'Oh man... I was just making things up on the fly... I had no idea everyone would jump down my throat like this!'
Ye Fang stared at the pulsating pill in his palm and then at the bulging, terror-stricken eyes of Elder Wang Shen. The silence in the marketplace was so profound that Ye Fang could hear his own heartbeat echoing in his ears. He took a deep breath, plastered an innocent, somewhat timid smile on his face, and looked up at the Elder.
"Elder, why such a shocked expression? This... this pill was given to me by my Master. He told me that if I ever saw something I liked but lacked the coins, I should just give this away. My Master is a truly profound cultivator; he is so powerful that..."
Suddenly, Ye Fang's words faltered. A cold sweat broke across his brow as he bit his tongue in mid-sentence.
'Crap! Even Little System isn't here to tell me the names of the cultivation Realms and Stages of this world! I've barely been here for two or three days. How am I supposed to know what the high-level Realms are called? If I say the wrong name, this old man will swallow me whole!'
Ye Fang cursed himself inwardly. The prolonged silence of the System was now becoming a heavy burden to bear. Elder Wang Shen, whose breath came in ragged gasps from the overwhelming divine fragrance of the pill, remained as rigid as a statue. His gaze was anchored to Ye Fang's face, as if he sought to peer into the very depths of the boy's soul.
In a trembling voice, Elder Wang Shen finally spoke, "Boy... your Master? Who is he? A person who can casually hand over such a divine elixir cannot be a mere mortal cultivator. Its energy... its internal structure... it doesn't even seem to belong to this mundane world!"
The marketplace mob, which had been frantic to seize the pill moments ago, was now quaking in terror at the mere mention of Ye Fang's "Master." Death seemed to loom over them all. If this boy's Master truly possessed such celestial power, he would be capable of turning the entire city into a field of ash with a single thought.
Suddenly, City Lord Wang Long stepped forward. He had sensed the escalating gravity of the situation. Discussing such profound secrets in the heart of a crowded market was an invitation to catastrophe. He placed a steadying hand on his father's shoulder and spoke in a low, firm tone:
"Father, I believe these matters should be discussed elsewhere, not out here in the open. Even the walls of the marketplace have ears. If word of such a peerless treasure spreads beyond these gates, a mountain of calamity will surely descend upon Sanmiao City."
Elder Wang Shen took a long, deep breath, wrestling his soaring excitement back into submission. He gave a sharp nod and turned his gaze toward Ye Fang. "Wang Long is correct. Boy, you shall accompany us to the Manor. And hide that pill at once, before its fragrance draws more predators to this spot."
Ye Fang shoved the pill back into his pocket with lightning speed, looking for all the world like a common thief hiding his loot. 'Phew! Safe for now. At least they won't kill me immediately... but what happens at the Manor? They're going to turn into human interrogation machines. If only this System would wake up now!'
The City Lord cast a chilling, authoritative glare over the lingering crowd. "What was witnessed here today remains buried here. If a single word of this leaks beyond the city gates, the penalty is death without mercy!"
The crowd bowed their heads in terror and began to disperse like shadows. Yan Kai Long, who had remained a silent observer, glanced at Ye Fang once more. His eyes held a strange confluence of respect and suspicion. He could not reconcile the boy who fought like a primal beast in the arena with this youth who now appeared so innocent and frightened.
Throughout the journey, Ye Fang walked silently behind the City Lord and the Elder, his mind a whirlwind of a thousand thoughts. He could feel the cold, jagged surface of the black stone he had just 'purchased' inside his pocket. It felt as if the stone was pulsing—vibrating with a faint, ghostly call that only he could hear.
The atmosphere within the manor's secret chamber grew suffocatingly heavy. With a sharp gesture, the City Lord commanded his personal guards to remain outside, sealing the heavy oak doors. Elder Wang Shen settled into a high-backed, ornate chair, gesturing for Ye Fang to sit across from him.
'And so, the true interrogation begins,' Ye Fang mused, his mind racing. 'I need a lie so grand they won't dare question it. What should I call this Master? "The Great Immortal"? "God of Destruction"? No, those sound like cheap theater. I need something... ethereal.'
"Boy," the Elder finally broke the silence, his voice echoing against the cold stone walls. "Speak of your Master. Where does he reside? And why would he bestow upon you an object that the people of this world can only behold in their wildest dreams?"
Ye Fang took a slow, deliberate breath, forcing his eyes to mist over with artificial emotion. "Elder... my Master is a being of profound solitude. He dwells above the sea of clouds, in a realm where the sun never sets. He strictly forbade me from ever uttering his true name, fearing it would shatter the tranquility of his cultivation. As for this pill... he claimed it was a mere trinket, necessary only to ensure my survival in this mundane world."
Elder Wang Shen and City Lord Wang Long exchanged a look of bewildered astonishment. Ye Fang's words carried a strange blend of innocence and hidden depth, yet they sensed that the power lurking behind this youth was not so easily unmasked.
'System! Big Sis! Wake up already! It's game over if you don't help now!' Ye Fang screamed inwardly, but only a hollow silence replied.
As the crimson light of the setting sun filtered through the manor's narrow windows, the shadows in the room lengthened, deepening the surrounding mystery. Ye Fang realized that while he had escaped the chaotic greed of the marketplace, he had walked into a web where only his wits could save him.