Hearing Xiao Yan’s words, Yaphira, who was behind him, also stopped struggling. Her gaze fixed on the elderly man who had been playing with the teacup, and as she recalled the purple-gold card from before, she gradually calmed down. On the opposite side, after Xiao Yan spoke, Lei Ou turned his gaze towards Hai Bo Dong. Seeing his indifferent expression, Lei Ou’s pupils shrank slightly, and he felt a bit uneasy. He said in a low voice, “Who is Your Excellency?”
Shaking his head slowly, Hai Bo Dong raised his head, his gaze as cold as an ice of a thousand years. Glancing at Lei Ou indifferently, he then lowered his eyes to the iced-over teacup. After a moment of silence, he said, “Mietel Tengshan, is that good-for-nothing still alive?”
The calm voice was like a thunderbolt, startling everyone except Xiao Yan and Yaphira. Their ears were ringing, and they were left dazed like wooden stakes. “Oh my God, he… he actually spoke to the Great Elder like that? The Great Elder is one of the top ten strongest in the Jia Ma Empire. Xiao Yan, what is this old man’s identity?”
With her small, rosy mouth slightly open, Yaphira stared dumbly at Hai Bo Dong sitting in the chair. The Great Elder, who was regarded as a god in the family, was now referred to as a good-for-nothing by him. If these words were to spread within the Mietel family, it would surely cause a violent outburst.
Lei Ou and Leile, who were beside him, were also stunned by Hai Bo Dong’s words. Their mouths twitched slightly, clearly shaken by the impact of his statement.
“Gu…” After a long pause, Lei Ou finally regained his composure, involuntarily swallowing a mouthful of saliva. His gaze, filled with a mix of surprise and suspicion, fixed on Hai Bo Dong. “Your Excellency…”
“You are not qualified to address me as such,” Hai Bo Dong replied, gently blowing on the iced-over teacup without lifting his eyes, his tone still as indifferent.
These rather harsh words made Lei Ou freeze for a moment, followed by a wave of iron-blue color spreading across his face. Since becoming an elder, no one had ever spoken to him in such a manner.
“Within ten minutes, the medicinal herbs that the girl requested earlier must be in front of me. Otherwise, I don’t mind having the Mietel family lose one of its elders.” Hai Bo Dong ignored Lei Ou’s iron-blue face, his tone remaining as cold as ever. He did not give the other party any face.
“You… You are being too arrogant! Do you know who my grandfather is?” Seeing Lei Ou scolded in such a manner, Leile, who had never seen anyone dare to speak to his grandfather like this, his pale face flushed with anger. The anger overcame the shock caused by Hai Bo Dong’s words. He could not help but speak out with a sneer.
Just as Leile’s words fell, a sneer appeared on Xiao Yan’s face. In a low voice, he said, “You are courting death…”
The teacup in his hand gradually stilled, and Hai Bo Dong lifted his head, his icy gaze making Leile’s face turn deathly pale instantly. Under everyone’s gaze, just as he was about to speak again, he suddenly noticed that Hai Bo Dong’s body was trembling slightly.
“Be careful!” As Hai Bo Dong’s body trembled, Lei Ou’s pupils shrank, and he shouted sternly. He quickly moved to block in front of Leile, his Dou Qi surging wildly. The powerful Dou Qi surged out, enveloping his body.
Just as Lei Ou summoned his Dou Qi, a white figure appeared in front of him, moving so fast that Lei Ou’s pupils shrank. The figure stood, and a light, almost weightless palm, containing a bone-chilling force, struck Lei Ou’s chest, where his Dou Qi was surging.
“Pfft!” The seemingly casual strike made Lei Ou’s face turn deathly pale instantly. A mouthful of blood spurted out and, in mid-air, it froze into a line of red ice, landing with a crisp sound. The powerful force sent Lei Ou flying backward. Instantly, he and Leile crashed heavily against the wall, both of them groaning in pain.
The several guards following Lei Ou, who were watching him be severely injured in one move, trembled in fear, their hands holding their weapons shaking, forgetting their duty to protect their master.
“Grandfather! Are you alright?” Because of Lei Ou’s protection, Leile was not seriously injured. Struggling to stand up, he saw that Lei Ou’s face was even paler than his own and called out anxiously.
“Dou…Battle Emperor?”
The coldness inside his body made Lei Ou’s hair form a thin layer of ice. His lips quivered, and he stared at Hai Bo Dong in shock and terror. Only a Battle Emperor could injure him without him even seeing the attacker.
Hearing those words, Leile’s whole body shuddered violently, and he looked at Hai Bo Dong with fear. He had never imagined that this unremarkable old man was actually a Battle Emperor.
