This statement caused Zhou Yan to make a moan, as if he was about to faint again.
He kicked him in the backside, and he slid up, standing abruptly.
His panicked gaze fell upon me, and he dared not speak, hurrying off in the right direction.
The gentleman wiped the sweat from his forehead, cupped his hands together, slightly bending his back, and assumed an extremely humble demeanor.
"Brother, your great righteousness is beyond measure. If Zhou Yan dares to hide even a little Chongshan White Glue, I will peel his skin."
I mumbled and twirled the jade snout in my hand.
The gentleman, however, looked at me with careful caution, his eyes showing a hint of urgency, as if he were holding his breath.
"What's the matter?" I asked.
He swallowed a mouthful of saliva before speaking in a low voice, "Brother, are you from the Taoist Sect? May I ask, is this jade snout that you are holding not something that was stolen?"
I immediately understood why he had said that.
Although he hadn't recognized the Si Gu Ming Jing, he might have recognized it as a Taoist artifact. Added to my robes that were characteristic of Daoist clothing, this further supported his suspicions.
A Taoist, why would one generally seek protection from a master?
"Do you know what this thing is used for?" I did not deny, and asked casually.
The original purpose of the jade snout was not clear to me, and his opening exactly matched my intention.
The gentleman took a deep breath, slowly approaching me, and coughed, saying, "Brother, you didn't know. That's why you were playing with it so carelessly. You should be more careful and not destroy this treasure."
I stopped my hand movements and let it fall.
The gentleman first introduced himself, saying that his name was Fan Jie, and he was known as the Master of Empty Mountain among the Taoists. Only then did he continue to explain the function of the jade snout.
In the view of facial science, the nose is the palace of wealth and treasury, and a palace is a treasure. It signifies wealth accumulation and prosperity.
Ordinary family wealth is in the form of gold, silver, jewels, and business ventures. For other families, it is the produce of the family. For instance, if this jade snout were to remain in the Zhou family, the Zhou family members would become even more prosperous and successful in a short period. They would experience a qualitative transformation within a short time.
The person who could carve such a jade snout must be a renowned great master.
I narrowed my eyes, but my heart was racing much faster.
Old Qin's head is indeed a great master, and in Jing Yang, he is even very famous.
This jade snout actually has such an effect? If it were to remain in the Jue family, wouldn't it make the Jue family's techniques progress rapidly? Or, would they gain more special souls, and create more special Dier rats or other animals?
At this moment, Fan Jie let out a bitter laugh and said, "The Jue family was timid before, but now with the addition of this jade snout, and with the cursed Zhou Yan saying to me that you were only a person of the lowest social rank, with a Master of Yin and Yang as your teacher, I thought that the Master of Yin and Yang was no different. Perhaps this jade snout was also an accident for you to come by. That's why I attacked Lady Jue. I hadn't expected that you were so well-concealed. Fortunately, it was just a misunderstanding."
I no longer said anything and put the jade snout away.
Fan Jie felt slightly embarrassed and remained silent, simply standing by my side with his hands tied.
His wary gaze occasionally glanced towards Yu Xiu.
After another ten or so minutes, Zhou Yan returned, followed by several others behind him.
Each person carried a wooden box measuring about three to four decimeters in length.
Zhou Yan's box was larger and heavier.
He had a face like he was about to cry, standing in front of me, with staring and lifeless eyes.
"Xiu, go and call the sisters and others in," I shouted at Yu Xiu.
Yu Xiu didn't move at first, but when I was about to call out again, she slowly turned around and walked towards the courtyard entrance.
Soon, Lady Juechang, Jueqiong, Jueying, and four members of the Jue family entered.
Upon seeing Zhou Yan, they all showed anger without a moment's hesitation.
Seeing the disgraceful appearance of the master, their faces turned into excitement.
Lady Juechang immediately recognized the box in Zhou Yan's hand, snatched it away, quickly opened it, and then showed a satisfied expression.
The others took the wooden boxes from the hands of the other Zhou family members, one by one opened them, and their faces were filled with joy.
Zhou Yan's face turned even paler, and his body shook uncontrollably.
"Are there no more Chongshan White Glue hidden away? If Luo Dao Master is not satisfied, take good care of your life!" Fan Jie glared at Zhou Yan.
"Everything the Zhou family has stored over the years is all here," Zhou Yan replied with a bitter smile.
Fan Jie cupped his hands together towards me again, smiling ingratiatingly.
"The items belonging to my Jue family that the Zhou family previously plundered are the remaining Chongshan White Glue, which should be considered an interest payment. Since both families have torn off their masks today, I have no choice but to ask the Zhou family for someone. The women of the Jue family who were married into your Zhou family today, I want to bring back. If they have died, I will bring back their souls. Zhou Yan, do you have any objections?" Lady Juechang narrowed her eyes and said.
"Grandfather Jue... This..." Zhou Yan's face changed again, and his body shook.
"Why worry about the past when you knew what today would bring?" Lady Juechang's cold smile revealed a sense of loathing in her eyes.
Zhou Yan lowered his head, tightly grasping his hands. The blood from his fingers soon overflowed.
Turning around, he left again.
After about half an hour, Zhou Yan returned, followed by a woman.
However, the woman looked very emaciated, as if she had not eaten properly for a long time, thin to the point of skin and bone, and her hair was almost falling out.
Behind her, several other Zhou family members followed, one of them carrying a jade caterpillar about the size of an arm.
Jueying pursed her lips and showed a slight sadness.
Lady Juechang was silent.
As for the woman, upon seeing their eyes, she became extremely resentful.
My heart stirred slightly, but I did not speak much.
"Something will come up, and I will find you," I bowed to Fan Jie and said goodbye.
Fan Jie trembled, forcing a smile and said, "I can send someone to inform me. No, no, just call Zhou Yan, and I will immediately arrive at the Jue family."
...
After leaving the Zhou family, the group returned to the Jue family.
On the way, Jueying was not beside me. She went to the car behind and accompanied the woman.
There were now Lady Juechang and Jueqiong in our car.
At this moment, their moods were clearly not good, and they were silent.
I did not ask them anything.
Fan Jie, stay in the Zhou family temporarily.
Considering that the Zhou family has already been scared, and he has seen Yu Xiu's prowess, he is unlikely to cause any trouble.
I will first understand the layout of Daxiang from here at the Jue family, and then get to know the power distribution of the four directions in the country, from bottom to top, which is why I will need Fan Jie.
In addition, Yu Xiu's current situation is somewhat dire.
Although her soul and body are fine, her reactions are clearly slower.
Some of the Chongshan White Glue was used to awaken Old Gong, and the rest needs to be used on Yu Xiu.
Not long after, we returned to the Jue family.
After a while, it was already the early hours of the morning, just before dawn.
I asked the Jue family members to place all the Chongshan White Glue in my room. Then, I returned the jade snout to Lady Juechang and reminded her of its preciousness and its function.
Lady Juechang insisted repeatedly that she would hide it away carefully and not carry it with her anymore.
I finally returned to my room.
Jueying did not come to find me.
I opened all the wooden boxes, and the amount of Chongshan White Glue was approximately twenty times more than before.
I took a third of the white and red porcelain night pot, and then took another third, having Yu Xiu sit on the bed and hold it.
The porcelain night pot didn't show any reaction, but the white Chongshan White Glue in Yu Xiu's hands kept emitting a faint white mist, seeping into her body.
