Chapter 544: Chapter 544: 545 Acting

“Heh heh, that white-clad Ol’ Fatty has some audacity, taking advantage of Lady Long’s event to silently abduct the Space Rings of our fellow cultivators, claiming all the carefully prepared gifts for Lady Long as his own. Such behavior can hardly be described as something to be appreciated by both refined and common tastes!”

“Those five beside him are his accomplices. Even Young Master Ao’s Space Ring has vanished into thin air. Everyone present should be vigilant.”

Situ Guixiong spoke indifferently, with a young man behind him bearing a face full of spite and venom—it was none other than Young Master Ao, Ao Gou.

“On this matter, Young Master Li, do you have any thoughts?”n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

A hint of mockery flashed through Situ Guixiong’s eyes. It was clear the Ol’ Fatty had done it, and to any discerning eye, it was obvious. Just moments ago, Li Xiaobai had seemed to enjoy a cordial conversation with that Ol’ Fatty; now he could hardly absolve himself of blame.

Long Xue was also stunned, gazing blankly at the white-clad Ol’ Fatty below. Today’s events seemed to be particularly numerous. Every year at the tea party, countless talented young men would come to offer gifts, all of which were meticulously selected treasures—she knew this very well.

What she hadn’t anticipated was that a cultivator would covet these treasures and stoop to theft. The value was no small amount; the precious gifts gathered together were nearly equivalent to a small Sect’s treasury.

If these had indeed been stolen by this person, she couldn’t just stand by idly.

“What did you say? This man is a master thief who dares to steal even from a great family like the Ao Family?”

“Brother, I misjudged you. Just now, our conversation was so pleasant, to the point where I felt a kindred spirit. To think you would turn out to be a thief!”

“I treated you as a brother, yet you coveted my Space Ring!”

“Shameful, most vile! Everyone, I don’t know this man; do as you please!”

Li Xiaobai’s expression became stern, exuding an air of utter seriousness, as if he were the very picture of integrity.

The cultivators had their foreheads creased with black lines. Had it not been for witnessing his earlier frivolous demeanor, they might have really believed him to be a scrupulously honorable gentleman at this moment.

This rapid change of face could match their own leaders.

“Brother, you can eat whatever you wish, but you should not speak carelessly. Which eye of yours saw Ol’ Fatty handling a Space Ring?”

“Ol’ Fatty is a peerless talent from the Central Province, frequenter of such illustrious gatherings, having participated countless times. Do you think he would fancy the trinkets in your pockets?”

“It’s laughable, don’t make too much of yourself. To Ol’ Fatty, you so-called family scions aren’t worth mentioning!”

The white-clad Ol’ Fatty erupted in anger, appearing as if he were being falsely accused and ready to fight everyone, while the other five also bore a cold look in their eyes, full of displeasure.

Clearly, they were in a foul mood from being wrongfully accused.

Li Xiaobai watched, clicking his tongue in wonder. His senior brother was truly an excellent actor.

“You fat oaf, if you dare do it, then face up to it. If you disagree, do you have the courage to let me inspect your Space Ring?”

Ao Gou was also fuming with anger, shouting loudly, but the next second he realized the inappropriateness in his words.

The Space Ring is a cultivator’s deeply personal item. Inspecting someone else’s Space Ring was tantamount to invading their privacy, a demand that was somewhat impolite.

Especially since he was currently at Lady Long’s tea party. Such words made him seem somewhat clueless.

“Enough, this is Lady Long’s tea party. By making such a fuss, where do you place Lady Long?”

“Just a moment ago, everyone was calling out ‘Immortal, Immortal’ so affectionately, so why do you turn your backs faster than a book when it comes to your own interests?”

“`

“In the end, you’re nothing but a bunch of hypocrites. From what I see, Lady Long doesn’t even exist in your eyes. This is a tea party; any disputes can wait until it’s over. Let’s not make things difficult for Lady Long!”

Li Xiaobai stood up, scolded everyone, and tried to mediate the dispute. Then, in front of everyone’s stunned expressions, he gave Long Xue an apologetic smile.

“I’m sorry, Lady Long. Today we were the ones lacking manners, frequently interrupting your gathering. This will not happen again. Please, continue with the event.”

Watching Li Xiaobai, who now sat properly, conducted himself with impeccable manners as if he was a changed person, the cultivators cursed in their hearts.

Damn it, where did this fellow spring from? He’s shameless to the extreme.

They were clearly the ones targeting someone else. How did it suddenly turn into him being the mediator, making them look like they were the ones making a scene and being unreasonable?

This maneuver is pretty slick!

“Heh heh, since Ol’ Fatty’s brother has spoken thus, I will give face to the Immortal and won’t pursue the matter. Well, you wanted Ol’ Fatty’s Space Ring, didn’t you? What if I gave it to you? Such resources, Ol’ Fatty doesn’t value them.”

The man in white smiled faintly, casually took off the Space Ring, and threw it to Ao Gou. Then he politely added, “Lady Long, we were presumptuous. Please, continue.”

Ao Gou glanced at the Space Ring in his hand, looking puzzled, then his complexion immediately turned ashen. There wasn’t a single thing inside the ring, it was cleaner than that dead fatty’s face.

A piece of paper lay quietly inside.

“Want Ol’ Fatty’s treasure?”

“Call me daddy. Let’s see who can shout the loudest!”

Damn it, this dead fatty really is despicable, actually mocking him.

But taking someone’s Space Ring was already his fault. At this moment, it wasn’t appropriate to keep clinging to this issue. He could only endure it for now and settle the score with the man after the tea party was over.

“Young Master Ao, what do you say? Have you found your lost item?”

Long Xue shifted her gaze and asked Young Master Ao with a faint smile, though there was no longer a smile in her eyes. Today’s tea party was quite different from the ones in past years, too many unexpected events had occurred.

It seemed like everyone present had come with an emotional baggage, causing her tea party to hit a deadlock before it even started. Even someone as patient as she was feeling displeased at this moment.

“Heh heh, my apologies, fellow Daoist. It was my impulsiveness that led to the misunderstanding. Here, I offer you an apology. I hope you won’t take it to heart.”

Ao Gou forcibly suppressed the rage in his heart, returned the Space Ring to the man in white, and said with a smile plastered on his face.

“No big deal. Misunderstandings cleared, all is well. Ol’ Fatty is not one to stoop to thievery,” the man in white said contentedly, nodding his head, and speaking lightly in a manner that suggested he was willing to forgive and forget.

“Now that the misunderstanding among you all has been cleared up, from now on you are friends. It’s a pleasure for this young lady to have been able to resolve a grudge and clear up a misunderstanding during today’s tea party. Now that this matter is settled, I will send someone to look for the thief.”

Seeing that no conflict broke out, Long Xue breathed a sigh of relief.

If these hotheads had actually started fighting in Linglong Pagoda, her gathering today would have been for naught. Fortunately, her worries did not materialize.

She then cleared her throat, “Everyone here is a young talent of Aolai Country, versed in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Today, let’s bond over painting. How about it?”

“`