Young Matron, Cultivator, Bestowing a Treasure

The old man knocked Xu Yang back and was just about to press his advantage when the little girl standing to the side shouted, "Grandpa Liu, why are you hitting people? You even hurt the big brother! Stop it right now, or I'm going to be angry."

Hearing the girl's protest, the old man immediately halted his steps, turned around, and scooped her up into his arms. With a kindly smile, he said, "Whatever Yao Yao says, goes. Grandpa Liu was just worried about you! I thought you had been kidnapped by bad guys!"

Yao Yao pouted and said, "Who would dare kidnap me? I'm a little witch! Don't try to change the subject, Grandpa Liu. You hurt the big brother, so what are you going to do about it?"

Xu Yang, who had just been circulating his energy to forcefully suppress his injuries, witnessed this scene and his face immediately fell. It turned out the old man and the little girl knew each other; this beating had been for nothing. He was truly unlucky—how was it that he kept running into experts lately? He hadn't been in the martial arts world for long, yet he was getting injured repeatedly.

The old man surnamed Liu was backed into a corner by Yao Yao and had no choice but to surrender and promise to treat Xu Yang's injuries. He said to Xu Yang, "Young man, I truly apologize. This old man was worried about the girl and acted too rashly. I must also thank you for bringing Yao Yao back to the estate. As for your injuries, I will see to it that they are healed."

Xu Yang hurriedly bowed to the old man and said, "I do not know your name, Senior, but I offer my respects. It is only human nature for you to be worried about this young lady; I understand. If it were me, I would have done the same. Please do not take it to heart, Senior."

"Haha, you're a good lad. However, you were injured by me after all, so it is only right that I help you heal. As for my name, it is not worth mentioning—just call me Old Liu!" Old Liu said, nodding with a pleased expression upon hearing Xu Yang's reply.

"In that case, this junior will not refuse your kindness." Hearing Old Liu say this, Xu Yang quickly bowed in response.

Afterward, Xu Yang followed Old Liu into the estate. Once inside, Xu Yang discovered that the place was even more luxurious than the Mountain City branch of the Shunfeng Escort Agency. With its carved beams and painted pillars, red bricks and green tiles, pavilions and terraces, and jagged, strange rocks, it could be described as exquisite to the extreme. For a moment, Xu Yang was dazzled, feeling like a country bumpkin entering a grand garden.

His rustic appearance made Yao Yao giggle, which left Xu Yang feeling very awkward. A moment later, Xu Yang followed Old Liu to a reception hall. Old Liu gestured for Xu Yang to wait a moment, then carried Yao Yao into the inner courtyard.

As Xu Yang sat on a chair in the hall, maids brought over pastries and fruits. He glanced at the maids and was immediately startled; he discovered that these maids all seemed to possess martial arts skills. Although most were only at a third-rate level, it was still quite astonishing.

Before he could even examine the furnishings in the hall, the sound of footsteps echoed from outside. He turned to look and saw Old Liu leading a beautiful woman of about thirty into the hall. He hurriedly stood up to greet her.

The woman saw Xu Yang and smiled, saying, "Young Master, there is no need for such formalities. I must thank you for bringing my daughter home. Please, sit." Seeing this, Xu Yang bowed to the woman before sitting to the side.

The woman sat in the main seat of the hall, while Old Liu stood respectfully to the side. Xu Yang was shocked by this; he hadn't expected that someone with Old Liu's martial arts prowess would be a servant. It seemed the owner of this place was truly extraordinary.

Since entering the hall, the woman had been secretly observing Xu Yang. Seeing that he was respectful and did not let a single emotion show on his face, she was very impressed. To have such self-control at such a young age was truly rare.

The woman smiled at Xu Yang and said, "My daughter accidentally became separated from her father today. If it weren't for your righteous intervention, the consequences would have been unthinkable. I must thank you for your help. Please accept this small token of my gratitude."

As she spoke, she gave a slight signal to Old Liu. Old Liu immediately stepped forward, picked up a box that had suddenly appeared by the woman's side, and turned to place it in front of Xu Yang. Xu Yang clearly saw a flash of envy in Old Liu's eyes.

However, he had no time to dwell on Old Liu's feelings; his own heart was in turmoil. If he hadn't seen it wrong, that box had appeared out of thin air by the woman's side. Clearly, the woman possessed a spatial storage item—something only cultivators could use.

He never expected to encounter a cultivator; it was too sudden, and for a moment, Xu Yang was stunned. Fortunately, his temperament was solid, and he immediately reacted, suppressing his turbulent thoughts as he turned to look at the brocade box in front of him. Seeing this, a look of appreciation flashed across the woman's face.

Xu Yang raised his hand to open the lid and saw a jade porcelain bottle and a piece of yellow paper inside. Xu Yang turned to look at the woman, his face full of confusion as to what these items were.

