Crane Elder

Chen Xu never expected that a single guess would earn him a few hundred grams of refining liquid for free. She was a hidden wealthy woman and definitely worth keeping an eye on. He just loved dealing with rich people, after all.

"But I do have a demand: tomorrow night, I want to see at least a hundred grams of refining liquid to prove your sincerity."

"Got it." Miss Pupil squeezed the words out from between her teeth, gulped down the rest of her watermelon juice, and slammed the glass back onto the table so hard it drew sideways glances from the other diners.

"Tch, are those two young lovers fighting?"

"Oh, oh, oh, oh, another couple about to break up. As expected, being single is the absolute way to go!"

"Just sitting back and watching the simp."

Noticing Chen Xu's gaze sweeping over them, the diners instantly pretended they hadn't seen anything, pulled back their eyes, and perked up their ears.

"Waiter, another bowl of rice, please."

The smiling waiter didn't react at all.

"Waiter?"

"Sir, are you calling me?" The waiter's smile froze on his face. This script wasn't going right at all.

"Yes, a bowl of rice. Pile it high, please."

Seeing Chen Xu's leisurely posture, the male patrons couldn't help but feel a surge of deep respect. Composed, unwavering, and completely calm—truly a hero, a role model for their generation. A real man should be just like this!

Chen Xu had no idea what kind of image he was being imagined into within other people's minds. After eating and drinking his fill, he strolled gracefully out of the restaurant.

Thump, thump, thump, thump.

Yu Yanran imagined the ground beneath her feet was the face of that [Tiger King], stamping down heavily with every step and occasionally grinding her heel in.

Returning to the Jinning Hotel built right beside the venue, she took off her mask and sunglasses. She didn't want to expose her true identity in front of Lin Qi.

The short few days she had spent getting along with Lin Qi felt far happier than the dozen or so years she had lived inside that "cage".

"Miss Pupil, where did you go? Your injuries haven't healed yet, you shouldn't be running around." Finding Yu Yanran returning alone, Lin Qi hurried forward to meet her.

His gaze revealed deep concern as he scanned Yu Yanran up and down.

"I'm fine." Yu Yanran's tone was icy. She sidestepped him and walked straight into her own room.

"Brother, why are you being so nice to her? If it weren't for you, big brother, she wouldn't even know where she'd be lying right now. Is this any way to treat a benefactor?" Lin Xue complained on Lin Qi's behalf.

Gently rubbing Lin Xue's little head, Lin Qi squatted down so he was eye-level with her and said, "We save people not in the hope of repayment, but for the sake of the kindness in our hearts.

As a person, you must never hold a favor over someone's head and demand a return. Did you remember that, Xiaoxue?"

Lin Xue's eyelids twitched and her gaze drifted to the side. "Big brother only knows how to lecture."

Inside her room, Yu Yanran kicked off her shoes and collapsed onto the soft, large bed.

She rolled over, pulled a crystal-clear little vial out of a dusty little bundle on the floor, and held it high up.

When she was hunted all the way here, she had hidden it in a certain place to prevent those fellows from getting their hands on it, only going back to dig it out after leaving the restaurant.

This was a higher-grade refining liquid meant for martial artists at the [Martial Form] tier and above. Naturally, it had been diluted. Without dilution, anyone below the martial artist level would likely drop dead on the spot upon using it, too fast for any rescue.

Even the diluted version wasn't something just anyone could use. The reason she had been allocated a share was precisely because of her status as royalty.

Not only did this refining liquid contain far fewer impurities than ordinary refining liquid, but its effects were also countless times better.

The effect of a single gram of the diluted version rivaled a hundred grams of ordinary refining liquid.

Yu Yanran suddenly felt a trace of chill and instinctively glanced toward the windowsill.

A gentle breeze stirred the curtains. Crane Elder's half-gray, half-white long hair fluttered in the wind, and the skin on his face was so smooth and supple that he looked nothing like a middle-aged or elderly man past fifty.

