37: Chapter 37 Aftermath

Ning Family, Soul Lamp Hall.

This was a dim chamber that never saw the sunlight all year round. Its four walls were cast from refined iron, leaving only a narrow door for entry and exit.

Dozens of recesses were carved into the stone wall directly opposite the door, with a soul lamp placed in each recess.

The lamp fire used a Cultivator's vital blood as a catalyst and a wisp of a Divine Soul to nourish it. If the person lived, the lamp would shine; if the person died, the lamp would go out.

At this moment, a soul lamp near the top suddenly went out after flickering for a few breaths.

The hall-guarding Elder abruptly opened his half-closed, turbid eyes, his gaze filled with horror.

Lotus Pier, side hall of the Council Hall.

Wang Yaowen sat behind the desk, opened the Storage Pouch in his hand, and took out the Medicinal Pill, spirit materials, and Magical Artifacts one by one.

The more he looked, the more puzzled he became. Finally, he couldn't help but glance up at Wang Shouren, then dropped his gaze back onto the pile of things, clicking his tongue in amazement.

"You brat, did you really only spend four thousand Spirit Stones?"

"Three thousand nine hundred Spirit Stones." Wang Shouren stood before the desk with a calm expression. "One hundred of that was spent on a few bottles of qi gathering pills. What was actually spent at the auction was no more than three thousand eight hundred Spirit Stones."

"Three thousand eight hundred Spirit Stones, and you auctioned back three bottles of Qingyuan Pills, five catties of profound iron essence, and so many spirit materials..."

Wang Yaowen shook his head, put the barrier-breaking pill in his hand back down, and said, "Your Second Uncle has been bidding on things at Wanbao Pavilion for so many years, yet I've never picked up such a huge bargain."

He glanced at Wang Shouren, his gaze carrying a hint of scrutiny and inquiry: "Tell me the truth, what method did you actually use?"

Wang Shouren smiled slightly and did not hide it, briefly recounting how he used the Ning Family's reputation at the auction to back up Zhiyao, and how Zhiyao gave him a VIP jade token and let him choose any auction item as a gift.

The matter of the hanshui earth fiend was naturally omitted, mentioning only that he picked what he needed.

Wang Yaowen was stunned for a moment after hearing this, then threw his head back and laughed heartily. The laughter echoed in the side hall for quite a while before stopping.

He patted Wang Shouren on the shoulder, his eyes filled with praise.

"Good! Borrowing strength to strike, exchanging Face for tangible benefits, that brat from the Ning Family was really scammed miserably by you. Buying a pile of things for four hundred Spirit Stones and even earning a favor, this business deal is better done than your Second Uncle's."

After laughing, he straightened his expression and lowered his voice to say.

"However, you must keep an eye on the Ning Family side. Ning Xishan had his Face broken publicly by you at the auction. Given the Ning Family members' narrow-mindedness, they will never let this matter rest."

"Rest assured, Second Uncle, this nephew understands."

Wang Shouren cupped his fists and said, "There is one more matter to report to Second Uncle. This nephew plans to go into seclusion for a period of time next, and I'm afraid I won't be able to participate in clan affairs for the time being."

Wang Yaowen waved his hand: "Go ahead. Sixth Uncle has already given instructions regarding that side. Your most urgent task right now is to achieve a Breakthrough in your cultivation. As for the clan's combination formation drills and Body Cultivator selection, your father and I will handle them, so you don't need to worry."

Lotus Pier, Treasury.

Wang Shouren passed his identity jade token through the window. The treasury Elder took it, checked it against the ledger, raised his head, and his wrinkles were filled with surprise: "Shouren, you have one thousand merit points in your account. Are you really going to exchange all of them?"

"Exchange all of them." Wang Shouren handed in a Storage Pouch filled with Spirit Stones together with it.

"Add another two thousand Spirit Stones to exchange for five bottles of qi gathering pills, two bottles of qingling pills, ten bottles of body forging pills, plus these body forging medicinal herbs on the list. Sorry to trouble Elder to count them."