Seeing Xu Yang's expression, the woman chuckled and said, "I know you are a martial artist and must value martial power highly, so the jade bottle contains a spirit pill to increase your internal energy. The yellow paper is a talisman called a Lesser Return-to-Origin Talisman. It can heal injuries; as long as the wounds, whether internal or external, are not fatal, they can be recovered from rapidly."

Xu Yang was overjoyed. He hadn't expected this talisman to have such an effect; used correctly, it could save his life. The spirit pill was also excellent. He was currently caught in the middle of a conflict and desperately needed to increase his power—this was truly like being handed a pillow just as he was getting sleepy!

Without further hesitation, Xu Yang stood up, bowed to the woman, and expressed his gratitude.

Seeing this, the woman was also very satisfied; her daughter should be happy now. Thinking of this, a smile touched the corners of her lips. Regaining her composure, she signaled to Old Liu, who was standing to the side.

Old Liu understood and nodded. He walked up to Xu Yang and said, "Alright, lad, you should go now. This is not a place for you to linger." Hearing Old Liu's words, Xu Yang hurriedly took the box and stood up to bow to the woman.

Then, a look of hesitation appeared on his face. He looked at the woman and opened his mouth, wanting to ask something. The woman naturally understood what Xu Yang meant and said with a smile, "Yao Yao is just tired and is sleeping; she is fine now. You can rest assured."

Xu Yang nodded at the woman and, without further hesitation, left the reception hall with Old Liu.

Watching Xu Yang leave, the woman stood up and headed toward the inner courtyard. A moment later, she entered a beautifully decorated room where a man of about thirty was waiting. Seeing the woman, he hurriedly bowed and said, "Madam, the Master sent me to inform you that he has encountered a powerful enemy and cannot get away. The young master was separated from him, and he wants you to leave immediately to search for her."

The woman waved her hand and said worriedly, "Yao Yao has already been brought back, so you don't need to worry. But is the Master in danger? What is the current situation?"

"The Master is naturally fine. When I left, he had already pushed the enemy onto the defensive. I expect he will return in a few days," the man replied.

The woman's expression relaxed, and she smiled, "That is good. However, our whereabouts have been exposed. Ling Feng, go and prepare with Liu Ji. As soon as the Master returns, we will leave this place immediately." Ling Feng bowed in acknowledgment and turned to leave.

The woman turned and walked toward the inner chamber. On a large bed inside, Yao Yao was sleeping soundly. The woman looked at her with tenderness, then thought of their own situation and sighed softly, a trace of worry appearing on her face.

On the other side, Xu Yang walked out of the estate under Old Liu's guidance. At the main gate, Old Liu stopped him and said, "Lad Xu, do not reveal what happened today to anyone, or it will bring a fatal disaster upon you. Also, since I promised Yao Yao I would treat your injuries, here is a Nine-Flower Jade Dew Pill for your recovery." As he spoke, Old Liu tossed a porcelain bottle to Xu Yang.

Xu Yang caught it and bowed to Old Liu, and the two parted ways. Xu Yang walked quickly toward the west side of the city, his heart burning with excitement. He never expected such a huge harvest from this outing; he couldn't wait to study the treasures he had obtained.

A moment later, Xu Yang returned to his residence. After locking the door, he sat on the bed and took out all the items. After examining them one by one, they were exactly as the woman had described.

However, using the Lesser Return-to-Origin Talisman consumed a great deal of true energy. Fortunately, Xu Yang had anticipated this, as activating a talisman required innate true energy, which those in the acquired realm could not use. This talisman must have been specially crafted, which was why he was able to activate it.

The Nine-Flower Jade Dew Pill that Old Liu gave him was also a good item—a famous healing medicine in the martial arts world. Xu Yang packed his things away and looked at the time; there wasn't much left before the operation began. He immediately took a Nine-Flower Jade Dew Pill, sat cross-legged, and began to circulate his energy to heal, hoping to recover before the operation started to increase his chances of survival.

Time passed quickly. Two figures appeared in the corridor outside—it was the brothers Zhao Long and Zhao Hu. They arrived at Xu Yang's door and knocked gently, saying, "Brother Xu, are you there? It's almost time. Master asked us to notify you to gather at the estate gate."

"Alright! I understand! Thank you both for the notification. I will pack up and be there shortly," Xu Yang, who was sitting cross-legged, opened his eyes and replied.

Hearing the reply, the Zhao brothers acknowledged it and turned to leave. Xu Yang leaped off the bed and felt incredibly comfortable; streams of heat were flowing through his body. His previous injuries had completely healed, and his true energy had even increased.

Furthermore, the bottleneck that had been troubling him had loosened. If given some time, he was confident he could break through to the peak realm. The Nine-Flower Jade Dew Pill was truly worthy of being called a miraculous healing medicine, Xu Yang exclaimed with a joyful expression.