"This is a good chance, but the risk is too high!"
It was not difficult to get it from Zhao Fei, but the trouble was what would happen after it was obtained and what he would face.
Here was the headquarter of the Wu Family, which was one of the wealthy families in Yunzhou. First Elder had a strong influence within the Wu family and so it would be disgraceful if his birthday present was lost at the Wu's headquarter. The Wu family would investigate it and would not let it go.
After one night of weighing, Junior Leopard made his decision.
"All right. I have just settled down in Wu Family. With what I have possessd now, I believe that I will certainly overreach Skin-Toughening Realm to Bone-Forging Realm in ten years as long as I go ahead steadily. Before that, I'd better not to be that rash."
"Greediness is really one of people's original sins, which is so difficult to surmount. Since I have no ability to get that item, I'll not let Shi Jing drag me into this. What I can only do is to report him. It's really a pity to strike the boy with such a bright future down."
Junior Leopard took a deep breath and after a light movement, felt the cold air on his skin. After he made his decision, he realized that he had unconsciously been drenched with a cold sweat.
By the time it was daybreak, Junior Leopard had taken a bath and changed his clothes. He then went out to find his teacher.
...
...
"What? He wants to steal First Elder Lyu's birthday present?!"
After he heard what Junior Leopard had said, Xu Yong stood up with his hands shaking. Then Xu Yong said, "That boy is audacious to the extreme."
After walking back and forth, he asked Junior Leopard, "who else knows about this matter?"
"Only us two know this, unless he told someone else."
"He's too impudent and unscrupulous at such a young age." Xu Yong condemned, "To think he went so far as to ask you to do such things with him? He's really a scoundrel!"
Xu Yong got even more indignant about it. He unconsciously struck the table with Internal Qi, causing the table to fly apart with a crash and the room was full of bits of wood. Junior Leopard was intimidated by his teacher.
"Teacher, what should we do?"
"It can either be serious or not. His folly was in telling you." Xu said and looked at Junior Leopard with satisfaction, "You're not getting involved and that's very good."
"I dare not do that," Junior Leopard said.
"It's no use to have such guts. He's a disciple of the First Elder. Let us go and tell him directly. He can handle this matter."
"All right." Junior Leopard nodded in agreement.
...
"Really?"
At the Room of Refining, within the Wu Family.
Lyu Yiyue sat on his old-fashioned wooden armchair with his eyes slightly closed and eyebrows subtly shaking. No one knew what he was thinking.
Xu Yong sat down on the foremost chair while Junior Leopard stood behind him.
"I'll deal with it. Thanks for your informing me, Elder Xu." Lyu Yiyue said, he seemed to quickly make a decision.
"You're welcome, Elder Lyu. I should tell you and your birthday is really important."
"Thank you, Elder Xu." Lyu Yiyue nodded his head satisfactorily and looked at Junior Leopard, "Your name is Zhou Bao?"
"I'm a disciple of Elder Xu, Zhou Bao, pay my respect to Elder Lyu!"
"You did better than that bastard." Lyu Yiyue said and held his teacup.
"Well, we shall leave now Elder Lyu!" Xu Yong stood up and then left the room with Junior Leopard.
After seeing they left the Room of Refining, Lyu Yiyue struck the tea table and threw the teacup.
"Bring Shi Jing here!"
...
...
"Master, what are Fiery Eyes? They seem to be really valuable."
"Fiery Eyes are not a thing. They're the eyes of some people with a special bloodline."
Xu Yong seemed to be a little nervous when Junior Leopard asked. "This bloodline died out 3,000 years ago."
Junior Leopard was shocked and said, "Since the bloodline died out 3,000 years ago, how can the eyes be kept for such a long time."
"Fiery Eyes are also known as Eternal Eyes. They'll change into a firm, eye-shaped crystal after being moved from a body and won't get damaged in 3,000 years or even in 10,000 years." Xu Yong said,"It's said that people with Fiery Eyes have a strong talent for martial arts." He stopped for a minute and continued, "It's also said that these people are no more than ordinary people and that the Fiery Eyes will be stimulated only by their own desire. Once the Fiery Eyes are stimulated, those people will possess strong senses and spiritual minds, and for people who practice martial arts, their ability to control Internal Qi will also be high. They'll also possess some other particular abilities with the improvement of their cultivation. But we don't know what these abilities are as the bloodline died out so long ago. I also heard some other rumors about the Fiery Eyes."
