Chang Dingyao immediately put on a smile and apologized, "Master, my daughter is young and ignorant. Please don't take offense at her. In any case, I absolutely trust Master and of course, the other three noble guests as well.”
Just as he finished speaking, he heard Shiqi stuttering, "M-m-mister...sir, I...have something to tell you.”
"Go ahead," Chang Dingyao said, "Did the noble guests arrive today?"
"Yes, they arrived," Shiqi glanced at Xiao Kai, then at Chang Dingyao, and whispered, "Mr. Yan Xiaokai is one of the guests I invited..."
Chang Dingyao was finally stunned.
After a long while, Chang Dingyao finally glared at Shiqi and said, "Alright...Yan Xiaokai, since you are a guest invited by Shiqi, please come in and have a seat."
Xiao Kai smirked and took Xiaozhu in with him.
"Who's that girl? She looks very pretty," Xiaozhu asked Xiao Kai with a hint of jealousy, "And you even got a car to pick you up?"
"Oh, she's a taxi driver," Xiao Kai replied, "The city is getting more and more prosperous. Even the taxi drivers are driving BMWs now."
"Hmph, but she didn't want to leave and parked right at the door," Xiaozhu glanced back and saw the bright red sports car parked quietly at the door, showing no intention of leaving.
"Oh...I asked her to wait for me to come back," Xiao Kai explained, "The BMW driver's service attitude is exceptional."
Just as he finished speaking, there was a sudden bang outside the door, and the BMW sped away like a rocket.
"Damn it, my laptop!" It took Xiao Kai a few seconds to react, and then he dashed out, but the car had already disappeared into the distance.
"Is this the service attitude of a BMW driver?" Xiaozhu looked at him with a half-smile, biting her lip and said, "I'll settle the score with you later."
Chang Dingyao, with Master Zhu, Zhang Jiulong, and Wuming, walked all the way inside. Xiao Kai followed without hesitation, until they reached a large iron-locked door. Chang Dingyao turned around and glared at him with annoyance, "Yan Xiaokai, we have serious matters to attend to. What exactly do you want to do?"
"But I am your esteemed guest," Xiao Kai said matter-of-factly, "So of course I must help you overcome any obstacle."
Chang Dingyao bit his lip a few times, as if he wanted to erupt, but after looking at his daughter, who had been standing next to Xiao Kai, he sighed and said, "Fine, come in."
Inside was a very old house with a strong musty smell, as it seemed it hadn't been opened for a long time. After everyone had entered, Chang Dingyao carefully locked the door, then searched the wall for a while. He pressed it gently, and a hidden compartment appeared on the wall. He carefully took out a mahogany box and placed it on the table.
Master Zhu, Zhang Jiulong, and Wuming's faces suddenly became excited, and even their breathing became heavy.
"Please have a look, if there really is something related to karmic retribution in my family, it should be this item," Chang Dingyao said, "This is a treasure passed down to me by my grandfather."
"What...what is its name?" Master Zhu's voice trembled, "Please be more detailed, Patron."
"I remember my grandfather once said in my childhood that it is called the Jade of the Fiend," Chang Dingyao recalled, "After all these years, I don't remember many details, but at that time, my grandfather told me a story. It seems that my ancestors had accidentally injured someone, and in the end, that person died from the injury. This Jade was left behind."
"So, is there anything special about this Jade?" Zhang Jiulong followed up.
"Yes, there is one special thing," Chang Dingyao replied, "This Jade remains cool in summer and warm in winter. When worn, it provides comfort throughout the year. According to my grandfather, when placed in a shrine, it can repel evil spirits and demons."
Wuming swallowed his saliva and continued to ask, "If so, why don't you place it in the shrine?"
"Alas...it cannot be placed in the shrine," Chang Dingyao sighed, "The way of a gentleman is fair and open. Our ancestor's accidental harm to others was a great mistake, and keeping another's treasure was another. If our descendants still seek refuge under the shade of another's treasure, it would truly be a shameful ignominy, and a disgrace to the three words of a learned man."
Master Zhu clapped his hands, "That's right. This Jade is indeed the root of karmic retribution!"
"What should be done then?" Chang Dingyao said, "Should I donate it to the country, or destroy it on the spot?"
"Neither is correct," Daoist Zhang sighed, "The will of heaven circulates, retribution is inevitable. Today, this humble Daoist has finally understood the truth of these two sentences. Patron, do you remember the name of the person who was accidentally injured back then?"
