Chapter 134: So That's What It Is

"What is this thing?"

The onlookers crowded forward: "What stone?"

The man in blue steadied his mind: "This item works exactly opposite to that Determining Spirit Pearl we just saw."

"This stone can control a person's mind and spirit, stir up one's inner demons, and is the ultimate treasure for martial practitioners to hone their concentration!"

Gasps rose one after another, and everyone's gaze toward the stone casket instantly became intensely fervent!

Tuan Tuan happily tugged Xiao Ze's hand, then tugged Xiao Er's sleeve. "How about it, did I pick well?"

The two lowered their heads to look at her, their faces showing a faint smile, their eyes gentle.

The boy furrowed his brows tightly. "Impossible! This is absolutely impossible! I couldn't even discern the secret box, how could she possibly see it?"

Someone suddenly realized.

"Heaven! Didn't you notice? Sword blanks pair with Mystic Iron, Determining Spirit Pearl pairs with Heart Demon Stone!"

"This little girl, could it be that she calculated what this young master would draw out?"

"Indeed! If you hadn't said it, I wouldn't have figured it out!"

The crowd's gaze toward Tuan Tuan couldn't help but carry a hint of astonishment.

The boy, hearing that, also understood, and his gaze toward Tuan Tuan finally ceased to be contemptuous.

When I selected the secret box, she was clearly not beside me.

That's not right; even if she were beside me, she couldn't possibly know what's inside the secret box.

Then how could the thing she chose match mine so perfectly?

What on earth is this little girl?

The man in blue reached for the last dust‑covered earthen jar.

This time the whole venue fell silent, a pin could be heard dropping.

No one harbored any trace of contempt; everyone only wanted to see with their own eyes what treasure might be revealed this time.

The man in blue's expression grew increasingly solemn; he gently brushed away the dust from the jar's mouth, gave the lid a light tap, and carefully pried open the yellow‑clay seal.

Crack!

The clay seal shattered.

Still, there was no dazzling radiance as imagined.

He tilted the jar and gently inverted it into his palm.

A lump of clay rolled out.

Everyone actually breathed a sigh of relief; finally, this time it wasn't some earth‑shattering treasure.

This—this! A piece of clay! It can't possibly be a treasure again, can it?

If yellow clay counts as a treasure, then we'd both be better off going home to farm!

The boy's nervous gaze turned proud again: "How about it, little girl? Even if you strain all your effort, what then? Your stuff will be mine in an instant!"

The man in blue examined the yellow clay in his hand carefully, but no matter how he inspected or sniffed, he found nothing unusual, his face full of puzzlement.

There can't possibly be something without a background inside the secret box!

How could the Pavilion Master bring a lump of yellow clay to guess the secret box?

Is our Tianji Pavilion planning to shut its doors?

Tuan Tuan stepped forward, stretched out her small hand: "Uncle, give it to me."

The man in blue, hearing this, placed the clay lump into her hand.

Tuan Tuan lifted the lump and hurled it forcefully onto the table.

The lump didn't move a hair.

Laughter erupted around: "Little girl, don't waste your effort."

"Exactly, who knows how many years this clay has been in that broken jar."

"It's almost turned to stone!"

Tuan Tuan picked up the lump again and smashed it onto the table; once more, not even a crack appeared.

The boy laughed heartily: "Little girl, just admit defeat honestly! Stop dreaming!"

Tuan Tuan shook her little hand, "So tired!" looked at Xiao Er: "Second Uncle, I'm weak, you take over!"

"Yes!" Xiao Er stretched out his big hand, grabbed the lump, and struck the table forcefully.

Clang! The lump shattered.

The man in blue brushed aside the soil and took out a gray, mud‑splattered object.

He produced a brocade handkerchief and wiped all the mud off the object.

A square, perfectly shaped jade seal, its top adorned with five interlaced dragons and engraved with eight ancient seal characters, suddenly appeared before everyone's eyes!

The jade felt warm and smooth, yet radiated a brilliant imperial aura!

The man in blue picked up the jade seal, flipped it over, his hand suddenly trembling violently, his voice changing tone: "Ordained by Heaven, may longevity and everlasting prosperity!"

Xiao Ze's complexion changed; the Jade Imperial Seal?! Could it truly be Father Emperor's jade seal? When was it lost? How did it end up here?

