Chapter 0830: The Interesting Boss

Chapter 0830: The Interesting Boss

Bai Kexian whispered, "Boss, didn't you mention having important news to share?"

She was deliberately redirecting attention from the matter, as letting it escalate would be unfavorable for Qin Yun and his companion.

Boss Long said, "I do have something important to announce—an invitation from the Long Family. However, that can wait for now!"

Upon hearing Boss Long’s words, Qin Yun suddenly thought of something. Not long ago, the Long Family had established contact with the Immortal Barrens, which had even activated a great formation to send down powerful Half-Immortals.

The Long Family was clearly scheming something.

Qin Yun and Xiao Yuemei had come near the Dragon King Village precisely to gather information about it and find a way to infiltrate the Long Family.

Now, with Boss Long mentioning an "invitation from the Long Family," it was likely an excellent opportunity.

Boss Long was clearly a member of the Long Family—otherwise, he wouldn’t know so many secrets. Moreover, the Dragonwood Pavilion he had built was exceptionally unique, constructed from dragon tree wood, a material not just anyone could obtain.

From what Qin Yun could see so far, Boss Long appeared to be a handsome and formidable youth, but Qin Yun couldn't yet discern what kind of person he was.

Feng Wuqiu looked at Qin Yun and said, "Hurry up and prove you’re the sect master of the Strange Runes Sect. If you can demonstrate your knowledge of strange runes, I’ll admit defeat!"

Qin Yun smiled. "That’s easy! All I need to do is craft a talisman, and that’ll be proof enough!"

At this moment, an elder stepped forward and chuckled, "Even if the Strange Runes Sect is a minor sect, as its master, you should at least have mastered Dao Runes to be considered legitimate. Just crafting talismans is relatively easy!"

It was obvious that the elder was siding with Feng Wuqiu.

Feng Wuqiu was the chief disciple of an immortal sect, a young Martial King, and was on excellent terms with the younger generation of the Long Family. His future was undoubtedly bright, and even elders sought to curry favor with him.

Soon, a large group of elders also stepped forward to support Feng Wuqiu, accusing Qin Yun and Xiao Yuemei of being imposters.

Feng Wuqiu was doing this to restore his followers’ pride and establish his authority, ensuring more people would follow him in the future.

"Boss, these two honored guests were brought in by me…" Bai Kexian said softly, hoping Boss Long could mediate the conflict.

Both Boss Long and Bai Kexian knew Qin Yun possessed a hundred billion purple crystal coins, making him a highly valued guest.

"Brother Feng, let this go," Boss Long finally spoke up.

"Brother Long, someone is trying to scam people right under your nose—even attempting to deceive me! I can’t just let this go. This guy is definitely a fraud. He’s young with low cultivation—there’s no way he’s the master of any sect!" Feng Wuqiu insisted firmly.

"Boss Long, thank you for stepping in earlier. But this matter can’t just end here. I’ve been slandered, and if I don’t clear my name, how can I continue as the master of the Strange Runes Sect?" Qin Yun said with a smile.

Right now, someone was about to hand him purple crystal coins—he couldn’t let Boss Long interfere.

Boss Long shrugged at Bai Kexian, looking helpless.

"You fraud of a sect master, show us now! Craft a Dao Rune, and I’ll believe you’re the so-called master of the Strange Runes Sect. If you succeed, I’ll even give you ten billion purple crystal coins as an apology!" Feng Wuqiu laughed.

"Well… why should we have all the fun? It’d be boring if it’s just the two of us betting. Since you have so many friends here, why not let them join in? If they don’t believe I’m a sect master, they can place their bets too!" Qin Yun grinned.

"Kid, if we all join, do you even have enough purple crystal coins to cover the losses?" a youth sneered.

"Exactly! If Brother Feng alone wins a billion from you, won’t that be enough?" another youth chimed in.

"Sorry, but I happen to have over ten billion on hand. Ten of you can place bets—you game?" Qin Yun took out a purple crystal card and handed it to Bai Kexian, smiling. "Chief Disciple Bai can vouch for me."

The elders present collectively drew sharp breaths.

A youth actually holding over a hundred billion Purple Crystal Coins and engaging in such high-stakes gambling here clearly indicates he must have substantial backing!

Feng Wuqiu was also stunned, because even he only had about two billion Purple Crystal Coins on hand—all temporarily borrowed from the Gale Celestial Sect to flaunt his status, which he had to return afterward.

To gamble over ten billion, one must be extremely confident!

Qin Yun chuckled, "Although my Runes Masters Sect is a no-name minor sect, a hundred billion is still within our means!"

Feng Wuqiu, those youths, and the elders who had spoken up earlier were now stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Boss Long frowned and said, "Friend, your card indeed holds over ten billion Purple Crystal Coins, but that doesn’t prove you’re the leader of a sect. On the contrary, it makes you even more suspicious! A responsible sect leader would never squander a sect’s resources!"

Boss Long’s words made many nod in agreement.

Quite a few elders present were high-ranking figures of various factions and strongly approved of this statement.

