Chapter 482: Kara's Sect Trip
The Two Files
Although Zhang Ruochen was the public representative put forward by White Cloud Temple, he was not skilled at negotiation.
Neither the 150 free schools nor the $5 billion investment left him with anything to argue against.
He clearly understood the changes these two things would bring. The Yungui region was mountainous and remote; decades of development hadn't been able to change its backward state. Fundamentally, the issues boiled down to economics and education.
These two were long-standing problems. If solved, the people in that region would certainly gain a new lease on life.
The more he thought about it, the more complicated his feelings became.
Zhang Ruochen sighed, looking down in embarrassment.
"Could we... add one more thing?"
Luke said coldly, "How about I chop off an arm for you as compensation?"
The Daoist priest quickly waved his hands.
"That's not what I meant. It's just... it's just..."
The words caught in his throat.
Luke poured a glass of red wine and placed it in front of him. "Old Daoist, you're a decent person. I don't want to make things difficult for you. Let them come and talk."
Zhang Ruochen forced a smile. "What are you talking about? There's no 'them.'"
Luke didn't call him out. He took two files from a drawer and placed them on the table.
"Here are two files. The one on the left is the compensation contract for the $50 billion and the 150 free schools. The one on the right is more special: it contains the core secrets of the power armor. With it, you can manufacture much stronger and more practical military armor."
"Tell them: two files, choose one. Give me an answer the day after tomorrow."
"You can leave now."
Luke gestured for him to leave. Zhang Ruochen, helpless, had no choice but to stand up and depart, sighing as he walked, his figure appearing much older.
Soon after he left, Linda appeared in the room.
"What trick are you pulling now?"
"Just a test."
"A test?"
The girl asked curiously, "A test for what?"
"You'll know later."
Luke casually draped his arm over her shoulder. After days of spending time together, their relationship had developed rapidly, with only a thin veil remaining. Luke was even considering whether he should build a Red Sun simulator.
He couldn't help it; the girl's body was too hard—it was rough just to hug her, let alone pin her to a bed.
As a man, he preferred soft, elastic bodies with clear curves. Reinforced concrete was out of the question. Even if he had the intention, he didn't have the strength.
The situation was that awkward.
Luke couldn't be direct and chose to stall.
"By the way, there's something I need to ask you."
Linda put away her smile and said seriously, "What do you think of my Master?"
"He called you?"
The girl nodded. "Not only did he call, but he sent someone to deliver this."
She took out a square white jade token and placed it on the table. The front of the token was engraved with the ancient seal character Spirit, and the back had the character Void—it was the Spirit Void Sect's Sect Leader token.
The old beggar's real name was Lingxu Zi, the direct descendant of the Spirit Void Sect's ancient boxing style. Before committing his crime, he had already acquired the Sect Leader token and was one step away from becoming the Sect Leader. Unfortunately, fate intervened. Due to the Tiger Fiend Scripture and grudges in the Jianghu (martial world), he ended up tragically fleeing overseas.
Luke picked up the token, glanced at it, and then tossed it onto the sofa.
"What did the old guy tell you?"
"He didn't say much, just asked me to go back to the Spirit Void Sect to meet the current Sect Leader."
Luke gave a cold chuckle. The old man had bad intentions and was still thinking about the past.
Linda said earnestly, "I plan to go back and check it out."
"Go where? You have too much time on your hands."
"But..."
The girl looked troubled. "Master passed all the Spirit Void Sect's techniques to me. If I don't go, how can I explain it to him?"
"I'll explain it to him; you don't worry about it."
"Luke!"
The girl got angry. "He's my Master, not a stranger. You can't just dismiss him like that."
Luke sighed softly and said in a low voice,
"The white jade token is the Spirit Void Sect's leader token. If you take it back to the Sect, do you know what that means?"
"What else could it mean? At worst, a fight. I'm not afraid of them."
The girl was dismissive. The situation was indeed as she said; as a Kryptonian, she had no reason to fear a few practitioners of ancient boxing, with True Master being the exception, of course.
Luke shook his head.
"The Spirit Void Sect itself is nothing. The key is the Tiger Fiend Scripture. Back then, the old beggar..." Seeing the girl's expression change, he had to correct himself. "...Your Master was forced to leave his homeland and flee overseas because of this technique. Of course, there are other stories involved, but I won't tell you."
"Those people never gave up. They've been secretly trying to find him. That's why the old man never leaves home."
"You've practiced the Tiger Fiend Scripture, which means you've inherited his enemies. Once your identity is revealed, you'll face endless trouble, understand?"
Linda frowned. "You mean those people will come after me?"
"Absolutely."
"Then let them come! I'll beat one if one comes, and ten if ten come. It'll be a good way to vent anger for Master."
The girl was excited. It was clear she was looking forward to fighting masters of ancient boxing.
Luke was speechless.
Does this girl have a screw loose?
Since she was so insistent, Luke had no choice but to yield.
"When are you leaving?"
"Tomorrow morning."
"I'll go with you."
"Really?"
The girl shouted excitedly. She then asked, "What about the negotiations? You said you'd give them a reply the day after tomorrow."
"We'll drag it out a bit. It leaves room for both sides."
The Sect's Ruins
The next morning, after the routine meeting, Luke carried a travel bag and, along with a similarly dressed Linda, left the hotel. Everyone was already accustomed to this sight.
Neither the people from Shanghai nor the accompanying staff could figure out the purpose of these two big shots: Were they expanding business or just taking an overseas vacation?
After driving to the outskirts, Linda took Luke and soared into the sky, flying toward the southwest.
The Spirit Void Sect's location was on a certain peak east of the Kunlun Mountains, over a hundred miles from the nearest city.
Of course, this distance was trivial for the two of them.
After confirming the location, Linda increased their speed again, reaching the gates of the Spirit Void Sect in just a few minutes.
Looking at the dilapidated stone archway, the steps overgrown with weeds and moss, and the faintly visible collapsed buildings, Luke couldn't help but frown. Was this really the Spirit Void Sect?
As a child, the old beggar often boasted that the Spirit Void Sect was an ancient sect with a nearly thousand-year heritage, hundreds of disciples across the southwestern provinces, known to everyone in the Kunlun Mountains. For a time, Luke even had the idea of becoming his disciple.
Linda was also confused. The scene her Master had described was completely different from the view before them.
"Did we come to the wrong place?"
Luke shook his head. He walked up to the archway, pushed aside the weeds, and revealed a stone slab with three characters clumsily carved on it: Spirit Void Sect.
"It seems the situation is not what we imagined."
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