Profound Heaven Soul Sovereign

Everyone looked toward Hua Luoxuan.

Hua Luoxuan smiled faintly. "That’s right. The Ye family paid me several visits before I finally agreed to help them find this Celestial Heart Imperial Fruit."

Since Hua Luoxuan himself had spoken, no one doubted him. To specially ask the President of the Alchemist Association to find a gift was indeed a sign of great effort.

In truth, the Celestial Heart Imperial Fruit was already an excellent gift. At past banquets, it would have been among the best. This time, however, the Wang family had presented a Fourth-Grade Pill, which made it seem somewhat ordinary by comparison.

"Patriarch Ye, you’ve gone to great trouble. In the future, you mustn’t spend so lavishly when attending my banquets," City Lord Leng Tian said with a hearty laugh. "Patriarch Wang, Patriarch Zhou, these banquet gifts are not just about value, but about the thought behind them."

"Yes." Although Wang Hai and the others maintained graceful smiles, they felt as disgusted as if they had swallowed a fly.

Just then, Wang Jun, who was standing behind Wang Hai, suddenly spoke up. "Patriarch Ye, I wonder what gift you have prepared for Miss Leng Yingying? Do let us all broaden our horizons."

This Wang Jun certainly knew how to pick his moment. He could see that although his Patriarch appeared calm, he was surely displeased on the inside.

Seeing an opportunity, he decided it was time to help his Patriarch vent his frustrations.

There were some things the Patriarch couldn’t say, but the younger disciples like him had fewer scruples.

In Wang Jun’s view, not many families in all of Blue Moon City knew that Leng Yingying was the City Lord’s daughter. With the Ye family’s connections, how could they possibly have known? They couldn’t have prepared a gift.

Sure enough, as soon as Wang Jun said this, the smile on Ye Zhanxiong’s face instantly stiffened.

Just as Wang Jun thought, the Ye family really hadn’t prepared a gift for Leng Yingying. But at a time like this, they couldn’t admit it.

Wang Hai and the others were incredibly perceptive. They immediately noticed the change in Ye Zhanxiong’s expression and guessed that the Ye family must not have prepared a gift for Leng Yingying.

Realizing this, he started to laugh. "Patriarch Ye, your Celestial Heart Imperial Fruit is indeed excellent, clearly chosen with great care. That being the case, I’ve also become rather curious about the gift your Ye family has prepared for Miss Leng Yingying."

"Yes, Patriarch Ye, hurry up and show everyone. Your previous gift was so thoughtful, you wouldn’t have forgotten to prepare one for Miss Leng Yingying, would you?"

Zhou Tong’s words were much more blunt.

The other Patriarchs, since it didn’t concern them, were happy to watch the drama unfold.

Sweat beaded on Ye Zhanxiong’s forehead as his mind raced, trying to think if he had anything on him that could be given as a gift.

This kind of gift required careful consideration; you couldn’t just give any random item.

For instance, given Ye Zhanxiong’s status, he surely had plenty of Second-Grade Pills on him, which were valuable enough. But Miss Leng Yingying had just had a breakthrough. If you presented a Second-Grade Healing Pill, what kind of message would that send?

Moreover, items in a Storage Ring weren’t packaged. To just pull something out would seem insincere.

For a moment, Ye Zhanxiong was completely at a loss. Just then, Ye Xuan, who had been silent all this time, suddenly gave a slight smile. "Patriarch Wang, Patriarch Zhou, today is the City Lord’s banquet. You two have been showing off since before it even started, and you’re still making such a fuss now. Anyone who didn’t know better would think this was a banquet for your two families."

"What did you say?" As soon as Ye Xuan spoke, the expressions of both Wang Hai and Zhou Tong changed.

"Ye Xuan, what nonsense are you spouting?" Wang Jun jumped out. "It’s not that the Ye family didn’t prepare a gift for Miss Leng Yingying at all, is it?"

Ye Xuan said coolly, "As I recall, the host of today’s banquet is the City Lord. Whether I’ve prepared a gift or not, do I need to report it to your Wang family? Your Wang family sure is nosy. In the future, does everything that happens in Blue Moon City require your family’s approval?"

"Patriarch Ye, is this the caliber of your Ye family’s younger generation?" Wang Hai said coldly.

"Alright, that’s enough arguing." Leng Tian’s brow suddenly furrowed, and he spoke coldly. "Whether a gift was prepared or not, since you all came to my banquet today, you are showing me respect. I hope no one will continue to argue over this matter."

How could he not know what the Wang and Zhou families were up to? However, they had presented him with such a grand gift today, so it wouldn’t be right for him to treat them too poorly.

Leng Yingying suddenly spoke up from the side. "Father, in my life, I have always admired the great heroes who eradicate evil and promote good. The Ye family was able to wipe out the wicked bandits of the Blood Saber Stronghold. I have long been filled with admiration for them. I think this is the best gift not just for me, but for all the citizens of Blue Moon City this year."

Everyone looked at Leng Yingying in surprise. She had barely spoken throughout the entire banquet, so why had she suddenly not only spoken up, but also seemed to be siding with the Ye family?

Even City Lord Leng Tian gave his daughter a surprised glance.

’This girl... it wasn’t a waste saving her back at Black Wind Ridge.’ A smile touched Ye Xuan’s lips. He suddenly said, "Last time at the academy, I was cornered by two mad dogs. Senior Leng Yingying was fair and just, and I have yet to properly thank her for her great kindness. Let me take this opportunity at the banquet to present the gift my Ye family has prepared."

