Chapter 33: Regret Over Crystal Jade
Zhao Yuanbu sat silently, staring blankly at the table before him. As a principal with deep family ties, his desk was no ordinary piece of furniture—it was crafted from precious crystal jade. A rare and expensive material, yes—but essentially, still just a type of stone.
He still couldn't figure out how someone was supposed to eat it.
Fortunately, Bai Qingshan wasn't as concerned with the table's material. After scanning the number on the soul communicator provided by Xiao Qiang, he immediately dialed the boy. It didn't take long for Xiao Qiang's voice to come through.
"How have you been lately, Uncle Bai?"
Bai Qingshan glanced briefly at Zhao Yuanbu, then at the items laid out on the table—gifts from Xiao Qiang. "Not bad," he replied, keeping his voice steady.
"Uncle Bai, I'm really sorry to trouble you again. I promised I'd help you find medicine to improve your strength. In this batch, there's a Marrow Cleansing Pill. Take that first. It'll remove most of the drug residue from your body. Then follow it with the Soul Ascension Pill. The rest are auxiliary pills—nothing too strong, but they won't hinder your future progress. If you use them properly, you should be able to reach the level of a Five-Ring Soul King within a year."
Bai Qingshan picked up the Marrow Cleansing Pill and examined the label with a frown. "I've heard of the Soul Ascension Pill… but this Marrow Cleansing Pill… is this something from Mingde Hall?"
"It's similar," Xiao Qiang said casually. "This one's from the Sun and Moon Royal Soul Instructor Auction House. You usually need a noble status of at least Earl to even enter that place. Luckily, the master of Mingde Hall was kind enough to give me his disciple's identity token, so I could get in without a problem."
"You bought it?" Bai Qingshan looked astonished. "That must've cost you a fortune."
"Well…" Xiao Qiang chuckled. "My teacher gave me a generous amount of funds. Plus, his grandson—Xiao Hongchen—was kind enough to help cover part of the cost. He's a good guy."
"It's a good thing you're on good terms with the grandson of the Hongchen Hall Master," Bai Qingshan said, nodding approvingly. "But how much did all of this cost?"
Xiao Qiang calmly listed the figures: "Three million for the Marrow Cleansing Pill, 570,000 for the Realm Breaking Pill, 360,000 for the Soul Ascension Pill. The rest are minor supplementary pills. Altogether, over six million gold soul coins."
Bai Qingshan's eyes widened. "That much? Are you sure you're not short on resources now?"
"…Hmm…"
Zhao Yuanbu, who had been quietly listening, suddenly clutched at his chest. His heart stung.
Others might not know Bai Qingshan's financial state, but Zhao Yuanbu did. As a Level 4 Soul Engineer, Bai Qingshan could barely afford to craft Level 3 soul tools. In the Sun Moon Empire—a place saturated with soul engineers—low-level soul tools fetched painfully low profits.
Selling one Level 3 soul tool per day, Bai Qingshan might earn, at most, a pure profit of 200 gold soul coins. Even that was optimistic. In the Three Kingdoms that had once belonged to the Douluo Continent, such tools couldn't command high prices.
That meant, in one month, his earnings might only total 6,000 gold soul coins. Across a full year, 100,000 was likely the ceiling.
And now, Xiao Qiang had handed over pills worth more than six million. Not to mention the black card included—a card that started with a one-million-coin balance.
The return on investment over the span of seven years was nearly ten times.
And more importantly—these weren't pills that just anyone could get their hands on. The Sun and Moon Royal Soul Instructor Auction House was a place so exclusive, even the Lord of Donghai City—a Seven-Ring Soul Saint with a ten-thousand-year soul ring—had no access.
A pill that cleansed the meridians, tempered the marrow, and carried almost no side effects. Zhao Yuanbu now bitterly questioned:
Why didn't I agree to Xiao Qiang's request back then?
He came to me first.
If he'd accepted, then all these pills, the black card, and this immense gratitude would be his. With these resources, Zhao Yuanbu was certain he could've broken through to the Seven-Ring Soul Saint realm by now.
So why did he turn Xiao Qiang away?
Wait… right, it was for cultivation.
Zhao Yuanbu, wallowing in regret, paused.
He finally remembered why he rejected Xiao Qiang in the first place.
It wasn't just because Xiao Qiang's demands were high—it was because, unlike Bai Qingshan, he himself still had a future.
Bai Qingshan's talent had long been depleted. No matter how many resources he consumed, he wouldn't even gain a single level without extraordinary aid.
But Zhao Yuanbu was still in his twenties then. He was in his second cultivation peak. With proper resources, he could continue rising steadily.
Back then, when Xiao Qiang came to him for help, the family's supply of resources was limited. The head of the family would never allow a massive allocation to someone with uncertain returns. If Zhao Yuanbu wanted to back Xiao Qiang, it would've meant sacrificing his own path forward.
Even if he knew Xiao Qiang was a grateful child, the risk wasn't worth it unless he was guaranteed to receive something greater in return.
Now, with hindsight, it stung—but at least he could rationalize it.
It wasn't my fault. It was a logical choice at the time.
Still… watching all those benefits go to someone else, someone within arm's reach… that was a different kind of pain.
It was like two childhood friends growing up in the same neighborhood. One sells his land and leaves to work abroad for ten years. When he returns, he finds the neighborhood demolished, and the childhood friend who stayed behind now lives in a mansion, drives a luxury car, and has so much wealth that the returning friend's lifetime savings could only buy a bathroom.
Zhao Yuanbu was furious. But he had to suppress it. He pressed his palm to his chest, trying to regulate his breathing.
It's fine… it's just a tenfold gap… we're still on the same level.
"We're even now," he told himself. "Our friendship ends here. After this, we'll go our separate ways. At most, we'll both be Five-Ring Soul Kings. Maybe we'll get the chance to challenge the Six-Ring Soul Emperor together. That's good enough. That's… fine."
But as he tried to soothe himself, Xiao Qiang's voice came through the soul communicator again, dropping yet another bomb.
"Uncle Bai, don't worry about me. Thanks to my friendship with Xiao Hongchen, he helped cover some costs, so I still have quite a bit of money left."
"Oh, right. There are three million gold soul coins in the black card. Use that to pay off your debts and for your daily needs. And remember, when you reach the Five Rings, come see me. I'll help you get a ten-thousand-year soul ring. Don't be shy. You almost went bankrupt helping me back then. This is just interest."
Zhao Yuanbu: "…"
Inexplicably, he thought of a dish.
He clenched his teeth and muttered under his breath, "I should've eaten the crystal jade when I had the chance…"