Ling explained his proposal to her; with each word, he sounded more like a crazed lunatic than a businessman. "I want the Weeping Shallows to align with me in future. I feel our dreams align in a way. You want to become number one, and it will be beneficial to have you by my side."
Li Yuan felt the urge to laugh, but she barely suppressed it; his words were outlandish. "You want me to align with you? That is humorous as it is insulting. To think you had the chutzpah to make such a statement. Firstly, the Weeping Shallows does not work under any external figure, and secondly, I mean no offence, but you are not someone anyone would want to align with."
Ling felt a challenge biting at him. "What if I can change your mind?"
The mistress of the auction house tapped her index finger on the fan, clearly not falling for his childish games. She had been a fool to expect something promising from him. He had yet to have gotten his money, and yet he was already displaying all the needed arrogance.
Ling felt that the mistress would not budge, so he egged on. "What if I take first place in the junior selection ceremony?"
She did not budge one bit. "Even if you did, by some miracle, manage to come first, it's futile. No one gives a hoot about the junior selection ceremony."
The junior selection ceremony was held half a year by the Sky Clan. Here, all those who had reached the peak of the Earth rank, who were ready for breakthrough, would be given a chance to obtain a Sky Rank pill to breakthrough and also a demonic arts technique. It was true that it was not a big deal, since they were the lowest level rank.
If he had said the Sky Family selection ceremony, she would have been moved a bit. This ceremony was where the main princes of the family would battle for the next potential candidate to take over after the clan leader. There were also great rewards given to the winners of this selection.
Li Yuan was not prepared for the next words the trash prince said; they practically made her jump up in fright.
Ling's lips parted as the words escaped them. "What if I become the clan leader, will you ally yourself with me then?" What shocked her was not the words he said but the seriousness at which he said them. Dreaming to beat the clan leader was impossible. He was the most powerful martial cultivator in the land. There were rumours that he was at the King Rank level, which was just above the Spirit Rank.
Ling noticed that Yuan was too shaken to speak, her eyes still wide in shock, her skin paler than it already was, making her look like a ghost. He used this opportunity to speak. "I know you need the support of one of the clan family to truly become reputable, and that was the role my mother played for your father. This time, I want to take up that role. I might not be much now, but I can become much stronger with your help."
Yuan finally got the strength to speak again, but her words came out more shaky than they normally would. "Do you know the words you're speaking to say them so casually?"
Ling exuded a little of his chi—just enough that she could sense it. He did not expect any grand reaction from her, but what he got was much worse. She rolled her eyes and said, "So you opened your veins somehow, big deal. I'm sorry, but you are nowhere near the other princes."
"Not yet," he added. When he noticed her about to lash out again, he raised his hand to stop her. "I'm not asking you to put your faith in the trash before you now, but in the future clan leader. If you really are good at business, then you should know how to make future investments."
Yuan sank back into her seat and went back into her original posture, her eyes studying him with more intent than before. "You're mad. I don't know whether to be impressed or concerned." She took in a deep breath and searched for a meaning in his eyes, and they came back bold and with dark intent swirling in them. It felt like she was staring at a raging beast ready to devour her. There was a story behind them just waiting to be told. She did not know if he could achieve his goal, but she did want to know. "Truthfully, I always wanted to ally myself with the royal family, but I expected the first prince or maybe the second."
To this, Sky Ling reached out to the bottle of sake and poured her a glass before handing it to her. His eyes darkened with evil intention as he spoke in a cold, calculating tone that forced her to listen attentively.
"When the desirable is not available, the available becomes the desirable. It's simple business ethics."
She looked at him with fear in her own eyes, her heart beating wildly.
"It's rude not to take a drink from the customer," Ling added. "You don't have to trust me now. Just being here when I come by will be enough of an assurance."
Li Yuan found herself taking the drink without hesitation, much against her own will, and drinking from it. She found it off that this young man, without a dime to his name, who wore his title as a cover, now carried this chaotic pressure.
It took her a moment to snap out of it. "I should prepare for the auction; it will be in two hours' time." She took out a document from the sleeves of her dress and laid it on the table. Under it was a cup of ink and a quill, which she used to write the terms of their agreement and sign on it before handing it to him to sign also. She tucked it away in her dress and rose to her feet. "Would you be joining us in the auction hall? I would like to prepare a special seat for you with a bit of light refreshment."
Ling shook his head and rose to his feet. "Don't you think my presence will draw some attention to me? I don't fancy such gatherings anyways. I'll return later in the day to collect my money. Don't bother seeing me out."
With that, he walked away, waving her a casual goodbye.
Li Yuan watched him leave, taking her breath with him. "Sky Ling has finally gone mad," she thought to herself.