Chapter 138: The Clever Deduction of the Dong Family's Pearl

Several months later.

Dayong, Thousand Leaf City.

The towering edifice of Precious Heaven Pavilion bustled with activity, its entrance as crowded as a marketplace. Cultivators came and went in endless streams, spiritual glows of every color flickering without pause. Inside, tall shelves stood neatly arranged into categories—medicinal pills, monster beast materials, magical artifacts, ancient treasures, and rare spirit herbs—stretching as far as the eye could see.

Many items that were exceedingly rare across the Lingchuan Continent or the Heavenly Abyss Sea were treated as nothing more than ordinary merchandise here.

At a side counter, a stout, vigorous man stood hunched over, speaking with utmost care to the rather young-looking man in blue robes before him.

"Hm? Senior, you wish to see the Pavilion Master of our branch?"

He possessed only Foundation Establishment cultivation and could not see through the depths of the youth before him, but intuition warned him this person was anything but ordinary. To demand an audience with the Pavilion Master right from the start—an esteemed expert at the Middle Nascent Soul Stage—meant this young man had to be at least at the same level.

Not daring to show the slightest neglect, he lowered his tone to a whisper.

"Well... Senior, if you are looking for Pavilion Master Dong, this humble one truly isn't certain. After all, the whereabouts of a figure like the Pavilion Master aren't something a mere Foundation Establishment disciple like me could ever know. However..."

He stole a glance at the youth's expression. Seeing him remain unmoved, he quietly breathed a sigh of relief. This senior before him seemed reasonably approachable. Dropping his voice even further, as though terrified of being overheard, he continued.

"However, there is someone in the pavilion who might know. She is a Golden Core elder of our branch, and also a member of the Dong Family..."

"The Dong Family."

Jiuyou's thoughts stirred slightly as he committed the name to memory. Just as he was about to press further, his divine sense caught something. Tilting his head slightly, he looked toward the upper level of the pavilion.

Down the spiral wooden staircase, a graceful silhouette slowly descended.

It was an exceptionally beautiful young woman clad in a sheer purple gauze gown, with picturesque features and a slender, fetching figure.

Her steps were light and unhurried. Her spiritual energy remained restrained yet profoundly pure, carrying a natural air of cool, otherworldly elegance in every movement. With ice-like skin and jade-like bones, she stood tall and graceful.

Merely standing there, she had already drawn the gazes of half the male cultivators in the grand hall.

"Look! It's Fairy Bingyi of the Dong Family!"

Someone gasped in a hushed whisper.

"I've long heard tales of Fairy Dong's breathtaking beauty. Seeing her in person... this is simply..."

"What in the world are you dreaming about, Brother? She is Pavilion Master Dong's precious daughter, the cherished pearl of the entire Dong Family! Who knows how many chosen prodigies across our Dayong Empire dream of winning her heart? You? Hah!"

"I heard Fairy Bingyi is barely over a hundred and fifty years old, yet she's already a Late Golden Core cultivator—the most brilliant prodigy within tens of thousands of miles of Thousand Leaf City. She might even form her Nascent Soul in her two hundreds!"

Whispers rose and fell as gazes converged like a rising tide.

Dong Bingyi seemed entirely oblivious to it all. Keeping her eyes fixed forward, she walked straight toward the counter. Her gaze swept casually over the stout man before coming to a slight pause upon the blue-robed youth standing before him.

She could not see through his cultivation.

Dong Bingyi's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly, though it smoothed out just as swiftly. Stepping up to the counter, she spoke in a cool voice, neither humble nor arrogant.

"Fellow Daoist, do you have business with my father?"

Jiuyou lifted his eyes and glanced at her.

Just a single glance.

His gaze was flat and devoid of ripples, no different from looking at an everyday object. There was no marvel, no scrutiny, and not even an extra moment of lingering.

In that solitary glance, he saw right through her: an unstable foundation, clogged meridians—most likely a pill-padded cultivator.

He let out a cold grunt.

