She had only just taken the wine gourd away when that brat woke up.
"Young Martial Uncle, why are you snatching my wine gourd?"
Jiang Wan: ???
"This is clearly my wine gourd. See? The Wine Sword Immortal gave me two of them. How did it become yours?"
Xu Hengliang tilted his head and looked toward the little companions beside him. Where had they gone?
"I-I don't know. Anyway, you gave it to me. How can you ask for something back after giving it away?"
Jiang Wan froze. When had she ever given it away?
"I didn't. Don't spout nonsense."
Xu Hengliang was furious and snatched the little wine gourd back from Jiang Wan's hand.
"You did! You gave it to me. You can't take it back."
Jiang Wan watched the little gourd get snatched away. With a huff, she grabbed it back again.
"I never said I was giving it to you. Give it back."
Xu Hengliang tucked the little gourd inside the front of his robe.
"No! You said you were giving it to me. You're my martial uncle, so you can't go back on your word."
Jiang Wan considered their seniority and realized she had nearly been held hostage by him.
She reached out and tugged on his clothes.
"Precisely because I'm your martial uncle, you have to listen to me. Give it back!"
Jin Yao appeared just in time. To prevent the two little ones from fighting, he hurried over to mediate.
"You two aren't allowed to fight. Tell me what happened."
Xu Hengliang pointed at Jiang Wan.
"She went back on her word. She said she'd give me the wine gourd, then tried to take it back."
Jiang Wan spread her hands.
"Martial Uncle Jin Yao, I never gave it to him at all."
Xu Hengliang said, "You did."
Jiang Wan said, "I didn't. Fine, take it!"
She was truly foolish. Why was she bickering with a child over this? She still had a gourd of Monkey Wine at her waist. If he wanted the Pear Blossom White, he could have it. She was a martial uncle, after all.
After saying that, Jiang Wan turned and walked off to squat nearby. The other little ones had not woken up yet, and she was so bored.
Jin Yao let out a breath of relief. As long as they did not fight, all was well. He left too.
Xu Hengliang stood there and thought for a moment. He opened the little wine gourd and sniffed it, then reluctantly walked over to Jiang Wan, who was squatting on the ground, and squatted beside her.
"Um, if you want it back, I'll give it to you."
Seeing the little wine gourd he held out, Jiang Wan turned to look at him and almost laughed.
She really was getting more childish the longer she lived.
"No, you can have it. I still have another one.
At any rate, I'm your martial uncle. Consider it a gift from your martial uncle to you, my master's nephew."
Xu Hengliang's face reddened slightly. Somewhat awkwardly, he put the wine gourd away again.
"Then you said it. You're not allowed to regret it later."
Jiang Wan thought, Do I not need to keep up appearances anymore?
"I won't take back something I've given away. I really drank too much this morning. If you don't believe me, forget it. The Imprint Treasure Mirror can't be used, or I'd show you. It was all a misunderstanding.
Hey, aren't you close with Jiang Yao? Why do you even care about a wine gourd from a martial uncle like me?"
He had also been present during Madam Li's affair. He knew about the relationship between Jiang Wan, Madam Li, and Jiang Yao, and knew Madam Li had deliberately harmed her.
"Who said I'm close with her? We're not close at all. She even wanted me to take you to the back mountain, but I didn't do it.
After all, you're my Young Martial Uncle. We're from the same peak, on the same side.
If anyone bullies you in the future, I'll help you!"
Jiang Wan suddenly felt that this little brat was not quite so annoying after all.
The two little ones squatted side by side on the ground.
Suddenly, the spiritual energy formation was activated. The place that had been devoid of spiritual energy, just like the mortal world, abruptly became rich with spiritual energy.
The two exchanged delighted looks and immediately put their wine gourds into their respective Storage Rings.
Chicken Legs filled most of Jiang Wan's Storage Ring. During this period without spiritual energy, she had not touched a single one.
Now, she took out a chicken leg and gave it to Xu Hengliang.
"Here. Follow your martial uncle from now on, and you'll get three meals a day."
With Chicken Legs to eat, little Xu Hengliang's eyes immediately lit up.
He took the chicken leg, bit into it, and nodded.
"Mm. Although your seniority is higher than mine, I'm older than you. I have an array disk. I'll give it to you."
