Chapter 2183: The Banquet Family's Conditions

"Of course I want it," Yan Hong said with a sincere expression. For an Origin Realm cultivator like him, this treasure was almost divine. He had always wanted an Ant Rafter but had never been able to obtain one.

Now, with the Ant Rafter in his hand, he could claim it as his own with just a thought.

However, he maintained the posture of returning it. "Brother Lu, although I am a junior from the Yan family, I cannot represent the entire family. If you trust me, I will arrange for someone to come and discuss this matter with you. Please rest assured, Brother Lu, the Yan family will absolutely not mistreat you."

Compared to Zhou Gu and Sun Yun earlier, Yan Hong's attitude was undoubtedly much more sincere, making Lu Ye increasingly feel that entrusting the Ant Rafter to the Yan family was a good choice.

Lu Ye nodded, taking back the Ant Rafter. "Then I thank you, Brother Yan."

Yan Hong replied, "You saved my life; I should be the one thanking you."

That day, when Pei Dan suddenly attacked, if Lu Ye hadn't used the power of the Ant Rafter, Yan Hong would have surely died. This was a genuine life-saving favor.

After exchanging thanks, they smiled at each other, their relationship considerably closer.

"Brother Lu, do you have any spare rooms here?" Yan Hong suddenly asked.

Lu Ye nodded. "Of course, I do."

Yan Hong said, "My injuries are severe, making movement difficult. Since that's the case, I'll stay here and trouble you for a while, Brother Lu."

His claim of severe injuries making movement difficult was false. As an Origin Realm cultivator, as long as his Dao foundation wasn't damaged, even the most serious injuries could slowly recover. Yan Hong's decision to stay was clearly out of consideration for Lu Ye.

Although Zhou Gu and Sun Yun had been driven away, the Human Race Battle Alliance didn't consist solely of the four top noble families; there were other families below them, and there was a chance that more individuals like Zhou Gu and Sun Yun might appear.

His presence served as a deterrent, ensuring that those junior members of other noble families would not dare to act presumptuously again.

Though he didn't state it explicitly, Lu Ye understood his intentions perfectly.

Thus, Yan Hong also remained in the pavilion to recover from his injuries.

The Yan family was highly efficient; on the third day, a powerful Yan family member arrived in Blue Water.

In the living room on the first floor, guided by Yan Hong, Lu Ye met the Yan family's guest. According to Yan Hong, this was his uncle, Yan Yong, who was undoubtedly a Fusion Realm cultivator.

"Yan Hong has told me about you. If you don't mind, you can call me Uncle Yong, just like Yan Hong does."

"Uncle Yong!" Lu Ye readily complied.

Yan Yong nodded, and just as he was about to say something else, he suddenly turned and looked back.

A tall figure stepped into the room.

Yan Yong was startled. "Patrol Commander Zi?"

He had heard about the events of the day before yesterday, so he had already notified the Patrol Commander's manor before entering Blue Water. By all accounts, there shouldn't have been any issues, yet he wondered why Zi Ying had come.

"Greetings, Commander!" Lu Ye and Yan Hong quickly bowed, equally perplexed as to why Zi Ying was there.

It was absolutely impossible that she was interested in the Ant Rafter. Zi Ying had no Dao companion or descendants, so the Ant Rafter held no value for her.

"Why do you all look as if you don't welcome this commander?" Zi Ying raised an eyebrow.

"We wouldn't dare." Although Yan Yong was a Fusion Realm cultivator from the Yan family, he didn't dare to presume before Zi Ying. He cautiously asked, "Patrol Commander Zi, you are here because..."

Zi Ying said, "I've long heard the great name of the Ant Rafter but never had the chance to see it. I just came to take a look. You can continue your discussion; don't mind me."

As she spoke, she looked at Lu Ye and extended a hand.

Seeing this, Lu Ye quickly took out the Ant Rafter and handed it to Zi Ying. She then sat down nearby and began to slowly examine it.

