Xiao Baichuan took it and glanced at it.
Yao Chen's voice drifted out of the Storage Ring, carrying a hint of teasing.
"Oh, isn't that the bottle of Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid I refined?"
"Didn't Xiao Zhan win it at auction? How did it end up in this little girl's hands?"
Xiao Baichuan recognized it too and looked at Gu Xun'er in confusion.
Gu Xun'er blinked, her tone natural.
"Uncle Xiao asked me to give this to you, Brother Baichuan."
Xiao Baichuan froze.
Xiao Zhan asked Gu Xun'er to pass it on?
Then he saw Gu Xun'er take a Storage Ring from her sleeve and hold it out to him.
"You lack resources for cultivation, Brother Baichuan. These are a small token from me."
Xiao Baichuan took the Storage Ring, extended his consciousness inside, and took a quick look.
Upper-Grade Qi Gathering Powder, a Foundation-Strengthening and Vitality-Nourishing Pill, several beast cores of decent quality, and some gold coins.
They were all good things useful for cultivation.
Xiao Baichuan looked up at Gu Xun'er.
Seeing him accept them, Gu Xun'er's smile deepened, and she dipped into a slight bow.
"I won't disturb your cultivation any longer, then, Brother Baichuan."
With that, she turned and left without looking back. Her pale purple skirt swayed gently in the morning breeze, and her figure soon disappeared at the end of the corridor.
Xiao Baichuan stood there, clutching the Storage Ring and medicine bottle, utterly bewildered.
"What does she mean by this?"
Yao Chen floated out, a meaningful smile on his illusory face.
"Could this girl have taken a fancy to you, brat?"
Xiao Baichuan thought for a moment, then took a bronze mirror from his Storage Ring and gazed at his Daniel Wu-like features.
He nodded in wholehearted agreement.
"Sure enough, she's coveting this young master's beauty."
Yao Chen rolled his eyes in disgust.
"Stop admiring yourself. You're only half as handsome as I was in my youth."
Xiao Baichuan put away the bronze mirror and retorted, thoroughly unconvinced.
"Half? Why not just say your good looks blew away the entire Central Plains back then?"
Just as Xiao Baichuan put away the bronze mirror, the Xiao Residence's steward hurried over.
"Young Master Baichuan, the clan head requests your presence in the front hall. Distinguished guests have arrived."
Xiao Baichuan raised an eyebrow.
Why was so much happening today? Had the Xiao Clan struck it rich? So many distinguished guests.
He followed the steward toward the front hall. Just as he reached a bend in the corridor, Yao Chen's urgent voice suddenly rang out in his mind.
"Brat, there's a Dou Huang expert in there. I'll hide for now so I don't get discovered!"
Xiao Baichuan paused at those words.
A Dou Emperor? What was a Dou Huang expert doing coming to this place where birds wouldn't even shit? Did they have nothing better to do?
There were only a handful of Dou Huang experts in the Jia Ma Empire.
Who could it be?
They'd asked him to come over. Could they have discovered some secret about him?
Xiao Baichuan gathered his thoughts, took a deep breath, and decided to see who had come first.
He stepped into the front hall.
A beautiful, graceful woman sat inside. She looked to be in her early thirties and wore a blue-green dress, her bearing elegant.
Her features were like a painting, her cool demeanor carrying a hint of authority. Her dark hair was swept into a high bun, with a jade hairpin set at an angle.
The Misty Cloud Sect Master, Yun Yun.
Xiao Baichuan guessed her identity at a glance.
Although she had not personally come on the day the engagement was broken, she was the sect master Nalan Yanran and Ge Ye had spoken of.
At this moment, Nalan Yanran stood respectfully beside Yun Yun. Her usual arrogance was gone, her eyes lowered obediently like a well-behaved disciple.
The moment Xiao Baichuan entered, everyone's gaze fell on him.
At the sight of Xiao Baichuan, Nalan Yanran's face instantly lit up with delighted surprise. Her lips moved slightly, but she did not dare speak.
