202: Chapter 202 Zheng Lingfeng and Sun Mingcheng

The stone skin covering the surface of the stones peeled away layer by layer in his perception, revealing the essence hidden within.

Some were dull and silent, like ashes after burning out; some shimmered slightly, as faint as fireflies in the deep night; others were warm and dense, like jade buried deep underground, waiting for a thousand years.

The inner quality of those stones was laid bare under the insight of the Starry Array, and he saw at a glance that two of them had warm spiritual light flowing within, with decent quality, while the rest were mostly unremarkable.

However, these held no attraction for him; what he truly cared about was always that Grey-robed Elder.

The reason he did not rush to speak was that he wanted to first observe the temper and style of this Red Dust Immortal, so as to decide how to approach him.

The Grey-robed Elder seemed not to notice Jiang Changge's arrival, continuing to leisurely examine the rough stones before him.

His fingers occasionally tapped lightly on the stone skin, and sometimes he tilted his head to listen to the faint echoes; his movements were casual yet carried an indescribable composure, as if his criteria for selecting stones were completely different from ordinary stone gamblers.

Just then, a burst of footsteps came from the staircase.

The sounds were chaotic and heavy, with as many as seven or eight people ascending the stairs at once, their footsteps accompanied by hushed conversations.

Before long, a group of people appeared at the entrance of the third floor.

The leader was a young man dressed in a dark gold brocade robe, appearing to be about twenty-five or twenty-six years old. His features were handsome, but between his brows carried the arrogance peculiar to disciples of noble families.

He was followed by six or seven attendants and guards, their auras varying in strength. The weakest were at the Soul Transformation Stage, while the strongest was a middle-aged man at the Early Integration Stage, who trailed half a step behind the youth, silently scanning everyone on the third floor.

The originally quiet atmosphere of the third floor was shattered by the arrival of this group.

As soon as the youth in the dark gold brocade robe stood still, the several Cultivators who were selecting rough stones nearby reacted as if stung by something, dropping the stones in their hands and retreating to the sides with lowered heads.

Even that middle-aged Cultivator who had just unearthed a High Grade spiritual material and was beaming with joy, saw his smile freeze upon recognizing the newcomer. He hurriedly stored the rough stone into his Storage Pouch and turned to walk into a corner.

Zheng Lingfeng, the Third Young Master of the Hanyang Zheng Family. In this Huaiyang City, this name itself was like a scorching hot branding iron.

The Zheng Family established their clan through Artifact Refining and controlled three large spiritual mines around Huaiyang City. With more than one Body Integration Stage expert sitting in the clan, although they could not be considered a top-tier powerhouse in the southern part of the Central Province, they were the absolute authority in this small corner of Huaiyang City.

Zheng Lingfeng seemed to very much enjoy this feeling of being avoided by others.

He stood before the counter with his hands behind his back, his gaze casually sweeping over the rough stones of various sizes on the shelves, a hint of an ambiguous smile hanging on the corner of his mouth.

He had just been selecting Magical Artifacts on the fourth floor and was feeling bored when he heard a commotion from downstairs, saying that someone had unearthed a High Grade spiritual material on the third floor.

Although he did not lack Spirit Stones, he cared deeply about his Face. He felt that since someone could unearth a good item on the third floor, if he did not go to show off his skills, wouldn't it make the Zheng Family's Third Young Master seem to have inferior judgment?

Just as he approached the counter and was about to reach for the largest rough stone on the shelf, another burst of footsteps came from the staircase.

This time, the footsteps were unhurried, with only three or four people, yet it made Zheng Lingfeng slightly frown.

He recognized this rhythm of footsteps. In all of Huaiyang City, only one person liked to walk with this unhurried gait, as if measuring the floor tiles.

Sure enough, the next moment, a slender figure turned out from the staircase.

The newcomer was dressed in a moon-white robe, with delicate features and a scholarly air between his brows. He held a jade-boned folding fan in his hand, which was closed and gently tapping the palm of his other hand.

He was followed by three attendants, their auras steady, obviously well-trained guards.

