Chapter 202: Headache for Miao Dingyi

Miao Yilan had never encountered such a thing and asked, "Can I just pick it up with my hand?"

Lan Qiaoyan immediately demonstrated, pinching the red Worm-Essence Crystal between two fingers. While it could be held, once in hand, it stopped spinning fluidly, losing its ethereal quality.

Nevertheless, it still retained its brilliance and nobility.

After Miao Yilan held it between her fingers, she examined it repeatedly with eyes full of delight. Suddenly, as if an idea struck her, she grabbed the object and quickly ran off.

The few people in the hall exchanged puzzled glances, wondering where she had gone.

Soon, Miao Yilan returned, carrying something.

It was originally a transparent pen holder, made of crystal or some other material, which she had inverted onto a tray. Combining the two, the red Worm-Essence Crystal was sealed inside. After clattering and bumping around to no avail, it automatically returned to a central, suspended position, spinning fluidly and emitting a noble red glow, truly beautiful.

Lan Qiaoyan had initially thought the Worm-Essence Crystal would look beautiful if made into jewelry.

Now, it seemed that a good item was indeed a good item; arranged by her daughter like this, it made for a rather lovely display.

Miao Yilan, finally tearing her gaze away from the Worm-Essence Crystal, smiled and thanked Shi Chun, "Thank you, I really love this gift."

It wasn't polite formality; her eyes shone with genuine affection.

Having given so many gifts, it was the first time Shi Chun heard her personally express her liking for one of his presents. He immediately chuckled, "You're welcome, I'm glad you like it."

He genuinely didn't know what to give, or what gift could adequately express his gratitude for Lan Qiaoyan saving his life back in Zhixu City. The key was that she had everything, and whatever they offered seemed a bit inadequate.

This time, both the mother and daughter liked it, making him and Wu Jinliang happy as well.

Just then, a servant appeared at the doorway and announced, "Madam, the patrol has arrived."

Lan Qiaoyan immediately stood up and said to Shi Chun, "Please wait here. I'll go check. It's probably news about those people you mentioned hiding in the mountains." With that, she turned and left.

Outside, two men stood side by side in the courtyard. As Lan Qiaoyan expected, they were there to give an account, providing feedback on the situation with the people hidden in the mountains.

Indeed, there were people with ulterior motives hiding, and they had been apprehended—eleven individuals in total.

For the patrol, they were easy to catch: arrested on the spot, interrogated on the spot. If they weren't truthful, the patrol wouldn't hesitate to kill them right there, especially considering who resided in this place.

The arrested individuals didn't hide anything and honestly confessed their origins. In fact, they were none other than Shi Chun's old acquaintances: Chu Jingting and others who had just been expelled from their sect.

Their reason for following Shi Chun was simple: revenge.

Initially, they couldn't find Shi Chun's whereabouts, but then they realized he would appear at the end of the Heavenly Meteor Shower Convention. So, they hid outside the training grounds and waited. Their patience paid off; once Shi Chun left, they followed him.

In fact, once they entered the quiet mountain forest with no one else in sight, it was an excellent opportunity to strike. However, they had witnessed Shi Chun's skills; even Mu Lanqingqing was no match for him, so their combined force of eleven might not be effective.

Thus, they continued to follow him, hoping to find a suitable moment for the assassination. They never dreamed they would be apprehended by the local defense personnel.

After listening, Lan Qiaoyan seemed to realize something and asked, "They followed the target to hide outside the protective array mid-morning and waited until dark?"

A patrol officer replied, "Yes, they said Shi Chun and his companion came straight here after the Heavenly Meteor Shower Convention. Based on travel time, mid-morning seems correct. Does Madam suspect they were lying?"

Lan Qiaoyan waved her hand slightly, indicating that wasn't what she meant. She was recalling her previous encounter with Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang. When she had asked if they had waited long, they claimed not long, saying they only arrived after dinner. They had even puffed out their stomachs, pretending to be full, when in reality, they had waited for most of the day on empty stomachs.

Thinking back to what happened in the Heavenly Meteor Shower Convention's mirror images, and considering the audacity of those two to challenge destiny, fearless of anyone or any background, how could they have ever been afraid?

Yet, in front of her, they were both self-aware and self-conscious.

Recalling that situation, her nose tingled with emotion. It was clear that those two naive youngsters genuinely didn't want to trouble her; perhaps her family had overthought some matters.

"Madam, how should we deal with those eleven individuals?" a patrol officer asked for her opinion.

Coming back to herself, Lan Qiaoyan said, "Keep them detained for now. I'll get back to you later."

"Alright, we'll take our leave." The two men bowed and departed.

Returning to the hall, Lan Qiaoyan glanced at the three young people who were chatting and laughing. After taking her seat, she recounted the attempted assassination by Chu Jingting and his group.

Shi Chun and his companion were stunned. The attempted assassination itself wasn't surprising, but they hadn't expected Chu Jingting and the others to have been expelled from their sect.

Lan Qiaoyan asked, "They've been detained. How do you want to handle them?"

Wu Jinliang was essentially speechless in her presence.

Shi Chun pondered for a moment and asked, "How long can they be detained?"

Lan Qiaoyan replied, "They've already been expelled from their sect. If no one intervenes... how long do you wish to detain them?"

Shi Chun understood that she had the authority to decide. He hesitated, then said, "If it's not too much trouble, a minor punishment to serve as a warning. Detain them for about a year, then release them. That should cool their tempers."

