A man from the Big Dipper, starting his charlatanship at Mount Tai.

Page 190

"The Heavenly Stone Archway is open today, exclusively for you."

"Okay, no problem, no problem!"

Ye Fan smiled broadly and, without any hesitation, strode towards the Tianzi Stone Archway.

However, Ye Fan was forced to stop after taking only two steps. This was because Ji Ziyue hadn't moved at all, and the rope binding her had been taut.

"Little Moon, what are you daydreaming about? Lead the way."

Ji Ziyue snapped out of her daze. She looked at Ji Zi, then at Ye Fan, her face pale, but she still obediently followed.

On the way into the Heavenly Stone Archway, Ye Fan leaned closer to Ji Ziyue and asked in a low voice, "Who is that person? Do you know him?"

Ji Ziyue opened her mouth, then hesitated, glancing furtively at Ji Zi who was leading the way. She whispered, "I...I'm not sure. But he looks exactly like the portrait of the Void Emperor in the ancestral shrine..."

Ye Fan: "......."

What do you mean by "you don't know who he is, but he looks exactly like the Void Emperor"?

Ye Fan suddenly remembered a Soviet joke: a man was speeding and the traffic police didn't dare to stop him because they didn't know who he was, they only knew that... his driver was Brezhnev!

"Could it be some kind of spirit possession by the Emperor's Corpse? I don't see any death aura on him." Ye Fan had learned a lot from Duan De, so he knew what spirit possession by the Emperor's Corpse meant.

“No, the Emperor Ancestor has definitely passed away, but the imperial blood in his body is very rich, and he should be a direct descendant from at least five generations ago,” Ji Ziyue speculated.

"So that's how it is. That's why he's called Little Ancestor~"

"The Holy Lord's healing is truly amazing. With just a little treatment, he brought out the young ancestor of the Ji family." Ye Fan stroked his chin, not paying too much attention.

What happened to the young ancestor of the Ji family? Ye Fan also possesses the potential to become a Heavenly Emperor!

Besides, if the sky falls, the tall ones will hold it up. If something really happens, Lin Xiu will be the one to take the blame. What does it have to do with him?

.........

With this relaxed and cheerful attitude, Ye Fan entered the Ji family's top-tier stone workshop.

The Tianzihao Stone Archway truly lives up to its name. There aren't many stones here, only about thirty, but each one possesses extraordinary grandeur. Some are enveloped in rosy light, some exhale auspicious energy, and some even emanate faint Taoist chants.

Ye Fan composed himself and began to carefully select stones.

With Ji Ziyue as his "insider," he only targeted the most expensive items.

For the first piece, he chose an ancient stone priced at 80,000 jin. The stone's surface was covered with dragon-scale-like patterns, and the faint sound of a dragon's roar could be heard.

With a single slash, divine light shot into the sky. Encased within the stone was a severed dragon horn, only three inches long, yet its dragon might was immense, causing everyone to retreat in fear.

"A relic of a true dragon!" someone exclaimed.

Ji Biyue's vision went black, and she almost fainted. This severed dragon horn was worth at least 500,000 jin of Origin Energy!

For the second piece, Ye Fan chose a rare stone priced at 120,000 jin of Yuan. The stone was shaped like a phoenix spreading its wings, surrounded by crimson clouds.

Once cut open, inside was a drop of phoenix blood the size of a fist, crimson like a diamond, radiating terrifying life essence.

"Phoenix True Blood! So much!" Ji Ziyue swallowed hard.

Ji Biyue could no longer stand and had to hold onto the wall to avoid falling.

This drop of phoenix blood is enough to drive even a Saint Lord-level figure mad!

And all of this... is because of Ji Ziyue!

Where can you cheat your own people like this?

Ye Fan chuckled inwardly, but his actions didn't stop.

He strolled casually, his gaze sweeping over the strange stones, thinking that he had already made the Ji family bleed enough, and it was time to use this as leverage to complete his mission.

Before returning to the Holy City, Lin Xiu had instructed him to bring the source stone he specified back to the Tianxuan Holy Land before cutting it.

Ye Fan had already visited all the stone workshops in the other holy sites and taken the source stones specified by Lin Xiu. Naturally, Ye Fan of the Ji family would not let them go either.

This is why he insisted on having Ji Ziyue bring him into the Ji family's stone workshop, even though he was only 91% of the time.

Completing the task is paramount; this way, not only can I gain contribution points, but I can also shirk my responsibilities. I can say that I deliberately traveled to all the holy sites not to spread rumors, but to fulfill the task assigned to me by Your Majesty!

.......

Following Lin Xiu's description from his memory, Ye Fan quickly scanned the remaining source stones.

