Urban Martial Saint
Chapter 1285: Testing the Waters
After standing there stunned for quite a while, Master Craft gradually regained his senses, but his face became extremely ugly. He immediately called his son over to inform him about the situation.
Master Craft's son, the young man Ye Qing saw coming over, was still reveling in the joy of making a fortune. Unexpectedly, before the dream had lasted long, someone woke him up. Staring at the empty cabinet, he was also dumbfounded.
"What... what happened here?" The young man's face turned red with fury, and he angrily gritted his teeth: "Where... where are the three genuine articles? How come they are gone? How come they are gone?"
"I want to know too!" exclaimed Master Craft furiously: "It was like this when I arrived. These three items must have been stolen by someone."
"Who could have stolen these three items?" The young man scratched his head and suddenly looked at Master Craft, saying: "Dad, do you think it might have been Ye Qing who came and stole those three genuine articles?"
"Impossible!" Master Craft shook his head resolutely, saying: "Those three high-quality counterfeits were crafted by my own hands, and ordinary people absolutely cannot discern the authenticity of these high-quality counterfeits. He took those three high-quality counterfeits, definitely not realizing that the genuine articles were still in my possession. There's absolutely no way he would come to steal these three genuine articles!"
"Then who could it be?" The young man asked: "There are not many people who know he came to our place. Even those who know he came wouldn't think that the genuine articles are locked in our cabinet. Who would come to steal these three genuine articles? Besides, our mansion's guards are so strict, who could come and steal these three items?"
"Don't say nonsense now!" Master Craft said in a deep voice: "We've arranged so many guards in our mansion, and the number of people who can steal these three genuine articles unnoticed is definitely small. You must go out immediately to investigate and see which thief has entered Tianfu City."
"Okay, I'll go investigate right away!" The young man nodded quickly and was about to leave when Master Craft stopped him.
"Remember, be appropriately high-profile when investigating." Master Craft said softly.
"High-profile?" The young man was somewhat puzzled, not understanding what Master Craft meant.
Master Craft: "Just let people know we're investigating this matter, but don't make it too obvious!"
"Why?" The young man asked curiously: "If we show it, then Ye Qing will definitely know about this too, and he won't let it rest peacefully."
"Ye isn't the key!" Master Craft said in a deep voice: "Don't forget, even experts like Prince Wan Yan of the Northern Desert Iron Cavalry and Northern Martial Zen are fighting for these three items. No matter how capable Ye is, he can't harm us. But, Prince Wan Yan and Northern Martial Zen are different. If they suspect these three genuine articles are in our hands, we are doomed. So, you must display a high-profile investigation, letting people know the genuine articles have been stolen, so Prince Wan Yan and Northern Martial Zen focus their attention elsewhere."
"Oh, I understand!" The young man suddenly realized, hurriedly running out to handle the matter.
Watching the young man walk away, Master Craft sat dejectedly by the sofa, his expression incredibly grim. This time, he intended to take away these three genuine articles and make a fortune. Unexpectedly, the genuine articles didn't fall into his hands, and he implicated himself instead. Even though he could divert the attention of Prince Wan Yan and Northern Martial Zen, ensuring they don't trouble him, Ye Qing definitely won't let him off easily. But for now, the best he can do is divert the attention of Prince Wan Yan and Northern Martial Zen, as these two are far more terrifying than Ye Qing!
An uneventful night passed, and the next morning, Ye Qing arrived at Master Craft's mansion at the scheduled time.
At this juncture, it was impossible for Master Craft not to meet Ye Qing. Therefore, he invited Ye Qing into the mansion first.
"Ye brothers, the counterfeit goods you requested have been made, I'll have someone bring them to you right away." Master Craft said with a smile, realizing that for now, all he could do is stabilize Ye Qing.
"Really?" Ye Qing chuckled coldly, saying: "Big Boss, whether or not the counterfeits are made isn't the key. The key issue is, I intend to take back the three genuine articles I brought here!"
Master Craft's face changed slightly, it seemed that Ye Qing already knew that he took away three replicas, it looks like this time Ye Qing came with ill intent.
"Ye brother, you... what are you talking about?" Master Craft feigned ignorance and said with a smile, "Didn't I give you the three genuine articles yesterday?"
"Big Boss, you said that Dragon Blood Wood is impervious to blades, guns, water, and fire." Ye Qing looked at Master Craft and said in a deep voice, "I tried it when I got back last night, and unexpectedly, those three genuine articles were reduced to ashes in the fire. Big Boss, I wonder if it's that you don't understand Dragon Blood Wood well enough, or the ones I took aren't actually real Dragon Blood Wood?"
