Chapter 169: Picking a Quarrel

Ye Tian and the others continued their pleasant stroll through the streets, with Leisia occasionally pointing out the Elven specialties to him. "Oh, they even make them right here on the spot!" Ye Tian noticed a stall where a lovely female elf was intently crafting a pair of earrings.

These were pendant-style earrings meant to be embedded with two rubies. The female elf was meticulously polishing the rubies with the tools in her hand, lifting them up from time to time for a careful inspection, only to shake her head and resume her work.

"They're already very pretty, why keep polishing?" Ye Tian suddenly asked. "Ah, patron, I wanted to shape this pair into teardrops, but they don't look quite right once fitted, so I plan to change them to a crescent moon shape," the female elf replied without looking up, continuing her task.

Her hands were nimble, and before long, she had ground the rubies into crescent moon shapes, fitted them, and held them up for a critical look. She shook her head once more, detached them, and prepared to discard them.

"Don't throw them away!" Ye Tian quickly interjected. "They're very pretty, why throw them away?" "Ah, patron, this pair of moons is not the moon in my heart, so I cannot use them," the female elf said indifferently, tossing them casually into a nearby box. Ye Tian glanced inside and saw it filled to the brim with gemstones of various shapes and sizes, both large and small.

"Come on, aren't you being a bit too obsessive?" Ye Tian sighed. "How about this, sell this pair of earrings to me." "You must be joking, patron!" the female elf said solemnly. "How could I possibly sell a defective item to a customer?"

"Good grief, they really are very pretty." Ye Tian pointed at the pair of moons. "No, unless it is the most perfect shape, I will not sell it to a customer," the female elf stated sternly. "If the patron truly wants them, please wait a moment, and I will craft a perfect shape as soon as possible."

"What kind of garbage jewelry is this? It looks hideous, there are even scratches on it." A lavishly dressed young elf carelessly tossed a necklace back onto the stall. "Got anything better? Don't show me this substandard junk!"

The female elf instantly grew angry, stepping forward to snatch up the necklace. She held it defensively in her palm and said to the male elf, "Esteemed customer, why must you insult my work? I can swear by my longbow that there isn't a single flaw on this necklace!"

"Hmph, and you claim there are no flaws? Daring to set such ugly gems on it is simply ruining Elven craftsmanship," retorted a seductive female elf standing beside the male elf.

"Oh, it's actually a rare and magnificent polychrome gemstone." Suddenly, a pair of large hands reached out and took the necklace from the female elf, examining it closely. "This necklace is truly extraordinary. Sell it to me, how about a hundred gold coins to be generous?"

"One—one hundred gold coins!" The surrounding elves gasped in low tones. While the elves did not place an overwhelming emphasis on gold coins, they were well aware of the value of a hundred of them; even a barrel of the finest Elven wine didn't cost a single gold coin!

"Hmph, where did some human come from, trying to act like a big shot here?" The male elf frowned. "Human, how did you even get into the City of Elves? Where are the guards? Why would the guards let you in?"

"Is the City of Elves your private estate?" Ye Tian smiled. "If you don't have the money or the capability, don't try to act like a grand lord here; you're just making a fool of yourself." With that, Ye Tian drew a coin pouch from his tunic, carefully counted out one hundred gold coins, zipped it up, and placed it directly into the female elf's hands.

"This is too much. This necklace is only worth one silver coin," the female elf said coolly, attempting to return the coin pouch to Ye Tian. "You're wrong. If I say it's worth a hundred, then it's worth a hundred," Ye Tian said proudly. "To fail to give a work of art this magnificent its proper value would be utterly shameless!"

"Who are you calling shameless?!" The male elf immediately sprang up.

"Oh, did I mention you? I don't even know you. Ah, what strange things happen these days—some people pick up money, some pick up bargains, but I never expected someone to go out of their way to pick up an insult." Ye Tian blinked innocently at the elves and gently shook his head.

"Hahahaha!" A burst of laughter erupted from the crowd. This human was simply too amusing! With just a single sentence, he had left his opponent utterly speechless, forced to swallow their grievance in silence. Absolutely brilliant!

"Human, don't be so arrogant! Who do you think you are?!" Having suffered a silent defeat, the male elf's previously pale face flushed red. He drew the longsword from his waist and charged forward!

Clang! The male elf's sword was kicked aside by a female elf. "And here I thought the Elven race loved peace. I'll argue with anyone who ever says that again," Ye Tian muttered, curling his lip as he spoke to Leisia.

"Pierre, don't think that just because you're a noble you can do whatever you please. This guest is the one who awakened the Ancient Tree of Wisdom; you'd better weigh your options carefully," Leisia said angrily.

"You're amazing!" Ye Tian clapped his hands softly, leaning in close to Leisia's ear. "Do keep your peace, Honorable Guest. Ever since you arrived, there hasn't been a single moment of tranquility," Leisia complained unhappily.

