Ancient Jade Acquired

"Uncle, is there something you and the elders want to discuss?"

Lin Qing naturally saw that the four of them had something they wanted to say.

"Uh! We just wanted to ask—how did your strength suddenly increase so much, Qing'er? Could it leave behind any hidden dangers?" Xiao Zhan asked after pondering for a moment.

The other three elders also looked at Lin Qing with curiosity written all over their faces.

"No! Actually, when I was four, I met a senior. She was a very high-ranking Alchemist. She saw that I had good talent and character, so she took me as her disciple. She was afraid that I would stand out too much, and also feared that praise from others would make me arrogant and complacent, so she forbade me from revealing my strength. In truth, I was already a Fighter when I was seven. I am now a five-star Dou Spirit. If not for the fact that I need to travel with my master for several years, I would not have revealed my strength."

Lin Qing explained slowly.

Silence. A long silence! Xiao Zhan and the other three had just been guessing whether he had taken some medicine that exhausted his lifespan and talent. They had never expected him to have encountered such an opportunity.

Lin Qing decided to add fuel to the fire and prepare the way for obtaining the Ancient Emperor Jade:

"Also, I can now refine Fifth-Grade Pills. I can barely be considered a Fifth-Grade Alchemist!"

"Gasp!" Xiao Zhan and the three elders sucked in a cold breath. A Fighter at seven, a Dou Spirit powerhouse before the age of twelve, and a Fifth-Grade Alchemist—how terrifying!

Xiao Zhan could not help feeling somewhat envious as he looked at Lin Qing. Thinking of his own three sons, they were all people, yet people truly could not be compared. No! Compared to himself, the difference was even greater than that between a person and a dog.

Still, fortunately, he was his own nephew whom he had raised, and he carried part of the Xiao Clan's blood. He would be able to help the Xiao Clan in the future!

The other three elders' eyes were also filled with envy. Unless their ancestral graves had caught fire, it was simply impossible to encounter such an opportunity. They truly envied Xiao Zhan! But it was also a good thing for the Xiao Clan!

"Qing'er, what are your plans after you finish traveling?"

Xiao Zhan asked with a smile.

"I'll travel for a little over three years! By then, I'll return to the Xiao Clan once, then head to the Central Plains with my master. After another decade or so, I'll probably settle down and start a family? As for the rest, I haven't thought it through yet."

Lin Qing answered casually.

Sure enough! Although he was Xiao Zhan's nephew, and there was both personal affection and the Xiao Clan's kindness in raising him, favors and kindness would eventually be used up. Sooner or later, he would settle down and start a family of his own.

The three elders sighed softly.

"Actually, I have a request as well!"

Lin Qing's expression turned slightly serious!

"I want the Xiao Clan chief's token jade! I know the clan's inherited Jade Pendant concerns the entire family. In exchange, I will offer thirty-one Mystic Tier Cultivation Techniques and Dou Techniques, as well as some Medicinal Pills that can increase cultivation, and twenty million gold coins! In addition, three and a half years from now, I will bring the Xiao Clan to settle in the Imperial Capital."

Lin Qing spoke with a serious expression.

After saying that, he took out a Storage Ring. Inside were the Cultivation Techniques and Dou Techniques he had promised, a gold card holding twenty million, and some Medicinal Pills useful to the Xiao Clan, including three Life-Eroding Pills, three Fifth-Grade longevity pills that could extend one's lifespan by three years, and an Azure Nether Longevity Pill that could extend one's lifespan by ten years.

"Fine!"

Xiao Zhan and the elders agreed decisively. Although they knew the jade had an extraordinary origin, their clan had only developed a tiny fraction of its functions. As he spoke, the Great Elder took a box from his Storage Ring and pushed it toward Lin Qing.

"This box isn't an ordinary item either?"

Lin Qing opened the box and discovered that it could actually block spiritual perception.

He glanced at the Emperor Jade before storing it in the System Space.

