Yao Ranran was stunned.
Xiao Rong's aptitude had turned into unknown!
And in the newly appeared appraisal notes, it even said there might be some kind of treasure altering him.
What sort of opportunity had Xiao Rong stumbled into?
"Hahaha! Hahaha! Out of all the Banyan Tree clan, it must be me, Rong-yé, who's doing the best! Who else can ride a dragon? Hahaha!"
Xiao Rong was so thrilled that he swung his tree vines into the shape of a dragon, rocking himself back and forth as if he were flying.
Yao Ranran: "..." Was this boy just a little too foolish?
Looking at him like this, she knew it was pointless to ask. If he truly had found some treasure, Xiao Rong would never be able to hold back. He would blurt it out sooner or later.
"Enough, the night is late. Go back and rest."
Yao Ranran pointed at the glittering stars overhead.
Xiao Rong tilted his head back with shining eyes. "Boss, you go ahead! The pearls glittering in the sky are so beautiful. I still want to ride the dragon and pluck them down!"
Yao Ranran: "... Foolish child."
She no longer bothered with him. With a flick, her grappling hook shot out and back to Gu Ling Mountain.
As soon as she pushed open her door, Ye Nantian shrieked in fear.
"Don't come closer! My father and my grandfather will never let you go!"
Clang, clang!
Yao Ranran tossed him a sound transmission talisman, only for Ye Nantian to panic and fling it against the wall as if it were poison.
Yao Ranran was left speechless.
So this was the heir of one of Central Domain's top families? When life was on the line, he was no different from anyone else.
"Ye Nantian, this is only a transmission talisman. Speak what you want to your grandfather, then send it."
She beckoned the talisman back through the air and forced it into his hand again.
When Ye Nantian realized it was only a talisman, his fear melted, quickly replaced by defiance. He clenched his fist, trying to crush it. But with his spiritual power sealed by Nie Rong, he was no stronger than a mortal.
"Do not waste your strength. Until your grandfather hands over half the Ye family's spirit resources, you cannot leave..."
Clang!
The talisman was thrown away again.
Yao Ranran's words cut off mid-sentence.
Ye Nantian looked at her with a mocking, challenging smile.
Her gaze sharpened. "Have you forgotten the content of the Heaven and Earth Contract you swore?"
She was not begging him.
The painful memory flashed across his mind.
Ye Nantian's grin froze. If he remained alive yet failed to hand over half the Ye family treasury's resources, then every single member of the Ye clan would perish.
Ye Nantian: "..."
He rushed to pick up the talisman.
Just as he clutched it in relief, Yao Ranran smiled faintly and flicked her finger. A spark of spiritual power reduced the talisman to ash.
Ye Nantian: "... You're inhuman!"
Yao Ranran bared her teeth in a grin. "That's right. Everyone calls me Fairy."
Ye Nantian: "..." He wanted to die, yet couldn't.
"Give me a transmission talisman. You want to devour the Ye treasury? I'll give you the chance!"
Ye Nantian glared fiercely at her.
Yao Ranran chuckled. "Young Master Ye, one transmission talisman costs a thousand spirit stones. If you want one, you'll have to pay three thousand."
Ye Nantian almost snapped, wanting to hurl three thousand spirit stones into her face, when suddenly he realized something was off.
"You said one talisman is worth a thousand stones, then why charge me three thousand? The spirit stones you already robbed from me aren't even worth a single talisman?"
Yao Ranran looked down at him from above. "You lost to me, which means everything you carried is mine. None of it has anything to do with you anymore.
"As for selling you a talisman at three thousand? First, because your mouth irritates me. Second, because you're a fat sheep. I'm going to shear you. So three thousand spirit stones, not one less."
Without waiting for him to react, she dragged him out of Gu Ling Mountain and tossed him in front of the waiting Jiang Shengxiang.
"This is the slave I mentioned in the transmission. Let him work. Until the Ye family repays its debt, he cannot rest."
She clapped her hands and strode away with satisfaction.
Ye Nantian lay stunned on the ground, stammering, "This young master is not a slav—"
Smack!
The sharp crack of a slap echoed across the mountaintop.
Clutching his burning cheek, Ye Nantian stared at the elder before him.
Jiang Shengxiang drew a whip from his waist, his face twisted into a kindly smile. "You're called Xiao Ye, right?
I heard your family offended Fairy, and because of that, she's been in a foul mood. She didn't even bother to say much to me today, and I lost the chance to bask in her immortal aura. Tell me, what crime have you committed?"
Crack, crack, crack!
Before Ye Nantian could even protest, three lashes fell, leaving him curled on the ground, trembling in agony.
Jiang Shengxiang sneered. "So weak. You can't even withstand three strokes."
The chaos of the Eastern Wilderness had forged him into a man hardened by real battle. From time to time, he had to deal with unruly outsiders when facing Biliu Sect.
Ye Nantian's heart roared with fury, but his body was powerless. Tears of frustration streamed down his face. If only he had taken the talisman earlier, he wouldn't be suffering this humiliation!
Compared to this old man, Yao Ranran and the others had treated him almost kindly.
"Take him back to the village," Jiang Shengxiang ordered the villagers. "And remember, don't be gentle. The rougher, the better."
He tucked away his bloody whip and stood watching Gu Ling Mountain, sighing.
"Even that wild and lazy girl Zhou Lili has already built her foundation, while I've missed every opportunity. This slave really is ruining me."
Crack!
Another lash fell, Ye Nantian groaning hoarsely as the villagers dragged him down the slope.
…
Inside her room, Yao Ranran was tallying her gains from Central Domain.
Nearly ten million spirit stones in total. A thousand top-grade stones dug out by Yu Zhenyan. Piles of miscellaneous materials, worth another million stones.
And most importantly, a heavenly-ranked superior technique resting in Yu Zhenyan's storage space.
"The Great Celestial Derivation Art!"
Yao Ranran stared at the name in shock.
"Yu Weifeng is far too generous, handing such a technique straight into Yu Zhenyan's hands. Did he never worry about her being robbed on the road?"
For a cultivation manual of this caliber, clans and sects normally stored them in secure vaults, never carried on one's person, to safeguard them for their disciples.
Yu Zhenyan's decision was like sewing wedding clothes for someone else.
But Yao Ranran smiled. "Yet this was what Yu Weifeng owed the original body. Yu Zhenyan did exactly the right thing."
She opened the Great Celestial Derivation Art without hesitation, her eyes falling on the profound incantations.
The night slipped away as she studied.
At dawn, as her eyes fluttered open, a transmission talisman was already buzzing around her room.
"News from my little disciple?"
She set the manual aside and caught the talisman in her palm.
"Master, the demon cultivators are being driven back. They plan to summon countless demon soldiers for a final massacre against Yun Gu Sect and Suo Hong Tower. This disciple has not failed your expectations. I was promoted by the Demon Sovereign to the rank of General of the Demon Soldiers. Though far away, I still remain grateful for Master's guidance!"