Bab 232: Berhati-hati Itu Baik (3)
"Baiklah. Kau bisa memberiku dua sebagai uang muka." Zheng Yunhui tidak ragu-ragu menyampaikan permintaannya.
"Aku sudah menyetujui harganya, tapi jangan berpikir aku akan menerima tanpa uang muka. Lagipula, bagaimana aku bisa yakin kau tidak sedang memainkan tipu muslihat? Berikan dua buah sumber bumi sebagai uang muka. Dengan begitu, meskipun kau menjebakku, aku tetap tidak akan pulang dengan tangan kosong."
Liu Hong agak tidak bisa berkata-kata. Anak-anak zaman sekarang benar-benar terlalu berhati-hati.
Zheng Yunhui melanjutkan, "Oh, aku hampir lupa. Sebaiknya kau memberiku jimat dengan kekuatan serangan kultivator Kekuatan Tak Terhingga tahap ketiga. Selain itu, aku juga butuh jimat pertahanan. Hanya dengan begitu kemenanganku terjamin. Singkatnya, kau harus membayar 2.000 poin merit sebagai uang muka dan 6.000 tetes cairan qi sumber untuk menyelesaikan transaksi."
Zheng Yunhui juga menjalankan skenarionya sendiri. Dengan uang muka itu, bahkan jika mereka ketahuan, dia tetap akan mendapat untung sedikit. Adapun nasib Su Yu, itu bukan urusannya.
Dia harus mendapatkan keuntungan untuk dirinya sendiri terlebih dahulu. Meskipun Liu Hong tidak menyebutkan soal uang muka, Zheng Yunhui tetap memaksakannya.
"Bagaimana kalau kau kalah?" Liu Hong mengangkat alisnya. "Bukankah aku rugi kalau kau kalah?"
"Kalah?" Zheng Yunhui memutar matanya. "Kalau aku bisa kalah dalam situasi seperti ini, lebih baik aku bunuh diri. Bagaimana kalau begini? Kalau aku kalah...aku akan memberimu setetes esensi darah ilahi. Pada saat itu, tidak masalah lagi karena aku sudah hancur."
Liu Hong sangat gembira. Inilah yang selama ini dia tunggu-tunggu! Dengan begitu, bahkan jika Zheng Yunhui kalah dalam pertarungan, dia tetap akan mendapat untung. Dan jika Zheng Yunhui menang, dia akan mendapat untung yang lebih besar lagi. Soal harga data, tentu saja dia tidak mampu membelinya, tapi orang lain mampu!
"Deal!" kata Liu Hong. "Aku akan mengambil barang-barangmu besok. Ngomong-ngomong, kapan kau bertarung? Dan di mana? Kau harus memberitahuku semuanya. Aku akan mengamati secara diam-diam untuk mencegah Su Yu bermain curang."
"Tidak masalah." Zheng Yunhui langsung setuju. Senyum lebar menghiasi wajahnya. Keuntungan sudah terjamin baginya.
Dia akan mendapat setidaknya 2.000 poin merit dari transaksi ini. Dia sudah mendapatkan kembali semua yang dia keluarkan untuk memesan Teknik Sumber Kilat.
...
Zheng Yunhui pergi dengan penuh semangat.
Sementara itu, Liu Hong tetap di tempatnya, tenggelam dalam pikiran. Anak itu setuju terlalu mudah. Sebenarnya, 20.000 poin merit memang tidak seberapa dibandingkan dengan apa yang bisa dia dapatkan.
Jika transaksi berhasil, dia bisa mendapat lebih banyak lagi apa pun itu, tidak peduli kepada siapa dia menjual data itu. Bahkan faksi karakter tunggal pun rela membayarnya 50.000 poin merit untuk data itu. Selain itu, Tetua Zheng bahkan akan memujinya atas kontribusinya. Dia akan mendapat kekayaan dan reputasi sekaligus!
"Apakah ada yang salah dengan ini?"
Dia merenung. Seharusnya tidak ada yang salah, kan? Dia mulai memikirkan semua yang dia ketahui. Konflik telah meletus antara dua anak itu. Mereka sepakat untuk bertarung secara pribadi dengan esensi darah ilahi dan data penelitian sebagai taruhannya. Semuanya terdengar logis.
Tidak ada yang tampak salah...kecuali fakta bahwa Bai Feng tiba-tiba masuk pertapaan. Selain itu, kedua anak itu sempat berbincang saat dia lewat. Dan Zheng Yunhui setuju terlalu mudah.
