The Sacred Leaves Family's Wishes for Peace

Just as Fang Chen finished using his Qi-gazing technique to pick out a promising Spirit-Sealing Stone, an obnoxious voice rang out nearby.

"So it's you three damn mutts."

Fang Luo and the others frowned and turned to look.

Three lackeys flanked an arrogant young man, who was glaring at them with murderous intent—it was none other than Xiang Zhantian.

What a narrow path enemies walk. The trio had figured they might run into him today, but they didn't expect it to happen so soon after arriving.

Since they were already acquainted, there was no need for pleasantries.

Fang Qiufeng said, "What's the Skyvault Trading House doing, letting a bunch of barking dogs in here? So noisy. Annoying as hell."

"Don't insult dogs like that," Fang Chen chimed in.

As Children of Destiny, the trio had heard more than their fair share of mocking insults. Their comebacks were swift and sharp, second nature by now.

Xiang Zhantian was instantly furious and took a step forward.

"You're asking for death!!"

One of his flunkies quickly stepped up to stop him.

"Brother Tian, this is the Skyvault Trading House."

They were terrified he might lose control and start a fight here. If that happened, not even Xiang Zhantian's grandfather—Xiang Qian, a mighty Emperor-level cultivator—could protect him.

The Skyvault Trading House's rules were absolute. Not even an Emperor dared to break them, let alone Xiang Zhantian.

"I know that!!" Xiang Zhantian growled.

Fang Luo and the others were well aware of the rules too. That's why they'd deliberately provoked him—hoping he'd snap. But Xiang Zhantian wasn't that stupid.

Seeing that he didn't take the bait, Fang Chen lost interest and turned to keep selecting stones.

But Xiang Zhantian, still fuming, had no intention of leaving.

"Acting all knowledgeable, picking stones like some expert... In the end, I bet you won't get anything worthwhile."

Fang Chen asked, intrigued, "How do you know the one I picked won't produce anything valuable?"

Xiang Zhantian sneered.

"The Stone-Gambling Convention happens once every thirty years, and it's been around for tens of thousands of years. If everyone could pick out treasures, the Skyvault Trading House would've gone bankrupt ages ago!"

His sidekick quickly echoed, "Exactly! The only ones who can profit from gambling stones are either skilled experts or Chosen like Brother Tian, who are blessed with great fortune. Losers like you three are just handing money to the Trading House."

Fang Chen replied calmly, "That's not necessarily true."

Xiang Zhantian had a sudden idea. "In that case, why don't we make a bet? We each pick a stone and see who gets something more valuable. The loser pays the winner 100 pieces of top-grade spirit stone."

Xiang Zhantian knew he had no special talent in stone-gambling, but he was convinced these three nobodies weren't any better. That's why he dared suggest the wager.

If he'd had real confidence in himself, the stakes wouldn't be just 100 spirit stones—he'd be wagering hands, or even lives.

Fang Chen curled his lip in disdain.

"One hundred? You might as well grab a beggar off the street to bet with."

Fang Qiufeng followed up. "Right? Always strutting around like you're all that, and you only dare to bet a hundred? Tsk tsk."

In truth, 100 top-grade spirit stones was a considerable sum. But their scornful tone and expressions made Xiang Zhantian's already simmering rage boil over.

"This young master was just worried you couldn't afford to lose. Since you insist, let's raise the bet—five hundred top-grade spirit stones!"

In Seven Kings City, that much was enough to buy a piece of Sacred Gold.

Even ordinary True Saints or Grand Saint cultivators couldn't cough up that kind of money. A Saint King might be able to, but it would still be painful.

He added with a smirk, "Can you afford that? If not, you can just kneel and admit defeat."

Xiang Zhantian desperately wanted to kill all three of them, but he worried that too high a wager would scare them off. So he kept the bet modest—for now.

Besides, as long as they were still in Seven Kings City, they couldn't run. Sooner or later, he'd have them in chains, slicing them up piece by piece.

