"Hey, did you let something slip? After all that fuss, it's still all about money?"
After hearing Wang Xin's furious outburst, Zhang Ge couldn't help but sneer repeatedly, then stepped forward and said, "Also, who said this pearl belongs to your sister's family?"
After he finished speaking, Zhang Ge snatched the burning stick from my hand and threw it directly in front of Wang Xin, saying, "This is the real thing from your sister's family!"
"Damn!"
Zhang Ge's movements were really too fast, and I was caught off guard, so I could only watch helplessly as Zhang Ge, in an instant, tossed the legendary Nine-revolutions Thunderstruck Wood in front of Wang Xin! If I lost it, I would really have a mind to kill Zhang Ge...
Unfortunately, at this moment, I couldn't show any concern, so I had to force myself to appear calm, and with a cold smile, looked at Wang Xin, as if I were disdainful of the burning stick.
"Hmph, don't think I don't know, this stick is the real treasure!"
While speaking, Wang Xin had already picked up the stick from the ground, and looked at me with a smirk.
"Alright then!"
At this point, I had to speak up, and I stepped forward, saying, "In that case, let's not make the exchange! Let your brother-in-law take back this stick, and give me back my Pearl of the Wind!"
After speaking, I reached out my hand towards Wang Xin.
"Hmm?"
Wang Xin looked at me in suspicion, and quickly carefully examined the stick in his hand. Of course, with his eyesight, he naturally couldn't see any clues. After a moment of silence, he asked in a deep voice, "Are you sure?"
Since he couldn't see any clues, I naturally had no fear, so I coldly smiled and said, "Of course I'm sure! Do you think this stick is the Golden-hooped Rod? I just felt sorry for Lao Wu's poor life, and his sheep were bitten to death by a centipede. I wanted to help him! Since you didn't appreciate it, there's no reason for me to do this. You can have this burning stick!"
"What?"
Upon hearing these words, Lao Wu was dumbfounded. Without waiting for Wang Xin to respond, he hurriedly came up and repeatedly apologized to me, then shouted at Wang Xin, "You've done a good deed! Give me back my pearl!"
"I...this..."
For a moment, even Wang Xin seemed unsure, then after hesitating, he said, "That's not right either! You were the one who wanted to exchange the stick for the pearl. Since the exchange has been made, the pearl now belongs to my brother-in-law's family! Even if you regret it now, it's too late. Do you two have no sense of honor?"
"Haha! You're talking about honor with me now?"
Hearing the words "sense of honor," I laughed as if I had heard a joke, "Alright, since you're talking about honor, last night Lao Wu and I had already agreed to buy back this pearl for ten thousand yuan. Isn't that a clear honor agreement between us?"
"This..."
My words left Wang Xin speechless, but he still stubbornly refused to hand over the Pearl of the Wind, saying, "This pearl is obviously worth more than ten thousand yuan! Don't try to deceive us!"
"Darn!"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Ge immediately became angry and cursed on the spot, "Then why don't you say that Lao Wu's broken stick is not even worth this pearl?"
"Enough! Why waste time talking to him?"
At the same time, Shabiao went straight to Wang Xin and said firmly, "You have five minutes to hand over that pearl. Otherwise, don't blame me, Shabiao, for turning hostile."
Actually, Shabiao's fiery manner was quite intimidating when he became angry. Plus, Wang Xin seemed to have run out of words, hesitated for a moment, and ultimately took out the "Pearl of the Wind" from his pocket.
Lingering over it with reluctance, Wang Xin was about to return the Pearl of the Wind to Lao Wu. Just then, an urgent voice suddenly came from behind us, "Wait a moment!"
"Huh?"
Hearing this, Wang Xin suddenly seemed to find a lifeline, subconsciously retracted his hand and joyfully exclaimed, "Elder, you've finally arrived!"
"Elder?"
Hearing this, I couldn't help but frown.
The so-called "Elder of the Village," also known as "Village Elders," or "Town Elders," in fact, not only among the Miao people, but also among many ethnic minorities, there is a saying; "The government establishes its own authority, and the Miao people select village elders, and the court sets up officials, while the people nominate leaders."
Like the village head, the village elder is also a leading figure in the village. Sometimes, their status is even higher than that of the village head. In ancient times, the village head generally handled military affairs, while the village elder mainly managed religious ceremonies. The relationship between the village head and the village elder is likened to that between a tribal chief and a priest.
On the surface, the chief is the head of the tribe, responsible for all internal affairs of the tribe. But the priest often intervenes in the chief's actions through religion, often using the name of the gods to criticize the chief, putting pressure on the chief from time to time.
Village elders are usually naturally formed, as natural leaders in the village. They are generally older and of higher generations, commanding great respect in the village, and their words are often final.
"Master? Why are you here too?"
Seeing the village elder, Shabiao couldn't help but frown and quickly greeted him respectfully.
What? Master?
The village elder is actually Shabiao's master? Hearing this, I couldn't help but be surprised, so I carefully observed this village elder, who indeed seemed quite old, but he had a youthful look, showing that he was well-versed in the art of keeping healthy!
"Heh, I just came to see, I heard from A Juan that Wu Datou's family killed a centipede demon and found a precious pearl, so I came to see it myself."
When he said that, I just noticed that there was a woman standing behind him, who must be Wang Xin's wife. This Wang Xin is quite calculating, waiting for us here while letting his wife invite the old man from the village.
"Take a look, village elder, this is the precious pearl!"
Eager to please, Wang Xin quickly handed the pearl in his hand to the village elder, while not forgetting to give me a smug look. View the earthen ditch technique.
"Indeed, it's a good thing!"
The village elder took it, carefully examined it for a while, and then repeatedly praised and exclaimed.
But my brow furrowed even deeper unconsciously...
A cultivator! This village elder is also a cultivator! Because, as he carefully examined the "定风珠", I clearly felt a subtle qi fluctuation!
It's no wonder after all; even Sha Biao learned some gas refining techniques. And since this village elder is his master, it's not surprising that he is a cultivator. However, judging by his appearance, it seems that his cultivation level is not very high.
"Datou, I heard that you want to sell this bead?"
The village elder, fondling the 珠子 in his hand, squinted his eyes, turned back to look at Lao Wu eagerly, and said, "I'll give you fifty thousand yuan for it. Why not sell it to me?"
Before Lao Wu could respond, Wang Xin quickly pulled Lao Wu and said, "Did you hear that? The village elder started off with a high price of fifty thousand, much stronger than your previous offer of ten thousand yuan?"
"Master!"
At that moment, Sha Biao became a little anxious and hastily said to the village elder, "This bead does not belong to Lao Wu; it belongs to this young man behind me! Last night, he was the one who killed the scorpion spirit!"
"Oh?"
The village elder frowned and nodded thoughtfully, as if he had just discovered me, and smiled, "Young man, by the look of you, you should also be a cultivator, right?"
"Yes!"
To be honest, my first impression of this village elder was not very good, but I still slightly bowed to him, saying, "I am Wang Lin, pleased to meet you, elder!
"I heard you are planning to exchange this 珠子 for Lao Wu's fire poker?"
The village elder stared at me intently, as if he wanted to see something from my eyes.
"Yes!"
I nodded truthfully, then changed the topic, "But that was all yesterday's news. Since the other party doesn't want to exchange, I have no choice!"
After that, I shrugged deliberately, looking helpless.
At the same time, Wang Xin quickly handed the poking stick to the village elder, saying, "It's this stick!"
"Oh?"
As soon as he heard this, the village elder suddenly brightened up and quickly took the stick, carefully examining it.