Steward Chen and Lu Danian stood awkwardly in pce, while the enchanting Zi Yun was also a bit stunned.

  An esteemed, white-haired old man was giving Zi Yun a gift??

  And it was a hairpin, such a personal item?!

  They dared not speak.

  Neither Steward Chen nor Lu Danian dared to utter a word. Given Elder Xu's status in the Misty Sect, they wouldn't dare make a peep...

  Zi Yun snapped back to reality, looking at the warm and natural smile on the old, withered face opposite her, her beautiful eyes blinking several times.

  There was surprise, confusion, and then a hint of hidden delight.

  The old man... almost at the end of his life, still thinking about pretty girls...

  Zi Yun snorted inwardly, having seen the world.

  What could it mean for such a respected elder to give her a hairpin?

  Wasn't it just that kind of thought?

  But... the other party was simply too old... she couldn't accept it.

  Of course, even if he wasn't old, she wouldn't just accept a man out of nowhere.

  "Thank you, Elder Xu. Elder Xu, if you ever need to buy anything in the future, please do take care of my Purple Arrival Commerce Guild's business!"

  Zi Yun still accepted the golden hairpin in front of everyone.

  Even if she didn't accept it, she couldn't embarrass this esteemed Inner Sect Elder of the Misty Sect in front of so many people.

  Xu Xiao stroked his beard and ughed, "Haha, of course, with Shopkeeper Zi here, if I have any needs in the future, I will naturally come to your guild for business."

  [Congratutions to the host for successfully gifting a low-grade hairpin. First-time gift to Zi Yun triggered a thousandfold critical hit, returning a Supreme-Grade Magical Artifact: Nine Heavens Divine Phoenix Hairpin.]

  [Nine Heavens Divine Phoenix Hairpin: Supreme-Grade Magical Artifact, inject spiritual energy to release a Fire Phoenix attack, power increases with the user's cultivation level.]

  A Supreme-Grade Magical Artifact, Nine Heavens Divine Phoenix Hairpin?!

  Seeing the Nine Heavens Divine Phoenix Hairpin glowing in his spatial storage, Xu Xiao was secretly delighted.

  This return was too thrilling!

  Although a Supreme-Grade Magical Artifact is a notch below a Magical Treasure, it is still a supreme artifact in the cultivation world, rare and hard to come by.

  Previously, even at the Ninth Level of the Nascent Soul Stage, he didn't have a single Supreme-Grade Magical Artifact.

  Even his junior sister, Dugu Ling, only had two Supreme-Grade Magical Artifacts.

  If sold for spirit stones, it would fetch an astronomical price.

  Zi Yun looked at the other party's immortal-like demeanor and righteous appearance, a hint of mockery fshing in her heart.

  Old guy, still putting on quite the act...

  After parting ways, Xu Xiao boarded the carriage with Lu Danian's help.

  The carriage moved slowly, heading towards the city gate along Eastern Main Street.

  At the entrance of the Purple Arrival Commerce Guild, Steward Chen watched the slowly departing carriage with a strange expression and said, "Shopkeeper, I heard Elder Xu only has a year left to live... I didn't expect he still had such thoughts... truly vigorous in old age..."

  Zi Yun puffed out her proud chest, slightly smug, "Haha, doesn't this just prove my extraordinary charm as a shopkeeper? Alright, Old Chen, let's get to work. Elder Xu doesn't have much time left, I reckon he'll come to spend spirit stones here again. We must give him a good reception; he's a big fat sheep."

  ***

  Eastern Main Street was bustling and lively, with all sorts of shops and a constant flow of people.

  On the carriage, Lu Danian gnced at Xu Xiao, who was meditating, with his bull-like eyes, his honest face showing some concern, "Uncle-Master... hang in there... Master is already looking for a Dao Companion for you, and she will definitely be no less than that Zi Yun!"

  He, too, was a man and understood the helpless loneliness in his uncle-master's heart.

  For a thousand years, his uncle-master had never sought a companion.

  Now, as his uncle-master was nearing the end, wanting to experience a woman was all too normal.

  He understood from the bottom of his heart!

  Xu Xiao opened his eyes and looked at Lu Danian as if he were a fool.

  The tter continued, "Uncle-Master! If it really doesn't work out, tomorrow I'll have a few pretty female outer sect disciples serve you, they wouldn't dare refuse since I'm the Outer Sect Law Enforcement Elder!"

