The oppressive aura that Chen Xuan radiated toward Xuan Su was simply too overwhelming.
It was even more terrifying than City Lord Shi Haotian! Wait!
Them?
What did that mean? Just then, a flurry of hurried footsteps echoed from outside.
Soon, someone knocked on the private room door.
Overjoyed, Xuan Su hurried over to open it.
However, the figure standing before her made her freeze in surprise. "City... City Lord Shi, what brings you here?"
"Does Chief Su not welcome me?"
Shi Haotian smiled, standing outside the doorway, his gaze quickly sweeping into the private room.
He seemed to be searching for something.
"It's not that."
Xuan Su shook her head, quickly thinking of an excuse to dismiss him: "It's just that today, we are... we are having a family dinner here, so it's not very convenient."
A family dinner?
Who are you trying to fool? Ignoring her completely, Shi Haotian stood right at the threshold, cupped his fists toward the inside, and said, "I am Shi Haotian, City Lord of Yan City. I apologize for intruding, sir."
Chen Xuan waved a hand. "Right on time. Come in and talk."
"Yes, yes, yes."
Overjoyed, Shi Haotian cast a smug glance at Xuan Su and stepped inside.
Behind him, however, followed a graceful and lithe figure.
The young woman was tall, dressed in a purple skirt. Her skin was as white as snow, framed by slender willow-leaf eyebrows and an oval face.
She possessed a pair of rosy, cherry-like lips and exquisite facial features.
What an absolute beauty! Yet her frost-cold pretty face was plastered with an expression of keeping strangers at a distance.
This was none other than Shi Haotian's beloved daughter, Shi Ziyue.
A genuine Second Seal Talented Master!
She found it utterly incomprehensible that her own father—a dignified Form Creation Stage powerhouse—was acting so deferential toward a mere young man.
The two had just sat down.
Before Shi Haotian even had a chance to speak, Xia Wanjin arrived fashionably late.
After offering profuse apologies, he finally entered the private room.
Seeing that everyone had arrived, Chen Xuan looked directly at Xia Wanjin and Shi Haotian, cutting straight to the chase: "I have two tasks for you: monitor the Lin Family in Qingyang Town, and do not allow Lin Qingtan to leave!"
"Ah?"
Both men froze in astonishment.
They both knew that Lin Qingtan was Lin Dong's younger sister.
And both of them knew Lin Dong.
Surveilling the Lin Family—wasn't that the same as stabbing him in the back?
Just as they hesitated, Chen Xuan produced two medicinal pills brimming with rich spiritual energy. "Once the task is complete, these two pills are yours!"
"These are Origin Nourishing Pills!" Shi Haotian had sharp eyes and recognized them at a glance.
Xia Wanjin's expression changed drastically. "What? These... these are the Origin Nourishing Pills that allow people to break through the Form Creation Stage in a short time without any bottlenecks?"
Shi Haotian nodded.
Everyone present was completely shocked.
Who on earth was this person?
Wasn't he being a bit too extravagant with his gifts?!
In the auction house, an Origin Nourishing Pill could fetch tens of thousands of Yang Yuan Pills!
Immediately afterward, Chen Xuan warned them, "If you fail this task, you'll have to deal with the consequences yourselves."
At the same time, he unleashed his own power.
The terrifying aura made everyone present feel as though they were facing a formidable enemy, breaking out in cold sweats.
Xuan Su, Xia Zhilan, and Shi Ziyue, whose cultivations were low, dropped straight to their knees! They could only brace their hands against the floor and struggle to hold themselves up.
[Ding! Xuan Su generates shock + fear, Emotion Value +100]
[Ding! Xia Zhilan generates shock + panic, Emotion Value +100]
[Ding! Shi Ziyue generates shock + terror, Emotion Value +100]
The three women were pinned down by Chen Xuan's aura so completely that they didn't dare raise their heads.
Especially Shi Ziyue. When she first learned her father was bringing her to meet a young powerhouse, her heart had been full of resistance.
No matter how strong he was, could he possibly be stronger than Lin Dong, who had fought her father to a draw? But the current situation reminded her:
She was wrong.