Liu Hong mengangkat alis. Ya. Zheng Yunhui terlalu mudah setuju. Bukankah Zheng Yunhui sedang mencoba mendekati murid Zhou Pingsheng? Apakah Zheng Yunhui tidak akan bertanya dulu pada Zhou Pingsheng? Kenapa rasanya...seperti Zheng Yunhui memang sedang menunggunya?
"Apakah semua kebetulan ini...dan aku berpikir terlalu berlebihan?"
Dia akan membayar sejumlah besar uang untuk transaksi ini. Jika ada yang salah, dia akan benar-benar hancur.
"Anak-anak ini...tidak mungkin bekerja sama untuk menipuku, kan?"
Liu Hong tertawa mendengar pikiran itu. Tapi segera setelah itu, wajahnya menegang. Kenapa tidak berani? Bukankah dia sendiri pernah menyusun rencana untuk membunuh seorang kultivator Skysoar saat masih di Tahap Pematangan Mental?
Itu sudah lama sekali. Saat itu, dia mengambil risiko besar untuk menerobos ke Tingkat Terbang Langit. Sendirian, dia berpura-pura tidak tahu apa-apa dan bergabung dengan salah satu cabang Kultus Berbagai Ras. Pada akhirnya, dia menyusun rencana untuk membunuh semua orang di cabang itu sebelum mengumpulkan cukup sumber daya untuk menerobos.
Jika dia berani melakukan hal berbahaya seperti itu, kenapa orang lain tidak bisa melakukan hal yang sama? Bahkan Wu Qi pun berani memasuki Medan Perang Langit-Semua demi menerobos ke Tingkat Terbang Langit.
Apakah ada sesuatu yang tidak berani dilakukan oleh seorang jenius? Bahkan Bai Feng pun berhasil menerobos setelah mengalami berbagai bahaya dan kesulitan.
"Tidak mungkin, kan?"
Liu Hong masih ragu apakah kedua anak itu akan seberani itu di awal kultivasi mereka.
Dia menepuk kepalanya sendiri dan tertawa, "Ya, ini mudah dipecahkan. Aku hanya perlu mengujinya. Su Yu...anak itu memiliki senyum yang sangat jahat. Dia benar-benar bajingan. Aku tidak bisa mengambil risiko ini. Siapa yang harus kucari? Aku tidak bisa menggunakan orang-orangku sendiri untuk ini. Benar...si gendut itu! Ya, aku akan menggunakannya!"
Liu Hong tersenyum. Dia harus melakukan pemeriksaan yang teliti. Bagaimanapun juga, sejumlah besar poin merit terlibat. Dia tidak akan pernah bisa terlalu berhati-hati.
...
16 September.
Semuanya tenang.
Seperti biasa, Su Yu datang pagi ke kelas dan pulang larut. Tepat setelah dia meninggalkan ruang kelas, Xia Huyou muncul dan menyeretnya ke lantai bawah.
Setelah berlarian sebentar, mereka tiba di tempat yang sepi. Xia Huyou buru-buru bertanya, "Su Yu, apakah kau akan melakukan pekerjaan besar segera?"
"Jangan bohong padaku! Aku mendengar rumor!" bisik Xia Huyou. "Zheng Yunhui tiba-tiba membeli beberapa buah sumber bumi dan jimat dari pasar gelap. Apakah kau akan melancarkan rencanamu terhadapnya? Orang itu benar-benar dermawan. Dia menghabiskan 2.000 poin merit tanpa ragu-ragu sedikit pun."
"Hmm?" Su Yu bingung. "Berapa?"
"2.000 poin merit. Kalau bukan karena jaringan pertemananku yang luas, aku tidak akan tahu bahwa Zheng Yunhui adalah orang yang melakukan pembelian besar itu. Kita berteman. Dan aku sudah memberimu informasi ini secara gratis. Apakah kau sudah setuju untuk bertarung dengannya? Jangan bohong padaku. Tidak ada alasan baginya untuk membeli buah sumber bumi sekarang. Dia bukan orang bodoh."
Lagi pula, Zheng Yunhui menghabiskan 500 poin merit hanya untuk satu atau dua akupuntkunya tambahan. Hanya orang idiot yang akan melakukan hal seperti itu tanpa alasan. Tentu, ada kemungkinan Zheng Yunhui terlalu kaya atau sedang mencoba menerobos hambatan.
