“Ju…ju…just a Grade Eight pill? Just?”
Wun Siu Lan clenched her teeth when she heard that, but she immediately felt nervous after she calmed down. After all, a Grade Eight pill was incredibly valuable. If anyone were to find out that the Wun Clan had one, they would never find peace again. A Grade Eight Pill was tremendously useful even for a Martial General. It wasn’t some common good you could just buy from a streetside store. Even the great elder might want the pill for himself if he knew they had one.
“How much is a Grade Eight pill worth?”
Gold gleamed in Wun Fan’s eyes when he heard that the pill was Grade Eight. He was practically drooling. Both Wah Ling Yi and Wun Siu Lan looked at him contemptuously.
“Heh…you can’t even dream about buying one if you don’t have at least a hundred thousand gold coins.” Wah Ling Yi blew smoke in Wun Fan’s face, making him cough.
Wun Fan’s heart sank when he heard the answer and his smile vanished. To think a Grade Eight Pill would cost over a hundred thousand gold coins. Even as prosperous as the Wun Clan was in Green Sea Town, their daily revenue only amounted to several hundred gold coins. It would take an entire year of their profits to purchase this pill.
Moreover, this was a calculation based on their gross income.
All of a sudden, Wun Fan could feel the weight of the pill in his hands, as if it was a mountain. He made a decision and said with a reluctant expression, “Miss Wah, this gift is too much. I have only known you for less than a day. I do not deserve such a treasure!”
He gritted his teeth and returned the Soul Revival Pill.
Wun Siu Lan nodded in agreement. Disregarding the fact that the two of them had only just met Wah Ling Yi, the value of the pill alone meant that they could not keep it.
The most expensive debt of all is a favour owed to another person.
Wun Fan’s actions made Wah Ling Yi think of him even more favourably. Who would’ve thought a young boy would be able to stay rational in such a situation? To be unmoved by precious treasure was a sign of a steady mind; to have seen through worldly matters and understand the consequences of his actions was a sign of prudence. There was more than what met the eye to this kid. He just might be a big deal in the future. Wah Ling Yi thought back to what that swindler had said to her. Whether it was to repay the favour Wun Fan had done for her or to leave a good impression, this was what she should do.
“Keep it. Believe me, kid. A certain charlatan told me that this pill is one that you are destined to receive.”
Wah Ling Yi smiled as she looked at Wun Fan and pushed the pill back into his hands. Her strength was far superior compared to a Martial Disciple. There was no way he could stop her.
Wun Fan and Wun Siu Lan were about to refuse again when Wah Ling Yi finally found it too annoying. Her soul energy erupted as she started shouting, “Are you a bloody man? I already gave it to you so just take it!”
If the swindler hadn’t told her that she must give this pill to the person that helped her with her romantic problems, she would have just walked away already. It was only a Grade Eight pill; that was nothing to Wah Ling Yi.
Wun Fan had no rebuttal, but this was an important matter! He had to return the pill, even if it meant he was less of a man for that.
He was about to say a few more words when he realised that Wah Ling Yi had vanished into thin air. He looked around the shop but saw no one at all. Only a bunch of keys had been left by the zither. The voice of a woman echoed in the air, “I haven’t regained my emotions entirely, but you have helped me a lot, kid. This shop and this pill are my repayments to you!”
Only Wun Fan and Wun Siu Lan were left in the shop, staring at each other in confusion.
The two youngsters looked at the shop. They had no choice but to pick up the keys, lock the doors and try to collect their feelings after everything that happened today. They had many questions, but they started home with all the other things they had bought. Of course, the most important item of all was the pill. Who would’ve thought they would run into such good fortune? Wun Fan couldn’t help but feel a little nervous and uneasy. Luckily, his sixth sense didn’t seem to be warning him of any danger. That made him feel a little more composed.
Wun Siu Lan did not discuss the Grade Eight pill with Wun Fan on their way back home. No one knew who might be listening. The pill was enough to make even her jealous, let alone anyone else. However, right before they left No Hearts Drawn, she repeatedly requested Wun Fan that she be by his side when he ate the pill. It would be best if there someone was there to watch over him in case anything unexpected happened.
Wun Fan agreed to the request, looking quite sincere when he did so. However, it was hard to tell if he meant it and Wun Siu Lan had no choice but to let the matter slide. The two of them quickly reached the Wun Mansion after a short walk. It was getting dark. It was the second day of the New Year’s, but the Wun Mansion was not throwing any more banquets and the whole place seemed a little quiet. The two kids walked back to their rooms for dinner, but someone was already waiting for them in the courtyard. It was their adoptive father, Wun Ching Yeung.
Wun Ching Yeung was sitting in front of a stone table. A jade chessboard was placed on the table, along with a cup of hot, steaming tea. A servant was quietly waiting by his side. The clan master took a sip of the tea and let out a breath of satisfaction.
“You guys are late.” Wun Ching Yeung smiled, the adoration in his eyes for his kids plain to see. He waved his hand to dismiss the servant, so he could talk with his children.
Wun Siu Lan was happy to see Wun Ching Yeung and immediately broke into a smile. Her chilly aura vanished and she lunged into Wun Ching Yeung’s arm like a spoiled little girl, “Daddy.”
“Hahaha, what is it, Siu Lan?” Wun Ching Yeung asked dotingly. He liked this little girl he had brought back to the Wun Clan immensely. The whole place felt warm and pleasant as he stroked Wun Siu Lan’s head. Even Wun Fan felt his heart warm at the sight.