Dead wrong.
The aura emanating from the man before her had forced even her father into a sweat-soaked frenzy.
What kind of strength was this? The Qi Creation Stage? The Creation Stage? Or an even more terrifying existence?
She couldn't possibly imagine.
Hearing Chen Xuan's words, Shi Haotian and Xia Wanjin bowed in unison.
"Please rest assured, Senior. The two of us will definitely do our utmost to accomplish this matter."
The two men felt quite helpless. There was no other choice.
Heaven destroys those who do not look out for themselves.
Chen Xuan nodded with satisfaction. "Very well, you may return and make the arrangements."
"Understood."
Displaying a keen sense of current affairs, the two men bowed deeply.
They looked entirely ready to follow his every command.
Back then, Xia Wanjin had made solemn, chest-beating promises to Lin Dong: as long as the Million Gold Chamber of Commerce existed in Yan City, it would remain the Lin Family's fiercest ally.
And how many days had passed?
He turned around and betrayed him.
How ironic!
"Senior, this is my daughter, Shi Ziyue. She has always wanted to become a powerhouse. Today, having the fortune of meeting Senior, I hope she can receive your personal guidance. Of course, if Senior doesn't mind, you could even keep her by your side to serve you."
Before leaving, Shi Haotian pulled Shi Ziyue forward to stand before Chen Xuan.
His attitude was incomparably respectful.
"Dad! You..."
Hearing Shi Haotian's words, a thin mist of tears welled up in Shi Ziyue's eyes.
She looked at Shi Haotian in utter disbelief.
She thought she must have misheard.
The father who loved her most in the world—how could he say such a thing?
Before this, she had always been the apple of Shi Haotian's eye, the little princess of Yan City.
At such a young age, she was already a Second Seal Talented Master.
Her future achievements were bound to be limitless.
Yet now, he was personally offering her up to this young man as a maid.
It was something she found momentarily impossible to accept.
At the same time, she could clearly perceive just how terrified Shi Haotian was of this young man.
"Well played, Shi Haotian! To win over a powerhouse, you're even willing to part with your precious daughter!"
Watching Shi Haotian's move, Xia Wanjin clenched his fists so hard they cracked.
So what if you have a daughter, Shi Haotian?
Don't forget—not only do I, Xia Wanjin, have a daughter, but I also have a sister-in-law here! How do you expect to compete with me?
Thus, Xia Wanjin also stepped forward proactively. "Senior, these two are my humble daughter Zhilan and my younger sister-in-law Xuan Su. I likewise hope they may receive Senior's personal guidance."
Shi Haotian frowned. "??"
Played right into his hands, Xia Wanjin.
Sacrificing your daughter wasn't enough? You're offering your sister-in-law too? At that moment, he only cursed himself for having too few daughters and not enough wives or sisters-in-law to beat Xia Wanjin at his own game.
"Fine. You two go ahead first; I will naturally guide their cultivation."
Naturally understanding their intentions, Chen Xuan nodded and agreed.
Seeing Chen Xuan consent, Shi Haotian and Xia Wanjin wore expressions of unrestrained joy.
Before leaving, Shi Haotian exhorted: "Yue'er, don't let his youth fool you. I have a gut feeling that his strength is unfathomably terrifying—he might even be able to help us become the top clan in the Great Yan Empire."
"Don't worry, Dad. I know what I'm doing."
The tears in Shi Ziyue's eyes gradually faded away.
In their place remained only a resolute gaze.
Nearby, Xia Wanjin was similarly lecturing Xuan Su and Xia Zhilan.
He told them that Chen Xuan's strength was unfathomable, and instructed them to treat him with the utmost care and never defy his wishes.
Otherwise, the Million Gold Chamber of Commerce would completely vanish from Yan City.
The two women nodded.
After Shi Haotian and Xia Wanjin departed, the three women exchanged glances.
Then, they walked over together to take seats near Chen Xuan.
Pouring wine and serving food, they appeared exceptionally enthusiastic.
This left Chen Xuan—who had initially been met with cold shoulders from Xia Zhilan and Shi Ziyue—feeling somewhat unaccustomed to the sudden shift.