Chapter 970: Goodbye, Immortal Slayer

The other attendees in the venue thought to themselves that the Sun family was indeed cunning, having found their opponent's weakness so quickly.

Bidder 333 was now in a difficult situation; he would soon be condemned by irrefutable evidence. Once expelled from the Drunken Leisure Pavilion, the Sun family would certainly not let him off.

Most people, however, were merely enjoying the spectacle, thinking that it served him right for his venomous words earlier; he deserved this humiliation.

"This..." The short, stout elder of the Drunken Leisure Pavilion hesitated. He truly did not want to get involved; after all, Zu An was a jade token client, and if he were truly put in an impossible situation, it would significantly damage the Drunken Leisure Pavilion's reputation.

To everyone's surprise, just then, Zu An's voice rang out: "You can investigate, but if you don't find anything later, will the two of you apologize to me?"

The stout elder's expression was peculiar. He knew the teacup had actually been thrown from Zu An's room and couldn't understand why the other person would say that, or what he was relying on.

Yang Long and Sun Ji, naturally, were even more confident: "Heh, how could we not find anything!"

Zu An said calmly, "Nothing is ever absolute in this world. If you refuse to agree to apologize if nothing is found, then I will refuse your search. Otherwise, it would be unfair to me."

The stout elder smiled, thinking this person was truly clever, realizing this was his actual plan.

At this moment, Sun Ji was also somewhat surprised and uncertain. He tugged at Yang Long's sleeve and whispered, "Why is he so confident? Could there be some kind of scheme?"

Although usually arrogant, he was not a fool and immediately sensed something amiss.

Yang Long shook his head. "I'm sure the teacup was thrown from his room."

"Alright!" Sun Ji, trusting Old Long's seventh-grade cultivation, grinned maliciously and said to Zu An, "If nothing is found, we will apologize to you. But if something is found, then get out of Drunken Leisure Pavilion!"

He naturally wouldn't be too explicit in front of so many people, but it was clear that as soon as the other party left, he would immediately send people to hunt him down and make him wish he were dead.

"I hope everyone here will bear witness," Zu An said, cupping his hands to the other people in the venue. Then he turned to the stout elder and asked, "What should I call you?"

The stout elder was somewhat displeased, thinking these young people didn't even know to address him as 'senior'. Didn't he deserve some respect, given his age and cultivation?

However, considering the other party's jade token status, he didn't show his displeasure. "Everyone in the pavilion calls me Venerable Fatty."

Zu An looked at his spherical figure, thinking that nicknames were often more accurate than actual names. "Then please, Venerable Fatty, come to my room to check if any teacups are missing."

Venerable Fatty was a bit puzzled. Where did the other party's confidence come from? *Could he be planning to bribe me once I enter the room?*

*Heh, that would be greatly underestimating me.*

"Alright," he replied indifferently. He then tapped his toe, and his entire body shot into the other party's private room. He had already decided to handle the matter impartially; after all, this fellow had been so provocative.

However, his expression quickly froze. He noticed that none of the teacups on the table were missing. Fearing he had seen wrongly, he walked over and checked them one by one; they were indeed all cups from the pavilion, unmistakable.

"Huh?" he wondered. Had he seen incorrectly just now?

But as a dignified ninth-grade expert, how could he have made such a mistake?

Just then, Zu An's voice came: "Venerable Fatty, have you finished checking?"

Of course, the other party couldn't tell. He had just used his "Summon" skill, creating a teacup out of thin air. One should know that when he had created the more complex embroidered imperial guard's uniform, even the Half-Grandmaster Zhu Xie Chixin couldn't detect anything unusual, let alone a mere ninth-grade expert.

Having used "Summon" multiple times, he had gained some experience. When creating such things out of thin air, there was no need to make them permanent; they only needed to exist long enough to pass the inspection, which also minimized the subsequent backlash.

Moreover, during his time on the ship, whenever he had free time, he practiced strengthening his spiritual power according to the chants Mi Li taught him. Therefore, a slight use of "Summon" like this kept the backlash within a controllable range.

"I have checked," Venerable Fatty announced, his expression puzzled, which then caused an uproar.

"How is that possible!" Sun Ji was the first to shout. "Venerable Fatty, are you deliberately favoring him?"

Venerable Fatty's face darkened. "Are you questioning my impartiality?"

Sun Ji was about to say more but was stopped by Yang Long. A ninth-grade expert was not someone they could afford to offend right now; if a conflict truly erupted, they wouldn't be able to wait for the Sun family's forces to come to their rescue.

He hastily explained, "It's not that we don't believe in your impartiality, Venerable One, but rather that the other party is too cunning. Perhaps he used some trickery to get away with it. It's perfectly normal for an upright person like you, Venerable One, not to notice. So, could I go in and take a look?"