“You’re back.”
Wun Ching Yeung patted Wun Fan lightly on the head. It was a simple phrase, but it was enough. This was the feeling of home!
Wun Fan was an orphan in his past life. Ever since his adoptive father died, he always returned home to the echoes of his four walls. He was still an orphan in this life. It was especially bad in a large clan like this one. Every disciple practically lived for themselves. The other disciples?
What do they have to do with me?
The warmth of a clan? What a joke! That the disciples of the Wun Clan did not plot or scheme against each other already made them much better than the other clans. However, Wun Ching Yeung had always treated him and Wun Siu Lan with the utmost love and care. He had shown them the warmth of a family. The three of them ate dinner together, talking and laughing, but Wun Fan and Wun Siu Lan did not mention the strange event that had occurred to them.
This was what they had agreed to on the way home.
“Wew.”
Wun Fan held a cup of hot tea in his hand as he sat in the courtyard after dinner. It seemed to be pretty hot as he was blowing at it. He and Wun Ching Yeung were looking at each other, with the father also holding a cup of tea in his hand. He seemed to be waiting for his son to speak.
“Father, do you have something you want to talk about with me?”
People were in places for reasons. Wun Ching Yeung must want something to do with him. Moreover, it definitely had something to do with the events of the clan banquet last night.
Wun Fan felt his head ache. He had to deal with some mysterious and powerful person this morning and now he had to deal with his father. It was burning up his brain cells.
“Can’t I just talk with my children?” Wun Ching Yeung smiled compassionately like a kind and gentle father would.705Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBuPLCpSybU
“Oh.” Wun Fan didn’t say anything more. He simply enjoyed his tea and looked up at the stars and moon. Sometimes he looked over at Wun Ching Yeung and smiled, “This tea is good.”
“That’s true. And this moon looks like a moon,” Wun Ching Yeung replied, and Wun Fan immediately choked on his drink. He almost spat his tea out onto the table. Siu Lan covered her mouth and laughed at that, breaking the awkward silence between father and son, “If you two have something to talk about, why don’t you just spit it out? What’s with all the riddles?”
Wun Fan glanced at Wun Ching Yeung. Wun Ching Yeung smiled mysteriously as he said, “Come, let’s play some chess, see if you’ve improved any.”705Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM1p3c1cgYr
Jadechess in this world originated from the wars that the Nap-Lan Empire had fought with other nations. The wars were shrunk down to a chessboard—a total of thirty-two pieces; sixteen for red and sixteen for black. The pieces were the general, the chariots, the knights, the cannons, the guards, the elephants and the pawns. The guards flanked the general, the knights moved two and one spaces, the elephants moved diagonally, the cannons hopped over other pieces and the pawns only moved forward until they crossed the plains.
Wun Fan couldn’t help but laugh at the coincidence when he first learned jadechess in Heaven’s Martial World. The rules were the same as Chinese Chess in his previous life. It was the same game, just called jadechess and the ‘river’ that divided the board was now a plain instead, alluding to the border between two nations.
Wun Ching Yeung had already arranged his pieces in the blink of an eye. He stoked his beard as he smiled at Wun Fan and said, “It is a virtue to respect your elderlies.”
He then pushed the pawn on the left and continued, “Move before your opponent and you will always have the initiative. Move after your opponent and you will always be on the back foot.”
“No, no, not at all. If you are prepared all along, there will be no initiative for your opponent to take.”
Wun Fan shifted his cannon behind his pawn, threatening to take the pawn that Wun Ching Yeung had just pushed.
“That is true. Preparation can eliminate any sort of initiative. However, sometimes, your opponent is willing to sacrifice.”
Wun Ching Yeung shifted his cannon as well, aiming at Wun Fan’s own pawn. He was planning to trade one pawn for another.
“Not necessarily. I won’t fear my opponent even if they were willing to sacrifice.”
Wun Fan moved his knight in position to defend his pawn, preventing Wun Ching Yeung’s cannon from taking it.
“Your turn, daddy. Hurry up and defend your own pawn.”705Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1W0VSy5A4N
Wun Siu Lan was extremely lively when she was with Wun Ching Yeung. She didn’t seem as cold and distant as she usually was. Instead, she seemed like just a little girl playing chess with her father.
Wun Ching Yeung moved his elephant and defended his own pawn. He looked at Wun Siu Lan adoringly, but he suddenly sighed and said, “Siu Lan, you have to let people fight their own battles, or you will have to suffer the consequences. Some things you shouldn’t involve yourself in, especially if it doesn’t concern you.”
“Don’t worry, dad. Siu Lan is like my sister. I will protect her,” Wun Fan suddenly said firmly. For some reason, he felt a certain way toward Wun Siu Lan. He couldn’t bear to see her hurt in any way at all. He had felt this way ever since he first met her and that feeling had only grown stronger as they got older.
Sometimes he couldn’t help but think to himself, Goddamn, who would’ve thought I was a lolicon myself!
Wun Ching Yeung knocked Wun Fan on the head and scoffed, “With what power you have, it might be Siu Lan protecting you rather than the other way around. Also, what do you mean she’s ‘like your sister’? She is your sister!”
“Dad, violence isn’t the solution!”
The two of them were alluding to different things as they played chess. Wun Siu Lan was completely perplexed as she stared at the father and son. Don’t they get tired of always speaking in riddles?
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