Su Yu bisa dianggap sangat boros dengan menghabiskan 50 poin merit per akupuntkunya. Tapi Zheng Yunhui sekarang menghabiskan 500 poin merit untuk satu atau dua akupuntkunya. Umumnya, orang hanya akan menggunakan sesuatu seperti buah sumber bumi saat menghadapi hambatan.
"2.000 poin merit...Liu Hong..."
Su Yu mengumpat dalam hati. Apakah Zheng Yunhui menipu uang dari Liu Hong tanpa memberitahunya? Kalau tidak, bagaimana orang itu bisa begitu kaya?
"Su Yu, apakah kau akan melakukan pekerjaan besar?" tanya Xia Huyou. "Kalau benar-benar melakukannya, aku sarankan kau menyerah. Dia mungkin bisa menerobos ke tahap kedelapan. Dan dengan beberapa jimat di tangan, dia akan sangat kuat. Kau tidak akan menang. Bahkan jika kau di tahap ketujuh, bukan tahap ketiga, kau mungkin masih kalah."
Su Yu tidak terlalu khawatir. Lagipula dia tidak berniat menang. Satu-satunya hal di pikirannya adalah kemungkinan Zheng Yunhui menipu sesuatu ekstra di muka tanpa berbagi!
"Oke. Mengerti. Aku tidak melakukan apa-apa. Jangan bicara omong kosong."
"Su Yu..."
"Aku benar-benar tidak melakukan apa-apa. Aku harus pergi. Aku masih perlu kultivasi. Dadah."
"Sungguh? Kalau kau benar-benar melakukan sesuatu, kau harus memberitahuku!"
"Ya, ya."
"..."
Xia Huyou curiga. Apakah Su Yu benar-benar tidak melakukan apa-apa? Sebenarnya, dia memang tidak terlihat seperti sedang merencanakan sesuatu. Kalau begitu, kenapa Zheng Yunhui tiba-tiba membeli semua barang itu? Apakah dia sedang bersiap untuk menantang Peringkat 100 Teratas?
Xia Huyou menggelengkan kepalanya, "Kupikir ini ada hubungannya dengan Su Yu. Ternyata bukan?"
...
Di puncak gedung kuliah.
Liu Hong mengamati Su Yu yang pergi. Dia tidak akan pernah bisa terlalu berhati-hati. Bahkan jika dia harus mengambil risiko membuat kedua anak itu curiga, itu sepadan.
Setelah mengetahui pembelian Zheng Yunhui, tindakan logis bagi Su Yu adalah membatalkan pertarungan. Tapi jika dia melanjutkan, apa sumber kepercayaan dirinya? Bagaimana dia bisa mengalahkan Zheng Yunhui tahap kedelapan yang diperlengkapi dengan jimat?
Bahkan kultivasi tahap keenamnya tidak akan memberinya kekuatan sebanyak itu. Lagipula, Zheng Yunhui benar-benar akan memiliki kekuatan 100 besar setelah mencerna semua yang dia dapatkan dari pembelian itu.
"Jika Su Yu melanjutkan pertarungan tanpa peningkatan kekuatan, ini pasti sebuah plot. Tapi jika Su Yu mencoba menunda pertarungan, maka pertarungan itu akan lebih meyakinkan. Dia setidaknya harus mencapai tahap ketujuh. Beraninya dia mengambil risiko ini tanpa kepercayaan diri?"
Liu Hong bersedia menunggu. Dia tidak terburu-buru. Karena Su Yu dan Zheng Yunhui sama-sama
Chapter 232: It's Good To Be Prudent (3)
"Fine. You can give me two as a down payment." Zheng Yunhui did not hesitate to make his demand.
"I've agreed to your price, but don't even think that I won't accept a down payment for it. After all, how am I supposed to be sure that you aren't trying to play any tricks? Give me two earthly source fruits as the down payment. That way, even if you set me up, I still won't end up empty handed."
Liu Hong was somewhat speechless. Kids nowadays were truly too cautious.
Zheng Yunhui continued, "Oh, I almost forgot. You better give me a talisman with the attack power of a third-stage Infinite Strength cultivator. While you're at it, I need a defensive talisman as well. That is the only way to guarantee my victory. In short, you need to pay 2,000 merit points as the down payment and 6,000 drops of source qi liquid to complete the transaction."
