What Must Come Will Come

"Alas, a common man is innocent, but possessing a treasure is a crime. This has nothing to do with bad luck. Even without the Ba Shenhuang incident, they might still have their eyes on us, since we can obtain both spirit medicine and food supplies here."

"I don't think we need to worry too much. As long as we activate the formation to lock the mountain gate and the external passage, no matter how powerful the Demon Race, they won't be able to find a way to enter Medicine King Valley. What can they do to us? It's not like no one has ever tried to enter Medicine King Valley before, and who has ever succeeded?"

The crowd discussed amongst themselves, offering various suggestions, but it was only after Valley Master Qin Yueren shouted twice that everyone quieted down.

"Since Mad Ink has come to visit, it must be for more than just a small matter like delivering a message. Do you have any way to teach us?"

"It's very simple. As long as you hand over the Snow Mountain Lingzhi to me, and I announce to the outside world that I have obtained the item and that Senior Ba's poison has been completely removed, the other side will have one less reason to attack Medicine King Valley. They may abandon their operation and change direction. After all, if it's just to replenish food supplies, attacking towns with large populations would yield greater gains. There's no need to bite into a tough nut to crack," Si Ming said frankly.

Qin Yueren cautiously replied, "This alone is not enough to guarantee the safety of our sect."

Another Spirit Transformation Grandmaster said, "According to our sect's rules, if you want to take a heavenly materials and earthly treasures from us, you must return it with a treasure of equal value, preferably also heavenly materials and earthly treasures. Otherwise, if everyone came to ask for medicine, the Forget-the-Years Garden on the back mountain would probably have been completely cleared out long ago."

Si Ming spread his hands and said, "I don't have any treasures on me."

Qin Yueren said, "Your promise is worth more than a rare treasure. If you agree, I will offer you the Snow Mountain Lingzhi with both hands."

Si Ming thought for a moment and asked, "What if I don't agree?"

Another Spirit Transformation Grandmaster retorted with dissatisfaction, "That's naturally..."

Before he could finish speaking, Qin Yueren interrupted, "Of course we should still give it to them."

Chapter 815 What's coming will eventually come

So pragmatic?

Si Ming couldn't help but glance at the Valley Master again. He had just been a little annoyed by the other party's tone. After all, he was here to ask for medicine for Ba Shenhuang, not for himself. If he wanted to find a promise, he should ask Ba Shenhuang. Moreover, reducing the possibility of the Demon Race attacking Medicine King Valley was not an excuse he made up on the spot, but a result deduced by the wisdom of everyone. So he casually made a sarcastic remark, but he didn't expect the other party to agree so readily.

Seemingly sensing Si Ming's surprise, Qin Yueren explained, "Mad Ink Kuangmo has come to fight against the Demon Race, which is a matter of great righteousness. My Medicine King Valley is not skilled in martial arts and cannot go to the battlefield to fight the Demon Race, but we are willing to do our part. Although the five-hundred-year-old Snow Mountain Lingzhi is precious, if it can help Universe-Shaking Divine General recover and return to the battlefield to kill more Demon General and Demon King, then a mere heavenly materials and earthly treasures is nothing."

Then he turned to an old man beside him and said, "Elder Fu, I still need to ask you to go to the Forget-the-Years Garden to retrieve that Snow Mountain Lingzhi... no, let's exchange it for that Cold Marrow Pill Pearl."

Elder Fu exclaimed in shock, "Valley Master, that Cold Marrow Pill Pearl was left behind by our Ancestral Master..."

"Our descendants are incompetent; keeping it is just a dead thing. If we can use a single Cold Marrow Pill Pearl to stop the invasion of the Demon Race army and save more people, even our ancestor would praise us. You don't need to say anything more; go quickly."

Elder Fu sighed and reluctantly said, "Yes."

