Chapter Eighty-Nine: First Come, First Served

The Wei Family?

Wang Changsheng and the others all frowned.

They had come to Golden Peace City precisely for the Wei Family, yet the people they least wanted to see were also from the Wei Family. They had only just been speaking of them, and now they had run into one of their own.

What puzzled Wang Changsheng even more was this: if the inn was bold enough to sell news even about the Wei Family, then why should it fear them?

After a moment’s thought, Wang Changsheng understood. It seemed the inn had chosen the Wei Family over them.

“What is it?” Wang Changsheng asked, looking at Wei Ning.

Hearing Wang Changsheng’s blunt tone, Wei Ning’s brow furrowed again, and he said, “Fellow Daoists, I have something very important today and need this room. I ask that you move to another one.”

His tone was even less courteous than Wang Changsheng’s.

After all, with the Wei Family’s strength, not only in Golden Peace City but across the entire Southern Domain, they commanded considerable authority. Wei Ning had every confidence in speaking this way.

Still, Wei Ning found himself somewhat puzzled. Wang Changsheng, a half-century-old man, together with a group of black-robed figures—where did they get the nerve to be so rude?

“But we came to this room first,” Wang Changsheng said with a shrug. “There should be some order of first come, first served, shouldn’t there?”

Wei Ning smiled, then said, “Fellow Daoists, I know this is somewhat abrupt, but the matter arose suddenly. I hope you can be understanding.”

“Of course, I will compensate you.”

As he spoke, Wei Ning directly took out spirit stones and set them on the table, about a hundred in all.

Seeing this, Wang Changsheng was momentarily stunned.

He had originally planned to use spirit stones to move some member of the Wei Family and buy information about the Li Family of Upper Sun. He had not expected that before he could even begin, someone from the Wei Family would try to buy him off first.

How amusing.

About a hundred spirit stones, all of them low-grade, and not even very good ones at that. If this had been anyone else, they might have agreed. After all, a hundred spirit stones, even low-grade ones, was no small amount.

But to Wang Changsheng and the others, it was truly nothing.

Even the waiter had a few black lines appear on his forehead, clearly stunned by Wei Ning. If Wei Ning had ever seen Wang Changsheng casually produce medium-grade spirit stones to gather information, he would never have done this.

“Are you insulting us?” Zhang Cunzhong said in a deep voice.

“Fellow Daoists have misunderstood,” Wei Ning said with a smile. “I, Wei Ning, have absolutely no such intention. As a member of the Wei Family, I always remember the family’s teachings and would never do anything that brings shame upon it.”

“These spirit stones are merely a small compensation from me to all of you.”

Wang Changsheng and Chen Shangyi exchanged a glance and nearly laughed out loud.

Someone who kept the Wei Family on his lips at every turn, never going three sentences without invoking the clan, and yet he could not do anything that would disgrace the family?

In Wang Changsheng’s view, that was difficult indeed.

“Tell you what,” Wang Changsheng said with a smile. “I won’t bother lecturing you about first come, first served. Since you like solving problems with spirit stones, then I’ll make an offer too.”

With that, Wang Changsheng swept his sleeve, and a pile of spirit stones appeared on the table.

“I don’t have many either, only a little over a hundred. Take them. You can use the room next door. I find it rather comfortable sitting here, or you can come back after we’ve finished eating.”

There was roughly the same amount, but the spirit stones Wang Changsheng produced were not those inferior low-grade ones. They were medium-grade spirit stones, each one shimmering with dense spiritual energy. The moment they appeared, the spiritual energy in the room grew noticeably richer.

“Medium-grade spirit stones?”

Wei Ning looked at the spirit stones Wang Changsheng had taken out, a surprised expression flashing across his face.

It was only surprise, not shock. As a member of the Wei Family, he was no stranger to medium-grade spirit stones. Still, with Wei Ning’s status and position, he was just short of being able to use them freely.

Measured by value alone, the spirit stones Wang Changsheng produced were worth more than Wei Ning’s by a hundredfold.

And medium-grade spirit stones were far rarer than low-grade ones.

“I didn’t realize fellow Daoists had such a background,” Wei Ning said in a low voice.

Anyone who could casually produce medium-grade spirit stones was certainly no ordinary person. Wei Ning might have been somewhat simple-minded, but he was not foolish.

Wang Changsheng said nothing, merely smiling as he watched Wei Ning, curious to see what other tricks he might still play.

“Fellow Daoists, my Wei Family is a respected and prominent house even in the Shentian Realm. There is no need to insult us with spirit stones, is there?” Wei Ning said, narrowing his eyes.

Wang Changsheng: “...”

Chen Shangyi: “...”

Everyone present was left speechless by Wei Ning’s words.

Insult the Wei Family?

How so?

“He really is a simple fool,” Wang Changsheng thought.

This Wei Ning was obviously a member of the Wei Family, and from the waiter’s attitude, his standing in the clan should not be low. He was just a bit too straightforward in the head.

He wanted to rely on the Wei Family name to intimidate Wang Changsheng and the others, but to his surprise, they were not the least bit afraid.

