The Capable Shall Do It

Liu Li understood the look Li Xingluo gave him and grinned awkwardly.

Finding a treasure without even knowing what it was had been an unexpected turn of events; as the three of them wandered through the market, they turned a corner.

"Would the three of you please hold for a moment?"

The sudden voice caught the trio off guard. Looking toward the source, they saw an old man in blue robes with greying whiskers standing abruptly before them.

"Are you... calling us?"

Liu Li pointed at himself, and the old man nodded slightly, though his gaze passed over Liu Li to land squarely on Li Xingluo.

Li Xingluo's eyes darkened, and he grew wary; the old man, despite his seemingly kind face, gave off an ominous feeling.

"May I ask what this is about?"

The old man's sharp gaze fixed on the storage ring on Li Xingluo's finger, and Li Xingluo naturally followed his line of sight.

The old man walked slowly toward them, and Liu Li instinctively stepped behind Li Xingluo, feeling a chill from the old man's earlier glance.

Li Xingluo signaled for Xiao Yi Xian to remain still as the old man stopped just a step away.

"Would you be willing to part with that item? I am willing to pay three times the price."

The old man's request was baffling, and Liu Li simply shrugged in response to Xiao Yi Xian's confused look.

Li Xingluo's mind raced; he was certain he had never met this man before.

Therefore, the only thing the old man could be after was the copper fragment he had purchased earlier.

Seeing Li Xingluo remain silent, the old man assumed his offer wasn't enough to tempt him and proceeded to name an even higher price.

Xiao Yi Xian and Liu Li were even more bewildered, having no idea what item the old man was seeking.

"I'm sorry, but I won't sell that item."

He had only bought it because the black ring had guided him, and he still harbored doubts about whether a plain-looking copper fragment could be anything of value.

But given the old man's attitude, Li Xingluo sensed the fragment was no simple object, especially when he felt a flash of murderous intent from the man upon his refusal.

Though it lasted only a second, the intense chill he felt was very real.

"That item is an omen of misfortune; keeping it will only bring you a fatal disaster."

The old man dropped these words and turned to leave without further pestering them.

Xiao Yi Xian and Liu Li were even more confused, unable to make sense of the brief exchange, while Li Xingluo watched the old man's retreating back, a few beads of cold sweat trickling down his forehead.

Li Xingluo did not linger in the market; Xiao Yi Xian and Liu Li felt puzzled but did not ask questions, following him back to the Aus Auction House.

Upon returning to their quarters, Li Xingluo ducked into his room and finally let out a long sigh of relief. Xiao Yi Xian felt a surge of curiosity and wanted to ask what had happened, but her hand stopped before she could knock.

Recalling everything that had occurred at the market, Li Xingluo took out the copper fragment to examine it closely, but the patterns engraved upon it seemed to follow no discernible logic.

Thinking back to the strange old man and his warning, he knew the fragment must hold an unknown secret, though he couldn't fathom why he had been targeted by such a bizarre individual.

Was it because he had bought it first, or had the old man been watching from the start? Too many mysteries swirled in his mind.

Night fell without him noticing, and Li Xingluo stared blankly at the fragment in his hand, unable to unlock its secrets.

Suddenly, the room door was forced open by a surge of Dou Qi. Highly alert, Li Xingluo tucked the fragment away and turned, demanding, "Who is it?"

Within his line of sight, two long shadows stretched across the floor, cast by the courtyard lights.

An old man and a youth stepped into the room, and Li Xingluo subconsciously kept one hand behind his back, his gaze piercing as he stared at the intruders.

He recognized the youth as Yan Gui, the one who had competed for the copper fragment earlier, and based on Liu Li's description, the old man beside him was undoubtedly Yan Yun.

Seeing Li Xingluo looking as if he were facing a formidable enemy, Yan Gui felt immensely smug.

"Oh? I thought it was some great expert, but it's just a pretty boy."

Hearing Yan Gui's words, Li Xingluo realized he had been too deep in thought and removed his bamboo hat, revealing his true face.

Unlike the spoiled heir Liu Li, Li Xingluo felt not a shred of goodwill toward Yan Gui.

Yan Yun, relying on his status, strode into the room with a swagger, casting a glance at the young Li Xingluo.

"I heard from Gui'er that you snatched his item today?"

Li Xingluo felt no shock; he could easily imagine what kind of story Yan Gui had spun for Yan Yun.

Li Xingluo looked at the smug youth and the arrogant old man who was clearly throwing his weight around, neither of whom he held in any regard.

"You've got that wrong."

"Oh? Where is it wrong?"

"To be precise, your Gui'er..." Li Xingluo wanted to add a specific word, but as a civilized person, he held his tongue.

"He was the one trying to snatch my item, not the other way around."

Emboldened by Yan Yun's presence, Yan Gui lost his earlier timidity, his anger flaring as he recalled being humiliated in front of Li Xingluo and losing face in front of Liu Li.

"It was clearly you who used your cultivation to snatch it! In the market, the highest bidder wins."

"You're right about that part; I offered a higher price, so how could it be called snatching?"

Li Xingluo seized the loophole in Yan Gui's words and naturally took control of the conversation.

Yan Gui was momentarily speechless, the words he had prepared forgotten, leaving him looking slightly dull in his embarrassment.

Yan Yun cast a glance at Yan Gui, his eyes filled with speechlessness; how could he be so...

"Gui'er says you used your cultivation to suppress him, forcing him to give up the bid. How do you explain such conduct?"

Upon hearing this, Yan Gui was as invigorated as if he had been injected with adrenaline.

"Grandfather, he is exactly like that! Otherwise, how could your grandson have missed out on such a good item?"

Yan Gui's talent for embellishing the truth was certainly not low, and Li Xingluo found himself somewhat impressed by such a shameless person.

He also knew full well that Yan Yun would certainly listen to Yan Gui, and would never listen to the explanation of an outsider like him.

"Boy, don't think that just because that old thing Liu Yuntian values you, you can act lawlessly in Aus Auction House. Now, this old man will give you two paths."

"Uh, I am actually interested in hearing what these two paths are."

Yan Yun stood up, pacing with the air of a boss until he stood three steps away from Li Xingluo.

"First, return the item you snatched from Gui'er and kneel to apologize; then this matter will be considered settled."

Li Xingluo's mouth twitched slightly, though the expression vanished as quickly as it appeared, while Yan Gui was overjoyed, using his hand to mimic a kneeling gesture.

"And the second?" Li Xingluo was very curious to know what the second path was.

"This second path is not quite as pleasant."

"Pleasant or not, how am I to know how to choose if you don't say it?"

"The second path is..." Yan Yun waved his hand lightly, a flash of blue light streaked by, and the stool beside him shattered into pieces instantly.

Anyone with a discerning eye could clearly see that this second path was to suppress Li Xingluo by force.

Seeing that Li Xingluo did not respond and had no intention of moving, the corners of Yan Yun's mouth curled upward.

"Boy, have you decided?"

Two sharp rays of light erupted from Li Xingluo's eyes as he replied coldly, "I'm sorry, but I was born with stubborn bones; my knees simply cannot bend."

Yan Yun had not expected Li Xingluo to say such a thing; having just released his Dou Qi pressure upon him, he understood exactly what level of strength Li Xingluo possessed.