Chapter 78: Scheming
The Miteer Family's residence was directly connected to the headquarters of the imperial capital's auction house.
Not long after—
Yao Yan and Caidie met with Hai Bodong. He had already been informed and was waiting at the entrance. As soon as he saw Yao Yan, a rare smile appeared on his stern face, causing Teng Shan beside him to pause in surprise—he had seldom seen the old man smile so genuinely.
Hai Bodong didn't bother concealing his emotions. He greeted them with a hearty smile and said warmly, "As soon as I heard, I knew it had to be you two!"
"We're not disturbing you, are we?"
Yao Yan looked at Hai Bodong, then his gaze paused briefly on Teng Shan. The man's strength wasn't high—only at the level of a six-star Dou Wang. Given his age, without a stroke of fortune, he would never break through to Dou Huang. As for his identity, Yao Yan had already guessed it.
The current head of the Miteer Family—Teng Shan.
He was an interesting man. In the original story, he almost risked the entire Miteer Family for the Xiao Clan. That alone proved he was worthy of being Hai Bodong's friend.
Birds of a feather flock together.
That phrase always held truth. People with mismatched personalities would never become real friends, and those who did usually shared similar temperaments.
Hai Bodong let out a loud laugh. "Disturb me? If I'd known you were coming, I'd have met you at the city gates. How could I let you wander in on your own?"
"No need to be so polite between friends."
Yao Yan smiled, then led Caidie and Ling'er into the courtyard with Hai Bodong.
Teng Shan, meanwhile, gave a few quick instructions to the others, telling them not to spread word of the meeting, and then followed. He was also quite curious about this not-even-seventeen-year-old fifth-grade alchemist—something the Jia Ma Empire hadn't seen in centuries.
If the Miteer Family could establish ties with him, the benefits would be immeasurable!
As they entered the house, Caidie took off her bamboo hat, revealing her stunningly beautiful face. Her bright eyes scanned the surroundings curiously like a princess exploring the world outside her palace for the first time.
However, she did not remove her black robe. Yao Yan had asked her to dress modestly in public, so she wouldn't be ogled. After thinking about it, she agreed—she didn't like being stared at like some object of admiration anyway.
Hai Bodong looked at Yao Yan and smiled. "You stirred up quite a scene in the Magic Beast Mountain Range. The entire imperial capital is buzzing because of it—rumors are flying everywhere."
The commotion had been massive. Even Jia Ma Holy City had trembled, but knowing Yao Yan, Hai Bodong figured he wouldn't be too concerned.
Three Dou Wangs—nothing more.
"That has nothing to do with us."
Yao Yan flatly denied it. He wasn't stupid—why admit something without evidence?
Caidie obediently remained silent.
Seeing their increasing tacit understanding, Hai Bodong fell silent too. He understood Yao Yan's meaning and nodded slightly, skipping the topic and asking instead, "You came to the capital for the Alchemist Gathering, right? It's just days away. Alchemists from nearby regions are already flocking in."
"Maybe. But mainly, I need your help. I came across a fragment of a map by chance. I want you to see if you can help search for its origin within the Jia Ma Empire. It's important to me."
Yao Yan pulled out the fragment he obtained from the Shennong Mountain Range. It had no markings related to the Nihility Devouring Flame—just a blurred and unclear piece of map with no visible value. Yet his tone was serious.
Hai Bodong took the map and examined it for a moment, frowning slightly. "This doesn't seem like a map... at least, I've never seen terrain like this in the Jia Ma Empire. Are you sure it's located here?"
As someone with a background in an assassin organization, reading maps was a basic skill. He could clearly tell this fragment differed from a typical map.
It's not in his hands?
Yao Yan felt a flicker of disappointment but quickly composed himself and said, "I'm sure. Just help me check. The Tagor Desert area might hold some clues. If you find something, I'll reward you with a gift in the future."
He trusted Hai Bodong's character more than his own investigative abilities. Better to have Hai Bodong search. If he failed, Yao Yan could always take over. There were still decades before the appearance of the Nihility Devouring Flame—he could afford to wait.
"Alright."
Hai Bodong nodded, took a shadow stone from his ring, and recorded the image of the map fragment. Then he handed it back to Yao Yan. As for the so-called "gift," he didn't ask. Some things were better with a bit of mystery.
He added, "I doubt we'll get any results soon. You should prepare yourself."
"It's fine. I'm not in a hurry."
Yao Yan responded calmly.
Hai Bodong turned and introduced, "This is the head of the Miteer Family, Teng Shan. He's also an old friend of mine. If you need anything, he can help you prepare it."
"Actually, I was hoping to refine some items. Would it be possible to look at the Miteer Family's inventory?"
Yao Yan didn't hold back, making a rather bold request as he looked at Teng Shan.
Teng Shan, however, wasn't upset at all. In fact, a smile crept to his lips as he took out a scroll from his storage ring and handed it over. "All the valuable items are recorded in this. There are also some unique treasures. If you need anything, I can fetch it for you."
"Thank you."
Yao Yan accepted the scroll and thanked him softly. With a sweep of his spiritual power, a flood of information entered his mind, giving him more confidence in his next move.
If he wanted to swap out the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor's Jade, the replacement had to be convincing. It couldn't look too fake—it at least needed to be able to store soul power. If not, even the Xiao Clan might not be fooled. As for whether Gu Yuan would notice the switch… well, he could only bet that Gu Yuan didn't care.
Based on the original story, Gu Yuan didn't seem too interested in the ancient jade. His personality was detached and indifferent—not at all like a peak nine-star Dou Sheng, much less the head of the Gu Clan.
When Yao Yan killed Xiao Lin, it had been a test—to see if Gu Yuan was watching.
Clearly, he wasn't.
But the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor's Jade was different.
In the original story, Gu Yuan visited the Xiao Clan when Xiao Yan was born. It was only briefly mentioned, but that brief detail weighed heavily on Yao Yan's heart.
He knew what it meant if he lost the bet.
But first, he needed to see…
Yao Yan made up his mind quickly. He was never the timid type. He'd come this far—how could he back down without trying? If it failed, he could always betray the Soul Clan and side with the Gu Clan.
That might actually be a decent path!
The risk was high, but the potential reward was even higher.
As for loyalty… Yao Yan was only loyal to himself.
(END CHAPTER)
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