Invincible Soul Emperor

Chapter 247: Chapter 247 Identity Exposed

Ye Qingchen shook his head, and Zhang Changshui’s heart sank. He feared that if Ye Qingchen didn’t purchase any mine slaves, his lucrative side business would be ruined.

Ye Qingchen sighed and said to Zhang Changshui, ”Steward Zhang, to be honest, none of these mine slaves have caught my eye. But rest assured, I won’t let your efforts go to waste. Since I’m here, I won’t be leaving empty-handed.”

Zhang Changshui was overjoyed. ”Young Master Liu is indeed a straightforward man! Which mine slaves do you plan to buy?”

Ye Qingchen shook his head again. ”Since there are no suitable candidates, why don’t you bring me the slave register? I’ll just pick a few that catch my eye and take them.”

Steward Zhang hesitated. The slave register was considered a secret of the Heavenly Profound Sect and, according to the rules, was not to be shown to outsiders. But he was also afraid that Ye Qingchen would back out of the purchase entirely, so he gritted his teeth and agreed.

Afterward, Steward Zhang led Ye Qingchen back into the room, where he fetched a thick register and handed it over. Ye Qingchen didn’t stand on ceremony. He immediately opened the register and began to search.

But reality once again disappointed him. Even after flipping through the register several times, he still couldn’t find his father’s name.

Still, Ye Qingchen refused to give up. While flipping through the register, his eyes darted around the room until they finally settled on a cabinet in the corner. The cabinet was open, allowing Ye Qingchen a clear view of its contents. Inside were several more registers, identical to the one in his hand.

Ye Qingchen put down the register and walked over to the cabinet. As he reached for another one, Zhang Changshui stopped him. ”Young Master Liu, those are outdated registers that have been archived. They list mine slaves who are either already dead or have been sold to other sects. There’s no need for you to waste your time on them.”

Ye Qingchen’s heart sank, but he quickly recovered. If Father isn’t in the mine and his name isn’t in this register, then assuming he’s not dead, he was most likely sold to another sect.

Thus, the registers Steward Zhang deemed unnecessary had now become Ye Qingchen’s top priority. However, Ye Qingchen needed a pretext. How can I check these registers without arousing suspicion? He was here to buy mine slaves, after all. Acting too abnormally would only arouse Zhang Changshui’s suspicion and complicate things.

Just then, a voice shouted from outside the room, ”Steward Zhang, have you found that Black Moon Stone I asked for last time?”

Ye Qingchen frowned. The voice was all too familiar. It belonged to Cheng Zhibin, the man who had caused him trouble multiple times back in the capital!

It was just Ye Qingchen’s luck. Cheng Zhibin rarely visited the Xuan Ore Cave. He had only come this time because he needed a Black Moon Stone for his Alchemy, and buying one elsewhere would have been far too costly. That was why he had entrusted Steward Zhang to find one for him.

Hearing Cheng Zhibin, Zhang Changshui hurried out with a smile. ”Alchemist Zhibin, you’re here! I’ve found that Black Moon Stone for you. Come in, come in!”

Although Zhang Changshui was a steward, Cheng Zhibin was not only Xiong Bin’s Direct Disciple but also a Fourth-Rank Alchemist. In the Heavenly Profound Sect, his status was already no lower than Zhang Changshui’s. Furthermore, with Cheng Zhibin’s talent, his future position was bound to be even higher. As such, Zhang Changshui was almost fawning in his attempt to please Cheng Zhibin.

Zhang Changshui then led Cheng Zhibin into the room. Ye Qingchen quickly turned his back, doing his best to avoid being seen.

But Cheng Zhibin was a Fourth-Rank Alchemist, and his perception was far beyond that of an ordinary person. Besides, the person in the room was Ye Qingchen—the very man he had been cursing in his heart for months. Therefore, the moment he entered the room, Cheng Zhibin sensed Ye Qingchen’s presence and instinctively frowned.

Cheng Zhibin had never imagined Ye Qingchen would appear on Heavenly Profound Sect territory. He sneered at Zhang Changshui, ”Steward Zhang, it seems you have a guest here!”

Bitterness welled in Zhang Changshui’s heart. Now that Cheng Zhibin has found out, it won’t be easy to keep all the money from the sale for myself. He had no choice but to explain truthfully, ”Ah, Zhibin, this is Young Master Liu. He’s here to purchase mine slaves from the Xuan Ore Cave, and we were just discussing the matter. Please wait a moment while I go get your Black Moon Stone.”

Zhang Changshui just wanted to get rid of Cheng Zhibin as quickly as possible. He would still have to hand over a portion of the money to the sect, but that was far better than having Cheng Zhibin take a cut.

But at that moment, Cheng Zhibin burst out laughing. ”Ye Qingchen, when did you change your surname to Liu? And you’ve come to my Heavenly Profound Sect to buy mine slaves? What an imaginative scheme.”

Knowing he could no longer hide, Ye Qingchen turned to face Cheng Zhibin.

Cheng Zhibin still held a grudge against Ye Qingchen for defeating him in the Alchemy Dao competition. He had always wanted revenge but never had the chance. He never expected Ye Qingchen to deliver himself right to his doorstep.

However, killing Ye Qingchen here would still be somewhat troublesome. After all, Ye Qingchen was a member of the Qingyun Sect. If he died inexplicably within the Heavenly Profound Sect, it would be difficult to answer to them. Moreover, given Ye Qingchen’s status as not only the Qingyun Sect Leader’s Direct Disciple but also a rare Alchemy Dao genius, his death here could very well provoke a war between the two great sects!

Cheng Zhibin could not afford such a consequence. However, he had a way to kill Ye Qingchen and leave the Qingyun Sect completely speechless.

Cheng Zhibin nonchalantly blocked the doorway and spoke to Ye Qingchen with a cold smile, ”Ye Qingchen, you are the esteemed Direct Disciple of the Qingyun Sect’s Leader. Why would you come to our Heavenly Profound Sect to buy mine slaves? And using an alias, no less. You clearly have ulterior motives. I suspect buying slaves is merely a pretext. Your true purpose is to infiltrate the Heavenly Profound Sect and plot against us!”

Cheng Zhibin’s words were vicious. First, he exposed Ye Qingchen’s identity, then he pinned these baseless accusations on him. If Ye Qingchen were found guilty of spying on the Heavenly Profound Sect, then even if he were killed here, the Qingyun Sect wouldn’t dare to say a word. In fact, if the Qingyun Sect tried to retaliate, it would only prove that he was indeed a spy sent by them. And since Ye Qingchen was, in fact, using an alias, Cheng Zhibin’s accusations had a solid footing.

Cheng Zhibin’s goal was to seize this opportunity to eliminate Ye Qingchen once and for all. Then I will take his Fen Tian Earth Fire and Ancient Jade Spiritual Fire for myself!

Ye Qingchen, of course, understood his predicament and couldn’t help but frown.

This Cheng Zhibin... he really is like a bad penny!