Tuan Tuan looked at the jade seal, realizing that's what it was! I told you this earthen jar looked so strange.

The whole venue instantly boiled over!

"Jade Imperial Seal? Is it really the jade seal?"

"What? Jade seal?"

"My Old Heaven Lord! A jade seal emerged from a lump of clay?"

"Could the Emperor's jade seal be lost?"

"Impossible, this earthen jar has been sealed for many years; how could His Majesty's jade seal possibly..."

Only the boy's face turned deathly pale like paper with a whoosh!

He lunged forward a step, reaching out to seize the jade seal from the green‑clad person's hand.

The green‑clad person sidestepped and said, "Young master, what are you trying to do?"

The boy rushed forward again, wildly snatching it away, and blurted, "Hurry up and give it to me! This is … of my Da Xia!"

He suddenly realized his slip of the tongue, stopped, and covered his mouth.

Tuan Tuan suddenly understood—no wonder his aura was a chaotic mess.

No wonder his aura didn't diminish even though he clearly lost!

Turns out he's the Da Xia prodigy who goes around stealing things!

"So it's you! The 'God‑Thief'!"

Shen Tong was stunned by her words, "What am I? A God‑Thief?"

After reacting, he flew into a rage: "What nonsense are you spouting! I'm not a God‑Thief!"

Tuan Tuan ignored him, lifted his head, and asked Xiao Ze, "Third Elder Brother, is this thing valuable?"

Xiao Ze glanced at Shen Tong and said, "Valuable! Extremely valuable!"

"This thing is the emperor's token; without it, an emperor is like an official without his seal—he could be driven to desperation."

Shen Tong glared at him furiously: "You!"

Xiao Ze smiled and said, "What's wrong? Which of my words to this Da Xia person is incorrect?"

Jiang Xin stepped forward, came up beside Shen Tong, and whispered in his ear, "Your identity has been exposed; we shouldn't linger here—escape is urgent."

Shen Tong looked around; he hadn't intended to reveal his identity on this trip, so he'd brought only Jiang Xin, and everyone around was from Lie Guo—it seemed impossible to snatch the jade seal.

He looked at Tuan Tuan and said, "Name your price—I'll buy this jade seal!"

Tuan Tuan frowned at him and asked, "You want to buy it?"

Shen Tong nodded solemnly: "Go ahead and name your price—I can afford it!"

Tuan Tuan snorted, "Does being able to pay make you impressive? I don't want to sell it!"

Shen Tong was almost driven to fury by her: "You!"

Tuan Tuan turned to Xiao Ze and said, "Third Elder Brother, let's take it back and play with it—I've never played with a jade seal before!"

Xiao Ze smiled in agreement: "Sure thing!"

Shen Tong pointed at the two, his hand trembling with rage, and shouted, "You two! Wait for me!"

"Jiang Xin! Let's go!"

"Yes!" Jiang Xin reached out to take the secret box from the table.

The green‑clad person pressed down on his hand and said, "Young master, you lost today's bet—your secret box and whatever you drew belong entirely to this lady; you can't take them away."

Shen Tong had forgotten the bet as soon as he saw the jade seal, but now it came back to him.

Watching the three secret boxes he'd bought at great cost be handed over to others, while the long‑coveted jade seal was within reach yet unobtainable, the exalted god‑reincarnated prodigy Shen Tong kept falling into the hands of a little girl time and again.

The more he thought about it, the angrier he grew—his vision darkened, his body swayed, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.

Jiang Xin hurried forward to support him and exclaimed, "Your Highness!"

His voice was soft, but those nearby heard it.

Xiao Ze frowned and wondered, "Your Highness? Could he actually be a prince of Da Xia?"

The surrounding spectators, however, hadn't heard and tried to console him: "Winning and losing are ordinary in warfare, young master—it's not that serious."

"This secret‑box guessing event happens only once every three years—come again next time!"

"Exactly! Your luck was bad this time; maybe next time it'll be better."

Shen Tong clutched his chest, so furious he could barely form a coherent sentence: "Me? My luck's bad? Who dares to compare their luck to mine?"

"What nonsense are you spouting!"

Tuan Tuan tilted her head and said, "You've stolen too much—no matter how good your luck is, it won't help!"