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Although he wore the Wind Spirit Dustproof Armor, she still doubted whether this young man had the purchasing power. Such doubts certainly couldn't be shown, so after hesitating slightly, she softly said, "Mr. Zhou, there are many types of Wind Spirit Dustproof Armor. The standard quality costs eight hundred and fifty low-grade Spirit Crystals; the superior quality, nine hundred and thirty low-grade Spirit Crystals; and the special quality is priced at one thousand low-grade Spirit Crystals."
"Hmm, I'll take three special quality Wind Spirit Dustproof Armors."
Zhou Yan spoke as he took out an empty Qiankun Ring he had seized from someone he killed. With a thought, he connected this ring to his Cold Jade Light Ring and transferred three thousand low-grade Spirit Crystals into the empty Qiankun Ring. Then, he casually flicked the ring.
The ring made a "swish" sound as it twirled into the salesgirl's hands, who was still somewhat in a daze.
"I'll pay you first to avoid any unpleasantness when we inspect the goods later. Now, you can rest assured and serve us."
Zhou Yan spoke frankly, clearly seeing through the girl's concerns.
Gu Xi and the other two were still in a dreamlike state, as Zhou Yan had already paid. They hadn't expected things to unfold this way!
The girl in purple blushed deeply at Zhou Yan's direct words, her expression mingling with both apology and shame.
"Mr. Zhou, I'm sorry… earlier, Little Die was too abrupt."
The salesgirl, after sensing the Qiankun Ring, immediately bowed in apology to Zhou Yan.
"It's alright. After all, they all say I'm a good-for-nothing. Although that's somewhat true, being useless doesn't mean I don't have the ability to spend."
Zhou Yan's half-smile made Little Die purse her lips, too afraid to speak again. Zhou Yan's words seemed self-deprecating, yet carried a hint of mockery, causing an inexplicable jolt in her heart.
Her attitude immediately became much more humble, and she respectfully led Zhou Yan and the others into the interior of the Treasure Pavilion.
The Treasure Pavilion was lavishly decorated, giving off an atmosphere reminiscent of a palace. Not only that, the spiritual energy within seemed particularly dense, making one feel that a single breath was more beneficial than a few minutes of rigorous cultivation outside.
Zhou Yan knew this was due to the Sword Array gathering spiritual energy, resulting in such an effect. In a major power like the Treasure Pavilion, many independent practitioners would pledge their allegiance for cultivation resources, and a powerful Array Sword Cultivator could easily achieve this.
Passing through the outer hall, they arrived at the inner hall, where Zhou Yan and the others followed Little Die into the VIP Pavilion.
The outside was bustling, but inside the VIP shopping area, there were hardly any people.
In the vast, plaza-like shopping district, there were only about ten groups scattered around.
When Zhou Yan's group entered and looked around, several groups turned their heads to scrutinize them, clearly showing no attempt to conceal their surprise.
"Mr. Zhou, the Spirit Armor is over here," Little Die said respectfully.
Zhou Yan nodded and spoke to Xiao Linlin and Xiao Chan'er.
But this time, neither Xiao Linlin nor Xiao Chan'er moved. Even Gu Xi stood quietly in place.
Following the three girls' gaze, Zhou Yan looked over, seeing a hundred meters away a girl in purple leading the way for a tall, burly, bearded middle-aged man and a beautiful middle-aged woman. The two were accompanied by the Xie family young master, nodding humbly and appearing extremely obedient.
As Zhou Yan glanced over, the Xie family youth's gaze met his, revealing a sinister, malicious, and cruel look.
He gave a half-smile, his expression somewhat ferocious.
Zhou Yan, having encountered many people, saw for the first time someone whose gaze held such a vast spectrum of vile emotions.
As their gazes crossed, the middle-aged man and woman approached.
"Linlin, Chan'er, why are you here instead of at home diligently cultivating?"
The beautiful middle-aged woman ignored Zhou Yan's presence as if he were invisible, speaking directly to Xiao Linlin and Xiao Chan'er.
"Aunt, we…"
Xiao Chan'er began to speak, but the woman cut her off, "Enough, no need to explain. You shouldn't associate with questionable men in the future. Hurry back, this is no place for you!
Moreover, Gu Xi, since you joined the Cold Ice Sword Sect, you are now enemies with our Purgatory Sword Sect. Hence, it's best not to associate with Linlin and Chan'er in the future to avoid trouble during battles."