"This box was passed down by our ancestors. It was originally meant to hold this Jade Pendant!" the Great Elder explained.

"We have only developed a few functions of this token jade. Since you want it, we'll give it to you."

Sure enough, in any world, strength and potential are what give one a voice. Add enough benefits, and nothing is impossible!

Lin Qing sighed inwardly. He had originally prepared several reasons, but once he stated his request and his terms, the matter was settled!

He wondered what the Soul Hall and Ancient Clan had been thinking. For the current Xiao Clan, just a little something from between their fingers would have been enough to take away the Ancient Jade. Yet one had chosen espionage, while the other had chosen extermination and kidnapping.

"Then I'll be leaving, Uncle. Three and a half years from now, I'll return to the Xiao Clan and fulfill my promise. I labeled all the Medicinal Pills inside and left instructions. Do not use the Life-Eroding Pills unless absolutely necessary. Although I left behind pills to extend lifespan, relying on external forces ultimately exhausts one's potential and lifespan."

With that, Lin Qing left Xiao Zhan's home.

To him, this was merely a transaction. As for kindness and affection, he had already made plans. Once he established himself in the Central Plains, he could bring some members of the Xiao Clan over to train.

Looking at the Storage Ring in Xiao Zhan's hand, then at Lin Qing's departing back—

His status was already more honorable than theirs, and it would only become even more prestigious in the future. He could not possibly serve as the Xiao Clan's summoned thug, coming when called and leaving when dismissed. He was Lin Qing, not Xiao Qing. They had to bind him more securely to the Xiao Clan. With that thought, the Great Elder came up with a plan:

"Weren't Lin Qing, Yu'er, and Xiao Mei quite close when they were young? We can have Yu'er and Xiao Mei become his concubines. With the Xiao Clan's kindness toward him, I believe Lin Qing will accept! It would be best if they could bear him children in the future. That way, the relationship between the Xiao Clan and him will become even more secure!"

"No! I understand Qing'er. He is someone with his own mind. If we use the Xiao Clan's kindness in raising him to make him take Xiao Yu and Xiao Mei, he will agree, but he will feel uncomfortable about it! Besides, he and Miss Xun'er of that clan are childhood sweethearts. And Yu'er is your granddaughter, Great Elder. Don't entertain such crooked ideas!"

Xiao Zhan shook his head and hurriedly refused.

"Xiao Zhan! Like you, I only want what is best for the Xiao Clan. I am Yu'er's grandfather—who would want his own granddaughter to become another man's concubine? But I am also the Xiao Clan's Great Elder. He is a Dou Spirit powerhouse at twelve and a Fifth-Grade Alchemist! Others would kill for such an opportunity! If we don't seize this chance, there won't be another! Besides, we watched this boy grow up. He has a good relationship with Miss Gu Xun'er as well, since they are childhood sweethearts. He will treat Yu'er and the others well in the future!"

The Great Elder's old face flushed red. He stared fixedly at Xiao Zhan and growled in a deep voice.

The other two elders tried to persuade both sides:

"How about we first speak with Xiao Yu and Xiao Mei and let the two of them approach him? It would be wonderful if it works out, and if it doesn't, Lin Qing won't be angered! Besides, don't we still have the resources Lin Qing left behind? Twenty million is equivalent to two hundred years of the Xiao Clan's net income! There are also the Cultivation Techniques and Medicinal Pills. With these, along with the promise he just made, we can return to the Imperial Capital in the future."

"Yes, yes! If it works out, even the resources that slip through Lin Qing's fingers will be enough to make the Xiao Clan much stronger. If it doesn't, that's fine too! After all, he is still the clan chief's own nephew!"

"Sigh!" Xiao Zhan let out a helpless sigh. Looking at the Storage Ring in his hand, then at the Medicinal Pills piled into a small mountain within it, as well as the neatly arranged Cultivation Techniques and gold cards, he could only agree.

"Fine, but only speak to them first. It would be best not to make things difficult for Qing'er!"