Chapter Eighty-Seven: A Pity

Xan Yu gazed coldly at the man in front of him as he prepared to log off, a mocking smile curving his lips. If he had not been certain, why would he have let him buy the item?

He had long since discovered Xuan Xuan’s ability. To keep the man in front of them from logging off was no difficult matter at all.

Xuan Xuan used spatial lockdown to seal him in place, making it impossible for him to disconnect. Yet she was a little puzzled. The man looked strangely familiar.

Little Wang grew anxious. Suddenly realizing that he could not log off, his expression toward Xuan Xuan and the others changed completely.

The virtual network was controlled entirely by spiritual power, and logging on and off depended on the same. Xuan Xuan’s spiritual strength was immense; she could effortlessly suppress Little Wang’s spirit and prevent him from leaving.

“Where is the item?” Xan Yu asked.

Little Wang immediately understood how important those things were to Xan Yu and pretended ignorance. “I already gave them to someone else.”

Xan Yu glanced at Xuan Xuan.

Understanding him at once, Xuan Xuan picked up a vial and handed it to Xan Yu. “Truth. After drinking it, one can only speak the truth.”

It was a fresh creation of hers, made just recently. She had originally intended to let Kuang Shao try it, but now it seemed unnecessary. Someone else could serve as the tester.

Xan Yu raised his brows. There was such a useful thing? He stepped forward, restrained Little Wang, and forced it down him.

After giving him the potion, Xan Yu stepped back two paces and waited for the reaction. Little Wang’s heart raced wildly. He did not know whether it was real or fake. He had never heard of such a thing, but then again, he had never heard of the volcanic potion either, and that too had proved real.

If this really worked, if he truly had to keep telling the truth, he was finished. In panic, he kept trying to catch the attention of his colleague, hoping someone would notice and help him.

When enough time had passed, Xuan Xuan asked, “Where is the item?”

“In my pack.” The words had barely left his mouth when Little Wang hurriedly clapped a hand over his own lips, staring at Xuan Xuan in utter disbelief.

Xan Yu was also somewhat surprised. That easy?

If this thing were used on criminals during interrogation, Xan Yu felt it would be nothing short of divine.

With a quiet laugh, Xan Yu looked at Little Wang.

The gaze alone made Little Wang tremble. As long as they did not suspect him of being a mole, he did not mind telling them who his master was. The other items no longer mattered.

Xan Yu seemed to see through his thoughts and said with a low smile, “As long as you hand over the items, I won’t ask who your master is.”

Xuan Xuan looked at Xan Yu in confusion. Not ask? That did not sound like him.

Xan Yu secretly squeezed her hand.

Xuan Xuan nodded.

Little Wang was conflicted. Handing the things over so readily was truly hard to accept; after all, this had been an opportunity he had finally stumbled upon, one he might never get again.

Yet if he did not hand them over, he feared he might slip and say too much. And then it would no longer be a matter of a little money.

Anxiously, he called out for help, but his communicator gave him no response.

Xan Yu looked at him. “So you do not believe it?”

Little Wang was about to lie and say of course he did not, but instead he blurted out, “I believe it.”

Xuan Xuan found this amusing. He looked down on her? Did he think her potions could fail? She lifted her chin in quiet pride.

Seeing the pleased sparkle in Xuan Xuan’s eyes, Xan Yu felt an indescribable warmth in his heart. He only wanted to keep forever her happiness and delight.

Xuan Xuan did not notice that Xan Yu was watching her, because she had suddenly realized that the man before her seemed to be one of Vice Supervisor Liu’s people.

When she had first seen Vice Supervisor Liu, this same man had been by his side.

Frowning, she tried to remember the name her father had mentioned, then tentatively asked, “Are you the little Wang who serves beside Vice Supervisor Liu?”

Still covering his mouth, Little Wang managed to force out a single word. “Yes.”

Xuan Xuan understood at once. No wonder he had followed her. It must have been for the volcanic potion and the magic spring potion.

Little Wang, however, slapped himself in frustration.

Xan Yu asked, “You know him?”

Xuan Xuan was about to speak when Little Wang hurriedly cut in, “Wait, I’ll give you the things.”

He feared that if Xan Yu learned who he was, he would abandon the items altogether. After all, the information he possessed was certainly worth more than those metals.

Xuan Xuan glanced at Xan Yu. Xan Yu lifted his brows and said, “Take the things out first.”

“You have to promise not to ask me anything else,” Little Wang said.

Xan Yu did not quite understand how such a childish person had become an informant at the Jewel Tower. Did he think he could bargain just because he said so?

With a faintly mocking smile, he said, “Fine.”

Little Wang no longer wanted Xan Yu not to ask; he only hoped the questions would come later. Every extra moment was a moment gained.

“You swear it.”

Xan Yu looked at him. “Do you think I have that much patience?”

Little Wang hurriedly fumbled the items out of his bag. He did not dare gamble, and he could not afford to. “They’re all here.”

Xan Yu glanced once and, seeing that it seemed correct, motioned for him to throw them over. Little Wang hesitated, unwilling to let go. Xan Yu gave a cold laugh, and Little Wang immediately hurled the things from his hands.

