Chapter 203: Bringing Good Fortune

The classified nature of the information sent shivers down their spines. Lan Qiaoyan couldn't help but ask, "What is this thing used for?"

Miao Dingyi replied, "It's an Insect Core Crystal. What do you think it's used for?"

"A Sundoor?" Lan Qiaoyan said, then immediately felt it was wrong. "But that's a blue Insect Core Crystal."

Miao Dingyi explained, "All Insect Core Crystals serve the same purpose. The difference between blue and red ones simply lies in the magnitude of their effect."

Both mother and daughter looked puzzled. Miao Yilan said, "Father, I'm a little confused."

Since the secret was out, Miao Dingyi saw no need to hide anything further. He decided to enlighten them. "You've seen the function of ordinary Insect Core Crystals: they are used to construct Sundoor passages, specifically ordinary Sundoor passages. A regular Sundoor can only connect one point to another. However, there's a more advanced type of Sundoor that can connect a single point to countless others."

Upon hearing this, Lan Qiaoyan blurted out, "The Sundoor in the Heavenly Court?"

Miao Dingyi nodded. "Exactly. Currently, in the entire cultivation world, only the Heavenly Court's remains. All the others were destroyed in wars throughout the dynasties.

The biggest difference in crafting between an advanced Sundoor and an ordinary one lies in this red Insect Core Crystal. With this red crystal, the Sundoor gains the ability to sense multiple points, allowing it to open any required passage at will.

Ordinary Sundoors require bidirectional construction of entry and exit points in two corresponding spaces, whereas an advanced Sundoor only needs a single entry/exit point.

The reason so many domain lords fiercely compete at the Heavenly Meteor Shower Convention is to win a few more ordinary Sundoors. Yet, a single advanced Sundoor is worth countless ordinary ones. In times of crisis, its significance for troop deployment is even greater."

He lifted the red Insect Core Crystal in his palm. "How much do you think this is worth?"

Hearing this, Lan Qiaoyan was stunned. It wasn't just that selling everything they owned wouldn't be enough; this item simply couldn't be measured by money. Its value far exceeded any monetary price.

To think she had just been considering turning it into jewelry! What was she thinking? She was speechless with herself.

Miao Yilan was also dumbfounded. Shi Chun had actually given her such a priceless treasure.

Clearly, Shi Chun had no idea of its true value.

Soon, Lan Qiaoyan realized something: this item was too hot to handle. She immediately said, "I'll contact Shi Chun right now and return it to him."

Miao Dingyi was amused by her, seeing her urgency. He sighed, "My dear wife, is this something that can be casually given back and forth? Shi Chun is fearless due to his ignorance. If we, having received this item, don't hand it over to the Heavenly Court but instead return it to Shi Chun, what would the Heavenly Court think our intentions are if they found out?"

Lan Qiaoyan immediately corrected herself, "You're right, yes, it must be handed over to the Heavenly Court."

Her husband was one of the Six Cardinals of Bowang Tower, which was directly subordinate to the Heavenly Court. Naturally, this treasure should be submitted to the Heavenly Court.

Miao Dingyi fell into deep thought. After a long pause, he slowly said, "The Royal Courts of the Four Continents would also very much want this item."

Lan Qiaoyan immediately looked suspicious. "You're with the Heavenly Court. Why are you considering them?"

Miao Dingyi's gaze returned to the red Insect Core Crystal spinning in his palm. He then carefully placed it back into the crystal pen holder, inverted it, and reattached it to its base, bringing the object over to his daughter.

Miao Yilan instinctively took it, then looked bewildered, glancing at her mother and then her father, wondering what this meant. "For me?"

Miao Dingyi instructed earnestly, "Both of you listen carefully. Just like before I arrived, you don't know the origin of this item, and I haven't seen it. It's merely a gift Shi Chun gave to Lanlan, and you two didn't think much of it afterward.

One thing, Lanlan, you must put this away properly and not let anyone see it again. 'Put away properly' doesn't mean you have to hide it extremely well; just keep it where you store your other important belongings."

He then turned to his wife. "You understand what I mean; teach her how to do it. In short, I am unaware of this item's existence, have never seen it, and will not search through your belongings. You also don't know what this thing is. This must be your answer under any circumstances, no matter who asks. You must never change your story, even if it means death. Remember this point well."

Seeing how serious he was, both mother and daughter nodded.

But Lan Qiaoyan was still somewhat perplexed. Her husband was a Heavenly Court official, yet he wasn't handing this item over to the Heavenly Court. Instead, he intended to secretly keep it in their home. What did this mean?

Although she sensed there was something amiss with her husband's actions, some matters, even between a husband and wife, were best left unquestioned. She knew that her husband must have a reason for doing this, and at his level, some things were beyond her ability to intervene.

Afterwards, she also asked with some curiosity, "Shengzhou put in so much effort. Did they find it?"

Miao Dingyi sat down and shook his head. "I don't know. Whether they found it or not isn't something outsiders can easily ascertain. Let's not bring up anything related to that matter again."

Early the next morning, the Wukang Mountain party, who were about to depart, encountered Young Master Nan, who had come to see them off.

He was well-informed and knew Wukang Mountain was leaving today, so he made time to bid them farewell despite his busy schedule.

In truth, his visit had little to do with Sect Leader Bian Jixiong and the others; he was primarily there to see off Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang.

Coincidentally, Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang were just wondering how to deal with the two rewarded properties, having no time to visit them.