"Impossible!" Master Craft said firmly, "Those three items definitely would not be destroyed by fire."
"Really?" Ye Qing sneered and said, "Are you so certain, Big Boss?"
"Of course, I'm sure!" Master Craft loudly declared, "If you can burn those three items, I'll give you my head to kick like a ball!"
"Hahaha..." Ye Qing laughed aloud and said, "No need to kick it like a ball, Big Boss, I was just joking with you. Those three genuine articles have already been sent away by me, I mainly came this time to take away those replicas!"
Hearing this, Master Craft was momentarily stunned. Looking at Ye Qing's now calm expression, he suddenly understood inside that Ye Qing was only testing him with those words. In other words, Ye Qing didn't actually know that the three items with him were high-quality replicas, he just wanted to test Master Craft's reaction to see how he would respond, and Ye Qing had no idea the real items were with him, and even had been stolen.
Master Craft let out a quiet sigh of relief, however, upon reconsideration, it made sense that Ye Qing also didn't know about it. After all, this was Tianfu City, not Ye Qing's territory. Living here alone, Ye Qing, while carrying those three high-quality replicas last night, certainly would have been on high alert against anyone attacking him, he wouldn't have time to inquire about external news; he certainly didn't know what happened over there.
Figuring this out, Master Craft's expression became icy immediately, and he said in a deep voice, "Ye Qing, what do you mean by this? Joking? Are you actually joking, or do you not trust me, Master Craft?"
"No, no," Ye Qing faintly smiled and said, "I was just casually joking, Big Boss, please don't take it to heart."
"Casually joking? Is that how you make a joke?" Master Craft slammed the table and angrily exclaimed, "Ye Qing, when you came to Tianfu City, I wasn't unkind to you. Those three items, just one word from you, and I stayed up late working overtime to make you several sets of replicas, and I didn't even plan to charge you. But how did you treat me? Is this joking? You're basically suspecting that I took your genuine articles and deliberately came to test me, do you take me, Master Craft, for a fool?"
"Big Boss, you've misunderstood," Ye Qing smiled and said, "I was really just joking with no other intentions. If I've offended you, Big Boss, please forgive me."
"Hmph, no need for forgiveness." Master Craft coldly glanced at Ye Qing and said in a deep voice, "I've made those replicas for you, I'll have someone deliver them in a while. I had some friendship with Elder Senior Tie Yongwen early on, so this is considered as repaying that favor. However, after you take these replicas, leave Tianfu City immediately. My place, Master Craft's, won't welcome you anymore, and I will definitely never help you again!"
What Master Craft said was completely fabricated; he didn't know Tie Yongwen, only heard of his name and knew of the relationship between Tie Yongwen and Ye Qing. He made up this statement to gain Ye Qing's trust, preventing him from becoming suspicious.
Sure enough, upon hearing this, Ye Qing was convinced and immediately apologized to Master Craft. However, Master Craft always maintained an unyielding expression, and after handing over the replicas to Ye Qing, he immediately issued an eviction order, driving Ye Qing away. In his view, the more displeased he appeared, the more Ye Qing would believe in him, and the easier it would be to extricate himself from the current situation.
With the replicas in hand, Ye Qing left Master Craft's estate directly. He specifically rented a car, and after coming out, drove straight towards Tianfu City, not even daring to take a flight. Because he had received word that Prince Wan Yan had left Tianzhao City, and it was unclear where he was headed; he might just be coming to Tianfu City. If he took a flight and had bad luck, he might run into Prince Wan Yan at the airport, then Ye Qing would be truly cornered.
Moreover, driving was somewhat more convenient. After all, the car was rented by Ye Qing early in the morning, and no one was following him along the way. Even if someone wanted to block him, there was no time to arrange it.
The three genuine articles were placed in Ye Qing's car, along with those replicas. Ye Qing's visit to Tianfu City could be considered an initial resolution of the current issue. At the very least, Master Craft was certain the real items weren't in Ye Qing's hands, and Handsome Fatty Wang believed that what he took was real. With these two covering for him, everyone in the world would think the genuine articles weren't with Ye Qing. Even if Prince Wan Yan came for him, he would first look for Master Craft or Handsome Fatty Wang, definitely not suspecting Ye Qing, thereby helping Ye Qing escape the current predicament and temporarily ease some pressure.
As for the three genuine articles, Ye Qing planned to continue hiding them in Shenchuan City. Since no one knew the genuine articles were still with Ye Qing, certainly no one would know they were still hidden in Shenchuan City, making it a very safe plan. At least, no one would go to Shenchuan City to look for the genuine articles.