Chapter 149

Chapter 149: A Big-Spending Guest

Zhi Ye wasn’t surprised to see Zhi Shu. He gave a faint smile. “Little Shu. It’s been a while. Why have you come?”

Zhi Shu bowed respectfully. “I heard Second Uncle has taken interest in Suo Xing Jian lately. Junior wished to ask if there is anything I may do.”

“No need,” Zhi Ye said calmly. “It’s small trouble. Not worth involving Zhi Upper Realm.”

He lifted his teacup. “Like two aunts in the same family—arguing a few times doesn’t matter. Just don’t injure the relationship.”

Zhi Shu lowered her head. “Second Uncle is right. Junior understands. I will take my leave.”

“Mm.”

When she was gone, Zhi Ye sipped his tea and looked toward the distance, his voice soft but sharp. “Reaching too far is a bad habit.”

—

In Suo Xing Jian, Wang Jie stared at ship after ship until his eyes blurred.

He’d stayed in the exchange for two full days. Du Xian had stayed with him the entire time, introducing one ship after another without showing fatigue.

“Still not satisfied?” she asked cheerfully. “Then look at this one.”

Wang Jie barely listened.

Buying a ship had been a pretext—a way to stay alive.

He had no money. If Du Xian pressed him to pay, he’d have to sell off what he’d taken: hundreds of storage rings, pills, Chen artifacts, anything he could turn into currency.

He didn’t want to offend Star Vault Vista.

He was calculating how much he could scrape together when a maid leaned in and whispered something into Du Xian’s ear.

Du Xian froze.

Then she looked at Wang Jie, and her smile bloomed—bright, delighted.

“So Guest is that capable,” she said loudly. “Then what are we waiting for?”

“Change the tea for Guest!” she snapped. “Bring the best!”

She turned back to Wang Jie, eyes shining. “Guest, please look—this is our newest star chain-class ship.”

Wang Jie lifted a hand fast. “Wait. Star chain-class? Why are you showing me this? And what did you mean—capable?”

Du Xian’s smile widened. “A message came from Black-White Heaven. Guest may choose whatever you like. Elder Ye will pay.”

Wang Jie blinked. “Who?”

“Elder Ye,” Du Xian said smoothly. “Elder Zhi Ye.”

Wang Jie’s mind flashed with an image: a man in Third Nebula who had intimidated two Star-Refining Realm experts and dragged them all the way to Fourth Nebula.

Zhi Ye—Zhi Xing Xue’s nephew.

Wang Jie had asked Zhi Xing Xue before. Zhi Ye wasn’t on her side.

So why would he pay?

“You’re sure?” Wang Jie pressed.

“Absolutely,” Du Xian said. “No matter what Guest chooses, Elder Ye pays.”

Wang Jie exhaled, relief washing through him. Perhaps Zhi Xing Xue had forced something through behind the scenes. Otherwise, Zhi Ye had no reason to help him.

Either way, with someone else paying, there was nothing to fear.

Zhi Xing Xue could casually hand him thousands of starsea stone. Someone stronger—Star-Refining Realm—was beyond imagination.

Wang Jie’s posture changed. His eyes sharpened, his confidence returning. He swept a hand grandly. “Then show me the expensive ones. The best ones.”

“And don’t waste my time with ordinary ships. I want star chain-class speed. I want a private custom build—design, materials, all of it.”

Du Xian beamed. “As you wish!”

News of Zhi Ye’s involvement rippled upward.

Many were shocked.

Zhi Ye was a leading candidate for the next Realm Lord of Black Realm. At a time when merit on the battlefield mattered most, he was helping Zhi Xing Xue instead.

Was he not afraid of offending Zhi Qing?

And Wang Jie’s name finally reached Black-White Heaven.

Low-level conflict was only a shadow of high-level games. Most “ants” never had their names heard above.

But when Black-White Heaven learned Wang Jie was only Ten Seals and could defeat a peak Full-Star Realm expert, attention tightened.

