Nine Dragons Saint Ancestor
Chapter 197, what a coincidence, right?

Chapter 197: 197, what a coincidence, right?

Outside the Mysterious Artifact Hall!

Creak!

The sound of pushing the door startled both the Steward Nian and Song Tian, who had been waiting outside. When they saw a familiar figure emerge from the hall’s doors, their expressions were distinctly different.

Steward Nian didn’t particularly care, as taking anything from the Mysterious Artifact Hall required points anyway. Since Yun Xiao could come out of the hall, whether or not he obtained any Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, he hadn’t broken any rules of the hall.

On the other hand, Song Tian had been quite bored guarding outside and had long been hoping for Yun Xiao to come out, so he immediately stood up, wanting to greet him.

"Hmm?"

However, just as Song Tian took a step forward and was about to greet him, he noticed two figures rushing out from the hall. They swiftly moved to stand in front of Yun Xiao.

It was naturally Bi Luo and Xuan Zhi. Seeing this, Song Tian couldn’t help but reveal a look of surprise on his face, secretly wondering if a conflict had arisen between Yun Xiao and these two in the hall?

Song Tian had heard about the feud between Yun Xiao and Xuan Zhi, but he didn’t know about the interactions between Bi Luo and Yun Xiao. This Inner Sect genius from the Poison Vein wasn’t easy to provoke.

Thus, at this moment, Song Tian chose to stop and remain silent, observing quietly, as this was not a situation he could intervene in.

The originally seated Steward Nian, seeing this situation, couldn’t help but stand up, and at that moment, the Inner Sect genius Bi Luo spoke first.

"Steward Nian, Yun Xiao has taken an item I was interested in on the second floor of the Mysterious Artifact Hall. What should be done about this?"

Bi Luo’s somber gaze swept over Yun Xiao and finally settled on Steward Nian. The words spoken caused a cold smirk to appear on Yun Xiao’s face.

Because the reasoning mentioned by Bi Luo didn’t hold water. What did it mean by ’he was interested in it’? Did it mean that no one else could take it? It was, after all, something Yun Xiao redeemed with a thousand points.

When he saw the actions of Bi Luo and Xuan Zhi, Steward Nian anticipated that something unknown had happened inside the hall. Seeing Yun Xiao daring to offend Bi Luo, he was actually quite impressed.

Perhaps even Steward Nian himself didn’t realize it, but the haughty demeanor of Bi Luo when entering the hall had unconsciously caused him to feel some aversion towards this Inner Sect genius.

These peculiar feelings can ferment. After feeling uneasy for some time, at this moment, Steward Nian quite disliked Bi Luo, and compared to Yun Xiao’s respectful demeanor upon entering the hall, he naturally favored the latter more.

"Oh? What happened?"

Steward Nian did not continue along with Bi Luo’s words but rather approached leisurely and asked indifferently. This attitude made Bi Luo’s expression look even worse.

"What else could have happened? I used points to exchange for an item, and these two also wanted it, so they tried to forcefully snatch it. They couldn’t get it inside the hall and felt unsatisfied!"

Hearing Steward Nian asking, Yun Xiao smirked condescendingly, being not the slightest bit worried at this moment. No matter how arrogant Bi Luo was, he surely wouldn’t dare to strike him in front of the Steward of the Mysterious Artifact Hall, would he?

"Steward Nian, the item Yun Xiao took was something my father, the emperor, instructed me to acquire. Could you please show some consideration for the Xuanyue Royal Family?"

Xuan Zhi’s eyes shifted, disliking Yun Xiao’s tone, and thus he brought up his backing from the Royal Family, hoping to intimidate the Steward of the Outer Sect Mysterious Artifact Hall.

Unexpectedly, as soon as Xuan Zhi finished speaking, Steward Nian’s expression darkened, and he retorted, "Xuan Zhi, although the Xuanyue Royal Family is powerful, this is the Jade Pot Sect. Since you have joined the Jade Pot Sect, you must abide by the sect rules. It’s better to refrain from such rule-breaking actions!"

Scolded bluntly by Steward Nian, Xuan Zhi’s face alternated between shades of green and white. For a moment, he truly considered quitting. As the dignified Third Prince of the Royal Family, why should he suffer such indignity here?

Yet reason told Xuan Zhi that if he really left like this, once back to the Royal Family, he would not be favored by his elder brother again. He actually also wanted to use this plan to prove himself and gain his elder brother’s respect.

"Steward Nian, you are a bit wrong in this!"

Xuan Zhi, left speechless by Steward Nian’s words, fortunately had an Inner Sect Disciple as backup. After his words, Bi Luo promptly spoke up in a stern voice.

After the opening remarks, Bi Luo stared at Steward Year meaningfully and continued: "Steward Year, the item that Yun Xiao took is not only desired by the King, but my teacher is also quite interested. Can’t you do us a favor?"

Bi Luo’s words were much more forceful than what Xuan Zhi had just said. After all, although Xuan Zhi is the Third Prince of the Empire, his background does not extend its influence over the Jade Pot Sect.