"He is Brother Zhou Yan, not some questionable man! Aunt, how can you speak about Brother Zhou Yan that way!" Xiao Chan'er immediately retorted.
"Aunt Lan, even if our sects are at odds, we are still family. Why do this? Besides, without Brother Zhou Yan's father, the Xiao and Gu families wouldn't be where they are today. It's fine if you don't welcome Brother Zhou Yan, but how can you insult him like this?"
Gu Xi's face also turned unpleasant.
"You keep calling him brother this and brother that, how envious! But I'm not wrong. This person is not Zhou Yan. He is merely an abandoned infant randomly found by Zhou Wuzhen, the family head of the Zhou family, to train the real young master Zhou Lingyao.
Only Zhou Lingyao is Zhou Wangchen's biological son. This person is just a counterfeit and a wild bastard!
You all might be deceived! Look, he even made himself look like Zhou Wangchen, truly incriminating himself!"
The woman's words made Xiao Linlin and Xiao Chan'er look at Zhou Yan incredulously, as if in disbelief. They hesitated, pondering over what was truly happening.
At this moment, only Gu Xi stood unwaveringly by Zhou Yan's side.
Zhou Yan watched their conduct with indifference, finally realizing that the Zhou family was far more complicated than he initially thought.
It seemed they weren't trying merely to erase his identity, but to have Zhou Lingyao assume his place and identity?
His heart was filled with murderous intent, but he didn't show it. This woman and the middle-aged man, their realms were around Sword Intent First Layer Heaven, and Zhou Yan knew despite his prowess, he wasn't capable of fighting these two.
"This matter has been publicly announced by the Zhou family. Do you still not believe it? Regardless, you're no longer children who can act willfully.
Yes, Zhou Wangchen provided our family with opportunities to rise, but we also sacrificed much. Now, your father, Xiao Zhan, my brother, is ruined, and that's Zhou Wangchen's doing. The debt is repaid already.
So there's no need for you to have any further connections with Zhou Wangchen's son. After all, Zhou Wangchen is no longer as formidable as he once was…"
"In the future, if you seek freedom and pursue happiness, then cultivate well. The Purgatory Sword Sect's True Disciple selection is starting too. The more you learn from Young Master Xie Feng and get his guidance, the more likely you'll attract the Elder's attention and have greater opportunities in the Purgatory Sword Sect!"
The woman's words were imposing, but her statements were grounded in an undeniable reality.
Zhou Yan, having changed his temperament, was no longer impulsive. In the past, he would have confronted them to prove himself as Zhou Wangchen's son and that the Zhou family was pretending…
Now he realized that during childhood, how could this woman not know that he was Zhou Wangchen's real son? After all, he had lived in the Xiao and Gu families for many years as a child—would this woman not know?
But she deliberately ignored it, indicating that the Xiao family in this regard had likely been bought by some individuals from the Zhou family.
Or, having lost contact with him and unable to ascertain whether he was dead, someone speculated he might have come to the Xiao family in Tianji City. Thus, this woman existed in this role. Therefore, this woman would say such words.
Even the woman knew, and Xiao Chan'er and Xiao Linlin too—they had grown familiar while traveling, and Zhou Yan had mentioned some past events—how could they not understand who he was? Even if they didn't know, didn't they know how clever Gu Xi was? Would Gu Xi be so dull as to misjudge?
Yet they hesitated.
If they genuinely couldn't discern, Zhou Yan wouldn't blame them, for that would be due to ignorance. But if they knew he was Zhou Yan, Zhou Wangchen's son, and hesitated…
He finally understood why the Xie family young master had such animosity towards him and why he looked at the two girls that way. He realized why he felt a distance from these two girls—because their choices were different.
When faced with greater benefits, these two girls abandoned him, who had 'declined,' and chose the Xie family, which could support them to rise.
All this suddenly became clear in his mind.
Suddenly, he felt an inexplicable discomfort, a sense of betrayal from the girls' actions.
He disliked this feeling.
He frowned slightly at that moment, sensing something as Gu Xi took his arm silently, cuddling against him affectionately.
She said nothing, but this quiet gesture provided considerable comfort to Zhou Yan.
"Aunt…"
Xiao Linlin and Xiao Chan'er both hung their heads, shamefully murmuring, "Mr. Zhou, sorry…"
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