"Lord Hu, don't cause a ruckus here or I might not really be of help if Sister Theia makes a move." Lu Sulan appeared to be scolding Hu Xiandao but her eyes didn't look angry at all. In fact, she was glad that the latter stood up for her for it was beneath her pride to bully a mere prince.

He Xiandao gave one last look of disdain towards Prince Erevard before he turned his gaze at Lu Sulan. He then let out a sheepish smile and said with a slightly embarrassed tone. "My apologies, Sect Mistress Lu. I just couldn't bear to see your esteemed self being bullied by this brat."

Lu Sulan waved him off before she flashed a splendid smile at the third prince and co. "Dear guest, can I take your orders now?"

Prince Erevard was still feeling furious after being humiliated by Hu Xiandao, but he didn't dare behave recklessly in front of an 8th-rank Divine realm expert like Lu Sulan. He forced out a faint smile and replied in a humble voice. "Sect Mistress Lu, I'd like to order..." 

The third prince's eyes almost popped out when he saw the prices of the wines sold. So the rumors about the wines here being sold at exorbitant prices were true? 

"What's the matter, dear guest?" Lu Sulan asked with a look of concern, but she laughing in her heart.

Prince Erevard glanced at Lu Sulan and said with a slightly trembling voice. "I'd like to order ten Frozen Origin." 

He felt a bit pained to waste that much money on wines, but he didn't have a choice. He wasn't like the second prince who has a huge amount of wealth, so 500 True Crystals was already a huge amount for him.

"Ten Frozen Origin... Is there anything else?" Lu Sulan asked with a smile.

Prince Erevard hurriedly shook his head. "That's it for now."

Although he had many questions inside his head, the third prince was not in the mood to ask Lu Sulan about that. So he immediately went back to his chair with a sullen look after ordering wines for himself and his subordinates. 

The customers thought that they would see another good show, but they were disappointed once again. However, they didn't take it to heart and resumed drinking their wines with red faces.

'It looks like it will be hard for me to get these Earth Origin Dragon Tree with an expert like Lu Sulan standing guard. If that's the case, I will wait for those experts to strike and fish during the commotion.' Prince Erevard's greed didn't diminish one bit despite knowing that a strong expert was present inside the store. 

* * *

The next day.

Jiu Shen opened his store as per usual. He didn't even look the least bit worried and maintained a casual attitude. 

"Good morning, Wine Master Jiu. Hehe." Liu Mengdi greeted him with a respectful smile. He was almost present here every day with his subordinates, but he was somewhat surprised since he didn't see the most punctual group. Of course, he was talking about Boss Scar and his mercenary buddies. 

Jiu Shen gave him an indifferent look and didn't even bother to reply. 

Liu Mengdi smiled awkwardly before he stepped inside the store. He was already used to Jiu Shen's personality that it was no longer a surprise to him that he was ignored by the latter. Still, he felt a bit wronged in his heart. He was, after all, the young patriarch of the Liu Family. Someone who held a considerable amount of authority in the Silver Wing Empire, but to think that he was treated as a mere fart by Jiu Shen on a daily basis. It was truly a huge blow to his pride...

"Wine Master Jiu, I've heard some news from my father that a lot of experts might come to strike your store today. It appears that they covet something in your possession." Liu Mengdi said after inching closer to Jiu Shen. He was present when the alchemists from the Alchemy Hall visited Jiu Shen's store, so he already knew about Jiu Shen's identity as an Alchemy Saint, but he still decided to warn him out of his good intentions.

This time, Jiu Shen glanced at Liu Mengdi and nodded his head at him. The former was a bit surprised that this kid was actually a bit sensible. 

"Welcome, Young Master Liu." Hestia greeted him with a smile. She had already recovered from her injuries after a day of rest. Furthermore, she didn't suffer that much damage anyway and Jiu Shen also gave her a healing pill to hasten her recovery. 

Liu Mengdi smiled at Hestia and bowed his head slightly. "I'm happy to see, Young Miss Hestia today. I wonder why you were absent yesterday." He asked with a curious look.

Hestia's face froze but she hurriedly replied. "I just had some matters to do, Young Master Liu."

Liu Mengdi didn't ask any further after hearing Hestia's vague answer. 

"Oh, as long as-"

"Kekeke! So this is the store that stole this lord's Earth Origin Dragon Tree? What a shabby establishment! It's not even as big as my dog's kennel! Kekeke!" An eerie voice filled with malice resounded outside the store, scaring the customers who were about to go inside. 

Jiu Shen acted as if he heard nothing and simply found himself a seat. He pressed his back on the chair and crossed his legs with the same uncaring expression on his handsome face. 

"Meow!" A chubby white cat that could hardly walk due to its ball-like body rolled towards Jiu Shen and jumped on his lap. It then snuggled closer to him with its eyes closed. 

Liu Mengdi glanced at the duo and was at loss for words. 'Wine Master Jiu, there is a strong opponent outside your store. How can you remain calm in this kind of situation?' He thought to himself while looking at the entrance. He was a bit relieved when he saw Theia standing guard like a valiant war goddess. 

"The guy outside seems a bit strong. Will Young Miss Theia be able to hold him down?" Liu Mengdi muttered to himself while stiffly sitting on his chair.

Jiu Shen glanced at the stick-looking old man with a hunched back. He seemed to be in his eighties and didn't even look human anymore. It wasn't wrong to say that he was a walking corpse with his wrinkled face and feeble appearance.

"An ant in this world is actually cultivating this kind of filthy technique..." Jiu Shen muttered coldly.