That kind of person was rare.

Wang Jie spent days with Du Xian, finalizing the ship’s design, speed, and materials until the order was set.

If Du Xian hadn’t casually mentioned that he could remain in the exchange until the ship arrived, Wang Jie would never have settled so quickly. He would’ve dragged negotiations out for months.

At last, Du Xian leaned back with a satisfied sigh. “So this is the final plan?”

Wang Jie nodded. “It’ll do.”

Du Xian smiled. “Guest is generous.”

She uploaded the custom order, practically glowing.

Now all that remained was waiting.

Wang Jie glanced toward the exchange entrance.

Shen Wang hadn’t moved an inch. He didn’t even close his eyes—just stared, day after day.

He’d gone from furious and impatient to cold and steady.

He was ready to wait.

Wang Jie didn’t underestimate him. Shen Wang had guessed Wang Jie would come here. That alone proved his mind was sharp and his patience deep.

Then fine.

They would wait.

During that time, Du Xian received messages from higher-ups in Star Vault Vista. Some seemed inclined to interfere, and Wang Jie felt a flicker of panic—afraid they might evict him.

But Star Vault Vista’s rules were strict. Once Wang Jie placed an order, no one could throw him out before the ship was delivered.

Du Xian said it plainly. “Guest, rest assured. Your actions fully comply with Star Vault Vista’s regulations. No one will drive you out—not even Star Vault Vista’s top official in Fourth Nebula.”

Wang Jie’s eyes flashed. “Thank you.”

If that was true, then as long as he remained here, he was safe.

Unless Shen Wang dared to charge inside.

One day, several long whips were delivered to Shen Wang.

He stood, shot Wang Jie a cold look, and strode into the starry sky. He laid the whips in a wide pattern around the planet, placing them at different points like anchors.

Wang Jie watched on the exchange’s screen, frowning. “What is he doing?”

“He’s sealing the planet,” Du Xian said. “Most likely.”

Wang Jie’s custom ship was star chain-class. Its speed was six times that of an ordinary Roaming-Star Realm expert.

Shen Wang was afraid Wang Jie would escape on speed alone.

“I want to buy intelligence,” Wang Jie said.

Du Xian brightened immediately. “Of course. What does Guest wish to know?”

Not long after, Wang Jie returned to his private room and contacted Zong Cheng Ping.

“Help me with something.”

“I can’t,” Zong Cheng Ping said flatly. “I can’t help you.”

“The situation has changed,” Wang Jie said. “Zhi Ye is backing me now. You know what kind of person Zhi Ye is.”

“Whoever backs you, it doesn’t matter,” Zong Cheng Ping replied. “We can’t help. Shen Wang is Roaming-Star Realm.”

“I’m not asking you to fight Shen Wang,” Wang Jie said. “I need you to contact someone.”

Zong Cheng Ping went still. “Qiu Chou?”

“At present,” Zong Cheng Ping continued, “the only one in Suo Xing Jian who can match Shen Wang is Qiu Chou.”

“Correct.”

“We can’t find him,” Zong Cheng Ping said. “And after stealing that shipment, he lost half his life. No matter what you say, he won’t help.”

“That’s not certain,” Wang Jie said. “Just deliver a message. I have his contact.”

“And tell me,” he added calmly, “are you sure things will stay the same after I die?”

Zong Cheng Ping’s gaze tightened.

The same?

Maybe not.

Wu Yun was already dissatisfied with them. Four Alliances had replaced countless groups over the years. They could be replaced too.

Wang Jie pressed on. “Even if you remain in place for now, you’ll be replaced sooner or later.”

“You have Xiao Rong behind you, but Xiao Rong is only Roaming-Star Realm. On the battlefield, he could die any day.”

“If I survive this, Suo Xing Jian won’t be ruled by Wu Yun anymore.”

“Help me, and you offend neither side. Refuse, and if I live, I will settle accounts with you.”

