Chapter 328 - 159: The Blood of a Human Immortal, Secrets of the Giant House, Return to the Clan? 1000 Gold for Horse Bones, and Nothing More

Chapter 328: Chapter 159: The Blood of a Human Immortal, Secrets of the Giant House, Return to the Clan? 1000 Gold for Horse Bones, and Nothing More

His name was Xie Wen.

But Xiao Mingli had paid the Xie Family no mind. On Jade Universe Mountain, she had thoroughly shamed them, defeating their younger generation before striding away.

Before she left, she even carved a stele with a declaration:

"If I were the same age as Xie Wen, I could do everything he has done—carving my name in White Jade Capital and earning a place on the Juvenile Dragon Stele!"

From that day on.

She refused to rely on the Xie Family. Though born in a Marquis’s Mansion, she depended only on herself, rising from a mere Celestial Pillar Disciple to the branch sect, the main hall, and finally, to the rank of True Inheritance!

But then, while participating in the Outer Dao war at the foot of the Celestial Pool where a Realm Gate was being constructed, she suffered a lasting injury and was forced to withdraw from the world.

Six years had passed since then.

And Xie Zhinan, back then, had been just some little girl whom she had casually dismissed, an unremarkable descendant among the various Ancestral Blood lines of the Jade Universe Xie Clan.

She hadn’t even cared about Xie Wen, let alone this girl.

A hint of ridicule flashed in Xiao Mingli’s eyes.

"Return to the clan and acknowledge my ancestors?"

"Xie Zhinan."

A trace of contempt appeared in the woman’s amber, almond-shaped eyes.

"My surname is Xiao—the Xiao of Marquis Beicang Xiao Pingnan, not the Xie of the Jade Universe Xie Clan."

"So what ancestors? What clan?"

Xie Zhinan’s expression darkened.

It seemed she had never expected that six whole years of hardship...

...had failed to break this woman, who once loved vibrant scarlet robes but now only wore plain, dark colors—the woman who had once put on a grand display in the ancestral lands, leaving a deep impression on her and the entire younger generation of the Xie Clan.

Even now, with crippled legs and her Cultivation stalled for six years, she still had the same audacity, utterly unchanged from all those years ago.

But she also couldn’t understand it.

’Those are Celestial Materials!’

’They’re hugely beneficial even to a Martial Saint!’

’Normally, besides the heir of a Celestial Pillar or the child of a Giant, who would be willing to part with such an item to save someone? Who would go so far as to hire a National Master?!’

’If these were made into a pill, her six years of chronic suffering would be washed away in an instant. Xiao Mingli could regain her former glory in a heartbeat. And the price...’

’...is merely to ’return to the clan and acknowledge her ancestors’!’

’The Jade Universe Xie Clan!’

’That wasn’t just some name.’

’The number one family of Nobles under the heavens. Even if you’re the daughter of a Marquis, you’re nothing but a speck of dust before a family of this stature.’

’Even in Xuanjing, in front of the current generation of imperial descendants and the heirs of Sealing Kings...’

’...a place among the Nine Great Families is still considered the absolute peak!’

’Is being a woman of the Xie Clan so shameful?’

’If not for Brother Xie Wen speaking up, saying it was a pity for someone as talented as Xiao Mingli to fall like this, and that she was, after all, of Xie Family blood, leading him to ask an Ancestor to retrieve Celestial Materials from the ancestral lands to treat her...’

’...how could she possibly have the chance to stand again and resume her Cultivation?!’

"I never inherited your Xie Family’s ’Human Immortal Blood,’ so I have never owed the Xie Family anything."

"If that’s why you’re here..."

"I haven’t done anything to deserve this."

"Take your things and go."

Having the clan she had always been so proud of treated with such disdain, her sore spot was struck. Xie Zhinan could no longer hold back her anger, and a furious expression appeared on her face.

She first waved her hand, signaling the Mansion Maid behind her to close the box and hide the radiance of the Earth Treasure and Jade Marrow. Then, she shot to her feet.

"Fine!"

"Sister Xiao, you say over and over that you don’t owe the Xie Family anything. Then let me ask you."

"Just now, as my carriage was arriving, I suddenly saw an ’Immortal Robe Anomaly’ forming above your mansion. It was the ’Rainbow Formed into Garments’ phenomenon, a sign of my Xie Family’s direct lineage inheritance!"

"Let me ask you, in this mansion of yours, or rather, in all of Jiangyin Prefecture, who else besides you could possibly be cultivating my Xie Family’s Immortal Robe Technique?"

Xie Zhinan’s gaze was aggressive.

"Although my Xie Family often passes the Power Secret Scroll to subordinates and Household Slaves, very few are ever taught anything from the Immortal Robe Scroll."

"And anyone who can master the Nishang Scroll, let alone condense a Dao Grade Treasure Robe, is destined to undergo numerous tests. They would be taken in as an outsider disciple and passed down the complete ’Feathered Immortal Robe’ technique!"

"You only have the right to practice it because of your mother."

"But that doesn’t mean you can just hand over this Wonderful Technique to others, let alone cultivate your own direct lineage!"

Xie Zhinan lifted her chin, her eyes filled with arrogance.

"Are you aware that I came to Jiangyin Prefecture this time accompanying an elder?"

"If she were to find out that you secretly taught the Immortal Robe Technique and reported it to Jade Universe... using this to make trouble for you, even Marquis Beicang would have to give the Xie Clan an explanation, wouldn’t he?"

Hearing this blatant threat, Xiao Mingli opened her mouth, about to deny it outright.

But then she thought of Ji Xiu and his ’of dubious origin’ Feathered Immortal Robe. Her long eyelashes fluttered, and after a moment of contemplation, she couldn’t help but glance askance at Xie Zhinan.

"I was the one who taught him. So what?"

"Trying to pressure me with the Xie Family’s rules..."

"Go on, have your elder come here first."

Xiao Mingli sneered, unconcerned, which made Xie Zhinan’s chest burn with rage as she ground her silver teeth.

When one is young, there is nothing more unbearable than seeing someone more brilliant than yourself.

This is especially true if you were reduced to being a ’backdrop’ for their glory. No matter how noble your own status, you will harbor a grudge for the rest of your life.

This was precisely how Xie Zhinan felt whenever she saw Xiao Mingli.

Just as she was about to open her mouth and say a few more words...

"Ji Xiu greets the Young Lady Heir."

"Yesterday, I had a stroke of luck and caught a Fifth Grade Glazed Trout at the docks. It’s perfect for helping the Young Lady Heir recuperate."

"I caught a glimpse of the glow from those Earth Treasures and Jade Marrow just now. Their quality is all over the place. If you were to use them, I’m afraid it might even harm the Young Lady Heir’s body."

"You’d be better off just using my Glazed Trout. It’s much better than using these ’defective products’."

Defective products!?

Xie Zhinan, who had been about to speak, felt her throat tighten. Hearing these sudden words, she was so furious she nearly saw red.

The treasures from the private vaults of a Giant House... in all the world, no one had ever dared to use the word ’defective’ to describe them.