Silence!
A long silence!
Contempt welled up in Dugu Bo's eyes.
Silence itself already conveyed a certain meaning.
Beside them, tears kept spilling from Bai Chenxiang's eyes, which resembled two dark grapes.
The grandfather who had always doted on her was actually considering selling her.
"I... refuse!"
After a long while, Bai He finally uttered his refusal.
"Ah!"
Gu Ping'an shook his head with a sigh and put the booklet away, then turned toward Bai Chenxiang, who was still shedding little pearls of tears.
"Little girl, you saw it yourself.
It's not that your grandfather couldn't sell you. The benefits simply weren't great enough.
Although I could offer more bargaining chips, there's no need anymore.
You should have seen your grandfather's true colors by now!"
Bai He's heart lurched, and he turned toward Bai Chenxiang, whose eyes were red and streaming with tears.
"Chenxiang, Grandpa wasn't going to sell you."
"He didn't sell you this time, true, but he really did consider it, didn't he?" Gu Ping'an fanned the flames from the side.
"Next time, if the benefits are a little greater, won't you end up being sold?"
"Enough!" Bai He roared, his fury making his hair bristle.
"Everyone, you've already gotten what you wanted. Please leave at once!"
"Since we're not welcome, we'll take our leave." Gu Ping'an briefly cupped his hands and led Dugu Bo and the others away.
Watching Gu Ping'an ahead of them, Dugu Bo and She Long felt their scalps prickle.
What an evil man!
Thank goodness he's on our side!
What happened today would probably become a demonic shadow haunting that little girl for the rest of her life.
The family member she loved most and felt closest to had considered selling her.
No matter how Bai He tried to make amends afterward, that thorn would never disappear.
Unless he had firmly refused the instant Gu Ping'an took out the booklet and proposed the trade.
But Bai He had remained silent. Once he did that, everything that followed became an unsolvable predicament for him.
"Little brother Ping'an, why didn't you offer a little more?" Dugu Yan circled around to Gu Ping'an's side.
"I felt like that old man was already on the verge of agreeing. If you'd offered just about anything else, little brother Ping'an, he probably would've accepted."
"Right! I thought he was about to agree too," Xiao Wu chimed in.
Dugu Bo cast them a sidelong glance and shook his head almost imperceptibly.
The two young girls hadn't seen Gu Ping'an's true intent at all.
Whether the trade succeeded was secondary. His real goal was to drive a wedge into their familial bond, one that could never be repaired.
He had only guessed this after hearing those last few things Gu Ping'an said to Bai Chenxiang.
Every one of those final remarks had sown discord.
If Gu Ping'an truly wanted Bai Chenxiang, he should have either raised his offer or taken her by force.
They had already seized the crystal blood dragon ginseng. What harm would there be in seizing one more little girl?
"She Long, do you know where the Heaven Dou Imperial Family keeps its national treasure?"
Having dealt with the crystal blood dragon ginseng, Gu Ping'an turned his thoughts to the Sea God.
Online in his previous life, there had been two theories. One held that the Sea God had long colluded with the Asura God to plan two gods in one body; the other held that the Sea God had only reluctantly agreed to it later, left with no choice.
(Proof that the Sea God only agreed to two gods in one body later because he had no choice.)
Gu Ping'an couldn't be certain which theory was right.
He remembered the broad strokes of the plot, but couldn't recite it word for word.
Then finding someone to test the waters was the best option.
If it worked, he would gain a Sea God successor. If it failed, he wouldn't lose much.
"My lord, do you mean the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud?" Confusion and puzzlement appeared on She Long's face.
The Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud was rumored to possess miraculous powers, but in truth, it was just a Soul Tool of unknown purpose.
During his time following Qian Renxue, he had studied it. When he couldn't work out how to use it, he had tossed it back into the Heaven Dou Imperial Family's treasury.
"Yes, the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud." Gu Ping'an nodded lightly.
The Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud was also known as the Sea God's Heart.
"My lord, the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud was originally kept by Xue Ye. Later, when he couldn't figure out how to use it, he tossed it into the Heaven Dou Imperial Family's treasury.
It should still be there now."
"Excellent! After we return, take me to the Heaven Dou Imperial Family's treasury."
Gu Ping'an turned toward Dugu Bo beside him.
