Chapter 1656: Chapter 1656

Mu Xinghe grinned. "What do you think, if we kidnapped this young master from the Immortal Treasures Pavilion, how much would they pay to get him back?"

Beside him, Mu Xingchen tugged his sleeve with a frown, clearly signaling him to shut up before he said something he'd regret.

Mu Xinghe just chuckled. "Relax. Brother is not an outsider."

Ye Guan smiled. "Honestly, not a bad idea."

Mu Xinghe's face changed on the spot. He grabbed Ye Guan's arm in a panic and said, voice trembling, "Brother, I was just messing around! You know, just running my mouth! That guy's not someone we can touch! We go after him, and forget our clan, the whole civilization might get wiped out. We wouldn't even leave a single ant behind! You really can't joke about this!"

Mu Xingchen nodded frantically, deadly serious.

Ye Guan said thoughtfully, "But if we did manage to pull it off... we'd probably make quite a bit."

Mu Xinghe was practically crying. "We cannot do that! And even if you decide to do it, don't drag me into it, alright? Pretend I never said a thing!"

Ye Guan laughed. "Don't be so scared. That young master of the Immortal Treasures Pavilion isn't that impressive. He just got lucky. If he'd been born into a regular family, he might not even measure up to you."

Mu Xinghe thought for a second, then grinned. "You know what, Brother... that kind of makes sense. Heh..."

Just then, a voice chimed in from nearby. "I think you're underestimating him."

The three turned around to see a well-dressed young man walking over, his expression a little sour.

Looking at Ye Guan, he said seriously, "You just said the young master of the Immortal Treasures Pavilion isn't anything special. I'd have to disagree."

Ye Guan raised a brow. "Oh? And why's that?"

The young man stopped in front of them and said, "People always assume that second-gen elites are all useless rich kids who do nothing but party. But that's a flawed view. Sure, there are a few like that, but the true heirs of top clans are raised with care, groomed from a young age with the best resources.

"Their knowledge and vision are leagues ahead of the average person."

Mu Xinghe shot back, saying, "Exactly. They're only that way because they've had everything handed to them. But what if they didn't? What if they were born like the rest of us?"

The robed youth smiled. "Hold up, brother, let me finish. Do you know how the Immortal Treasures Pavilion raised this young master?"

Mu Xinghe frowned. "How?"

The youth replied, "This might be news to you, but it's all over the place now, rumor has it that he's not in the Origin Universe because... he's being raised outside."

Mu Xinghe blinked. "Raised outside?"

"That's right." The youth nodded. "The Immortal Treasures Pavilion deliberately sent him out to experience hardship. Think about it, a guy born with everything, filthy rich from the start, choosing to live like a normal person.

"That's not something just anyone can do. If I were in his shoes? No way. But he did. That takes guts. You don't see that every day."

Ye Guan nodded. "That's a fair point. Go on."

Mu Xinghe was speechless.

The young man smiled. "People love to assume second-gens don't work hard, but many of them work even harder than us. And someone like him, born with a silver spoon and still willing to suffer? That's rare."

Mu Xinghe frowned. "This whole 'raised outside' thing, how do you know it's true?"

The youth said confidently, "Oh, it's definitely true."

Mu Xinghe looked skeptical. "And how would you know?"

The young man grinned. "Well, not to brag, but I've met him. We actually used to call each other brothers!"

Ye Guan had no idea what to say.

Mu Xinghe looked stunned. "You... you and Ye Guan were brothers?"

The youth nodded with a totally straight face. "We hit it off the moment we met. Swore brotherhood on the spot."

Ye Guan asked quietly, "And you are...?"

The young man cupped his hands with a smile. "Xiao Yuanqi, at your service!"

He was a hundred percent sure that he had never seen this guy before. Google seaʀᴄh NoveI(F)ire.net

Xiao Yuanqi sighed. "You guys don't know what he's been through. Since he can't use his family's power, he's had to face everything on his own.

"Sometimes he goes up against enemies way above his level, and his fleshly body gets shattered again and again. He's not even allowed to call for help... the guy has really been suffering."

Ye Guan was dumbfounded.

Mu Xinghe frowned. "Why wouldn't he call for help when someone stronger's after him? That's just stupid."

