The human heart is a weird thing. Many might have resented not being the ones who caught the princess if she were a beauty; they might end up hating her, even question her identity. But since the one Wang Ke had caught was extremely ugly, everyone’s heart was calm and tame. Many in the town accepted it. Some even firmly believed that she was the real deal; they praised Wang Ke for his unique wisdom.

Ten days later, Princess Youyue’s visitors began to dwindle, but the number of people who tried abducting her increased.

People had been able to hear fights at the Wang Clan’s backcourt the night prior. It had been so loud that many cultivators could not fall asleep. Many knew it was the 4th kidnapping attempt, although they knew not whether they had been successful.

Wang Clan’s backcourt.

The clan’s servants carried off numerous black clad corpses.

Zhang Zhengdao’s eyelids twitched as he spoke, “Wang Ke, your clan’s defensive mechanism is horrifying. The defensive Qi of those ordinary Innate Stage cultivators wasn’t nearly enough to protect them against your crossbow enchanted artifacts. I also remember that these artifacts cost a ton. Just how many of them did you install at home?”

“I have money. Of course, I have to purchase more of these life-saving mechanisms!” Wang Ke replied calmly.

“You have money, and yet you continue being this petty? You made a fortune with those tickets, but you still won’t give me a single spirit stone!” Zhang Zhengdao complained angrily.

Wang Ke looked at Zhang Zhengdao as though he were looking at a fool and asked, “As long as you feed yourself, your entire family will be full. Do you know how many people I need to feed? It doesn't matter how wealthy I am… I cannot be wasteful! ”

“I… I also have people whom I need to feed. I have an elderly mother, and also infants waiting to be fed…!” Zhang Zhengdao wanted to keep pretending.

However, he could only flash a bashful smile once he saw that Wang Ke’s eyes were filled with contempt.

“You said it. She Tianba will come to take a look. It’s the tenth day already, and he has yet to show up! This scheme of yours, did you go overboard?” Zhang Zhengdao asked worryingly.

“No way!” Wang Ke shook his head and replied, “She Tianba has endured for ten days and has yet to come personally to have a feel for the situation. How sly! Most of the Clan Lords in the Zhu Cultivation Town have paid us a visit, and he has yet to come? So patient of him!”

“Will he really come?” Zhang Zhengdao asked curiously.

“After brewing the matter for ten days, my operations have swayed the entire town’s public opinion to believe me without the shadow of a doubt. Adding the four attempts at snatching Princess Youyue, everyone should believe it at this point. She Tianba will surely collect information from different sources, and all the information will add up to the conclusion that I do have the real princess. He would lose some of his composure with every new piece of information. Ten days of psychological scheming should be enough! It’s about time he ends up not being able to hold it back any longer! He will surely come today if my planning is correct!” Wang Ke explained. His eyes glowed with confidence.

“Another bluff of yours? He’ll come today just because you said so?” Zhang Zhengdao said in disbelief.

“Clan Lord, Clan Lord She Tianba requests to meet you!” a Wang Clan member reported.

“He’s really here? Told you so!” Zhang Zhengdao said shamelessly and yet embarrassed at the same time.

The Wang Clan member who brought the report was puzzled, but Wang Ke was already used to it.

“He’s here? Good timing!” Wang Ke’s eyes sparkled.

----------

At the Wang Clan’s gate.

She Tianba and five of his clan members looked at Wang Clan’s gate with complicated feelings.

No one knew how She Tianba lived during those ten days. Someone was giving him a vivid report about Princess Youyue whom Wang Ke had captured almost every two hours.

She Tianba didn't believe it initially, but he ended up losing composure after being bombarded by the same information over ten days. He went to ask the princess he captured; a pity she was unwilling to speak, as though she had already given up on living—that was increasingly frustrating She Tianba.

He could no longer hold back that day, so he went personally to take a look.

Before Wang Ke came out, one of the Wang Clan’s shopkeepers skillfully “snatched” 60 pounds of spirit stones from him. All the She Clan members were gnashing their teeth in resentment, but She Tianba didn’t care.

Spirit stones are nothing!They’re just being deposited here. I will eliminate the Wang Clan in a few days, and everything will be mine!

