Dual Cultivation

"I see… What is this treasure, exactly?" Ji Hong asked them a moment later.

"Do you have a treasure called 'Flower of Resurrection'?" Su Yang then asked.

"Flower of Resurrection?! So you are here for that treasure, huh..." Ji Hong sighed.

"Is there a problem?" Su Yang asked with raised eyebrows.

"Well, to be completely honest with you, esteemed guests, the Flower of Resurrection is the rarest treasure in our collection, and there are always people trying to obtain it. However, I am only willing to exchange the Flower of Resurrection for something of equal value or more, but alas, the Flower of Resurrection is a one-of-a-kind treasure…"

"If you're looking for one-of-a-kind treasures then you don't need to worry, as I have plenty of them right here…"

Su Yang retrieved Qiuyue's storage pouch before dumping out a couple of treasures on the table.

"T-This is!" Ji Hong stood up from shock when he saw these treasures on the table. However, he was shocked not because he recognized them. Instead, he was shocked because he doesn't recognize any of these treasures!

As one of the top treasure collectors in the Southern Continent, Ji Hong's knowledge regarding treasures is extremely vast so there are very few treasures in this world that he doesn't recognize. And in most cases, these treasures turn out to be one-of-a-kind treasures like the Flower of Resurrection.

And for there to be so many treasures that he doesn't recognize to gather in the same spot, it greatly shook Ji Hong's soul as a collector.

"FABULOUS!" Ji Hong shouted with his face full of excitement.

"If you don't mind, can I take a closer look at these treasures?" Ji Hong asked Su Yang a moment later.

"Be my guest," Su Yang nodded.

Ji Hong quickly walked to stand beside Su Yang and the treasures, but he didn't immediately look at the treasures.

Instead, he retrieved some kind of silk gloves and wore them on his hands before he began touching the treasures, almost like he was afraid of staining them even with his fingerprints.

Ji Hong proceeded to spend the next ten minutes looking through every single one of these unknown treasures with intense focus, leaving not even a single spot on these treasures unchecked.

Sometime later, Ji Hong placed the treasures down and took a deep breath before looking at Su Yang speaking, "Each of these treasures emits an aura that surpasses the Flower of Resurrection. I cannot imagine why you would want to exchange any of them for the Flower of Resurrection."

Su Yang smiled and said, "It's for my woman."

"Y-Your woman?" Ji Hong's eyes unconsciously turned to look at Lian Li.

"So? Are you willing to exchange for the Flower of Resurrection? You can decide." Su Yang asked him a moment later.

One would expect Ji Hong to immediately accept Su Yang's offer but he did not respond for a good second before asking, "If you don't mind me asking, where did you find these treasures? From the Eastern Continent? Or the Holy Central Continent?"

Su Yang shook his head and said, "It's from neither of these places."

"Huh? Then where did you find them?"

"Let's just say it was brought here by an Immortal from another world," Su Yang responded with a calm expression on his handsome face.

Ji Hong could not even find the proper expression to react to such words and merely stared at Su Yang in a speechless and gawking manner.

Suddenly, a small commotion could be heard coming from outside the room— 

"Young Master! You cannot enter right now!"

"Get out of my way, you damn guard!"

Bang!

"Let me see what is going on here that I am not allowed to attend!" Ji Hong's son Ji Ran suddenly kicked the door open and walked inside in an overbearing manner.

And of course, as someone who is obsessed with beautiful women, Lian Li's otherworldly face was the first thing Ji Ran noticed after entering the room.

"Heavens! I have never seen a woman so beautiful in my life! Are you a fairy?! A real goddess, perhaps?! You should become my woman! I promise that I will treat you like a queen!" Ji Ran ignored everything else in the room and made his way towards Lian Li.

However, before he could even take two steps, a large figure blocked his path, causing Ji Ran to look up.

"F-Father?" Ji Ran mumbled in a dazed voice.

PAP!

Ji Hong suddenly raised his hands with his fingers spread and smacked his own son across the face, sending him flying out of the room in a vicious manner.

"Who gave you the permission to enter this room?! I'd specifically told you to stay behind with your mother!" Ji Hong pointed at Ji Ran and shouted.

"F-Father… I-I'm sorry…" Ji Ran immediately began sobbing like a baby.

"I don't need your apology! I need you to stay the fuck out of this room!" Ji Hong then slammed the door closed before turning to bow to Su Yang and Lian Li.

"I deeply apologize for my useless son's behavior just now, esteemed guests. He's an idiot who immediately loses his mind whenever a beautiful woman enters his sights. I will properly punish him later."

Su Yang smiled and said, "Fortunately for him, you'd stopped him, as I would've cut him down if he'd taken another step."

Ji Hong immediately began sweating after hearing Su Yang's words, yet he didn't dare to react angrily like one normally would if someone were to threaten to kill their son before them.

"Anyway, let's continue our business. Go ahead and pick one. I'm waiting." Su Yang said in a nonchalant manner afterward, almost like he didn't just threaten to kill Ji Hong's son just now.

"T-Then I will pick this one…" Ji Hong pointed to one of the treasures there with trembling fingers a moment later.

"Are you sure?" Su Yang asked him. "As a collector, you should be able to tell their worth even if you don't recognize them. The one you'd picked just now is the cheapest one."

"I know…" Ji Hong nodded with a sweaty forehead, and he continued a second later, "I don't mind. Really."