Da Dou Shi!
And such a young Da Dou Shi!
What made Hai Bo Dong even more surprised and puzzled was that he was certain this was the first time he had met the young man in front of him, yet inexplicably, there was an indescribable sense of familiarity, as if their auras originated from the same source.
But he was certain that he had never taught his cultivation technique to anyone. Years ago, some ice-attributed juniors from the Mitre Family had been extremely attentive to him, but he had never relented.
The Ice Emperor Scripture is not for the mediocre!
"The maps are all on the counter. Pick one yourself. If you can't find what you're looking for, you can ask me."
Suppressing the doubts in his heart, Hai Bo Dong showed no intention of getting up to introduce anything, greeting him indifferently.
He decided to observe further.
Chen Xiao nodded slightly, not in a hurry to achieve anything. This follow-up had already been delayed for so long, so a little more time didn't matter.
Just in time, the Jia Nan Academy's recruitment team wouldn't arrive for nearly half a year, so Chen Xiao had plenty of time to spare.
Furthermore, to complete this follow-up, Chen Xiao had already prepared a total of seven plans, ABCDEFG. Coming here directly today was just to show his face.
Without arguing with Hai Bo Dong, Chen Xiao began browsing the shop like an ordinary customer.
The Tagor Desert was also a relatively suitable place for training. Preparing a detailed map in advance was very necessary here, so as not to get lost in the desert.
After looking at various maps for a while, Chen Xiao chose the most exquisite and detailed one. He didn't rush to pay, and continued to wander around the shop.
Soon, next to an ancient wooden shelf in the corner, some casually stacked yellowed maps attracted Chen Xiao's attention.
These maps had some damaged marks on their surfaces, seemingly failed products from when they were made.
Chen Xiao casually flipped through them, and a damaged picture only the size of a palm appeared in his sight, quite reasonably.
With just a glance, Chen Xiao could confirm that this damaged map originated from the same source as the one he obtained in the stone chamber in the Magical Beast Mountain Range, except that its size was exactly half.
Knowing that Hai Bo Dong had deliberately placed it here to fish, and that there was another small half hidden in the dark, Chen Xiao smiled and put it back in its original place without moving it.
No rush.
If he was going to take it, he had to take the half that Hai Bo Dong had hidden as well, otherwise it would be meaningless.
At the counter, Hai Bo Dong seemed busy drawing maps, but his attention was always on Chen Xiao, observing him, not even noticing that the map in his hand was being drawn crookedly.
Seeing Chen Xiao discover the bait he had set, Hai Bo Dong's eyes narrowed slightly.
But seeing that Chen Xiao seemed uninterested in the damaged map, he couldn't help but shake his head inwardly.
He must have been overthinking.
He had left that damaged map in the shop for many years, and people often flipped through it, but the result was always that they discarded it like worn-out shoes.
No one knew that he had gone through a life-and-death struggle for this damaged map back then, and his current appearance was the result of that fight.
Unfortunately, although he had obtained the damaged map, he had studied it for many years without any results.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have taken it out to fish.
"Old sir, how many gold coins?"
Chen Xiao walked over with the selected map.
Hai Bo Dong casually glanced at the map and replied casually, "Five hundred is fine, two hundred is fine, you can take it for one hundred too."
?
Is this how you do business?
Chen Xiao was taken aback.
But on second thought, Hai Bo Dong opened this map shop not for the sake of making money.
With the connection to the Mitre Family, gold coins were meaningless to him.
Realizing this, Chen Xiao was no longer surprised and took out one hundred gold coins from his Storage Ring to pay.
However, Hai Bo Dong didn't even look at the gold coins piled on the counter, but instead looked directly into Chen Xiao's eyes.
"Young man, aren't you curious? Or are you very familiar with this old man?"
Having not seen any clues from his previous observation, Hai Bo Dong finally couldn't help but speak up to probe.
Upon hearing this, Chen Xiao immediately realized that his reaction just now had been too quick and revealed a flaw, giving the other party a reason to probe.
