Chapter 51: An Underground Deal

It was now the second day since entering the Xuanyuan family. Throughout the day, several batches of children had been brought in one after another, and Tang Wei had carefully examined them all, but Yaya was not among them. Her heart grew ever colder, and she sat dejectedly to one side, saying nothing, with tears brimming in her eyes.

Unable to bear seeing her in such despair, Zi Xuan approached to comfort her, “Senior sister, don’t worry. There are still children who haven’t been brought in yet. Maybe Yaya will be among the next group?”

Though Tang Wei remained silent, there was a flicker of hope in her eyes, no longer the utter hopelessness from before.

At that moment, Xuanyuan Zhe entered the room. Gone was the careless air from their first meeting, as well as his usual lively demeanor in conversation. Instead, he appeared deeply troubled as he spoke, “Boss, the old man’s already confirmed that the last group of children was the final batch. All the stewards have arrived.”

At last, Tang Wei’s tears spilled over, and she burst into sobs. Suddenly remembering that Grandpa Li spoke highly of Zi Xuan’s cleverness and resourcefulness, she wondered if he might have a solution. In her distress, she threw herself into Zi Xuan’s arms, crying out, “Zi Xuan! What should I do, what should I do? Please, think of something! Yaya is only five—has something happened to her?”

Seeing her so distraught—so much so that she even forgot to call him by his assumed name—one could tell she was on the verge of recklessness. Fortunately, Xuanyuan Zhe hadn’t noticed, lost as he was in his own sorrow.

“Senior sister, don’t be like this. There’s always a way. Let’s think it through carefully, alright? Don’t worry—Yaya will be fine!” Zi Xuan quickly wrapped his arms around her, gently patting her back in comfort.

Had this happened at any other time, Zi Xuan would have worn his usual cheerful grin. But now, seeing Tang Wei weep so bitterly, he felt only heartache, unable to summon even a hint of levity, focusing instead on consoling her.

Since meeting the two of them, Xuanyuan Zhe had felt a special affinity with them, especially with Tang Wei. Even after a short time together, he sensed she was different from others—her gaze neither ingratiating nor, like some, full of hidden mockery behind a polite smile. He had decided the day before to befriend them sincerely, and now, seeing her cry, he shared in her pain. Thus, he racked his brain for a solution.

“I’ve got it!” Xuanyuan Zhe’s eyes lit up, and he exclaimed aloud.

“What is it?” Both Zi Xuan and Tang Wei hurried over, asking in unison.

“Today’s the fifteenth, right? Perfect timing! The underground trading market jointly run by the three great families opens today. All you need to do is put out the word there and offer a reward—plenty of itinerant cultivators will help you search for her!” Xuanyuan Zhe explained his idea for their consideration.

“What exactly is the underground trading market?” Tang Wei asked, puzzled.

Xuanyuan Zhe quickly explained, “It’s a market set up by our three major cultivation families, open only on the fifteenth of each month, specifically for cultivators to trade. Inside, you’ll find all sorts of instruments, talismans, and other essentials for cultivators, as well as people who specialize in selling information.”

“What do people usually trade with? What about the general pricing?” Zi Xuan, ever sharp, immediately honed in on the key points.

“Mostly it’s barter; very few use spirit stones for trading, though cash is pretty common. The main market has ordinary items for daily use, but if you want something good, you’ll need to enter the underground auction. Still, most of the best items eventually end up in the hands of the three great families.” Xuanyuan Zhe spoke with evident familiarity, settling down to discuss the matter further with Zi Xuan.

Zi Xuan nodded with understanding and pulled Tang Wei to sit opposite Xuanyuan Zhe before asking, “How do cash and spirit stones convert? And are most traders itinerant cultivators? You haven’t mentioned any other sects.”

“One spirit stone is worth about two hundred thousand RMB. It’s not just itinerant cultivators trading; plenty of disciples from the three major families and the four great sects participate. The sect disciples, however, can’t stay in the mundane world as often as we can—they only come to the market when sent out for training.”

“And what about exchange rates between different grades of spirit stones?” Zi Xuan asked, frowning.

Xuanyuan Zhe looked incredulous, exclaiming, “Boss! Exchange rates between spirit stones? Don’t tell me you’re after mid-grade or high-grade spirit stones? Those are practically the stuff of legend!”

“Really? You don’t even have mid-grade spirit stones?” Tang Wei interrupted, surprised.

“Heh, well, it’s not that there aren’t any, it’s just that I’ve never seen one. Maybe the Elders have some tucked away,” Xuanyuan Zhe admitted with an awkward chuckle.

“Doesn’t your father have some?” Tang Wei guessed, thinking that since their own space contained mostly supreme-grade spirit stones, and a smattering of high-grade ones, the lower grades must be common here.

“Of course not! If the old man had some, I’d have seen them by now!” Xuanyuan Zhe replied matter-of-factly.

It seemed, contrary to her initial assumption, that Xuanyuan Zhe did indeed have access to his father’s treasures, so their relationship wasn’t as strained as she’d thought.

Zi Xuan pondered for a moment before asking, “What sort of reward should we offer to really motivate people to help us find Yaya?”

“I heard you gave the old man a pill that Shi Yi refined herself. If you can make those easily, they can’t be too rare for you. You handed over ten pills in one go!” Xuanyuan Zhe noted.

“Of course! Those pills are easy for me to make, and the ingredients are common,” Tang Wei replied, her pride evident.

“To us, those pills are more valuable than mid-grade spirit stones—after all, they can boost your cultivation by two levels instantly. What cultivator wouldn’t want that? When you announce the reward, just explain what the pill does. The itinerant cultivators will break their necks to help you find Yaya,” Xuanyuan Zhe grew more excited as he spoke, gesturing animatedly as if the matter were already settled.

Tang Wei hesitated, voicing her concern, “But if people get desperate, what if they harm Yaya? What if they decide to silence her to avoid trouble?” She couldn’t bring herself to say the words outright, so she phrased it more delicately.

“There’s no need to worry about that. When we put out the word, we can swear on the Karma Stone that if the kidnappers return Yaya themselves, they’ll receive two pills as well, and we’ll let bygones be bygones. All we want is Yaya’s safety,” Zi Xuan had already considered this and offered a solution.

Xuanyuan Zhe was puzzled, “Two pills? You’re offering two?”

Zi Xuan nodded, “Yes. Since the pills are precious, I’ll give one to anyone who provides a lead, and two to whoever brings her back.”

“That’s going to turn the entire cultivation world upside down! Amazing! I have to go see the chaos for myself,” Xuanyuan Zhe exclaimed, jumping up in excitement.

“If there’s no chaos, how will we find Yaya? The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind,” Zi Xuan replied with a broad smile.

“Alright! I’ll go tell the old man right away!” Xuanyuan Zhe dashed out.

“Wait!” Tang Wei called after him, turning to Zi Xuan, “Will this really cause chaos everywhere? Won’t it disrupt ordinary people’s lives?”

Xuanyuan Zhe interjected, “Don’t worry, the State Inspection Team will keep things in check. They won’t dare cross the line! That’s it then, I’m off!”

“What does the Inspection Team do?” Tang Wei pressed.

Xuanyuan Zhe made a face. “Boss, we’ve got more important things right now. We’ll talk about that another time!” With that, he shot out of the room like the wind. Truly, he was someone who thrived on chaos.