Ye Guan glanced at Mu Xinghe but didn't comment.

Xiao Yuanqi looked solemn. "You don't get it. Once you start calling for backup, you get addicted to it. You start relying on others. That weakens your mindset."

Ye Guan nodded. "Makes sense. Go on."

Mu Xinghe still shook his head. "I don't care what you say. That's just asking to get beaten up."

Xiao Yuanqi smiled. "That's because you don't have a powerful family."

"Hey!" Mu Xinghe snapped. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Sorry, sorry," Xiao Yuanqi quickly said. "I'm saying that you don't come from a top clan. For example, I heard that Brother Ye's father... was raised outside, too."

Ye Guan was at a loss for words.

Xiao Yuanqi kept going. "His father was raised the same way, and he turned out to be a total elite. That's why Brother Ye ended up a second-gen elite. You? Maybe your father just wasn't raised outside!"

"That's nonsense!" Mu Xinghe couldn't take it anymore. "You're twisting logic into a pretzel! There's no cause-and-effect between being raised outside and becoming strong!"

Xiao Yuanqi smiled. "That's true for normal people, because they're already on their own. But for someone from a top clan? It's a different story. If someone like that can make their own way in the world and then return to inherit their clan's power... you know what that means, right?"

Mu Xinghe fell silent.

If someone from a top clan carves their own path, reaches the peak by themselves, and still has the clan's foundation waiting for them...

Ye Guan glanced at Xiao Yuanqi but said nothing.

Xiao Yuanqi suddenly asked, "You three are heading to the Forbidden Divine Tombs?"

Mu Xinghe nodded. "Yeah."

Xiao Yuanqi lit up. "Great! Let's go together!"

Mu Xinghe looked at Ye Guan. This wasn't his call.

Xiao Yuanqi also looked at Ye Guan and said with a smile. "The ruins are insanely dangerous. More people mean better odds. What do you say? Of course, if it's inconvenient..."

Ye Guan said, "Sure. Let's go."

Xiao Yuanqi beamed. "Excellent!"

Soon, the four of them arrived at a merchant guild run by the Immortal Treasures Pavilion to buy some supplies. Mu Xinghe and Mu Xingchen were broke, so Ye Guan covered everything.

Xiao Yuanqi didn't buy a thing and just tagged along.

Once they were ready, the four set off for the Forbidden Divine Tombs.

Just as they reached the entrance, a young woman came up to greet them. She looked seventeen or eighteen, bright, lively, and full of charm. Clearly, she was from the Immortal Treasures Pavilion, as her robes had a large, unmistakable character for the word "Immortal" stitched on them.

With a dazzling smile, she asked, "Hello, everyone! Heading into the ruins?"

Ye Guan nodded. "Yeah."

The young woman seemed to have realized that he was the leader and pulled out a small booklet, handing it to him. "Handsome young master, please take a look, this is our Immortal Treasures Pavilion's exclusive Adventurer's Life Insurance!"

Ye Guan was stunned. "Life insurance?"

The young woman blinked innocently. "That's right! I'm sure you all are incredibly strong, but the Forbidden Divine Tombs are dangerous—very dangerous. If and only if something goes wrong, your families would be left with nothing.

"That's why we created this policy. Buy it, and your loved ones are guaranteed compensation. It's really for their sake!"

Ye Guan was speechless. He opened the booklet:

Forbidden Divine Tombs Life Insurance Price: 28,000 Ancestral Spiritual Crystals Payout: 90,000 Ancestral Spiritual Crystals for the next of kin. Bonus: We'll do our best to recover and bury your remains. (Assuming there are remains.)

Buy this policy, and we'll handle your funeral for you.

Ye Guan immediately handed it back. "No thanks."

He turned to leave, but Mu Xinghe grabbed him. "Brother, this is worth it. Let's buy it."

Ye Guan was speechless.

Even Xiao Yuanqi nodded. "We really should. The Immortal Treasures Pavilion is reliable. If something happens to us, our families will get paid."

Ye Guan remained silent. He turned to the girl. "And what if we don't die?"

The young woman blinked and replied, "No problem! The policy is valid for life. Once you die, that's when we pay."

Ye Guan's expression froze.

Now that she put it that way... damn, it really does sound like a good deal...