Come Back to Life, My Grandfather!!

Ya Fei clapped her hands. The side door of the reception room opened, and two burly men in auction house uniforms carried in a life-sized statue, carefully setting it down in the center of the room.

The statue was carved entirely from bluestone, its lines bold and angular, its features carrying the fierce edge of a military commander. Clad in armor with a saber at its waist, it faced the main door as though gazing at something far away.

Xiao Long stood and walked over, circling the statue and inspecting it from top to bottom several times.

Standing beside him, Ya Fei could not resist asking, "This statue of Xiao Lin, the Xiao Clan's former patriarch, was made life-sized according to your instructions. May I ask what you intend to use it for, sir?"

Xiao Long reached out and patted the statue's shoulder armor, producing a hollow knocking sound. "He was a good friend of mine. I heard he'd fallen, so I wanted a statue made to remember him by."

Hearing this, Ya Fei felt a little doubtful.

This big-nosed senior had been active in Wutan City for several years, and every time he came, he sold his goods, took his money, and left.

He had never mentioned having ties to any local clan. Now, out of nowhere, he had commissioned a statue of the Xiao Clan's former patriarch, made to the exact proportions of the real man.

More importantly, who needed a life-sized statue as a keepsake? Wouldn't a small one have done?

Still, after all her years in the auction business, Ya Fei knew perfectly well whom she could question and which questions she should never ask.

If he said it was to mourn a good friend, then that was what it was. Digging any deeper would only show a lack of tact.

After all, this big-nosed man was one of her major clients. Thanks to this senior alone, she had practically cornered the market for magical beast materials across several nearby cities.

Ya Fei smiled and changed the subject. "By the way, sir, we'll be holding a major auction before long. I hear a shipment of rare items will be transferred here from Jia Ma Holy City.

"If you have anything valuable on hand, you could put it up for auction as well. We'll charge you our lowest commission."

Xiao Long was putting the statue into his Storage Ring. With a lift of his hand, the bluestone statue vanished into thin air, and a gleam flashed across the ring's surface.

At her words, he turned to look at Ya Fei. "An auction? When?"

He vaguely remembered that there had indeed been an auction, and its final highlight seemed to have been something Little Yanzi had refined.

"In a few months. It'll be larger than usual, and prominent families from several cities around Wutan City will be sending people."

"All right." Xiao Long nodded. "Do you buy Da Dou Shi-level magic cores?"

Ya Fei's eyes lit up at once, and even her voice rose a notch. "Yes, of course! A Da Dou Shi-level magic core would be a showpiece even at an auction.

"Do you have one, sir?"

"Not right now. I will before long."

After taking the gold coin card, Xiao Long dusted off his hands, left her with those words, and turned to leave.

Ya Fei followed him to the door. Only after the big-nosed figure disappeared around a street corner did she return inside the auction house, the smile still lingering on her face.

She was already calculating how much more prestigious the auction would become if this senior really brought in a Da Dou Shi-level magic core.

Still, she was curious. A Da Dou Shi-level magical beast was no easy prey.

Ya Fei shook her head and suppressed her curiosity.

The rule in this business was simple: never ask what you shouldn't. If someone was willing to sell their goods through you, they were already doing you an honor.

Xiao Long walked another two streets, turned into an alley, and swept a hand over his face, restoring his original appearance.

He emerged from the alley and strolled toward the Xiao Clan, turning things over in his mind.

He really did not have a Da Dou Shi-level magic core on hand.

But with his current strength, an all-out strike from the Dragon Talisman could brush the threshold of Dou Ling. Combined with the Rabbit Talisman's extreme speed and the Snake Talisman's invisibility, killing a third-order magical beast would hardly be difficult.

He had long since scouted the territories of the third- and fourth-order magical beasts deep in the Magical Beast Mountain Range. He simply had not been confident enough to make a move before.

Now, though, he could give it a try.

As for the statue, it naturally was not for "mourning a good friend," as he had claimed.

It was a statue of his grandfather, Xiao Lin. When he had fallen all those years ago, even his body had never been recovered, so the clan had erected a cenotaph for him.

His grandfather already had a memorial tablet in the family ancestral hall. On holidays, his father would take both brothers there to kowtow and burn incense. Why would he need another statue just to look at?

His main purpose was to test the Rat Talisman.

Among Shendu's Twelve Talismans, the Rat Talisman had the power to turn the still into the moving, granting life to lifeless things.

As for why he had not saved Xiao Lin back then...

The crucial point was that he had only been six years old.

He had not even broken through Qi Introduction. The Shendu template had not activated at all, and he had no Horse Talisman.

Otherwise...

He could have used the Horse Talisman to extend his grandfather's life for a while, and the Xiao Clan would never have declined to this extent. Once he grew stronger, he might even have been able to heal his grandfather completely.

Things were different now. He had the Rat Talisman.

Although he had no idea what this thing might bring forth, trying it would not cost him anything.

What if it worked?

Still lost in thought, Xiao Long arrived at the Xiao Clan's gates. He greeted the gatekeeper and headed toward Back Mountain.

The clearing beside the pool on Back Mountain was where he spent most of his time. It was quiet, no one came there, and it was convenient for experimenting with things he could not let others see.

He glanced around to make sure no one was nearby, then shifted his feet and vanished from the spot. When he reappeared, he was already standing on the large rock beside the pool.

He took the bluestone statue out of his Storage Ring. Its base struck the rock with a dull thud.

The statue was about as tall as a man, and the bluestone had been worked with considerable care. Even the sharp contours of its features had been carved out. It certainly looked convincing.

Xiao Long circled the statue and reached out to pat its shoulder armor.

"Grandfather, oh, Grandfather. Your grandson couldn't save you back then, but now I've thought of a way to see if I can bring you back. Don't blame me if the workmanship is rough. I didn't carve this myself."

He pressed his hand against the statue's chest, closed his eyes, and gathered the Dou Qi within his body into his palm.

The Rat Talisman's power flowed through his meridians and seeped into the bluestone through his palm.

"Come back to life, my grandfather!!"

The next instant...

Flames engulfed the statue, and a rat-shaped mark suddenly appeared between its brows.

Colors began spreading across the statue's once-bluestone body, as though a carved figure were turning into a living, breathing man.

"You're... Xiao Long... How did you get so big?"

Xiao Lin opened his eyes and murmured as he looked at Xiao Long before him.

"Uh, Grandfather, actually... you're already dead."

Xiao Long had never expected that he could really bring Xiao Lin back. Even his memories seemed to remain as they had been at the moment of his death.

"I'm dead?"

Xiao Lin froze for a moment, then quickly realized. "Right, I'm already dead! No, wait, that's not right. What's going on with me now?"

"Grandfather, that's a long story!"

"Then make it short!!"