Chapter 116: The Collapse of Fan Lihua

"Owner of the Glaze Pavilion??"
"Personally welcoming her? Who is that little girl??"

The attendant, seeing his own pavilion master treat the young girl before him with such deference, broke out in a cold sweat. He fell to his knees with a thud so forceful that several floor tiles cracked beneath him.

"Young senior, please forgive this humble one for having eyes but failing to recognize a person of your stature."

You Xiyue pursed her lips and retracted her spiritual pressure.
"Lead the way."
"Yes, of course." Sang Que turned sideways to guide You Xiyue, followed by Jun Yang, Fan Wuwei, and Qing Yushan.

"Who is this guy?" Fan Wuwei tugged at Jun Yang’s sleeve.
Jun Yang pulled his sleeve back and cast a look of disdain at Fan Wuwei. "Didn't I tell you? He is the owner of the Glaze Pavilion."
"I know that. I mean, your little ancestor seems to know him."

Only then did Jun Yang begin to study Sang Que more closely. This face was entirely unfamiliar to him; he had never seen it before.

Sang Que led the four of them to the top-floor private chamber of the Glaze Pavilion, a space he typically reserved for himself. The room was filled with all manner of precious artifacts, leaving even Fan Wuwei feeling dazzled.

"Why are you here?" You Xiyue asked as she sat down.

Sang Que took the seat opposite her and explained with a helpless sigh, "You destroyed the Snow Domain Sanctuary. My sanctuary is still under construction, and as the Lord, I had nowhere else to go. Since this Glaze Pavilion is my private property, I’ve temporarily moved here."

"Oh." You Xiyue replied indifferently, clearly not giving the matter much thought.

Jun Yang and the others were shocked to hear this. None of them had expected this man to be the Lord of the Snow Domain, a sacred land. What did he mean by "you destroyed the Snow Domain Sanctuary"? Jun Yang glanced quietly at You Xiyue. He only remembered her saying she had killed the Saintess; she hadn't mentioned destroying the sanctuary. The three old men were so stunned by the identity of the Snow Domain Lord that they were rendered speechless for a time.

Sang Que stood up to pour tea for You Xiyue and asked curiously, "Is there something specific you were looking to purchase, young senior, by coming to the Glaze Pavilion?"
"A Dao artifact." You Xiyue’s reply was brief and vague.

"..." Sang Que scratched his head in embarrassment; it was clear she did not want him to know. Yet, how could there be anything sold in the Glaze Pavilion that he didn't know about? You Xiyue was well aware of this, too. It was just that the intended use for Hua Mian’s precious item felt inappropriate to disclose to another Lord.

Since You Xiyue didn't want to elaborate, Sang Que didn't press. He would find out eventually. However, he likely hadn't expected that You Xiyue had lost interest in bidding and was planning to learn from Jun Yang’s methods instead. Thinking this, You Xiyue cast a glance at both Jun Yang and Qing Yushan. Jun Yang blinked in confusion, unsure of what the little ancestor’s look meant.

The auctions at the Glaze Pavilion were not much different from those at the Immortal Treasure Pavilion. The tactics were the same, and the sales pitches even sounded similar. Jun Yang couldn't help but ask, "Is the Immortal Treasure Pavilion also one of your businesses?"

Sang Que raised an eyebrow, looking puzzled. "The Immortal Treasure Pavilion is...?"
"..." It was clear he had no idea, which made it strange that their business models were so similar. "Never mind."

The group sat in the private chamber for a long time without hearing any mention of the Dao artifact You Xiyue wanted. There was no need for a heist if the item wasn't there. You Xiyue frowned in disappointment. Fan Wuwei, on the other hand, had bid on a mountain of weapons of various grades; it was unclear if he had some specific hobby, though he claimed he was merely setting them aside for the juniors of his clan.

After the auction ended, the group headed out. You Xiyue stopped Sang Que.
"I have something I need to ask you privately."
"Very well."

Sang Que turned and led You Xiyue into an inner chamber, reinforcing the protective barrier. Jun Yang sensed that You Xiyue was intentionally avoiding him, so he didn't ask questions; he simply turned and left the Glaze Pavilion to wait for her outside. When it came to matters beyond his capability, You Xiyue never volunteered information.

Once they were inside, Sang Que closed the door firmly and turned to her. "Please, ask away."
"What is the background of the Snow Domain Saintess, Xue Chuyun?" You Xiyue asked directly while observing the room's furnishings.

Sang Que paused, then said with a smile, "She arrived in the Snow Domain three thousand years ago. I saw that she had good potential and began to cultivate her. According to her, she was an orphan."

You Xiyue cast a faint glance at Sang Que; she clearly didn't believe this. The position of Snow Domain Saintess was no ordinary role; if a Lord of the Snow Domain didn't investigate thoroughly, he would never have felt safe placing her in that position. Sang Que scratched his nose in embarrassment again.

"She truly is an orphan. I only know she came from the Dao Realm. Because of such a powerful background, I thought that entrusting the Snow Domain to her might lead to greater development. The bloodline of the Dao Realm is, naturally, more formidable than that of the Sacred Lands."

"Could she suppress you?" You Xiyue truly felt that Sang Que was a bit of a slippery character.
Sang Que shrugged, offering no answer to the question. However, the answer was clearly affirmative—she certainly could not suppress him.

It was highly probable that Sang Que himself was also from the Dao Realm.

"Have you heard of the Wuji Abyss?" You Xiyue asked again. Upon hearing those three words, Sang Que frowned, clearly showing his disdain for the name.
"Xue Chuyun sent people to the Upper Realm to massacre my disciple's family, and she sought out people from the Wuji Abyss to do it."

Having said all she needed to say, You Xiyue turned and walked out of the room, leaving Sang Que behind with his brow furrowed deeper and deeper. He had indeed had people investigate Xue Chuyun in the Dao Realm; she was indeed an orphan. With her entire family dead, how could she possibly be linked to the people of the Wuji Abyss?

"Could it really be that complicated?"

Sang Que left the Glaze Pavilion immediately and vanished from the Sacred Realm.

Back at the Tengshe cave dwelling, You Xiyue was in a poor mood, having failed to purchase anything satisfactory.
"I will have the clansmen investigate more thoroughly. Even if it isn't in the Sacred Realm, if we can dig up some legends, we will go and search for it."
"Understood."

You Xiyue had already begun to give up on finding that type of Dao artifact. She carefully recalled the various treasures in her storage ring, wondering if any of them could serve as a substitute for Hua Mian’s beloved item. Jun Yang watched You Xiyue, who was clearly lost in thought, and quietly slipped out of the room.
"The little ancestor seems very concerned about this Dao artifact."

Jun Yang paced his way out of the Tengshe clan.

By now, it was night again. Fan Lihua observed her surroundings and began her operation once more. However, when she tiptoed into the treasury again, she was stunned. She remembered clearly that she had already sorted out all the useless treasures. What was this pile of junk weapons in front of her? It was even more chaotic than it had been before she started sorting.

She pulled at her hair in frustration. "What is going on!!!"

She was on the verge of a breakdown. She slumped to the floor, and after a long time of mental preparation, she finally steeled her resolve.
"Even if I'm caught, I'm not leaving until I find that thing!! I'll risk it all!!"

At that moment, Jun Yang was heading first to the Azure Dragon clan. These ancient families had profound foundations; one never knew what kind of treasures they might have tucked away that they had long since forgotten.