Tou She Ancient God Jade

Wu Tan City, Xiao Family.

Since Jia Lie Bi's death, all of his family's marketplaces had fallen into the hands of the Xiao Family and the Ao Ba Family. From then on, Wu Tan City had only two major families.

The Xiao Family had also prospered, though they were occasionally still threatened by the Ao Ba Family. However, Xiao Zhan, as the Xiao Family's patriarch, would always step in to deter them.

"Hehe, Xun Er, how long are you planning to stay now that you're back?"

The speaker was a middle-aged man dressed in luxurious gray robes. His confident strides carried a certain majesty, while his thick brows added a touch of boldness to his face.

This man was none other than the Xiao Family patriarch and Xiao Yan's biological father, Xiao Zhan!

Standing before him was a girl dressed in a purple gown. Her temperament was cool and serene, like a blue lotus blooming amid the mortal world.

Her slender waist was willow-leaf thin, seemingly small enough to be held in one hand. Her long black hair was casually bound with a pale-purple ribbon, falling smoothly along her graceful curves to her waist.

Two small green bells hung from her fair wrists, making her seem like a beauty from a painting.

"Uncle Xiao, why are you here?" Xiao Xun Er asked gently. "I had planned to come back and see whether Xiao Yan Gege had returned."

At the mention of Xiao Yan, Xiao Zhan helplessly shook his head. "Yan'er has been gone for a year without any news. I heard he went to the Monster Mountain Range... but I don't know how he is doing."

As he spoke, Xiao Zhan sighed. Of all his sons, Xiao Yan was the one he worried about most. At such a young age, he had already experienced tremendous highs and lows, and then Nalan Yanran had come to break off the engagement, leading to the Three Year Agreement.

Yan'er had shouldered far too much.

Yet as his father, he could not help him with anything...

Xiao Xun Er comforted him, "Uncle Xiao, don't worry. Xiao Yan Gege will be fine. I believe in him."

"I hope so."

Xiao Zhan responded with a strange expression. Just as he was about to say something else, he saw a clan disciple rush in hurriedly.

"Patriarch! This is bad! The people from the Misty Cloud Sect are here again!"

The moment those words came out, Xiao Zhan could not help drawing a sharp breath. Those people were relentless. The Three Year Agreement had only just been made, and now they had come knocking again. Did they really think the Xiao Family was an easy target?!

Xiao Xun Er's delicate brows also furrowed slightly as she instinctively asked, "Who came?"

"A man and a woman. The man is handsome, the woman is beautiful, and they claim that the woman is Yun Yun, the Misty Cloud Sect Leader."

Upon hearing the name "Yun Yun," Xiao Zhan's body trembled. He had not expected Yun Yun, the esteemed Misty Cloud Sect Leader and one of the Jia Ma Empire's ten greatest experts, to come to the Xiao Family.

Could they be planning to tear up the agreement unilaterally?

While Xiao Zhan was at a loss, Xiao Xun Er reassured him, "It's all right, Uncle Xiao. Let's go take a look. Xun Er is here."

Xiao Zhan nodded as well. Indeed, with this girl around, even Yun Yun, the Misty Cloud Sect Leader, would not dare underestimate them.

Inside the Xiao Family's main hall.

Yun Yun sat elegantly in her chair, while Jiang Cheng was still drinking tea and reading. He looked somewhat like a bookworm, but for Jiang Cheng, this was a way to improve his strength.

Before long, Xiao Zhan, Xiao Xun Er, and several Xiao Family elders hurried over. When they saw Yun Yun, the Misty Cloud Sect Leader, they cupped their hands in greeting. "Greetings, Sect Master Yun. May I ask why Sect Master Yun has come to the Xiao Family?"

Yun Yun's brows slightly moved. She rose to her feet and made a gesture with her left hand as she said gracefully, "This gentleman wishes to speak with your Xiao Family. I am merely accompanying him."

"Oh?" Xiao Zhan remained calm. As long as the Misty Cloud Sect was not here to cause trouble, everything else was minor.

"May I ask what this little brother needs?"

"I want something from the Xiao Family," Jiang Cheng replied softly.

"Something?"

Several elders exchanged glances, their eyes deep with thought. Their Xiao Family was merely a declining family. The only thing they had worth offering was a Xuan Tier Dou Technique, and it had been passed down through generations. Such a thing would likely not catch his eye.

Xiao Zhan was also somewhat confused and instinctively asked, "Little brother, what is this thing you speak of?"

"A jade pendant."

The moment he said that, Xiao Xun Er, who stood behind Xiao Zhan, visibly changed expression. She suddenly turned around and stared at Jiang Cheng, who sat in his chair without a care.

"A jade pendant..."

"May I ask..."

"A jade piece belonging to the Xiao Family, one that only the patriarch is qualified to possess."

Jiang Cheng gently set down the book in his hand and turned to look at Xiao Xun Er's nervous expression. Seeing this girl up close, she truly was beautiful. No wonder Xiao Yan cherished her so much.

Xiao Zhan swallowed and pretended not to understand. "Little brother, what do you mean by that? We do not have such a jade pendant. Could you be mistaken?"

Seeing that he refused to admit it, Jiang Cheng quickly walked over to Xiao Zhan and gently placed his right hand on his forehead.

At that moment, chaotic memories flooded into the system like a tide. Everything Xiao Zhan had experienced over the past several decades appeared continuously like scenes from a film.

Before absolute strength, concealment was useless. After a simple investigation, he had already found the location of the Tou She Ancient God Jade.

Thud, thud, thud...

Xiao Zhan staggered several steps backward, his eyes filled with panic. Just now, he had felt as though his soul had been controlled, leaving him completely unable to resist.

With a wave of Jiang Cheng's right hand, a special box embedded within the stone flew out swiftly. The box was exquisitely crafted, with dragon and phoenix totems carved around it, and a faint ancient aura emanated from within.

Xiao Zhan could no longer remain calm. He reached out and snatched the box containing the Tou She Ancient God Jade, clutching it tightly to his chest. "Senior, absolutely not!"

Since Jiang Cheng did not wish to create needless killing karma, he did not attack Xiao Zhan. Instead, he said gently, "Patriarch Xiao, keeping such a thing will ultimately bring disaster. If you continue to keep it with you, it will lead to the Xiao Family's destruction."

"How ridiculous." Xiao Xun Er walked forward and fired off three questions in succession. "How could the Xiao Family be destroyed? Who exactly are you? What is your relationship with those factions? How do you know about the Xiao Family's jade piece?"

"You are not qualified to know my identity. Perhaps if your father came, or if your clan elders came, they would be worthy of knowing. But you are not."

Jiang Cheng then took out two Dou Technique cultivation methods and steadily placed them on the table. "Patriarch Xiao, I, Jiang Cheng, do not like fighting and killing. I prefer doing business. I like the Xiao Family's jade piece. These are two Earth Tier Low Grade Fighting Skill cultivation methods, very suitable for your Xiao Family."

When the Xiao Family elders saw the two Earth Tier Low Grade Fighting Skills, their eyes went wide. They had not expected the young man before them to be so generous that he could casually produce Earth-Tier Dou Techniques. What extravagant generosity!

"Uncle Xiao, you must not. This jade piece holds extraordinary meaning; it cannot be compared to Dou Technique cultivation methods. If Uncle Xiao trusts me, you may leave it with me."

Xiao Zhan fell into a dilemma, not knowing how he could resolve this problem.