"Since Boss Long doesn’t believe me, why not place a bet yourself? How about it?" Qin Yun smiled, though inwardly puzzled, as Boss Long seemed to be subtly helping him—perhaps to goad Feng Wuqiu into it.

"You have twelve billion Purple Crystal Coins in your account. Don’t think your wealth can scare me! I’ve seen cards worth hundreds of billions before—let’s gamble if you dare!" Boss Long sneered. "Just don’t try to weasel out later, or you won’t walk out of the Dragon Tree Pavilion!"

Xiao Yuemei saw through Boss Long’s ploy—he was helping them. She quickly tugged at Qin Yun’s sleeve and whispered, "Master, let’s go. Let them doubt if they want. Don’t gamble! You’ve just recovered from your injuries—what if you can’t make the Talisman? You’ll lose!"

"Don’t even think about running!" Feng Wuqiu immediately blocked Xiao Yuemei’s path.

Several other elders also moved to block Qin Yun and Xiao Yuemei’s path.

This made the others even more convinced that Qin Yun and Xiao Yuemei were scheming something—bold and confident earlier, but now trying to flee when Boss Long got serious.

Seeing Boss Long step in, Feng Wuqiu, his five followers, and several elders all joined the bet.

"I’m willing to gamble with you, but... you’ll have to put your Purple Crystal Coins in Boss Long’s custody first as collateral. I don’t trust you to play fair," Qin Yun said, his smile fading.

"No problem!" Feng Wuqiu smirked triumphantly. "Let’s see what tricks you have up your sleeve!"

Soon after, Feng Wuqiu, the youths, and the elders each handed Boss Long one billion Purple Crystal Coins.

Qin Yun was secretly pleased. Though he didn’t know why Boss Long was helping him, it was clear he wanted to forge a connection.

Even though Boss Long was from the Long Family, Qin Yun and Xiao Yuemei needed connections with a Long Family member to infiltrate the Dragon King Manor more easily.

Qin Yun placed a table.

At that moment, an elder Mystic Rune Master stepped forward and said, "Use my Talisman paper! I’m a Mystic Rune Master, and there are several Runes Masters here who can appraise the Talisman you make!"

Boss Long laughed. "Though I’m not a Runes Master, I can still judge whether a Dao Rune is genuine!"

Qin Yun inspected the Talisman paper—it was high-quality, made from good materials, which reassured him.

Instead of using the Spirit Rhyme Profound Brush, he chose a plain carving knife.

The Talisman Qin Yun crafted was a common Flame Talisman, requiring only a low-tier Fire Dao Rune.

This was something Jian Linglong had passed down to him—though a low-tier Dao Rune, it was quite practical.

Engraving the Dao Rune was a breeze for Qin Yun.

This was the power of the Dao Lord Rune Soul!

Qin Yun carved several sets of low-tier Flame Dao Runes, then added two sets of Star Runes as supporting enhancements to boost the Talisman’s power. A few additional Mystic Runes finished it off.

The entire process took him just a little over half an hour.

This speed was quite impressive, leaving the few Runes Masters present somewhat astonished.

"I'm done!" Qin Yun quickly stepped away from the table after finishing the engraving and said, "Boss Long, you can inspect and authenticate it now!"

Boss Long walked over, frowned, and remarked, "Unless I'm mistaken, this should be a Flame Talisman, and it even has Star Runes on it? To think someone could engrave both Star Runes and Dao Runes in such a short time!"

Hearing Boss Long's words, Feng Wuqiu and those youths suddenly tensed up, their faces turning pale.

At that moment, a Mystic Rune Master also approached and, upon seeing the Flame Talisman, gasped in awe, "This is indeed a Flame Talisman, and the precision of both the Dao Runes and Star Runes is exceptionally high!"

"The Mystic Runes Sect? I’ve never heard of such a faction! To have such a skilled Mystic Rune Master—with this level of ability, leading a specialized sect focused on runes is more than sufficient!"

Boss Long laughed and said, "Sect Leader Yun, I misjudged you earlier! I concede the bet—these Purple Crystal Coins are your winnings!"

As he spoke, he handed over 120 billion Purple Crystal Coins to Qin Yun.

"This... Brother Long, they might have cheated..." Feng Wuqiu’s face turned green, while his young companions looked ashen. Those Purple Crystal Coins were given to them by their families, and now they had lost everything.

"Impossible. No one can cheat under my watch," Boss Long said with a smile. "Young Brother Feng, we should be straightforward in life. If you lose, you lose. Ten billion Purple Crystal Coins are just a drop in the bucket for a young Martial King like you! Didn’t I lose ten billion too? But in return, we’ve befriended a young Mystic Rune Master—and a sect leader at that. That’s a huge gain!"

Upon hearing this, Feng Wuqiu had ten thousand curses he wanted to hurl in his mind.

Even though he had lost, he still had to maintain his dignity—especially someone like Feng Wuqiu, who was very image-conscious. He had to lose gracefully. He quickly forced a smile and said to Qin Yun, "Sect Leader Yun, we’ve gotten acquainted through this competition. My earlier rudeness was unwarranted—I sincerely apologize!"