"I remember my grandfather said...it seemed to be a person named Zhang," Chang Dingyao suddenly understood and looked up in surprise, "Could it be that you, Daoist, are actually..."
"Exactly," Daoist Zhang bowed deeply, with a solemn and sincere attitude, as well as a hint of emotion and excitement.
"Wow, this is really unbelievable!" Xiao Kai was amazed, "Is it really karmic retribution?"
"Karma my foot," Xiaoguan said, "He has lived for hundreds of years. He knew long ago that the person who died before was surnamed Zhang. It's just that the Chang family used to have people practicing cultivation, and they didn't dare to come forward. It was passed down to this generation, and the cultivation methods have been lost, so they came up with a plan."
Chang Dingyao was silent for a while and finally said, "Since the will of heaven is so, today, I will return this Jade to Daoist, and also apologize to Daoist on behalf of our ancestors."
"Infinite Buddhas," Daoist Zhang chanted the scripture, standing up tall, "The changes of time change people, and the right and wrong of the past are no longer important. However, this humble Daoist knows that this Jade is by no means as simple as Patron claims. There must be a thousand changes within it. Patron, do you have any records about this Jade?"
"Records... What records?" Chang Dingyao pondered, "Does Daoist mean that this Jade has other uses?"
"You are mistaken, in the eyes of ordinary people, this may just be a piece of Jade," Daoist Zhang smiled, "But in the eyes of an old Daoist, this is clearly a treasure of the immortals."
Chang Dingyao listened for a long time, then finally sighed deeply, "Is there really a way of the immortals in this world?"
Daoist Zhang didn't answer, but asked instead, "Do you have a way to control it?"
Chang Dingyao nodded heavily, "You are truly a master. Indeed, I do have a few formulas stored in my heart, but I have never known what they are for. Since it is the will of heaven, I will pass them to Daoist as well."
Daoist Zhang nodded in satisfaction and fell silent.
"What should we do?" Xiao Kai asked quietly, "These three demons' performance is flawless. If you hadn't told me, I would have thought they were immortals."
"I finally understand why they were trying to deceive Chang Dingyao in such a big circle," Xiaoguan said, "It turns out that they wanted to trick him into revealing those formulas, and it turns out those formulas are the key."
"What can we do? Watch them snatch the Jade away?" Xiao Kai asked, "Who knows if they will kill us to keep the secret after learning the formulas?"
"Then let's snatch the Jade," Xiaoguan gritted his teeth, "I'll count to three, and we'll attack together. If we get it, we'll run away immediately. At this point, we can't think that much."
"Daoist, let's change places. I will tell you the formulas in private," Chang Dingyao said.
Daoist Zhang glanced at the two eager companions and forced a smile, "No need, right here is fine. We are all cultivators, without desire or need, and there is nothing that need be kept secret."
"Alright," Chi Dingyao said, "the mantra goes like this..."
Xiao Kai's heart was pounding in his throat, waiting for Xiao Guan to shout one two three, and then he would quickly grab the Jade Flash and flee. But at this critical moment, everyone suddenly felt the ground beneath them violently shake, causing the cabinets by the wall to sway.
"Could it be an earthquake?" Xiao Kai raised his head in astonishment, feeling the whole room shake violently once again.
This time, the tremor was even more intense. Zhu Dashu jumped up suddenly and exclaimed, "There's someone outside!"
As the words fell, there was a loud "bang," and a chunk of the entire roof collapsed, fortunately not hitting anyone. When everyone looked up, the sunlight shone in, revealing two imposing figures standing on the roof beam.
As Xiao Kai took a glance, he cried out, "Sima Tingxue!"
Two people stood on the roof, dressed in white like snow, with an air of aloofness. One was indeed Sima Tingxue, while the other was an elderly man with snow-white hair and beard, holding a dazzling long sword that reflected a myriad of golden light in the sunlight. His sharp eyes were fixed on Zhu Dashu and the others as he sternly shouted, "Which evil spirit dares to openly appear in the world, daring to challenge the Emei Sect?"
Zhu Dashu and the others gasped in surprise, exclaiming, "Emei Sect?"
"Indeed," the old man proclaimed in a loud voice, "I am Snowbrow, a second-generation disciple of Emei. Since you three have encountered me today, what do you have to say?"