Smiling without warmth, Xan Yu asked, “Why were you following us?”

“The master ordered me to keep an eye on you, to see what you bought, and if possible, to buy everything,” Little Wang said with anger in his face, yet unable to stop the words from spilling out.

Xuan Xuan asked, “Did you also take the potions to your master?”

Xan Yu glanced at her. Potions?

“Yes.” Little Wang itched to sew his own mouth shut. He glared at Xuan Xuan. “You said you wouldn’t ask.”

Xuan Xuan rolled her eyes most inelegantly. Should he believe everything people said just because they said it? “Which family are you from? Who is your master?”

That was the real question. Xuan Xuan also wanted to know who had learned of her potions, and her father wanted to know as well.

“We are from the…” The person before them suddenly vanished.

Xuan Xuan looked at Xan Yu.

“What a pity.” Xan Yu sounded mildly regretful, though he did not care all that much. Sooner or later, the truth would show itself. “He must have been forcibly logged off.”

Xuan Xuan nodded. She had already memorized the man’s spiritual signature. As long as he appeared before her or anywhere near her again, she would recognize him very quickly.

From Xan Yu’s hand, Xuan Xuan selected the metal. She did not know where that little street vendor had found it, but this was the core metal needed for the converter: deep-sea gold essence.

It was only about the size of a chicken egg, yet so heavy that it could barely be lifted with one hand. Its magical conductivity was the strongest of all metals, with almost no loss at all, and it could store magical power. Such a tiny piece could store enough power to make several magical devices capable of holding all the mana of a saint-ranked mage.

Just this one item, Xuan Xuan felt, was worth whatever price had been paid for it.

“This will make you a little toy,” she said.

Xan Yu glanced at it and saw nothing especially remarkable about it aside from its great density. “What is it?”

Xuan Xuan kept him in suspense and would not say. “It’s a surprise.”

Xan Yu felt that as long as it was not a fright, that was enough. “Are we still shopping?”

Xuan Xuan shook her head. “You keep looking. I’m not in a hurry. We can find it whenever.”

“Fine.” No matter what Xuan Xuan said, Xan Yu would always answer that it was fine. “Where to now?”

After checking the time, Xuan Xuan decided it was time to sleep. She told Xan Yu and logged off directly.

Xan Yu, however, arranged for someone to investigate Little Wang’s affairs. After returning to Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion, he found Xan Ze and asked, “Who bought that vial of potion? Have you found out?”

“It should be the Jewel Tower of the Wanqi family,” Xan Ze said, still uncertain.

Auctions depended on trust. If the clients did not wish to reveal themselves, naturally no one could know. In order to keep the information from spreading, they had deliberately held the auction quietly at dawn, when there were fewest people about. The potion’s description had also been written in vague terms, under the assumption that no one would take notice. Who could have guessed it would still be bought away?

Still, there had been rather a stir at the Jewel Tower in the past two days, and the Xan family had managed to catch a few clues, though this was no small matter. Even so, Xan Ze could only guess, not confirm.

“Is there a vice supervisor named Liu at the Jewel Tower?” Xan Yu asked. Xuan Xuan had mentioned this person today.

Xan Ze looked astonished. “Yes, young master, there is. How do you know?”

A flicker of surprise crossed Xan Yu’s eyes. There really was one. “What happened to him?”

“He has already been dealt with. As for where exactly he was taken, I do not know,” Xan Ze said.

Xan Yu lifted a brow. “What did he do?”

“I do not know, but it was certainly related to the potion we auctioned off,” Xan Ze replied. Though there were only a few clues and nothing could be confirmed, he was still certain this matter must have had something to do with it.

Xan Yu nodded. It seemed Xuan Xuan and the Wanqi family truly had a deep connection. Suddenly, that plump little girl flashed through his mind; he wondered what relationship she had with Xuan Xuan.

“There is no need to investigate this matter further,” Xan Yu said. “However, look into one person at the Jewel Tower, a little Wang who works under Vice Supervisor Liu.”

After giving the instructions, Xan Yu logged off.

Meanwhile, the little Wang Xan Yu had mentioned was standing nervously before his own master.

“You mean they have a potion that can make people tell the truth?”

Little Wang nodded. “Yes. They should have discovered me long ago.”

“Did you say who I am?”

Terrified, Little Wang said, “No, no. I kept delaying and then gave them the items. I think I did not let it slip.”

“Think?”

Hearing the threat in his master’s voice, Little Wang grew even more frightened. “When I was forced to log off, I had only just finished speaking. I do not know how much had already been said on the virtual network, but judging by the time, it should not have been much.”

“Then what did they buy?”

“Some metals.”

“Why would the one refining potions buy metals?”

“I do not know, but they were indeed metals. Most of them I did not recognize, and because time was short, I did not remember exactly what they were.”

Little Wang already understood the effect of that volcanic potion and the clear potion, and he also knew how much importance his master placed on them.

“Forget it. Use your allowance to cover the money spent on the metals.”

How could Little Wang dare? He had made a mistake, and if he had truly revealed his master’s name, he might not even be alive now. “I do not dare.”

“This is what you earned.”

Little Wang looked at his master’s expression and did not dare say anything more, only withdrew.

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