Dugu Bo's official position was a guest elder of the Heaven Dou Empire's imperial family.
They were going to steal the Heaven Dou Imperial Family's treasures. He wondered what Dugu Bo would think.
"Why are you looking at me?" Dugu Bo lightly stroked his beard, his gaze fixed straight ahead.
"I heard nothing and saw nothing."
Understood!
Dugu Bo would help neither side.
Prince Xue Xing had saved his life, so he couldn't very well help steal the Heaven Dou Imperial Family's treasures.
Gu Ping'an had resolved the poisonous backlash from Dugu Yan's martial soul and brought about its evolution. He had also provided Dugu Bo with a way to temporarily address the poison in his body, which was another immense favor.
Thus, helping either side would weigh on his conscience.
"After we return, Xiao Wu and She Long will come with me," Gu Ping'an said.
She Long would guide them, while Xiao Wu could pick out some things she liked as a reward for making the right choice in the Star Dou Great Forest.
As Dugu Bo's granddaughter, Dugu Yan was better off not going.
The sun sank in the west, and the curtain of night fell.
Gu Ping'an, Xiao Wu, and She Long concealed themselves within Spacetime Isolation and quietly slipped into the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace.
"My lord, the Heaven Dou Imperial Family's treasury is beneath the rear sleeping quarters of the inner court."
With She Long guiding them, the three headed straight for the Heaven Dou Imperial Family's treasury.
Using Spacetime Isolation, they easily passed through layer after layer of defenses and entered the treasury.
"Find the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud first. After that, take whatever you want."
Xiao Wu's pink eyes sparkled as though she had seen stars.
She Long cast a burning gaze into the depths of the treasury.
"My lord, the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud is at the very back."
She Long pulled Gu Ping'an straight toward the depths of the treasury.
At the very back, a palm-sized, three-dimensional triangular crystal, translucent blue throughout, sat alone on a display stand.
"So this is the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud?"
The Sea God's Heart!
An important token of the sea god inheritance!
Gu Ping'an reached for the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud.
Just as he was about to touch it, he suddenly froze and jerked his hand back, a fine sheen of sweat breaking out across his forehead.
"My lord, has something happened?"
She Long warily shielded Gu Ping'an and Xiao Wu behind him, watching the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud ahead.
"Nothing!" Gu Ping'an waved a hand.
In some stories, the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud contained the Sea God's divine sense.
He couldn't prove it was there, nor could he verify that it wasn't.
Taking it himself wasn't very appropriate.
What if it really contained the Sea God's divine sense and caused an unforeseen incident?
"She Long, you take the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud. Keep it with you for now."
She Long was puzzled, but still reached out, grabbed the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud, and put it into his Storage Soul Tool.
"All right! Now take whatever you want!"
Seeing She Long put away the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud, Gu Ping'an relaxed a little.
"My lord, are those ours too?" She Long raised a hand and pointed to one side.
A row of shelves there was filled with jade cases.
Gu Ping'an walked over to the shelves and opened one.
A Soul Bone!
A fifty-thousand-year Head Soul Bone!
His gaze swept across the jade cases on the shelves.
Each jade case represented a Soul Bone.
Of course, only a very small fraction would be Ten Thousand Year Soul Bones.
Most would be thousand-year or hundred-year Soul Bones.
Even so, it was astonishing enough.
The Heaven Dou Empire had a long history, and its treasury held the accumulated wealth of countless generations. Now they would reap the benefits.
"Put them all away. We'll divide the Soul Bones after we get back."
"Ping'an, hurry! I've collected loads of treasures." Xiao Wu urged him on, holding an exquisite bracelet.
Gu Ping'an turned, his gaze settling on the bracelet.
A Storage Soul Tool?
Xiao Wu has a Storage Soul Tool?
No!
She took it from among the treasures.
Gu Ping'an was a little surprised. Xiao Wu's rabbit brain was unexpectedly sharp.
She was using the treasury's Storage Soul Tools to hold the treasury's treasures.
"Move quickly. Take as much as you can."
Gu Ping'an and She Long joined the frenzied plundering.
On the other side of the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace.
Inside the Heaven Dou Crown Prince's palace.
"Young lord, I think I just sensed Old She's aura."
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