“Relics of a Ascended Realm expert?”
“No, this is too precious, I can’t accept it!”
Upon hearing Lu Mingyuan’s words, Zhou Xuan immediately shook his head and refused.
It wasn't that he was being pretentious; the item before him was truly too valuable!
The relics of an Ascended Realm expert. Others might not understand what that represented, but Zhou Xuan knew it very well.
An expert who reached the Ascended Realm was a titan in the cultivation world, an existence even Zhou Xuan considered to be purely legendary.
Zhou Xuan clearly remembered discussing cultivation mysteries with his master years ago. He had asked his master if there were truly Ascended Realm experts in this world.
His master had only replied with eight characters: “Only heard of them, never seen them!”
The meaning of those words was clear: even Zhou Xuan’s master had only heard tales of Ascended Realm experts but had never met one in person!
One could imagine how rare such experts were!
Now, Lu Mingyuan was directly offering him something that belonged to an Ascended Realm expert. How could Zhou Xuan possibly accept it!
“Zhou Xuan, listen to me!”
“My time is drawing near, and I have no lingering attachments to this world!”
“However, Ling’er is my only lingering concern!”
“I am entrusting these things to you now, hoping that when you have the ability, you can better protect Ling’er!”
“Besides, I’ve spent most of my life studying this, and I haven’t gotten any results. To me, it’s just a fire poker!”
“Perhaps you can decipher its purpose, and it won’t be left to gather dust!”
“But…”
“There’s no ‘but’ about it!”
“It’s decided!”
“Through Ling’er’s kidnapping, I’ve also understood a truth!”
“That is, this world is ultimately the stage for you young people now!”
“I am old. The Lu family’s future relies on you and Ling’er!”
Seeing the hesitation still on Zhou Xuan’s face, Lu Mingyuan directly thrust the wooden box into his arms.
Holding the small wooden box, Zhou Xuan felt a myriad of emotions.
Earlier, he had suspected Lu Mingyuan of being the betrayer. Now, it seemed his suspicions were unfounded.
What traitor would hand over their life’s possessions to the descendant of an enemy?
“Alright, in that case, I will accept this for now!”
“However, if I later unlock its secrets, or find a way to cure your condition, I will return it to you!”
“If you agree, then I’ll keep it. If you don’t agree, I absolutely cannot take it!”
Looking at Zhou Xuan’s solemn expression, Lu Mingyuan’s admiration grew even stronger.
“To remain so composed and ungreedy in the face of such a treasure, you are a promising talent, worthy of being Zhou Tianba’s grandson!”
“Alright, I agree!”
“Just for your attitude, I can rest assured leaving Ling’er to you!”
“Alright, you go up first. I still have some things to organize!”
“Remember, this matter must be kept confidential!”
“Rest assured, Old Lu!”
Watching Zhou Xuan’s retreating figure as he left the secret chamber, Lu Mingyuan sighed softly.
“Truly, life is unpredictable. Ten years ago, the Zhou family suffered a catastrophe because of this item!”
“Ten years later, it is I who personally hand this item to a descendant of the Zhou family!”
“Old Zhou, I have fulfilled the promise I made to you back then.”
“I’ve repaid the favor I owed you. When we meet below, you can’t use this to guilt me into drinking with you anymore!”
With a hearty laugh, Lu Mingyuan locked the door of the secret chamber and slowly walked away!
“Miss Lu, I can manage myself. How dare I trouble you!”
In the courtyard of the Lu family, Hei Hu was holding a cup of tea, looking overwhelmed. He didn’t know whether to drink it or not.
After Zhou Xuan and Lu Mingyuan left, they hadn’t instructed him on what to do. Puzzled, he could only stand in the courtyard with his subordinates, like a group of bodyguards.
Now, Lu Ling’er was personally bringing them tea. How could they possibly accept it.
He had already witnessed Zhou Xuan’s terrifying power. For his woman to make tea for them!
Hei Hu feared he might live to drink it, but not live to enjoy it!
After all, there had been no resolution yet regarding his kidnapping of Lu Ling’er.
“Don’t worry, Brother Xuan isn’t that terrifying!”
“If he wanted to kill you, you would have died when he rescued me earlier!”
“Since you’re still alive, it means there’s nothing major.”
“If there’s any problem, just say I told you to drink it!”
Seeing these burly men acting so meek, Lu Ling’er couldn’t help but find it amusing.
This was all her man’s deterrence, wasn’t it? Having such a boyfriend brought a great sense of security!
At this moment, Lu Ling’er even felt as though she were the girlfriend of a gang leader!
“Yes, thank you, Sister-in-law!”
Hearing Lu Ling’er’s words, Hei Hu and the others breathed a sigh of relief. The title “Sister-in-law” was greatly appreciated by Lu Ling’er.
“Oh, who are you calling Sister-in-law!”
“Let me see, what does this gang leader’s girlfriend look like?”
Just then, a teasing voice suddenly echoed from within the courtyard.
“Ah!”
Seeing Zhou Xuan emerge from the room, Lu Ling’er’s face flushed red, like a child caught stealing candy.
“Hmph, Brother Xuan, you’re teasing me again. I’m ignoring you!”
Looking at Zhou Xuan’s playful smile, Lu Ling’er let out a soft hum, pretended to glare at him fiercely, and then quickly made her escape.
“Hehe, what a silly girl!”
Zhou Xuan chuckled, looking at Lu Ling’er’s shy demeanor.
He had to admit, his wife was always adorable no matter how he looked at her.
“Alright, now it’s time to talk about our business!”
“Although Ling’er was not harmed this time, the incident was still quite serious!”
“It’s unrealistic for me to let you off so easily. Tell me yourselves, what should be done!”
After appreciating Lu Ling’er, Zhou Xuan’s expression changed instantly.
Turning back to face Hei Hu and the others, there was not a hint of emotion on his face.
“We are willing to compensate Miss Ling’er for her emotional distress. As for the amount, we’ll leave it to your discretion, sir?”
Zhou Xuan remained silent, only slowly shaking his head.
“Then, we’ll each break an arm as a punishment for kidnapping Miss Lu. Is that acceptable?”
Zhou Xuan still shook his head.
“Sir, please stop toying with us. Just tell us what you want. We can handle it!”
Seeing Zhou Xuan’s demeanor, Hei Hu and the others were close to tears. They simply gave up guessing and decided to face whatever came.
“Don’t worry!”
“I don’t want your money, nor do I want your arms!”
“I only want you to serve under me for three years. Within these three years, you must obey my commands. After three years, you can choose to stay or leave as you wish!”
“If that’s the case, I can pretend that nothing happened. What do you say?”