Feng Xiao's inability to activate his Bloodline Factor was a constant torment, like a thorn in his side. For every day it remained sealed, he faced another day of ridicule. He'd had more than enough of this humiliation!
Take today, for instance. The very reason he'd come out with Nie Liu was to vent his frustrations.
When he suddenly heard the young man say he could help him activate his Bloodline Factor, his shock was immense. Taking a deep breath, he fought to suppress his excitement. "If you can help me activate my Bloodline Factor, forget a single Beardless Grass—I would even follow your orders and become your subordinate without a second thought!"
It wasn't that he disbelieved the young man before him; the claim was just too incredible to be true!
For six years, his family had sought countless experts on his behalf, but all to no avail. The final verdict was always the same: his Bloodline Factor was innately sealed, beyond all hope of saving. Yet now, this boy who looked no older than sixteen or seventeen was claiming he could open it. If Feng Xiao hadn't just witnessed his incredible disguise and unparalleled wits, he would have dismissed him as a madman.
"I wouldn't have said it if I wasn't confident," Nie Yun said, ignoring the other man's exasperated tone.
"Confident? Even Liu Chengze, the Alchemy Master of Jibei City, wouldn't dare make such a claim! A nobody like you makes such a boast, and you expect me to believe it?" Despite his words, Feng Xiao stopped and turned around. He stared intently at the young man, trying to peer past his composed exterior and see what he was truly thinking.
Liu Chengze of Jibei City was hailed as the third greatest alchemy expert in the Divine Wind Empire, with marvelous and unparalleled skills. Even he had told Feng Xiao that his Bloodline Factor couldn't be opened. Yet this young man claimed to be confident, making it hard for Feng Xiao to believe him.
"Heh, you can choose not to believe me. A Beardless Grass is precious, but I'm not injured right now, so I can take it or leave it," Nie Yun said with a casual wave of his hand, employing a strategy of tactical retreat.
'Although I really want the Beardless Grass to repair Father's Qi Sea, if I seem too eager, it might just backfire!'
After staring intently into the young man's eyes for a moment and finding not the slightest hint of mockery or deceit, Feng Xiao gritted his teeth. "Fine, I'll trust you! What do you need me to do? Just tell me!"
'I'm out of options anyway. I might as well trust him this once. Maybe it'll be the breakthrough I need.'
"Since Young Master Feng Xiao trusts me, I'll get straight to the point. I need you to prepare a hundred-year-old Primordial Yang Grass, two fifty-year-old Cyan Recitation Flowers, and two thirty-year-old Zigui Roots... Make sure these medicinal materials are of the specified age. Don't try to pass off inferior goods as the real thing!"
'These medicinal materials Nie Yun listed were exactly what was needed to refine the Blazing Fire Pill, an elixir with a Pure Yang Attribute. He had also added several ingredients needed for the Heart Returning Pill.'
'As long as the Blazing Fire Pill is successfully refined, it's a sure thing that Feng Xiao will be able to activate his Bloodline Factor and form his Dantian. I'm dirt poor right now, so this is the perfect excuse to get my hands on some of the medicinal materials for the Heart Returning Pill as well.'
"Good. I'll have the medicinal materials ready by this afternoon and come find you at the Nie Tian Branch! Whether you succeed or not, I, Feng Xiao, will owe you a favor!"
These were all strange medicinal materials. Someone with no knowledge of alchemy or its ingredients wouldn't even be able to remember their names. The fact that the young man rattled them off so easily showed he clearly knew something about elixirs.
'Because he could name these materials, Feng Xiao's confidence in him grew.'
"Then I thank you, Brother Feng!" Nie Yun had gone from calling him "Young Master Feng Xiao" to "Brother Feng," a clear sign their relationship had grown closer.
"Farewell!" Feng Xiao clasped his fist, turned, and walked away. A moment later, a clatter of hoofbeats sounded from outside the restaurant, growing steadily more distant.
Clearly, the chance to activate his Bloodline Factor was so important to him that he didn't want to waste a single moment.
Watching him go, Nie Yun shook his head and strode into the private room.
Inside the private room, Nie Xiaofeng was wringing her hands, her face tense as she wondered how her younger brother was going to scold her.
"Sister, it's all taken care of. Let's head home!"
Nie Yun was in high spirits after seeing his sister again and helping her resolve the crisis, so he couldn't help but joke as he entered the room.
"Brother, I was wrong. I shouldn't have come here behind your back... Huh? Head home?"
The moment Nie Yun came in, Nie Xiaofeng began rattling off her rehearsed apology. But after just one sentence, she noticed her brother wasn't scolding her at all. In fact, he was smiling. She stopped abruptly, a perplexed look on her face.
'Before, he would have started scolding me the moment he saw me for acting so rashly. But today... not only is he not scolding me, he actually seems happy?'
"That's right, let's go!" Nie Yun finished, then turned his head to give an order. "Nie Liu, go prepare a carriage. And while you're at it, bring me 20,000 taels of silver. I have a use for it!"
"Twenty thousand taels? All our branch's assets combined are only thirty thousand taels! This restaurant only has fifteen thousand on hand. How about I go back to the branch and get it for you..." It was unclear what Nie Yun had said to Nie Liu in the room earlier, but he now looked as meek as a bullied bride, his face a mask of bitterness.