With a flick of his ancient-style brocade robe—which looked completely out of place with modern clothing—he bowed slightly.

"Her Royal Highness the Princess."

"Crane Elder." Yu Yanran blurted out uncontrollably. He was one of her father's most trusted stewards, having shared a childhood companion relationship with her father.

"Your Highness, it is time to return. As the future Viscountess, you cannot afford to be so willful."

"I don't understand. The Great Abyss and the Federation have both ended up like this, so why do I still have to be sent off for a political marriage?" Tears welled up in Yu Yanran's eyes. Being treated as a tool by her own father and shipped away was something she simply couldn't accept.

"The decisions of His Majesty and the Heavenly Stem King are not matters for the likes of us to presumptuously discuss.

The men who hunted you down have all met their just desserts. Her Royal Highness, please do not make things difficult for this old servant."

Yu Yanran remained silent for a long time, casting a glance down at the small vial in her hand before speaking, "Can I use an item to trade so that another princess goes to the Federation in my place?"

"An item?" A flash of sharp light crossed Crane Elder's face. He had grown somewhat interested in Yu Yanran's words.

"If it is precious enough, this old servant can contact the Heavenly Stem King and let him make the final decision."

"The [Bloodline Armament] that the Federation is currently researching intently."

Upon hearing the words [Bloodline Armament], Crane Elder's pupils constricted.

As a martial artist, he understood the potential, the function, and the value to the Great Abyss of a [Bloodline Armament] far better than this princess did.

"Where is it?" Crane Elder's voice was slightly hoarse. If he could present a [Bloodline Armament] to the Heavenly Stem King, the reward might just give him a shot at reaching that tier.

The Great Abyss wanted to research [Bloodline Armament]s, but over the years, the total number they had managed to seize did not even reach double digits. First, because the users of [Bloodline Armament]s were still relatively few, and second, because the protection on these items was simply too thorough—they would detonate on the spot at the slightest provocation.

Crane Elder's emotional shift did not escape Yu Yanran's notice—or rather, Crane Elder had never intended to hide it.

"I wonder how Her Royal Highness managed to obtain this [Bloodline Armament]?"

Yu Yanran shook her head. "It's not in my hands yet. I only discovered it in the black market. Aside from knowing that it can amplify strength, I know nothing else about it."

"A reinforced-type [Bloodline Armament] that has drifted into the black market?" Crane Elder paced back and forth in the room.

Yu Yanran laid out the details of her meeting with Chen Xu today, merely omitting the part where she used Lin Qi as a threat, altering it instead to claim that Chen Xu had coerced her into submission through other means.

"To dare threaten a princess of the realm—he deserves a thousand deaths!" Crane Elder's expression was indifferent as he sealed Chen Xu's fate, as though he were slaughtering not a human being, but a mere pig or dog.

"Your Highness, please rest easy for the night. Tomorrow night, this old servant will avenge Your Highness for the threat. Under no circumstances is anyone ever permitted to speak such words to the royal family. They deserve to die without a burial site."

As his voice faded, Crane Elder flicked his body a few times and vanished from the window, as though he had never appeared at all.

Yu Yanran stared blankly in the direction where Crane Elder had left. She hadn't even had time to process it; she had originally just wanted Crane Elder to casually teach that fellow a lesson so that he wouldn't be able to harm Lin Qi, so how had it suddenly escalated into murder?

Because of just a few short sentences from her, a life was about to be extinguished forever.

Yet she didn't dare try to persuade Crane Elder. Deep down, she knew that in the eyes of her so-called father, her status definitely wasn't higher than Crane Elder's. Whatever Crane Elder did, whatever decision he made, her only option was to quietly accept it.

Looking on the bright side, trading a stranger who had threatened her so that she wouldn't have to go to the Federation—while ensuring Lin Qi would never face threats again—was actually quite a good deal.

At the very least, Yu Yanran knew that if she really went to the Federation, she would be walking to her death.

Between choosing to let herself die or letting someone else die, she had already made her choice long ago.

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