Chapter Fifteen: The Red Qiu Root, the Family Crest of the Xu Clan

  PS: As requested by a brother, the update time will be fixed from now on. There will be two updates every day, the first at 12:30 PM and the second at 10:00 PM. It may be earlier than this time, but it will never be later!

  If the brothers' recommendations are powerful, there will be an update on the same day.

  Young master, the identity of that youth wearing a bamboo hat has been investigated and it is confirmed that he is a son of the Xu family, named Xu Yang. In a spacious and luxurious great hall, Guard Li Feng bowed his head to report.

  "I didn't expect it to be someone from the Xu family, how strange that a member of the Xu family would end up peddling herbs on Freedom Street?" Lí Wàng sat in an intricately carved wooden chair, lightly sniffing the fragrance of the three-colored nine-petaled orchid, and said with surprise.

  "In response to Young Master's words," said Li Feng with respect, "this Xu Yang seems to be not well-received in the Xu family. Even the house he lives in is dilapidated and greatly contrasts with the main residence of the Xu family just a street away."

  "Master, shall we continue surveillance?" Li Feng asked, moving forward to inquire.

  "No need," said Li Wang with a faint smile, showing maturity that didn't match his age. "The value of friendship lies in sincerity; I've already overstepped by sending someone to secretly investigate him."

  Li Feng bowed his head and accepted the order, and when he straightened up, he couldn't help but say: "That young man named Xu Yang is not valued by his family. The young master and he are like heaven and earth, calling him by name is already a favor to him, why worry so much."

  Li Wang burst out laughing and put the nine-petaled orchid back in the wooden box: "Alright, so you'll never understand what it means to be friends. Take this wooden box to your sister, she's obsessed with alchemy, maybe she can make use of it."

  A clear and melodious voice came from outside the hall: "Huh, what's good stuff?"

  Before the words had fallen, a flash of movement appeared at the door, and a beautifully dressed young girl had already floated in, saying with a smile: "Little Wang, you're getting more and more sensible, knowing to buy gifts for your sister now? Not bad, not bad."

  The girl in front of me was about seventeen or eighteen years old, wearing a wheat-colored long dress, with a white scarf hanging down diagonally, perfectly setting off her seductive curves. Her black hair was tied up with a bright gold hairpin adorned with jewels, and the end of the hairpin hung down three strands of golden tassels, which set off the girl's delicate face as charming and elegant as a fresh flower.

  Li Wang hastily stood up and bowed: "Sister." Only then did she smile and say: "Sister, if Father saw you rushing around like this, he would definitely make you copy the 'Nüjie' a hundred times."

  A bright and beautiful young girl pouted: "The 'Nü Yi' and 'Nü Er Jing' are for those useless flower vases, I, Li Wanxi, will never need them in this lifetime."

  Li Wang said helplessly: "Yes, yes, you are a generation of female Dan masters, naturally don't need to follow the 'Female Etiquette'."

  Li Yuanji said with a pleased smile: "Of course, I've been preparing to refine the 'Longevity Pill' recently. This is an authentic fourth-grade spiritual pill! Once it's successful, Father won't be able to control me anymore."

  Li Wang's heart moved slightly and he said: "Are you the one who was refined for Grandfather?"

  Li Yunzi nodded and said, "Hmph, after I refine the 'Longevity Pill', the first thing I'll do is show it to Father and let him punish me by copying books again!"

  The sister and brother laughed for a while, then became serious.

  Li Yuanxi is a rare Taoist genius girl, young and already at the level of a third-grade alchemist, considered one of the top alchemists in Lin Yuan City.

  "Yanshou Dan, a fourth-grade spiritual medicine, can give ordinary people with exhausted lifespans an extra century of life," Li Wang murmured as he recited the introduction to Yanshou Dan's functions. "But Grandfather isn't an ordinary person, he's a Xuanjun strongman! An ordinary person's vitality is like a small stream, while a Xuanjun's vitality is like the Yangtze River! Yanshou Dan can refill a dried-up stream, but it may not be able to move the river's currents... Sister, are you really confident?"