"As if I wanted this! He attacked me first, I didn't even move," Ye Tian protested, raising his hands in grievance. "All right, stop pressing your advantage when you're in the right. I'll handle this situation," Leisia sighed, then turned her gaze to the male elf nearby. "Pierre, get out of here right now!"

"Awakened the Ancient Tree of Wisdom? As if!" Pierre scoffed. "A frail human like this dreaming of awakening the Ancient Tree of Wisdom? In your dreams!" "And I suppose *you* were the one who awakened the Ancient Tree of Wisdom?" Leisia retorted.

"This..." Pierre was struck dumb; if he truly had that kind of ability, the Elven race wouldn't have had to go through so much trouble. "Anyway, I don't believe it! Unless he can beat me in a fight!" Pierre shouted loudly.

"Oh? Not completely stupid after all, realizing that I'm not in peak physical condition, so you dare to challenge me?" Ye Tian smiled. "It seems your intelligence is actually higher than an orc's." A fresh wave of muffled laughter rippled through the crowd, infuriating Pierre. "Do you dare or not?!"

"I didn't say I wouldn't, it's just that you really aren't qualified." Ye Tian rolled up his sleeves. "I wouldn't call it a spar, but stepping in to give you a few pointers is well within my abilities." "You're courting death, brat!" Hearing those words, Pierre swung his sword and charged, aiming a vicious slash right at Ye Tian's neck!

"Well, though my internal energy is somewhat depleted, I can still use a bit of it." Ye Tian smiled, sidestepping gracefully to evade the clumsy strike. He then kicked Pierre squarely in the leg. As Pierre frantically tried to regain his balance, the force of Ye Tian's kick to his ankle caused him to lose control, sending him hurtling forward headfirst. Thud!

"Hey, you alright?" Ye Tian craned his neck to ask. Pierre had truly terrible luck; right in front of him was a fruit stall, and of all things, the fruit on display happened to be covered in hedgehog-like spines. Pierre plowed right into them, scooping up a handful of the prickly fruits all at once.

"Aargh!" Pierre let out a cry of agony. "Looks like he's fine," Ye Tian remarked, curling his lip and turning to Leisia. "Enough, Honorable Guest, could you please stop causing trouble for me?" Leisia said angrily.

"Yes, ma'am, whatever the boss says." Ye Tian shrank his head back. It seemed every girl turned into a lioness when angry; it was best to provoke them as little as possible. "Should I go pull him up?" Ye Tian offered.

"Pierre!" The female elf accompanying Pierre gasped in shock and hurried forward to help him up. An annoyed Pierre shoved her aside harshly, abandoned his sword, spun around, and threw a punch!

"Plenty of momentum, pity the power is lacking." Ye Tian intercepted the blows lightly with both hands, effortlessly deflecting Pierre's fist. With a swift push of his torso, Pierre was sent flying once more. This time his luck wasn't entirely terrible—he landed squarely in a pile of grape-like fruits, leaving him looking thoroughly colorful.

"Apologies, an accident, pure accident!" Ye Tian smiled, only to catch Leisia's murderous glare. "He hit me first," Ye Tian shrank back, offering a weak defense. "Enough, I'll handle this." Leisia stepped forward and grabbed Pierre as he tried to charge again.

"Enough! Haven't you suffered enough humiliation?" No matter how hard Pierre struggled, Leisia's hands gripped him like iron tongs, refusing to let go. "Let go of me!" Pierre roared in fury.

"Fine then. Are you claiming responsibility for everything that happens?" Leisia demanded angrily. "Mind your own business, let me go!" Pierre thrashed about. Leisia immediately released her grip. Pierre froze for a split second, then whipped around to face Ye Tian, let out a wild roar, and lunged forward like a cannonball, aiming a punch straight at Ye Tian's chin.

"Ah, they say human beings are cheap creatures, and it seems elves are no different. Very well, since you're dying for a beating, I'll grant your wish!" Taking a deep breath, Ye Tian's eyes flashed with fierce enthusiasm. He moved in a flash, dashing forward and driving a kick straight into Pierre's midsection.

Facts proved that legs are always longer than arms. Pierre doubled over in agony, clutching his stomach. Seizing the opening, Ye Tian stepped in close, driving an open palm upward from beneath Pierre's chin. The impact jarred Pierre's jaw, drawing a thin line of blood.

Shifting the force of his palm, Ye Tian followed up with a crisp slap, immediately followed by a kick. Unsurprisingly, Pierre went airborne once more. This time his luck was atrocious—he crashed right onto a hot iron griddle used for frying snacks. Sizzle! The rich aroma of roasted meat drifted into the air.

"Ugh!" A wave of nausea swept through the onlookers. Ye Tian curled his lip. "Aargh!" Though the physical blows hurt, the searing pain in his backside made Pierre forget everything else. He bounded straight up, hit the ground, and began rolling around uncontrollably.

