Chapter Thirty-Six: The Lie Told Through Gritted Teeth
“If I said so... would you pay for me?” Tu Lu arched an eyebrow.
“In your dreams! Are you out of your mind?”
Hearing this, the middle-aged man surnamed Yin burst into even louder laughter, looking at Tu Lu as if he were a fool!
But Tu Lu only shook his head, then wiped his face, instantly transforming into Lu Tu, the manager of the Inscription Shop!
The middle-aged man was stunned at the sight. Disguises in Tianlong Lane were nothing unusual, but what he couldn’t fathom was why the other party would reveal his true face now—what was the point of the disguise?
Moreover... he felt a vague sense of familiarity with the man before him.
But even if the face was familiar, he couldn’t think of anyone who could make him willingly pay five hundred thousand Thunder Stones—what a joke!
“Manager Lu!”
Before he could recall who it was, someone suddenly shouted.
“Haha, so it’s Manager Lu! Congratulations on breaking through to the Sea-Filling Realm!” More and more people began to recognize Tu Lu.
“That’s right, I heard Manager Lu is going to live in the City Lord’s Mansion with the Master. Please send my regards to the Master!”
“Manager Lu, do you have any idea when the Master will finish inscribing the treasure for the City Lord? We’re all waiting for our own magical tools to be inscribed. With these beast tides surging, we truly feel our strength is lacking.”
In an instant, the entire Tianlong Lane was abuzz with voices as nearly every cultivator gathered around.
The middle-aged man’s eyes widened. Hearing these words, he finally realized the other’s identity. But even knowing, he couldn’t understand why so many people would come to greet him here.
A surge of jealousy rose in his heart!
After all... he too was an inscription master, yet the man before him wasn’t even a true inscription master—just the steward of the Inscription Shop!
What baffled him even more was why this Lu Tu thought he would pay for him. He was lost in this tangle of thoughts.
Tu Lu, meanwhile, was busy responding to the crowd, feeling a surge of emotion.
He was now truly a man of importance. In the entire Divine Wind City, aside from Gongsun Yan, who would dare disrespect him? The moment he stepped outside, he was surrounded by flattery from countless cultivators!
Though this feeling was pleasant, it was also somewhat troublesome.
And what he found a bit regretful was that even his appearance as Lu Tu was not his true face.
None of them knew that the so-called Master was in fact him!
This left him with the sensation of wearing fine clothes at night—no one to admire them.
It was unbearable!
Still, by his reckoning, the time should be nearly upon him.
As these thoughts flickered through his mind, the noisy crowd suddenly fell silent. A path opened from outside, and the Blue-Faced Tiger strode in.
“Manager Lu, the appointed time has come. The City Lord has sent me to escort you.” The Blue-Faced Tiger gestured politely.
Tu Lu feigned hesitation, then shook his head. “Forgive me, Senior, could you grant me a little more time? I cannot go just yet.”
“Why not?”
Tu Lu sighed. “The City Lord’s weapon is a true treasure, inscribed with high-level runes. Even the Master is not fully confident. To ensure nothing goes amiss, he sent me here to Tianlong Lane to obtain some spirit pills or magical items that restore mental energy. Until I find what I need, I dare not go to the City Lord’s Mansion for fear of delaying the inscription.”
At this, the Blue-Faced Tiger looked at Tu Lu in surprise, then turned to Wang Daozong. “Manager Wang, do you have any spirit pills or magical items that restore mental energy?”
Wang Daozong was taken aback. Judging by the situation, someone really might pay the five hundred thousand Thunder Stones for him. But what he hadn’t expected was that it would be the Blue-Faced Tiger!
The Blue-Faced Tiger and his brother were Gongsun Yan’s most trusted aides—virtually her representatives!
But before Wang Daozong could speak, Tu Lu sighed again. “It’s too late. There was just now an ancient treasure—the Green Buddha Lamp—an excellent item for restoring mental energy. If I had it, my confidence in inscribing the City Lord’s weapon would be greatly increased. But it’s gone now...”
“What do you mean?!”
At that moment, a clear and melodious voice suddenly rang out in everyone’s mind. Instantly, Wang’s face changed dramatically, and a terrifying aura filled Tianlong Lane. All the protective wards were activated, as if facing a dire enemy!
“Haha, it’s been so long since I came here, and still I’m not welcome!” Gongsun Yan laughed as she entered.
“City Lord!” the Blue-Faced Tiger and the others bowed at once.
The other cultivators dared not make a sound. They all fell silent, many averting their eyes, not daring to look at her.
Only the hall masters of Tianlong Lane dared meet her gaze, though their faces were grave, especially Wang Daozong, whose eyes flickered with doubt as if he sensed something amiss.
Gongsun Yan strode straight to Tu Lu and smiled. “Well then, you just said your confidence in inscribing my treasure would be much higher. What happened?”
Tu Lu’s mouth twitched. He nearly cursed aloud.
That man surnamed Yin had been opposing him from the start, and Tu Lu had only wanted to use Gongsun Yan’s name to play a trick on him!
But who could have guessed that Gongsun Yan herself would be idle enough to show up in person!
She’d clearly been hiding in the shadows, but upon hearing this, she could no longer contain herself and appeared.
Her patience was sorely lacking—if you’re going to hide, why not stay hidden?
Tu Lu grumbled inwardly, but with things as they were, he couldn’t admit he’d made it all up. He had no choice but to press on.
“City Lord, I was just about to buy the Green Lamp, but I was short on Thunder Stones and looking for another way to gather enough.”
At this, he pointed at the middle-aged man surnamed Yin and said in aggrieved tones, “But this fellow, relying on his family’s influence, suddenly intervened and bought the lamp on credit in his father’s name. Without it, the inscription on your treasure is now...”
As Tu Lu spoke, he gained momentum, and the surrounding faces grew more and more peculiar.
Though they didn’t know all the details, they could guess the gist. They hadn’t expected Manager Lu to lie so brazenly, without a shred of embarrassment!
But before Tu Lu could finish, the middle-aged man’s face went pale and he shouted:
“City Lord, don’t believe this man’s nonsense! Ask Manager Wang—the ancient treasure was priced at five hundred thousand Thunder Stones. Neither of us could afford it—it’s still unclaimed!”
“Manager Wang, testify!”
He rushed to Wang Daozong, grabbing his shoulders and shaking him.
Wang Daozong frowned and hesitated, about to speak.
But the middle-aged man, losing patience, shoved him aside and grabbed another bystander, yelling, “You—testify! He’s lying!”
The man he grabbed was cursing the man’s ancestors in his heart. If he spoke, he’d offend either Tu Lu or the powerful cultivator behind this man!
“Hurry up and speak!” the man shouted.
The bystander’s eyes reddened. Gritting his teeth, he was about to open his mouth.
“Enough!”
Gongsun Yan’s cold voice cut through the air, instantly silencing everyone.
She reached out and took the Green Buddha Lamp, handing it to Tu Lu. Frowning, she said, “I don’t care about your disputes, but since this lamp concerns my treasure, I trust Master Lu’s word. If he says he bought it, then it’s his. Tell your father it’s been requisitioned by me!”
With those words, the middle-aged man’s mind went blank—he nearly fainted.
That was five hundred thousand Thunder Stones—and now the debt was pinned on him?
So many Thunder Stones—Wang Daozong would never let it slide. With the City Lord backing him, he really might go ask his father for the payment!
But... it was five hundred thousand Thunder Stones! If his father found out, he might kill him in a fit of rage!
“All right, the matter’s settled. Come with me!” Gongsun Yan said to Tu Lu. Without another glance at the others, she led him away.