Zheng Yunhui was running his own scheme as well. With the down payment, even if they were found out, he would still be able to profit slightly. As for what would happen to Su Yu, well, that was none of his business.
He had to first get some benefits for himself. Even though Liu Hong had not mentioned the matter of down payment, Zheng Yunhui insisted.
"What if you lose?" Liu Hong raised his brow, "Wouldn't I make a loss if you end up losing?"
"Losing?" Zheng Yunhui rolled his eyes, "If I can lose even in such a situation, I might as well kill myself. How about this? If I lose...I'll give you a drop of divine blood essence. At that point, it no longer matters since I'm screwed anyway."
Liu Hong was overjoyed. This was what he had been waiting for! That way, even if Zheng Yunhui ended up losing the fight, he would still make a profit. And if Zheng Yunhui won, he would make an even bigger profit. As for the price of the data, sure, he wasn't rich enough to afford it, but someone else was!
"Deal!" Liu Hong said, "I'll get your stuff tomorrow. By the way, when are you fighting? And where are you fighting? You need to tell me everything. I'll be observing in secret to prevent Su Yu from playing any dirty tricks."
"No problem." Zheng Yunhui readily agreed. He had a wide smile on his face. Profit was already guaranteed for him.
He would earn at least 2,000 merit points from this racket. He had earned back everything he had spent to order the Skybreak Technique.
...
Zheng Yunhui left in excitement.
Meanwhile, Liu Hong stayed where he was, deep in thought. That kid had agreed too easily. In truth, 20,000 merit points really weren't much compared to what he could potentially get.
If the transaction succeeded, he could earn much more regardless of who he sold the data to. Even the single character faction would be willing to pay him 50,000 merit points for it. On top of that, Elder Zheng would even praise him for his contribution. He would earn both wealth and reputation!
"Is there anything wrong with this?"
He contemplated. Nothing should be wrong, right? He started thinking about everything he knew. A conflict had erupted between the two kids. They agreed on a private match with divine blood essence and research data as their bets. Everything sounded logical.
Nothing seemed to be wrong...except the fact that Bai Feng had suddenly entered seclusion. Additionally, the two kids had conversed while he was passing by. And Zheng Yunhui had agreed too easily.
Liu Hong raised his brow. Yes. Zheng Yunhui had been too agreeable. Wasn't Zheng Yunhui trying to approach Zhou Pingsheng's student? Was Zheng Yunhui not going to ask Zhou Pingsheng first? Why did it feel like...Zheng Yunhui was basically waiting for him?
"Are all these coincidences...and I'm thinking too much?"
He was going to pay a large sum of money for this transaction. If something was wrong with it, he would be totally screwed.
"These kids...aren't working together to scam me, right?"
Liu Hong laughed at that thought. But immediately after, his face stiffened. Why wouldn't they dare to do so? Didn't he scheme a Skysoar to death back when he was still at the Mental Tempering Stage?
That was a long time ago. Back then, he had taken a big risk in order to break through into the Skysoar Realm. By himself, he acted ignorant and joined a branch of the Myriad Race Cult. Ultimately, he schemed everyone in the branch to death before earning enough resources for his breakthrough.
If he dared to do something so dangerous, why couldn't the others do the same? Even Wu Qi had braved danger and entered the Allheaven Battlefield in order to break through into the Skysoar Realm.
Was there anything a genius wouldn't dare to do? Even Bai Feng had also broken through after suffering countless dangers and difficulties.
"It's not very likely, right?"
Liu Hong still doubted that the two kids would be so gutsy this early in their cultivation.
He patted his own head and laughed, "Well, this is easy to solve. I only need to give it a test. Su Yu...that kid has a very villainous smile. He is a scumbag through and through. I can't risk this. Who should I look for? I can't use my own people for this. Right...that fatty! Yes, I'll use him!"
Liu Hong smiled. He had to perform his due diligence. After all, a large sum of merit points was involved. He could never be too careful.
...
16th of September.
Everything was calm.
Just like in the past, Su Yu arrived early at class and left late. Right after he left the classroom, Xia Huyou appeared and dragged him downstairs.
After running about for a bit, they arrived somewhere empty. Xia Huyou hurriedly asked, "Su Yu, are you going to do a big job soon?"
