As everyone knows, when ordinary cultivators browse stalls, they are mostly likely to get scammed. But Children of Destiny, blessed with destiny aura, always set their sights on things others overlook—yet those things are definitely hiding great secrets.
Especially when it comes to the stall owner's reaction: if they're too enthusiastic, there's usually no good stuff. It's the indifferent, arrogant ones who tend to have rare treasures. Everyone understands these tricks, which is why Ling Xiao looked so excited.
It was just unknown what kind of fortune Ye Fan would obtain here today. Just thinking about it made Ling Xiao can't help but feel a little thrilled.
Ling Xiao led Ye Qingchan and the others to the stall, pretending not to recognize Ye Fan. Naturally, Ye Fan's aura at this moment was clearly at the Peak of the Void Spirit Realm—neither Ye Sheng nor Ye Qingchan would associate this aura with the "useless" Ye Fan they knew. As for Ye Fan himself, when he saw Ling Xiao and the others, his aura noticeably faltered.
"Boss, how much for this iron piece?"
Ye Fan deliberately lowered his voice as he picked up a tattered black iron fragment from the stall. He's got this! If ordinary people saw this, they would mostly think it was a worthless shard of some spiritual treasure. But Ye Fan's heart was racing with excitement. Another one!
Before this, he had accidentally found a black iron piece just like this one, which concealed an extremely ancient map inside. But the map was incomplete, so in his free time, he often wandered Qingfeng City's markets and auction houses, hoping to find the rest. Never did he expect to actually stumble upon another piece today.
No wonder they say destiny aura is such a mysterious, unpredictable thing. Well, obviously—otherwise, how would his "protagonist halo" stand out!
Though the map in Ye Fan's hand was incomplete, it clearly marked a location in the Northern Wilderness, near the Eastern Wilderness—a forbidden zone for humans. Places like that usually held ancient relics, brimming with great fortune… and great danger.
Of course, Ye Fan did his best to keep his tone casual. After all, Ling Xiao was right beside him. If he seemed too eager, it would inevitably arouse suspicion.
"One hundred spirit stones."
The old man opened his eyes, glanced at Ye Fan, and his gaze lingered on Ling Xiao for a moment before he spoke lazily.
"One hundred spirit stones?!"
Ye Fan exclaimed in shock, almost revealing his real voice. He quickly coughed twice and snapped in a cold tone, "How can a hunk of scrap iron be worth one hundred spirit stones?"
"Then why buy it if it's scrap? Are you a fool?"
The old man's retort was so sharp that Ye Fan was left stunned speechless.
"You!! Hmph, I'll take it. But I don't have that many spirit stones with me—can I trade something for it?"
Ye Fan gritted his teeth and pulled a jade bottle from his cosmic bag. "This is a bottle of Ascension Elixir, a top-tier Grade 2 elixir. Will this swap for your shabby iron piece?"
"No trade. I only want spirit stones."
The old man didn't even glance at Ye Fan and refused outright.
"You!! This Elixir is among the best of Grade 2—"
"Ah, Sir—I'll take your Ascension Elixir. One hundred spirit stones, correct?"
Ling Xiao suddenly stepped forward, pulled a pouch of spirit stones from his robe, and held it out. A top-tier Grade 2 Elixir would easily fetch more than a hundred spirit stones at an auction. But the elixir wasn't what Ling Xiao cared about—he just wanted to help Ye Fan get the iron piece quickly. Maybe this holds the map to the relic where that great fortune lies?
"Thank you."
Ye Fan shot Ling Xiao a cold look, tossed the spirit stones to the old man, grabbed the iron piece, and vanished into the crowd.
"He knows aura-reading, he can make elixirs, and he's hiding his cultivation… What kind of game is Ye Fan playing?"
Ling Xiao cast a meaningful glance at Ye Fan's disappearing figure. No matter what path Ye Fan was on, Ling Xiao needed to find a way to speed up his progress. If Ling Xiao hadn't appeared, Ye Fan would have first built up his strength, humiliated the Ye family, and only then ventured out to seek fortune. But Ling Xiao had no time to wait for Ye Fan to grow in the Northern Wilderness.
So he had to figure out Ye Fan's trump cards—and give him a little push to set out on his quest for fortune sooner.
But what kind of push?
Ling Xiao's gaze fell on Ye Sheng, Ye Qingchan, and Feng Jiao'er. From the main hall earlier, he'd noticed Ye Fan's subtle, improper interest in Ye Qingchan. And as Ye Fan's former fiancée, Feng Jiao'er must have left a scar in his heart. This could work to my advantage.
"Young Master?"
When Ye Qingchan saw Ling Xiao's gaze and the wicked smile tugging at his lips, her heart skipped a beat. The Young Master is definitely hatching another mischief.
"Let's head back. Young Master Ye, the elixir is yours."
Ling Xiao ignored Ye Qingchan's suspicion and led them back to the Ye family residence.
"Tha… Thank you, Young Master!!"
A hundred spirit stones was no small sum for Ye Sheng. Sure enough, following Young Master Ling Xiao brings not just prestige, but fortune too!
By now, news of the Drunken Immortal Pavilion incident had spread across Qingfeng City. Huang Qi, the Huang Clan's young master, had arrogantly provoked Ling Xiao and summoned his ancestor's soul—only to be ruthlessly humiliated. Not only did the ancestor kneel and apologize, but the entire Huang Clan had vanished overnight.
For every force in the Northern Wilderness, this was a bolt from the blue! They'd known Ling Xiao had a mysterious background, but never had they imagined the Ling Family was this terrifying. A dignified Po Wang Realm powerhouse… was just an outer-clan servant of the Lings? The thought of such terrifying influence sent chills down their spines.
"Young Master Ling Xiao is back!!"
A cry of surprise rang out outside the main hall. Instantly, all Ye family members swarmed over and knelt neatly to bow. "Welcome, Young Master!"
"Hm? Patriarch Ye, did something happen?"
Ling Xiao was confused. Why had their expressions changed so drastically since he'd left? Each of them stood frozen, not daring to breathe loudly.
"Ah? No, Young Master—did you… have a pleasant outing?"
In truth, Ye Liufeng was terrified Ling Xiao would take his anger out on the Ye family. After all, it had been him who'd helped arrange Xiao Yan's meeting with Ling Xiao. If this Young Master from Shengzhou was displeased… the Ye family would be doomed. Serving a lord is like walking with a tiger—Ye Liufeng finally understood the weight of that saying.
"Pleasant, of course. If you're free, Patriarch, arrange a place for me to rest."
How could it not be pleasant? If Ye Fan got fortune, it was as good as Ling Xiao getting it himself. He needed to hurry and give this Child of Destiny that "push."
"If Young Master doesn't mind, I'll have my residence tidied up at once—"
"No need. Find me a quiet place."
"A quiet place? Sheng, take the Young Master to the backyard and let him choose any courtyard he likes."
Ye Liufeng didn't dare delay. He ordered Ye Sheng to take Ling Xiao to rest immediately. Once Ling Xiao and the other two entered the backyard, they dismissed Ye Sheng.
"Young M… Young Master, I want to…"
"Go see your cousin? Off you go."
To Ye Qingchan's surprise, Ling Xiao agreed without hesitation.
"Young Master, I—"
"What are you waiting for? You two haven't met in ages. You should chat."
Ling Xiao grinned. Though Ye Qingchan was still suspicious, she obediently left.
After Ye Qingchan was gone, Ling Xiao finally turned his gaze to Feng Jiao'er. The sinister smile on his face made the Qianmei Sect Saintess's delicate body tremble uncontrollably.
"Young Master… please… be gentle…"