A Huge Sum

Qin Xuehua heard that Zhang Yu wanted Jiang Luohan to return the gifts, and her face was full of contempt and disdain. "You wretched creature, even at this point, you're still thinking about money and valuables."

Zhang Wanning immediately chimed in, her voice sharp and caustic:

"That's right, Eldest Brother, you're utterly vulgar.

All that reading of the sages' books was wasted on you—your heart only cares about money.

Sister Luohan being with you was the worst luck of eight lifetimes.

If you're breaking off the engagement, fine, but you have the nerve to ask for the gifts back?

How can you even say it out loud!"

Jiang Luohan, at this moment, also seized on it as a way to salvage her dignity, her tone carrying a condescending disdain as if bestowing a favor: "Just some gifts, I'll return them to you, so you don't think I, Jiang Luohan, covet anything of yours."

Inwardly, she did feel relieved.

Her Jiang family was also a family of officials; her father was the Minister of Rites, with many former students and old connections, so naturally they weren't short of money.

As long as she could immediately shake off Zhang Yu and sever ties, she was willing to pay this price.

"Fine."

Zhang Yu nodded, no longer looking at Jiang Luohan, but turned to the small table nearby where brush and ink were already prepared, picked up the brush, and began to write.

"Three years ago, twelve 'Mermaid's Tear' pearls from the South Sea. These are no ordinary mermaid pearls, but ones gestated by a thousand-year clam essence in the deep sea. They emit radiance at night and have the effect of calming the mind and aiding cultivation. Valued at thirty thousand taels."

Jiang Luohan's eyelid twitched. She did like these pearls; placed in her room at night, they were like a bright moon, but... thirty thousand taels?

"Two years ago, the authentic 'River Sail Pavilion Painting' by the former dynasty's Painting Sage, Li Sixun. This is a masterpiece from his late years, containing a trace of Mountain-Water Dao Rhyme, beneficial for Painting Dao Cultivators and even martial artists in comprehending heaven and earth. Valued at twenty-five thousand taels."

Qin Xuehua's brows were tightly furrowed. Li Sixun's painting was indeed precious.

"Last year, the 'Autumn Water Sword,' forged with Celestial Mystic Iron as the main material, mixed with three taels of 'Star Sand' and two qian of 'Millennium Cold Iron Essence.' It was painstakingly crafted over eighty-one days by the seventh-generation direct descendant of the reclusive sword-forging grandmaster Ou Yezi. This sword has already developed a nascent spirit, is unmatched in sharpness, and can amplify the power of water and ice attribute techniques. Materials, labor, and favors—valued at fifty thousand taels."

Zhang Heng sucked in a sharp breath. Fifty thousand taels for a single sword?

This was practically robbery!

"Additionally, a three-foot-tall 'Blood Jade Coral' produced from the Eye of the Eastern Sea. This coral grows only one inch per century, contains pure blood energy, and can be used for medicine or ornamentation. Valued at eight thousand taels."

"A pair of 'Moonlight Luminous Cups,' relics of the Ancient Loulan Kingdom from the Western Regions. Carved from moonstone, they emit a clear glow at night, and the wine held in them becomes crisp and refreshing. Valued at five thousand taels."

As Zhang Yu listed item after item, Jiang Luohan's expression shifted from arrogance to a gradual pallor. Qin Xuehua and the others' brows furrowed tighter and tighter, and the murmurs around them grew louder and louder.

This was no longer "some gifts"—it was a massive fortune that could bankrupt an ordinary wealthy household!

Yet, this was only the beginning.

Zhang Yu dipped his brush in ink and continued writing, his tone still flat:

"Furthermore, the following Pills were gifted to Miss Jiang to aid her cultivation:"

"Three bottles of 'Top-grade Heart-Cleansing Jade Dew Pill,' three pills per bottle. These pills use thousand-year snow lotus hearts and heart-calming grass as the main ingredients, with the miraculous effect of eliminating inner demons and stabilizing one's realm. Market price: one thousand five hundred taels per pill, totaling thirteen thousand five hundred taels."

"Five bottles of 'Top-grade Foundation-Consolidating Pill,' five pills per bottle. These pills use rare herbs like three-hundred-year-old wild ginseng and foundation-firming fruit, with divine effects for solidifying foundations and repairing hidden injuries, especially useful for stabilizing one's realm after a breakthrough. Market price: two thousand taels per pill, totaling fifty thousand taels."

"Ten boxes of 'Nourishing Paste' brewed from Millennium Snow Ginseng. This paste not only nourishes beauty but also warms the meridians and compensates for cultivation losses. Each box is worth eight hundred taels, totaling eight thousand taels."

The value of these Pills had already far surpassed those jewelry and artifacts!

Zhang Yu paused, glanced at Jiang Luohan, and calmly uttered the final item—the true hammer blow:

"One 'Bodhi Pill.'"

The moment those three words left his mouth, the entire prison area fell into a silence so profound you could hear a pin drop.

The Heir of Prince Jing shot up from his soft couch, his wine gourd clattering to the ground. He stared at Zhang Yu, his face filled with an incredulous shock, as if seeing this person for the first time.

A Bodhi Pill?

That was a legendary sacred item, its effects nearly heaven-defying. Not only could it wash the marrow, reshape the foundation, and greatly enhance one's talent, but it could also increase the success rate of breaking through a major realm by at least thirty percent.

Its value could not be measured by ordinary gold or silver.

One could say that Jiang Luohan's current cultivation was entirely due to the effects of that Bodhi Pill.

As if oblivious to everyone's shock, Zhang Yu continued in a calm tone: "One Bodhi Pill, valued at... five hundred thousand taels."

"F-five hundred thousand taels?"

Zhang Heng let out a shriek, his voice cracking, his eyes nearly bulging out of their sockets.

Jiang Luohan stood frozen on the spot, her mind blank, her entire body icy cold, as if plunged into a frozen abyss.

Five hundred thousand taels... just for one pill?

How was that possible?

When she had taken it back then, she only felt the pure and vast medicinal power, helping her break through a bottleneck and surge in cultivation. She had assumed it was merely a top-grade Spirit Pill, never daring to imagine it was the legendary Bodhi Pill!

Zhang Yu... how could he have something like that?

And he... gave it to her?

The Heir of Prince Jing muttered to himself, his voice filled with shock and disbelief: "Five hundred thousand taels... a Bodhi Pill... this kid... he could bear to give away something like that?"