Ye Tian curled his lip, silently lamenting that if Alansa were here, she wouldn't keep pestering him to make beggar's chicken all the time. Suddenly sensing an icy glare beside him, he shrank his neck and offered Leisia a sheepish, roguish grin.

"Lord Geer!" Seeing Ye Tian's mischievous smile, Leisia felt her anger reach its absolute peak. "Are you truly incapable of staying out of trouble for even a moment? Do you only feel satisfied when you've turned our entire Elven race upside down?"

"No, I was acting in self-defense! He attacked me first!" "You were the one who provoked him in the first place!" Leisia snapped viciously. "I am going to report this to the Queen! Until you leave the Elven domains, you'd better stay confined to the palace and not step foot outside!"

"Let's not do that, please," Ye Tian said with a bashful air. "I'm afraid the Queen won't have anywhere to live by the time I'm done." "Lord Geer!" Leisia raised a furious hand, prompting Ye Tian to beg for mercy in a hurry: "Have mercy, Milord, your humble servant knows he was wrong!"

"Hah!" Leisia let out a long, exhausted sigh. "Aren't you going to drag him away? I will report today's events directly to Lord Amiji." Seeing that Leisia had spoken, the elves who had accompanied Pierre scrambled forward, hastily hoisting him up and scurrying away like a puff of smoke. Ye Tian chuckled, waved to Leisia, and prepared to leave.

"Patron, your coin pouch." The female elf stepped out to block his path. "Ah, that's payment for the jewelry." Ye Tian smiled, pointing at the necklace. "Patron, I appreciate your kind intentions, but I cannot accept the money," the female elf said coolly. "And... thank you for what happened earlier."

"Very well, if you won't take it, I'll just take it back." Ye Tian reached out, retrieved the pouch, and fished out a single gold coin. "This is for the necklace. If you still won't accept it, I'll simply have to return the necklace to you."

"Then give the necklace back," the female elf stated flatly. "Good grief, you really are stubborn." Ye Tian turned to Leisia. "Got any cash? Spot me, I'll pay you back later."

Leisia shot Ye Tian a sideways glance, then drew out her own coin pouch, extracted a single silver coin, and handed it to the female elf. "Thank you for your patronage," the female elf said indifferently. "Let's go, I still want to sample some Elven delicacies," Ye Tian announced.

The earlier incident hadn't dampened Ye Tian's spirits in the least. Having enjoyed a wonderful day of sightseeing, Ye Tian returned carrying a massive stash of delicious food. "Where on earth have you been?" Alansa demanded the moment he walked through the door, glaring at him.

"Went out to find you all some good things to eat." With that, Ye Tian shoved a pile of treats directly into Alansa's arms. "So many?" Alansa's face instantly lit up with delight. "Right, I strongly recommend this one, it's amazingly delicious," Ye Tian said, pointing to a specific fruit.

"Really?" Alansa picked up a reddish fruit and took a large, enthusiastic bite. Instantly, an indescribable wave of sour astringency flooded her mouth. "Geer!" Alansa yelled, sticking her tongue out. "Who told you to eat it so fast? You're supposed to peel this one!" Chuckling, Ye Tian drew his dagger, peeled a fruit, sliced it in half, and handed the pieces to Mina and Rorola.

"Mmm, this is delicious! What is this called?" Rorola looked down at the fruit in her hand in surprise. The flesh was dotted with starry speckles, quite a sight to behold, but more importantly, the taste was simply beyond description!

"They call it a Star Fruit. Look how arrogant they are naming it!" Ye Tian smiled as he peeled another one, cutting half of it for Alansa, who was standing nearby pouting. "So good!" With a single bite, it felt as though countless tiny, tart grapes were dancing across the tip of her tongue, yet the fruit itself remained delightfully sweet. The dual sensation made it impossible not to take another bite!

"Any other good food? Tell me quickly!" Having been burned once, Alansa didn't dare test anything blindly and urged Ye Tian to introduce the rest. Without keeping them in suspense, Ye Tian went through the specialties he had bought, describing each one to the three girls.

"Mmm, delicious, so delicious!" Alansa held a bread-fruit in one hand and a cherry-pear in the other. Both were unique Elven specialties impossible to find in human society. "So good. How on earth do they grow something like this?" Rorola asked curiously, picking up a fruit that possessed the sweet fragrance of an apple while remaining as juicy as a snow pear.

"I asked about it; it's a technique called grafting. Didn't quite catch the details though." Ye Tian was also eating with great gusto. "By the way, how is Taya doing?"

"Taya has woken up, but her body is still very weak. We told her to rest a bit longer," Mina gently replied. "Alright, later I'll see what kind of ingredients I can find and cook up something nourishing for you all," Ye Tian said.