“Ten minutes have already started. I will not take back what I said. If the medicinal herbs are not in front of me in ten minutes, even if Mietel Tengshan comes, you will still die today!”
Hai Bo Dong looked indifferently at the two and spoke slowly.
“Quickly, quickly go and get the medicinal herbs!” Hearing this, Lei Ou’s face showed a hint of fear, and he hastily roared at Leile beside him.
“Yes, yes…”
Equally frightened, Leile hurriedly stood up and scrambled out of the room.
Seeing Lei Ou, who had become extremely obedient in an instant, Yaphira smiled bitterly and shook her head. This old man was really a… stubborn person…
*Sigh*… A Battle Emperor… Oh my, Xiao Yan, to know such a super-strong person, no wonder he dared to come to the capital…
Yaphira sighed inwardly and looked at the strong figure in front of her, feeling more and more that this guy was becoming increasingly unfathomable.
Standing up from the chair, Yaphira respectfully looked at Hai Bo Dong and asked timidly, “Does the old gentleman know our Great Elder?”
“That useless fellow, is he still alive?”
Hai Bo Dong sat back in the chair leisurely, spewing out another powerful statement that made Lei Ou, who was lying on the ground, twitch.
Hai Bo Dong’s words made Yaphira feel a bit awkward. She said in a low voice, “The Great Elder is fine. May I ask the old gentleman’s name?”
“Tell that useless fellow when you see him that I, Hai Bo Dong, am still alive. He will understand.”
Hai Bo Dong replied calmly.
“Yes.”
Hearing this, Yaphira had to nod respectfully, her hands twisting nervously, seeming a bit at a loss. Suddenly, her eyes glanced at the purple-gold card on the table, and she hurriedly picked it up, intending to return it. According to the rules of the auction house, a Battle Emperor should enjoy a very generous treatment.
“Don’t return it. He won’t take it back.”
Watching Yaphira’s actions, Xiao Yan smiled and turned to Hai Bo Dong, saying, “Right, Old Hai?”
“You, this little girl isn’t your lover. Why do you want to save money for her?”
Hai Bo Dong said helplessly, pursing his lips.
Hai Bo Dong’s words made Yaphira’s face flush slightly. Holding the purple-gold card, she hesitated for a moment and had to call a servant girl, instructing her to withdraw the money from the card. However, before she left, she specifically told her to halve the price.
“Hehe, this little girl is quite good at handling things…”
Although Yaphira’s voice was very soft, Hai Bo Dong still heard it and smiled, nodding appreciatively.
Xiao Yan smiled and turned to look at Yaphira, who had a delicate face. He suddenly asked, “By the way, can you help me check if there’s anything in the auction house that can restore soul power?”
“Restore soul power?”
Yaphira was taken aback and then frowned, “That would be a very rare item… I’ll check.”
She turned and disappeared behind a bookshelf, then emerged a moment later with a thick book. After carefully flipping through it, she shook her head regretfully, “I’m sorry, items that can restore soul power are too rare. I checked our auction house’s inventory for the past year, and we haven’t collected such a treasure…”
A look of disappointment flashed across Xiao Yan’s face, and he nodded, sitting back in his chair with a somewhat dejected expression.
Seeing Xiao Yan’s disappointed look, Yaphira shook her head helplessly, feeling powerless to help.
As time slowly passed, just as the ten minutes were about to expire, Leile’s panicked figure rushed in, crawling and placing several jade boxes carefully on the table. He said, his voice trembling, “Sir, the medicinal herbs you need are all here, undamaged…”
Looking at the jade boxes, a pleased look crossed Hai Bo Dong’s face. He carefully opened them and handed them to Xiao Yan with a smile, saying eagerly, “Check them, see if they are the ones you need?”
Taking the jade boxes, Xiao Yan examined them closely. Under the watchful and fearful gazes of Lei Ou and Leile, he nodded slightly, “Yes, no problem. The medicinal herbs are well-preserved, and the years are sufficient.”
“Good…”
Hearing Xiao Yan’s confirmation, Hai Bo Dong let out a long sigh of relief and turned to Lei Ou, saying coldly, “Get out. Also… I like this girl. Go tell that useless Mietel Tengshan to remove the first character of the interim inspector’s title…”
Hearing this, Lei Ou’s mouth twitched, and he hurriedly nodded, then supported Leile and staggered out.
“Now that we have the items, let’s go?” Putting away the jade boxes, Hai Bo Dong smiled.
Xiao Yan nodded slightly and was about to say goodbye to Yaphira when a servant girl rushed in, saying respectfully to Yaphira, “Miss Yaphira, Miss Nalan wants to see you…”
“Nalan? Nalan Yanran?”
These two words, which were almost taboo in Xiao Yan’s mind, made him pause, and then his face darkened instantly.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage