Chapter 22: A Sharp Slap to Shen Qianye's Face

Amidst the crowd’s flattery, Father Jiang appeared beaming with delight.

Lu Fan had already guessed why the average person couldn't identify the forgery; the original had been in his master’s possession for many years, while what people saw today were merely imitations copied by others long ago. His eldest senior sister often joked that their master was an ancient monster who had attained enlightenment before the founding of the nation, having lived for countless years. According to his master, the world was once filled with abundant spiritual energy, allowing everyone to cultivate immortality. Grass, trees, spirits, ghosts, and rare beasts were commonplace. Later, however, the celestial gods used the Vermilion Bird, Black Tortoise, Azure Dragon, White Tiger, and Qilin to form the Five Elements Spirit-Locking Array, sealing away the spiritual power of the continent.

Consequently, those with spiritual veins became extremely rare, and most humans had devolved into ordinary people. Only those with spiritual veins could practice cultivation. In these times of withered spiritual energy, practitioners were categorized by rank as "martial artists," ranging from the first to the ninth level. Even the security guard he had encountered previously was only a first-level martial artist, which was more than enough to deal with an ordinary person like himself. Those above the ninth level were known as "spirit practitioners"—they were as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns, mostly residing in secluded mountain sects. In today’s world, breaking through the spirit practitioner stage was harder than ascending to heaven, let alone achieving immortality and ascending in broad daylight—that was nothing but a fool’s dream.

Lu Fan held no opinion on the fake painting, yet Shen Qianye, not content with merely receiving praise, insisted on flaunting it right in front of the actual expert.

"Lu Fan, what’s with that expression? It seems you are quite unconvinced."

Lu Fan knew Shen was deliberately looking for trouble. Since it was the grandmother’s birthday banquet, he didn't want to cause any further drama, so he replied with good temper, "Not at all. You’re overthinking it, Young Master Shen. I have no reason to be unconvinced by you."

Whenever Shen Qianye recalled how Lu Fan had used Master Qin’s influence to force him to his knees that day, he knew he had to settle the score himself.

"No? Then why do you have such a look of disdain? I’m quite curious: what kind of gift has the Jiang family’s former son-in-law prepared for Grandmother?"

The grandmother quickly intervened to smooth things over: "What need is there for gifts? I am already content that everyone could come to celebrate my birthday. Qianye, please take your seat."

"Grandmother, I’m doing this for your own good. You treat him so well, yet your birthday is a major occasion. Surely he didn't come empty-handed, did he?"

Incited by his words, the people around them began to whisper and gossip about Lu Fan. Jiang Ruxue’s face flushed; she had given Lu Fan a card earlier, so he couldn't possibly have failed to buy something for her grandmother, could he?

"Lu Fan, didn't you say you prepared something for Grandmother? Take it out now!" she urged, not wanting to become a laughingstock herself.

Lu Fan pulled a wooden box the size of a ring case from his pocket. "Grandmother, a small token of my esteem. Please accept it."

Before it could reach the old lady, Shen Qianye snatched it away. He opened the box and sneered, "Isn't this a Heart-Clearing Pill? Five thousand a piece—Lu Fan, I can't believe you actually had the nerve to give this!"

The pill Lu Fan had brought was a high-grade Beauty-Preserving Pill, similar in rank to a Origin-Returning Pill. Even low-grade Beauty-Preserving Pills were in short supply and exorbitantly expensive on the market. Since the others had never seen one, they mistook the high-grade version for a common Heart-Clearing Pill.

Jiang Ruxue was infuriated. "Lu Fan, are you sick? I gave you a card and you didn't use it, and then you come up with this piece of trash? You have the nerve to present a Heart-Clearing Pill?"

"Ruxue, you can't blame him. He's just a country boy with no experience; he was probably swindled."

"Exactly. Not everyone has the financial standing of Young Master Shen."

Father Jiang had originally hoped that since Lu Fan had saved Master Qin, he could bask in some reflected glory and have the Qin family attend the birthday celebration, which was why he had specifically asked Jiang Ruxue to invite him. To his surprise, not a single member of the Qin family showed up, and Lu Fan was now making a fool of himself. It was clear the Qin family didn't hold Lu Fan in any regard at all. Father Jiang thought it was fortunate that he had forced Lu Fan and Jiang Ruxue to divorce; compared to Shen Qianye, the difference between them was like heaven and earth.

Lu Fan hadn't expected his kind gesture to end in such a situation.

"This is not a Heart-Clearing Pill."

Jiang Ruxue looked at him with anger. "Then tell me, with this color and this smell, if it’s not a Heart-Clearing Pill, what is it?"

"It is a high-grade Beauty-Preserving Pill."

As soon as the words "high-grade" were spoken, the entire room was stunned for a moment before bursting into laughter. Because of the decline in spiritual energy, not only was the human level low, but even rare flowers and herbs were only of basic quality. Even if synthesized, they could only produce low-grade pills. High-grade herbs only existed in deep mountains where spiritual energy was abundant, and most were owned by sects. Even low-grade pills were highly sought after by ordinary people, so when people got sick, they still relied primarily on conventional medicine. A Heart-Clearing Pill, which only calmed the emotions, was considered useless—it couldn't be compared to a functional Beauty-Preserving Pill.

The moment he said "high-grade," everyone laughed.

