Shi Lang was surprised by the cold aura of the lady, but he calmly replied, “Senior, my name is Shi Lang. I met Young Miss Xia in the Tianxu Pavilion of Tianxue City. We had a fate to find the tomb of a senior, where we both gained some inheritance. We are friends.”
The old lady’s expression softened, and she said, “Follow me inside.”
Shi Lang nodded and followed her, and he told the guards, “Do not bother helping him. You will make it worse. The spell will exhaust on its own in a few minutes.”
Then, he entered the threshold of the building. The old lady said, “My name is Xia Jianxue. The young miss is my master.”
Shi Lang was surprised and said, “I apologize for my rude behavior earlier, Senior Xia.”
The terran did not dare to underestimate her because of her old age. Although the hair was white and the face had a gentle touch of time to it, her back was straight like a spear, and a long sword was tied to her waist. He could tell this lady must have been a ferocious warrior in her youth.
Xia Jianxue shook her head and said, “You do not have to apologize. Young Miss mentioned that if someone was to come seeking a passage to the Central Plain with her token, that person must be treated with respect.”
Shi Lang nodded but did not say anything. Xia Jianxue led him to a secluded room and asked, “I will heed the instructions of my master, but I will also lay down the bitter words first. It would be best if you had no ideas about the Young Miss. The Xia family is not something you can enter.”
Shi Lang gazed at her in surprise and then chuckled. He watched Xia Jianxue frowning and hurriedly calmed down before he said, “Senior, you seem to have misunderstood something. I consider Young Miss Xia Nan as a younger sister, if anything. I am a married person loyal to my wife. Please do not worry.”
Xia Jianxue was surprised when she heard these things, but then she nodded. After all, in her mind, even if Shi Lang were lying, he would not be able to stand the wrath of the Xia Family. Shi Lang calmly watched her assess him. Xia Jianxue said, “The spirit vessel will leave tomorrow morning. Till then, you can rest in this room, and if you need anything, you can tell me.”
Shi Lang nodded and stood up to greet the lady as she left the room. The terran sighed and sat on the couch to rest briefly.
…
Xia Jianxue came to the gates and found a shivering Xia Yuan squatting at the door. She walked close to him and placed her hand on his shoulder. The young man wailed, and the old lady raised her brows. Even if the young man was not strong, he should not have reacted like this. She became very curious about what Shi Lang did to him.
She spoke softly, “Young Master Yuan, it is me. Get a grip on it.”
Then, she channeled some of her spiritual energy through his body and helped him calm down. Xia Yuan stood up and looked around cautiously. The lady asked, “Young Master Yuan, could you tell me what happened?”
Xia Yuan shivered slightly, but with the hand pressed on his shoulder, he said, “He cast an illusion on me, but it felt so real. I was facing things like the murder of my loved ones. The pain was real. Even when I tried to chant the calming heart sutra, it did not stop. It was as if that guy could look deep inside my soul, and none of my secrets were to him.”
Xia Jianxue raised her brow and said, “From now on, stay away from him and do not provoke him.”
Xia Yuan could not believe what she said and asked, “Aunt, is he that strong?”
The lady nodded solemnly and replied, “He is stronger than he looks. It is not only his cultivation realm, but even his techniques are too strong and mysterious. We shall not be inviting any trouble on us. So, as you know, he is the person that Young Miss Xia Nan mentioned. Do not think of revenge on him. If the news reaches her, you cannot live.”
Xia Yuan was unreconciled, but he could not do anything about it. After all, Xia Nan was now the heiress of the family. Not only did she complete her trial, but she also gained the inheritance of the founding ancestor. She had said she did not wish to unsettle the clan harmony and had no interest in the leadership, but the elders had still awarded her with the heiress title.
She was now above the family’s leader, and the younger generation feared her. Xia Jianxue sighed and came to her office. A subordinate asked in a low voice, “Madam, was it okay to have dissolved this conflict in this manner? What if Young Master Yuan still tries anything?”
The lady leaned back in the chair, saying, “We do not need to worry about this. The impact that Shi Lang left on his mind is not going to fade away so soon. Although he covered it well, Young Master Xia Yuan is unfit, and his mind is still trapped in that illusion. If he does not wish to die, he will not do anything. However, if he falls under Shi Lang’s hands, we will just arrest him and bring him to the family where the Family Master would see this matter.”
The subordinate could not believe that the lady said something like this. Xia Jianxue leaned back in her chair and said, “You do not have to think so much, Mei Shin. I am also a Xia, and I dislike to meddle with disadvantageous situations.”
She may be a sword cultivator, but the essence of life for her was business. Suddenly, the door was knocked, and a servant came inside. The lady asked, “What is it, Haroon?”
Haroon was a teenage steward beside her in this city. He said, “Mistress, two elders from the Snow Maiden Peak and Dragon Sword Sect have arrived with their disciples. They wish to buy two slots for the Spirit vessel.”
The lady raised her brow and asked, “Do you not know that rules apply the same to everyone?”
Haroon nodded and replied, “Mistress, the young disciples are both Immortal Lord-level cultivators, and they also handed over a thousand spirit stones.”
Xia Jianxue asked, “Then why have you come to me? Give them the slots.”
Haroon sighed and said, “Mistress, they are seeking your audience for a business deal.”
The old lady chuckled and asked, “What could it be about?”
Haroon whispered, “Ten bottles of top-grade spirit liquid.”
Xia Jinaxue was shocked and stood up from her chair. She did not expect it to be something like this. She said hurriedly, “Lead the way.”
Haroon nodded and led her to the private room where the two elders and two disciples were gathered. The lady opened the door and stepped in. She was surprised to see Long Shangge and Yue Shi. She said, “I did not expect fellow Daoists Long and Yue to come over together. What a wonderful day it is.”
The two elders have had some business dealings with her in the past. So, they did have some familiarity with her. The older people exchanged greetings, and Bo Qingtan and Yun Xue greeted her respectfully.
Xia Jianxue asked, “What do I hear about Spirit Liquid?”
Yue Shi took the lead in dealing with her and said, “A few decades ago, we found a small realm, and inside it, we found a small puddle of spirit liquid. We managed to fill up two hundred bottles from it, and over time, we have used this spirit liquid to train a few talented disciples we have in the sect. However, now that half of the liquid is left, the two sects unitedly wish to sell it.”
Xia Jianxue did not bite the bait this easily and asked, “Why sell now? I am sure you can use the remaining material, too.” 𝗈𝗏𝓵xt.𝐂𝞸𝕞
She was probing if they still had more. Long Shangge sighed and said, “Yes, we can use this liquid to nurture future generations, but as you know, a person’s wealth brings him disaster. A few months ago, the sect master and the rest decided to let go of these bottles. The pressure of guarding a treasure is a bit too much.”
Xia Jinaxue knew that Yue Shi was crafty, but Long Shange was honest, so she trusted him. She asked, “What would you like to ask for in return for this?”
The two elders looked at each other and said, “We hope that fellow Daoist Xia could place these bottles in an auction and, after deduction, the Tianxu Pavillion fee hand over the rest of the spirit stones to our disciples.”
Xia Jinaxue thought about it and realized that the kids going to the Central Plain did need money to bring themselves around, and then she nodded. The two parties signed the contract before the elders left. Xia Jianxue saw them off and said, “I will have someone arrange rooms for the two of you, the spirit vessel will depart tomorrow morning, you should take rest till then.”
The two people nodded and agreed to her instructions. Besides they had another objective behind this obedience.