Ancestor's Manual for Raising Idiots

"So Bai Family contacted you first, huh?" Zhan Tianyi muttered as they reached the deeper side of the hall. "I thought they would, Bai Xianyu is a sharp man."

"I like him," Ao Shen suddenly remarked with a snigger, remembering the flustered look on that man's face when he came to visit his mansion. "A bit impatient but known to find good opportunity."

"Haha! He has been like this since a young age." Zhan Tianyi remarked with a chuckle, "We both are old friends; he really knows how to make connections with big names without offending them, down to earth despite coming from a family that won't even touch the earth."

Ao Shen took a note of that with a smile, and as they were still talking, suddenly a loud whisper filled the whole hall.

"Hmm?" Ao Shen's eyes moved over towards the stairs and centre of the hall, where he noticed a young woman dressed in a traditional Chinese white-blue gown, making her way down assisted by her father by her side. From looks, her father's appearance matched Bai Xianyu quite a bit.

"Is she the girl whose birthday it is?" Ao Shen questioned, watching that girl in amusement; Zhan Tianyi immediately nodded, "That's the granddaughter of the Bai family, Bai Xiyue. By her side, her father, Bai Hao."

"Hmm," Ao Shen nodded and watched as she arrived over the hall from a distance, as an enormous dozen-layered cake was brought over in front of her.

"Happy birthday, Miss Xiyue!"

"Happy birthday, Miss!"

"Happy Birthday! Shine bright and stay happy, Bai Xiyue!"

"Another year brighter! Happy Birthday, Bai Xiyue!"

All sorts of greetings started to fly over towards her; the whole hall was full of chantings of her name, and her poise and elegance seemed to light up the room, each step down the grand staircase making her the undeniable centre of attention.

"She carries herself well," Ao Shen remarked casually to Zhan Tianyi.

"She does," Tianyi agreed with a proud smile. "Xiyue has always been the pride of the Bai Family. Intelligent, refined, and… well, look at the line of young men itching to impress her." He chuckled, motioning toward a gathering of young bachelors vying for even a glance from Bai Xiyue.

Before Ao Shen could respond, Bai Xianyu, standing behind his niece, Bai Xiyue, glanced in their direction. His sharp eyes immediately locked onto Ao Shen, and with a polite smile, he made his way over, weaving effortlessly through the crowd.

"Mr. Ao Shen!" Bai Xianyu greeted warmly, offering his hand the moment he arrived. His tone carried both respect and a hint of curiosity. "You didn't have any trouble making it all the way here, right?"

Ao Shen accepted the handshake, his grip light but firm. "I wouldn't miss such an event, especially with an invitation as sincere as yours, Mr. Bai."

Bai Xianyu chuckled knowingly. "You are so polite. Allow me to introduce you properly."

With a slight gesture, Bai Xianyu guided Ao Shen and Xiao Jun, along with Zhan Tianyi, towards Bai Xiyue, who had just finished receiving well wishes from another group. As they approached, Bai Xianyu's voice softened.

"Xiyue," he called gently, drawing his niece's attention. She turned gracefully, her eyes curious as they settled on Ao Shen.

"Uncle?" she enquired softly.

"This is Mr. Ao Shen," Bai Xianyu introduced. "He's new to the city but already making waves. I thought it was only right that he offered his greetings to you personally."

Bai Xiyue's gaze lingered on Ao Shen for a moment before she offered a polite bow. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Ao Shen. Thank you for attending my birthday."

"The pleasure is mine," Ao Shen replied smoothly, his tone warm but distant enough to keep formality intact. He withdrew a small, elegantly wrapped box from his coat pocket and presented it to her. "A small gift. I hope it brings you luck in the years to come."

Bai Xiyue hesitated briefly before accepting the gift with both hands. "You're too kind. Thank you."

As she carefully set the box aside, Bai Xianyu observed the interaction with a faint smile. "I trust the gift is as remarkable as the man offering it?"

Ao Shen chuckled. "It's just a small gift. Nothing as grand as the Bai Family's reputation."

Bai Xiyue tilted her head slightly, curiosity flickering in her eyes, but she said nothing more, sensing the subtle dance of words between her uncle and Ao Shen.

But just then, suddenly, a voice cut through the air, sharp and mocking.

"You really think a small gift like that would impress Miss Bai?" The voice sneered, turning all heads towards the source. A man, roughly in his early thirties, with an arrogant air about him, strolled into the hall, his eyes glinting with disdain. He was dressed in a lavish robe, clearly of high status.