Regardless, the Jade Pot Sect and the Xuanyue Royal Family have always kept to their own, without interfering with each other. Despite the strength of the Xuanyue Royal Family, a third in line to the throne like Xuan Zhi is simply not intimidating enough to make someone like Steward Year overly cautious.

But Bi Luo is different. Not only is he an outstanding figure in the Inner Sect Poison Vein of the Jade Pot Sect, his teacher is also the Second Elder of the sect, controlling the Poison Vein for many years and wielding significant influence both inside and outside the sect.

While Steward Year certainly disliked Bi Luo’s arrogant demeanor, he seriously had to consider whether it was worth offending the Second Elder of the Jade Pot Sect just for Yun Xiao, a nobody.

"What exactly did Yun Xiao take?"

Now even Steward Year was curious about what Yun Xiao had taken. This is the Outer Sect after all, and the items in the Mysterious Artifact Hall were probably beneath Bi Luo’s notice, let alone the Second Elder or the King of Xuanyue Country.

"Could it be that black key?"

As the steward of the Mysterious Artifact Hall in the Outer Sect, Steward Year was somewhat familiar with its contents. After pondering, he figured it could only be that mysterious black key, which required a thousand points to exchange, that could become the center of contention between the two parties.

"What’s the matter? Steward Year, is it because my status as Bi Luo is not sufficient? Otherwise, shall I have my teacher come and speak to you personally?"

Seeing Steward Year’s hesitant expression, Bi Luo knew his words had had their intended effect. Seizing the moment to strike while the iron was hot, he wanted to confirm the matter conclusively.

Bi Luo believed that as long as Yun Xiao had not yet left the vicinity of the Mysterious Artifact Hall, with Steward Year’s assistance, he could definitely obtain the black key. After all, what waves could a mere new Outer Disciple make?

Bi Luo even thought that it wouldn’t even be necessary for Steward Year to act. If neither would assist the other, with his own strength, dealing with Yun Xiao wouldn’t take much effort.

It has to be said that Bi Luo effectively utilized his advantages, using the intimidating reputation of his teacher to make Steward Year waver. In that moment, he truly did not know what to do.

Even though Steward Year did not care for Bi Luo, he also didn’t have a close relationship with Yun Xiao. To risk offending the Second Elder or even the King of Xuanyue for an ordinary Outer Disciple was indeed a difficult balance to maintain.

If it were any ordinary Outer Sect Steward not belonging to the Medical Pulse, they probably wouldn’t hesitate so much and would follow Bi Luo’s words, at most facing some punishment according to the sect’s rules. But offending the Poison Vein could have far more serious consequences.

The formidable Poison Vein Masters of the Poison Vein are ruthless and do not recognize affiliations within the same sect – offending them could mean you wouldn’t even know how you died.

The fact that Steward Year hesitated for so long was already a testament to his respect for the sect rules, but under the unrelenting pressure of Bi Luo’s words, he probably couldn’t hold out much longer.

Yun Xiao clearly understood this, knowing that Steward Year was caught in a dilemma, being intimidated by the authority and ruthlessness of Elder Fu Du, yet his heart still leaned towards the sect rules.

In the midst of these thoughts, Yun Xiao suddenly understood something. Seeing the collusion between Bi Luo and Xuan Zhi, it might not necessarily be that Elder Fu Du knew about this matter. If that was the case, then use their own tactics against them.

"Steward Year, speaking of which, this matter is quite a coincidence. I came to the Mysterious Artifact Hall by the command of the Great Elder, and unexpectedly, the Second Elder is also interested in that item and even sent Brother Bi Luo here. Isn’t that coincidental?"

Although Yun Xiao was speaking to Steward Year, his gaze teasingly fixed on Bi Luo. The words he spoke seemed plain but contained a subtle provocation.

Yun Xiao believed that Elder Fu Du might not necessarily be aware of this matter. Thus, he improvised on the spot, pulling the Great Elder into his narrative. He also believed that even if the Great Elder knew about this, he would probably not expose his lie.

As during two fights in the Outer Sect competition, Great Elder Lu Zhan had owed Yun Xiao favours twice, learning two powerful Meridian Arrays.

Furthermore, knowing that Great Elder Lu Zhan’s disposition was kind and did not align with the ruthless ideals of the Poison Vein, both publicly and privately, he was unlikely to support Bi Luo.

What insight Yun Xiao had! He knew that Steward Year’s hesitation was because he needed a way out, or rather, a backing as formidable as Elder Fu Du.

Within the Jade Pot Sect, apart from the elusive Sect Leader, only the Great Elder Lu Zhan could rival Elder Fu Du.

Yun Xiao had never met the Sect Leader and didn’t know his temperament, so at this moment, he chose to invoke Great Elder Lu Zhan. Upon saying this, Steward Year’s expression visibly relaxed, whereas Bi Luo on the other hand, looked gloomy as a storm.