Chapter 116: Rookie Primordial Warrior Jiang Xincheng

The one who suggested to Father to withdraw the Three-Star Quest to protect Yuan Ning Shui was a beautiful woman with an oval face. She looked about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, with delicate features and slightly raised willow-shaped eyebrows. She appeared somewhat indifferent, giving off an aura of pride and nobility.

Her name was He Lin. She was the daughter of He Juzheng, the chairman of Zhengxin Group, and also served as the deputy general manager of the group. She was quite capable and held significant power within Zhengxin Group. She was one of the key people in charge of the transaction involving Yuan Ning Shui.

When she heard that Father had spent over thirty million Credit Points to enlist the help of Flourishing Tang Empire to complete this transaction, He Lin was quite puzzled.

He Lin’s words made the middle-aged man sitting opposite her smile faintly. He shook his head and said, “Lin’er, you are underestimating that mad dog from Xihua Street. Although our Zhengxin Group is one of the major corporations in Liangnian City and has considerable influence, that mad dog from Xihua Street controls nearly half of Liangnian City. His power is no less terrifying than ours—in fact, it might even be greater. So, how could I possibly be careless when dealing with such a fierce and crazy dog? This transaction is extremely important. If it succeeds, the assets of our Zhengxin Group will immediately soar to over ten billion, making us one of the top five super corporations in Liangnian City. For such a critical deal, how could I afford to be even slightly careless?”

The middle-aged man had a square face and thick eyebrows, appearing around fifty years old. He looked mature and steady. He was He Juzheng, the chairman of Zhengxin Group, who owned over 70% of the group’s massive shares.

He Juzheng’s words clearly did not convince He Lin. The beautiful girl bit her cherry-red lips and said, “Even if that Lean Dog from Xihua Street is that powerful, our transaction this time is with the Jinguo Provincial Research Institute. It is said that this institute has close ties with the Flourishing Tang Empire. Surely that mad dog from Xihua Street is aware of this. How would he dare to send a large number of people to snatch our Yuan Ning Shui? That would be too lawless.”

“Hmph, lawless? That mad dog’s specialty is being lawless,” He Juzheng sneered. “Six billion Credit Points—that’s equivalent to the entire wealth of Zhengxin Group and more than ten times that mad dog’s own fortune. Faced with such a huge sum, why would he let it go? Even if that institute were directly part of the Flourishing Tang Empire, that mad dog would still not pass up such an astonishing fortune.”

He Juzheng paused before continuing, “Wealth tempts the heart, especially when it amounts to six billion. Even at the risk of offending the Flourishing Tang Empire or the Shenxia Alliance, that mad dog would still make his move. At most, he would act more discreetly, making sure the matter couldn’t be traced back to him. And the transaction location is in the remote mountains near Liangnian City—the perfect place for murder and robbery. How could that mad dog let such a golden opportunity slip? Fortunately, only that mad dog knows about the news. If other underground forces found out, our Zhengxin Group would truly be in danger.”

“Why place it deep in the mountains? Couldn’t we do it in a crowded area in the city?” He Lin asked, puzzled.

He Juzheng shook his head. “A crowded place means less safety. It would be easier for enemies to set up an ambush. By the time we realized they were among us, it would be too late to react. The remote mountains are more open, making it hard to set traps. Plus, it helps us avoid the attention of many other forces, making our next steps go more smoothly.”

“Okay, I understand, Father. But I still think spending thirty million on this quest isn’t worth it. Although the Flourishing Tang Empire is famous, we’re only getting one of their members to back us up. We don’t even know what realm they’re in. What if the Flourishing Tang Empire sends a member at the lowest level, the Tendon Training Realm? Then we would have wasted our money,” He Lin said, pursing her lips.

He Juzheng shook his head and smiled. “That won’t happen. I’ve already specified in the quest that their strength must at least reach the Bone Training Realm. And a Bone Training Realm Primordial Warrior from the Flourishing Tang Empire is far stronger than other Primordial Warriors of the same rank. One of them could take on several of our Bone Training Realm Primordial Warriors from Zhengxin Group. So, spending so many Credit Points to hire a member of the Flourishing Tang Empire is not a waste. Besides, what if a Great Yuan Warrior from the Cloud Condensation Realm comes? Then Zhengxin Group would hit the jackpot. Spending thirty million to have a Cloud Condensation Realm Great Yuan Warrior from the Flourishing Tang Empire step in would make this transaction foolproof. We might even have a chance to win over a Great Yuan Warrior from the Flourishing Tang Empire.”

“I hope so,” He Lin said with a bitter smile. “But the chances are probably slim. The Flourishing Tang Empire has few members. Usually, for a Three-Star Quest, they only dispatch Primordial Warriors at the Bone Training Realm. Most likely, it would be a Primordial Warrior at the peak of the Bone Tempering Late Stage.”

“Ding…”

As soon as He Lin finished speaking, the mobile phone in He Juzheng’s pocket chimed. He opened it and his face slowly fell. “We really are unlucky this time. It turns out this particular Flourishing Tang Empire member took the quest.”

“What’s wrong, Father? Is it not a Cloud Condensation Realm Great Yuan Warrior? Is it a Bone Training Realm Primordial Warrior?” He Lin quickly asked.

He Juzheng nodded, his face full of bitterness. “Not just a Bone Training Realm Primordial Warrior, but a rookie Primordial Warrior within the Bone Training Realm.”

“Uh…” He Lin was stunned. “Rookie Primordial Warrior? What does that mean?”

He Juzheng explained, “It means he just joined the Flourishing Tang Empire not long ago and hasn’t gone through much real combat experience. On top of that, he’s a freshman in college, taking on a few quests during summer break. Most importantly, his strength is only at the Bone Forging Initial Stage. Our thirty million Credit Points this time were truly wasted.”

He Lin fell silent, her expression also turning grim. “What should we do? Should we cancel and ask for a replacement?”

“Impossible!” He Juzheng immediately shook his head. “The Flourishing Tang Empire won’t let us switch members. Unless this member who accepted the quest dies and can no longer perform the task, or unless he voluntarily gives it up, we have to stick with him.”

“This…” He Lin bit her cherry-red lips. “What use is a rookie Primordial Warrior at the Bone Forging Initial Stage? Our thirty million Credit Points might as well have been thrown away.”

He Juzheng smiled wryly. “Any help is better than none. After all, he is a Bone Training Realm Primordial Warrior, so his strength is decent. And according to the Flourishing Tang Empire’s principle of not recruiting useless members, even if this rookie is green, he should still be stronger than other Bone Forging Initial Stage Primordial Warriors. He can probably help us a little.”

“Hmph, Father, we spent over thirty million Credit Points just to get a useless person like this? What we wanted was an expert who could shoulder some responsibility. What’s a tiny Bone Forging Initial Stage Primordial Warrior doing meddling in this?” He Lin sneered. “When he arrives, I’ll tease him a bit and let him know how powerful the enemies are. I’ll make him back down on his own and abandon the quest. Once he gives up, the Flourishing Tang Empire will naturally send an expert to take his place.”