly, “My place is a little small, everyone. Please have a seat however you like.”
Huo Yuhao was a little surprised as the person that spoke to him amongst the three of them wasn’t Mu Xue or Mo Feiyun – it was Wei Na, the seemingly fragile and gentle girl.
She stepped forward with a smile on her face and arrived before Huo Yuhao. “Hello, Yuhao. Can we discuss this in private?”
Huo Yuhao sounded a little helpless. “Look, the room is only so big. I’m afraid that speaking in private will be quite difficult.”
Wei Na said, “If you don’t mind, I can push you into my room. I’ll send you back once we finish our negotiations.”
“No!” Two different female voices could be heard exclaiming at the same time.
Wang Dong’er wasn’t one of them – the voices belonged to Mu Xue and Princess Jiujiu. Urgency and hastiness returned to Xu Jiujiu’s eyes, while Mu Xue’s eyes flowed with vigilance and wariness. Wang Dong’er was smiling to one side, and her smile was a little strange and sinister. However, nobody else but Huo Yuhao paid any attention to her.
Huo Yuhao said exasperatedly, “Please, everyone. I’m just a cripple.”
Mu Xue grunted and said, “It doesn’t matter – I have to be present. I’ll accompany Wei Na for the negotiations, and then I’ll send you back.”
Xu Jiujiu’s face turned black as she said, “No way. Can’t you see that we’re discussing official business? I should have priority since I came here first.”
Mu Xue glanced at her and said, “You must be the Star Luo Empire’s Princess Jiujiu. If I’m not wrong, you were just about to leave when we arrived. This means that your negotiations are over, and it’s our turn now.”
The two girls stared into each other’s eyes, and intense sparks seemed to fly. Wei Na glanced at Huo Yuhao rather apologetically, and then she turned towards Xu Jiujiu.
Did Huo Yuhao deliberately plan this meeting? Actually, he didn’t. Huo Yuhao had guessed Mu Xue’s status, and he had tried to find out more about the Heavenly Soul Empire when he was still at the Tang Sect. The Heavenly Soul Empire also shared a border with the Sun Moon Empire, and their situation wasn’t that much better than the Star Luo Empire, while their national strength was actually far inferior. It was likely that the Heavenly Soul Empire would be in much more danger.
Huo Yuhao had been investigating further through Shrek City’s intelligence agency when he realized to his surprise that the gentle and beautiful girl, Wei Na, was the Heavenly Soul Empire’s princess. Even though her status still couldn’t compare to Xu Jiujiu’s status in the Star Luo Empire, she was still a princess.