Wang Laohu had never felt so uneasy before. He stood rooted to the ground and even forgot to answer Ding Ning's question.
"Do you have any objections?"
Ding Ning frowned slightly when he saw Wang Laohu's dumbfounded look.
Wang Laohu was awakened from his stupor by the question. He took a deep breath and calmed his surging emotions. Looking at the encouragement in Ding Ning's eyes, Wang Laohu suddenly felt his blood rush to his head. He felt a sense of gratitude like a gentleman dying for a bosom friend.
He scolded himself in his heart. The Lord had conferred the title of chief disciple to him in public, but he had been hesitant. Wasn't this embarrassing the Lord in public? How could he live up to the Lord's confidence, cultivation, and unconditional trust?
Thinking of this, Wang Laohu's courage was boosted. Under everyone's envious eyes, he bowed and cupped his fists at a 90-degree angle. When he raised his head again, his eyes had changed from hesitation to resoluteness and decisiveness. He loudly swore, "Disciple has no objections. In this life, Disciple swears that I will shed my blood for the prosperity of the Sect. Even if I have to sacrifice my life, I will not refuse. I will never disappoint the Sect's trust in me."
"Good, very good. From today on, you are the chief disciple of the first generation of the Tianze Sect. The Sect has entrusted you with a heavy responsibility. I hope you will live up to our expectations and set a good example for the Junior Brothers and Sisters. Now, return to the line."
Ding Ning smiled and waved his hand to order him to return to the line.
Wang Laohu bowed deeply again. Then, under everyone's complicated eyes, he calmly returned to the line and stood respectfully.
At this moment, Wang Laohu was the focus of everyone's attention. He had become a person that everyone had to either win over, befriend, or avoid offending, or get rid of as soon as possible.
"The fourth ceremony of the Tianze Sect's opening ceremony has ended. Now, we will enter the fifth stage."
He Ming's sage-like image had earned him a good impression. As soon as he opened his mouth, everyone shifted their attention to him. Wang Laohu, who was feeling uncomfortable all over, secretly heaved a sigh of relief.
In fact, according to the usual practice, the grand opening ceremony would have been completed by now. Everyone was secretly puzzled, not knowing what was next.
He Ming was indeed an experienced master of ceremonies. Faced with the crowd's confusion and dissatisfaction, he maintained a kind smile and threw out a heavy bomb, "To express our gratitude to everyone for coming, the Tian Ze Sect will be taking out some spirit weapons, spirit armors, pills, and some natural treasures for auction."
With a boom, the scene instantly burst into an uproar. Everyone's eyes lit up as they discussed excitedly.
Be it spirit equipment or pills, they were all priceless items. Even if they wanted to buy them, there was nowhere for them to go. The Tianze Sect was definitely showing their sincerity by bringing out such scarce resources to auction on the spot.
Many people beat their chests and stamped their feet in frustration. If they had known that there would be a live auction, they would have made preparations in advance. But now, it was so sudden. Where were they going to find so many Spirit Crystals?
More people shook their heads with a bitter smile. The Tianze Sect's auction was a good thing, but the problem was, no matter how tempted they were, they did not have enough financial resources to compete with those big sects and forces.
But then, He Ming loudly announced that the Tianze Sect would not accept Spirit Crystals for auction. They would only accept money from the secular world or barter. As long as there was something that the Tianze Sect was interested in, it could be exchanged for spirit equipment or pills.
Now, the crowd was boiling with excitement. Everyone rubbed their palms, looking determined to win.
It should be known that for ordinary warriors, Spirit Crystals were nothing compared to those big sects and forces with strong financial resources.
But for money from the secular world, it was hard to say who would win. After all, their roots were in the secular world, so they might not be weaker than those big sects and forces.
Of course, those warriors who had neither Spirit Crystals nor money from the secular world began to think about the strange items they had collected. Even though they did not know what they were for, what if the Tianze Sect was interested in them? Wouldn't they be able to get spirit equipment or pills?
As for the big sects and forces, although they felt that these two trading methods weakened their advantage, they were still very excited to be able to use money from the secular world and barter.
After all, Spirit Crystals were not cabbages to them. They were naturally happy to not have to use Spirit Crystals.
Therefore, the atmosphere was immediately filled with joy. Everyone was in high spirits, waiting for the auction to begin.
Although it was long past mealtime, it was normal for warriors to not eat for a few days. Moreover, their minds were filled with Spirit Equipment and pills, so they did not have the time to care about such a trivial matter as eating.
Ding Ning was not stingy, but there were too many people who came to watch the auction. Even if he wanted to invite them, he did not have enough food in reserve. Therefore, he once again became a hands-off shopkeeper, leaving the auction to He Ming and the others. He was going to take Bai Qing and the other aspiring warriors to the sect's cafeteria for a few drinks.
However, to his surprise, Bai Qing and the others showed great enthusiasm for the auction and declined his invitation. They would rather eat the dry food they brought with them or go hungry than miss the grand occasion of the auction. He did not know whether to laugh or cry.
After all, good things should be kept for one's own people. Only things that were tasteless and useless would be auctioned. However, since Bai Qing and the others wanted to join in the fun, he would not stop them. He allowed them to participate in the auction.
It just so happened that he needed time to deal with some matters, such as Ados and the others, and the two Temple Masters. Of course, the fake Tian Jizi and Qiao Qiao were the most important.
Although Tian Jizi and Qiao Qiao ran away with the fake Human Emperor's subordinates, no one could leave Tianze Island without Ding Ning's permission in the Tianze Sect's territory.