With that, Ye Xuan suddenly produced a porcelain bottle. It was an unremarkable, plain white bottle, the kind you could find in any apothecary on the street—utterly crude.

Then Ye Xuan was heard saying, "Senior Leng Yingying, I have a First-Grade Cold Condensing Pill here. It should have an excellent effect on enhancing your Profound Qi. Here, I’ll give it to you."

Seeing Ye Xuan take out such a bottle, Wang Jun’s expression turned strange, as if he was trying not to laugh. When he heard "First-Grade Cold Condensing Pill," he couldn’t hold it in any longer and let out a "PFFT" as he burst out laughing.

"My Wang family has been in the Pill business for hundreds of years, and we’ve never heard of any so-called ’Cold Condensing Pill.’"

"This Pill... he didn’t just make up the name on the spot, did he?"

"Look at that porcelain bottle. The rim is chipped, and it even has cracks. He didn’t just pick up some Pill bottle that a Martial Artist threw away, did he?"

"This Ye family really has some nerve, giving a gift like that."

The moment Ye Xuan presented his gift, the members of the Wang and Zhou families immediately chimed in, one after another, with sarcastic and mocking remarks.

The appearance of the porcelain bottle was simply atrocious. It was worse than the bottles used for ordinary Healing Medicine at apothecaries. When they sold new bottles, even to the lowliest of Martial Artists, they were at least pure white and flawless, with decent packaging.

But this bottle, clearly old from years of use, had turned a dingy gray and was covered in nicks and cracks.

If something like this were thrown on the street, it’s doubtful anyone would even bother picking it up. And Ye Xuan was using it to hold a Pill, and as a gift for Miss Leng Yingying, no less.

This... this was simply blasphemy.

And it didn’t stop there. No matter how shabby the bottle, if the Pill inside was precious, no one would have said a word.

But what Ye Xuan took out was a... First-Grade Cold Condensing Pill?

There were more than a few Alchemists present. To be honest, even the Wang family, which specialized in the Pill business, had never heard of a "Cold Condensing Pill" among First-Grade Pills.

This wasn’t just blasphemy; it was an insult, a fraud.

Seeing Ye Xuan produce this bottle, the expressions on the others’ faces were quite a sight to behold.

There was mockery, astonishment, cold sneers, confusion, and utter disbelief!

Obviously, anyone in the room could tell that this gift was something a Ye family disciple had just grabbed on the spur of the moment, not something that had been carefully prepared.

The key point was, it was one thing for it not to be carefully prepared. But to deliberately take out a pill with such a poor appearance and a made-up name... this was no longer just about presenting a gift. In their eyes, it was a mockery of the City Lord’s Mansion.

At this, even City Lord Leng Tian’s expression changed.

Seeing Leng Tian’s expression, Wang Hai, with his venomous eye for opportunity, immediately shouted, "Patriarch Ye, your Ye family has some nerve! What kind of thing is this gift? Are you making a fool of the City Lord and Miss Leng Yingying?"

"The Ye family is audacious, presenting something like this. Tell me, what the hell is this thing he’s offering? It’s complete trash."

"I don’t think this Ye Xuan came to give a gift at all. He’s here to cause trouble! This is an insult to Miss Leng Yingying."

"And what’s this ’Cold Condensing Pill’? I am a First-Grade Alchemist, and my family has been selling First-Grade medicines for hundreds of years. I’ve never heard of such a pill."

"If Miss Leng Yingying were to actually consume such a dubious Pill and it caused her harm, could your Ye family bear the responsibility?"

In an instant, the members of the Wang and Zhou families spoke one after another, and with just a few sentences, they painted the Ye family as unforgivably wicked.

Facing this bombardment of accusations from the Wang and Zhou families, Ye Zhanxiong and the others were also utterly stunned, completely baffled as to why Ye Xuan would produce such a bottle.

But they had absolute faith in Ye Xuan. Ye Zhanyun immediately said coldly, "Patriarch Wang, Patriarch Zhou, don’t make such irresponsible accusations. My Ye family may be small, but we would never trifle with the City Lord. There must be a profound reason for offering this Pill. What can you tell from appearances alone? There’s a saying: ’resplendent on the outside, but rotten within.’ Something that looks beautiful isn’t necessarily good, and conversely, something that looks plain isn’t necessarily bad."

’He could even cure my injuries.’ Ye Zhanyun refused to believe that the Pill his son produced was some random, worthless item.

Wang Hai said coldly, "Hmph. No matter how you try to smooth-talk your way out of this, you can’t escape the crime of blasphemy. ’Cold Condensing Pill’... what a load of bullshit."

"Is that so?"

A sharp, cold voice suddenly rang out. Ye Xuan’s gaze was level as he spoke softly, "Let’s not talk about whether my Cold Condensing Pill is bullshit. What about your Wang family and Zhou family conspiring to frame Senior Leng Yingying? What do you call that?"

"What?"

Wang Hai was initially furious at Ye Xuan for interrupting him, but hearing this, he was so enraged he started to laugh. "You little bastard! Now that you’re cornered, you’ve started spouting nonsense. My Wang family and the Zhou family have the utmost respect for Miss Leng Yingying. What reason would we have to frame her? You, on the other hand, presenting an item of such dubious origin—what is your motive?"