He had originally wanted, with a single sentence, to elevate the matter to the level of family honor, thinking that might frighten them. After all, offending the Wei Family over a mere room was a very unwise thing to do.

The problem was, Wei Ning had said it with such clumsy lack of finesse.

Wang Changsheng even wondered whether Wei Ning really was a fool.

“Since you insist on putting it that way, then fine—I am indeed using spirit stones to insult the Wei Family. What of it?” Wang Changsheng said with a smile.

“You... you...” Wei Ning stared at Wang Changsheng and the others, flushed with rage, and pointed at them as he said, “You’re bullying people too much!”

Er...

Wang Changsheng and the others were dumbfounded. After all that, this was all Wei Ning could come up with?

Was he here for comedy?

Just a moment ago he had been so lofty and superior, and in less than a breath he had become furious and rattled. Could a person change this fast?

Smack!

Zhang Cunzhong slammed a hand on the table, startling the waiter and making even Wei Ning flinch.

“Wei brat...” Zhang Cunzhong said in a dark tone. “We’re here eating and drinking, chatting amiably, and you burst in demanding that we change rooms. What the hell did we do to you?”

“You... you...” Wei Ning was so frightened by Zhang Cunzhong that he could no longer get the words out. After all, Zhang Cunzhong was at the Core Formation stage. To scare someone of Wei Ning’s level, he could have frightened him half to death.

“I’ll kill you!”

Wei Ning let out a shout to harden his courage, then charged straight at Wang Changsheng, drawing a long sword and thrusting it toward him.

“Damn it!”

Wang Changsheng could not help blurting out an oath.

“It wasn’t me who scared you, so why are you coming at me?” Wang Changsheng asked, baffled.

This was too strange. Clearly it was Zhang Cunzhong who had scared Wei Ning, yet Wei Ning attacked Wang Changsheng instead. What string had snapped in his head? Everything he did was beyond Wang Changsheng’s understanding.

“Could it be that he thinks I’m easier to bully?” Wang Changsheng wondered.

Glancing at Chen Shangyi and the others, Wang Changsheng immediately felt his guess was correct. Chen Shangyi and the rest were wrapped in black robes from head to toe; people like that were certainly not easy to provoke.

Whereas Wang Changsheng was just a half-century-old fellow who looked more approachable.

Even as he sized up Chen Shangyi and the others, Wang Changsheng’s hand did not slow.

He raised his right hand and slapped at Wei Ning as he rushed in.

Smack!

A crisp crack rang out, and then Wei Ning, who had been so aggressive a moment before, was sent flat to the ground by Wang Changsheng’s slap, pressed so tightly against the floor that he seemed fused to it.

Wei Ning’s once-decently handsome face was instantly mangled beyond recognition.

The room fell silent at once, so quiet one could have heard a pin drop.

Wang Changsheng returned to his seat, dusted off his hands, and looked at the figure plastered against the floor with a mocking expression.

As for Chen Shangyi and the others, they too looked at Wei Ning with amusement.

Only the waiter, seeing that Wang Changsheng and the others had truly made a move, looked utterly shocked.

He remembered very clearly that not long ago, Wang Changsheng and the others had just inquired about the strongest person in Golden Peace City, and he had stated plainly that the Wei Family’s people were the strongest. Had they not remembered that?

Otherwise, why would they dare strike Wei Ning now?

Could it be because Wei Ning had struck first? One must know that in the world of cultivation, unless the parties are evenly matched, no one bothers reasoning with you.

“You... you...” the waiter said in fear. “Do you know who he is?”

Wang Changsheng smiled. “Of course. Didn’t he just introduce himself several times? Wei Ning of the Wei Family.”

“Then why did you still hit him?” the waiter asked immediately.

“You all saw it—he was the one who made the first move,” Wang Changsheng said to Chen Shangyi and the others.

Chen Shangyi and the rest nodded in perfect cooperation.

“Luckily you acted, Hall Master Wang. Otherwise, if I had made my move...” Zhang Cunzhong said at that moment, “I would have slapped him onto the floor so hard you couldn’t pry him off!”

“You were still too merciful, Hall Master Wang!”

The disciples of the Corpse Refining Sect chimed in one after another.

Wang Changsheng, however, was momentarily taken aback by their reaction and began to wonder whether the people who had come out into the cultivation world with him were a gang of ruffians.

Or perhaps all of them were violent by nature?

“Better to forgive where one can,” Wang Changsheng said with a smile.

Wei Ning, lying on the ground, heard the laughter of Wang Changsheng and the others and was nearly bursting with rage.

The slap Wang Changsheng had given him seemed fierce enough, but in truth it had restrained its force. Otherwise, as Zhang Cunzhong said, one slap would have pinned Wei Ning so firmly to the floor that he could not be pried loose.

“You...” Wei Ning sprang up and pointed at Wang Changsheng.

Smack!

What greeted Wei Ning this time was another resounding slap, and once again he was sent crashing to the ground.

“Did I tell you to get up?” Wang Changsheng said coldly.