  Xu Xiao's face darkened, and he let out a heavy sigh.

  Then he spped Lu Danian's big head, "You brat! What are you saying! You want to exploit our sect's female disciples?"

  Xu Xiao said disdainfully, "Do you think your uncle-master is that kind of person? I gave that Zi Yun a gift just to be polite. I could expin more, but you wouldn't understand. Danian, your uncle-master isn't like that. I have other reasons for giving Zi Yun a gift, not what you think. Just trust your uncle-master."

  Lu Danian looked at the sincere old face and nodded heavily.

  He thought so, too. How could his esteemed uncle-master be interested in mere pretty faces?

  It turned out he had misunderstood!

  However, he didn't ask for the specific reason because he chose to trust his uncle-master unconditionally!

  As the carriage reached an intersection, a crowd was gathered ahead, seemingly in a dispute.

  "Shopkeeper! These three Foundation Establishment Pills are filled with so many impurities, the quality is so poor, and you still have the nerve to sell them to my junior sister??"

  Outside a shop, a young man in a light blue robe shouted at the four or five attendants in front of him, his face furious, "This is fraud!"

  Beside the young man stood one man and three women.

  They were all wearing light blue robes, the uniform of the Misty Sect's outer sect disciples.

  These five people were all outer sect disciples of the Misty Sect.

  Among them, a slender, pretty female disciple held three white pills in her hand, looking at the shop attendants with a wronged expression, her eyes seemingly red.

  At the shop entrance, the leading middle-aged shopkeeper smiled politely, "Dear customers, our shop has a no-return policy. The transaction was completed in the store earlier.

  Now that you've left and returned after so long, who can say you didn't swap these three Foundation Establishment Pills yourselves to extort us?"

  The male disciple furrowed his brows and fell silent.

  The pretty female disciple who bought the pills immediately expined, "I didn't swap them, I didn't... these three Foundation Establishment Pills were bought from your pharmacy... you're cheating me..."

  The female disciple looked aggrieved, her fair and pretty face tinged with redness, she was very upset.

  She had painstakingly gathered three mid-grade spirit stones to buy three Foundation Establishment Pills for her cultivation.

  But she encountered a dishonest shop... this was all her savings.

  The surrounding male onlookers, seeing how pretty the female disciple was, stepped forward to support her.

  These damn unscrupulous merchants, cheating even a beauty, utterly shameless.

  Didn't they see she was a disciple of the Misty Sect?

  Aren't they afraid of the Misty Sect causing them trouble?

  Under the criticism of the onlookers, the middle-aged shopkeeper smiled calmly, "No rush, everyone! Our shop has always been honest, we would never sell problematic pills. I think someone must have swapped this young dy's pills.

  Young dy, I suggest you quickly find the thief who swapped your pills, he probably hasn't gone far, you might catch him and get them back."

  As soon as he said this, not only the five outer sect disciples of the Misty Sect but also the surrounding onlookers were enraged.

  This pharmacy was clearly extorting people!

  The middle-aged steward, seeing these people still not leaving, slightly released the pressure of a Core Formation Cultivator.

  Immediately, the onlookers and the five Misty Sect disciples' expressions changed.

  This steward was a Core Formation Cultivator!

  Fighting was not allowed in the city, but those with higher cultivation naturally had more say.

  The pretty female disciple's face turned pale, understanding that her three mid-grade spirit stones were likely lost...

  "What's going on?"

  On the carriage, Xu Xiao asked as he looked at the crowd blocking the way.

  Lu Danian replied, "Uncle-Master, some of our sect's outer disciples are having a dispute with a shop. We don't need to bother with it, it should disperse soon."

  There were many outer sect disciples of the Misty Sect in Tiger Roar City, and such disputes happened daily.

  Generally, the sect didn't get involved in minor matters like spirit stones or pills; they were to be resolved personally, otherwise, it would be overwhelming.

  Xu Xiao nodded.

  [Detected Daughter of Destiny: Lin Yan'er]

  [Fate Level: C]

  [Return Multiplier: 10x]

  [Bond Level: 1]

  [Note: Fate Level will increase with the acquisition of special opportunities.]

  "Oh?"

  The system's voice sounded in his ear, and Xu Xiao's expression subtly changed.