After getting his things together, Jiang Xiaobai pushed open the courtyard door, preparing to find the third elder and start his cultivation journey in Dragon Valley.
Just as he stepped outside, he suddenly froze, then slapped his thigh in consternation.
"Damn it, that old geezer didn't tell me who the third elder is, or where he is!"
He had gone straight to bed after coming back last night and had no chance to ask Ao Yan.
Out of options, he could only walk into the plaza in Dragon Valley, directly stopping two young men from the younger generation of Dragon Valley.
"Excuse me, where can I find the third elder?"
There was a sincere smile on Jiang Xiaobai's face.
The two young men exchanged a glance, their expressions utterly astonished.
"What do you want with the third elder, mortal?" One of them arched an eyebrow.
Jiang Xiaobai had become quite well-known in Dragon Valley, the scene at his wedding of him verbally jousting with a crowd of scholars was still fresh in many people's minds.
"To tell the truth, I want to see the third elder because I want to cultivate."
"Pfft, hahaha, cultivate, you?"
The young man ridiculed with a laugh, "You'd be better off if I taught you. If you want to cultivate, you should be asking me, not the third elder."
For the sake of your 'princess' sister-in-law, let me give you a piece of advice, give up on this idea."
Jiang Xiaobai secretly thought to himself, there was something fishy about that old fellow asking him to see third elder.
"Well, if this mortal wants to seek death, why should we stop him?"
The other young man sneered and casually pointed at a place not far away, "Just go straight ahead, after a short while you'll see a red house, that's where the third elder lives."
"Thank you, brothers. Please accept this small token of my gratitude."
Jiang Xiaobai thanked them with a smile, and gave them each twenty top-grade spirit stones.
That was the living expenses Ao Yan had forced on him, and wasn't much, just a hundred top-grade spirit stones.
"You're an interesting mortal, quite sensible."
As the saying goes, don't slap a smiling face, especially when the person is as generous as Jiang Xiaobai.
"For the sake of these top-grade spirit stones, I'll give you another piece of advice, don't try to get on the good side of the third elder, that would really be seeking death."
The two men left, and Jiang Xiaobai soon found the red building.
"Looks like this third elder is going to be a bit tricky…"
Jiang Xiaobai thought for a moment, then decided to play it safe and went to knock on the door.
Knock, knock, knock.
The crisp sound of knocking filled the air, and someone opened the large door of the red building.
A sleepy-looking little girl was rubbing her eyes and yawning.
When she saw Jiang Xiaobai, she froze in place because she'd never seen him before.
"LingEr, who is it?"
An old voice came from inside the building.
The maid named LingEr blinked her eyes.
"Master, I don't know who it is, I think it's a mortal, and I don't recognize him."
"Then tell him to get lost."
LingEr looked at Jiang Xiaobai, "My master says you should leave."
Jiang Xiaobai had a dark look on his face.
He could hear the old voice loud and clear, the girl didn't need to repeat it.
Clearing his throat, Jiang Xiaobai put on a smile.
"I am Jiang Xiaobai, and I came specifically to ask the third elder to teach me cultivation!"
It was quiet inside the house, and LingEr was still standing at the door with a confused expression on her face.
"I am…"
"Didn't you hear me when I told you to get lost?"
The sudden shout startled Jiang Xiaobai, and he stumbled a few steps backward.
What an imposing aura!
Then the door was slammed shut, leaving no room for negotiation.
Jiang Xiaobai rubbed his nose, was this considered a minor setback?
Just then, a surprised voice came from behind him.
"Wow, what a coincidence, I didn't expect to meet you here!"
He turned around and saw Ao Cheng standing behind him, looking astonished.
"Mortal, what a surprise, I was on my way to find you!"
Ao Cheng's eyes lit up when he saw Jiang Xiaobai, and he cheerfully went over.
Looking at Ao Cheng's excited demeanor, Jiang Xiaobai knew that his trick must have worked.
As expected, Ao Cheng excitedly slapped Jiang Xiaobai's shoulder.
"The method you gave me really worked, you should have seen the look on Ao Fang's face, it was as if he had eaten shit, hahaha."
As for this, Jiang Xiaobai just nodded indifferently and didn't respond.
Actually, it was a simple plan that wasn't worth mentioning.
During that afternoon in the pavilion, he and Ao Cheng had talked for more than two hours, most of which was spent inquiring about Ao Fang.
To know your enemy, is to win the battle.
Through this, Jiang Xiaobai learned many details about Ao Fang's character, including his hot temper.
Once he found out some information about Ao Fang, Jiang Xiaobai began to understand Ao Cheng.
As the younger brother of Ao Yan, the princess of Dragon Valley, Ao Cheng might not stand out much, but he knows a lot of people in Dragon Valley, including an elder of punishment.
According to Ao Cheng, he and this elder often have a drink together and are pretty good friends.
Jiang Xiaobai then came up with a simple plan.
He'd have Ao Cheng pick a fight with Ao Fang in public, and then when Ao Fang couldn't resist retaliating, the elder of punishment would just happen to pass by. What happens next is blackmail.
Jiang Xiaobai thought this plan would take a few days at least, but to his surprise, it was successful the next day.
After Ao Cheng had laughed to his heart's content, he took out one hundred top-grade spirit stones.
"Mortal, This is your reward."
But Jiang Xiaobai did not accept it. He knows that after a favor has been accumulated to a certain extent, Ao Cheng himself will start to feel embarrassed.
And this is just the beginning.
Because of this, Ao Cheng's attitude towards Jiang Xiaobai had greatly improved.
In his words —— Jiang Xiaobai is a man of loyalty!
"I'm curious about the details, can you tell me?"
Jiang Xiaobai said indifferently.
"Heh heh, let me tell you then, don't be too surprised!"
Ao Cheng then recounted the whole incident, painting a vivid picture with his words.
After hearing the story, Jiang Xiaobai had a new understanding of Ao Cheng's ability to cause trouble.
In one word.
Amazing!
He truly is the young master of a powerful family!
It turns out that not far from Dragon Valley there is a huge city called Tianyuan City.
Today, Ao Fang went out to eat, drink and have fun with some of his friends. After hearing about it, Ao Cheng immediately rushed over.
He pretended to bump into Ao Fang by accident, and then started to implement his plan to provoke Ao Fang.
With so many friends around and Ao Fang on par with Ao Cheng in terms of strength, he couldn't help but act out after being fiercely humiliated by Ao Cheng.
Ao Cheng took a hit from Ao Fang and as he was being thrown backward, the elder of punishment appeared.
What happened next was simple, Ao Fang had no choice but to admit his mistake and bear the loss.
"Good job, mortal. I must say, I like you very much now. Don't worry, I've got your back in Dragon Valley!"
Ao Cheng was in a great mood and laughed as he slapped on Jiang Xiaobai's shoulder, "By the way, why are you here?"
Jiang Xiaobai then replied with a smile: "To tell the truth, I wanted to cultivate."
"You want to cultivate? You? A mortal?"
Ao Cheng looked Jiang Xiaobai up and down and laughed, "I'm not trying to put you down, but as much as you're clever, the chances of you cultivating… Are slim to none."