Therefore, none of Tian Jizi, Qiao Qiao, or the fake Human Emperor's subordinates in black could escape. They were all captured by the guardians who did not show up.
The fake Human Emperor's voice gave him a very familiar feeling, but he could not remember where he had heard it before. Therefore, he was very curious about the fake Human Emperor's true identity.
Of course, the most important thing was that the fake Human Emperor's matter involved the Divine Mystery Pavilion. Qiao Qiao was the Young Pavilion Master of the Divine Mystery Pavilion, and they had lost contact with her for such a long time. How could Ding Ning not be worried?
"Young Master."
"Sect Master."
Upon arriving at the island created by the Floating Stone, the Supreme Elders of the Crane Tribe and the guards formed by the divine guards came forward to greet him.
"We're on the same side, no need to be so polite."
Ding Ning waved his hand, looked at the doors sealed by formations, and asked, "Which room are Tian Jizi and Qiao Qiao in?"
"Young Master, they're over here. Follow me."
A Supreme Elder of the Crane Tribe led the way.
After a while, they arrived in front of a house. The Supreme Elder of the Crane Tribe said softly, "This is it. I know that Young Master values them more, so I've locked them up separately."
"You've worked hard. Don't let anyone near them."
Ding Ning smiled and patted him on the shoulder to express his gratitude. Then, he took a deep breath and his expression turned serious. He pushed the door open and walked in.
"Yes."
The Supreme Elder of the Crane Tribe guarded the door like a door god, vigilantly observing the surroundings to prevent anyone from approaching and eavesdropping.
The room was built in a hurry, and the layout was very simple. Except for a set of mahogany furniture, there was nothing else.
When Ding Ning entered the room, Tian Jizi and Qiao Qiao were whispering something. Seeing someone come in, they immediately stopped talking and stared at him vigilantly.
"Do you know me?"
Ding Ning asked lightly after his gaze swept across the two's faces.
"Ding Ning, Sect Master Ding, how could I, Tian Jizi, not know the famous little miracle-working doctor? But I don't know why Sect Master Ding captured me and my disciple. Isn't this a little too disrespectful to the Tianji Pavilion?"
Tian Jizi stroked the beard on his chin, looking like an immortal. He questioned Ding Ning in a threatening manner. Qiao Qiao nodded repeatedly at the side, looking like she shared a common enemy with Tian Jizi.
Ding Ning curled his lips slightly and could not help but feel amused. "Is there something wrong with this fake Human Emperor's brain? Even if he found someone to pretend to be Tian Jizi and Qiao Qiao, he should at least investigate my relationship with them, right?"
Although the disguise skill of these two was so exquisite that even he was almost fooled, as soon as they opened their mouths, they would be exposed.
"Alas, I really don't know how stupid your master is. Tian Jizi is my best friend, which is known to the world, but you know nothing about it. How dare you pretend to be Tian Jizi in front of me?"
Ding Ning shook his head and chuckled, exposing the lie of the fake Tian Jizi without mercy.
Tian Jizi's face stiffened, and the corners of his mouth twitched. Then, he laughed dryly and said, "Sect Master Ding, we are best friends. How could I not know you? I was just joking with you before."
Ding Ning smiled slightly, and then his face darkened. He said sternly, "This joke is not funny at all. My patience is limited. I will give you one last chance to tell me what I want to know. Otherwise, if you dare to pretend to be my good friend and woman, I will make you beg for death."
"I …"
Tian Jizi still wanted to quibble, but when he saw the undisguised killing intent in Ding Ning's eyes, he suddenly trembled all over. With a plop, he knelt on the ground and wailed, "Sect Master Ding, please spare our lives. Qiu Zhangji forced us to do all this. If we didn't listen to him, he would kill us. We were forced to pretend to be Tian Jizi and his disciple."
The woman who pretended to be Qiao Qiao also knelt on the ground with a plop and kowtowed again and again without saying a word. Her forehead was bleeding, which made Ding Ning very unbearable.
It was not that he had a tender heart for the fairer sex, but that this woman looked like Qiao Qiao at the moment. Because he loved her, he could not be cruel to her.
"Get up. Who is Qiu Zhangji?"
Ding Ning asked in a slightly slow tone.
"He is the black-robed man who brought us here."
The fake Tian Jizi pulled his daughter to get up and answered respectfully.
"Tell me, who are you? Why did they come to you? "
Although Ding Ning had believed their words, he would not make a judgment only based on their one-sided words, so he said in a deep voice with a straight face.
The fake Tian Jizi's throat moved, and he swallowed his saliva before he said timidly, "My name is Gong Fanglei, and this is my daughter, Gong Li."
"Gong Li?"
Ding Ning looked at the timid girl with a funny smile. This name seemed to be the same as that of a big star.
The fake Tian Jizi obviously also knew that star. He said embarrassedly, "My daughter's name is the same as that star's name, but the characters are different. My daughter's name is beautiful Li."
"Hmm!"
Ding Ning did not regard them as the same person, so he nodded noncommittally and motioned him to continue.
"Although I am not Tian Jizi, I have a blood relationship with him. In terms of seniority, I should call him uncle."
Gong Fanglei's surprising words shocked Ding Ning. He looked at him strangely and said, "You are Tian Jizi's nephew, biological nephew?"
Gong Fanglei smiled bitterly and nodded. "Yes, my mother's name is Jiang Mingyue, and my uncle's real name is Jiang Mingyi. My mother is Tian Jizi's youngest sister. In fact, I have never seen my uncle. It is said that nephews look like my uncle. My mother once said that my figure and appearance are 80% similar to my uncle. I think this may be the reason why those people asked me to pretend to be him."
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
