When Niu Yuanshan arrived at the dungeon, he immediately took control of the situation.
Liu Tianfeng, being as experienced as he was, could easily grasp his intentions.
The old man caught on immediately.
"This Old Niu always thinks things through," he thought.
"I injured someone from the Sixth Elder's group, shouldn't I make amends in some way?"
"If blame falls on me, the consequences would be unimaginable!"
In fact, even if Niu Yuanshan hadn't reminded him, Liu Tianfeng would have realized soon enough, and brought gifts to apologize.
Since Old Niu used a secret transmission, only Liu Tianfeng could hear it. Hence, his eldest son and nephew were left puzzled.
"Father is just going to let him go?"
"Why does Uncle look so grim?"
Niu Yuanshan was the least senior among the nine stewards, was it really possible...
They soon heard Liu Tianfeng say, "It's all a misunderstanding, dear nephew, just a misunderstanding!"
The way he addressed them changed instantly.
"All the fault lies with us."
"However, everything that happened today was too hurried, and I wasn't prepared."
"How about this, I'll prepare a generous gift tomorrow and personally visit to apologize to you, dear nephew."
"What do you think, dear nephew?"
At this moment, the old man had none of his previous authority.
Liu Chengqi and Liu Chenggong were left completely stunned.
But Chu Huaixu accepted it calmly.
I am, after all, replacing the protagonist of the world!
Niu Yuanshan, standing by, felt it was time for him to step in.
To be precise, everything that had been done before was just a setup by him.
This big-browed, sharp-eyed guy was indeed shrewd inside!
"I have a suggestion," he said with a mediator's smile on his face.
"Please speak, Steward Niu!" Liu Tianfeng cooperated fully, his tone enthusiastic, as if he could agree to anything.
"Steward Liu, how about the Jade Token Fragments you acquired earlier; why not distribute one piece each?" Niu Yuanshan revealed his true intent.
Upon hearing this, the smile on the old man's face froze instantly.
The atmosphere in the dungeon changed in an instant.
"This..." Liu Tianfeng was clearly unwilling.
Upon hearing this, Liu Chengqi also became anxious: "Father!"
This is my opportunity!
Whether my damaged Blazing Fire Spiritual Embryo can be restored depends on it!
Liu Tianfeng, having a son late in life, always doted on his only son. Even so, he couldn't help but glare at him.
"Shut up!" he reprimanded.
"Everything happened because of you. Of all people to provoke, why did you provoke someone from the Sixth Elder's group?"
Liu Tianfeng initially felt embarrassed for a Sixth Aperture Realm to be unable to defeat someone with only Two Acupoints Opened.
Now he felt relieved: Thank goodness he couldn't defeat him...
Faced with Niu Yuanshan's big demand, he hesitated for a few seconds.
Chu Huaixu watched him silently, feeling that this old man gave a vibe of being deeply scheming yet not fully understanding.
Finally, Liu Tianfeng waved his hand and took out two jade fragments from the storage space of his Deacon Token.
They looked like mutton fat jade, engraved with patterns and exuded a faint spiritual aura.
The Liu family father and son could only console themselves: "There are ten Jade Token Fragments in total, giving them two is still acceptable."
The important thing is not to anger the Sixth Elder!
It all comes down to Niu Yuanshan's deeply ingrained reputation.
"With Old Niu's honest nature, the more he demands, the more he's hinting to me that this youngster has an extraordinary background!"
Among the Outer Sect's stewards, the most capable is this Ox, whom everyone finds reliable.
With a grand gesture, Liu Tianfeng sent the two Jade Token Fragments floating towards Chu Huaixu and Han Shuangjiang.
"Keep them safe," Niu Yuanshan said warmly.
The two immediately stored the Jade Token Fragments into their Storage Tokens.
Instantly, a voice only Chu Huaixu could hear echoed in his ears.
"[Ding! You have successfully completed the task—Liu Chengqi's Revenge.]"
"[You have successfully gained 1000 Experience Points.]"
"[Congratulations, you have successfully unlocked the hidden quest—Pill King Token!]"
