Chapter 732 - Xia Laoshi’s Tragedy
Chapter 732: Xia Laoshi’s Tragedy
Xia Laoshi’s sudden visit shattered the calm in Wind Garden.
Standing in the rear garden, Xia Laoshi raged as he constantly howled for Xia Fei to come out. He was like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, his silver hair standing on end!
Several minutes before, right after Xia Fei left Windrider Pavilion, Xia Laoshi suddenly received a warning that the energy was about to run out. Shaking his head, Xia Laoshi muttered, “It seems that there’s a problem with the design. The energy restoration system is linked to Windrider Pavilion’s largest reserve. According to my last inventory, there should still be 14,700 grade 5 Origin Crystals, enough to keep Windrider Pavilion supplied for several thousand years. Could this be a false alarm?”
As he walked through the front courtyard, the children training in Windrider Pavilion poked out their heads and said, “Grandpa Laoshi, the training room’s energy indicator has turned red!”
Not just the dorms; the cultivation chambers of Windrider Pavilion also required energy. This system could be said to keep all of Windrider Pavilion running.
The children’s words gave Xia Laoshi a bad feeling and he quickly ran to the control chamber, only to be given a huge shock!
The storage room meant specifically for gathering used-up Origin Crystals was piled high with transparent crystals!
Of the 14,700 grade 5 Origin Crystals, only one was left, standing all by itself in the back-up system.
Xia Fei had emptied out the energy reserves of Windrider Pavilion, leaving behind only a sliver of energy! Right after he left, Windrider Pavilion stopped operating because of the lack of energy, all of the equipment entering a state of suspended operation!
Xia Laoshi rubbed his eyes and then pinched his thigh. The sensation of pain made him realize that he was not dreaming; that Xia Fei really had scammed him!
This was 14,700 of grade 5 Origin Crystals!
No matter how powerful the Skywing Clan was, its energy supply was still limited. After all, grade 5 Origin Crystals were high-class products that could only be produced by energy masters.
Xia Laoshi was incredibly stingy, and it had still taken him many years of effort to stock up all these high grade crystals. If the grand ancestor had not ordered for Xia Fei to be given the purest energy, Xia Laoshi would have been using grade 4 Origin Crystals at most.
Now, all the high grade crystals he had accumulated in his lifetime had been completely used up by Xia Fei!
These were grade 5 Origin Crystals! The purest energy used in White Horse Constellation! Far superior compared to grade 4 crystals!
Nominally, one hundred grade 4 crystals could be exchanged for a single grade 5, but that was only the listed price. Even when exchanging inside a clan, the exchange rate was two hundred for one, and in the black market, it was five hundred for one or even one thousand for one!
Using these exchange rates, the 1.7 million grade 4 crystals Xia Laoshi had charged Xia Fei was a loss, a huge loss!
Xia Laoshi was so angry that his face became twisted, and he hastily ran off to the Wind Garden to demand compensation. He was a ruthless businessman, and no one had ever taken him for a ride before, but this Xia Fei! Not only had he not allowed Xia Laoshi to make any profit, he had even cleared him out, making him lose a fortune! How could Xia Laoshi possibly suppress his rage?!
…
Everyone present was afraid of Xia Laoshi, and upon seeing his ashen complexion and savage face as he charged into Wind Garden, they were all dumbfounded!
*Zing! Zing! Zing!*
The Law Emperors immediately scattered like mice seeing a cat, all of them hiding from Xia Laoshi. It was only when they heard that Xia Laoshi was not looking for them that they had the courage to gather around and spectate.
“Xia Fei, come out right now!
“You’re too ruthless! You actually emptied out the entire energy store of my Windrider Pavilion!
“I’m truly the unluckiest soul to have ran into someone like you!
“Come out right now! You! You must compensate me for my loss!”
Xia Laoshi stood in the courtyard and hollered, stomping his feet in rage and pulling at his silver hair, seemingly on the verge of madness!
In truth, what was most painful for Xia Laoshi was not running out of Origin Crystals but being scammed by Xia Fei, instead!
As a ruthless businessman, Xia Laoshi had never once made a loss in business, but upon meeting with Xia Fei, he had suddenly lost everything. This was what he could not accept.
In the study, Xia Buyun and Xia Tian both panicked upon seeing that it was Xia Laoshi. Just like everyone else, both of them had been extorted by Xia Laoshi and owed him a huge debt, so their hearts immediately began palpitating wildly upon seeing Xia Laoshi.
“What did you do? How did you manage to provoke his venerable self?” Xia Buyun frowned and asked.
Xia Fei already had a rough understanding of the situation from Xia Laoshi’s miserable howls. It seemed that he had accidentally managed to empty out the old man’s energy storage.
Shrugging, Xia Fei took out Furball and Peacock Blue. After a month, the two of them had changed! Furball was now fat and round like a big fatty who had been allowed to eat as much as he wanted. Peacock Blue was also much thicker and sturdier. Not only had it recovered from the damage it sustained during battle, it was even more energetic!
“How should I know? The room had so much Origin Energy in it, so I thought that it would be fine if Furball, Peacock Blue, and I absorbed as much as we wanted,” Xia Fei shook his head and said.
A helpless look appeared on the faces of Xia Buyun and Xia Tian. It was clear what had happened. Xia Fei had joined together with his two accomplices and feasted for an entire month, emptying out Windrider Pavilion!
In one month, they had consumed 14,700 of the stored grade 5 Origin Crystals! This sort of consumption speed was heaven-defying!
It was no wonder Xia Fei had maxed out his speed ability in so little time and Furball and Peacock Blue had gotten so fat. It turned out that they had devoured all the energy at Windrider Pavilion!