Sun Mingcheng, the Second Young Master of the Hanyang Sun Family.

The Sun Family started with the Medicinal Pill business and in recent years had begun to get involved in rough stone mining, leading to frequent friction with the Zheng Family over the ownership of spiritual mines. The two families had been locked in open and secret struggles for generations.

Sun Mingcheng and Zheng Lingfeng were of similar age, and both were prominent direct descendants of their respective families. They had been compared since childhood, and the depth of their accumulated resentment was not a matter of just one day.

When Sun Mingcheng stepped onto the third floor, his gaze habitually swept over the layout of the entire floor, and then he saw Zheng Lingfeng standing in front of the counter, his hand still suspended in mid-air.

His footsteps paused slightly, a flash of surprise appearing in his eyes, which immediately turned into a faint mockery.

"Yo, isn't this the Third Young Master Zheng?"

Sun Mingcheng tapped his folding fan against his palm, his tone carrying undisguised mockery.

"What, are the Zheng Family's spiritual mines not enough for you to dig, that you've come to Bafang Pavilion to gamble on stones?"

Zheng Lingfeng withdrew his hand suspended in mid-air, turned around, and looked at Sun Mingcheng with a forced smile: "Isn't the Second Young Master Sun here as well? What, are the Sun Family's Medicinal Pills not selling, and you want to rely on gambling on stones to get rich?"

The two were at loggerheads as soon as they met, and the atmosphere on the third floor instantly became even more subtle.

The few Cultivators who were still watching from the corners shrank back even further, wishing they could embed themselves into the walls.

The feud between the Zheng Family and the Sun Family was known to everyone in Huaiyang City, and no one wanted to be drawn into the undercurrents between these two great Buddhas.

Sun Mingcheng, however, did not continue to bicker with Zheng Lingfeng. His gaze passed over Zheng Lingfeng's shoulder and landed on the Grey-robed Elder who was looking down at the rough stones at the other end of the counter.

He did not come to Bafang Pavilion for the sake of gambling on stones, at least not entirely.

What really made him put down his work and rush over was a report from an old steward in the mansion this morning.

The old steward said that a strange thing had happened on the third floor of Bafang Pavilion over the past month.

A Grey-robed Elder appeared there almost every day. He never bought expensive items, but he could always offer a word or two of guidance when others were hesitant, and the rough stones opened by those he guided were without exception High Grade.

Over the month, seven or eight Cultivators had received his guidance and unearthed valuable spiritual materials.

Sun Mingcheng had had a nearly obsessive love for gambling on stones since childhood.

Although the Sun Family's Medicinal Pill business was large, he always felt that it was an enterprise built by his ancestors and had little to do with him.

Only with gambling on stones was every cut unknown, and behind the cross-section of every stone could hide the surprises of heaven and earth's creation. That throbbing in his heart at the moment of cutting was something no ready-made Medicinal Pill or Magical Artifact could provide.

He had come this time to ask this elder for some guidance, but he had not expected Zheng Lingfeng to be here as well.

Sun Mingcheng withdrew his gaze, no longer paying attention to Zheng Lingfeng's sarcastic expression, and walked straight towards the Grey-robed Elder.

He stood still three steps away from the elder, closed his folding fan, and bowed, his tone far more respectful than when he was bickering with Zheng Lingfeng: "Junior Sun Mingcheng, greets the old gentleman."

"I have heard that the old gentleman frequently offers remarkable insights at Bafang Pavilion. This Junior yearns for the Dao of gambling on stones and has come specifically today to seek your instruction. I hope the old gentleman will not hesitate to guide me."

Upon hearing this, the Grey-robed Elder just raised his eyes and looked at Sun Mingcheng, his aged fingers gently stroking the surface of a grey, dusty stone in front of him, his Face full of furrows showing no expression.

He neither nodded in agreement nor refused; he just looked at Sun Mingcheng so calmly, as if appraising a rough stone that had not yet been cut open.

Sun Mingcheng was not anxious either, maintaining his bowing posture, his expression sincere but not humble.