"A swindler?"

Dongfang Xun, who was taking another Magic Artifact out of his storage ring for someone to buy, had his expression change abruptly.

He roared in fury, "Xu Lai, I spared you earlier out of respect for the Family Heads present! Otherwise, what right would you have to stand before me!"

"Mr. Xu, is there something wrong with this artifact?" Su Daiyi asked, her gaze puzzled.

"It's just an ordinary piece of jade with no life-extending properties," Xu Lai said flatly. "And the quality of the jade isn't great, either. Buying it would be paying an idiot tax."

Fake?!

Niu Guihua and the others looked at one another, startled and uncertain.

Just a moment ago, Wan Yuanshan had been beaming, clutching the Jade Pendant artifact as if it were the most precious thing in the world. Now, his expression stiffened.

He forced a smile. "Mr. Xu, you aren't joking, are you?"

Over the years, the Wan Family had purchased quite a few Magic Artifacts from Dongfang Xun. This year, they had even prepared two hundred million, planning to make a big splash. Last year's life-extending Jade Pendant had cost him fifty million, and he had worn it around his neck like a treasure ever since, never taking it off.

It might just be a placebo effect, Wan Yuanshan thought. He felt that after putting on the Jade Pendant, his dizziness had vanished, his legs no longer ached, and he could even eat two bowls of plain rice in one sitting.

"If you don't believe me, just buy a few more," Xu Lai said with a shrug. "Your Daoist Master Dongfang has about a hundred more of those thirty-million-yuan Jade Pendants in his storage ring. These 'Magic Artifacts' really aren't worth much, are they?"

THUMP!

Dongfang Xun's heart leaped into his throat, his face a mask of shock. He had never hidden the fact that he possessed a storage ring, but it was true that within its small, one-cubic-meter space, there were nearly a hundred jade pieces he had bought wholesale from street stalls.

But... how did Xu Lai know?

"Daoist Master Dongfang, my mother's health has suddenly improved, so this Jade Pendant… I think I'll pass," Wan Yuanshan, the head of the Wan Family, said after a long moment of hesitation.

It was one thing if the artifact wasn't good, but another entirely if it wasn't real. He couldn't just throw his money down the drain.

"You're not buying it?" Dongfang Xun's expression grew ugly. He had spent four thousand yuan on each of those Jade Pendants in his Storage Space. How could he return to Harbour City if he didn't earn a billion or so today? How would he afford to buy Xiao Qi a mansion and a yacht?

Feigning displeasure, he said, "I have studied Feng Shui and Formations for decades. Xu Lai probably wasn't even born then. How can you believe his words? If you do, I, Dongfang Xun, will turn and leave right now. You disrespect the gods and spirits, the heavens and the earth, yet you believe rumors. Fine, my Magic Artifacts need not be sold to you!"

Wan Yuanshan and the others sank into deep thought.

Seeing the shift in their expressions, Dongfang Xun felt his confidence returning. He knew he just needed to show off a little more to fleece these fat sheep as he pleased.

He reached out and took the Jade Pendant from Wan Yuanshan, his voice low and solemn. "My master personally consecrated this jade, enabling it to extend one's life by ten years. Why? Because it contains the youngling of a true Divine Dragon!"

As he finished speaking, Dongfang Xun tossed the Jade Pendant into the air. Instead of falling, it hovered where he had thrown it.

"Hah!" With a low shout, Dongfang Xun formed a sword-finger sign and pointed at the Jade Pendant. Outwardly calm, he secretly channeled his Spiritual Energy to form a finger-sized white dragon that swam within the jade.

WHOA!

Forget the skeptics in the crowd; even Old Jiang Ba's pupils constricted, and a sliver of belief returned to her.

"This is a youngling of a true Divine Dragon, discovered by my esteemed master on a sacred mountain. It took him a full year to merge it into this Jade Pendant." Dongfang Xun clasped his hands behind his back as the small white dragon formed from Spiritual Power dissipated. He continued, his voice full of pride, "Wear this jade, and you will be constantly protected by a true Divine Dragon. An extra ten years of life? That's just a conservative estimate. The Divine Dragon is still young. As it grows, it will become the guardian deity of your families, protecting your lineages for hundreds, even thousands of years, ensuring you never fall into decline!"