  Li Wan sighed and said, "No matter what, I cannot sit back and watch Grandfather grow old. The Li family's position in Lin Yuan City is supported by Grandfather. If he were to pass away, the monarch might very likely take back the city lord position, which would be a disaster for my Li family."

  Li Wang nodded and handed over the wooden box, saying: "Sister, I don't understand alchemy, nor can I help with anything. However, while out for a stroll today, I unexpectedly discovered a 'Nine-Petaled Orchid', which might be of some use to you."

  Li Yunzi's spirit lifted, and she hastily opened the wooden box, saying: "Ah, why didn't you say so earlier! The Nine-Petaled Orchid can greatly increase the success rate of the elixir. With it, I'll be even more confident!"

  "It's just a pity that it only has three colors," said Li Wang slowly as he opened the wooden box, sighing at the same time. "If there were one more color, even if it cost thousands of times more, it would be worth it."

  Li Yuan's excited expression quickly calmed down, it was just a three-colored nine-petaled orchid, which indeed had little effect.

  "In short, it's better than nothing," said Li Yuanxi with a sigh. "Father has already gone to Donglai City to invite Master Dan, hoping for some good news."

  Li Wang nodded and let out a sigh, saying: "Sister, don't think about these things for now. Li Feng, come tell sister about the fun things we did today on Xiju Freedom Street."

  ————————————————————————————————————

  "Qianbao Pavilion, indeed worthy of being the largest trading venue in Linwan City." Looking at the magnificent and majestic gate of Qianbao Pavilion, Xu Yang sighed in his heart.

  As soon as he stepped inside the gate, the guarding warrior, who had a cultivation level of Xuan Shi, saw that Xu Yang's clothes were somewhat tattered and his eyes flashed with surprise, but he did not stop him.

  In the Qianbao Pavilion, as a guardian, their vision is broader than that of ordinary people, and they know not to judge by appearance. There are many masters who do not dress up, and someone who looks like a beggar in tattered clothes may also have precious treasures on them.

  After entering the door, it is a spacious large hall with more than a dozen rows of shelves, all of which are made of glass to block the view without obstructing customers from viewing the goods.

  In the innermost position, there are four small doors, which is the inner cabinet, used to receive major customers.

  In the hall, many people were watching the goods. Four peak guards of Xuan Shi stood at the four corners of the hall, maintaining order and ensuring the safety of the goods.

  Xu Yang walked directly to the shelf marked "medicinal materials" and began to search for the whereabouts of "Chì Qiú Gēn".

  "Ghost face flower, agglutinated leaf, withered green spirit vine......" Xu Yang looked at them one by one, and most of what he saw were first-class spiritual herbs, and there were even a few second-class spiritual herbs.

  Chi Huo Gen is not a rare spiritual medicine, and Xun Yang found it quickly. From its appearance, it looks like a small section of reddish-brown tree root, and if there wasn't a label on it, many people wouldn't be able to tell that it's a high-quality spiritual medicine.

  Xu Yang shook the bell beside him, and soon a woman with a gentle demeanor walked over. Before she arrived, her voice was heard: "Young master, is there anything I can help you with?"

  The service of Qianbao Pavilion is indeed breathtaking, and the reputation of Linwan City's First Exchange is well-deserved. The woman in front of me, with her stunning appearance and pleasant temperament, is truly a delight to behold.

  "I'll buy this one..." Xǔ Yáng said calmly, his finger just pointing at the Red Aconitum root, when he heard a disdainful voice coming from behind him.

  "Hey, isn't that my good-for-nothing brother? How embarrassing to lose face all the way to Qianbao Pavilion! Do you know what kind of place this is? Even if you sold your broken-down house, it wouldn't be enough to buy a single treasure here!"