Zhan Tianyi raised an eyebrow, and Bai Xianyu's expression flickered with a momentary irritation as the newcomer approached.

Ao Shen's eyes briefly flickered, but an amused grin overtook that momentary frown. "Gifts are not measured by their cost," he said with quiet authority, with a smooth voice. "It's not the price that matters, but the rarity of thought and sentiment behind them."

The man scoffed, curling up his lips. "Oh, is that so? And here I thought the people of this city had better taste. You truly think something so... insignificant could be of value to Miss Bai? A small box like that hardly anyone would even notice??"

The words landed like stones in the room, and the murmur of voices around them grew louder as guests began whispering, curious to see how Bai Xiyue would react.

Bai Xiyue's eyes narrowed as she looked at that new man, 'Liu Weihao... Why does this man go around causing trouble everywhere?!'

"Yes, big brother is right?!"

"How can a small box like that be comparable to the mansion our brother bought for Miss Bai as a gift?!"

"Who is this guy who doesn't know manners??"

"Truly! What is this?! A peasant's party?!"

Suddenly a few underlings of that man also started to make noises; Bai Xianyu was about to step in, but Ao Shen stopped him with a gesture.

"What's the deal with this guy?" Xiao Jun questioned Zhan Tianyi with a frown, "That's Liu Weihao; he wants to pursue Miss Bai, so he goes around mocking people he considers don't have a background, just trying to gain attention and impress her."

Xiao Jun's face looked a bit surprised; he noticed Bai Xiyue herself was feeling secondhand embarrassment watching this prince in pig's back trying to impress her.

"He is just a clown then, isn't he?" Xiao Jun remarked with an awkward frown, "He is..." Even Bai Xianyu agreed.

"Hmm, perfect." Ao Shen chuckled as he heard the details and, with a dark grin, turned towards that man, "Wanna make a bet then?"

"B-bet?!" Liu Weihao seemed suddenly taken aback, "What kind of bet?!"

"Bet on whose gift is more expensive; the loser needs to fulfil one wish of the winner."

"Deal!" Liu Weihao didn't even hesitate before accepting the offer and immediately took out an expensive key along with documents.

"This is my gift! Peace Pearl Mansion, worth 125 million spirit coins, is situated on Azure Cloud Mountain, which offers the best views of the city!"

Ao Shen and Xiao Jun couldn't help but chuckle, "Quite expensive." Ao Shen remarked on providing fuel to Liu Weihao, hyping his ego, and turning his attention towards Bai Xiyue.

"It's embarrassing for me to ask you for a favour already after a meeting just once, but can you open my gift too, Miss Bai?" he requested with a soft smile

'Ah...' Bai Xiyue was a bit flustered for a moment, but now, forced with the situation, she had no choice but to open the gift. Her soft hands lifted the box given by Ao Shen.

The hall fell silent as the clumsy wrapping paper fell away, revealing a stunning necklace—a masterpiece that glimmered with rare, radiant gems of deep blues, greens, and whites. The centrepiece was an intricate pendant formed of translucent stones, resembling both ice and fire, layered in a pattern that could only be created by someone with unmatched skill. Each element seemed to pulse with its own ethereal glow.

Gasps filled the room.

"Is that… the Celestial Ocean Necklace?" a whisper echoed, followed by several more incredulous murmurs. The rarest of the rare, a piece thought to have been lost centuries ago, said to be made from the fragments of ancient sky-shards and blessed by the fabled dragons of the west.

"Impossible??!"

"Just how much worth does it have???"

"Worth?! That's priceless! Do you even know how rare it is?!"

"That's a gem of legends?!! It can boost cultivation speed by 200%! Do you even know how precious it is?!"

The whole hall burst into commotion.

Bai Xiyue's fingers hovered over the necklace as she held it in her hands, her eyes shaking with disbelief, her whole body shivering with cold sweat. Her eyes, which were normally composed, were now filled with astonishment.

Liu Weihao, who had mocked Ao Shen earlier, looked frozen on the spot, his confident smirk replaced by a pale face. "Impossible..."

Ao Shen, on the other hand, just giggled with a subtle smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. "The value of a gift does not lie in the price it commands but in the 'rarity' of the thought it represents," he chuckled with a playful grin. "I thought the Bai Family would appreciate the rarity of its materials."

Liu Weihao lost all strength over his knees, falling down on the floor as Ao Shen watched him with golden pupils and a playful little grin.

"Now as for the promise of the bet..."