"Disciple Feng Yan pays respects to Deputy Sect Master Shi. This disciple is terrified and has come above his station to seek an audience. I humbly beg the Deputy Sect Master's pardon for this breach of protocol." The moment Feng Yan entered, he threw himself to the ground in a terrified prostration, lowering himself as much as possible.
He knew that Deputy Sect Master Shi had a notoriously eccentric temperament and was famously difficult to get along with. He'd taken a huge risk just coming here. If he managed to offend this reclusive Deputy Sect Master, the consequences could be dire.
"Cut the crap—I don't buy that act." Shi Xiaoyao flicked his sleeve and flipped Feng Yan's body upright with the force of it. "Stand up straight and tell me—what's this about the Wish Tower? If you dare try to fool me, heh heh—believe it or not, I'll skin you alive and pull out your tendons right here and now!"
This was no idle threat. Offending the Deputy Sect Master was an unforgivable crime—he could be killed for it and have nowhere to seek justice.
Feng Yan held a lowly position in the Duobao Dojo and had no patron to speak of. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been peddling goods in the trading district—that kind of face-losing work was beneath most disciples who valued their standing.
It was precisely because Feng Yan had no status and no connections that he'd always been inclined toward risk-taking, believing that fortune favored the bold.
His approach to Jiang Chen had been driven by the same logic—he hoped to leverage that connection into a better future.
Now that Shi Xiaoyao had put things so bluntly, Feng Yan realized there was no turning back. He had to go all in.
Mustering his courage, he said, "Reporting to the Lord Deputy Sect Master—during a trading gathering at the Qianlan Southern Palace, this disciple made the acquaintance of a remarkable individual. He gave me a list and asked me to pass it on to you, the Deputy Sect Master. He said that if you were unwilling to meet, I should mention the Wish Tower. Having accepted his request, I originally thought the whole affair sounded absurd. But the man casually produced a single Blue Sea Pill of supreme grade, which made me take it very seriously."
"A supreme-grade Blue Sea Pill?" Even Shi Xiaoyao was visibly surprised. "Does our Tiangui Kingdom actually have something like that?"
"This disciple has limited experience—it was my first time seeing one. But it was genuinely a supreme-grade Blue Sea Pill. It can instantly restore seventy percent of one's True Qi."
Shi Xiaoyao waved dismissively. "That's not a matter of limited experience. I've lived most of my life and traveled to countless places, yet even I've never seen a pill that restores seventy percent of True Qi in the recovery-and-gathering category. Still, no matter how good the Blue Sea Pill is, it's only useful within the True Qi Realm. Once you reach the Spirit Realm, it becomes nothing but a chicken rib—tasteless to keep, wasteful to throw away."
"The Lord Deputy Sect Master speaks wisely." Feng Yan had no choice but to play along with Shi Xiaoyao's mood.
"Where's this list you're talking about?" Shi Xiaoyao said, his interest already flagging. Over the years he had journeyed to countless places and never once had another sip of Nine Hua Jade Dew Wine. He didn't believe that some random person Feng Yan had happened to meet could actually fulfill his deepest wish.
Feng Yan carefully produced the list and presented it with both hands in a gesture of utmost respect.
Shi Xiaoyao took it casually and glanced at it—and in an instant, his eyebrows shot up.
As he continued reading, Shi Xiaoyao's brow furrowed deeper and deeper until it creased into a tight furrow. Halfway through, he sprang to his feet and seized Feng Yan by the throat.
"Tell me—where is that person? Where is he? Speak quickly!"
This sudden outburst terrified Feng Yan, who thought Shi Xiaoyao was about to kill him. But when he saw Shi Xiaoyao's eyes blazing with urgency, practically spitting with eagerness to learn Jiang Chen's whereabouts, he vaguely realized that this list might truly be extraordinary.
Shi Xiaoyao seemed to recognize that his own explosive reaction had frightened Feng Yan, so he awkwardly released his grip and muttered, "Don't be such a coward, alright? If I wanted to kill you, a flick of my finger would do. Not bad, not bad—you're Feng Yan, right? You've done well this time. I'll see to it that you're made a Steward."
Those words hit Feng Yan like a bolt of lightning, leaving him standing there dumbstruck. Just moments ago, when the Deputy Sect Master had suddenly leaped to his feet, he'd thought he was finished. He never expected the next words out of his mouth would be a promotion to Steward.
The wild swings of life—how had everything changed so quickly?
For an ordinary disciple to be suddenly promised a Steward's position was more than a three-rank promotion. It was like a carp leaping over the dragon gate.
"What's the matter? Did you get scared stupid, or happy stupid?" Shi Xiaoyao raised his meaty palm, ready to slap some sense into him.
Feng Yan snapped out of his daze and blurted, "He—he was arrested by the Dragon Tooth Guard."
"What?!" Shi Xiaoyao kicked a chair aside. "Who did that? What bastard has the nerve to do something like that? Didn't you tell them this person is connected to me?"
"I—this disciple didn't dare. What if he turned out to be a reckless fraud? That would have damaged your reputation, Lord Deputy Sect Master." Feng Yan was kicking himself now—why hadn't he been more resolute at the time? Why hadn't he spoken up for Jiang Chen on the spot?
Shi Xiaoyao stamped his feet and cursed at the top of his lungs: "Useless! Worthless! Get going now—roll yourself over to the Dragon Tooth Guard immediately and tell them to release that person at once, right now, without a second's delay!"
The Deputy Sect Master of the Duobao Dojo was one of the most important figures in the Tiangui Kingdom. In the Royal Capital especially, a single word from Shi Xiaoyao could shake the city to its foundations. Even the Grand Steward of the Dragon Tooth Guard would have to show him a measure of respect.
After all, the Dragon Tooth Guard served only the royal family, while the Duobao Dojo operated on behalf of the Treasure Tree Sect. The Tiangui Kingdom was indeed powerful, but it existed solely under the protection of the Treasure Tree Sect. Without that patronage, what right would the Tiangui Kingdom have to claim a top position among the Sixteen Surrounding Kingdoms?
Armed with Shi Xiaoyao's command, Feng Yan now had a much stronger backbone. He knew this was a golden opportunity—if he handled this well, the Steward position might actually become a reality.
"This disciple will go at once and deliver your words."
"Then hurry up and get moving!"
Though he'd been scolded like a grandson, Feng Yan's heart was sweeter than honey. He knew that after so many long years of grinding away, he'd finally caught a glimmer of his chance.