She Tianba wanted to personally take a look at Wang Ke’s Princess Youyue.

“Clan Lord She? Please pardon my lack of hospitality. What brings you here?” Wang Ke welcomed She Tianba from inside the gate.

“Clan Lord Wang? It’s been a long time. I’m here to see the princess you caught!” She Tianba said with a deep voice.

“To see Princess Youyue? Welcome! Welcome!” Wang Ke smiled. While looking at the shopkeeper beside him, he asked, “Has Clan Lord She paid the fee?”

“Yes, he paid. 60 pounds of spirit stones are all here!” The shopkeeper lifted up a basket immediately for Wang Ke to see.

“Clan Lord She is a visitor to us, how can you take money from him? How dare you take Clan Lord She’s money? Are you blind?” Wang Ke reprimanded.

Despite the severe rebuke, Wang Ke didn't make a move to return the spirit stones; instead he pushed the shopkeeper back into his mansion along with the spirit stones.

She Tianba’s face froze when he saw that happen. “Forget it, Clan Lord Wang. Since the others followed the rules, there’s no reason why I shouldn’t. 60 pounds of spirit stones is nothing!” She Tianba said.

“How generous! Clan Lord She, please come in!” Wang Ke extended the invitation.

It was as though the scene when the shopkeeper had been reprimanded for taking She Tianba’s money had never happened.

She Tianba: “...”

Still, She Tianba didn't say anything else. He followed Wang Ke to the clan’s backcourt with his five clan members.

The clean-up in the backcourt was still ongoing. Numerous corpses dressed in black were being dragged out.

“Clan Lord, these should be the assassins who came to snatch Princess Youyue last night. All of them died. Seems like there are powerful traps inside the Wang Clan!” a She Clan member whispered to She Tianba.

She Tianba had mixed feelings as he saw the corpses. He could tell from which clan they were, but Wang Ke didn't remove their masks.

“Clan Lord Wang, aren’t you going to identify the bodies?” She Tianba asked.

“Why should I identify them?” Wang Ke asked blankly.

She Tianba looked at Wang Ke and replied with more questions.“Don’t you want to know who has tried to snatch Princess Youyue? Wouldn’t it be better so you could guard against them?”

“They’re already dead, so there’s nothing to identify! Moreover, these corpses can bring me loads of money. Shouldn’t I respect them for that?” Wang Ke asked with a chuckle.

“Loads of money? Haven’t you already taken their storage bags? What other source of money would there be?” the group of She Clan members asked, clearly intrigued.

“Ohh, I own a casket shop in the Zhu Cultivation Town. These bodies will be dragged there for sale! One corpse for a hundred pounds of spirit stones!” Wang Ke explained.

“Corpses? You sell dead bodies? A hundred pounds of spirit stones for a dead body? This is daylight robbery!” a She Clan member exclaimed with eyes wide open.

“Sigh... Tell me about it. These bodies are really selling like pancakes. They’re even bought the moment they reach the shop. I really cannot understand the local culture! What decadent morals!” Wang Ke smiled bitterly.

All the She Clan members: “.......................! ”

The She Clan members suddenly realized the reason behind this. Those people had been sent by the major cultivation clans in the Zhu Cultivation Town. They would have to bear the cost of causing the deaths of those people. So, they were willing to pay some money to buy back the bodies accountable to their clans.

Don’t you understand?This vicious merchant! He kills members of the other clans and demands payment to hand over their bodies!How shameless!

“Clan Lord Wang, you really know how to make money!” She Tianba said with a peculiar expression.

“You flatter me. I just want to earn a little bit more to supplement the cost of sustaining my clan!” Wang Ke answered with a chuckle.

All the She Clan members: “.......................! ”

100 pounds of spirit stones for each corpse. You have 20 bodies here, which would be 2,000 pounds worth of spirit stones. You call that a little bit more?To supplement your living costs?Don't tell me your clan’s servants eat immortal pills from the immortal sects!

"Clan Lord She, here we are. You see, that's Princess Youyue!" Wang Ke pointed at the two massive cages in the backcourt.