Treasure Emerges

"Don't!"

"Don't!"

Two cries rang out at the same time. The speakers were the First Elder and Xiao Yan.

But it was already too late. Xiao Xian tossed the Qi Gathering Powder into his mouth, chewed twice, and swallowed it, even wearing a look of disgust.

"Ptui! What the hell is this? Why does it taste so awful?" Xiao Xian bared his teeth and shouted.

"Xiao Xian, you..."

The First Elder was so furious he nearly spat blood. The Qi Gathering Powder that had practically been in his pocket had flown away right before his eyes, and his eyes immediately reddened.

"What? I may be handsome, but I'm not someone an old geezer like you can covet. Don't think I'll be afraid of you just because you've got a loud voice." Xiao Xian curled his lip and looked smugly at the First Elder.

"Uncle Xiao Xian, you've really done me in." Xiao Yan said helplessly, finally letting out a bitter laugh.

He could originally have openly refused the annulment and sent the Yunlan Sect people packing with their gifts. Yet he had never expected Xiao Xian to suddenly jump out and stir things up. Not only had he disrupted Xiao Yan's plans, he had even eaten someone else's gift. Xiao Yan looked like he'd swallowed a dead rat.

"Xiao Clan Leader, how should this be settled?" Ge Ye finally came to his senses. A sharp glint flashed through his eyes as he deliberately put on a troubled expression and spoke to Xiao Zhan.

"This..."

Xiao Zhan also looked speechlessly at Xiao Xian. If Xiao Xian hadn't lived with the Xiao Clan for more than ten years, he would have suspected the man was a spy sent by the Yunlan Sect.

"Yan Er, what do you think? If you insist on annulling the engagement, then even if it bankrupts our family, Father will compensate the Yunlan Sect for the Qi Gathering Powder. Don't feel burdened by this." The matter had grown too serious, and Xiao Zhan could not make the decision for Xiao Yan, so he could only toss the ball back to him.

Xiao Yan wore a bitter smile, his gaze toward Xiao Xian full of resentment.

"Hey, Little Yanzi, why do you all look like someone's died? Did your father die or something?" Xiao Xian seemed utterly unaware of the trouble he had caused and spoke bluntly.

Everyone present twitched at the corners of their mouths, thoroughly speechless at this living treasure.

Xiao Zhan in particular. If his self-restraint hadn't been strong enough, he might already have drawn a blade and fought Xiao Xian to the death.

Was that any way to speak? This old man was alive and well, yet Xiao Xian was already so eager to curse him dead.

"Uncle Xiao Xian, what you just ate was the Fourth Grade Qi Gathering Powder. It was the Yunlan Sect's gift of compensation for annulling my engagement. It's worth a fortune. I originally intended to refuse it, but now that you've eaten the pill, even if I want to refuse it, I can't." By this point, Xiao Yan wanted to cry. This damn trap of an uncle had really screwed him over.

"Qi Gathering Powder? A Fourth Grade pill? You actually care about that kind of trash? Little Yanzi, can't you have a little ambition? And you people—how could the Yunlan Sect have the nerve to offer a mere Fourth Grade pill? Are they bullying my nephew because he hasn't seen the world? At least give him eight or ten Ninth Grade Pills." Xiao Xian spoke to the crowd with a face full of contempt.

Ninth Grade Pills, and eight or ten of them? What did he think Ninth Grade Pills were, cabbages? He actually dared to ask for such an outrageous sum. Wasn't he afraid of choking to death on his greed?

What were Ninth Grade Pills? They were pills only Ninth Grade alchemists could refine. Every single one possessed miraculous power, capable of bringing the dead back to life and regenerating flesh from bare bones. Even the Yunlan Sect could only dream of such pills, yet Xiao Xian wanted them as compensation for annulling the engagement. Had the man lost his mind?

"Uncle Xiao Xian, please stop making things worse. My head is about to explode." Xiao Yan was utterly defeated by Xiao Xian's ignorance and spoke weakly.

"That's right, Uncle Xiao Xian. Although Fourth Grade pills are only mid-grade pills, in Wutan City they are still priceless and impossible to buy. Every appearance causes people to fight desperately over them." Afraid that Xiao Xian did not understand the value of a Fourth Grade pill, Xiao Xun'er hurriedly spoke up in support.

"That impressive? Then didn't I cause trouble?" Xiao Xian finally cried out in belated realization.

You only figured that out now?

Everyone frantically complained inwardly, rolling their eyes at this thick-nerved living treasure.

"Here. I picked this up on the road when I came down the mountain. I don't know which bastard had such poor civic manners, tossing trash around everywhere. Don't they know that ruins the environment? Your uncle here is a caring man. What if this trash crushed some flowers or grass to death? How sad would the little grass be? Your uncle absolutely couldn't tolerate that, so I could only reluctantly bring it back. After all, your uncle has always been a kind person." Xiao Xian pulled a small porcelain bottle from his robes, casually tossed it to Xiao Yan, then dramatically flicked his hair.

Picked it up again? Since when had he become a junk collector? He brought back every kind of random rubbish.

Xiao Yan casually caught the small porcelain bottle, complaining wildly to himself.

"Eh? This is..."

Xiao Yan had not cared at first. Something someone casually threw away could not possibly be anything good. Anyone else would not even have been interested in bending down to pick it up. Only a living treasure like Xiao Xian would bring such a thing back and even give it to him as a gift.

But after examining it closely, Xiao Yan realized that he might have misjudged it. This bottle looked very much like one used to store pills. The wooden stopper at its mouth was actually a seal that could lock the medicinal potency inside and prevent it from dissipating.

To confirm his suspicions, Xiao Yan immediately pulled out the wooden stopper. A beam of light shot skyward, blasting a huge hole through the roof before piercing into the clouds.

Not only that, a rich medicinal fragrance burst from the bottle and swiftly swept through the hall. Everyone who smelled it felt their cultivation stir restlessly, and some even broke through on the spot.

"Fuck, what the hell is this?" Xiao Yan was so shocked that he stood there dumbfounded, scarcely believing his eyes.

He hastily shoved the stopper back into the bottle, and only then did the soaring beam of light disappear.

But it was already too late. When that beam shot into the sky, it was so dazzling that everyone in Wutan City saw it. There was no way to hide it.

The light was simply too intense. Even an idiot would know that a treasure had emerged. Seeing that the treasure was located in the Xiao Clan, one of Wutan City's three great families, some people immediately began to entertain thoughts of it.

The ordinary residents of Wutan City could only look on in envy, but the other two families on equal footing with the Xiao Clan—the Ao Ba Family and the Gale Family—were tempted. Experts from both families fixed their eyes on Xiao Mansion, calculation flashing through their eyes.

"Go. Invite Jia Liebi, the head of the Gale Family, to the estate. Tell him that my Ao Ba Family has a matter to discuss, one concerning the survival of both families. Ask Clan Leader Jia Liebi to make sure he attends." Ao Bapa, the head of the Ao Ba Family, rolled prayer beads through his fingers as he calmly gave the order to the empty space behind him.

"Yes!"

A cold voice came from the air.