Yan Yong observed Zi Ying for a moment, making a slight guess, then gave a wry smile and also took a seat.

It seemed that Patrol Commander Zi Ying was indeed as protective as the rumors suggested. Since Lu Ye was now in Blue Water, he was one of her subordinates. Furthermore, Lu Ye had made significant contributions in successfully defending Blue Water and decisively defeating the enemy forces earlier.

Her presence today was clearly to ensure Lu Ye wouldn't suffer any disadvantages.

Jiang Yuning hurried over again to serve tea, then retreated like a startled rabbit.

After taking a casual sip, Yan Yong began, "Nephew Lu, my Yan family has always been clear about favors and grievances. Young Yan Hong recently received your life-saving grace, and the Yan family will surely repay it!"

Zi Ying, playing with the Ant Rafter beside them, casually interjected, "Aren't we here to discuss the Ant Rafter? Let's talk about the Ant Rafter first. The life-saving favor is a minor matter; we can discuss that later."

Yan Yong stated seriously, "A life-saving favor is certainly not a minor matter, especially when the one saved was young Yan Hong."

Zi Ying said, "News of the Ant Rafter has already spread far and wide. Although your Yan family is extensive and powerful, if you don't act quickly, you might encounter many complications."

Yan Yong's expression stiffened. "Patrol Commander Zi, do you mean..."

Zi Ying smiled slightly, raising a finger to point outside. "Right now, there are two Fusion Realm cultivators waiting for my permission to enter Blue Water. Soon, there will likely be even more."

Yan Yong was startled. Although he knew such a situation might arise, he hadn't expected it so soon. Now, it was difficult to discuss anything else. He naturally wasn't afraid of competition from other families, but as Zi Ying said, if members of other families arrived, it might cause some complications.

He quickly looked at Lu Ye. "Nephew, if you entrust the Ant Rafter to my Yan family, we can offer you four benefits."

He raised a finger. "First, until you advance to the Fusion Realm, my Yan family will provide you with Dao bones, one hundred and fifty pieces per month."

One hundred and fifty per month wasn't a huge amount, but it wasn't small either. For a Ninth-Layer cultivator's refining efficiency, it was basically just enough.

"Second, my Yan family has a recommendation quota for the Dao Pattern Pavilion on this star, and we can recommend you to enter and observe!"

These two conditions were basically similar to what Zhou Gu and Sun Yun had offered. However, Zhou Gu and Sun Yun were just junior members of their families whose words carried less weight. Yan Yong, as a Fusion Realm cultivator, stating the same conditions held much more significance, especially with Zi Ying present. Since he had said it, it would certainly be honored.

"Third, my Yan family can provide you with a top-grade Dao artifact."

"Fourth, if you wish, you can join my Yan family's House Guard Hall and enjoy the treatment of a Yan family house guard. If you prefer not to enter the battlefield, you can also return to this star to live."

Zi Ying, listening from the side, curled her lips. "To present recruiting someone as a benefit, Yan Yong, you certainly have thick skin."

Yan Yong's expression remained unchanged. "Patrol Commander Zi should know how strict my Yan family is in recruiting house guards. There are many Ninth-Layer cultivators in Banyan, but my Yan family isn't interested in ordinary ones."

Zi Ying said indifferently, "Indeed, there are many Ninth-Layer cultivators in Banyan. But how many of them can kill a Fusion Realm cultivator?"

Yan Yong felt a headache coming on, knowing that Zi Ying's presence never boded well. He had already found out before coming that Lu Ye had only recently arrived in Banyan and didn't know much about this star domain. Given his previous achievements, the Yan family indeed had intentions to recruit him.

However, for a Ninth-Layer cultivator with no foundation or background, becoming a Yan family house guard was indeed an immense benefit.

Zi Ying continued, "The Dao Pattern Pavilion on this star is indeed good; ordinary cultivators need to spend a lot of battle merits to enter. But I recall that your four noble families each have their own Dao Pattern Pavilions, do you not?"

