Seeing Xiao Yan's puzzled look, Chen Yang smiled faintly. "Whether it is or not, just take off the ring and Cultivate for a moment—won't you know then?"
Xiao Yan nodded in a daze, his gaze complicated as he stared at the black ring on his right hand. Slowly, he lifted it off and set it on the table.
Next, he strode to the bed in three quick steps, sat cross-legged, formed hand seals, and began to Cultivate.
Chen Yang sat beside the table. Instead of picking up old Yao's ring to examine it, he sank his mind into his memories, searching through a host of Pill Formulas for ones suited to Xiao Yan's Foundation Establishment and to Dou Practitioners and Dou Masters.
(Author's note: At this point I hope readers will bookmark our site—read Taiwanese novels on TaiwanNovel, ẗẅḳäṅ.ċöṁ, super convenient.)
The Third-Grade Alchemy Skill the System granted him covered every formula in the history of the Fighting Qi Continent. Even the Medicine Clan, famed for alchemy, and the Pill Tower's Little Pill Tower could not match him for formulas Third-Grade or below—let alone Yao Chen, who had never broken through to Ninth-Grade Alchemist before his death.
Twenty-five minutes passed quickly. Seated on the bed's edge, Xiao Yan suddenly opened his eyes, wild joy on his face.
"It didn't vanish—my Fighting Qi really didn't vanish!"
"It really was because of that ring!"
Overcome, Xiao Yan jumped off the bed, hurried to the table, and stared hard at the black ring. Then he bowed deeply to Chen Yang.
"Brother Yang, for this second chance I'll remember your kindness all my life!"
"If not for you, I might have gone another three years without realizing the reason my Fighting Qi kept disappearing was the ring my mother left me!"
Chen Yang chuckled, stood, and patted his shoulder. "Since you've found the cause, you've got three years to fight for your own dignity and your father's."
Xiao Yan nodded, his young face calm. "Even without you saying it, Brother Yang, I understand. Today's humiliation is just a tiny stumbling-stone on my path, but I'll pay it back to Nalan Yanran in full."
Chen Yang smiled. "All right, go tell your little girlfriend the good news. Come find me tomorrow at the Mittel Auction House—and bring money."
At the words "little girlfriend," Xiao Yan scratched his head with a bashful grin, neither admitting nor denying it. Xun'er… huh, why did Xun'er pop into my head?
"I'm off." Chen Yang glanced at him, hands clasped behind his back, humming a tune from 2025 as he left the courtyard.
Strange—why does Brother Yang's melody sound exactly like a song from my old world? Xiao Yan scratched his head in puzzlement.
Chen Yang, still within earshot, walked with a black-lined face, inwardly cursing those idiot mash-up copycats.
After watching Chen Yang disappear, Xiao Yan was about to go find Xun'er when an old voice sounded behind him. "Little fellow, many thanks for your offerings these three years…"
"Huh? You old thing—damn you!!"
Having left the courtyard, Chen Yang naturally left the time to Xiao Yan and old Yao.
He had only walked a few steps when he met Xiao Zhan and Ya Fei; clearly the clan leader had been waiting along the path, worried about his son.
"Great MasterChen Yang!"
The two stepped forward, Xiao Zhan's face full of hope.
"It's settled, Clan Leader Xiao. After cultivating just now, Xiao Yan's Fighting Qi didn't disappear," Chen Yang said with a smile.
"It's… resolved?"
"Wonderful!"
"Wonderful!"
"Wonderful…"
Xiao Zhan paced excitedly while Ya Fei and Chen Yang exchanged a quiet smile.
After several turns, Xiao Zhan suddenly strode up and was about to kneel.
Chen Yang flashed forward and caught him; to Xiao Zhan's shock, his own Six-Star Great Dou Shi strength couldn't force the kneel.
"Clan Leader Xiao, I'm a Nine-Star Great Dou Shi. If I let you kowtow today, I'd never live it down." Chen Yang straightened him and walked to a nearby pavilion.
"Nine-Star Great Dou Shi…" Xiao Zhan hadn't imagined that, young as he was, Chen Yang was at least a Third-Grade Alchemist and already a Nine-Star Great Dou Shi.
Thinking this, he gave up trying to kneel, but from two paces away bowed deeply. "Great MasterChen Yang, for restoring Yaner's talent I'll never forget your kindness. Even if I must scatter every coin my family owns, I will repay you!"
Chen Yang waved a hand, pulled a fruit from his storage ring, and bit into it. "Forget it—your handful of coins wouldn't interest me even if you gave them all."
Seeing Xiao Zhan's awkward look, he went on:
"I helped for two reasons. First, I like Xiao Yan, and he has Alchemist talent; today's favor is a bit of good karma. He'll come of age soon—let him return the debt himself."
"Second, when I first arrived in the Jia Ma Empire I knew no one and didn't even have clothes or shoes. A man of your family, Xiao Yong, gave me garments and footwear and brought me to Wutan City."
"Clan Leader Xiao, your Six-Star Great Dou Shi strength and helping Xiao Yan recover are the small part—your family's real fortune is still ahead."
When he'd first come to the Fighting Qi Continent, without Xiao Yong's gift of clothes and shoes and escort into the city, he wouldn't have survived the Demonic Beasts, let alone activated the System.
To Ya Fei and Xiao Zhan, Xiao Yong had merely handed Chen Yang an outfit and pointed the way; with Chen Yang's Nine-Star Great Dou Shi strength, how could he possibly meet danger near Wutan City?
But to Chen Yang it was a life-saving kindness.
"Yaner actually has Alchemist talent?"
"Great MasterChen Yang is helping the Xiao Family partly because of Xiao Yong?"
Xiao Zhan felt dazed; as for the "fortune still ahead," he paid little heed—so long as his son was all right, that was enough.
"Clan Leader Xiao, is Big Brother Xiao Yong in the clan right now?"
"If so, could you invite him over?"
Chen Yang asked.
"He is. I'll send someone—no, I'll go myself."
With that, Xiao Zhan leapt and vanished down the path.
Once he was gone, Ya Fei glided forward, a faint fragrant breeze reaching Chen Yang's nose.
"Great MasterChen Yang, who'd have thought you and the Xiao Family shared such a charming story?" she said with a smile.
"A drop of kindness deserves a gushing spring in return. Later on, Miss Ya Fei, please show the Xiao Family some convenience," Chen Yang said, looking up at her seriously.
"Relax. Even without your request I'd do it. After today, this young master of the Xiao Family is going to rise," Ya Fei replied with feeling.
"It's only a matter of time. I trust Miss Ya Fei's judgment—and the Mittel Family's," Chen Yang said, speaking with omniscient certainty.
"Three years… who knows what heights Xiao Yan will reach by then…"
As they spoke, Xiao Zhan hurried along the road with a burly man of about his own age.
Chen Yang spotted them, rose at once, and strode from the pavilion to meet them.
Xiao Yong, forewarned by Xiao Zhan, felt nervous; he never imagined the youngster he'd casually brought to Wutan City two days ago was actually an Alchemist lord.
"Chen Yang, uh… my lord!" Xiao Yong blurted, about to bow, but Chen Yang caught his arm.
"Big Brother Xiao Yong, just keep calling me Young Brother," Chen Yang said with a smile, pulling him toward the pavilion.
"This…" Xiao Yong glanced at Xiao Zhan, heart thumping like fifteen buckets in a well.
Xiao Zhan nodded, overjoyed.
This time, the Xiao Family was truly going to rise.
(End of Chapter)
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