The treasury Elder took the list, glanced at it, and sucked in a breath of cold air: "So many body forging pills and herbs? Shouren, are you planning to do Body Refining?"

"Yes." Wang Shouren did not explain much.

The treasury Elder didn't ask any more questions and turned to walk into the depths of the treasury.

About half an hour later, he neatly arranged several porcelain bottles and a pile of herbs wrapped in oil paper on the counter, and took out a jade token for Wang Shouren to confirm.

Wang Shouren put the items into the Storage Pouch one by one, cupped his fists to express his thanks, and turned to leave.

Exiting the treasury, he stood under the pine tree by the mountain path, and his Divine Sense probed into the Storage Pouch to quickly tally everything once.

Five bottles of qi gathering pills, two bottles of qingling pills, ten bottles of body forging pills, plus a large amount of medicinal herbs sufficient to be used in conjunction with Body Refining.

Coupled with the hanshui earth fiend brought back from Wanbao Pavilion earlier, as well as those two barrier-breaking pills that had never been used.

He compared the required resources with what he had on hand in his mind, and after confirming that nothing was missing, he slowly let out a breath.

"With this, it should be enough."

Lotus Pier back courtyard, small courtyard.

Wang Qingcheng was squatting in the courtyard teasing Xiaotian.

The black dog was pressed onto the ground by her, its belly being rubbed back and forth. Its tail wagged listlessly. Seeing Wang Shouren enter the door, it immediately broke free from Wang Qingcheng's hands, wagged its tail, and pounced forward, placing its two front paws on his waist with its tongue hanging far out.

"Brother!" Wang Qingcheng jumped up, trotted forward to greet him with bright, sparkling eyes, "Did you bring me any good things?"

Wang Shouren took out two cyan porcelain bottles from his sleeve, squatted down, and handed them to her.

Wang Qingcheng snatched them up, brought them close to her eyes to take a look, and her little Face instantly bloomed with joy: "qi gathering pills! Two bottles! Brother, did you make a fortune?"

"Eat them sparingly; Cultivation cannot rely solely on Medicinal Pills."

Wang Shouren reached out and rubbed her fluffy head, his tone unusually softened by a few fractions.

"Older Brother is going to go into seclusion for a while next. You must Cultivate properly at home and are not allowed to be lazy. When I come out of seclusion, I will check your progress."

"Got it, got it! I am already at the fourth layer of Qi Refining now."

Wang Qingcheng hugged the Medicinal Pill bottles and bounced in place twice, then leaned in, stood on tiptoes, and left a greasy kiss print on her older brother's cheek with a smack.

Xiaotian tilted its head to watch this scene from the side, wagged its tail, and also came over to lick a pantleg full of drool on Wang Shouren.

Mother Wang, Chen Yirou, lifted the curtain and came out from the house. Seeing the brother and sister making a ruckus together, smiles rippled in her eyes, but she chided them verbally.

"Rener, you shouldn't spoil her so much. You gave her a bottle last time, and now you're bringing two more."

Wang Shouren straightened up and smiled: "It's fine. Medicinal Pills are meant for Cultivation, not sugar beans. Qingcheng knows her limits."

Wang Qingcheng made a Face of dissatisfaction at her mother, clutched the Medicinal Pill bottles, and scurried back to her small cabin in a flash.

Night fell, study.

The candlelight flickered, casting the shadows of the father and son onto the wall, one long and one short.

Wang Yaozu sat behind the desk, listening as Wang Shouren recounted today's events from beginning to end.

From the conflict at the entrance of Wanbao Pavilion, to the bidding with Ning Xishan at the auction, to Zhiyao presenting the hanshui earth fiend, and then to being hunted down by Ning Xishan and Elder Yin after leaving the city, as well as the deaths of the two in the end.

He spoke very slowly, and every sentence had been carefully weighed.

He did not mention the matter of Elder Yin Cultivating evil arts, nor did he mention the matter of the black lotus's backlash. He only said that although Elder Yin's cultivation was high, he managed to catch a flaw and luckily killed him with thunder magic.

Wang Yaozu did not interrupt him from beginning to end.

When he finished speaking, the study remained quiet for a long time.