Fang Chen casually pulled out a complete Saint-Grade weapon.

"Will this do?"

Even the most ordinary Saint weapon far exceeded the value of five hundred top-grade spirit stones.

Xiang Zhantian nodded eagerly. "Excellent, excellent. Let's sign a contract. If you lose and can't pay, I'll take the Saint weapon as collateral!"

He assumed that for Grand Saints like Fang Luo and his companions, such a weapon was invaluable. Losing it would be a heavy blow.

And normally, he would've been right.

But what Xiang Zhantian didn't know was that the three of them were swimming in Saint weapons. Even if they lost, they wouldn't care.

More importantly, they simply couldn't lose.

At least not to someone like Xiang Zhantian.

That was why Fang Chen had been goading him into betting all along. Easy money—especially from a sworn enemy—was too good to pass up. A double victory.

Soon, under the witness of officials from the Skyvault Trading House, both parties signed a formal wager.

Private bets like this were common during the Stone-Gambling Convention, so no one found it strange.

That said, a five-hundred-spirit-stone bet wasn't exactly common either.

And with Xiang Zhantian—grandson of an Emperor—on one side, the wager drew considerable attention.

"Look! Another stone bet—five hundred top-grade spirit stones! Now that's bold!"

"Oh, it's Xiang Zhantian. That explains it."

"But those three aren't nobodies either. In the Blessed Land trial, they took down Li Han and Tie Zhen while fighting above their cultivation level. Must be geniuses from some powerful sect."

"They're not afraid of Xiang Zhantian? Either they're too naive, or they've got serious backing too."

In no time, a crowd of dozens had gathered around, eager to watch the drama unfold.

Five hundred top-grade spirit stones was no small sum. To be cautious, Fang Chen decided not to use the Spirit-Sealing Stone he had just found as his wager. Instead, he wanted to search further to see if he could find something even better.

If nothing else turned up, he'd fall back on that one as a backup.

Xiang Zhantian said coldly, "I still need to head up to the second floor later. I don't have time to waste on you. We'll settle this within one incense stick's time."

"Fine," Fang Chen replied. He didn't want to spend too much time on this matter either.

Just as Xiang Zhantian turned to leave, he spotted a familiar figure and immediately walked over with a beaming smile.

He approached a slightly plump middle-aged man and greeted him with utmost respect.

"Uncle Ming, you've arrived."

The man gave a small nod. "Ah, Zhantian. What is it?"

Although Xiang Zhantian didn't understand how Uncle Ming could tell right away that he had something to ask, he didn't have time to overthink it. He got straight to the point and explained the wager he'd just made with Fang Chen.

Uncle Ming let out a chuckle and glanced at Fang Chen from afar.

"I see. Well, I have some time. I'll help you pick a stone."

Xiang Zhantian's face lit up instantly, and he nodded eagerly.

"Wonderful, thank you Uncle Ming! When you're free, I'll treat you to a few drinks at Moonwatch Pavilion!"

Xiang Zhantian was so overjoyed because this "Uncle Ming" was no ordinary man.

His full name was Wei Yiming, a seasoned expert in Spirit-Sealing Stones and one of the top specialists under Cang Lu, one of the key figures in Seven Kings City. Whenever ruins or secret realms revealed sealed stones, he was the one summoned for appraisal.

Years of hands-on exploration had given him unmatched insight into these stones. He attended every Stone-Gambling Convention, no matter how far, and always made a profit—only the amount varied.

Someone of his caliber was rare even in a city like Seven Kings City, which is why Xiang Zhantian—a man who normally swaggered through life—would become so obedient and humble in front of him.

His grandfather, Xiang Qian, had drilled that respect into him many times.

Wei Yiming waved dismissively.

"No need. It's just a small favor."

The only reason he was helping was because of Xiang Zhantian's grandfather, not because he cared about a free meal.

Xiang Zhantian quietly followed behind him, watching him pick out stones while gloating inwardly.