Handing them over to Wukang Mountain was out of the question. They weren't that filial. Wukang Mountain had never given them any benefits, no cultivation resources, taught them no skills, and had even tried to send them to their deaths. How could they possibly hand over what they had risked their lives for?

Upon hearing this, Young Master Nan patted his chest. "A small matter! Just leave it to me. I'll arrange for people to manage them for you, ensuring they'll be ready for your immediate occupancy upon your return."

He was very polite, accompanying Shi Chun and the others all the way to the Sundoor leading to Shengzhou.

The Wukang Mountain delegation also enjoyed the reward granted by Shengzhou: permanent free passage through the Sundoor. Their first successful attempt saved them a considerable sum of money.

Benefiting from Shi Chun and the others' achievements made Bian Jixiong and the rest feel a bit strange...

After seeing off Shi Chun and the others, Young Master Nan immediately hurried to Miao Dingyi's home. The so-called protective formation couldn't stop him, as he also had a residence there.

Miao Dingyi was surprised to see him appear so suddenly but still politely welcomed him inside.

Young Master Nan, once seated, didn't beat around the bush. He directly took out a bank note, placed it on the coffee table, and pushed it forward, stating frankly, "Brother Miao won the first prize. I waited all day yesterday, but didn't see anyone from your side come to claim it. Upon inquiry, I heard that Brother Miao's family is also leaving the capital today.

You honored us with your presence, Brother Miao, so how could I let you run around? I've brought it directly to you, and consider it also my way of seeing you off."

Miao Dingyi glanced at the one-hundred-million figure on the bank note, his eyebrow twitching slightly. He instinctively exchanged a look with his wife, then pressed down on the note and pushed it back. "Forget it. The iron voucher for claiming the prize has already been lost by me. According to the rules, it can no longer be claimed. Young Master Nan, it would be just as good for you to take this prize money and do more charitable deeds."

What did he mean? Young Master Nan turned to look at Lan Qiaoyan, only to find Madam Miao also smiling and nodding in agreement. He was slightly astonished. As expected of one of the Six Cardinals of Bowang Tower; even a hundred million gold didn't faze him. It seemed he usually made quite a haul!

He pressed down on the note again and pushed it back. "Brother Miao, you're overthinking it. You won the first prize, and I'm a witness. Even if the voucher is lost, there's no way we'd default on your winnings; I can guarantee that much. Don't worry, it's fine even without the voucher. Before I came, I already had the betting house complete the exchange for you. It's already registered, so you can safely accept this money."

Miao Dingyi was taken aback. "It's already registered under my name?"

Young Master Nan nodded cheerfully, with an expression that said, 'You can trust me to handle things.'

Is this bastard never going to quit? Miao Dingyi was fuming internally, wanting to curse him. He had wanted this matter to pass quietly, but now it was exposed. Winning such a special prize meant the news must have already spread like wildfire. He had to figure out how to explain it reasonably to his superiors.

Lan Qiaoyan's expression was just short of a sigh.

What was going on? Young Master Nan also noticed the couple's unusual reaction. He had personally brought such a large sum of money to their door, so why weren't they happy?

Since things had already progressed this far, pushing the money away now would be foolish.

Miao Dingyi tapped the bank note with his finger and sighed, "Alright, then it would be impolite to refuse."

Young Master Nan immediately smiled. "Not at all, it's rightfully yours, Brother Miao."

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the host saw the guest out.

Miao Dingyi showed enough respect by personally escorting him to the main gate.

Young Master Nan, getting into his carriage, relaxed and leaned back, shaking his head and muttering with a sigh, "That's money, not trash. How could he just throw it away? I should have thought of it earlier. If I wasn't confident, why would I have bought Shi Chun's..."

After seeing off the guest, Miao Dingyi returned to the house. Lan Qiaoyan held the bank note and asked him with a wry smile, "What now?"

Miao Dingyi snorted self-deprecatingly, "What else can we do? You might as well spend it."

Lan Qiaoyan walked up to him. "Have you noticed something? Shi Chun seems to bring good fortune to our family."

Miao Dingyi shook his head and walked away, tossing a remark over his shoulder, "As long as he doesn't bring disaster."

At Wukang Mountain, as news of Sect Leader Bian Jixiong and the others' return spread, the entire mountain was buzzing with excitement.

They had been excited for a while, already buzzing with anticipation all night yesterday.

The high-ranking officials of Wukang Mountain couldn't keep this news a secret even if they wanted to. With so many outsiders coming and going in Linkang City, the news had already spread yesterday.

The sect had won first place in the Heavenly Meteor Shower Convention, making it the top sect among all in Shengzhou. Moreover, it had also swept the top four individual rankings.

From now on, all Wukang Mountain disciples would have free, permanent access through the Sundoor. Among all sects in Shengzhou, Wukang Mountain was the only one to receive such a privilege!

This was truly monumental news. How could those on and off the mountain not be ecstatic? The celebration had already begun last night in the towns below.

"Junior Brother Chun! Junior Brother Wu!"

After returning, the group dispersed, each heading to their own quarters. Along the way, Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang were greeted by numerous enthusiastic, smiling faces.

The two casually waved back, not minding the lack of distinction between seniority; it was almost as if they were the senior brothers. Most of the time, they didn't actually recognize who was greeting them.

The enthusiasm from their fellow disciples was genuine. Apart from their significant achievements, their strength was undeniable. The battle against the elite disciples of Suyuan Sect was legendary and earth-shattering!

Although these two disciples had returned triumphantly, the high-ranking officials of Wukang Mountain seemed to have forgotten one thing: they hadn't formally assigned them new residences. So, the two could only continue returning to their Punishment Hall.