The Min Clan had a close kinship with the Clear Sky Sect, and Bai He was even Tang San's great-uncle.
Bai Chenxiang was Tang San's little cousin.
Assisting the Min Clan was manageable; providing them with a means of livelihood was simple. Food delivery, courier services, or escorting goods—all were highly profitable ventures.
The key issue was...
He feared that once the Min Clan was revitalized, Tang San or the Clear Sky Sect might beckon, and Bai He would latch onto them again.
That would be like losing the hen and the eggs.
The Li Clan was in a similar situation. Although they had no familial ties with the Clear Sky Sect, they were surprisingly loyal.
They called themselves Tang Hao's servants.
This was something Li Xun couldn't understand—why not stand as a free person?
Considering the above points...
Among the four single-attribute clans, the only ones he wanted to win over were the Breaking Clan and the Defense Clan.
Yang Qianjun carefully tucked the silver card into his pocket: "Well... Brother Li Xun, if there's nothing else, I'll take my leave now."
Li Xun naturally couldn't let him go so easily. Not to mention the second volume of Yang Wudi's medicinal book, he also wanted to seize this opportunity to get closer to Yang Wudi himself.
"Brother Yang, hold on."
"To be honest, Senior Yang Wudi's writings have been immensely beneficial to me. I wonder if the second volume could be sold to me?"
Yang Qianjun, however, seemed hesitant.
This trip had already yielded far more than he had expected, and he didn't want to take another risk.
It was a spur-of-the-moment decision to steal his grandfather's books for money, and he had no idea what would happen when he returned.
If he stole the second volume as well, his grandfather might break his hands.
Moreover, the second volume mostly contained poison-making techniques, which he had deliberately left behind when he took the first volume.
Seeing Yang Qianjun's hesitation, Li Xun decided to up the ante: "Brother Yang, I'm willing to pay two thousand gold coins for the second volume of the medicinal book. Moreover, I can pay a deposit of five hundred Gold Soul Coins upfront."
Li Xun took out a bag of Gold Soul Coins from his Soul Guiding Device.
The bag contained exactly five hundred coins.
Feeling that the impact wasn't strong enough, he slowly poured the Gold Soul Coins onto the table.
Yang Qianjun listened to the clinking sound of the coins hitting the table, his heart racing.
When he saw Li Xun pouring the coins onto the table, his eyes widened in shock.
Five hundred Gold Soul Coins might sound like a small amount, but seeing them piled on the table was a spectacular sight.
The table gleamed with golden light, resembling a small mountain of gold.
Yang Qianjun, only twelve years old, had never witnessed such a scene.
Although he had been excited when he received the silver card earlier, he could still restrain himself since it wasn't real money but just a card.
"I..."
Yang Qianjun slowly closed his eyes, suppressing the greed in his heart.
But before he could finish his sentence, Li Xun interrupted him.
"I'll add another five hundred. These five hundred Gold Soul Coins are just the deposit, and you can take them directly. Once the second volume is delivered, I'll pay you another two thousand Gold Soul Coins."
"Brother Yang, you wouldn't want your future wife to live a hard life, would you?"
After saying this, Li Xun took out two silver cards from his Soul Guiding Device and placed them gently on the corner of the table.
The table now shimmered with golden light, and the addition of the two silver cards added a unique touch to the scene.
Yang Qianjun's resolve crumbled at the sight of the two silver cards.
"You... you're offering too much," Yang Qianjun managed to say with difficulty.
"Not at all. I believe Senior Yang Wudi's knowledge is worth this price."
Li Xun smiled warmly at Yang Qianjun: "Brother Yang, as I said before, knowledge is only sold, not lost."
"Alright, I'll go get the second volume for you," Yang Qianjun said, taking a deep breath and looking up.
"Great, I really appreciate your straightforwardness, Brother Yang. Carrying so many gold coins isn't safe, so let me exchange them for a copper card for you."
Li Xun handed a copper card to Yang Qianjun.
Looking at the copper card being offered, Yang Qianjun felt a surge of gratitude.
At his age, carrying a large bag of Gold Soul Coins was practically an invitation for other Soul Masters to rob him.
Li Xun's gesture was undoubtedly for his safety.
"Thank you, Brother Li Xun! Do you have some paper and a pen?"
"Yes, why do you ask?"
Li Xun feigned confusion.
"I want to write you an IOU. If my grandfather finds out, you can use this to claim the second volume from him," Yang Qianjun said with a determined expression.
His grandfather, Yang Wudi, was known for his stubborn and upright nature.
Even if he was caught stealing the book, having an IOU would prevent his grandfather from going back on his word.
At most, he would just suffer a bit more.
"Brother Yang, I trust your character. There's no need for an IOU; it might strain our friendship," Li Xun politely declined.
"Brother Li Xun, thank you for trusting me so much, but my grandfather has a fiery temper."
Yang Qianjun shuddered at the thought. "If I get grounded or have my legs broken, you can use the IOU to come to my rescue."
"Alright then..."
Li Xun reluctantly nodded.
He took out paper, a pen, and an ink pad from his Soul Guiding Device.
Once everything was settled, Li Xun escorted Yang Qianjun out of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School.
He couldn't shake the feeling that he was like a deceitful uncle tricking a child, even though he had paid for it.
Li Xun pushed open the gate to his courtyard.
Inside, he saw Ning Fengzhi and Ning Rongrong enjoying tea in the pavilion.
"Xiao Xun, you look so happy. Did you receive a useful book?"
"Brother Li Xun, close your mouth; it's almost reaching your ears."
"Teacher, Rongrong, what brings you here?" Li Xun turned to close the courtyard gate and walked towards the pavilion.
"We happened to have some free time and came to discuss the Heavenly Dou Royal Academy with you," Ning Fengzhi said with a smile, sipping his tea.
"Brother Li Xun, when are we leaving? Staying in the sect is so boring."
Ning Rongrong leaned on the table, looking utterly bored.
Within the sect, it was either training or studying, with Li Xun always keeping an eye on her. She was eager to go out and explore.
"I don't have much to handle now. We can leave whenever you want."
Li Xun sat down, gently pushing away Ning Rongrong's mischievous hand, and took a sip of tea.
He had already gathered most of the information on the Immortal Herbs. All that was left was to wait, and it was time for him to meet with Dugu Bo and his grandson.
"Great! Let's leave tomorrow then. I'll go pack my things now," Ning Rongrong exclaimed, jumping up in excitement.
"Go ahead, but don't bring too much," Ning Fengzhi said affectionately.
"Xiao Xun, the Blue Lightning Tyrant School has a naturally arrogant demeanor due to their Martial Souls. If you ever clash with them, don't be stubborn."
"Your potential is immense, and your future achievements will far surpass theirs. There's no need to compete over trivial matters."
Ning Fengzhi looked at Li Xun and advised, "However, we don't seek trouble, but we're not afraid of it either. Don't let yourself be wronged."
The reason he agreed to Xue Qinghe's request to send Li Xun and Ning Rongrong to the academy was primarily to showcase the potential of the younger generation of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School to the outside world. This would attract more people willing to invest in their sect. If they could avoid conflicts, that would be ideal.
"Teacher, I won't act recklessly," Li Xun nodded in assurance.
His current focus was entirely on improving his strength; he had no time to deal with Yu Tianheng. The only reason he agreed to go to the academy was to get closer to Dugu Bo, hoping to find an opportunity to bring him into h
is own camp.
After discussing some additional precautions, Ning Fengzhi glanced at the sky and prepared to leave.
"By the way, Teacher, what do you think of the Breaking Clan?" Li Xun suddenly asked.
"The Breaking Clan."
(End of Chapter)