When he spoke, his voice was just as flat.

"Where is your father?"

His tone was entirely casual, as if he were asking about an utter nobody.

The composed grace on Dong Bingyi's face faltered slightly. Having grown up doted on by everyone around her, whether cultivator or mortal, who had ever failed to stare at her a little longer upon meeting her? Yet this person before her had not even bothered to look her in the eye properly, addressing her in such an offhand tone as if she were merely a maid running errands.

Such a stark contrast stirred a faint irritation in her heart, yet she kept her expression composed, maintaining an impeccably polite smile.

"My father is away and has not yet returned. If Fellow Daoist has a matter to discuss, you may leave your name, and when he returns..."

"No need."

Jiuyou cut her off.

"I shall wait for him here."

Turning away, he strode toward a seating area in the pavilion with calm steps, looking as if the place belonged to him. Dong Bingyi remained where she stood, watching the blue-robed silhouette, her fingers tightening faintly.

Never in her life had she been ignored like this.

In the distance.

Seeing their goddess treated so dismissively by that blue-robed youth, the male cultivators burned with indignation, yet not one dared to step forward. After all, nobody could gauge the depths of his cultivation—who would be foolish enough to stick their neck out?

The female cultivators, on the other hand, kept neutral faces while secretly sneering. Dong Bingyi's beauty and talent usually overshadowed them to the point where they could barely hold their heads high. Now that she had run into a wall, how could they hold back their delight? Small smirks curled at the corners of their lips, their eyes gleaming with schadenfreude.

Dong Bingyi stood in place, her face still cool as frost, though she had already weighed that blue-robed silhouette in her mind over and over.

While she could not see through his depth, judging by his aura, he was at most a Golden Core cultivator. A Golden Core cultivator who appeared roughly her age? Within tens of thousands of miles of Thousand Leaf City, peers who could stand as her equal could be counted on one hand.

She was the direct daughter of the Dong Family, the cherished pearl of the Pavilion Master of Precious Heaven Pavilion's branch, backed by the largest merchant association in all of Ganzhou. Even if this blue-robed youth had some background, could it truly surpass hers?

With that thought, the irritation in her heart faded somewhat.

Then her mind took another turn: what if he was merely delivering a message on behalf of the master behind him? Otherwise, why would a mere Golden Core cultivator demand to see her father the moment he opened his mouth?

Her father spent his years traveling. Missing a single transaction was a trivial matter, but letting a major patron slip through his fingers would be a genuine loss.

Perhaps this was a grand business deal.

Yes, that had to be it.

Nodding to herself at her own reasoning, she recalled the lukewarm indifference in the young man's eyes just now and could not help curling her lip.

Though his temper left much to be desired, she was, after all, Fairy Bingyi. A superior person did not stoop to the petty squabbles of the small-minded.

Taking a deep breath, she clasped her hands behind her back and stood tall with a calm expression. Turning her back to the blue-robed silhouette, she merely turned her cheek slightly in his direction and transmitted her voice from afar, her tone laced with just the right touch of haughty composure.

"If Fellow Daoist has business to discuss, my Dong Family naturally welcomes it. However, my father has gone on a trip to the Blood Abyss Sect and will not return for a few days. If it is no trouble, you may rest at our Dong Family Compound in the meantime."

Her voice sounded cool and poised, perfectly maintaining the dignified air of a young mistress of the Dong Family. As her words fell, she noticed the blue-robed silhouette pause slightly.

Dong Bingyi felt a surge of quiet satisfaction. As expected, her deduction had been spot-on.

Drawing back her gaze, her expression remained calm as she walked away. Her pace remained measured, as though those words had merely been an offhand remark. In truth, she was already calculating that once her father returned, she would have to ask him whether this transaction was truly worth her condescending to such lengths.

As for the real truth?

She had no idea that the sole reason the blue-robed silhouette had paused was the three words: "Blood Abyss Sect." Even less did she realize that he had not taken a single word of hers to heart.

Oh, right. There was also the "Dong Family Compound."

...