  A somewhat familiar voice came from behind, and Xunyang turned around to see two young boys, about fifteen or sixteen years old. The one on the left was tall and had a slightly yellowish complexion; the one on the right was slender and had a pale face. Both of them were wearing the uniform color of the Xun family, with a small seven-colored badge on their left chest.

  The seven-colored badge is the family crest of the Xu family.

  Xu Yang recognized these two men, the tall one was called Xu Zheng Tu, and the thin and pale one was named Xu Zheng Fei.

  Before moving out of the Xie family's main house, Xu Zhengtu and Xu Zhengfei repeatedly bullied the original Xu Yang. Many hidden wounds on this body were inflicted by these two "brothers" at the time of crossing over.

  "What's the strength of a Xuantu peak? Less than a Xuan Master, in my eyes they're all just chickens and dogs, not worth a laugh." Xu Yang didn't say anything, he had already seen through the two brothers' strength, gave them a cold glance, then turned to face the Qianbao Pavilion woman: "I want to buy this 'Chi Jiao Gen'."

  Xu Zhengtu and Xu Zhengfei were furious in their hearts, how dare this waste ignore the two of them? The two simultaneously felt an incredible feeling in their hearts. In the past, when Xu Yang saw them, he was always trembling with fear, but now he seemed calm and composed.

  "Young master has a good eye for this, the Red Qiu's root is over a hundred years old and has excellent medicinal properties, it's a rare and precious tonic," said the elegant woman with a gentle smile, delicate but not coquettish, "it can be yours for just twenty-five Silver Wolf coins."

  Xu Yang nodded, twenty-five silver wolf coins, compared to the normal price, it's a bit more, but Qianbao Pavilion has to make a profit after all, and it's not too outrageous. He hadn't spoken yet, when the two flies behind him started buzzing again.

  "Hold on," said Bai Xi, taking two steps forward and squeezing in between Xu Yang and the heavily made-up woman. With an unkind gaze, he first scanned the woman's prominent breasts several times before smiling and saying, "This sister doesn't know, this Xu Yang is indeed a disciple of my Xu family, but his behavior is not good, he has already been expelled from the Xu family, and hasn't even received a monthly allowance. Where would he get the money to buy spiritual medicine? Don't be cheated by him, sister."

  The woman in charge frowned, and the licentious gaze of Xu Zhengfei made her somewhat uncomfortable. However, as a salesperson at Qianbao Pavilion, she could only tolerate this kind of lustful look: "Thank you for reminding me, but since Qianbao Pavilion is open for business, we don't care about the identity of our customers. As long as the transaction is fair, everyone is our guest." After speaking, her gaze fell on Xu Yang again.

  Xu Zhengfei smiled complacently and turned to look at Xu Yang: "You're really generous, 25 Wolf Coins, you won't be able to save up for a year even if you don't eat or drink."

  Xu Yang lazily ignored the noisy guy, took out a money bag from his bosom, and placed twenty-five Qīng Láng coins on the counter in a row: "Wrap up this Red Ape Root."

  Xu Zhengfei's eyes were wide with incredulity, his face full of shocked expression. From start to finish, Xu Yang didn't say a word to him, as if he thought Xu Zhengfei was just a clown, not worth getting angry about.

  The woman's face lit up with a smile as she took out a sandalwood box and placed the red agate root inside.

  "Hold on!" Xǔ Zhèng Fēi's chest was filled with uncontrollable anger, "This Red Qiu Root, I want it, I'll give 30 Cyan Wolf Coins."

  After finishing speaking, Xu Zhengfei looked at Xu Yang with a provocative expression and sneered: "Trash is trash, dare to fight me? If this weren't the Thousand Treasures Pavilion's territory, you'd be lying down already!"

  Xu Yang was unmoved, and verbal debates were pale and powerless; only fists were true.

  The attendant girl looked embarrassed and said softly, "Young master, don't be difficult. This Mr. Xu Yang arrived first, so naturally he should go first. The Qianbao Pavilion can't break its rules."