Chapter 4267 — Did You See That?

As for Huang Xiaotao at his side, she showed no inclination to speak at all; everything was left to Wei Zhao to decide. She took no part in the decision-making, only following Wei Zhao's instructions in all things.

Hearing the reluctant tone in Wei Zhao's voice, the gray-robed man did not fly into a rage—on the contrary, he was secretly delighted. From the sound of it, there was an opening here!

It was common knowledge that the higher one's cultivation, the more one treasured one's own life, and the more unwilling one was to risk it lightly in a fight to the death. This was simply human nature. Had he been facing a fellow Nascent Soul expert of his own level, the gray-robed man might well have been willing to stake everything on a fight to mutual destruction; but facing two early Golden Core experts was like a billionaire wanting to perish together with a roadside beggar—by any reckoning, that was a losing bargain.

That was why the gray-robed man was not afraid of Wei Zhao haggling with him; what he feared was a man with a one-track mind who would risk everything in a reckless fight to the death, ending in mutual ruin—which would be no good thing at all for him.

"Give me half, and from then on you go your broad highway and I'll go my single-plank bridge; I won't touch a hair on your heads. But if you refuse, then a hard fight it is. Even if you have a few tricks up your sleeves, in the end you're still only at the Golden Core stage. Just now I was careless and held back, which is how you got away unscathed. If we truly came to blows, how many chances do you think you'd have?" the gray-robed man said, laying out the pros and cons.

"This..." Wei Zhao fell into hesitation at once. But before the gray-robed man could rejoice, he promptly hardened again: "As for how many chances we'd have—how is anyone to know without trying?"

Damn it, the boy really was a blockhead! Hearing this, the gray-robed man's fury surged in an instant, and he itched to strike at once and wipe out this ungrateful brat.

"A word of well-meant advice: you'd best think this through before you speak. I'm treating you two as persons of consequence—that's why I'm giving you the chance to talk it over," the gray-robed man said. He truly did not want to gamble his life against Wei Zhao and his companion like this, so he could only keep curbing his temper and pressing on earnestly: "My patience is very limited. If you do nothing but play the fool and bluster, and it really comes to a fight, whether the two of you walk out of here alive will be very much in doubt. Surely you can see such an obvious matter of profit and loss?"

"But the two of us went through untold hardships to get this infant ginseng, and the moment you show up you want half of it—what kind of joke is that!" Wei Zhao said with a feigned stubborn curl of his lip, though there was plainly still a trace of wavering he could not quite hide in his expression.

Anyone else in this situation would have been unwilling to yield, and the gray-robed man had expected as much. Yet he was secretly pleased: so long as the boy was not so pigheaded as to be a fool, there was not much of a problem.

"So you're saying I'm asking for too much?" the gray-robed man said, his expression unchanging, his brows arched.

"Of course. And what's all this about dividing equally among those who see it—there are three people here, and you're the one who came last. By what right should you get half, while the two of us have to share what's left between us?" Wei Zhao said, dragging it out with feigned hesitation.

"Hmph, so now the fault is mine?" The gray-robed man's face turned ugly. Yet after what seemed a moment of inner struggle, he suddenly clenched his jaw and said: "Fine. Since it's come to this, I'll take a step back of my own accord. Not half—give me one third!"

He put on a show of agony at the loss, but it was all an act. At that moment the gray-robed man's heart was full of blazing greed: this was a whole stalk of infant ginseng, and even a third of it was already a very big piece.

"One third?" Wei Zhao seemed somewhat moved, but still hesitated and dragged his feet: "But my teammates—four of them died outright for this infant ginseng, and now we just hand you a third of it..."

"Boy, let me tell you plainly—one third is already my bottom line. Don't be ungrateful and push your luck!" the gray-robed man said, his face darkening. He had thought that with this generous concession the other side would surely agree straight away; he had not expected more of this hesitating and shuffling, and his anger rose again.

"Push my luck? Heh, you've got it backwards, sir. It was our whole team who paid with four lives to obtain this infant ginseng through bitter toil, and the moment you arrive you want a third of it—so who exactly is pushing whose luck?" Wei Zhao said, deliberately stiffening his neck and digging in his heels.

"Then what exactly do you want?" The gray-robed man was so angry he laughed. Here he was, a mighty Nascent Soul expert, speaking meekly to two Golden Core ants—and that was bad enough; but now the other side not only failed to appreciate it, they were climbing all over his head. This was truly more than could be borne—more than a man could bear, more than his aunt could bear!

"It's you who should be asking what *you* want," Wei Zhao shot back.

"Boy, I'm discussing this with you out of the goodness of my heart—don't think it's because I'm afraid of you! If you truly wear out my patience, today will be the day you die!" Killing intent blazed from the gray-robed man once more, but he did not strike at once; instead he went on: "How about this—one quarter, not a hair less. Otherwise, I'll finish you off right now!"

"Oh. All right." Wei Zhao nodded as though in compliance. But before the gray-robed man could rejoice, the next words froze him stiff: "Then I'd rather finish you off."

The words were scarcely out when Wei Zhao and Huang Xiaotao, in perfect accord, struck again. Their minds were as one: while Wei Zhao had been speaking, he had given her a hint without the slightest trace, and Huang Xiaotao had already made ready. The Wildfire Eight-Trigram Combined Palm burst forth in an instant.

The gray-robed man was shocked out of his wits. It had been Wei Zhao and his companion who struck first last time, and he had never imagined that scene would repeat itself—that once again it would be the two of them who made the first move against him. By the look of it, the pair did not regard this Nascent Soul expert as worth a thought at all!

"Hmph! If you're so bent on seeking death, then I'll oblige you!" the gray-robed man said, his fury turning to laughter. He was, after all, a genuine Nascent Soul expert; sudden as Wei Zhao and Huang Xiaotao's attack was, he could still react in time. At once he gathered his true qi and met them once more with the Sundering Essence Palm.

The gray-robed man laughed with a harsh, grating cackle, killing intent cold upon him. In the palm clash a moment ago he had not used his full strength, but this time he would make the two of them learn, and learn well, what the true power of a Nascent Soul expert really was!

Bang! The four palms met, once again throwing up a wave of qi. But this time was different from before: before, they had been evenly matched, whereas now the gray-robed man held nothing back, gathering all his true qi into his palms, and sent Wei Zhao and Huang Xiaotao flying backward—while he himself did not stir so much as a thread. The gulf in strength was plain at a glance.