It was Jiang Wan's first time coming into contact with an array disk, and she found it rather novel.
"Are you two pooping here?"
Nangong Wanyu walked over curiously and squatted in front of them, staring at them in amazement. They were not fighting?
Her little gaze landed on the chicken leg Jiang Wan was eating. Jiang Wan took out another chicken leg and gave it to her.
"Here, eat a chicken leg."
"Thank you, Wanwan."
The three little ones squatted together, eating Chicken Legs, when Su Yunrou and Jiang Yao walked over hand in hand.
"Jiang Wan, take out the stone you got from the Apprenticeship Ceremony and exchange it with Jiang Yao."
Su Yunrou stood over the little ones, looking down at them.
Only now that the spiritual energy had been released was she no longer afraid of Jiang Wan.
Jiang Wan squatted on the ground, looked up at her, then looked at Jiang Yao.
Before she could stand and speak, Xu Hengliang, that little firecracker, stepped forward with his neck craned.
"You two, get lost. Back then, the Nangong Family Head brought out three stones for you to choose from. She chose not to pick the one in the middle herself, and now she wants to exchange for it. Why should she?
No exchange!"
Su Yunrou planted her hands on her hips and glared furiously at Xu Hengliang.
"Xu Hengliang, what does this have to do with you? Didn't you dislike this little girl?"
Xu Hengliang planted his hands on his hips as well.
"Who said that? She's my martial uncle now. Her business is my business!"
Jiang Yao looked at Xu Hengliang with big, watery eyes, her face full of grievance.
"Senior Brother Xu, I was the first one to take a liking to the stone in the middle. Little Sister merely picked it up before I could.
I'm willing to exchange my stone for hers. Can you ask Little Sister to return the stone I liked to me?"
Jiang Wan grew curious. What exactly was inside that stone, for Jiang Yao to be so obsessed with it?
Xu Hengliang directly refused on Jiang Wan's behalf.
"No. My Young Martial Uncle got it first, so it belongs to my Young Martial Uncle. Why should she give it to you? If you liked it, why didn't you take it? You were too slow. Who can you blame?"
This master's nephew was quite reliable.
Jiang Wan was curious about what could make Jiang Yao pine for it so desperately.
When she took out the stone, she clenched her little hand into a fist and slammed it down.
"This thing is incomparably hard. With that hand of yours, y-you-you... you actually smashed it open just like that?"
Su Yunrou could not believe it. How strong was Jiang Wan?
At that moment, everyone saw what had been wrapped inside the Spirit Avoidance Stone: a pearl!
"The Wind Settling Pearl!"
Even Jin Yao and Yin Shuo, who had been watching from afar with their divine sense, could not help crying out. The Wind Settling Pearl was an exceedingly rare treasure, comparable to heaven-and-earth treasures.
There were no more than three in the entire Cultivation World.
Only Jiang Wan looked disappointed. What was this? Just this...?
But when she saw the look in Jiang Yao's eyes, Jiang Wan understood. Jiang Yao wanted this Wind Settling Pearl.
She tossed the Wind Settling Pearl in her hand, then turned to look at Nangong Wanyu. No, she was only three years old. Even if Jiang Wan gave it to her, she would not be able to keep it safe.
Turning around, she threw the Wind Settling Pearl to Xu Hengliang.
"Here, Master's Nephew. This Wind Settling Pearl is yours!"
Little Xu Hengliang stared in shock at the Wind Settling Pearl in his hand. Then his mouth split all the way to the back of his head as he cheerfully thanked her.
"Thank you, Young Martial Uncle."
The two Foundation Establishment Cultivators who had been watching were speechless. That was the Wind Settling Pearl! How could she give it away so casually? Did she not know how precious the Wind Settling Pearl was?
Having received Jiang Wan's Wind Settling Pearl, little Xu Hengliang felt somewhat embarrassed. He took out his own stone and gave it to Jiang Wan.
"Young Martial Uncle, have mine."
Jiang Wan accepted his stone, clenched her little fist, and struck it hard. With a crack, the stone shattered beneath her blow.
What lay inside made the two Foundation Establishment Cultivators, who had been watching with their divine sense, leap to their feet.
Before you continue