The elder guarding the Wei family’s treasury had already been repelled by the light barrier. The remaining few checkpoints presented no difficulty for Xu Yi. In less than the time it takes an incense stick to burn, the three of them had reached the treasury's main door.
After confirming there were no formations set upon the door, Xu Yi gestured for Wei Qingshan to step forward.
Wei Qingshan inserted the spirit key into the lock on the treasury door and turned it forcefully to the right. A creaking sound immediately echoed from within the door.
Wei Qingshan took a deep breath, placed her hands on the door, and pushed it forward.
The treasury door swung open, revealing dozens of rows of nine-foot-tall display cabinets.
Xu Yi’s fingers trembled slightly, and the corners of her mouth tilted upwards uncontrollably.
This was, apart from the Xuanyi Sect’s treasure vault, the place she had seen that stored the most treasures.
Wei Qingshan’s elder brother, Wei Qingyun, was an organized individual. He had categorized the items in the treasury according to their uses and hung jade plaques in front of each cabinet, inscribing them with labels, making everything clear at a glance.
“Senior, Senior?”
Wei Qingshan called out to Xu Yi several times before Xu Yi suddenly snapped back to reality. She forcefully averted her gaze and replied with feigned composure, “Hmm, ah, were you calling me?”
Wei Qingshan nodded, “Senior, you captured the Shadowless Slug earlier and saved my life and Wei Jiu’s. I have no way to repay you, other than to offer you the treasures in the clan treasury. You may choose anything you wish from here.”
As Wei Qingshan spoke, her eyes met Xu Yi’s directly. In the depths of her gaze lay gratitude and sincerity towards Xu Yi.
Xu Yi, who had just managed to control her expression, found the corners of her mouth starting to lift again. “Ahem, actually, I don’t have many worldly desires.”
Wei Qingshan and Wei Jiu nodded in agreement, completely believing Xu Yi’s statement.
“However, I can tell you are a good girl who repays kindness. To avoid making things difficult for you, I will reluctantly choose a few items.”
Xu Yi’s eyes sparkled as if emitting light, showing no sign of being troubled at all.
Wei Qingshan inexplicably found such a senior quite endearing. She chuckled, “Senior, there’s no need to be polite. I won’t be keeping a single item from the Wei family, so please choose to your heart’s content. What remains will be more than enough for Wei Jiu and me.”
“Then I won’t be polite?” Xu Yi inquired tentatively.
Wei Qingshan made an inviting gesture, “Please, Senior, take your pick.”
As the words fell, the Xu Yi in front of Wei Qingshan suddenly dissolved rapidly from top to bottom.
Wei Qingshan was startled. Upon closer inspection, she realized it was merely afterimages left behind by the senior moving too quickly.
Wei Qingshan couldn't help but let out a soft laugh again.
So, Senior wasn’t just formidable and taciturn. There were also those who were forthright and straightforward, like this senior.
If the Wei family could also be so honest and sincere, why would she have to resort to such drastic measures?
To ensure Xu Yi could select items to her liking, Wei Qingshan and Wei Jiu stood by, waiting patiently.
In less than the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, Xu Yi emerged from the display cabinets.
Wei Qingshan was somewhat surprised and quickly stepped forward, “Senior, are you done choosing already?”
She noticed that Senior had spent the longest time in front of the cabinets storing refining materials and spirit herbs, glancing at other areas only briefly before moving on.
Xu Yi nodded with a profound expression.
“Senior, my words just now were from the heart. Even if you took everything in the treasury, I would have no complaints,” Wei Qingshan explained earnestly.
“I know,” Xu Yi nodded, a hint of weariness in her eyes. “I am no longer the person I used to be.”
Xu Yi herself felt a pang of emotion. Initially, she had been filled with excitement, but after casually examining one or two items in the cabinets, she found it all rather dull.
While the items here were decent, to her, they were like chicken ribs – tasteless to eat, yet a pity to discard.
When she was outside the Giant’s Realm, she had once considered setting up a stall due to the excessive items in her storage bag. Later, she cleared a small portion of her space by selling them off at low prices.
Now, she didn’t want to fill her storage space with these largely useless items. Therefore, she only selected a few refining materials she didn’t possess and spirit herbs usable for alchemy before stopping.
Unbeknownst to her, she had already accumulated a modest fortune.
Upon realizing this fact, Xu Yi felt a strange sense of melancholy.
Wei Qingshan clearly did not understand Xu Yi’s sentimental mood, but she could see that Xu Yi was genuinely uninterested in the remaining items. Her admiration for Xu Yi grew even more.
How many people could remain unfazed when faced with a mountain of treasures?
After confirming Xu Yi’s intentions multiple times, Wei Qingshan immediately beckoned Wei Jiu to act.
Like a whirlwind, the two of them swept away all the treasures from the display cabinets.
With no treasures left on them, the cabinets looked remarkably desolate, a stark contrast to their previous appearance.
“Senior, shall we go?” Wei Qingshan said with a smile.
“Mm.” Xu Yi glanced at the now empty treasury and was about to turn and leave when her brow suddenly furrowed.
She made a gesture to Wei Qingshan and stepped towards the depths of the treasury.
Wei Qingshan followed her, her eyes wide with surprise. Senior seemed to have discovered something else.
The Wei family’s treasury was located in the innermost courtyard of their estate. The walls were built with Void Stone, which prevented spiritual energy from leaking out.
Xu Yi placed her hand on the Void Stone wall and felt it inch by inch. Finally, about two-thirds of the way up, she felt a faint indentation.
“Found it.”
Xu Yi smiled slightly and then pressed down forcefully.
*Clack!*
A drawer suddenly popped out from the Void Stone wall to her right.
Xu Yi, concerned that it might contain Wei family secrets that were not suitable for outsiders to see, said to Wei Qingshan, “See what’s inside.”
“Alright.” Wei Qingshan quickly stepped forward to retrieve the drawer, her heart filled with curiosity. She had never heard her brother mention any other mechanisms within the clan treasury.
After she finished reading the contents of the drawer, a peculiar smile spread across her face. “Senior, this appears to be an elder’s private stash.”
Xu Yi’s eyebrows rose, her interest piqued. She walked over and took a look. Good heavens, that old man had hidden it quite well.
This drawer was seven inches long and eight inches wide. Inside, a storage formation was carved, containing quite a few good items, along with a list.
The list meticulously recorded when these items were transferred from the treasury to his personal vault.
The reason he didn’t carry these items with him was that he intended to pass them down to his descendants.
Fearing that he might encounter an accident during his cultivation, and that his storage bag might be taken by others or handed over to the clan leader for management, he devised a plan. He installed a mechanism in the clan treasury to serve as his private vault.
Normally, only the clan leader and he could access the clan treasury, so there was no risk of exposure. Even if something unforeseen were to happen, his descendants could retrieve his inheritance from here, ensuring no mishaps.
However, he could never have imagined that his private vault would be discovered before any accident befell him.
After Xu Yi had Wei Qingshan and Wei Jiu put away these items, her eyes gleamed, and a brilliant idea struck her.