These old guys were all thousand-year-old foxes who had become spirits.
A single sentence, a single look, a single small action, could all have deeper meanings.
Compared to them, he really needed to practice more!
His thoughts raced, and Chen Xiao quickly abandoned Plan A of slow contact.
Plan B, activate!
Immediately, Chen Xiao took out a VIP card made of crystal from the Mitre Auction House from his Storage Ring.
Over the past few years, Chen Xiao had done a lot of business with the Mitre Auction House in Wu Tan City, so he had naturally obtained VIP status long ago.
Moreover, he had learned that the VIP cards issued by the Mitre Family had a total of five levels.
The one in Chen Xiao's hand was neither high nor low, just at the third level.
"It's not that I understand him, but I frequently deal with the Mitre Auction House. I once accidentally saw a portrait. According to them, the person in the portrait is the Ice Emperor, one of the top ten powerhouses of the Jia Ma Empire in the previous generation. And that person bears a six-tenths resemblance to the old gentleman."
When traveling, one cannot be too honest; one must learn to speak off the cuff.
Anyway, as long as it cannot be verified, no one can be certain that you are lying.
Hai Bo Dong pondered for a moment. He had been in seclusion in Mo City for many years and had not contacted the Mitre Family. Many people probably thought he had already perished.
But given Teng Shan's nature, as long as he didn't see his corpse, he would definitely not give up searching for him, and would then draw a portrait and distribute it to the Mitre Auction Houses in various cities. This could barely be considered plausible.
Furthermore, Chen Xiao's attire and appearance, as well as his fair skin, were enough to prove that he indeed came from the other side of the Magical Beast Mountain Range.
Therefore, these words had three or four parts credibility.
"You've mistaken me for someone else. This old man is not the Ice Emperor."
Hai Bo Dong had no immediate plans to return to the Mitre Family, so he denied it without thinking.
Otherwise, if the mercenaries in the shop heard it and spread the news, he was certain that Teng Shan would personally come looking for him within three days.
The idea was good, but Chen Xiao didn't care about that.
Since they were going to lay their cards on the table, being secretive was pointless.
"Originally, I wasn't sure if the old gentleman was the Ice Emperor. After all, in my perception, the old gentleman is just a Dou Ling. But your probing just now made me three points more certain. It's just that I can't understand why the Ice Emperor, who was rumored to be astonishing for a time, would become so weak, and even dare not reveal his identity openly?"
Why was he like this?
It was nothing more than being sealed.
Chen Xiao's words instantly made Hai Bo Dong recall that unbearable past, and the woman in the desert who made him tremble with fear and never dare to step into the desert again.
When this scar was opened, it hurt, it hurt too much!
While Chen Xiao spoke dangerous words, the Dou Qi within his body had already quietly begun to circulate.
In the shop, the few mercenaries who seemed to be choosing maps, but were actually pricking up their ears to listen, were startled when they heard Chen Xiao speak with such certainty, and couldn't help but look up in surprise.
Hai Bo Dong glanced at them, his expression slightly cold.
With a flick of his sleeve, the shop door opened, and his sharp gaze fell upon the mercenaries, his meaning more than obvious.
Seeing this, the mercenaries didn't dare to continue listening in. They all put down the maps and scrambled out the door.
Both the aura Chen Xiao was currently displaying and the shop owner, who was suspected to be the Ice Emperor, made them feel immense pressure.
If they didn't run now, they would inevitably be caught in the crossfire.
Soon, only Chen Xiao and Hai Bo Dong were left in the not-so-spacious shop.
"Young man, you deliberately exposed this old man's identity. What is your intention? State your purpose!"
No more pretending, it was time to lay it all out.
Shedding his disguise, Hai Bo Dong's demeanor suddenly changed, his gaze becoming sharper, and his Dou Ling level aura flickered in and out of existence.
Chen Xiao seemed to feel no pressure at all, smiled slightly, and stated his purpose.
"I want to make a deal with the Ice Emperor!"
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