Luo Yu stared at the cloak embroidered with golden patterns and stayed silent.
He knew that even without asking, the other party would be eager to explain the treasure to him, especially since they held a hostage in their hands.
In such negotiations, whoever loses patience first tends to come out at a disadvantage.
Sure enough, seeing that Luo Yu had no reaction, the bald man in a suit couldn't help himself and started to explain, "Luo Gongzi, this cloak is called 'Liuying.' It was a treasure our Patriarch discovered in an ancient ruin."
"Liuying?" Luo Yu thought the name was quite good, but he maintained a calm expression and didn't show any emotion.
This actually made the bald man in a suit inwardly complain, as despite Luo Yu's youth, he was difficult to negotiate with.
Dealing with such a youth was almost as oppressive as dealing with the Patriarch himself.
The suit-clad man began his pitch, "This treasure has two effects. The first is that it can enhance the speed of a martial artist."
"Its enhancement is not very noticeable during the day, but at night, it autonomously absorbs the power of the stars, turning it into energy to increase the speed of its owner."
"The second effect is invisibility."
"Invisibility?" Little Fatty, Li Zhenyue, and the others' eyes went wide. They became restless upon hearing this feature, astonished beyond belief.
Invisibility was a skill men dreamt of having.
Could one become invisible by simply draping this cloak over themselves?
Could it truly be so miraculous?
The group found it hard to believe.
Luo Yu smiled and shook his head, "Such invisibility capabilities must have their limitations, I presume. If there were none, your Patriarch wouldn't be willing to part with such a treasure."
The suit-clad bald man cleared his throat, "Luo Gongzi jests. No matter how precious this item, it isn't as valuable as our Young Master's life. We present this item as a gesture of our sincerity."
Luo Yu shook his head, "I don't want to hear any nonsense, get to the point."
The man in the suit was bluntly rebuffed, but he didn't dare to retort, knowing that all seven people on his side could easily be wiped out with just a single move.
"Luo Gongzi is profoundly perceptive," he said.
"The invisibility indeed has its limitations, which are that it can only be used at night, and Liuying must absorb enough star power before it can render the wearer invisible. Once the star power is exhausted, Liuying's invisibility will immediately dissipate."
Luo Yu smiled. It was as he had guessed.
"After absorbing star power, how long can Liuying maintain invisibility?"
The bald man confessed honestly, "About ten minutes."
"Ten minutes?" Cheng Jinjin immediately widened his eyes, "That's not even enough time to get things going, and you bring this trash to swindle my boss?"
The bald man felt like vomiting blood from Little Fatty's remarks, but as the guy was Luo Yu's follower, he dared not offend him.
He quickly explained, "Ten minutes, though not long, is also not short. It's enough to complete an assassination or escape to save your life when encountering a formidable enemy."
Luo Yu spoke up, "You just said that this treasure consumes star power to speed up, and also to become invisible. If both functions are used at the same time, I'm afraid the duration of invisibility won't even be half, will it?"
The man in the suit did not expect Luo Yu to respond so quickly, immediately grasping the key issue, which was indeed the case.
He had deliberately omitted a crucial point—that activating both speed enhancement and invisibility would leave neither lasting more than three minutes.
The treasure could be described as somewhat useless, unless one intended to engage in sneaky or trifling deeds.
But for a powerful martial artist, if it cannot be used in combat or for escape, it's not much different from garbage. The item was precious, but not as much as one might imagine.
A smile tugged at the corner of Luo Yu's mouth, "You intend to fob me off with this junk and exchange it for your Young Master?"
"This… this isn't junk," the man in the suit said as he saw Luo Yu's cold smile and immediately sensed trouble.
Luo Yu shook his head.
"I don't need your explanations for these matters."
"If you think you can use this object to get your Young Master back, that's impossible."
"Take it away."
"Please, try it on! This item is truly rare," the man in the suit urged frantically.
"Tsk."
Luo Yu smiled and said:
"It's not even dark yet, so we can't even test it."
The man in the suit's expression froze, unable to speak for a while.
Before coming here, he thought the other party was just powerful, but still essentially a youth, and therefore easy to fool.
But damn, upon arriving, not only was he not easy to fool, he was also exceptionally tough to deal with.
"Everyone, please leave."
"It seems your young master will have to stay with me a bit longer," Luo Yu issued the order to send the guests away.
Where would the man in the suit go? If he went back without completing the task, the patriarch would kill him.
"No, Luo Gongzi, let's talk this out," the man in the suit pleaded.
"If you have any dissatisfaction or demands, just say them outright. I'll honestly report them back to the patriarch."
Luo Yu's expression grew colder as he said, "I'm giving you one last chance to bring a suitable treasure for the exchange. Don't try to fool me with some garbage."
"Think about how your young master bullied me before. It's not unreasonable for me to ask for some compensation for my emotional distress."
"If I'm so kind to you and you still try to deceive and take advantage of me, then don't blame me for tearing up the agreement."
The man in the suit was struggling with what to say, just as he was about to speak.
Luo Yu interrupted, "You have only one chance to speak, so think carefully before you say anything."
"May I make a call to the patriarch to ask for instructions?" the man in the suit requested.
In response to the man in the suit's request, Luo Yu nodded in agreement, "You have one minute. I won't wait for you if you take any longer."
The man in the suit immediately rushed out of the villa with his phone, making a desperate call to Patriarch Qin.
Now everyone saw that Luo Yu was not one to be trifled with.
Li Zhenyue and the others felt a chill down their spine.
Fortunately, they had not opposed Luo Yu, otherwise, they would have had to take a beating, apologize, and lose their treasures. It was too terrifying to consider.
The other six men in black suits stood there, not daring to even breathe too loudly.
They were accustomed to acting arrogantly, but had never seen anyone bold enough to shit on the heads of noble clans.
And yet the patriarch had chosen to endure it, rather than explode in anger.
Luo Yu said nothing, just stared at the antique quartz clock in the living room. With five seconds left, the bald man in the suit rushed back in while the phone was still connected.
"Is this Luo Xiao brother? I am Qin Zheng," a powerful and deep voice of an old man came from the phone, and Cheng Jinjin and others were shocked upon hearing it.
This was definitely one of the few people whose power could shake the world.
Not only was his own strength at the peak, but the power he wielded was also immensely vast, its full force capable of shaking the very foundations of Great Xia.
Luo Yu didn't respond, simply continuing the countdown with his mouth, "Five."
Qin Zheng said, "I wonder if you could give an old man some face."
"Four."
"Three."
Luo Yu continued to count leisurely, showing no interest in engaging.
Qin Zheng's voice changed, "On top of this Luoying Cloak, I will add another exquisite treasure, the Ban Tian Yin."
"But you must guarantee to let my grandson return, okay?"
"The exquisite treasure Ban Tian Yin?"
"Is it the legendary treasure from the stories?"
All of a sudden, Little Fatty and the others in the room let out a rush of breaths, having all heard of this top-tier magical treasure from the legends of Great Xia.