Everyone's eyes lit up. They glanced at each other in unison.
Still so easy to fool, these young ones—even at over a hundred years old, Song Wanníng was still just a junior in their eyes.
"Clan Head Song, stop hiding it already. Go ahead and show us the treasure!" All eyes turned expectantly. They were dying to know what sort of item could have caused such a terrifying phenomenon.
Had the Song Clan obtained something that could manipulate minds, bend others to their will?
Right now, no one had any answers.
Song Qingyun looked at their undisguised hunger and grew increasingly frustrated. If not for the need to maintain decorum, he would have thrown them out on the spot.
He shot Song Wanníng a helpless glare and said, "Wanníng, since everyone's so curious, go ahead and show them what they want to see."
"Oh? So the treasure is on Lady Song Zhēnjūn herself?"
"No wonder. The moment she returned, all this happened. She must've found some incredible opportunity."
Their expressions shifted. Probing glances swept over Song Wanníng.
Everyone in the cultivation world knew not to casually pry into another person's fortune or encounters. Everyone had secrets. These men understood that perfectly well.
Song Wanníng smiled faintly, brushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear, her gaze calm as she looked at them as if they were a bunch of performing monkeys.
"Alright then. I'll show you. The treasure you're all looking for… it's right in front of your eyes."
She beamed, lifted a hand, and pointed directly at her own face.
The group froze, thinking they must have misunderstood.
"Lady Song Zhēnjūn, what do you mean by that?"
"Where is the treasure?"
Song Wanníng blinked innocently. "I am the treasure."
"Pfft—"
Someone couldn't hold it in and burst into laughter. "Lady Song Zhēnjūn, you really know how to joke."
"Are you messing with us? If you didn't want to show it, you could've just said so. Why play games with us like this?"
Faces began to sour. Their initial amusement turned into awkward irritation.
She was clearly making fun of them.
"Tsk. You're mistaken," Song Wanníng said with a slow smile, elegantly crossing one leg over the other. "I'm not lying. But since you don't believe me… why don't I let you see for yourselves?"
A few chuckles escaped from the crowd, but their expressions were strained. This junior had no respect at all. Even with her cultivation, mocking elders like this was disgraceful.
None of them took her seriously—until the next second.
From the seat of honor, a sudden pulse of radiant light burst forth. It was so fast that none of them saw it coming.
The moment it spread out, an overwhelming pressure surged outward and crashed down over them like a tidal wave. Their hearts clenched. Before they could react, their bodies dropped to their knees.
Thud—
One by one, they knelt in perfect unison on the polished floor, faces blank with shock. They hadn't even had time to resist. Their bodies had acted first, betraying them completely.
Song Qingyun nearly laughed out loud on the spot. He quickly pulled out a memory stone to record the scene, already imagining how much his wife would enjoy seeing it later.
Song Wanníng remained seated at the head, utterly composed. She clicked her tongue.
"See? I told you, but you wouldn't listen. Now look at this mess. Isn't it embarrassing?" Her tone was casual, but she showed no intention of withdrawing her True Sword Realm. The pressure kept them pinned, cheeks flushed with humiliation and fury.
They all struggled to break free. Sweat poured down their faces, but none of them could manage to stand. Now, true fear flickered in their eyes.
So it really had been Song Wanníng who caused the earlier anomaly. And this time, the force she displayed was even stronger than what had shaken the entire city.
How was that possible?
Their minds filled with questions. Alongside the awe, a sense of dread crept in. Everyone had known her name—Song Wanníng, renowned as a top-tier alchemist—but her combat ability had always been overlooked.
Who would've thought she was this powerful?
The Song Clan had been hiding a monster all along.
As the tension in the room reached its peak, Song Wanníng finally retracted her True Sword Realm. Her smile never changed, calm and serene as ever.
But her effortless composure only made the others clench their fists in frustration.
Scrambling to their feet, they looked like a group of soaked hens. Some wanted to voice their anger, but they couldn't justify it. After all, they had asked to see the treasure.
Their expressions twisted in shame and embarrassment, and the atmosphere in the hall grew increasingly awkward.
In the end, it was Song Qingyun who stepped in to smooth things over and politely send the guests on their way.
"Ha—hahaha!" Watching the group flee in disgrace, Song Qingyun let out a long, satisfied laugh.
"Still, no one handles those old foxes like our Wanníng. Serves them right!"
"When it came to dealing with people like that, only Wanníng could do it properly."
Song Wanníng chuckled at his words. If those people wanted to ruin her mood, she wasn't about to let them off easy.
If she wasn't happy, no one else would be either.
At Wentian Sect
Gu Qingyuan had finally woken.
Even without pills, he had managed to purge the poison from his body by relying on his own cultivation. After all, it was only pill poison. If not for his lingering old injuries, it wouldn't have affected him at all.
As soon as he opened his eyes, Ye Chuxue broke down in tears and threw herself into his arms. "Master, you're awake at last! You have no idea how much I've suffered these past few days!"
She clung to him tightly, pouring out her grievances without pause. Gu Qingyuan, however, heard none of it. His whole body stiffened, heart pounding. This was the first time Chuxue had ever hugged him on her own.
"Master, it's so good you're awake." Ye Chuxue finally let go of the weight in her chest. Only now did she realize just how important her master was to her. As long as he was here, her heart would always feel steady.
"Right—Master, how did you recover? Is there still poison in your system?"
She released him and looked up with concern. Just thinking about how she had accidentally poisoned him filled her with guilt.
Gu Qingyuan finally came back to himself. In a calm tone, he said, "It was only a small amount of pill poison. With time, I was able to dissolve it naturally. It's already been purged. There's no need to worry."
He spoke as if it were nothing.
But Ye Chuxue suddenly flared up.
"What?"
"If it was that easy to detox, then why didn't Uncle Lan say so?
And that Song Wanníng! She claimed only a Heavenly Origin Heart-Nourishing Pill could cure it. I spent hundreds of thousands of mid-grade spirit stones just to bid for one—and then it got stolen!" Her rage flared so hard her vision blurred. A sharp pain hit her chest, and she coughed up a mouthful of blood.
Those bastards!
How dare they?
"Chuxue, what are you talking about?" Gu Qingyuan frowned deeply. He immediately began to question her about what had happened.
Ye Chuxue, holding back her fury, told him everything that had transpired, adding her own twist to the story—especially about how Song Wanníng had snatched her storage ring.