…
In the end, Xia Laoshi left, his head sagging, turning his head back several times with each step he took to glare at Xia Fei angrily.
In truth, this loss had little to do with Xia Fei. It was entirely because Xia Laoshi had been negligent. Believing that Xia Fei did not have that big of an appetite, he carelessly turned on the automatic energy replenishment system. In the end, the system did not think that there was a problem and ran until Windrider Pavilion had been completely emptied.
In the face of questioning, Xia Fei naturally vigorously argued his case, refusing to compensate Xia Laoshi. The 1.7 million fifth-grade Origin Crystals already gave Xia Fei immense heartache. Trying to add more charges after the bill was already settled? Not a chance!
Xia Buyun tried to come and mediate, but with a shout of “Pay your debt already!” from Xia Laoshi, he went running back. There were so many Law Emperors and Law Overlords in Wind Garden, but not a single one could speak up. It could be imagined how unreasonable Xia Laoshi was normally.
These bystanders might have been afraid of him, but not Xia Fei. He casually pulled this businessman to the side to talk. It was not long before the smoke dissipated; all the Law Emperors present secretly gave Xia Fei a thumbs-up. After all, only Xia Fei among the Xia family’s elites was not afraid of Xia Laoshi, and only he alone did not owe the old man money. Not only did he not owe Xia Laoshi money, he had almost driven the old man to bankruptcy!
After watching Xia Laoshi leave, the Law Emperors speedily gathered around Xia Fei.
“I can’t believe it! You made Xia Laoshi eat such a huge loss!”
“I know, right? You obtained the precious Monohorn Ogre combat armor and emptied out Windrider Pavilion’s energy reserve. Xia Laoshi has eaten a huge loss this time!”
“This feels good! All my frustration just got swept away! So even Xia Laoshi has days like this!”
Xia Zonghai was crying while he gazed at Xia Fei, excitedly saying, “Save the talking for later! Tonight, I’m treating you to a drink in celebration of this major victory!”
“Same here! You have no idea how badly all of us have been scammed by Xia Laoshi! He’s called Laoshi, but he’s not frank or upright at all! He even badgers our patriarch about his debts all day!”
“Cough!” Xia Buyun dryly coughed, his face dark. “When did I suddenly get dragged into this conversation? Well, since the big battle is tomorrow, I think that it’s fine to have a cup or two, but nobody is allowed to drink excessively!”
Everyone privately shared a laugh. Xia Buyun had long ago been left inwardly seething over Xia Laoshi’s constant pursuit of his debts, but he was the patriarch, so he could not vent his frustrations on Xia Laoshi, nor could he refuse to pay the debts.
Now that Xia Fei had given Xia Laoshi a harsh lesson, using reality to tell him that business always carried a risk, Xia Buyun was inwardly rejoicing, though his face remained cold and indifferent.
“I contacted the grand ancestor just now so that Xia Laoshi would let you go. You must be careful in the future, though. He isn’t the sort of person who just sits around and takes it lying down.” Xia Buyun called Xia Fei over and said this.
…
Xia Fei certainly was not congratulating himself over making Xia Laoshi suffer a loss. This was because he was very tempted by the prospect of becoming an all-around expert that the ruthless businessman had offered, but he had ended up accidentally offending the latter, so this had put a damper on his chances.
Xia Fei followed Xia Wuye to the Skywing storehouse in the back of the residence.
The everyday necessities, weapons, and medicines of the clan were all stored here. Xia Buyun had let Xia Fei come over so that he could pick out anything he needed.
Xia Fei did not require a lot when it came to his needs, so he simply got himself some bedding, chairs, tables, stools, and other miscellaneous items. Xia Wuye had Xia Fei’s selections sent to his room. Having been acknowledged as a member of the Skywing Clan at this moment, Xia Fei naturally could have his own room in Wind Garden, and he might even have to live there long-term. Xia Fei was even considering bringing Avril here, but that was a conversation for later, once the decisive battle tomorrow was over.
Standing in front of the giant medicine warehouse, Xia Fei stopped. He had seemingly realized a problem.
“If you need anything, just take it. The patriarch has said that everything in the inner storehouse is open to you,” Xia Wuye said with a smile.
Xia Fei shook his head, his eyes suddenly turning grim as he sternly asked, “Wuye, what if I want to stay here?”
Xia Wuye was taken aback, asking in confusion, “You’re talking about staying in the medicine warehouse?”
“Right.”
“They’re still waiting for you outside to eat dinner, you know? What happens if you don’t go over and eat? It’s not like these herbs have legs. They’re not going to run away.”
Xia Fei said, “Tomorrow is the big battle. Although the patriarch and Xia Tian aren’t looking for me to do much, what if I pull Ulcen Ward? Then it will be a fight to the death!”
Xia Fei grimly said, “While everyone in the family seems assured, they’re just burying their worries deep in their hearts. I can tell that everyone is worried about tomorrow.”
Xia Wuye and Old Guli bitterly chuckled. “You’re quite the sharp observer. Everyone is worried that you might get Ulcen Ward, so no one is mentioning it. This is an order from the patriarch. After all, you’ve just returned to the Skywings, so nobody wants to put too much pressure on you.”
Xia Fei nodded. “I understand, but the more it’s like this, the more I should prepare. Go and attend to your business. I’ve suddenly thought of something that I need to do right now.”
Xia Wuye nodded and walked away. Oro curiously asked, “You want to refine medicine here?”
“Correct,” Xia Fei sternly said. “It’s a medicine called Dreadlimit. This place just so happens to have Mulberry Orchids, Bitter Cocoons, Fiend-Eating Grass, and other materials that I normally need to gather.”
Oro frowned and muttered, “Dreadlimit? I don’t understand pharmacology, but why does this name sound so gruesome to me?”