...
...
In the dungeon, Chu Huaixu felt a surge of joy.
Everything had progressed too smoothly.
The Level A mission was completed smoothly, and with the help of Niu Yuanshan, who was in the know, the hidden quest was successfully unlocked.
But for a typical newbie stage player, this would be an almost impossible mission to complete, thus Level A is quite reasonable.
The Liu Family's Three Scoundrels could be considered the evil bosses of the newbie village.
If Chu Huaixu hadn't had Xu Ziqing's protagonist aura, relying on Niu Yuanshan alone might have only completed the task, and might have even led to a series of troubles later!
"Is this what it's like to be the world's protagonist?" Chu Huaixu thought to himself.
The recently acquired Jade Token Fragment, he personally understood as the key to unlocking the quest.
"[Pill King Token]? I haven't seen this hidden quest on the game forums."
"Then it must have been something that happened before the game's public beta."
However, he had heard of the name Pill King.
In the Dao of Alchemy, the highest achievement certainly belongs to the Dao Ancestor.
The Dao Ancestor created the Acupoint Opening Pill, ushering in an era of grand cultivation!
Next was the Pill King!
Chu Huaixu still remembered the sensation when the Pill King Secret Realm manifested while he played "Borrowed Sword".
Concerning the Pill King's inheritance, the entire Profound Yellow Realm was in an uproar, with major player guilds eager to claim a piece of it.
"But could this Pill King Token have any connection with the Pill King Secret Realm?" he wondered.
For now, he couldn't be certain.
The hidden quest in the newbie village shouldn't have such a high scale.
Today's journey could be considered highly rewarding.
Niu Yuanshan turned to look at Chu Huaixu and Han Shuangjiang, and asked, "Are you two satisfied with this result?"
Liu Tianfeng increasingly felt that Old Niu was adept at what he did, as if asking them whether they would complain to the Sixth Elder and whether this misunderstanding could come to an end.
The old man felt extreme dismay now, but he wasn't in a position to ask these things, whereas Niu Yuanshan was just the right person.
There was no choice, considering they had just wanted Chu Huaixu's life!
If matters weren't handled well, it would surely create a grudge with the Sixth Elder.
Han Shuangjiang, upon hearing this, said nothing, merely looking at Chu Huaixu.
As if conveying that his opinion was my opinion.
Chu Huaixu took a few steps forward, walking to stand before the Liu Family's three men.
"Lord Steward, I have one more thing to ask," he remained courteous, cupping his hands in a salute.
From start to finish, he had been perfectly polite.
At this moment, Liu Tianfeng dared not act superior. Seeing his demeanor, he let out a sigh of relief internally, feeling he had a way out, and hastily reached out, intending to offer support to the cupping Chu Huaixu.
However, just as he extended his hand, Chu Huaixu moved.
It all happened so suddenly—so suddenly that he didn't have time to react.
Cultivators of the Third Realm, with the flow of energy around them and keen senses, were difficult to catch off guard, usually reacting instinctively.
But the issue was, Chu Huaixu wasn't aiming at him.
As Liu Tianfeng belatedly reacted, a rock-solid spiritual power blocked his path.
It was Niu Yuanshan!
Chu Huaixu dealt a palm strike to Liu Chengqi's chest, similar to the incident in the courtyard today.
With his perfect bodily control, the palm landed precisely at the same spot.
The ribs that had just been rejoined with the aid of spiritual medicine snapped with a crunch!
I didn't say you could reattach them, so why did you?
—[Eight Desolates Roaming Dragon]!
Liu Chengqi let out a scream of pure agony, the familiar scene playing out twice in one day, the same spot radiating intense pain, nearly causing him to faint!
Having done this, Chu Huaixu slowly stood upright, withdrawing his palm.
This young man, tall and upright, was half a head taller than Liu Tianfeng.
He stared straight into the other's eyes and said loudly:
"I asked the Lord Steward earlier which rule I had broken."
"Please, Steward Liu, explain once more!"
"I am all ears!"
...
(ps: Second update, requesting monthly votes!)