The Modern Martial Immortal-Chapter 20: Chengying

Through the window, Yaoguang looked at her. She seemed to be looking at him as well.

Their gazes met. Her wide eyes were filled with a deep, instinctive desire to live. It mirrored the way she had thrown herself off that bus not long ago, doing everything she could to escape. Last time she had survived, but this time she had died.

Silence settled over the room. A heartbeat later, Lin Xiaowei, Zhang Qing, Xia Wuyuan, and the others all turned pale at once. "Call an ambulance, now!"

"Go to the security room. Find out which floor she jumped from, then check everything."

"There are rope marks on her body. Some of these injuries do not look like they came from a fall."

The group spoke as they rushed out of Mijade Collection Hall's reception room. Just before leaving, Lin Xiaowei paused. She turned her head toward Yaoguang, her expression severe. "I will keep my eyes on you!"

She then followed Xia Wuyuan, Zhang Qing, and the others out.

Yaoguang calmly rose and stepped up to the window. Outside, pedestrians screamed in fright and scattered in every direction. Xiaowei, Zhang Qing, Xia Wuyuan and the others pushed against the flow the moment they left the room, forcing their way toward Yu Xiaoying in an attempt to save her. But in the end, all they could do was take off their jackets and cover her body.

Knock, knock. A soft knocking broke the heavy stillness of the reception room.

"Young Master Su, something unexpected happened outside. Would you like to..." Curator Fang's voice came from beyond the door.

"Where is my sword?" Yaoguang asked quietly.

"It is here." The door opened soon after. Curator Fang and Zhang Ching walked in.

Yaoguang lowered the blinds, forcing Zhang Ching to swallow his curiosity and resist the urge to rush outside.

Two staff members entered as well, carrying a display rack. Resting on it was the ancient Chengying Sword.

The Chengying Sword was longer than any sword Yaoguang had used before, measuring more than ninety centimeters in total. Its body was forged from an unknown material and was entirely transparent. If one did not look closely, one would see only the hilt.

For someone like Yaoguang, who already possessed the Formless Dao Fruit, such a design captured his attention immediately.

He stepped forward and picked up the Chengying Sword. It was slim but not light, weighing more than three kilograms. Its material was clearly unusual, far beyond ordinary steel.

He flicked the blade with his finger. A crisp sword hum rang through the air. From the hum and the way the blade responded to his strength, he confirmed that this sword, this ancient weapon said to be crafted with a technique from a thousand years ago, was indeed superior to most modern weapons on the market.

It was unbelievable, yet undeniably true.

"I will take it," Yaoguang said. "What's the price?"

"Someone once offered twenty million for the Chengying Sword, but our boss refused. However, when I sought instructions just now, the boss said that since Young Master Su wants it, we will offer you our best price, 15 million. Additionally, to apologize for the earlier lack of courtesy, we will further discount it down to 12 million. How does that sound to Young Master Su?" Curator Fang smiled as she spoke.

"Alright." Yaoguang nodded.

Their original cost had only been 8 million, but building the sword's reputation over the years had required investment. 12 million was indeed reasonable.

He went straight to the car and took out 1.2 million asters from the crate he had taken from Qingyu Industrial Park.

Aster, being a universal currency, was readily accepted by the Mijade Collection Hall. In fact, unregulated cash was even more convenient for moving funds into international markets. The transaction then concluded quickly.

"Young Master Su, I can have it packed for you," Curator Fang offered, smiling.

"No need," said Yaoguang, putting away the documents that came with the ancient sword.

"You head back for now," he told Zhang Ching.

"Then... shall I place your things in the hotel room for you?" Zhang Ching asked carefully.

"Sure." Yaoguang nodded.

Once Zhang Ching left, Yaoguang cast another glance toward the site of the fall. The ambulance had arrived, though it could no longer change anything now.

He then turned his gaze to Curator Fang. "I want to meet the owner of Yulong International. Can you introduce me?"

Curator Fang hesitated. But considering Young Master Su's identity, even though Yaoguang had not returned to the Su family, a simple meeting was something Yulong International's owner would hardly refuse.

"I will inquire for you," Curator Fang said.

Yaoguang nodded slightly. The Su family's name is pretty useful.

He was already considering whether he should visit the Su family after all. He had stayed away because his original body's parents were too troublesome, and returning would only entangle him in endless affairs that would disrupt his cultivation plans.

But now...

"Perhaps I can approach the Su family's patriarch as a collaborator and pursue mutual benefit."

He could use his martial strength to safeguard the Su family's development, while the Su family could provide him with financial resources and connections, allowing him to acquire more money, slay daemons, and cultivate until he became a martial paragon or even a human immortal.

Becoming a grandmaster already meant he had achieved real progress. As long as the Su family's old master had some discernment, he would immediately distinguish him from ordinary people. Even if the Su family refused, he could still cooperate with other powers.

A grandmaster might not compare to a martial paragon, who could be invited by the royal family and form a noble lineage of his own. But when compared to the powerful families whose influence was only at the provincial level, a grandmaster was not far behind.

Soon, Curator Fang returned.

"Director Ou is very pleased to receive Young Master Su," she said with a smile. "Someone will be down shortly to escort Young Master Su upstairs."

"Thank you." Yaoguang nodded slightly.

"Young Master Su, are you interested in weapons? If Mijade Collection Hall acquires another fine artifact in the future, may we send an invitation to Young Master Su?"

"Certainly," Yaoguang replied. "If you can find a treasured artifact or a divine weapon, that would be ideal."

Treasured artifact? Divine weapon? Curator Fang forced an awkward smile.

Treasures worth hundreds of millions, or even tens of billions, were far beyond what Mijade Collection Hall could casually obtain. But when the mention of a treasured artifact came up, a thought crossed her mind.

"The Myriad Arts Merchant Guild, which works closely with us, holds a global auction every October. Three months ago, they obtained a treasured artifact from an ancient, declining sect. There is a high chance it will be listed in this year's auction. If you are interested, you may look into it."

"The Myriad Arts Merchant Guild," Yaoguang repeated, nodding.

A woman in a blouse, seemingly under thirty, walked in.

"Secretary Ding," Curator Fang greeted her and introduced, "This is Young Master Su."

Secretary Ding nodded, then turned to Yaoguang with a smile. "Young Master Su, please come with me. Director Ou has long admired the Buzhou Group and has always wished to meet Old Master Su."

Yaoguang rose and followed her out of Mijade Collection Hall to a private elevator.

Soon, the elevator stopped on the twenty-second floor. It was a floor reserved exclusively for Yulong International's offices. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

"Please follow me." Secretary Ding gestured politely and led Yaoguang forward.

Yaoguang glanced around.

The elevator opened into a hotel-like lobby, lavishly decorated. Several muscular men and women stood in the corners quietly; there was no mistaking the fact that they were part of the security personnel. Staff members moved briskly through the space.

The moment Yaoguang stepped out, two of them looked his way. Seeing that Secretary Ding was escorting him, they withdrew their gazes.

Yaoguang silently followed her across the palace-like lobby, down a deep corridor, and then another one over a dozen meters long.

But when they reached the third branching hallway, he suddenly stopped.

"Young Master Su? This way, please," Secretary Ding said.

Yaoguang ignored her and walked directly toward another corridor, striding ahead.

"Young Master Su?" Secretary Ding called out, hurrying after him.

He did not appear to be moving fast, yet each step covered so much ground that even when she broke into a small run, she could not catch up.

Moments later, Yaoguang stopped before an office with a plaque reading "Director."

"Young Master Su—" Before Secretary Ding could stop him, he had already pushed the door open and stepped inside.