The Last Sentinel

Hua Xiaobai's heart was in turmoil, but his face remained calm and composed, revealing no emotion whatsoever.

He was certain that this纨绔仙二代天酉 (a spoiled, dissolute young master) in front of him had no idea of ​​the true origin of the bronze fragment in his hand—it was a fragment of the Xuzhou Ding, one of the Nine Tripods of Yu the Great, the supreme symbol of the Great Xia civilization that had been lost for countless ages.

If Tianyou knew the weight of this item, he would never have taken it out to show it to him so casually.

Behind him, his teammate Lao Liu, unable to contain his anxiety, lowered his voice and repeatedly asked, "Xiao Bai, how is it? Is this thing a fragment of the Nine Provinces Cauldron?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Tianyou's gaze suddenly swept towards King Liu of Hanzhong. He instantly realized that the bronze fragment was probably quite valuable, so he immediately raised his hand and carefully put the fragment back into his pocket.

This scene was witnessed by Hua Xiaobai, but he didn't bother to ask a single question.

That's the trick of the trade when it comes to antiques and appraisals: if you show even the slightest bit of desire, the other party will immediately raise the price exorbitantly.

Moreover, the current situation is entirely in his favor. Tianyou's trusted confidant, Tokugawa Mitsunobu, has already been killed here. Only by seeking Hua Xiaobai's help can he return to his family and avoid severe punishment.

Having made up her mind, Hua Xiaobai immediately put on a look of disappointment and regret, not even glancing at the bronze fragment again, and turned to leave.

"etc!"

When Tianyou saw him leave without even asking the price, he panicked.

He heard Lao Liu mention "Nine Cauldrons" clearly just now. Could it be that this fragment really has a great origin?

Seeing this, Lao Liu was about to follow up and ask a question when he caught Hua Xiaobai giving him a sharp look that clearly signaled him to shut up immediately.

The King of Hanzhong understood immediately, quickly stopped talking, and also pretended to be full of regret, following Hua Xiaobai outside.

Tianyou, who was behind him, could no longer contain himself and hurriedly called out to stop him: "Hua Jun! Hua Sang, please wait! Our deal is only halfway done, how can you leave now?"

Hua Xiaobai didn't stop walking, coldly scoffing, "What's there to talk about? Your item is nothing but a counterfeit, with no collectible or practical value whatsoever. It's not even worth my boss's Leo Gold Cloth. There's no need to waste any more time. I'll go find Saintess An Qing to trade with. At least she's quick to pay and shows real sincerity."

"Hana-kun!" Tianyou's voice was tinged with panic. "I can raise the price, I'll raise it however much!"

Upon hearing the words "price increase," Hua Xiaobai stopped in her tracks.

Tianyou, as if grasping at a lifeline, rushed forward: "Hua Jun, please give me a chance. I urgently need this golden armor to complete my mission. If I fail, I won't be able to face my elders back home!"

Hua Xiaobai slowly turned around, looking down at Tian You, who was slumped on the ground: "If this bronze fragment in your hand were truly a genuine piece of the Nine Tripods of King Yu of the Great Xia Dynasty, I would give it to you without hesitation, not even a single word, let alone a set of holy robes. But this is just a fake, it's worthless."

Tianyou sighed deeply, his face showing helplessness: "I didn't know it was a fake before. This item was obtained by my family from a sealed secret realm in the early years. The ancient books of the clan record that it has the power to reach the heavens and the earth, but it will enter a long cooling-off period after each use. I have only used it three times in total."

After saying that, he took out the bronze fragment and handed it to Hua Xiaobai.

Hua Xiaobai reached out and took the palm-sized fragment. His fingertips touched the cool, heavy texture of the bronze, and the profound aura unique to the ancient Xia civilization flowed between the lines, causing his heart to surge with joy and excitement that was almost uncontrollable.

How could the fragments of the Xuzhou Ding, one of the Nine Tripods of Yu the Great, have fallen into my hands so easily?

Could it be that Hua Xiaobai is truly destined to become king?

He quickly dismissed the absurd thought with self-deprecation.

But what's the difference between someone who picks up a piece of broken bronze cauldron and dreams of possessing the Nine Cauldrons, and someone who picks up a screw and fantasizes about driving a Rolls-Royce Phantom?

He feigned boredom as he toyed with the fragments, his tone nonchalant: "So, how many more chips are you planning to add?"

Tianyou glanced around and lowered his voice: "The price I'm offering will definitely exceed the value of a set of Golden Saint Cloths. I guarantee you'll be satisfied."

Hua Xiaobai chuckled: "Young Master Tianyou, anyone can talk big, but you won't even reveal your price, yet you expect me to concede. You should really figure out who's asking for your help right now."

"Let's compromise and make a fair deal!" Tianyou quickly weighed the options. "Don't you want the real Nine Cauldrons? I know the coordinates of the secret realm where the Xuzhou Cauldron is buried, and I'll give you the complete star map; in return, you give me ten sets of the same infected version of the Golden Saint Cloth that can unleash divine power."

"Dream on." Hua Xiaobai raised his hand and slammed the bronze fragment hard against Tian You's shoulder. "Given a map that's hard to tell if it's real or fake, you're asking for ten sets of golden armor? Do you know how few star armors my boss has left? Don't push your luck!"

