836: Chapter 825: Investigating Ning Fan 836: Chapter 825: Investigating Ning Fan The Nine Souls Jade—there’s no denying it—Teng Yun Geshang’s investigation of Ning Fan was incredibly thorough.
He was even acutely aware of exactly how many pieces of the Nine Souls Jade Ning Fan had, though he lacked concrete evidence.
Through deduction, however, Teng Yun Geshang was 100% certain that Ning Fan already possessed five pieces of the Nine Souls Jade.
Faced with Teng Yun Geshang’s bait, Ning Fan remained unhurried.
While he deeply desired the Nine Souls Jade, appearing too impatient would diminish his leverage significantly.
Thus, he refrained from rushing to meet Teng Yun Geshang to discuss the matter of the two pieces of the Nine Souls Jade and instead focused his time on cultivation, striving to break through to the Peak of the Object-Manipulating Realm as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, Teng Yun Geshang hadn’t been idle over the past few days.
Though he stayed in Zhonghai, awaiting Ning Fan’s response, he engaged in several activities during that time.
For instance, regarding the operations of the Mingwang Pavilion, its forces had now fully retreated from Europe.
This headache-inducing matter had consumed much of Teng Yun Geshang’s energy—and he was also somewhat enraged over Chen Fengnan’s retaliatory moves.
Were it not for the unsuitable timing to escalate conflict with Ning Fan, Teng Yun Geshang wouldn’t have cared about Chen Fengnan’s identity or the backing of the Chen Financial Conglomerate.
That organization was hardly a threat, and there was no shortage of individuals eyeing Chen Fengnan’s position.
“Lord Teng Yun Geshang, Asura hasn’t contacted us up until now—is there perhaps some unexpected development?”
Five days had passed in the blink of an eye, yet during these days, Ning Fan remained silent.
He commuted daily between home and his office, appearing to have no intention of seeking out Teng Yun Geshang.
This left Fei Peilie baffled, unable to discern what Ning Fan truly had in mind.
Finally, today, Fei Peilie could no longer contain himself and reminded Teng Yun Geshang, wondering aloud if Ning Fan’s prolonged stalling might entail some risk.
On the surface, Teng Yun Geshang exuded calmness, like undisturbed water, but inwardly, he was also puzzled.
Logically speaking, the Nine Souls Jade was immensely significant to Ning Fan; it would be impossible for Ning Fan not to be tempted.
And yet, Ning Fan still hadn’t approached Teng Yun Geshang, leaving the latter profoundly perplexed.
What was Ning Fan’s plan?
Could it really be possible that Ning Fan had enough self-control to resist temptation for the two already-exposed pieces of the Nine Souls Jade?
As he pondered this, Teng Yun Geshang furrowed his brows.
Could it be that he hadn’t been clear enough?
But that didn’t make sense—Ning Fan wasn’t a fool; he was a highly intelligent man and should, logically, understand his intentions.…
Ning Fan’s lack of action was making Teng Yun Geshang increasingly restless.
Despite much reflection, he still couldn’t fathom Ning Fan’s motives and even considered seeking him out again.
But then, with his own lofty status, approaching Ning Fan so favorably—for the umpteenth time—might lead outsiders to mistakenly believe that Umbrella was genuinely intimidated by such a small-time figure like Ning Fan.
This left Teng Yun Geshang caught in a dilemma, uncertain about his next move.
“Fei Peilie, could it be that I wasn’t clear enough, or is this brat simply enduring?”
“What you mean—he can’t possibly misunderstand you.
The reason Asura hasn’t shown up is likely just one thing: disrupting your rhythm.”
As an outsider observing the situation, Fei Peilie keenly pointed out the crux of the issue.
The problem wasn’t that Ning Fan misunderstood Teng Yun Geshang’s intentions or wasn’t tempted by the Nine Souls Jade—it was that he was actively holding back, opting not to display the urgency or thirst that Teng Yun Geshang had hoped to see.
Such eagerness would only allow Teng Yun Geshang to manipulate him step by step.
Hearing Fei Peilie’s analysis, Teng Yun Geshang finally saw the light.
So that’s how it is—apparently, it’s a test of patience.…
However, Teng Yun Geshang wasn’t concerned about such a competition.
In his view, Ning Fan was the one who should be feeling desperate.
While he didn’t know what kind of unique magic power the Nine Souls Jade held, Teng Yun Geshang knew one thing for certain—anyone who coveted the Nine Souls Jade wouldn’t simply let it go, especially someone like Ning Fan, who already possessed several pieces of it.
After all, if Ning Fan managed to obtain these two pieces of the Nine Souls Jade, he would only need two more to complete the collection of all nine pieces.
Faced with such a tantalizing prospect, Teng Yun Geshang couldn’t believe Ning Fan could resist.
“Very well then, let’s see just how long this brat can endure!”
With a cold snort, Teng Yun Geshang, despite having deciphered Ning Fan’s intentions, remained confident in his superior patience.
As a veteran of the Jianghu, he believed his endurance was certainly greater than Ning Fan’s.
The only question was how long it would take.
Considering the significance of the Nine Souls Jade, Teng Yun Geshang ultimately felt secure—he couldn’t imagine Ning Fan not giving in to temptation.
That wasn’t a possibility.
Ultimately, the determination of the victor would require further contention.
With this decision, Teng Yun Geshang shelved thoughts about Ning Fan for the time being.
He concluded that in just a few days, Ning Fan would undoubtedly come seeking him.
Despite mentioning ‘cooperation’ initially, Teng Yun Geshang intended all along to exploit this opportunity to see if he could exert control over Ning Fan.
If he could bring Ning Fan under his sway, it would be immensely beneficial to him personally, as well as potentially advantageous for Umbrella down the line.
The key to Teng Yun Geshang’s ambition of subduing Ning Fan lay in advancing his own position within Umbrella.
His eagerness to seize Konstantin’s throne had simmered for countless years.
“Lord Teng Yun Geshang, should we offer Konstantin a response?”
Fei Peilie seemed to recall something at that moment, his expression shifting subtly.
Konstantin couldn’t be ignored—he remained Umbrella’s foremost figure, holding absolute power.
This time, Konstantin had explicitly indicated that Ning Fan should be dealt with swiftly, instead of lingering in the current stalemate.
At this juncture, Teng Yun Geshang found Fei Peilie’s remarks irritating.
What did Konstantin’s opinion have to do with him?
The two of them were merely maintaining a façade of cooperation.
“Just make up an excuse…”
Resolving to brush it off with a casual pretext was how Teng Yun Geshang chose to handle the matter.
He doubted Konstantin would escalate tensions over his procrastination.
That man was excessively cautious; unless the Nine Souls Jade-related secrets were exposed, there was simply no chance Konstantin would go to extremes against him.
Still, when the topic shifted back to the Nine Souls Jade, Teng Yun Geshang felt some unease internally.
After all, the Nine Souls Jade was practically Konstantin’s reverse scale—if Konstantin discovered that Teng Yun Geshang had used the Nine Souls Jade to bait Ning Fan, an explosive reaction would undoubtedly follow.
Fortunately, Konstantin was far away at the moment—beyond reach.
For him to become aware of this would practically be an act of an Immortal.
“Withdraw our people.
Have them head to Andorra to assist that brat!”
Currently, monitoring Ning Fan seemed unnecessary.
There was no need for excessive surveillance—just a small emergency team would suffice.
On the other hand, the Mingwang Pavilion urgently required cleaning up.
Judging by the grim expression on Teng Yun Geshang’s face, Fei Peilie knew well enough to avoid invoking further ire and quickly withdrew.