An Outer Sect branch of the Nie Family didn't have much money. Thirty thousand taels was likely the most liquid capital the Nie Long Branch had.
"Go back to the branch to get it? No need. Fifteen thousand taels is a little less than I wanted, but I'll make do," Nie Yun said casually.
"Yes!" With an affirmative, Nie Liu withdrew. A short while later, he returned with the carriage and silver ready.
"Fifteen thousand taels..."
Nie Xiaofeng didn't pay it much mind at first, but she jumped in shock when she saw the gleaming silver laid out before her.
'When I came to borrow ten thousand taels, Nie Liu made all sorts of excuses. But... my brother casually asks for fifteen thousand, and he doesn't dare say a word and just brings it over?'
'What... what in the world is going on?'
Nie Xiaofeng had followed his instructions and stayed in the private room, so she had no idea what had happened before.
'Her brother from before, despite his hard work, had always carried a deep-seated sense of inferiority because of their father's condition. But the one before her now had a calm and steady aura; his entire bearing was different. Had he really changed?'
'That's right, he used a disguise earlier. When did he learn a Disguise Technique? Why have I never heard about this?'
In that moment, Nie Xiaofeng suddenly felt she could no longer understand the brother she had grown up with.
Sitting in the carriage, Nie Yun could see his sister was brimming with unasked questions, but she couldn't bring herself to voice them. He didn't know how to begin explaining, either. 'I can't just tell her I've been reborn, can I?'
'If I really said that, even if it didn't scare her to death, I'd probably be dragged off and studied like a lab rat.'
'I'd better save it for later.'
"Sister, you have a weaker constitution, so your progress with the family's cultivation technique is slow. I have a technique that's perfect for you. Since we have some time now, let me tell you about it."
Since he couldn't talk about his rebirth, Nie Yun changed the subject.
His sister had been weak since birth, and the family's cultivation technique was of a fierce and aggressive nature, making it completely unsuitable for her. As a result, even though she had started cultivating before him, she was still only at the First Layer of the Energy-Introducing Realm within the Qi Sea Nine Heavens.
"A technique suitable for me? How would you have a cultivation technique from outside the family?" Nie Xiaofeng asked, looking bewildered.
"Don't worry about where I got it. I guarantee it won't cause any trouble. Now listen carefully and memorize this..." Nie Yun interrupted his sister's question and continued, "The technique is called the Misty Immortal Heart Technique..."
The Misty Immortal Heart Technique was the core technique of a sect from his past life, the Linglong Immortal Sect. While not as powerful as his own Nine-Turn Nirvana Skill once mastered, it was perfectly suited for women, granting them a light and ethereal quality, like a celestial fairy descending to the mortal world.
"How is this possible...? In our family, not even the Primordial Yang Heart Technique that the Clan Leader cultivates is this profound. Don't tell me this is a Noble Top-Grade Technique..."
After her brother finished describing the cultivation method, Nie Xiaofeng was left utterly shocked and incredulous.
The strongest cultivation method in the Nie Mansion was the Primordial Yang Heart Technique, which only the Clan Leader was qualified to practice, and even that was merely a Noble Low-Grade Technique. But the one her brother had just taught her, judging by its profundity alone, was on an entirely different level. 'Could it be a Noble Top-Grade Technique?'
'But... the appearance of such a technique would cause a bloodbath in Luoshui City. How could my brother possibly have one?'
"A Noble Top-Grade Technique?" Hearing his sister's question, Nie Yun's expression was a bit strange, but he quickly smiled. "You could say that. As long as you cultivate it diligently, your progress definitely won't be slow!"
'A Noble Top-Grade Technique? This Misty Immortal Heart Technique was far beyond that. While it couldn't compare to my Nine-Turn Nirvana Skill, it was a supreme cultivation technique in its own right. A mere Noble Top-Grade Technique wasn't even worthy of carrying its sandals!'
Of course, Nie Yun wouldn't say that out loud. A technique of this caliber couldn't be found anywhere in Luoshui City; if word got out, it would cause a huge disaster.
"It really is a Noble Top-Grade Technique? That's... that's too precious..." Hearing her brother's admission, Nie Xiaofeng was completely overwhelmed.
"Sigh." Seeing his sister's reaction, Nie Yun couldn't help but sigh and shake his head. "Just focus on cultivating as the technique requires. Oh, right. You and Mother should be in charge of this money. Our branch has been in decline for far too long. It's time for us to rise again!"
"Me and Mother will manage it...? All right!" Hearing her brother entrust her with managing so much wealth, Nie Xiaofeng's face flushed with excitement. She'd never seen so much money in her entire life!
The carriage was fast, and with Nie Liu personally driving, they were back at their branch in no time. As soon as they entered the courtyard, they heard a commotion from within. The old butler, Nie Chong, rushed over, his face etched with anxiety the moment he saw Nie Yun. "This is bad, Young Master! The Madam... she went with people from the Nie Zhang Branch to Xialuo Mountain to pick a Pengxin Snow Lotus. She's been gone for most of the day!"
"What? She went to Xialuo Mountain?" Nie Yun's blood ran cold. *Nie Yun: Why did my blood run cold? Because you all haven't voted with recommendation tickets… or added this to your library…*