Is It Wrong to Bully the Novice Village for System Rewards?

Chapter 254: She Really Got a Bargain This Time!

“A meditation cushion?”

Ji Chan’er curiously reached out and took the cushion from Qi Yuan’s hands. She ran her fingers over the fabric. It radiated a gentle, soothing warmth without a hint of scorching heat. She clicked her tongue in appreciation.

“I never thought Solar Flame Silkworm silk could be utilized like this. You really put a lot of thought into this.”

While it held zero practical value for cultivation, the sheer ingenuity of the design—functioning like an eternally warm, spirit-powered electric blanket—made it an incredibly rare and thoughtful health-giving artifact for an elder.

After all, birthday gifts at this level were entirely about the sentiment. It didn’t need to be a world-shattering treasure, it just had to be immune to criticism.

“Yeah, the guy who invented this thing has a rather terrifying background. I had to go to great lengths to acquire it,” Qi Yuan lied smoothly.

In truth, he hadn’t expended a single brain cell on the gift; he had just blindly grabbed a piece of junk from his loot to fulfill his obligation. However, technically, he wasn’t lying. Tu Ruoxu, the Ten Thousand Ancient Holy Scion, did have a terrifying background, and the process of robbing him had indeed been full of twists and turns.

Blissfully unaware of the item’s stolen origins, Ji Chan’er smiled and handed the cushion back. Her eyes sparkled with delight.

“Thanks to you, we made a monumental killing this time. Counting the principal and interest, we’re walking away with ninety million Spirit Stones.”

She quickly added, as if afraid Qi Yuan might worry, “Yesterday, the Grand Elder backing the bookmaker sent a messenger to ask for a few days of grace so they could liquidate some assets. Don’t worry, I used the Ji Clan’s name to collect the debt. They don’t have the guts to default. That Grand Elder runs a massive syndicate, practically monopolizing all the betting pools within The Saint Sect. Ninety million Spirit Stones is a massive hemorrhage for him, but it won’t cripple his foundation. They’ll deliver the Spirit Stones in full within three days at the latest.”

Grand Elder? Qi Yuan paused. So my guess was right. The casino’s boss is a heavyweight. You didn’t run a gambling ring in a Demonic Sect without a spine of solid iron. A Grand Elder was at least a Dao Integration realm powerhouse, or potentially even at the Tribulation Crossing realm. Only someone with that kind of monstrous authority could protect a business of that scale.

This just proved how useful the Ji demoness was. Even a Grand Elder didn’t dare owe the Ji Clan money. If Qi Yuan had placed the bet himself, not only would he have never seen a single Spirit Stone, he would have likely been dumped in a shallow grave.

As his thoughts spun, Ji Chan’er suddenly furrowed her brow. She fixed him with a burning, intensely suspicious glare.

“By the way… that woman Situ Yan dropped a full two million High Grade Spirit Stones on you. Why exactly was she so confident in your odds?”

Qi Yuan’s heart practically stopped. Crap.

His facial muscles froze for a fraction of a second, but his survival instincts kicked in instantly. He let out a sheepish, perfectly natural laugh.

“That… I have no idea. Maybe she just thought I was a lucky charm?” He kept his face the picture of innocence. “She’s been trying to recruit me, so she definitely had her people dig into my background. Once she realized I’m a once-in-a-century genius with unparalleled bone structure, she probably decided to take a blind gamble. Who knew she’d actually guess right?”

He delivered the shameless self-praise without batting an eye or skipping a beat.

Hearing this, the suspicion in Ji Chan’er’s eyes completely melted away. She gave a small huff of indignation. “It might really be as you say. Situ Yan is a woman ruled by her gambling addiction and wild ambitions. Hmph, she really got a bargain this time!”

As they spoke, their flying boat arrived at the venue for the birthday banquet—the Floating Ao Palace, the personal residence of Ji Qingcang.

Out of absolute reverence for the Ji Clan’s Ancestor, a strict hundred-mile no-fly zone surrounded the Floating Ao Palace. Even the Sect Leader’s personal jade carriage was required to descend from the clouds and approach the gates on foot.

After stowing the flying boat, Ji Chan’er led Qi Yuan toward the ceremonial hall. The area was packed shoulder-to-shoulder with thousands of guests, yet it was shockingly orderly. There was no shouting, no shoving, and no drunken chaos.

The vast majority of the attendees were Demonic Cultivators. They hadn’t suddenly found religion and decided to be polite; they were simply terrified. Under the crushing prestige of the Ji Clan, these usually bloodthirsty maniacs were forced to act like perfect gentlemen.

After all, this was the birthday banquet of a Great Ascension Demon Venerable. Acting up here was the textbook definition of courting death.

They hadn’t walked far before a group of opulently dressed young men and women intercepted them. Leading the pack was a young man in a brocade robe and a golden crown, his features twisted into a naturally sinister sneer.

Qi Yuan recognized him immediately: Ji Yang, the Ji demoness’s cousin.

Upon spotting Ji Chan’er, Ji Yang paused before a greasy, fake smile stretched across his face. “Cousin! You finally made it. Any later, and the banquet might have already ended.”

The other juniors quickly chimed in, their voices overlapping:

“Sister Ji, you’re just in time! We’ve been looking everywhere for you.”

“The Clan Head ordered all Juniors to pay our respects to the Ancestor in advance so we don’t miss the auspicious hour.”

“Exactly, don’t dawdle. Grab your gift and come with us to the ceremonial hall. The Elders are waiting…”

Ji Chan’er’s face immediately lost its color. “Alright,” she nodded stiffly. “Let’s go.”

Beneath her calm exterior, a cold sweat broke out on her back. She had thought there was plenty of time, entirely unaware of this schedule change. If she had arrived even a few minutes later, the political fallout would have been catastrophic!

As a Junior of the main family, missing the ancestral greeting was a monumental offense. What terrified her even more was that neither she nor her parents had received any notification about this change.

The sabotage was blatant. It didn’t take a genius to realize the Crown Prince’s faction had orchestrated this, aiming to humiliate her branch in front of the Clan Head and the Ancestor! Fortunately, not everyone in this group of juniors was loyal to Ji Yang. Some of them had likely come looking for her just to keep up appearances, saving her by sheer coincidence.

Seeing me arrive on time must be a real disappointment for some people, she thought bitterly.

Taking a deep breath to suppress her boiling fury, Ji Chan’er shot Qi Yuan an apologetic look and quickly transmitted her voice directly into his mind:

“I have to go offer my birthday wishes to the Ancestor. Take the token I gave you and find a steward named Granny Qi. She will arrange your seating for the banquet.”

Qi Yuan gave a subtle nod and transmitted back, “Understood. Watch your back. Contact me immediately if anything goes south.”

Ji Chan’er gave him a barely perceptible nod before hurrying off with the crowd of juniors.

Watching her graceful silhouette disappear into the throng, Qi Yuan narrowed his eyes.

From the brief exchange and the suppressed rage on Ji Chan’er’s face, he had already pieced together ninety percent of the situation. He couldn’t help but sigh at the exhausting, petty cruelty of aristocratic family politics.

He didn’t give a damn about the Ji Clan’s internal backstabbing and inheritance drama. But if it affected the Ji demoness, that was a different story entirely.

As a man, he would never allow his Dao companion to be bullied—not by enemies, and certainly not by her own blood.

With a perfectly blank expression, Qi Yuan swept a cold glance over the magnificent, golden spires of the Floating Ao Palace and strode toward the gates.