Caidie's Cleverness (Requesting Data)

The cave was dimly lit, relying only on several Moonlight Stones embedded in the walls to cast a soft glow.

The moment Queen Medusa and the Great Elder stepped into the entrance, they felt an invisible gaze settle upon them, as though it came from all directions, piercing through their skin and reaching straight into the depths of their souls. Both halted at once and exchanged a glance—

It was that senior!

What terrifying spiritual pressure!

Merely a single gaze had sent a chill through two figures who could be considered peak experts of the Northwest Continent.

Queen Medusa's violet eyes narrowed slightly, while the Great Elder unconsciously tightened her grip on the Snake-Head Staff. After a brief exchange of looks, the two suppressed the unease in their hearts and followed Caidie more cautiously into the depths of the cave.

After rounding a bend, their view suddenly opened up, revealing a spacious stone chamber.

And when their gazes fell upon the white-clad figure sitting cross-legged on a cushion in the center of the chamber, even Queen Medusa, with all her composure, could not help but contract her pupils and draw in a sharp breath alongside the Great Elder.

He was too young!

The man before them had strikingly handsome features and looked barely over twenty. His bearing was ethereal, like an immortal cast down from the heavens. If not for the indescribable age and authority contained within his deep, starry eyes, as well as the faint yet heart-palpitating aura surrounding him, they would never have connected such a youthful appearance with an unfathomable expert.

Especially when they recalled the Third Elder's report that he was an "Eighth-tier Alchemist," their hearts shook violently. An Eighth-tier Alchemist!

On the Northwest Continent, a Seventh-tier Alchemist was already a legendary existence, enough to drive every faction into a frenzy to recruit one.

And an Eighth-tier Alchemist... if word got out, the top powers of the entire continent would likely come rushing over, willing to pay any price for an audience!

They had known that this senior possessed profound cultivation, but they had never expected him to look so young.

For a moment, both of them could not help cursing the three elders inwardly. Such crucial information, yet they had been so vague and had failed to clearly describe the senior's appearance and age. Truly... incompetent!

Yet though their thoughts raced, neither dared show the slightest negligence.

Queen Medusa and the Great Elder swiftly composed themselves, stepped forward, and bowed deeply with utmost respect, their voices filled with reverence:

"Medusa of the Snake-People Tribe, along with this old woman, pays respects to Senior Su."

Su Baichen's calm gaze fell upon the two of them, lingering slightly on the Great Elder in particular. The latter instantly felt as though a mountain had come crashing down upon her, cold sweat nearly soaking her back.

A faint, ambiguous smile curled at the corner of his lips. His voice was clear, yet carried an unquestionable authority:

"Heh, so you are all family of my little maid."

He deliberately emphasized the words "little maid." His gaze swept over Queen Medusa before finally settling on the Great Elder. "Come to think of it, my little maid was truly 'well looked after' while she was in your tribe."

As he spoke, the pressure around him continued to mount. The pressure on Medusa did not increase much, but the unfortunate Great Elder beside her was in for it—her face was nearly pressed to the ground beneath the crushing force.

"Please quell your anger, Senior!" Queen Medusa reacted swiftly and immediately took up the conversation, her tone resolute. "There were indeed some outdated rules within the tribe before, and they nearly caused a grave mistake."

"Now that I am Queen, Dingdang will keep a close watch on her. Once we return, I will certainly abolish the relevant tribal rules completely, strictly restrain the tribespeople, and never allow such things to happen again!"

Her words were crisp and decisive, without the slightest hesitation. Beside her, under Su Baichen's almost tangible pressure, the Great Elder did not even dare raise her head. Any objections she might have harbored had long since been drowned in fear.

She could clearly sense that if she dared reveal even the slightest dissatisfaction, she would likely be reduced to dust in the next moment, body and soul alike.

Rules were dead, while people were alive. Before absolute strength, any outdated customs were not worth mentioning. Preserving their lives and their tribe was the most urgent matter.

"Her Majesty is absolutely right! Our tribe has long intended to reform these bad customs. Please see the truth of this, Senior!" the Great Elder hurriedly echoed, her voice carrying a barely noticeable tremor.

Seeing this, the chill on Su Baichen's face eased slightly. He nodded faintly, acknowledging their attitude.

Queen Medusa felt somewhat reassured and immediately struck while the iron was hot. She took an ancient-looking Storage Ring from her robes, offered it with both hands, and respectfully placed it on the ground. "Senior, our tribespeople previously offended Caidie on many occasions. This is a small token from our tribe. It contains some local specialties and treasured items as an apology. I hope you will kindly accept it."

Su Baichen casually swept his gaze over the Storage Ring. With a slight probe of his Soul Power, he immediately knew its contents—rare medicinal herbs, high-grade monster cores, and several Snake-People Tribe-exclusive combat technique scrolls. They were all extremely valuable, clearly gathered at considerable expense.

Yet these resources, which ordinary people would regard as treasures, failed to spark even the slightest interest in him. There were no gold coins inside, and the System Shop required gold coins to make purchases.

He could not even be bothered to bend down and pick it up. With a thread of Soul Power, he wrapped the Storage Ring and lightly delivered it into the hands of Caidie, who was watching her sister and the elder with a worried expression.

"Hold onto it for me. I have too many things on me and nowhere to put it," Su Baichen said flatly, as though it were a trivial matter.

Caidie caught the Storage Ring instinctively and froze in place. She blinked her beautiful eyes, looked at the ring in her hand, then at her young master, her little face full of bewilderment.

Her young master's excuse... was far too casual, wasn't it? It was only a Storage Ring. How could there be no room for it? She opened her mouth, but ultimately did not dare complain, merely answering obediently, "Oh... all right, Young Master."

Su Baichen took in Caidie's reaction but paid little attention to her slight surprise.

In truth, he was rather satisfied with Caidie's earlier performance. When he released his pressure against Medusa and the Great Elder, Caidie had looked reluctant and nervously clenched the hem of her clothes, yet she had never spoken up to stop him or plead for them.

What did that show?

It showed that the little girl understood propriety and knew that he was standing up for her, settling the injustices she had suffered in the tribe.

If she had allowed a momentary soft heart to make her step forward and stop him without distinguishing right from wrong, that would not have been kindness. It would have been the nearly foolish behavior of a "saintly mother."

Su Baichen could tolerate kind-hearted people who knew gratitude by his side, but he could never tolerate someone incapable of distinguishing right from wrong, someone who might ruin things at a critical moment through indiscriminate compassion.

After all, this was a world where the strong preyed upon the weak, and danger lurked everywhere. A saintly companion was often more lethal than a powerful enemy.

Caidie's restraint at this moment proved that she was not someone who failed to understand reason. This raised his opinion of her by another degree.