Rebirth: The Time-locked Girl
Chapter 179 Princess Yongning can do things, pay respects to the host [1 more]

Chapter 179: 179 Princess Yongning can do things, pay respects to the host [1 more]

Lacking virtue, forcibly seizing others’ property, how can such a person bear the responsibility of managing the Xiang Family?

The surname Xiang should be sacred.

Yet, after a hundred years, some rotten bones have inevitably mixed in.

Without removing the rotten, he always felt that these people would tarnish the reputation of the Xiang Imperial Family, and it would be a smear to both Princess Yongning and the King of Yan.

Yan Tingfeng closed his eyes lightly, already feeling the surge of the intent to kill within his heart.

"Ah?!" Xiang Lefeng never expected to hear such words from Yan Tingfeng, "But, but the Elders Council can’t just be changed like that, it requires the consent of the other elders and the family head to do so, even Brother Shaoyu doesn’t have this authority."

After listening, Yan Tingfeng suddenly asked, "If Princess Yongning were still here, how should she deal with it?"

Xiang Lefeng, unsure of his stance, tentatively asked, "The Fourth Elder, if we were in ancient times, would be a person causing havoc and acting against the laws, he should be executed immediately, should he not?"

"Makes sense," Yan Tingfeng said with a slight smile. "It’s what she would do."

"What do you mean by ’what she would do,’ speaking as if you were familiar with my ancient ancestor," Xiang Lefeng’s forehead twitched, "let’s wait for Brother Shaoyu to come back, he will deal with it."

"Hmm," Yan Tingfeng replied, his tone cool, "I hope he will provide a reasonable course of action."

He turned his head, looked out the window, and raised his hand, gently touching the place where his heart lay.

Not having met Princess Yongning was indeed his regret.

**

Meanwhile, in the hotel, Ye Wanlan had received the auction list given to her by Curator Xiang.

This auction was organized by an auction agency at the Global Center, which held a branch in Shenzhou, with sixty percent of the items being cultural relics that had once been lost overseas from Shenzhou.

As they were all privately collected abroad, they were brought to Shenzhou for auction, and the intentions of the organizers were obviously clear.

Ye Wanlan skimmed the items listed for auction, most of which were antiques she was familiar with.

Three hundred years ago, Shenzhou had suffered an unprecedented assault of war, and there were no shortage of opportunistic looters.

And now, three hundred years later, how could she bring all these items that rightfully belonged to Shenzhou back home?

"Wuu wuu wuu, Her Royal Highness the Princess, we’re truly so miserable!" Qingyun Pendant sobbed, "I never thought that even with Lord Prince Yan’s death, it would not stop that villain."

Ye Wanlan did not speak, still looking at the items, until her gaze suddenly locked on the very last item.

The Withered Wood Dragon Chant Zither!

The Heavenly Sound Sect had three famous zithers—the Primordial Lost Sound Zither, the Withered Wood Dragon Chant Zither, and the Sun and Moon Ruyi Zither.

The Heavenly Sound Sect’s ultimate move was the Heavenly Music Method, and the lethality was a combination of the player and the zither, which maximized the effect.

The three zithers were precisely the sharpest weapons.

Three hundred years ago, the Supreme Elder of the Heavenly Sound Sect gifted her the Primordial Lost Sound Zither.

It so happened that during one of her trips to Jiangnan, she left the Primordial Lost Sound Zither in the region, and three hundred years later, she had the chance to reclaim it.

The Withered Wood Dragon Chant Zither and the Sun and Moon Ruyi Zither had been passed down through the Heavenly Sound Sect, and Lin Weilan said the Sun and Moon Ruyi Zither was still displayed at the Lin Family Main House, with no one to date having gained the zither’s recognition.

The three ancient zithers were sentient, and if one didn’t gain their recognition, forcibly playing them would only harm oneself.

Unexpectedly, the Withered Wood Dragon Chant Zither had also been looted at that time and had ended up at an auction.

However, the only saving grace was that neither the Global Center nor any other place knew how powerful the ancient zithers were, let alone that the Withered Wood Dragon Chant Zither was one of the Heavenly Sound Sect’s three famous zithers.

Therefore, the starting bid for the Withered Wood Dragon Chant Zither was just one billion.

Ye Wanlan pressed down on the paper, closing her eyes.

No matter what, she had to get the Withered Wood Dragon Chant Zither.

But obviously, the Lin Family Main House also had the list for this auction, and for the People of Lin Family, the Withered Wood Dragon Chant Zither was a family heirloom, absolutely not to be let go.

After taking a deep breath, Ye Wanlan contacted Cheng Qingli.

[Ye Wanlan]: Qingli, check how much cash flow I can mobilize right now.

[Cheng Qingli]: Sister Lan, because the factory consumes a lot, we don’t have much cash flow, at most we can mobilize twelve billion.

[Ye Wanlan]: That should be enough.

Ye Wanlan thoughtfully said, "It’s not worrisome to bid for the Withered Wood Dragon Chant Zither, but how to take it away..."

Lin Weilan had been away from the Lin Family for forty years, and even she did not know the true strength of the Lin Family Main House now.

Especially Lin Shiyuan, who had been designated as the next family head, needed to be treated with caution.