Shen Qianye was even more arrogant. He reached out and patted Lu Fan’s cheek. "Little brother, are you dreaming? Even a low-grade Beauty-Preserving Pill is fought over in the black market. Do you even have any concept of what 'high-grade' means?"

Lu Fan brushed his hand away and said calmly, "A low-grade Beauty-Preserving Pill can make a woman's skin smooth and delicate; a mid-grade one can reshape a woman's figure, making her as slim and graceful as a young girl. As for the high-grade, while it cannot make one return to childhood, it can make a fifty-year-old woman radiant and restore her to the appearance of an eighteen-year-old."

The older the person, the better the effect; if an eighty-year-old man took one, his appearance could be reversed by at least thirty years. Of course, no one present had ever seen one; they had only heard rumors.

"It seems you aren't completely stupid, but don't even talk about yourself—not even Master Qin could produce a single mid-grade Beauty-Preserving Pill. Trying to pass off a Heart-Clearing Pill as a high-grade one? Do you take us for fools?"

Jiang Ruxue was filled with regret. She snatched the box and threw it back into Lu Fan’s arms. "My grandmother has treated you well enough, yet you show her such contempt. Do you have any respect for our Jiang family at all?"

Lu Fan felt a massive headache. The ignorance of these people was truly exhausting. "Miss Jiang, it is precisely because I hold your grandmother in such high regard that I gave her this Beauty-Preserving Pill. What would I gain by lying to you?"

Shen Qianye sneered, "Lu Fan, I never realized you were so fond of putting on airs. You even invented the concept of a high-grade Beauty-Preserving Pill."

"Enough, stop arguing."

Grandmother Jiang spoke up: "Little Fan had good intentions. Regardless of what kind of pill it is, it won't do any harm to my health. Little Fan, I appreciate your gift. I’ve been feeling a bit uneasy lately, so I shall take it."

She was trying to smooth things over, but Mother Jiang stopped her: "Mother, the origin of this medicine is unknown. Who knows where it came from? It's not even certain if it’s a genuine calming pill."

Shen Qianye added fuel to the fire: "Exactly, Grandmother. You can eat food recklessly, but you shouldn't touch medicine without knowing what it is—especially something from the hands of a loser like him. Be careful."

Jiang Rushan glanced coldly at Lu Fan. "You disgraceful thing, get your trash and get out of here!"

"How unlucky!"

"Get out!"

"How could the Jiang family have such a son-in-law? He’s not even worth a single toe of Young Master Shen."

The overwhelming insults poured in, but Lu Fan didn't really care. He looked at Jiang Ruxue, only to see eyes filled with disappointment. *Heh,* what was he even hoping for? Was he expecting her to stand up and speak a word of justice for him?

He laughed helplessly, clutched the wooden box, and prepared to leave. Since the Jiang family didn't value it, he saw no reason to grovel and humiliate himself.

"Grandmother, this is the last time I will celebrate your birthday. I wish you good health and all the best."

Grandmother Jiang met Lu Fan’s clear, dark eyes, and her heart was filled with guilt. The prejudice the Jiang family held against Lu Fan was like a mountain that couldn't be leveled with a few words, and no one cared about what she had to say. Even though she liked Lu Fan, she could only watch helplessly as he was belittled and insulted.

"Child..."

Just then, the sound of drums and gongs erupted outside. A servant hurried in: "Master, Grandmother, come out and see! People from the Capital’s National Lion Hall have arrived!"

The mention of that name shocked everyone. The National Lion Hall was the leading authority in the Northern Lion dance style, usually only accessible to the high-ranking officials and nobility of the capital. Because everyone in the National Lion Hall was a martial artist capable of high-difficulty maneuvers beyond the reach of ordinary people, they were held in high esteem. They were even more prestigious than the Yue Opera performers.

Everyone swarmed outside to watch the performance. The martial artists, clad in lion armor, leaped into the air, while in the distance, over a dozen people formed a golden dragon. The dragon and lion danced and fought in a truly magnificent display that drew thunderous applause. At the final moment, the flying dragon spat out a dragon pearl. The pearl exploded in the sky, revealing two birthday celebration banners.

The crowd erupted in applause and cheers again. Father Jiang looked radiant as he turned to Shen Qianye. "Qianye, was this also a surprise you prepared for Grandmother?"

Seeing no one else step forward, Shen Qianye went along with Father Jiang’s words: "Who else but me?"

Jiang Ruxue felt strange; she knew about the Yue Opera performers, but she had no idea about the lion dance. "Qianye, why didn't you tell me?"

"I wanted to give you a surprise. Don't you like it?"

Before Jiang Ruxue could reply, the dragon and lion descended to the ground, kicking up a cold gust of wind. The scene was spectacular.

The leader spoke in unison: "We were specifically invited by Mr. Lu to celebrate Elder Madame Jiang’s birthday. We wish her blessings as vast as the Eastern Sea and a lifespan as long as the Southern Mountains!"

The expressions on everyone’s faces shifted instantly.

"Mr. Lu? Which Mr. Lu? Surely it can't be Lu Fan."

"Hahaha, impossible. How could that loser, Lu Fan, possibly hire them?"

As the words fell, one of the performers replied, "We are here precisely for Mr. Lu Fan."

It felt like a resounding slap across Shen Qianye’s face!

Lu Fan was completely bewildered. When had he ever hired a lion dance troupe?

The next second, he heard a hearty laugh: "Mr. Lu, I hope I’m not late."

Jiang Ruxue froze as she looked at the newcomer: "Th-Third Master..."