Junior Leopard's face showed that he was interested about the subject and so Xu Yong said, "The reason for the extinction of the Fiery Eyes race was that all of the people of the world came together to besiege them. Even now, prestigious sects and schools and millennium families in the martial arts world have a tacit agreement that if the bloodline of the Fiery Eyes reappears, they'll join together again to destroy it."
Junior Leopard felt a chill down his spine from Xu Yong's words.
A union of prestigious sects and schools and millennium families with the purpose of destroying the bloodline of the Fiery Eyes.
What had the Fiery Eyes race done in those years to warrant such suffering?
Xu Yong continued, "There are no people of the Fiery Eyes bloodline left in this world. The preserved Fiery Eyes are so rare and priceless that they can cause great blood-shed!"
"Why?" Junior Leopard asked in trepidation.
"Because Fiery Eyes are the best carriers of practicing External Elixir."
"External Elixir?" Junior Leopard asked in confusion, "What's that?"
"Practicing martial arts need to balance the inner and outside cycle. I believe that you understand the Internal Qi must be compatible with body's strength. If not, it'll cause many problems. Physical cultivation is far more difficult than Internal Qi cultivation and there aren't many shortcuts. Even with the best punching skill and magic medicinal herbs, it requires a long time. Slack off in the slightest and it may have an adverse effect. Regardless of body's strength, if one has a brilliant cultivation method for their Internal Qi, the improvement of their cultivation will be extremely fast. And as for the Gang Qi, it doesn't require too much Internal Qi. It only requires suitable mental cultivation methods and Evil Qi along with the control and comprehension of one's Internal Qi. Generally speaking, people with a cultivation of Level Five can do this, but if the body's strength can't reach Level Seven, one cannot condense their Evil Qi into Gang Qi."
Junior Leopard started to understand and said, "You mean that people with External Elixir can practice Gang Qi?"
"Emmm... The most important effect of External Elixir is to reserve Internal Qi. This means that any Internal Qi that your body can not bear would be stored up and then restocked whenever your body needed it. Fiery Eyes are the best material for making External Elixir. They can not only store plenty of Internal Qi, but the method and conditions for making External Elixir are also very easy. They also have a few possibilities to stimulate the particular abilities of Fiery Eyes."
"So that's how it is, no wonder they're so precious!" Junior Leopard regained his calm mood and nodded.
"This may be the reason for the genocide of the Fiery Eyes race!"
Junior Leopard felt a chill and recalled what Wang She said that day.
"No wonder he told me not show my eyes to other people. But he does not seem to be a kind man, why would he tell me this?"
Junior Leopard felt weak when thinking of Wang She.
His strength was much greater than Junior Leopard's and Xue Wuya's. Junior Leopard was not stupid enough to think that he could kill Wang She just like he did Xue Wuya.
That was impossible.
Junior Leopard could kill Xue Wuya who was seriously hurt with great fortune, but how could he kill Wang She?
"He seems to have some other purpose but won't unravel my secrets." Junior Leopard thought," he taught me the Snake-like Breath Holding Skill, not because of my moral standing but because of my Fiery Eyes. He knows there exist many potentialities and he's making an investment. Interesting!"
Thinking of the evil smile of Wang She, Junior Leopard sighed. Wang She was an expert of Level Eight at about 30, and Junior Leopard, a 10-year-old boy, had a psychological age of about 40. He knew much about worldly wisdom, the way of the world and the heart of a human being. He could guess some of Wang She's intentions.
Wang She, who was the most promising young master in the martial arts world, a famous expert of Level Eight and one of the three Chiefs of Tian Long Taoism, taught a 10-year-old boy Snake-like Breath Holding Skill. Was it really because of the good character of this child?
No, absolutely not!