But Xia Yuping didn’t really like her cousin.
Because ever since she came to the house, their grandmother had shown obvious favoritism.
Many things she wasn’t allowed to do, but Hongyu could, which made Xia Yuping feel unfair.
So when she saw her cousin being scolded, Xia Yuping secretly rejoiced.
It was at this moment that Xia Feiying walked in.
"Chunlan, let it go. She had a reason to drink today, don’t scold her anymore."
"A reason? Brother, although our Xia Family isn’t a grand noble family, we uphold strict family values. Hongyu is already grown up; if she were to embarrass herself outside by getting drunk, where would you and I save face?" Xia Chunlan said angrily.
Even though Xia Chunlan was his own sister, Xia Feiying was still a bit wary of her at times.
"Today is different."
"What’s different today?" Xia Chunlan questioned.
"The Zhao Ya I mentioned to you before came today." Xia Feiying, seeing there was no way to hide it, finally said.
Xia Hongyu looked up, surprised, at her grandfather.
Xia Feiying chuckled, "I went out to find you earlier and happened to see that kid bringing you back, so I didn’t reveal myself."
Upon hearing Zhao Ya’s name, Xia Chunlan’s anger dissipated a bit.
She also knew about her grandniece’s matter, but she couldn’t help but mutter.
"Coming back so late and letting Hongyu drink; this Zhao Ya is a bit too much."
"Auntie, the situation was special, that’s why I came back so late."
Xia Hongyu didn’t make a sound during the scolding just now.
But when she heard Xia Chunlan speaking ill of Zhao Ya, she immediately rebutted.
"What special situation could there be?" Xia Chunlan, dissatisfied with Xia Hongyu’s attitude, questioned.
Xia Hongyu hesitated but ultimately recounted what had happened in general terms.
Upon hearing that Cheng Wener harbored malicious intent, tricked Xia Hongyu for five hundred taels of silver, and nearly succeeded,
Xia Chunlan and Xia Feiying both showed alarm.
Xia Feiying was completely unaware there was so much more to the story.
When he met Zhao Ya, Zhao Ya didn’t mention any of this.
Xia Chunlan was so angry that she kept pounding the table.
"I never liked that Cheng Wener. Her eyes dart around when she speaks, clearly not a good person."
Then she told Xia Hongyu, "So Zhao Ya’s a good kid. Why didn’t you invite him in for a sit just now?"
"I thought it was too late today, so I was embarrassed to invite him in."
"Nonsense, he saved your life. What are you worrying about being late? At least invite him in for a cup of tea and let your aunt have a look at the young man who has charmed my grandniece so much."
Saying that, Xia Chunlan laughed.
Xia Hongyu blushed, "Auntie... ."
"Haha, okay, I won’t talk about it anymore. It’s late, go to bed with your sister."
"Yeah, auntie, actually he said he’d come over for an official visit tomorrow." Xia Hongyu said softly.
Xia Chunlan nodded, "Alright, if he comes, we should host him properly and not neglect him."
"Yeah, yeah!" Xia Hongyu became happy.
She feared that Zhao Ya might be neglected tomorrow, so she told her aunt in advance.
After getting the promise, Xia Hongyu and Xia Yuping walked towards the back of the house.
Along the way, Xia Yuping couldn’t suppress her curiosity, and softly asked, "Sis, what does Zhao Ya look like exactly?"
"He, he’s tall, with very bright eyes, always smiling when he looks at people, he looks really cute." Xia Hongyu said with a beaming face.
Seeing her cousin’s lovestruck expression, Xia Yuping felt a bit dismissive.
Though she was only sixteen, she’d grown up in the Capital City and considered herself well-acquainted with many promising youths.
She thought her cousin was simply exaggerating.
After all, her cousin grew up in some poor, unheard-of rural place—a person as excellent as she claimed couldn’t be that great.
Just marginally better than ordinary people.
Tomorrow, she planned to see what Zhao Ya really looked like, and maybe give her cousin a dose of reality.
Xia Yuping made up her mind.
The events at the Xia Family were unknown to Zhao Ya, who was presently at Mo Qi’s courtyard.
After days of recuperation, Mo Qi’s injuries were mostly healed, although he still looked a bit pale, at least he could move freely now.
When he looked up, he let out a long breath.
"It’s truly a Bone Marrow Cleansing Pill, and of high quality, likely from a major sect."
In martial arts cultivation, the need for elixirs grows as one progresses.
So large sects often have dedicated Alchemy Departments.
This Bone Marrow Cleansing Pill probably came from such a place.
"What is it approximately worth?" Zhao Ya asked.
Though the Bone Marrow Cleansing Pill was good, it wasn’t useful to Zhao Ya.
Based on his current progress, Zhao Ya would likely reach the Fifth Realm within a year at most.
The main function of the Bone Marrow Cleansing Pill is to invigorate the marrow, providing a chance for those over thirty nearing the Fifth Realm; using it on Zhao Ya would be a waste.
"Well, it depends where you are. In Beyond the World, it could be worth a high-grade treasure blade, or various level-eight dried meats. If you want to trade it for a cultivation technique, you could get a quite good one."
"Although Beyond the World is also mostly filled with those nearing the Fifth Realm, due to the many sects, the Bone Marrow Cleansing Pill isn’t as rare."
"But in Great Yan... it’s priceless, at least worth over two hundred thousand taels of gold if converted."
Mo Qi wasn’t exaggerating.
For Great Yan, nearing the Fifth Realm counts as a top expert.
Figures like these can stand alone anywhere, and with time, amassing wealth is quite easy.
Knowing the existence of Bone Marrow Cleansing Pill, they’d spare no expense.
"However, you’d better hold onto that Bone Marrow Cleansing Pill; using it for money would be a waste. I’d suggest trading it for valuable cultivation resources instead."
Zhao Ya nodded, then couldn’t resist asking curiously, "What kind of place is Beyond the World?"
"Ah, Beyond the World...," Mo Qi sighed.
"It’s a martial arts haven, very expansive. Aside from a few places with official governance, the rest is generally controlled by various large sects; the most famous are the Thirteen Sects Beyond the World."
Noting Zhao Ya’s expression, Mo Qi looked at him, "Your master is from the Azure Dragon Temple, one of the Thirteen Sects Beyond the World, you should know that!"
Zhao Ya nodded, "I know."
"Even among the Thirteen Sects Beyond the World, the Azure Dragon Temple ranks quite highly. Though I’ve heard recent internal issues have unsettled its ranking slightly, it remains a colossal entity."
"What level of skill counts as a master in Beyond the World?" Zhao Ya asked his most pressing question.
Mo Qi chuckled, "Why? Did you think Beyond the World is filled with those in the Fifth Realm, with Meridian Opening as common as dogs?"
"Isn’t it?"
"Certainly not. Most there are ordinary martial artists. It just appears like there’s more in the Fifth Realm due to the larger population!"
"Still, there are far more in the Meridian Opening Realm compared to Great Yan. To my knowledge, apart from the elders or sect leaders of the Three Sects, Two Academies, and One Manor possibly being of Meridian Opening Realm, I haven’t heard of others."
"With your current strength, you’re not in the Fifth Realm yet, but even in Beyond the World, you’d be considered a young master."
"However...," Mo Qi’s expression turned grave.
"In sects of the caliber of the Thirteen Sects Beyond the World, there are often prodigious talents. Before I came to Great Yan, I heard that Liuli Mansion had someone in the Meridian Opening Realm under thirty, but whether that’s true, I don’t know."