At this moment, Xu Fei couldn’t help but smile faintly, exuding confidence.
“Rest assured, since I dare to bring this out, I know the importance of this treasure chest to your Ma family far surpasses its monetary value.”
“And, not to boast, but even if your entire Ma family sent all your guards at once, they wouldn’t be able to take this chest from my hands!”
As his words fell, Xu Fei unleashed the true qi within his body, a pressure too overwhelming for ordinary people to withstand.
Fortunately, Xu Fei held back, otherwise, with the patriarch’s frail constitution, he might have dropped dead on the spot.
Even so, the Ma patriarch felt as though a heavy stone was pressing on his chest, barely able to breathe.
The young servant who had rushed to report earlier could no longer muster any arrogance, now cowering on the floor, clutching his head like a timid duck.
Though the Ma patriarch was no cultivator, he had lived long enough to have heard tales of such things in his youth, never expecting to encounter one today.
Thus, when he looked at Xu Fei again, his eyes carried a newfound caution.
He realised Xu Fei’s earlier words were the unvarnished truth.
If the Ma family chose to confront Xu Fei now, it might bring about their own catastrophic downfall.
So, after a moment’s contemplation, the Ma patriarch responded, “Young man, you are indeed a prodigy with boundless potential. But what is your intention in presenting the Dragon and Phoenix Treasure Chest before me like this?”
Seeing the conversation turn serious, Xu Fei adopted a solemn tone.
“I just wanted to show it to you, since it will be opened eventually.”
“And I’m here to give Ma Sanlaizi a chance, a chance to explain himself.”
Hearing this, Ma Sanlaizi was so moved that tears welled up in his aged eyes.
For the first time, he felt his life held some meaning.
In his first twenty years as the third young master of the Ma family, he had basked in unrivalled glory and wealth.
The next forty years brought hardship and suffering, but meeting someone like Xu Fei near the end of his life was his fortune.
Otherwise, Ma Sanlaizi might have carried his lifelong regrets to the grave.
But upon hearing this, the Ma patriarch’s face darkened instantly.
“You want to open the Dragon and Phoenix Treasure Chest? Impossible! Absolutely impossible! This is a sacred decree passed down through generations of the Ma family, no one is allowed to open it!”
“Unless the one truly qualified appears!”
“Young man, though you seem a genius, you are clearly not that person. If you insist on going your own way, even if it costs the entire Ma family, I will stand against you to the end!”
For some reason, the Ma patriarch’s blood seemed to boil, his stance turning resolute.
Ma Sanlaizi was stunned. He quickly dropped to his knees with a thud, slowly shuffling forward on them to the Ma patriarch’s feet.
“Second Brother! It was my moment of folly that led me to fall for the Gong family’s trap, turning me into what I am now. Thanks to Mr. Xu Fei’s help, I was able to retrieve the Dragon and Phoenix Treasure Chest from the Gong family. Please, let me explain!”
