Noticing the appearance of the Bai family's ancestor, Ash stopped humiliating Qiu Ming and looked at the old man with a smile. "A big fish finally showed up, eh?"
Li Jian finally stood up and used his left foot to press Qiu Ming instead of using his hand.
The old man raised his eyebrows in surprise when he heard Ash's words, then smiled kindly as he looked at Ash. "Sir, could you give us some face and let this matter go?"
"What if I don't want to?" Ash replied with a smile.
Ash paused for a moment before waving his hand nonchalantly. "Anyway, I thought you were all from the same family, but it turns out you're not. So I genuinely hope that you won't meddle too much since I don't want to see another bloodbath."
Ash had initially assumed they were from the same family since Qiu Ming was the one who summoned them. But he realized he was wrong since someone shouted that the man was the Bai family's ancestor.
When the old man heard that, he furrowed his brows for a few seconds, seemingly deep in thought.
"Sir, can we just talk this out? While we're not from the same family, he is the fiancé of someone in our family. So you could say there's some connection." The old man spoke carefully with a bitter smile.
He didn't want to clash with Ash and the others, as doing so might bring more trouble to his family than cutting ties with the Qiu family.
He had lived long enough to sense that something was off about this trio.
First, there was Li Jian. Despite his youthful appearance, he had already reached Peak-level Half-Saint Rank—the same level as himself.
Second, Ash seemed unaware that Qiu Ming was the fiancé of the family's most talented member. That alone suggested Ash must be from the main continent or another stronger continent, and likely had a powerful background, especially since someone like Li Jian served him.
Lastly, there was Aetherion—another young man at Peak-level Sovereign Rank. There was something strange about him. He seemed completely unfazed by the situation, treating it more like a show than anything else.
"Oh? So you do have some relationship with him." Ash raised an eyebrow and nodded. "That's good."
"Now, let's talk about the compensation if you want me to let him go immediately," Ash said with a smile.
Sigh!
"How much do you want?" The old man asked with a relieved sigh, thinking there was still room for negotiation.
"What do you think?" Ash asked Aetherion with a sly smile.
Aetherion rolled his eyes and replied casually, raising his index finger. "At least one million Saint Crystals."
Cough!
Cough!
Cough!
The old man choked in shock, caught completely off guard by the absurd amount Aetherion had demanded.
"You're joking, right?" The old man asked with an awkward smile.
"Do we look like we're joking to you?" Ash sneered.
"What?! Do you seriously think Saint Crystals are that easy to get? Are you stupid?!" Qiu Ming blurted out, knowing full well that even the strongest faction in the Mossvale Continent would struggle to come up with a million Saint Crystals.
"Shut up! Who gave you the right to speak when the adults are talking?" Ash teasingly kicked Qiu Ming's temple a few times.
"If you dare to resist, I'll immediately crush your head into paste." Li Jian warned, pressing his foot down harder.
"Now, the question is, can you afford it? If not, I don't mind letting him go after punishing him a bit more." Ash chuckled.
"This… Isn't that number a bit too unreasonable?" the old man said with a frown.
"That's my bottom line. Take it or leave it." Ash shrugged.
"Sir, how about this? I will call the people from the Qiu family to come over and talk to you directly. However, I need to remind you first that their temperament is a bit hot. There's a good chance they'll attack you outright." the old man suggested.
He paused for a second, then added with a bitter smile, "Of course, I won't interfere with whatever happens at that time since this matter is between you and them."
"Now that's more like it." Ash chuckled.
'For fuck's sake, why didn't you just say that from the start?!' Ash cursed inwardly.
…
A minute later,
"Say, what do you think your family will do? Try to attack us directly? Attempt to negotiate? Or—"
Before Ash could finish, someone interrupted as two figures appeared simultaneously from the western direction.
One of them was an old man who looked slightly younger than the Bai family's ancestor, with fewer wrinkles. The other was a fierce-looking, middle-aged man. Both wore white robes marked with a red flame symbol on their chests.
"Boy, hand him over now, and I'll pretend this little incident never happened," the older man commanded, releasing his aura to reveal a Low-level Saint Rank.
The Bai family's ancestor widened his eyes in shock upon seeing him.
'That old bastard actually broke through to the Saint Rank?'
"How long would it take you to deal with someone at the Saint Rank like him?" Ash asked Li Jian with a smirk.
Li Jian glanced back and raised a finger.
"One minute?" Ash raised an eyebrow.
Li Jian shook his head and chuckled. "One move."
Naturally, their conversation was heard by everyone around them, as they spoke casually—completely unfazed by the tension in the air.
"You're a bold one, aren't you?" The Qiu family's old man growled through gritted teeth, glaring at Li Jian like he was ready to devour him.
"Of course it depends on the opponent." Li Jian sneered.
"Can you all stop talking nonsense and get to the point already?" Ash facepalmed, growing impatient. He was still hyped from clearing the secret realm and eager to summon his siblings.