"I was just wondering how I could secure a win. I didn't expect to bump into Uncle Ming, and he even has time to help. Heaven itself is helping me! Now it's almost impossible for me to lose!"

He even began regretting the low stakes. "I should've bet a few thousand top-grade stones instead! I could've cleaned out Fang Luo and the others completely. Let's see how they survive in Seven Kings City then!"

Though Fang Luo and Fang Qiufeng noticed the scene, neither said anything. They had complete confidence in Fang Chen's skills.

After all these years, aside from Fang Ying, no one could match Fang Chen in digging treasure from piles of trash.

Half the time passed, and Wei Yiming had already found a good one. He picked up a palm-sized Spirit-Sealing Stone and studied it closely, nodding frequently.

"Not bad at all. Found something decent in such a short time."

Xiang Zhantian's eyes lit up.

"Uncle Ming, do you mean there's a treasure inside?"

Wei Yiming casually replied, "Most likely, yeah."

It was a habit of his to be modest, but based on his years of experience, the odds of this stone containing a treasure were 99%.

He just couldn't yet determine the exact value of whatever was inside.

Xiang Zhantian wasn't completely satisfied. He wanted a guaranteed win over Fang Luo.

For one, everyone was watching—his pride couldn't tolerate losing. For another, he absolutely loathed the trio and refused to be bested by them.

"There's still some time. Wouldn't you like to keep looking?"

Wei Yiming frowned slightly.

"What? You don't trust me?"

Xiang Zhantian was startled and quickly waved his hands.

"No, no! Of course I trust you. In all of Seven Kings City, there are only a few who could even hope to match your expertise. How could I not trust you?"

Wei Yiming nodded faintly, saying no more.

Seeing his calm and composed demeanor, Xiang Zhantian relaxed again. Clearly, Uncle Ming was confident.

And rightly so—he'd been working with these stones longer than Xiang Zhantian had been alive. If he said it was fine, then it was.

Relieved, Xiang Zhantian's smugness returned. He even sauntered up to Fang Chen with a mocking tone.

"Still haven't picked one? If you can't find anything, just give up and stop wasting everyone's time."

Fang Chen, still inspecting stone after stone with his eyes and hands, replied offhandedly:

"You better get those five hundred top-grade spirit stones ready. If you come up short, don't blame us for showing up at your door with the contract."

Xiang Zhantian sneered.

"There's no way I could lose."

Fang Chen chuckled. "If your fists were as hard as your mouth, you'd already be crowned King of Seven Kings City."

"You—!"

Xiang Zhantian couldn't win in a war of words. Face darkening, he snapped, "Just wait. I want to see what excuses you'll have after you lose!"

Fang Chen ignored him and moved on to the next display rack, glancing at each stone without touching them, before moving on.

To outsiders, it looked like he wasn't even seriously selecting stones—just browsing casually.

Watching this from a distance, Wei Yiming shook his head in visible disappointment.

He occasionally enjoyed gambling like this on the side, but this kind of opponent and wager was boring. If he had known it'd be this dull, he would've gone straight upstairs.

The second floor was filled with rare stones and top-tier experts from across the continents. That was his real stage. Winning against some clueless youth was hardly satisfying.

Just then, Manager Wan, head of the local Skyvault Trading House branch, happened to pass by and spotted him.

"Eh? Brother Wei, you're here on the first floor? I thought you hadn't arrived yet."

Wei Yiming replied, "Just helping a junior with a small matter…"

Once Manager Wan heard the whole story, he stroked his beard thoughtfully.

"I see. Well, I happen to be free right now. I can help appraise the treasures you each uncover later."

In wagers like these, it was common practice to have a reliable party appraise the items from both sides and determine the winner.

Manager Wan and Wei Yiming had worked together many times before in similar roles.

Wei Yiming said, "Then I'll trouble you."

Manager Wan waved it off, unconcerned.

With Wei Yiming and Manager Wan both involved, what had been a small, private wager instantly drew significant attention, and more people quickly crowded around to watch the unfolding drama.