Chapter 288 - 175: Great Harvest

Chapter 288: Chapter 175: Great Harvest

Zhao Henian’s face twisted into an expression caught somewhere between anger and indignation.

"You dare trick me?"

He practically spat the words through gritted teeth.

Wan Ze held up his hands, a hint of aggrieved innocence on his face. "Old Zhao, be careful what you say. What do you mean, ’trick you’? Is the item real? You asked for a translation, and didn’t I give you a translation?"

Zhao Henian opened his mouth, but no words came out.

Because everything Wan Ze said was true.

The item was real, and it was a real translation. He hadn’t lied, hadn’t passed off something shoddy as the real deal, hadn’t falsified a thing.

"Besides, would you call an untranslated text a translation?" Wan Ze continued, his pace steady, his logic clear and effective. "An untranslated text is the original document. The price for the original would naturally be much higher... Of course, if you can afford it, I can certainly provide it."

Zhao Henian was silent.

He remained squatting by the stream, clutching the paper in his hand, knuckles white.

The men in black behind him exchanged glances, none daring to make a sound.

A gust of night wind from the mountain pass messed up Zhao Henian’s hair even more. In that moment, his meticulously composed image completely shattered.

He suddenly realized Wan Ze wasn’t wrong.

From a transactional standpoint, Wan Ze’s logic was flawless.

They had asked for a translation, and Wan Ze had provided a translation.

As for the fact that it was only a partial translation... that was because they had assumed "translation" meant a *complete* translation. Wan Ze had never promised to provide the full content.

But...

’Fucking hell, this is infuriating!’

’This little bastard was laying a trap from the very beginning!’

Zhao Henian took a deep breath. He’d been alive for over forty years, clawing his way up in the Secret Palace for most of them. What storms hadn’t he weathered?

But never before had he been rendered speechless with rage by someone using such "reasonable" means.

’If he didn’t have to be so careful, he would’ve flipped the table by now.’

But he couldn’t...

"How much of it is left?" Zhao Henian asked, his voice hoarse.

"Oh, not much. Only about two-thirds left," Wan Ze said.

’Two... thirds???’

’MOTHERFUCKER!!!!’

Zhao Henian wanted nothing more than to strangle this little bastard.

He shut his eyes, took a deep breath, and silently ran the calculations in his head.

’Two-thirds of the content remaining meant that what they had was just the introduction.’

’The truly Core information... what the booklet actually contained, where it was from, its true value... was all likely in the remaining parts.’

’Damn it, the more he thought about it, the angrier he got!’

’How did I fall for this kid’s trick!?’

"Fine. What do you want?" Zhao Henian opened his eyes and stared directly at Wan Ze, though his attempt at a dignified, imposing expression felt more like a desperate effort to save face.

Wan Ze smiled, suddenly in no rush. "Old Zhao, you know what I want."

"A High Tier Martial Skill?" Zhao Henian’s brow furrowed, his scalp prickling in disbelief. ’This guy’s a lunatic.’ "Haven’t you already obtained a High Tier Secret Martial Art? Why do you want another? What in the world are you up to?"

"To tell you the truth, I have a rather embarrassing hobby... I collect Martial Skills. The more High Level the Martial Skill, the more excited I get just by holding one," Wan Ze said, looking completely harmless.

Zhao Henian was speechless.

He didn’t believe that for a second.

But he couldn’t make sense of it. Even if they gave Wan Ze ten High Tier Martial Skills, could he really manage to cultivate them all at once?

’What a joke!’

He’d seen countless geniuses, but none of them could do something like that.

So he naturally dismissed the idea that Wan Ze wanted to cultivate them himself.

He leaned more toward the theory that Wan Ze was an agent acting on behalf of the Dragon Eagle, using this to trade with the Secret Palace for more High Tier Secret Martial Arts.

A matter of this magnitude... was not his decision to make.

Zhao Henian took a deep breath. Just as he was about to speak, Wan Ze cut in. "Old Zhao, don’t tell me you can’t handle this. Not unless you’re really willing to give up on that translation."

"Come on, Old Zhao. Show some backbone. Don’t make me lose respect for you."

Zhao Henian was speechless.

He almost coughed up a mouthful of blood!!!