Dongfang Xun snorted coldly. "I thought you were discerning buyers, but your vision is disappointingly shortsighted. Fine, if you don't want it, I won't sell it. In Harbour City, this Seal Dragon Ancient Jade is worth over a hundred million. It was only out of respect for our long-standing relationship that I begged my master for a few pieces. You all… have truly disappointed me!"

The family heads flushed with shame at his rebuke.

Wan Yuanshan laughed awkwardly. "Daoist Master Dongfang, I'm sorry. I should never have doubted you. I'll take this Jade Pendant. My mother really needs it!"

Only Su Daiyi remained firm in her belief in Xu Lai. She didn't know if Xu Lai understood Feng Shui, but if he said Dongfang Xun was a swindler, she believed him.

"Daoist Master Dongfang, please, calm your anger," said the patriarch of the Ling Family from Wen Cheng, his expression one of utmost reverence, even fanaticism. The people of Hua Country had an astonishing obsession with dragons. What greater honor could there be than to coexist with the young of a Divine Dragon?

He said hurriedly, "I believe you! I want this Magic Artifact!"

"They're not for sale. Not a single one," Dongfang Xun said, feigning annoyance as he turned to leave.

Wan Yuanshan panicked. "Daoist Master Dongfang, I've already paid! You can't refuse to sell it to me."

The other family heads rushed to apologize as well.

Only then did Dongfang Xun pause, a contemptuous smirk playing on his lips. The money of these inland people is so easy to swindle. No wonder all those second-rate Daoist priests from Harbour City are flocking to the mainland.

"My master is a compassionate man," Dongfang Xun sighed. "When he learned I had a dozen good friends in Jiangnan, he caught twenty young Divine Dragons in one go and sealed them in these Jade Pendants. So… how many does each of you want?"

"Three!"

"I want five!"

"Outrageous! There are thirteen of us here, which averages out to a little more than one each! You want five for yourself? Wan Yuanshan, have you no shame!"

"…"

The conference room exploded with noise, becoming as chaotic as a street market.

Old Jiang Ba, advanced in her years, naturally wanted to live a few more years, but she clenched her teeth and remained silent. Like Su Daiyi, she trusted Xu Lai more. Though the promise of a longer life was tempting, she refused to buy a "Seal Dragon Ancient Jade" now, as it would be a show of disrespect to Xu Lai.

Excluding Su Daiyi and Old Jiang Ba, the twenty Jade Pendants were snapped up by the heads of the other eleven Leading Families. Twenty checks, totaling six hundred million!

Dongfang Xun remained outwardly composed, but inwardly he was ecstatic. He had made a fortune. Even though he couldn't claim the other seventy or eighty jade pieces contained dragon younglings, he could invent other excuses—protection, luck-changing, warding off evil—and sell them for a cheap ten million or a few million, scamming another wave of rubes. It was absolutely delightful!

Xu Lai shook his head. The foolishness of the Human Race is truly pitiful.

BUZZ. BUZZ. BUZZ.

His phone vibrated. It was Ruan Tang. He answered the call.

"Xu Lai, where did you go? There's no one home," Ruan Tang said. "Come back quickly, I have something to tell you."

"I'll bring the kids home right away." Xu Lai stood up, preparing to leave with Yiyi and Qian Xiao.

As he was about to leave, he noticed a box of the five-star hotel's business cards on the table. He picked up two and casually sketched a few strokes on them. All the writing on the cards vanished, leaving only a single, flamboyantly drawn character: 'Xu'!

"Carry this with you. It can ward off one disaster," Xu Lai said, tossing the cards to Su Daiyi and Old Jiang Ba before disappearing from view with the two children.

"Hmph. Wise of you to run," a cold glint flashed deep in Dongfang Xun's eyes. Too bad you're still going to die! He had already decided to use a curse to kill Xu Lai. Anyone who dared to get in the way of his money-making had to die.

After Xu Lai left, Dongfang Xun continued hawking his Jade Pendants in the conference room. No one noticed a very inconspicuous shadow in the corner of the room. It looked like... a human figure

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