Dragon Hermit

The birthday party had begun officially after Liu Shan’s speech.

Liu Xue’er was obviously in the limelight and was surrounded by a group of youths. They all congratulated her one after the other and presented their gifts to her, to which the former responded gracefully to each and every person. She had to express her thanks repeatedly, but this still didn’t hinder her from making her way toward Xia Yan.

“Xia Yan, she’s coming for you,” Yan Xiaoqing said.

“Huh!” Xia Yan stood up from the sofa and strode forward. He said with a smile, “Miss Xue’er, happy birthday to you.”

“Xia Yan, you didn’t come empty-handed, did you?” Liu Xue’er sized him up with her eyes and let out a chuckle.

[Our goddess is asking for a gift so proactively? What’s happening? What’s the relationship between Liu Xue’er and this young man?]

All of the youths in the vicinity were taken aback.

“Huh… That’s not the case,” Xia Yan took out from his pants pocket the jade ornament, the jade sculpture of Buddha, which he crafted yesterday, and he also took out a red string along with it. He tied the string around the sculpture nimbly and presented it to Liu Xue’er. “Miss Xue’er, happy birthday to you.”

“Pah, I assumed that it would be something good, yet it’s only a lousy jade piece that isn’t worth more than 2000¥,” Someone laughed disdainfully before Liu Xue’er got to receive the gifts from Xia Yan’s hands, and the latter’s pretty face immediately fell and turned gloomy. She turned around and looked at the youth. He was a tall, thin, and refined youth wearing eyeglasses.

“Yan Zhigao, what do you mean?” Dong Feng shouted and scolded him. Liu Xue’er couldn’t reprimand the lad personally, and it was only he who could undertake this task for Xia Yan.

“Young Master Feng, I don’t have anything against poor people,” Yan Zhigao rubbed his eyes and said hypocritically, “But a gift represents one’s regards. Just look at him, he’s properly clothed and his attire is worth several thousand, yet he gave Xue’er a lousy jade piece worth a thousand and it isn’t even on par with his clothes. So his care and concern don’t amount to more than this. Everybody, don’t you think so?”

“That’s right, what the hell is this? He doesn’t care about Miss Xue’er at all.”

“How can Ceo Liu’s daughter wear this trash?”

“This person has dropped by only for free food and drinks, and the food eaten by him is worth a lot more than this lousy jade piece.”

Many people started speaking and created a ruckus. They had all noticed Liu Xue’er’s regards for Xia Yan, and they had also seen Xia Yan’s conflict with Xie Zheng, Wen Yipin, and Fang Le’er. This was why they were trying to step on Xia Yan out of jealousy and to fawn over the former three people.

Liu Xue’er was so infuriated that her pretty face turned pale, and she got worried that Xia Yan would take offense and get angry, but the latter still wore a faint smile. She could finally relax and she stretched her hand to receive the gift, but someone spoke again. “Wait, Miss Xue’er, since we started presenting birthday gifts, then why doesn’t everyone take out their gifts. That would be more exciting and interesting.”

Xie Zheng made a path for himself among the crowd and walked over with an exquisite wooden box in his hand. Just the box alone was pretty expensive and ordinary people would take it for a treasure.

“Young Master Zheng, you’re right. Everyone should take out their gifts, this isn’t a competition. So, let’s just warm up the ambiance and try to please Miss Xue’er,” Wen Yipin was next to Xie Zheng and he also spoke loudly.

“Fine, let’s do so,” The crowd of youths who wanted to get close to Xie Zheng agreed with him.

But, there were still many people with a good relationship with Liu Xue’er and the Liu family who had realized that she didn’t want to embarrass Xia Yan, and didn’t say anything at the moment.

“I’m sending Miss Liu a golden goat. Miss Liu, happy birthday to you,” An alluring woman with a curvaceous body took out an exquisite golden goat from her gift box and placed it on a large teapoy.

Liu Xue’er was born in the year of the goat, and this seemingly banal gift was quite fitting. Moreover, the sculpture cost more than a hundred thousand and was an appropriate gift.

“I’m sending her a pair of emerald earrings. Miss Liu, happy birthday to you,” This guy took out an outstanding gift worth more than a hundred thousand.

“I’m sending her a bracelet of black pearls…”

“I’m sending her a limited edition LV bag…”

…

A dozen and more people started taking out their gifts one after the other and they placed them on the teapoy. Those were all exceptional gifts worth tens of thousands at the very least and some were even worth a million. They all shone with dazzling radiance under the light, and their collective worth was close to seven or eight million.

Obviously, all those gifts were worth more than Xia Yan’s low-grade jade piece, and they all looked disdainfully at Xia Yan. But, the latter only smiled in response and he still wore an indifferent look. If it was his former self who had just arrived in Chengdu City, he would have been amazed by those expensive gifts, but after he understood the real value of his sculptures, he didn’t care about ordinary luxury goods any longer.

“Ding!” Wen Yipin placed a car key with a trident symbol on the table.

“A beauty deserves a good car. Miss Xue’er, happy birthday to you,” Wen Yipin disdainfully surveyed the surroundings with his gaze before it fell upon Xia Yan’s face and raised his chin at him provocatively. It was as if he was saying: [Lad, can you give her a sports car worth three million?]

“Young Master Wen is so thriftless!” Zhou Yi sighed and spoke.

“That’s right, if someone has sent me a similar gift, I may even offer myself to him.”

“Thank you,” Liu Xue’er furrowed her brows a little, but she still replied politely.

Officials’ standing was different than merchants’, and it wasn’t a problem for merchants to send any kinds of expensive gifts, and people would only say that they were thriftless. But, Wen Yipin’s father was a government official, and even if he worked hard for a lifetime, he would never afford a sports car worth three million. If this matter spread out and got posted on the net by someone, then it would cause a great uproar.

While the crowd was presenting their gifts one after the other, Xia Yan kept an indifferent look as usual. He was only concerned about Xie Zheng’s gift. What kind of gift did this wooden box contain?

“When it comes to gifts, it’s only one’s regards that matters, but if it was too cheap, then one would be too embarrassed to take it out,” Xie Zheng looked at Xia Yan and mocked him indirectly.

“Hehe!” Xia Yan laughed in response and didn’t retort back.

“When I heard about Miss Xue’er’s birthday, I started looking for a suitable birthday gift a month ahead, and I finally found one several days ago,” Xie Zheng said and opened the sandalwood box carefully.

When he had just started lifting the box’s lid, Xia Yan’s heart shuddered. He detected a wisp of eerie and impure Undead Element leaking out of the box

Previously, the Liu family didn’t have concrete proof that it was the Xie family who plotted against them twice in a row, but now, Xia Yan was absolutely sure that it was them.

The Xie family acted brazenly without any scruples. Their plots failed twice in a row, yet they still dared to target her for the third time so openly. They were brazen and bold!

Or maybe the Xie family believed that none could detect this object’s anomaly.

Xia Yan gazed toward the robed old man sitting on the sofa, but his sight was obstructed by the crowd

If it was this robed old man who made those three peculiar objects, then he was conceited and arrogant beyond measure. Did he really think that none in the world could deal with him?