After saying that, he turned to leave again, but Tianyou hurriedly rushed forward and hugged his leg tightly, pleading, "No! Five sets, five sets should be enough, right?"

"no."

"Three sets! That's my bottom line, absolutely no less!"

Hua Xiaobai raised her eyes, not giving an inch: "Two sets at most. If you take even one more, this deal is off, and I'll sell the Saint Cloth to Saintess An Qing right away."

Tianyou gritted his teeth, took out a nine-sided storage cube and handed it over, removing the unlock code: "The cube is yours. It contains the complete star map of the Dingzhi."

Hua Xiaobai took the Rubik's Cube, and a thought suddenly struck her.

Regardless of the value of the star map, this nine-sided storage magic tool alone is a rare treasure in all the heavens. It circulates within the Milky Way and is enough to exchange for an entire Trisolaran civilization. It is priceless and hard to find.

He weighed the Rubik's Cube in his hand, feigning skepticism: "How can I be sure the map isn't a forgery based on just your word? Even the broken tripod in your hand is a fake, why should I believe you?"

Tianyou said solemnly, "Lord Hua, even if I, Tianyou, am an uneducated second-generation immortal and a playboy in the eyes of others, I would never deceive you with such a crucial token. You can scold me for being vain and shameless, but you can never call me a liar—that would be a great humiliation for our noble immortal clans."

Hua Xiaobai pretended to ponder for a moment, then took out his storage cube and handed it over: "Inside the Leo gold armor, there is also a set of Ophiuchus gold armor that my boss Ye Feng used to wear. Two sets, deal."

"Great!" Tianyou snatched the storage cube, his face instantly beaming with smiles. "I knew that dealing with smart people is always straightforward. In comparison, Tokugawa Mitsunobu is simply an unreasonable boar, completely lacking in strategic vision and any sense of profit."

"There's no time to lose, Flower Lord, please wait a moment." Tianyou hurriedly cupped his hands, "I need to return to my clan immediately to report back, so I'll take my leave first."

Before he finished speaking, he vanished without a trace, not daring to linger for even a moment.

Old Liu and his group quickly surrounded them from behind, their faces full of confusion.

"Hua Sang, how could you just let him go like that?"

"Now that we have the cauldron fragments, why not just eliminate him on the spot?"

"Yes, letting a tiger return to the mountains will bring endless trouble!"

Hua Xiaobai glanced at the crowd indifferently, his tone calm: "Calling him a tiger is too much of an exaggeration; at best, he's just a paper tiger that's all bark and no bite. Besides, we urgently need a stable channel connecting all the universes right now. Tianyou comes from a top-tier immortal clan, and his backing is deeply entrenched, making him an excellent inside maneuver."

Old Liu pressed further, "How credible are the broken cauldron and the star map?"

A glint of shrewdness flashed in Hua Xiaobai's eyes: "Whether it's true or false is another matter. The key is that I have leverage to keep him in check."

Old Liu looked puzzled: "Checks and balances?"

Hua Xiaobai lazily curled the corners of her lips and slowly explained, "The two sets of golden armor he just took away were already protected by an entropy-increasing detonation barrier set up by Ouyang. Every so often, the armor requires a special code to unlock the seal; once the code fails to be verified, the entropy-increasing array inside the armor will instantly go berserk, and the ominous curse power hidden within it will erupt in full, turning into two deadly curse bombs that will devour everyone who has touched or worn the armor."

Old Liu clapped his hands, his face beaming with joy: "If he behaves himself and tells the truth, we'll send him the unlock code regularly; if he dares to deceive or scheme against us, we'll cut off the code and take him down with us!"

Hua Xiaobai rubbed the nine-sided storage cube in her hand with her fingertips, her smile growing wider: "By all accounts, we're guaranteed to make a profit on this deal. A nine-sided storage cube that can be exchanged for the Trisolaran civilization, a fragment of the Great Xia Cauldron that's 95% likely to be real, and a secret star map pointing to the Xuzhou Cauldron itself—no matter how you look at it, we're the ones who profit the most."

Old Liu then asked, "So, what should our next step be?"

Hua Xiaobai surveyed the chaotic battlefield and ordered in a deep voice, "Clean up the battlefield, organize the passageways, and hand over this position entirely to the Tianzhu civilization to garrison and manage, maintaining the current battlefield situation!"

Afei, puzzled, asked, "Why not join forces with General Li Wenzhong to launch a pincer attack from both sides and directly break through the pass into the myriad realms?"

Hua Xiaobai lightly kicked A Fei's butt, exasperated: "Brother Da Fei, can't you use your brain before you speak! Rushing out like this, who's going to take responsibility if something goes wrong? The boss is away and hasn't returned, the old Taoist Jiajing is in seclusion cultivating immortality, and the only one who can hold things together on the Ming side is Li Wenzhong. Xu Da, Chang Yuchun, and a bunch of other fierce generals are still in seclusion in Baiyujing. How can you act so recklessly? Until the boss comes back, everything remains the same!"

Ah Fei quickly begged for mercy: "Don't hit me, don't hit me, I understand!"

"Everyone, get to work and clean up the battlefield!"

"yes!"