"Brother Liang, could it be that something's gone wrong with your mid-grade Golden Cicada undergarment?" Zhang Naipao alone kept his composure, turning the matter over carefully before he asked.

"My undergarment? I suspected the Golden Cicada undergarment had failed too, but I found Youpanhu of the hidden You family and his men and had it examined—there was nothing wrong with my undergarment!" Zhong Yongliang said.

"Oh? Take off your undergarment and let me examine it!" The Pure Yang Heavenly Venerable also thought something might be wrong with it, and so he spoke.

"Yes, Master!" Zhong Yongliang hurried to strip off the undergarment and respectfully presented it.

"Oh? This is no mid-grade Golden Cicada undergarment!" The moment the Pure Yang Heavenly Venerable looked at the garment in his hands, his expression changed. Zhong Yongliang could not tell, but he could see the problem with it at a glance!

"Not a mid-grade Golden Cicada undergarment?" Zhong Yongliang was stunned, staring at the Pure Yang Heavenly Venerable with some misgiving: "Master, isn't this the very mid-grade Golden Cicada undergarment I was wearing before? Could it have downgraded itself?"

"Not downgraded itself—your undergarment was swapped out from under you!" The Pure Yang Heavenly Venerable pointed at the garment in his hands: "This is a low-grade Golden Cicada undergarment. It looks much the same as a mid-grade one, but I saw the difference at a glance! This low-grade undergarment can withstand attacks from any expert below the Earth Rank, but against those at Earth Rank and above it is useless. That is why you could defend against Youpanhu and his men but not against Wei Zhao and Zhao Qibing—and that Zhao Qibing must have suddenly broken through to the Earth Rank."

"What? Swapped out? How is that possible?" Zhong Yongliang was shocked and horrified: "I've worn this Golden Cicada undergarment on my body the whole time—how could anyone swap it... gah!"

As he said this, a thought suddenly struck Zhong Yongliang. There had been a time when the undergarment was not on his body—when he went to Gu Mengyao and Shen Yushu's dormitory, where he had taken a shower. And hadn't the undergarment failed the very day after that shower?

"Shen Yushu! It must be her—that little demon, she's the one, she swapped my undergarment!" At last Zhong Yongliang understood why Shen Yushu, who had always stood against him, had suddenly turned supportive. He had been pleased at first, but now it seemed Shen Yushu had deliberately set a trap for him, all to swap away the mid-grade Golden Cicada undergarment he wore!

Thinking of how Gu Mengyao had inexplicably caught a cold, of the basin of dirty water inexplicably left at their dormitory door, of Gu Mengyao's inexplicable concern, Zhong Yongliang understood: he had been played again. Those two little wenches were still secretly on Wei Zhao's side, and they had quietly swapped out his mid-grade Golden Cicada undergarment!

"Brother Liang, shall we go back and settle the score with her?" Gao Xiaofu was furious when he heard this and quickly asked—though in saying so, he was also trying to cover for Zhong Yongliang and keep the Pure Yang Heavenly Venerable from flying into a rage.

"There's no need to rush off to settle accounts." The Pure Yang Heavenly Venerable waved a hand, tossed the low-grade Golden Cicada undergarment aside, and said mildly: "This score will certainly be settled, but if you go charging over there, what will you get besides a beating?"

Zhong Yongliang and Gao Xiaofu exchanged a glance, and both fell silent. True enough—go back now and demand the mid-grade Golden Cicada undergarment from Wei Zhao? Never mind whether Wei Zhao would admit it; even if he did, what would make him give it back?

"Master, if the undergarment was swapped, then it proves Wei Zhao isn't a Heaven Rank expert at all—he must still be Earth Rank. Let your disciple and Brother Liang go down the mountain together and settle this score?" Zhang Naipao's loyalty to Zhong Yongliang remained unwavering.

The Pure Yang Heavenly Venerable frowned. He had taken Zhong Yongliang as a nominal disciple only out of regard for Zhang Naipao, his beloved student; he had not the slightest respect for Zhong Yongliang himself. Seeing Zhang Naipao about to go stand up for Zhong Yongliang, he was displeased and said coolly: "You are now at the critical stage of your secluded cultivation, perfecting the second level of the Chrysanthemum Treasure Manual. Do not let yourself be distracted by other matters!"

"Yes, Master..." Zhang Naipao hastily cupped his fists and withdrew. On reflection, he had indeed been too impulsive—challenge Wei Zhao before the second level was perfected, and what if he proved no match for him?

"Very well, Zhong Yongliang, don't blame yourself too much. It's only a mid-grade Golden Cicada undergarment; you'll get it back sooner or later." The Pure Yang Heavenly Venerable did not much value a single undergarment—lost was lost. For the sake of his beloved disciple Zhang Naipao, he waved a hand and said: "You may withdraw for now. I will think of a foolproof plan for you, so that you may settle this score with your own hands!"

"Thank you, Master!" Zhong Yongliang was overjoyed. Truthfully, if he could settle the score himself, he would far rather do it with his own hands than let Zhang Naipao step in! He assumed the Pure Yang Heavenly Venerable meant for him to get back on his feet where he had fallen—but in fact the Venerable was only afraid he would hold Zhang Naipao back.

The Pure Yang Heavenly Venerable was growing rather tired of Zhong Yongliang. An ordinary man, nothing more—had Zhang Naipao not always respected this leader of theirs, he would have kicked Zhong Yongliang flying long ago.

……………………

These past few days Lai the Fat Man had run into a troublesome business—and a trouble of heaven-shaking proportions, no less!

Doctor Guan Pharmaceuticals' reputation had soared; the factory had recently been expanded and production capacity greatly increased, and its products were now exported overseas, demand outstripping supply. This time Lai the Fat Man had gone abroad to open up a market in a small country.

Because Doctor Guan Pharmaceuticals enjoyed an excellent reputation, its products all carried customs clearance and exemption-from-inspection papers. Lai the Fat Man had intended, upon arriving in this small country, to rest a while and adjust to the time difference before meeting the country's largest pharmaceutical merchant. But scarcely had he reached his hotel when an uninvited guest came calling!

And accompanying this uninvited guest was none other than the very pharmaceutical merchant who had invited Lai the Fat Man to this small country!

A late-night visit was strange, but Lai the Fat Man thought little of it; he assumed the two were simply eager to welcome him, and so he warmly invited them inside.

"Mr. Lai, allow me to introduce myself. My humble name is Zhuge Junshi, and my nickname is precisely 'Junshi'—Military Advisor. Of course, you may also take it for a bandit's moniker." The stranger who had entered the room alongside the pharmaceutical merchant suddenly spoke.

This took Lai the Fat Man somewhat by surprise—the man had clearly usurped the host's role!

Lai the Fat Man had assumed this man was the pharmaceutical merchant's assistant or secretary, but to his astonishment, every sign indicated that this man was in fact the one who called the shots!

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