Chapter 327

Chapter 327: Junior Sister’s Affection

"So that’s how it is! The mechanical puppets from Mo Sect are really impressive!"

"This just got interesting. Does this count as Young Taoist Ming Yue shooting himself in the foot?"

"How could it not? It’s just like losing both the wives and the troops; what a huge embarrassment! If the Seventh-rank Dragon Turtle is captured, it could protect the sect for thousands of years and might even grow to Eighth-rank or even the legendary Ninth-rank, which is not far off from being a Semi-Immortal!"

"West Kunlun finally gets such a treasure, but it will end up benefiting Fang Lie. I bet the Higher-ups of West Kunlun will be furious!"

The others watched the scene with mocking smiles.

Fang Lie then impatiently said to Immortal Fire Cloud, "I think the winner is clear now, right?"

"Well…" Immortal Fire Cloud looked at Young Taoist Ming Yue uncomfortably and said, "Ming Yue, what do you think?"

This was actually a reminder for him to concede voluntarily and save some face. If the referee pushed him, it would be even more embarrassing.

But Ming Yue was still hesitating. The value of the Seventh-rank Dragon Turtle was simply too high. It had taken many elite experts and even a Ninth-rank treasure to capture it. The Higher-ups of the sect originally wanted to train it as a Guardian Beast.

Ming Yue’s actions were impulsive. He had arrived at the treasure appraisal event earlier than Fang Lie and found the Azure Dragon Disturbs the Sea Flag first. This item had enormous potential and, in terms of value, was even comparable to an Eighth-rank low-grade treasure.

At the gambling events of the Grand Banquet by the Sea and Sky, it usually took about a dozen tries to find an Eighth-rank treasure.

So Ming Yue believed this item was certainly the most valuable treasure at the entire event.

Just then, he saw Fang Lie arrive, and an idea came to him. He decided to bet with Fang Lie; after all, he already had the Azure Dragon Disturbs the Sea Flag, which put him in a nearly unbeatable position.

If he could win back the White Dragon Divine Sword, it would be fantastic. Although the two Kunluns appeared to get along, there was constant behind-the-scenes competition. If he could bring back the Ten Divine Swords from East Kunlun, West Kunlun would immediately overshadow them.

This alone would earn him Major Merits with the sect, and his position would rise, immensely aiding his future bid for the position of Sect Leader of West Kunlun.

In this situation, he persuaded the protector to gamble with the Dragon Turtle.

He never imagined that there was an even stronger treasure hiding here, and that it would be found by the less experienced Fang Lie.

Now, Young Taoist Ming Yue was in a dilemma. Losing face was one thing, but the Dragon Turtle was too important. It didn’t even belong to him personally; how could he afford to lose it? If he lost this treasure, his fate would not be much better than Bailongzi’s. He would surely lose his status as a Core Inner Gate Disciple and be imprisoned for hundreds of years.

At that point, all his ambitions would turn to dust. As a talented young man with lofty aspirations, Ming Yue simply could not accept such an outcome.

So, in a frenzy, he shouted, "Even if this is an Eighth-rank middle-grade item, it shouldn’t count as a win for you! After all, my treasure has immense potential. Given a thousand years, it can absolutely be upgraded to an Eighth-rank high-grade treasure. So we can only call this a draw!"

"Wow!" The surrounding spectators gasped at Ming Yue’s unreasonable words.

"I’ve seen shamelessness, but never like this! Comparing a Seventh-rank treasure to an Eighth-rank puppet? Is there such a thing?"

"If he gets a thousand years, he can achieve an Eighth-rank high-grade treasure, but can’t Fang Lie’s puppet level up? It’s a Ninth-rank treasure that fell down; it shows the highest future potential is Ninth-rank! That’s way better than that broken flag!"

"Exactly! Their treasure is at least original, while Ming Yue’s Azure Dragon Disturbs the Sea Flag consumed a tide stone. Without that, what he bought back was garbage! No matter how you calculate it, this is a complete victory for Fang Lie!"

Fang Lie merely gave a disdainful sneer, too lazy to argue, and directly addressed Immortal Fire Cloud. "Please, Immortal, make your judgment!"

Immortal Fire Cloud was also angered at this point. He frowned and said to Ming Yue, "Daoist, in terms of treasure type, yours is a treasure and his is a puppet; in terms of rank, you have a Seventh-rank, and he has an Eighth-rank; in terms of potential, your treasure can only reach Eighth-rank high-grade at best, while his is a Ninth-rank treasure. Moreover, you consumed a precious tide stone, while Fang Lie used nothing. Regardless of how you look at it, you lose! So, as the referee, I announce the winner is Mo Sect’s Fang Lie!"

"You, you, how can you do this!" Ming Yue said angrily, "I refuse to accept this!"

"Enough!" The protector of Ming Yue scolded angrily. "Are you so useless that you have no sense of responsibility? West Kunlun can lose, but we cannot be humiliated!"

Saying this, he waved his hand and swept the Dragon Turtle toward Fang Lie, then grabbed Ming Yue and flew away. They seemed to be heading straight for the teleportation array, most likely going home without participating in the auction.

"Hehe~" Fang Lie happily accepted the Dragon Turtle, looked it over, and then reluctantly handed it to Mo Lanyun, saying, "It’s a gift for you!"