"Don't lie to me! I heard rumors!" Xia Huyou whispered, "Zheng Yunhui has suddenly bought some earthly source fruits and talismans from the black market. Are you going to carry out your scheme against him? That fellow is truly generous. He spent 2,000 merit points without any hesitation whatsoever."
"Hmm?" Su Yu blanked out. "How much?"
"2,000 merit points. If it wasn't for my wide network, I wouldn't have learned that Zheng Yunhui was the one who had made the big purchase. We're friends. And I've given you this information for free. Have you agreed to fight him? Don't lie to me. There is no reason for him to purchase earthly source fruits right now. He's not a fool."
After all, Zheng Yunhui was spending 500 merit points just for one or two extra acupoints. Only an idiot would do something like that for no reason. Sure, there was a chance that Zheng Yunhui was simply too rich or was trying to break through a bottleneck.
Su Yu could be considered to be very extravagant spending 50 merit points per acupoint. But Zheng Yunhui was now spending 500 merit points for one or two acupoints. Generally, people would only use something like the earthly source fruit when encountering a bottleneck.
"2,000 merit points...Liu Hong..."
Su Yu cursed inwardly. Had Zheng Yunhui scammed some money from Liu Hong without telling him? How would that fellow be so rich otherwise?
"Su Yu, are you doing a big job?" Xia Huyou asked, "If you're really doing it, I suggest you give up. He might be able to break through into the eighth-stage. And with some talismans in hand, he will be incredibly strong. You won't win. Even if you're at the seventh-stage instead of the third-stage, you still might lose."
Su Yu wasn't too worried. He wasn't prepared to win anyway. The only thing in his mind was the possibility of Zheng Yunhui scamming something extra in advance without sharing!
"Ok. Got it. I'm not doing anything. Don't talk drivel."
"Su Yu..."
"I'm really not doing anything. I need to go. I still need to cultivate. Bye."
"Really? If you're really doing something, you must let me know!" "Yeah, yeah."
"..."
Xia Huyou was suspicious. Was Su Yu really not doing anything? In truth, he really didn't look like he was up to something. In that case, why had Zheng Yunhui bought all those things suddenly? Was he preparing to challenge the Top 100 Ranking?
Xia Huyou shook his head, "I thought it was related to Su Yu. So it isn't?"
...
At the top of the lecture block.
Liu Hong was observing the departing Su Yu. He could never be too cautious. Even if he had to take the risk of alerting the two kids, it was worth it.
After learning about Zheng Yunhui's purchases, the logical action for Su Yu was to cancel the match. But if he continued, what was the source of his confidence? How could he defeat an eighth-stage Zheng Yunhui equipped with talismans?
Not even his sixth-stage cultivation would give him that much strength. After all, Zheng Yunhui would truly possess the strength of the top 100 after digesting everything he had obtained through those purchases.
"If Su Yu proceeds with the match without an increase in strength, then this is definitely a plot. But if Su Yu tries delaying the match, then the match would be more believable. He needs to at least reach the seventh-stage. How would he dare to take this risk without any confidence?"
Liu Hong was willing to wait. He was in no rush. Since Su Yu and Zheng Yunhui were both trying to win what the other had to offer, it was only a matter of time before they held the match.
Su Yu would be stupid to go on with the original match after learning about Zheng Yunhui's increase in strength without a corresponding increase in his own strength. Was Su Yu stupid?
"I suppose I'll wait and see what happens next."
Liu Hong smiled. All he needed to do now was to wait for Zheng Yunhui to contact him. As long as Su Yu agreed to the match before reaching the seventh-stage, Liu Hong would be certain that this was a ploy against him.
"Interesting...but I have far more experience with this. Kids, you guys are still too young."
This was but a simple test. He didn't even need to pay any price for it. At worst, he would have to wait longer for the plan to go through. With 20,000 merit points on the line, the test was necessary.
If the two kids could really wait for a month or two for Su Yu to reach the seventh-stage before carrying out the plan to scam him, then he would gladfully accept his defeat. After all, everything had been too believable.
As Liu Hong thought to himself, his figure slowly vanished. At the thought of this being a scheme against him and the chance of it succeeding, he suddenly wondered if he should really let it happen.
If this was a scheme and it was good enough to almost fool even someone like him, what if it was used on someone else?
"How very interesting. This would be even more interesting if it's a scheme. And if this is really a scheme...I might even be able to get a split of the profit too."
His gaze landed on the distant books depository. Hehe...perhaps...it would be even better for him if this was actually a scheme.
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