Yan Yong's expression changed. "Patrol Commander Zi, you should know that the Dao Pattern Pavilions of the four noble families are closely guarded secrets, the very foundation of our existence. No outsiders have ever been allowed to enter, and even house guards must achieve extraordinary merits to earn such a reward."

Zi Ying immediately curled her lips. "Just now you were talking about how the Yan family repays kindness, always repays favors, and a drop of kindness should be repaid with a gushing spring..."

"I..." Yan Yong was speechless. Where did he say all that? He only said they repay kindness, alright? For a moment, he wished he could sew Zi Ying's mouth shut.

He finally understood why Zi Ying had wanted him to discuss the Ant Rafter first, and why she called the life-saving favor a minor matter—she had been waiting for this moment.

He was surprised and suspicious. He hadn't heard of any connection between Lu Ye and Zi Ying. As the Patrol Commander of Blue Water, why would she care so much about a single alliance guard under her command? If it was just about being protective, this was excessively so!

"Uncle Yong, please transfer my most recent opportunity to enter the Dao Pattern Pavilion to Brother Lu," Yan Hong suddenly offered.

Yan Yong shook his head. "No, if you don't enter the family's Dao Pattern Pavilion, how will you..." He stopped mid-sentence, suddenly realizing that if Yan Hong obtained the Ant Rafter, he wouldn't need to enter the Dao Pattern Pavilion for quite some time.

Just like Huang Zhihuan from the Huang family, who had remained in the Origin Realm for several centuries. It wasn't that he couldn't advance to the Fusion Realm; with his talent, he likely would have advanced long ago. However, he had other missions that required him to maintain his Origin Realm cultivation.

"Are you sure about this?" Yan Yong asked.

Yan Hong nodded.

"Even if you've decided, what about the family..." Yan Yong showed a troubled expression.

Yan Hong said, "I'll talk to them myself later."

With the Ant Rafter, Yan Hong would no longer be an ordinary Origin Realm cultivator. Both his status and influence within the clan would significantly increase, indeed giving him the authority to negotiate with the elders of the family.

After a brief deliberation, Yan Yong finally looked at Lu Ye. "My Yan family's Dao Pattern Pavilion can also be opened to you once!"

Lu Ye wasn't entirely sure what this condition implied, but from the previous conversation, he could tell that the Yan family had made a significant concession on this matter.

"Now that's more like it!" Zi Ying nodded slightly from the side.

Lu Ye immediately understood. Regardless of why Zi Ying had come to help him this time, since she had made her stance clear, it meant that the Yan family's proposed conditions were sincere, and there was likely no more room for negotiation.

Since earlier, the conversation had been a subtle confrontation between Yan Yong and Zi Ying. Only now did Lu Ye have a chance to speak. "Uncle Yong, there are basically no problems, but there's one thing I'd like to clarify."

Yan Yong said, "Go ahead."

"What if I'm unable to advance to the Fusion Realm for a long time? Will the Yan family still continue to provide me with Dao bones?" He needed to clarify this, as advancing to the Fusion Realm might not happen quickly for him.

Yan Yong nodded. "Indeed, advancing to the Fusion Realm is not easy. However, since you, Nephew, can slay a Fusion Realm cultivator while only in the Origin Realm, your talent is undoubtedly extraordinary. After entering the Dao Pattern Pavilion and observing, your path forward should become clear. I have lived for many years and seen many juniors, but someone like you, Nephew, is still unheard of. So, you don't need to worry; until you step into the Fusion Realm, my Yan family will not cease your supply of Dao bones."

Lu Ye actually wanted the Yan family to provide him with more Dao bones, as one hundred and fifty pieces per month was a bit little for him.

However, considering the efficiency with which a normal Ninth-Layer cultivator refined Dao bones, requesting more would be difficult to explain and might give the impression of insatiable greed. Therefore, after some thought, he decided not to mention it.