âPop!â The drumming and the proliferation of the five-colored waves came hand in hand.
Next, the conch loosened up and the rock fell onto Li Qiyeâs palm. He then casually tossed the conch over to Yang Ling while he focused on the rock.
âYoung Master?â The perplexed girl stared at the conch.
âThis is what I wanted to buy.â Li Qiye smiled and put the rock away.
âYou didnât want to buy this conch?â She didnât expect this answer and wanted to take a better look at the rock. Unfortunately, he has already put it away.
âSo what is it?â Curiosity got the best of her so she asked. She thought that the rock was only a place for the conch to rest, nothing more.
Now, it became obvious that he offered a sky-high price for the rock, not the conch. What was so special about the thing to warrant the price?
In fact, the manager and the ancestor felt the same way. They thought that Li Qiye was buying a wooden box and returning the pearls inside. [1]
In reality, the rockâs value far exceeded the conch.
The two exchanged glances. This conch was found by them deep in the ocean. It was already sucking the rock at that point.
They simply focused on the conchâs value and didnât pay attention to the rock. Plus, what was there to look at? Now, Li Qiye made them regret not paying closer attention to the rock. Alas, it was too late since they had gifted it to him.
âYoung, Young Master, what should I do with this?â Yang Ling asked, confused.
âAs you please.â Li Qiye said: âBoiling is fine, the same with broiling. Just need a good cook to make it a fine meal.â
â...â Yang Ling became startled. How could she eat something that cost 1,000,000 Grand Heavenly Sovereign Stones?
âI mustnâtâ¦â Her first reaction was refusal. Eating a treasure like this was too wasteful, akin to burning zithers and cooking cranes.
âThen you can do whatever you want.â Li Qiye smiled and shrugged.
âAre you giving it to me?â She was both happy and afraid due to the value of the conch.
Li Qiye nodded, not making a big deal out of it.
âIâll take care of it then.â Yang Ling happily said: âMaybe one day, itâll become our clanâs guardian deity.â
âItâs not that easy.â Li Qiye smiled and shook his head: âIt requires years and years of accumulation to become a guardian deity. Itâs not an overnight thing.â
âThatâs okay, Iâll take good care of it.â Yang Ling didnât think that far ahead and was more than content with this extravagant gift. Just having this conch was already amazing enough for her. She gladly put the conch away.
âYoung Master, about our matterâ¦â The Xiong Ancestor spoke next.
âYou may speak after showing plenty of courtesy.â Li Qiye glanced at him.
âYoung Master, do you think that we can still pull up that place?â He took a deep breath and no longer cared about the rock.
âYes, nothing is impossible with the right method.â Li Qiye responded.
âThank you, Young Master.â The emotional ancestor got on his knees, nearly performing a full kowtow.
âDonât be so quick, thereâs no free lunch in this world.â Li Qiye shook his head.
âThis lowly one understands.â The ancestor took a deep breath and solemnly said: âWe have an item that might pique your interest.â
âThat depends on the item, weâll see if I want it.â Li Qiye said.
The ancestor knew that Li Qiye wasnât putting up an act. Only a truly valuable item would be able to tempt him.
However, whatâs valuable to the world might not be to Li Qiye. It was a completely different concept.
âWe got this item from the deep sea.â The ancestor paused for a bit before adding: âDuring the great calamity.â
âThe calamity?â Li Qiyeâs eyes shifted slightly.
The ancestor knew that he had a chance after seeing Li Qiyeâs reaction. He nodded and said: âRight, our ancestors found this deep in the sea after the calamity, I donât know the exact time.â
He paused for a moment before continuing: âBack then, the worlds shattered along with the myriad laws. Our ancestors came across this thing by accident. They saw wondrous immortal lights before they got close. It was as if an immortal had descended, truly a fascinating sceneâ¦â
âItâs that amazing? This is an immortal item?â Yang Ling was skeptical and thought that the old man was exaggerating.
âI donât know because Iâve never seen its true form. Itâs sealed.â The ancestor said: âWe spent all of our resources to get it. The group consisted of more than a hundred experts. Five Heavenly Sovereigns died.â
âFive sovereigns died? What?!â Yang Ling was shocked. Just how powerful was this clan?
âOur clan was renowned back then.â The ancestor said with pride.
That point was their golden era, becoming one of the strongest clans in the nine worlds.
Pride turned into sadness. After this event, their clan started declining, no longer as prestigious as before. This was why they needed to open an aquatic store.
âLetâs take a look.â Li Qiye wasnât interested in the clanâs glorious history.
âGot it.â The old man immediately ordered the manager. The latter hurriedly left.
A bit after, eight more ancestors walked in while carrying a treasure chest. They all had a serious expression. They were extremely powerful but this chest still gave the impression of being quite heavy.
âSo serious?â Yang Ling saw eight ancestors carrying one trunk.
âWeâre not trying to be mysterious. This item has always been in a sealed state, the old ancestors said to not open it and we listened. We added another seal in order to prevent unnecessary trouble.â The first ancestor smiled wryly.
Yang Ling realized how important this item was to their clan now. However, they still wanted to make a deal with Li Qiye? This meant that they truly needed Li Qiyeâs assistance.
1. Idiom - to show poor judgment