Ling Xiao looked at Lin Xi standing before him, the corner of his mouth suddenly quirking into a smile.
Life is short, why the rush? Seems like you won't rest until you're dead.
"Ninety thousand spirit stones."
"One hundred thousand."
"Xi'er,have you lost your mind? The Green Demon God Cauldron I left you is a classic inheritance artifact from the ancient supreme sect, Lao'er Sect! This… this mere Low Grade Divine Artifact, you…"
Elder Ling's voice clearly held a trace of anger.
It seemed his disciple was being driven to the brink of madness by Ling Xiao!
"Elder Ling, please calm down. It's not that I actually want this cauldron," Lin Xi chuckled coldly, a faint, sinister glint flashing in his eyes.
With his perspective as a Son of Destiny,he naturally looked down on any spiritual treasure not connected to ancient times. His reason for driving up the price now was simple… to scam Ling Xiao.
Otherwise,if he encountered something he truly fancied later, wouldn't Ling Xiao just snatch it away again? This dog had just taken his Nine Calamities Sword; it was time he paid a little price.
"Trying to scam me?"
But how could such a petty scheme escape Ling Xiao's notice?He snorted disdainfully and stopped bidding.
"Huh?"
As time slowly passed,a hint of panic gradually surfaced in Lin Xi's eyes.
Dammit! I only have a hundred thousand spirit stones on me total. If I spend them all on this piece of junk…
Lin Xi suddenly felt like crying.He even had the urge to ask Ling Xiao, Big brother, why did you stop bidding?
It didn't make sense.
This scion of the Ling Clan had been willing to spend seventy thousand on a broken ancient artifact just moments ago.Wasn't he planning to use this cauldron to woo a girl? Why had he given up now?
"No further bids?" The enchanting woman on the high platform also glanced at Ling Xiao with some surprise, evidently thinking… stopping now didn't quite match the young master's noble demeanor.
"Congratulations to this young master for successfully winning the Nine Dragons Roaring Heaven Cauldron!"
DAMN!!
Ling Xiao really wasn't going to bid after all!
Lin Xi swallowed hard,his hands trembling as he accepted the ancient cauldron from the maid. A hint of tears actually welled up in his eyes.
"Oh, it seems the young master was just asking after all," Lin Meng said, a flash of disappointment crossing her small face. For a brief moment, she had thought Ling Xiao was bidding on the divine cauldron for her.
"Don't you have plenty of spirit stones? Why not keep bidding?" Nian Qingyun sneered. It seemed being around Ling Xiao made her more talkative.
"Ah, I just suddenly remembered, I think I already have a divine cauldron on me." Ling Xiao scratched his head and smiled somewhat apologetically.
"Pfft—!!"
Finally,the blood Lin Xi had just suppressed surged up again and sprayed all over the floor.
"What's your name?" Ling Xiao casually pulled a crimson treasure cauldron from his Qiankun Bag. It was the Primordial Chaos Cauldron he had obtained after killing Qin Feng, its grade even slightly higher.
"I… I'm Lin Meng!" Her face flushed bright red, and she hardly dared to meet Ling Xiao's eyes.
Her sect,the Flaming Cloud Sect, was just an insignificant minor sect in the Eastern Lands. And her looks… compared to Nian Qingyun… well, even compared to Fu Yunyao, she fell far short.
Little me, untalented as I am, how could I possibly gain the young master's favor?
"Lin Meng? Mist veiling the woods, the grand dream lingers on. A good name." Ling Xiao nodded. As expected of one of the three dominant ancient clans. The Lin, Qin, and Xiao clans truly produced outstanding talents every generation.
The young master… the young master is complimenting me?
Lin Meng covered her lips with her hands,her delicate frame trembling slightly with excitement.
"You can have this Primordial Chaos Cauldron. It's also a Divine Artifact. Consider it fate. I'm giving it to you." Ling Xiao casually handed the ancient cauldron to Lin Meng.
"This… this…"
"Young Master Ling Xiao,this divine cauldron is far too precious. We cannot accept it…" Yin Tianxing's eyes flashed with a dark glint, but with his strength, how could he dare offend the scion of the Ling Clan before him? He could only force a smile and refuse.
He secretly resolved then and there to have his grandfather arrange a marriage between him and Lin Meng as soon as they returned to the sect,to fully claim her. Even with Ling Xiao's powerful background, he probably wouldn't want to be the… receiver… afterwards, right?
"You? Did I say I was giving it to you?" Ling Xiao raised an eyebrow slightly and shook his head. "No one dares refuse what I give."
Arrogant! Overbearing! Tolerating no challenge.
"Young… young master…" Lin Meng was clearly at a loss. She stole a glance at Yin Tianxing. It was evident she still relied heavily on this senior brother in her heart.
"Don't worry, I have no ulterior motives. I just feel a connection. A mere Divine Artifact means nothing to me." Ling Xiao gave a warm smile, the earlier ferocity completely gone, and placed the cauldron into Lin Meng's hands.
"Th… thank you, young master…" Lin Meng's eyes shone with admiration. Even if it held no romantic feeling, the respect was genuine.
With money, you really can do whatever you want.
However…
To make this simple-minded girl truly submit to him from the heart,he needed to find a way to get rid of this Senior Brother Yin first.
Killing him was easy—he was just an ant.But to do it seamlessly… required a little finesse.
"Hmph." Nian Qingyun snorted lightly, a cold aura swirling around her.
"What's wrong? Stuffy nose?" Ling Xiao draped an arm over her fragrant shoulders.
"Take your dirty hand away." Nian Qingyun's tone was icy, not even deigning to look at him.
"Are you upset that I gave something to someone else?" Ling Xiao sighed, his tone suddenly turning serious.
"Yes!" The word escaped Nian Qingyun's lips before she could stop herself, her pretty face instantly flushing crimson.
"She looks… a bit like my mother when she was young…" A trace of loneliness flashed through Ling Xiao's eyes, and Nian Qingyun found herself completely captivated by the expression on his face.
This look… there's a story here.
Ling Xiao's mother was none other than the Eastern Lands'top alchemist, the Holy Master of the Xuanyuan Sect, right? Come to think of it, hadn't she left the Ling Clan and returned to the Dan Yuan Holy Land when Ling Xiao was around ten? She had sworn never to set foot in the Ling Clan again.
For a ten-year-old child,suddenly losing a mother's care must have been… very painful.
As these thoughts crossed her mind, the coldness on Nian Qingyun's face instantly melted away, replaced by a rare tenderness.
"I'm sorry…"
"Huh? What is there to be sorry about? I told you, you'll gradually come to know the real me." Ling Xiao shook his head with a laugh, his face the picture of nonchalance, as if such misunderstandings were commonplace for him.
Damn! I've never even seen what Xuanyuan Yue looked like when she was young!
Women's sympathies sometimes just run wild.They're generally susceptible to men who are kind, righteous, filial, sunny, handsome, compassionate, responsible, proactive, persistent, and wealthy!
But to Nian Qingyun, seeing this act only made her feel a pang of heartache.
It was me. I misjudged him.
But… why do I feel this heartache?!