"If Her Royal Highness wants it, can others really stop her?" Qingyun Pendant said indignantly, "Just let Lord Prince Yan beat them up, and they’ll behave."

Ye Wanlan: "Speak less, it won’t kill you."

Qingyun Pendant: "Ying."

**

The dagger from the Qianyuan Treasury had vanished without a trace, and the guard team of the Xiang Family had searched all night, even the Fourth Elder had not rested for a moment.

"Fourth Elder, we checked, yesterday, besides that Young Master Yan, there wasn’t a second outsider who entered the Xiang Family," Steward Xiang said, "That dagger..."

Has it truly vanished into thin air?!

"Impossible, a dagger isn’t a living thing, how could it grow legs and run away?" The Fourth Elder slapped the table and stood up, "If it’s not an outsider, then it must be a thief from within the family!"

But even he controlled only one of the checkpoints to open, which family thief could possibly open the entire Qianyuan Treasury?

Could it be one of the other elders?

Steward Xiang had obviously thought of this as well, shivering involuntarily, "Fourth Elder, I’ll check again, there must be something overlooked."

The Fourth Elder’s gaze was somber, "Go ahead."

If it was really a thief within the family, this matter would be difficult to handle.

With the Xiang Family making such a big fuss, the news naturally spread out.

The curator of the Xiang Family, with two dark circles under his eyes from a night of poor sleep, was utterly baffled.

Didn’t he take Ye Wanlan into the Xiang Family yesterday?

Could it be that the surveillance didn’t capture him?

In this world, strange things are becoming more and more frequent.

Indeed, Curator Xiang knew that the dagger had been taken away by Ye Wanlan, but he would not speak of this.

Originally, the dagger belonged to Ye Wanlan. The Xiang Family had forcibly taken it without offering any compensation, which was a huge mistake.

Even his gold ingots at home knew better than that.

Curator Xiang bent down and stroked the large orange cat that was well fed in the museum, worried, "You’ve gained weight again, today hang a sign around your neck saying you’re on a diet, no feeding allowed."

The deputy curator replied, "...Yes."

**

On the other side, Rong Jingqiu and Su Yingxia followed Rong Yu to the hotel where Ye Wanlan was staying.

"Ah Lan, why didn’t you say a word when you came to Yunjing?" Su Yingxia feigned anger, "I would have brought some gifts to see you, freshly made steamed buns, this shop on East Street is very tasty, you should try it."

"It was a sudden visit, and I didn’t come for fun," Ye Wanlan smiled, "There’s no need for gifts, thank you Sister Yingxia for bringing me breakfast."

Su Yingxia tenderly stroked her hair, smiling warmly, "As long as you like it, that’s good. I’ve heard about the situation at the Xiang Family, they’ve gone too far."

Ye Wanlan finished a steamed bun and then picked up her soy milk.

"I heard this morning that the dagger has disappeared without a trace, likely the work of a family thief," Su Yingxia sneered coldly, "Who knows if they are just crying ’stop thief’ to gain more advantages."

Hearing this, Yan Tingfeng’s eyebrows twitched and he said in an unhurried tone, "That must be the only reason."

"Mhm," Ye Wanlan responded softly, "I should go ask for compensation."

Rong Yu scratched his head, not understanding what they were talking about.

"You guys go out and have fun, I want to chat with Ah Lan," Su Yingxia waved the three men away with her hand, "Go on, off you go."

Rong Jingqiu sighed and picked up Rong Yu to take him out.

He had one great virtue, and that was listening to his wife.

"Let’s visit the Rong Family," Yan Tingfeng smoothed his sleeve.

The Rong Family wasn’t located in the city center but nestled deep in the forest, backed by a large mountain.

Winding paths lead to secluded spots, filled with birdsong and fragrant flowers, refreshing both the heart and the spirit.

"Let’s do it, I haven’t played chess with you in a while," Rong Yu was eager to try, "Come play a couple of games with me."

Yan Tingfeng, however, did not agree, but said, "I’m going to see the Supreme Elder."

"What do you want with the Supreme Elder?" Rong Yu shouted, "Is there anything that even my grandfather can’t solve? If so, he’s going to kick up a fuss!"

Yan Tingfeng didn’t look back, simply stating, "There are some things I don’t understand."

"You don’t have to look for the Supreme Elder for that," Rong Yu said puzzled, "I can hardly see his old man but once a year, I reckon he’s either in seclusion or has gone wandering about. You won’t find him!"

This time, Yan Tingfeng did not respond and simply continued walking, entering the mountain.

His figure was engulfed in a vast expanse of white mist.

Rong Yu wanted to follow, but was blocked at the entrance.

Clearly, there was a formation set by the Supreme Elder of the Rong Family that he could not enter.

"Damn it, I’m a member of the Rong Family, why can’t I get in?" Rong Yu muttered, "Forget it, I’ll entertain myself."

The mist dispersed, revealing the light of day.

There was an old man with white hair and beard, dressed in a raincoat, sitting by the river fishing.

The old man sat quietly fishing, and Yan Tingfeng stood quietly behind him.

The clouds above drifted leisurely as flowers below bloomed and withered.

After the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, a fish finally took the bait.

The old man flicked the rod, tossing the caught fish into his basket before rising to his feet, turning around, and greeting with a smile and a bow, "I pay my respects to the tower master, what brings the Heavenly Tower Master here?"