In reality, he had another plan: he intended to retrieve them after dealing with matters at Wukang Mountain.

However, he wouldn't reveal his true intentions. If others knew he planned to retrieve those eleven, who knew what complications might arise? He feared someone might tamper with the detainees.

This wasn't about trusting Lan Qiaoyan; gratitude was one thing, but separate matters should be handled separately.

Lan Qiaoyan asked, "Aren't you afraid they'll try to assassinate you again once they're released?"

Shi Chun replied, "I've offended many people at the Heavenly Meteor Shower Convention, and many want to kill me. They alone can't kill me."

Lan Qiaoyan considered this; the young man did possess some ability. Hadn't he detected those eleven individuals before they even got close to him?

Since he didn't seem concerned, she said no more, agreeing to arrange their detention for a year.

Shi Chun and his companion didn't linger there long.

After standing to take their leave, Shi Chun asked about Miao Dingyi. Hearing that he wouldn't be back so soon due to other matters, he expressed his regret at not being able to meet him and then departed.

They took a carriage back to the bustling area of the capital, found a place to enjoy a good meal, celebrated their prosperous day, and then returned to their lodging at Wukang Mountain to pay their respects to Bian Jixiong and provide an account.

As expected, Bian Jixiong's stance remained unchanged: they would all return to Wukang Mountain together the next day.

A little later, Miao Dingyi returned home. As he entered the hall, he saw his wife and daughter guarding a small, glowing red crystal pillar.

"You're back."

"Dad."

Both mother and daughter greeted him upon his return.

Miao Dingyi walked over and sat beside them, glancing at the glowing crystal pillar. He asked curiously, "What is this?"

Lan Qiaoyan replied, surprised, "Haven't you seen it before?"

Miao Dingyi chuckled, "Objects from all realms are numerous and varied; who could recognize them all? What is it?"

Lan Qiaoyan pointed to the suspended, rotating object inside the crystal pillar. "Isn't it obvious? A Worm-Essence Crystal."

"Oh, a Worm-Essence Crystal, why is it red, huh? What?" Miao Dingyi suddenly straightened up, startled. "A Worm-Essence Crystal? You mean this is a Worm-Essence Crystal? How do you know this is a Worm-Essence Crystal? Have you seen a red one before?"

Both mother and daughter were surprised and amused by his unusual display of astonishment.

Miao Yilan smiled, "Dad, this is a gift from Shi Chun. He got it from the Western Realm arena."

Lan Qiaoyan added, "He said he found it by chance in the Moon Sea when he was forced into it. Its color looked very unique, so he brought it back as a gift for Lanlan. I've told you about that young man before; he's always like this, always thinking of collecting special things wherever he goes to bring back as gifts for Lanlan."

Miao Dingyi instantly became restless. He sprang to his feet, rushed over, and dismantled the crystal pillar and base that mother and daughter had so carefully secured. After releasing the glowing crystal and catching it again, he finally confirmed its identity. He quickly gripped it in his palm, extinguishing the red glow, then turned a furious gaze towards Lan Qiaoyan, a scolding implicit in his expression, though the words wouldn't come. Suddenly, he sat back down, pinching his temples with his other hand, looking as if he had a splitting headache.

Seeing his agitated and helpless expression, Lan Qiaoyan kindly comforted him, "I know you said to keep our distance from him, but there's no need to be so extreme. People with ulterior motives can always find out if there's contact between us. Lanlan and I actually quite like this item; I think it would look lovely if made into jewelry."

At her words, Miao Dingyi abruptly turned his head to look at her, his eyes wide with disbelief, as if he didn't recognize his own wife.

Lan Qiaoyan sighed, "I know this red Worm-Essence Crystal is rare, and rare things are valuable. It might not be appropriate to accept such a precious gift. Don't worry, we won't take it for free. I was just waiting for you to come back and help us appraise its value. Later, I'll figure out how to compensate him for it."

Miao Dingyi's face twitched for a moment. Suddenly, he slapped his forehead and gave a wry smile, finally understanding what "ignorance is bliss" meant. He said weakly, "Compensate him? Where would you find that much money to compensate him? Even if you gave him our entire family fortune, it wouldn't be nearly enough!"

At his words, both mother and daughter were instantly shocked.

Miao Yilan tentatively asked, "Dad, is it very expensive?"

Miao Dingyi flipped his hand, revealing the glowing red Worm-Essence Crystal in his palm. "Most sects in Shengshen Continent were mobilized, assembling millions of people, and over three hundred thousand disciples from various sects died. The real purpose was actually for this one item, for this single red one. How much do you think it's worth?"

There were some secrets he hadn't intended to reveal, but he hadn't expected them to involve his own family, so he had to explain clearly.

Both mother and daughter were dumbfounded on the spot.

After a long moment, Lan Qiaoyan tentatively asked, "Are you saying that the so-called Heavenly Meteor Shower Convention was actually held to find this red Worm-Essence Crystal?"

Miao Dingyi replied, "This item is incredibly hard to find, and no one knows how to search for it. We only know it exists in the Moon Sea, but high cultivation is useless. The previous dynasty tried to throw vast numbers of people at it, resulting in heavy casualties. This time, to avoid damaging our own vital energy, we utilized people from various sects. Spreading the numbers out meant the impact on each sect wasn't significant. It's an absolute secret that can be done but never spoken of!"