Yun Yun was studying him as well.
Her gaze traveled from top to bottom, from his features to his bearing, before finally settling on his calm eyes.
Xiao Baichuan met Yun Yun's gaze for a moment.
The barely perceptible pressure of a Dou Huang expert enveloped the entire front hall. An ordinary Dou Zhe would already have gone weak at the knees.
Yet Xiao Baichuan's expression remained unchanged. He merely raised his guard inwardly.
A Dou Huang expert who could make Nalan Yanran behave so respectfully.
Then she had to be Yun Yun, the Misty Cloud Sect Master.
But what did this woman want with him?
Surely she wasn't looking to keep him as a pretty boy.
Xiao Baichuan shook the stray thoughts out of his head and cupped his hands in a proper salute.
"Xiao Baichuan greets Sect Master Yun."
Seeing his proper salute and his manner, neither servile nor overbearing, coupled with that outrageously handsome face, Yun Yun's favorable impression of him rose sharply.
She nodded slightly, her tone courteous.
"No need for formalities."
"I came today to see just what sort of young man could defeat Liu Ling above his level with Eighth Stage Dou Qi."
She paused, sweeping her gaze over Xiao Baichuan, and a trace of surprise flashed in her eyes.
"I hadn't expected that not only would your talent for combat surpass others, but your cultivation talent would be astonishing as well."
"To advance from Eighth Stage Dou Qi to Dou Zhe in just a few short days-your progress has rather surprised me."
The surrounding Xiao Clan members were inwardly stunned at her words.
What? Xiao Baichuan had broken through to Dou Zhe?
He had only been at the eighth stage during the test a few days ago. How had he become a Dou Zhe in just the few days since they'd seen him?
Even Nalan Yanran looked surprised, before the light in her eyes grew brighter.
Although quite a few people harbored doubts, a Dou Huang expert had said it herself. They had no choice but to believe it.
Xiao Baichuan, however, showed no reaction at all.
Facing a Dou Huang expert, he had never intended to hide anything.
Just then, a refined male voice suddenly came from outside the hall, carrying a hint of surprise.
"I hadn't expected Sect Master Yun to have come to the Xiao Clan as well."
Yun Yun instinctively frowned.
She recognized that voice.
Pill King Gu He.
She had not wanted to acknowledge him, but considering Gu He's influence in the Jia Ma Empire, she still replied.
"I hadn't expected the renowned Pill King to come here in person either."
"I wonder what this little Wutan City has that could draw the Pill King here?"
As her words fell, a middle-aged man stepped into the front hall.
His face was lean, his features refined. He wore the robes of a Six-Rank Alchemist, and beneath his gentle bearing lay an edge that could not be underestimated.
It was none other than Pill King Gu He!
The moment Xiao Baichuan saw him, alarm bells rang in his mind.
He hadn't expected that old bastard Gu He to be so petty. Beat the youngster, and the elder came running!
He immediately called out to Yao Chen in his mind.
"Old man, be ready to fight at any moment."
Yao Chen's voice came from the Storage Ring, his tone grave.
"Don't worry. I'm watching."
The atmosphere in the hall abruptly grew delicate.
Yun Yun and Gu He exchanged a glance, and an invisible pressure filled the air.
Standing in the hall, Gu He looked past everyone else, his gaze settling on Xiao Baichuan.
He smiled slightly, his tone gentle.
"My young friend Xiao Baichuan, I've come here for you."
At those words, the atmosphere in the hall instantly tightened.
Seated at the head of the hall, Xiao Zhan curled his fingers slightly. His expression remained composed, but a measure of wariness had already entered his eyes.
Several Xiao Clan elders exchanged a glance, their hands unconsciously pressing against the weapons at their waists.
Just a few days ago, Xiao Baichuan had injured Gu He's personal disciple, Liu Ling, and today Gu He had come calling in person.
Wasn't he plainly here to stand up for his disciple?
Before you continue