Chapter 187 - 185: With Every Move, Word, & Action
The vast majority of people who observed this exchange between two males would be entirely unaware of the deliberate and precise steps that Wei Wuyin made to reach this exact point, except one person: Wu Baozhai.
She grew up in the Imperial Clan and was surrounded by renowned schemers that preyed upon others' emotions and trust, and they were exceptionally talented at it. Having been taught to notice and be mindfully aware of these tactics, she still didn't see the connecting actions until that last sentence. Her heart shivered intensely.
'He's not here for Qing Qiumu, Na Xinyi, or anyone else! He's after the ring!' Her thoughts quickly concluded. Since he arrived, he only talked to Qing Qiumu and had an audible and ambiguous conversation with her, where they laughed and smiled before everyone. All those with sharp perceptions could see her noticeably calm down and grow relaxed at his arrival.
While others could misconstrue this as accepting the truth of Na Xinyi's declaration, it was a show. A show for Long Chen. Then, he arrives only before them, and isolates all those who know Long Chen or have a relationship with him in a private barrier.
Every action, from his needlessly thunderous arrival, to his display of absolute control on scene, to his care and affection revealed was absolutely deliberate! But that was definitely not all, he riled Long Chen up, insulting him, implying that he's unable to satisfy the desire of his women and cared not if they suffered, crippled, or died.
And all of this was before the audience he has the most to prove himself to; the women of his life. These women were witnessing the stark contrast between the two, and this was exacerbated by him being insulted repeatedly without any ability to defend or act.
Wei Wuyin emasculated him. Wei Wuyin stated and emphasized his uselessness. Wei Wuyin displayed their difference with words, with actions, and with attitude.
There were even more nuances, hidden behind each coldly uttered word, each viciously thrown insult, and each action he took since arriving, so much that they would subliminally influence its target to a specific conclusion!
He gave him a choice: "Prove that you're capable, willing to do anything, or accept your worthlessness as everyone else sacrifices themselves, but not you."
After all, it was a small thing, a little thing really...it was just a ring.
An unassuming black ring.
Wu Baozhai's heart raced with fear and terror. He did all this so that Long Chen would willingly give up his ring as if he could refuse? It could clearly be seen that Long Chen believed he'd one day surpass Wei Wuyin, so he could simply reclaim it later, right?
She couldn't help but feel surreal and disbelieving. When she lifted her pretty eyes to meet Wei Wuyin's silver one's, he met her gaze. From within his silver irises, she could see a knowing smile, as if he knew that she would figure out his plans!
And it...held a trace of threat within.
She felt as if she was dipped into an icy ocean without any land in sight, and if she spoke a single word, she'd drown to her death.
She wanted to say something with all her heart and soul, but the survival instincts embedded into her DNA were ruthlessly suppressing her entire mind, freezing her up completely. She could only stand there and stare at this terrifyingly handsome schemer.
Wei Wuyin stealthily removed his gaze from Wu Baozhai. This girl was a little too smart for her own good. She was a good woman, though.
Long Chen was the one with the most intense reaction, because this ring was his everything. However, his eyes flashed with an unwillingness to give up, but various images of Lin Ziyan, Qing Qiumu, and Long Tingyu's smiles kept appearing within his thoughts, flooding his mind. Then, his failures and how they were in this mess because of his actions. A dense amount of guilt washed his heart, guilt that stained it thoroughly.
He twirled the ring on his finger, unable to make a decision, but this inability was already a sign of his inevitable choice. Wei Wuyin didn't need to press more, because if he did, it would only make it seem as if he was pushing Long Chen into a trap rather than Long Chen trying to extricate everyone else from the sandpit he formed.
These two different thoughts could completely cause him to turtle up, and if that happened, how could he safely obtain the ring? He didn't know what it was capable of, but Long Chen's confidence thus far was very telling, especially as he was fearless even before him with his status, power, and authority. It was even to the point where he was willing to offend others of a higher rank in a place like the Myriad Monarch Sect! Even he found this baffling, especially how strict the rules were and how those of higher ranks could easily abuse him.
It was unlikely that he was drunk on the guardian angel that was the Heavenly Daos to the point of stupidity. He needed a tangible source of confidence to invoke such actions.
'There is something that is concerning though...' Wei Wuyin's Celestial Eyes could see the faint traces of a higher form of spiritual and mental energies emitting from the ring, energies he was unable to even observe or sense before. Whatever was in the ring, its cultivation base was beyond his current knowledge. Furthermore, the ring was constantly absorbing the surrounding mana in minute amounts.
The amount was so insignificant that likely only very high-level Astral Core Realm cultivators could notice it. He has never seen a ring or object that can store or absorb mana.
The thing that felt concerning was how it hadn't taken action to save Qing Qiumu's life. After all, it was certainly awake. Could it have some misgivings about revealing itself? This was definitely not a Long Chen choice, considering his selfishness and need to prove himself. In fact, it might be feigning being in slumber as he could see an active mental energy fluctuation that could only be created by active thoughts, and it was haphazardly changing too, which meant it was clearly aware and reacting to everything around them, including his words.
If it was truly in slumber, he wouldn't hesitate to kill Long Chen right now. Unfortunately, he felt that wasn't the case. He similarly had misgivings that it would throw away its own concerns and kill him to protect Long Chen. Until the ring was out of the equation entirely, he wouldn't touch Long Chen. After all, he didn't know what link they had.
What if their senses were connected?
He needed these favorably crafted circumstances that would give Long Chen a set of certain beliefs and thoughts to allow him to willingly give the ring up. In fact, he didn't just do all this to influence Long Chen, but to influence the existence in the ring. This was the key factor. If he knew Long Chen was checkmated into an impossible decline yet was confident in its ability to hide, it was highly likely it would agree to be in Wei Wuyin's possession. However, for that agreement, Wei Wuyin needed to ensure it was willingly decided by Long Chen and itself.
After all, how could Wei Wuyin pose a threat to it?
He was banking on it having the arrogance of an expert.
And oh boy was he right.
The ring flickered with dim, nearly indistinguishable light, clearly communicating with Long Chen. After their brief exchange, Long Chen no longer was conflicted, and even a hint of smile and decisiveness surged in his eyes. He removed the ring, and held it out.
"Keep your word."
Wei Wuyin's heart pounded with sky-rising excitement. Even though he knew they likely schemed against him as a unit, he didn't care. After all, it's not like he spent three years not preparing for this day. It just came a little sooner than he expected.
With a brilliant smile, he said: "Of course."