Finally, his gaze fell upon the two source stones, the very ones that sealed "Immortal Linglong" and "Divine Silkworm" in the original story.

"I'll take both of them."

Ji Biyue: "Okay, let's cut it quickly then~"

Ji Biyue's heart was bleeding, but she could only nod, wondering how much more she would lose on these two stones.

However, Ye Fan added:

“Miss Ji Biyue, I think you have misunderstood me.”

"What I mean is, I want to take these two stones with me."

"what?"

Ji Biyue was stunned for a moment, then immediately refused after regaining her senses:

"No, that's against the rules. The source stones from the top-tier stone workshops must be cut open on-site according to the regulations."

This is not only the rule of the Ji family's top-tier stone archway, but also the rule of all stone archways in the Holy City.

"Rules?" Ye Fan smiled and shook his head.

Are you sure you want to talk to me about the rules?

"This rule is simply to reduce disputes and to attract more people to the Tianzi Stone Archway."

"Today, the Ji family's top-tier stone archway is open only for me. There will be no disputes, and no one else will be watching. So what's the point of talking about rules?"

"How about this?"

"If you allow me to take these two Originium stones with me, we can end things here today. If you insist that I cut them open on the spot... then I'll have to continue choosing."

"However, when the time comes, I will definitely cut up all the source stones in the Ji family's top-tier stone workshop that are worth more than the listed price. Are you sure you want me to do that?"

Ji Biyue's face turned deathly pale instantly.

She knew very well that if she didn't agree, Ye Fan would definitely say that he had already searched through all the treasures in the Ji family's stone workshop and that continuing to buy source stones there would only result in losses.

In this way, the Ji family's top-tier stone workshop will no longer need to operate!

Unless... the overall price is reduced by another 50%?

That would be a huge loss!

.......

Seeing that Ji Biyue was softening, Ye Fan continued:

"To be honest, the sacred stone workshops I visited today, Yao Guang, the Jiang family, Wan Chu... they all agreed to let me take the source stone I chose away without having to cut it on the spot."

"If they can make an exception, why can't the Ji family?"

"Everyone has broken the rules, so it's not shameful for the Ji family to follow suit, right?"

Ji Biyue's eyes flickered.

Have other holy sites agreed as well?

If everyone does this, then it seems... it seems not unacceptable for the Ji family to make an exception.

At least, it's better than letting Ye Fan keep cutting.

Ji Biyue's gaze involuntarily turned to Ji Zi beside her.

Ji Zi stood quietly to the side, his expression calm. When Ji Biyue looked at him, he nodded slightly.

“Okay, rules are rules, but people are flexible.” Himeko nodded.

"Since other holy lands can make exceptions for Fellow Daoist Ye, my Ji family can naturally do the same."

Ji Biyue took a deep breath and finally nodded: "Alright... then we'll do as Fellow Daoist Ye says."

Ye Fan laughed heartily and cupped his hands in greeting:

"The Ji family is indeed generous! Fellow Daoist Ji Zi, rest assured, since the Ji family has shown me such respect today, I will definitely speak well of it to the Dao Master when I return. I will also convey Fellow Daoist Ji Zi's request to see the Dao Master without missing a single word."

"Well then, I'll have to trouble you, fellow Daoist."

Ji Zi nodded. In his eyes, even selling the entire Ji family stone workshop was not as important as meeting the Dao Lord.

He was very curious about who the Dao Lord was, that even he, the son of the Void Emperor, was unable to recall the Imperial Weapon.

.......

With Himeko's approval, Ye Fan finally completed Lin Xiu's task and took away the source stones that Lin Xiu had specified.

"Now that the Originium has been cut, I shall take my leave for now. I will convey this Fellow Daoist Himeko's request to the Dao Lord. As for whether the Dao Lord will see you or not, that is not up to me."

Himeko nodded: "Yes, thank you for your trouble, Fellow Daoist Ye."

After saying that, Ye Fan turned around and prepared to leave.

However, Himeko suddenly called out to him again.

"Fellow Daoist Ye, please wait."

"Oh? Is there anything else?"

Ye Fan froze. Why was this guy breathing so heavily? He was so scared that he almost drew out the King's Divine Weapon he got from Lin Xiu.

Himeko had a sharp eye and noticed Ye Fan's nervousness.

However, he had no intention of harming Ye Fan, so he even put on an as friendly expression as possible:

"Fellow Daoist Ye, there's no need to be nervous. I just have some questions that I'd like you to answer."

"Oh? What's your question?" Ye Fan relaxed his guard slightly.

"What I want to ask is, Fellow Daoist Ye... have you... ever practiced the techniques of my Ji family?"

.......