"Be careful when choosing a sect; if you choose well, you might just get what you wish for." A voice suddenly came from the side.
Lu Ye and Yu Xiaodie turned their heads and were surprised to find that a fat man had appeared beside them, smiling at them with his small eyes almost invisible under the fat on his face.
It was the same fat man who had registered and verified the identities of the slaves earlier.
Lu Ye hadn't noticed when he had come over.
"Salutations, Senior Brother!" Yu Xiaodie hurriedly bowed, her demeanor restrained. Although she had opened a few acupoints, the fat cultivator was still a lofty figure to her, and she couldn't help but feel nervous.
Lu Ye also bowed.
"I couldn't help but come over when I heard you two chatting so enthusiastically. Do you mind?" The fat cultivator patted his large belly with one hand, his expression kind and amiable.
"I dare not." Yu Xiaodie quickly waved her hands, though nervous, her mind was very clear. Realizing this was an opportunity, she asked, "May I ask, Senior Brother, what did you mean by that?"
Although she knew more about the cultivation world than Lu Ye, her knowledge was still limited compared to the fat cultivator, who was a legitimate and pure-blooded cultivator of the Haotian Alliance.
"Of course, it means exactly what it says. Do you want to know?" The fat cultivator smiled even more warmly, his eyes on Lu Ye as he answered Yu Xiaodie.
Lu Ye didn't know why the guy was staring at him, feeling a bit uneasy, but since it concerned his future, he politely said, "I humbly request your guidance, Senior Brother."
"If you want to know..." The fat cultivator patted Lu Ye's shoulder affectionately, "then it depends on whether you have enough sincerity."
Sincerity?
Lu Ye's eyebrows raised, remembering the first time he met the fat cultivator, who had been staring at the storage bag on his waist.
No way, right? It shouldn't be like that, right?
The other person was a high-level cultivator; would he really bother with a nobody like him?
But the implications in his words were clear, and anyone who wasn't a fool could understand.
After a moment of silence, Lu Ye tried to lift his hand and reach into the storage bag on his waist. He saw the fat cultivator's squinted eyes slowly open a bit, and his smile became even more cheerful.
When he put his hand down, the fat cultivator returned to his previous state.
When he lifted his hand again, the fat cultivator's eyes opened a bit more...
After several such attempts, Lu Ye finally confirmed that things were indeed as he had thought.
The fat cultivator couldn't take it anymore. He had never seen anyone so openly tormenting him. Annoyed, he waved his sleeve and said, "It seems you don't want to know."
Just as he turned, his hand felt a weight. Looking down, he saw a bottle of Qi and Blood Pills in his hand, and Lu Ye standing in front of him with a pained expression.
The corners of the fat cultivator's mouth twitched. "Is this your sincerity?"
What kind of crap is this? He had come all the way here, and this was the kind of garbage he got!
"What do you want, then?" Lu Ye asked.
The fat cultivator couldn't stand it anymore and decided to be straightforward. "Ore!"
Lu Ye was curious. "A person of your high status can be interested in such ore?"
The fat cultivator said, "You don't know. The ore from the Xieyue Valley's mine is of high quality and quite rare. Besides, if you want information, you have to pay a price. I can't just tell you things for free; we don't have any special relationship."
"That makes sense." Lu Ye nodded in agreement, casually taking a piece of ore from his storage bag and offering it to the fat cultivator.
The fat cultivator didn't take it immediately, his eyes squinting, and he shook his head lightly. "I don't see your sincerity."
"Such a big piece!" Lu Ye held up the basin-sized ore, the largest piece in his storage bag.
The fat cultivator hummed a tune, ignoring him.
Lu Ye couldn't help but click his tongue, his face showing pain as he put the ore on the ground and took out another piece from his storage bag.
He had been mining for over a year and knew a bit about the ore. Although he didn't know the exact value, the easier it was to find, the lower its value. The two pieces he had taken out were large but not rare in his mining experience.
Zhou Cheng's storage bag didn't have much ore, only about five or six pieces, mostly common ones. On the other hand, Manager Yang's storage bag had a lot of ore, including many rare items.
When the second piece of ore was taken out, the fat cultivator's face showed more smiles. "Don't think I'm taking advantage of you. I'm here because I feel a connection with you. Pang Dahai of the Righteous Sect has some reputation in the cultivation world of Bingzhou. Others would be lucky if I even bothered to guide them."
Yu Xiaodie, standing nearby, felt something inside her shatter at the sight of these two acting so openly, especially since the fat cultivator kept claiming to be from the Righteous Sect.
Lu Ye also couldn't take it anymore. "You're from the Righteous Sect?"
Where's your righteous aura?
As he spoke, he had already taken out the third piece of ore.
Pang Dahai's eyes were still squinted, clearly not seeing the sincerity.
Lu Ye's eye twitched, wishing he could pry open the fat man's eyelids to make him see clearly.
Unfortunately, he wasn't a match for the other man. Taking out the fourth piece, he chose a precious Yuan Magnetic Ore.
Pang Dahai's eyebrows twitched, maintaining his smile.
Lu Ye clapped his hands and pointed to the four pieces of ore on the ground. "Is this enough sincerity?"
Pang Dahai smiled but said nothing.
"Alright, then there's no choice." Lu Ye sighed and, under the stunned gaze of Pang Dahai and Yu Xiaodie, squatted down and put the first piece of ore back into his storage bag. He then looked up at Pang Dahai. "Is this enough?"
Pang Dahai's eyes opened wide, staring at Lu Ye in shock, his mind in chaos.
Yu Xiaodie was equally shocked by Lu Ye's actions, not understanding what he was doing.
Lu Ye put the second piece of ore back, then looked up at Pang Dahai again. "Is this enough?"
"I..." Pang Dahai seemed to want to curse but held back, trying to maintain his dignity, though his expression was already one of exasperation.
Lu Ye's hand was already reaching for the third piece of ore when a hand grabbed his arm. Looking up, he saw Pang Dahai glaring at him. "Enough, it's enough!"