Qin Siyang's face remained filled with grief and indignation.
He turned a blind eye to Zhao Longfei's goodwill.
However, in his heart, he saw things clearly.
This Zhao Longfei could bend and stretch. He was quite similar to himself.
On the side, Li Tianming clutched his injured hand in pain, glanced at the two of them a few times, and snorted disdainfully.
'Two shameless bastards.'
Zhang Kuang scratched his bird's nest-like hair and also shot a look of contempt at Zhao Longfei and Qin Siyang.
Then, glancing at Li Tianming's bloodstained palm, he shivered all over.
He had a strong feeling that he had boarded a pirate ship.
Zhao Longfei chuckled heartily, "Little Qin, I think that for a student like you, who has made contributions to the school, your privilege conditions should be unique and more lenient."
Qin Siyang crossed his arms over his chest, "Principal Zhao, how exactly do you plan to make it more lenient?"
Looking at Qin Siyang's deadpan face, Zhao Longfei had the urge to slap him into a pancake.
But alas, since Qin Siyang held the say over the Vine Core and the founding shares of the Crimson Crystal, he had no choice but to bow his head.
Making money wasn't disgraceful, after all.
Anyway, as a principal, this wasn't the first time he had to lick wounds and suck sores to raise funds.
He wiped his bald head and chuckled again, "Little Qin, I think that a talent like you needs proper protection. You shouldn't always be required to go out and hunt gods."
"Therefore, your privilege of setting privileges. I think it's too harsh to revoke it if you're not ranked first in your grade's Hunting Points."
"It could be relaxed to the top three in your grade. What do you think?"
'Top three?'
'The first-place hunter in a school can sometimes be an anomaly.'
'Maybe some god-slaying maniac has been on a killing spree since grade five and has accumulated tens of thousands of Hunting Points by now.'
'Even if I run naked, I can't catch up.'
'…Wait, ain't I still technically naked right now?'
'Not important!'
'Fighting for first place is risky. I can either fail miserably or end up stationed outside the safe zone permanently, battling wind and rain.'
'But the top three? Much safer.'
'No way a school has three maniacs, right?'
Qin Siyang thought about it and felt it was acceptable, but he still wanted to negotiate.
"I still think the top three is a bit harsh."
"The top three is already very lenient. Student Qin, this is an unprecedented 'privilege-setting privilege'. It can't be handed out too casually, right?"
Qin Siyang hesitated for a moment but eventually agreed, "Alright. Old Li, South Glory is my alma mater. Make sure Principal Zhao gets a seat at the negotiation table too."
"Hmph," At this moment, Zhao Sifang, who had overheard their conversation, walked over.
"Second Uncle, what did you just say? Privilege-setting privilege?"
Zhao Longfei glanced at his nephew, "How many times have I told you? When outside, use your proper title!"
"…Principal Zhao."
Qin Siyang interjected, "If I hadn't met Brother Zhao outside the safe zone, I probably wouldn't have made it back. Thanks, Brother Zhao!"
"Huh?"
'My nephew helped Qin Siyang?'
'Qin Siyang, despite being a bit sneaky and slippery, is indeed someone who values relationships and loyalty.'
'If Zhao Sifang helped him, won't he have to reciprocate?'
'This is an opportunity!'
Hearing this, Zhao Longfei immediately put his arm around Zhao Sifang's shoulder, "Isn't that great? Zhao Sifang is my nephew, and I'm his second uncle. Little Qin, if you and Sifang are like brothers, then that makes us family. Since we're family, about that Crimson Crystal…"
Zhao Sifang was momentarily stunned, "Principal Zhao, didn't you just say we should use proper titles outside the house?"
"Tsk, look at you, so rigid. Are we even outside the house?"
Zhao Longfei pointed to the canopy of white cloth above them, "Where are we? A mourning hall! Whose mourning hall? Little Qin's! And who is Little Qin? Family! Since it's a family member's mourning hall, that makes this our home, got it?"
"Second Uncle… were you possessed by some rogue hooligan?"
Zhao Sifang had never seen his second uncle act like this before.
In his memory, Second Uncle was always solemn, exuding an aura of authority, awe-inspiring without needing to raise his voice.
At home, besides his father, no one could make Second Uncle bow his head.
All his life, Second Uncle had taught him to do things properly, to be upright in conduct.
He had placed the future of the family on Zhao Sifang's shoulders, hoping he would lead them to greater heights.
So where had that esteemed Second Uncle gone?
Looking at the groveling, bottom-line-lacking man before him, Zhao Sifang's face was filled with disbelief.
Zhao Longfei smacked Zhao Sifang on the head, "What rogue hooligan? Watch your mouth! Even if your father were here to judge, he wouldn't say I was wrong today!"
Zhao Sifang rubbed his head and dropped his doubts.
That smack, both in force and location, was way too familiar.
It was exactly the same as the ones he got in childhood.
The man before him was undoubtedly his Second Uncle.
Zhao Longfei then turned to Qin Siyang with a smile, "Little Qin, since we're all family, about that Crimson Crystal…"
Qin Siyang smiled, "It's too early to talk about that, but I do remember Brother Zhao's kindness."
Zhao Longfei laughed heartily, "Aiya, no need to be so formal—just call me Little Zhao!"
Zhao Sifang shook his head.
'My second uncle, a once-mighty university principal, how he has fallen to this state?'
'All for a Crimson Crystal the size of an egg?'
'Sigh!'
'I have always thought the Zhao family is full of upright gentlemen, but now it seems… something is definitely off.'
Not only was Second Uncle blinded by greed, but from his words, even his father would approve of this behavior.
Zhao Sifang carried Qin Siyang's bag and felt a deep helplessness.
'Second Uncle… really haven't seen much of the world.'
'Just one Crimson Crystal, and he has already stooped this low.'
'If I reveal that Qin Siyang's bag is full of Crimson Crystals, will Second Uncle straight-up kneel and call Qin Siyang godfather?'
But Zhao Sifang was smart, he instantly realized he couldn't say a word.
His perception of his family had completely changed.
He used to think that if his family discovered he had stolen something, they'd flay him alive.
Now, he was certain that if they found out he had revealed the blood-bond contract details to Qin Siyang, they would flay him alive.
If they learned the whole story… it'd be the end of him.
'Forget it.'
'Better to be quiet.'
'No need to get beaten for nothing.'
Instead, he should see if he could build a good relationship with Qin Siyang and get something out of it.
If he told his family the whole truth, even if he got one or two Crimson Crystals from Qin Siyang, he'd only be seen as making up for his mistake, maybe even still get a beating.
But if he kept this part hidden and managed to get one or two Crimson Crystals from Qin Siyang… he'd be a family hero.
Father's good son, Second Uncle's great nephew.
The choice was obvious.
After over a decade of adhering to moral principles, Zhao Sifang painfully made another decision that went against his…
Well, there wasn't much left to go against in terms of family principles.
He painfully made another decision that went against his own beliefs.
To keep this a secret.
Only he and Qin Siyang would know.
He gave Qin Siyang a firm nod.
Qin Siyang didn't understand what he meant, assuming it was just a polite gesture, so he nodded back.
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