Hearing all the flattery in his words, Venerable Fatty felt comfortable. And at the same time, not wanting to overly offend the Sun family, he nodded in agreement.

Yang Long was overjoyed at this. He quickly took Sun Ji and leapt into Zu An's room. First, he glared at the other party with an unfriendly expression, then began to search the room on his own.

Unfortunately, after searching for a long time, neither of them found any problematic teacups.

Zu An chuckled, "What, have the two of you personally come to apologize to me?"

"Apologize? Go to hell!" Sun Ji cursed angrily. For some reason, the sarcastic smile on the other person's lips made him feel like an ant.

Unfortunately, as soon as he finished speaking, he let out a miserable cry as he was kicked flying out.

Yang Long was greatly alarmed by this. He quickly went to check and saw that Sun Ji's face was purple and he was spitting blood, clearly having sustained a serious injury.

He couldn't help but fly into a rage. "How dare you, rogue!"

[Rage points from Sun Ji +555...][Rage points from Yang Long +598...]

However, mindful of Venerable Fatty's power, he looked at him. "I hope Venerable Fatty will uphold justice!"

Venerable Fatty was vexed. He could only look at Zu An. "You attacked in front of me now. Aren't you showing too little regard for Drunken Leisure Pavilion?"

Zu An replied calmly, "Our dynasty governs the country with filial piety. Insulting one's parents, even the national law permits retaliation. Not acting would instead make one disloyal, unfilial, and unrighteous. Are Drunken Leisure Pavilion's rules greater than national law?"

Venerable Fatty gasped. What was this guy's background, to dare speak like that?

Drunken Leisure Pavilion clearly dealt in grey-area business, so for him to bring up national law was simply ridiculous. The key was that he didn't dare openly refute it, or it would be tantamount to rebellion.

So he decided to remain an observer and let them resolve their own issues. Who knew Zu An wouldn't let him off? "Venerable Fatty," Zu An continued, "according to our agreement just now, they should now apologize to me."

Sun Ji had just barely recovered, and hearing this, he almost fainted from anger. *I was beaten, and now I have to apologize to him?*

[Rage points from Sun Ji +888...]

He was subconsciously about to curse, but thinking of what had just happened, he swallowed his words.

Zu An continued to look at Venerable Fatty. "Venerable Fatty, you were a witness to the wager just now."

Venerable Fatty was also exasperated. He could only look at Sun Ji and Yang Long with a dark face. "You should admit defeat when you lose a bet. Indeed, both of you should apologize!"

"What!" Sun Ji immediately leapt up. "Do you know who my father is? I..."

He was about to say more but was stopped by Yang Long. "Let me apologize on Young Master's behalf."

Zu An said calmly, "Don't rush, one by one. I just said both of you need to apologize."

Sun Ji was truly almost mad with rage. Yang Long, beside him, pulled him back and transmitted his voice through vital energy: "Young Master, don't be impulsive. A wise man doesn't suffer immediate losses. Once we leave Drunken Leisure Pavilion, we'll strip this man of his tendons and bones."

At this moment, Venerable Fatty, standing nearby, also released his ninth-grade pressure. Clearly, his authority had been repeatedly challenged today, and he was displeased.

Sun Ji glared at Zu An venomously, even beginning to resent Venerable Fatty. However, he still followed Yang Long's advice. He casually cupped his hands towards Zu An and said, his voice barely a whisper, "I'm sorry."

[Rage points from Sun Ji +912...]

Zu An picked at his ear. "What did you say? I didn't hear clearly."

"Are you playing with me?" Sun Ji's eyes almost popped out.

"Your voice was so quiet, how could I hear clearly?" Zu An said calmly.

Yang Long discreetly tugged at Sun Ji's sleeve. Sun Ji took a deep breath and said expressionlessly, "I'm sorry!"

His heart was about to burst with rage. *In all these years, he had never suffered such a great humiliation. I'll make you pay a hundredfold later!*

[Rage points from Sun Ji +999...]

Yang Long, beside him, also swallowed his anger and apologized. He was also extremely vexed in his heart, *a dignified seventh-grade expert having to apologize to a young junior. I'll show him my methods later.*

Zu An finally smiled. "Good, when you're out and about, be more humble, lest you offend someone you shouldn't."

These remarks made Venerable Fatty glance sideways, and the other people in the venue also had strange expressions, thinking that these words would apply perfectly to Zu An himself.

Sun Ji and Yang Long didn't stay in the room to invite further humiliation. They flicked their sleeves and returned directly to their own private room.

Seeing that the matter had been resolved, Venerable Fatty also breathed a sigh of relief. Then he announced loudly, "There was a small disturbance just now, but fortunately, it's over. Next, we will continue to auction the next item – the Immortal-Slaying Flying Dagger!"