Reunion

"Sigh." A soft sigh drifted through the pavilion. Though he had rejected Xu Xinyao's proposal, within the bounds permitted by the greater situation, their father had still granted her all the assistance he could. Reassigning five Grade A Superior formation script masters and five artifact refiners at a time like this was likely the limit of what the Gewu Academy could spare. As for why he had allocated only five hundred thousand taels in funding, Xu Yuan figured it was because his father simply did not wish to encourage this endeavor. Once the money burned out, the entire project would naturally have to disband. After all, given the current situation, researching the Soul-Nourishing Ring was merely a burden to the Prime Minister's Manor. Xu Yuan truly had a bit of a headache. If the money in his Sumeru ring hadn't been robbed by that old woman Lou Ji, it probably would have been enough for that gold-swallowing beast Xu Xinyao to burn through for a while. But now, he had no choice but to find a way to rustle up money again. A real dilemma. Still, solutions always outnumbered problems. With that thought, Xu Yuan silently retrieved paper and brush from his Sumeru ring and began pondering a grand moneymaking scheme in the pavilion. If he could leverage his status as the "Crown Prince" of the Prime Minister's Manor, getting money would be child's play. With power in hand, money was truly nothing more than a number. Unfortunately, the only identity he could use on the outside was that of the illegitimate son of the Left Vice Minister of War. Trying to raise funds under that identity was difficult; turning it over in his mind, Xu Yuan could only come up with a few piecemeal methods. Go hit up that tycoon Li Junqing. The man had always run the Imperial Family Chamber of Commerce, and Xu Yuan refused to believe he didn't have his own private slush fund. The question, however, was how to pry open that slush fund of his. Though the guy acted nonchalant and frivolous, when it came to matters of profit, he was shrewder than a monkey. The second way was to sell cultivation methods. Stored in his mind were numerous superior cultivation methods acquired during his travels. Taking them to Hua Hong should fetch a handsome sum of silver. The third was to go to Lou Ji's Rain Listening Pavilion to peddle intelligence. Lou Ji ran an intelligence business; if she could sell, she could naturally buy. Changing his identity and concealing himself well, even the scrap ends of intelligence should be able to sell for a hundred or two hundred thousand taels. Yet apart from going after Li Junqing, the other two methods were like drinking poison to quench a thirst—two or three hundred thousand taels wouldn't last Xu Xinyao at all. At this thought, Xu Yuan clicked his tongue softly and made up his mind. Try Li Junqing first. If that truly failed, going to secret realms would be his only option. The heavenly treasures hidden within certain secret realms in his memory were items virtually impossible to buy on the open market, regardless of price. In Cangyuan, the Tian'an Chamber of Commerce was a rip-off shop; selling those heavenly treasures there would fetch only a tenth or even several dozen times less than their worth. But nowadays, the Tian'an Chamber of Commerce was essentially run by his own family. While Xu Yuan didn't count on selling to Hua Hong at market value, he could at least get fifty to seventy percent. If he could liquidate those goods, sustaining his fourth sister's entire project shouldn't be an issue. With that, Xu Yuan temporarily shelved any plans to head out and turned back directly to his room. Circulating his cultivation method at full power and controlling the brush with his intent-soul, he began transcribing the various cultivation arts, secret techniques, and intelligence stored in his memory one by one. Time flew, the sun slanting westward, until the silence of the wing room was broken by a soft knock at the door. Knock, knock, knock— Instantly scooping up the thick stacks of writing-covered paper on the desk and sweeping them into his Sumeru ring, Xu Yuan rubbed his slightly tired temples. Though he had already stepped into the Flesh Integration Realm, circulating his cultivation method for such a prolonged period still left him exhausted. After a few breaths of quiet, Xu Yuan called out toward the door: "Come in." Creak— The room door was pushed open, and a young girl dressed in a purple silk gauze dress bundled in a white brocade fur coat appeared in Xu Yuan's sight. Xu Xinyao blinked her eyes at her visibly weary Third Brother, asking in slight surprise: "Third Brother, what's wrong?" Xu Yuan waved a dismissive hand: "Nothing, just practicing cultivation methods..." "This brat was transcribing cultivation methods." A middle-aged man's chuckle, carrying the deep resonance of a subwoofer, rang out. A remnant soul resembling a middle-aged scholar floated into the room, glancing left and right before clicking his tongue twice: "Tsk, tsk. Didn't expect a brat like you to keep such a simple room." Seeing Old Man Luo appear, Xu Xinyao looked on with a trace of confusion and followed up on his words, asking: "Senior Luo, transcribing cultivation methods?" Luo Daofan stroked his chin, glanced at Xu Xinyao, and chuckled. "Doesn't your little ladyship want to study this soul ring of mine? He's probably planning to sell those methods for silver." "..." Hearing this, Xu Xinyao immediately looked back at the slightly weary, handsome young man. Xu Yuan merely gave a calm grunt: "Haven't seen you in a while, old man, and you're as loose-lipped as ever." Luo Daofan's lips curled into an irreverent grin: "Right back at you. I haven't seen you showing any manners either, brat. What did you call this old man over for?" Xu Yuan was briefly at a loss for words. Rolling his eyes, he stood up and got straight to the point: "Don't you already know? I want to borrow that soul ring of yours. And if you could tell me the refining techniques and formula directly, that would be even better." Pfft. Old Man Luo sneered, crossing his arms over his chest. "You really don't hold back, do you, kid? But why should I?" Xu Yuan walked over to Old Man Luo, circulated Source Qi, and patted the remnant soul on the shoulder. "Why stand on ceremony between us? Since you were willing to come over, you must have already agreed in your heart, haven't you? "After all, I'm the one who rescued that beloved sister of ours." "'Ours'?" Old Man Luo's eyelid twitched. Xu Yuan grinned, spreading his hands: "We're friends across generations, calling each other brothers. It shouldn't be too much to call Xiran my adopted sister, right?" "..." Old Man Luo. "..." Luo Xiran. A moment of silence fell. Old Man Luo said nonchalantly: "Call her whatever you want. But what does that woman's life or death have to do with me?" Hearing this, Xu Xinyao subconsciously opened her mouth, wanting to remind him of something, but before the words could leave her lips, Xu Yuan's voice interrupted: "Playing the tsundere now, are we, Brother Luo?" Xu Yuan winked playfully at Old Man Luo. "If you truly didn't care about Xiran, why give up your spot to our sister during your Luo clan's Holy Son tournament? You were a genius who comprehended the Heaven Character True Words in just over a month~" Old Man Luo snorted, his tone yielding not an inch: "Back when I was in the Overseeing Heaven Pavilion, I never liked her much to begin with. Full of pride, completely blind to her own limits. "Yielding that spot to her was only because I didn't want to become an emotionless thing like the Pavilion Master. Watching that woman turn into such a creature was what I took pleasure in seeing. "Unfortunately, "that woman's ability didn't seem to match her pride. Too weak, utterly useless—she couldn't even comprehend the Heaven-Deducing Stele." "..." Luo Xiran. Hearing these words, Xu Xinyao quietly closed her mouth, swallowing her warning completely back down. And hearing this, Xu Yuan looked at him with an increasingly peculiar expression. Old Man Luo felt uncomfortable under the stare and frowned. "What?" Xu Yuan let out an amused grin: "Old Man Luo, don't tell me you haven't seen our sister yet?"