A pool of foul-smelling, inky liquid appeared on the floor, and Old Master Zhu Hongbo still struggled to believe that his own son and grandsons could resort to such vile tactics against him.
“I truly owe you my thanks, Mr. Xu. Without you, these treacherous villains might have succeeded. Whatever reward you desire, I’ll grant it!”
It was clear that Old Master Zhu Hongbo’s spirit and health had significantly improved.
“Since you’ve said so, I won’t hold back. The Zhu family possesses a dragon-head jade pendant, correct?”
Xu Fei didn’t elaborate, but the old master understood his implication.
“Wang Qiang mentioned it before, and I didn’t believe it, but now it seems Mr. Xu truly has the gift of foresight!”
“This dragon-head jade pendant is our Zhu family’s heirloom, something no outsider could possibly know about!”
With that, the old master rose, tapped the wall with his cane, and revealed a hidden compartment containing a sandalwood box.
When he opened it, there indeed was the dragon-head jade pendant.
Even Xu Fei, seeing the pendant in person, couldn’t help but feel a surge of excitement.
Wang Qiang, puzzled, finally asked, “Mr. Xu, forgive my boldness, but did you agree to help treat the old master because you already knew about the dragon-head jade pendant?”
Xu Fei merely smiled without giving a direct answer.
On the way to the Ziguang Pavilion, Xu Fei had been unaware of the pendant’s existence.
After being repeatedly turned away at the pavilion’s gates, he had considered giving up and leaving.
But when he entered the room and saw Old Master Zhu in person, he resolved to save him.
The reason was that, upon activating his clairvoyant vision, Xu Fei had glimpsed a faint dragon shadow hovering around the old master!
The Lingbao Tongtian Technique was highly sensitive to all treasures in existence, which is how Xu Fei learned of the dragon-head jade pendant, and it was indeed his primary motivation for saving the old master.
Otherwise, given Xu Fei’s temperament, the disrespect shown by Zhu Hong and his brother at their first meeting would have been enough for him to cripple them both and walk away, which wouldn’t have been unreasonable.
“According to our family records, this jade pendant was passed down from our ancestors. It’s said that our forebear was a high-ranking minister, second only to the emperor, who personally bestowed the dragon-head jade pendant, making it our Zhu family’s heirloom.”
As he held the dragon-head jade pendant, Old Master Zhu Hongbo gently caressed it, recounting its history to everyone.
In truth, Xu Fei knew more about these stories than anyone present, all gleaned from the Lingbao Tongtian Technique.
Since mastering the technique, Xu Fei could not only discern the authenticity of treasures and antiques but also glimpse the historical truths tied to them.
He saw the emperor personally granting the dragon-head jade pendant to the Zhu ancestor, marking it as the family’s heirloom, followed by the dynasty’s collapse, the heirloom’s turbulent journey, and its eventual passage to the young Zhu Hongbo from the previous patriarch.
The main reason the Zhu ancestor had been granted the pendant was the trace of dragon vein energy concealed within it.
Realising this, Xu Fei instinctively knew the pendant would become a target for various mysterious factions!
“When I first became patriarch and took possession of the heirloom, I thought it was the most important thing in the Zhu family, a testament to generations of legacy!”
“But after walking through the gates of death, I’ve realised nothing is more important than teaching the next generation to be honest and upright!”
The old master, having faced a brush with death, was clearly deeply moved.