"What? For me?" Mo Lanyun was immediately dumbfounded and quickly waved her hands, "No, no, this item is so precious, I can’t accept it!"

Fang Lie felt helpless. He knew that Mo Lanyun came from a strict family, and unless he provided a good reason, she would never accept it no matter what.

So, Fang Lie transmitted his voice, "It’s not like I’m giving it to you for free. Consider it me returning a favor to your Mo family. That soul-nourishing wooden core of yours has helped me a lot!"

"Ah~" Mo Lanyun exclaimed in surprise upon hearing this, then blushed and replied through her thoughts, "Brother, are you talking about the eighth-rank soul-nourishing wooden core?"

"Yes, your father Mo Wanfang gave it to me!" Fang Lie transmitted back, "I feel unworthy to receive it, so I’ll use this to compensate!"

Mo Lanyun did not respond, standing there in shock, her face flushed with embarrassment.

At that moment, she was conflicted, thinking, ‘How could the soul-nourishing wooden core be with him? Wasn’t it supposed to be my dowry from my mother? Could it be that Brother is the husband my family has chosen for me? Oh dear, how embarrassing! Why didn’t they say anything? Is he offering me the Dragon Turtle as a betrothal gift? If I accept it, does that mean I’m tied to him for life?’

Fang Lie did not hide his thoughts from Aunt Qing, as she was Mo Lanyun’s closest person.

Aunt Qing was equally shocked. She knew the significance of the soul-nourishing wooden core and quietly thought, ‘No wonder Mo Wanfang took the soul-nourishing wooden core and then sent a water dragon puppet afterward. It turns out he gave it to Fang Lie. This is a major matter that Mo Wanfang cannot decide alone; it must have been authorized by the Sect Leader. It looks like the Sect Leader has high hopes for Fang Lie, even betrothing him to the best girl from the Mo family. But it makes sense; after all, Fang Lie is the future Benevolence Token Lord, a successor of Mo Ancestor, possesses an undying nature, and has the inheritance of Mo Ancestor’s Pill Scripture. He is outstanding enough to be compared to a lady!’

Realizing Mo Lanyun looked foolish and shy, Aunt Qing quickly took the Dragon Turtle and pushed it into Mo Lanyun’s hands, teasingly saying, "You’ve given him the soul-nourishing wooden core, so accepting a Dragon Turtle is only right! Isn’t that true, Young Girl?"

Mo Lanyun blushed deeply at Aunt Qing’s teasing but still accepted the Dragon Turtle without saying a word and turned to run away, not participating in the treasure betting anymore.

Fang Lie was taken aback by her sudden departure, feeling quite bewildered.

At that moment, Immortal Fire Cloud came over with a smile and said softly, "Congratulations, young master! You’ve won over a beauty!"

"What?" Fang Lie asked in surprise.

"Hehe, to give away such a precious thing as the Dragon Turtle just like that! Others would pay a fortune for a smile, and it pales in comparison to what you have!" Immortal Fire Cloud laughed, "Such a heavy gift must have melted her heart! Didn’t you see how shy Miss Mo was just now? This is probably a good sign!"

"What are you talking about?" Fang Lie explained with a bitter smile, "I’m just returning her favor!"

"Understood, understood, I get it!" Immortal Fire Cloud narrowed his eyes, looking like he didn’t believe him at all!

Fang Lie was speechless and cupped his hands, saying, "I won’t talk to you anymore. I still need to find treasures!"

Hearing this, Immortal Fire Cloud’s expression changed instantly, and he quickly transmitted, "Young Master, be careful! You’ve won the Dragon Turtle and received such a powerful earth’s magnetic force puppet. Let others have a chance to win too, alright?"

Fang Lie replied, feeling unhappy, "Isn’t this a treasure betting event? Can’t I earn money based on my abilities?"

"Sir, the key issue is that your abilities are definitely not your own!" Immortal Fire Cloud whispered, "The mechanical puppets sold by your Mo Sect definitely have a special bonding secret technique. Even your Mo Sect’s higher-ups would take a long time to find it from the database, yet you used it effortlessly without a moment’s hesitation. Deep down, you know this isn’t your own ability, right?"

"Uh…" Fang Lie’s face turned red, and he touched his nose in silence. He certainly didn’t have that ability! Not even Mo Qianxun had it.

The bonding secret techniques are different, similar to exclusive passwords. As the producer, the Mo Sect must have kept them confidential. But the problem is, who would remember such passwords from ten thousand years ago?

So, this situation definitely had something off. Immortal Fire Cloud noticed but chose not to point it out.

In fact, it wasn’t just Fang Lie who had something hidden; Ming Yue also had his secrets. Immortal Fire Cloud actually saw him coming out of the room where the Azure Dragon Disturbs the Sea Flag was before heading straight to Fang Lie, pressuring him to bet on treasures.

Clearly, both sides were playing tricks behind the scenes, but Fang Lie was just a bit more skilled at it.

Since Immortal Fire Cloud saw through him, Fang Lie felt embarrassed and didn’t want to rely on the old bird to look for treasures anymore, so he left with a bitter smile.

Nevertheless, Fang Lie still made a big profit this time. The eighth-rank middle-grade puppet, the Great Earth General, was powerful enough to challenge Fire Tribulation Immortal! Finally, Fang Lie had a powerful force to deter others!