He paused. “Brother Zong, business is simple. Not losing is enough. There’s no such thing as guaranteed profit.”

Zong Cheng Ping exhaled. “What message do you want delivered?”

Wang Jie ended the call and rubbed his forehead, exhausted.

He stood, left his room, and walked to the exchange entrance.

Under countless eyes, he sat down cross-legged.

Du Xian frowned. “Guest, what are you doing?”

“Waiting for him,” Wang Jie said.

After some time, Shen Wang returned from his work in the void. His gaze narrowed when he saw Wang Jie sitting there.

He walked forward step by step and stopped less than ten meters away.

Then he also sat down cross-legged.

Cold eyes fixed on Wang Jie.

“You can’t escape.”

Wang Jie studied him. “How did you become a prisoner?”

Shen Wang closed his eyes, ignoring him.

“I heard you deserted Star-Cloud Battlefield,” Wang Jie said.

Shen Wang’s eyes snapped open, anger flickering beneath the ice.

Wang Jie’s lips curled. “So I’m being blocked by a deserter. If the realm gap wasn’t so huge, killing you would be like slaughtering a dog.”

Shen Wang’s voice dropped, heavy and harsh. “If you ever go to Star-Cloud Battlefield, you’ll understand what kind of hell it is.”

“Living there doesn’t depend on strength. It depends on luck.”

“Walking, sleeping, eating—no matter what you’re doing, you can die at any moment.”

His eyes went colder. “And I wasn’t a deserter. I refused to die for nothing.”

Wang Jie frowned. “In war, who doesn’t die?”

“You can’t jump into certain death,” Shen Wang said. “You’ve never been there. You’ve never crawled through mountains of corpses and seas of blood. You don’t know what it is.”

“Lockforce cultivators there aren’t lives,” he said, voice like stone. “They’re corpses.”

“From the moment they step onto the battlefield, they’re corpses.”

Wang Jie didn’t argue. He’d provoked Shen Wang on purpose.

Right and wrong didn’t matter. War was wrong for everyone.

Shen Wang’s killing intent thickened. “Too bad. You’ll never feel that battlefield’s cruelty.”

“You won’t get the chance.”

He closed his eyes again, refusing to speak no matter what Wang Jie said next.

Wang Jie had come for Qi Sight.

He needed to study Shen Wang’s qi, to find a flaw.

Provoking him was just another method.

Time crawled.

More than a month passed.

Du Xian came once to ask whether he wanted to adjust the custom design. Wang Jie refused.

He didn’t plan to hide here forever.

Zhi Xing Xue had only asked one thing of him: don’t lose face. If he hid forever, one day he would still be dragged out.

And everything he needed was in place. Now he only waited for the ship.

Two months later, Du Xian finally told him, “It’s nearly here.”

“That fast?” Wang Jie asked.

“Does Guest want it slower?” Du Xian said, amused.

“No,” Wang Jie admitted. “I’m just surprised. How can a custom ship be finished in three months?”

“It isn’t built from nothing,” Du Xian explained. “The core is standardized. We’re changing the outer design and materials. Suo Xing Jian already has facilities for shipwork.”

She added, “But Guest’s star chain-class ship—there’s only one in all of Suo Xing Jian. If you wanted a second, you’d have to wait.”

Wang Jie looked toward Shen Wang. “Then bring it.”

A star chain-class ship started at twenty million starstone.

His custom build’s total price was five thousand starsea stone.

An absurd number—fifty million starstone by straight exchange, even more depending on rates.

Even the “change” was worth more than the star-belt-class ship he’d bought before.

The main cost was the material.

He’d used the toughest, best-grade materials available in Suo Xing Jian. The ship also carried defensive force—shields and other protections.

Across all of Suo Xing Jian, no ship could compare to it.

As long as no Roaming-Star Realm expert personally attacked, riding this ship meant you didn’t have to worry about it being blown apart.