Qin Yueren then explained to Si Ming, "While the Snow Mountain Lingzhi is excellent, a top-grade heavenly materials and earthly treasures, it still cannot compare to the Cold Marrow Pill Pearl I just mentioned. That is a legacy left by our sect's founder, taken from a prehistoric giant clam at the bottom of the North Sea. The giant clam absorbs the polar cold and can only condense one Cold Marrow Pill Pearl every thousand years. Our sect's founder obtained a total of ten Cold Marrow Pill Pearl. He used four of them to cultivate an unparalleled divine skill. In the following hundreds of years, our sect gave away three more, lost two, and now only the last one remains."

Si Ming felt that the old man was most likely acting, but he had to admit that even if the other party was acting, it was a real act of giving a gift. Unless the other party was an ingrate, he had to accept the favor. So he gave a thumbs up and praised, "The Valley Master is indeed very righteous."

"You flatter me, sir. Actually, I have another selfish motive. I hope you will be so kind as to grant my request. As Elder Yi said," Qin Yueren pointed to the Spirit Transformation Grandmaster, "Our sect has established a rule since its founding: outsiders who wish to obtain spirit medicine and elixirs from our sect must exchange them for Xilai of equal value. Otherwise, we would rather destroy treasures than give them away. It is precisely because our sect has always adhered to this rule that we have been able to continue to this day. Otherwise, no matter how many rare and precious heavenly materials and earthly treasures we cultivate, they would all be taken away. It would be impossible to preserve a five-hundred-year-old Snow Mountain Lingzhi. We would be grateful if it were fifty years old."

Si Ming could understand this. If the rules of the sect were not strictly followed, no matter how many rare and precious heavenly materials and earthly treasures Medicine King Valley could harvest, it would not be able to stop the consumption. On one hand, there was a filial son asking for a hundred-year-old ginseng for his seriously ill mother, saying that if he was not given it, he would kneel down for a long time. On the other hand, there was someone saying that he was the Valley Master's brother-in-law and that he had encountered a bottleneck in his cultivation and needed to use the Spiritual Qi of heavenly materials and earthly treasures to break through. He said that if he was not given it, he would be disrespecting his sister.

If you don't give it, you'll be criticized for lacking compassion as a legitimate School of Medicine, a fraudster, or for being ignorant of human relationships and refusing to help your relatives and friends in their time of need. Rather than that, you might as well put all the blame on the founder, saying that it was a rule set by the founder that later generations dare not tamper with—after all, the founder is already dead, so there's no point in discussing it.

However, while he understood, he was still annoyed, and couldn't help feeling like he'd been tricked. Si Ming chuckled dryly, "After all that, you still want me to leave a promise." It would have been better if you hadn't given in from the start.

"No, you misunderstand," Qin Yueren quickly explained. "Don't worry about the promise. Just pretend it never happened. We only hope that you will announce to the outside world that a transaction has been completed. We will also say that you have fulfilled your promise. In this way, to outsiders, our sect's rules will not be broken, and you won't have to put in any effort."

"I see. I only need to say it verbally; I don't need to pay any actual price."

Si Ming nodded seemingly in satisfaction, but his expression immediately changed. He said, "What kind of person does the Valley Master take me for? A rogue who insists on taking advantage of others? The Mohist always keep their word. How can we deceive and ruin our reputation? Since this rule is for the survival of your sect and is a fair transaction, not a forced sale, I naturally have no reason to refuse."

Upon hearing this, Qin Yueren said solemnly, "It was my rudeness. Now, I formally request that you extend a helping hand to our sect to help us overcome this calamity and avoid being slaughtered by the Demon Race. Our sect will be eternally grateful."

"Make a deal."

A moment later, the elder who had been there earlier returned, carrying a jade box in both hands. He first handed it to Qin Yueren, who then passed it to Qin Yueren Si Ming, explaining, "The Cold Marrow Pill Pearl's chilling energy is too strong for ordinary martial artists to resist. Contact with it can easily cause frostbite, hence the need for a box made of Lava Jade to contain it and block the chilling energy."

Upon handling the jade box, Si Ming immediately felt a chill emanating from it, but it was clearly weakened and not as intense as Qin Yueren had described; at most, it was the level of air conditioning on a hot summer day.

Just as Si Ming was about to open the box to take a look, Qin Yueren suddenly reached out and pressed it down, then repeated, "Mad Ink, this is the last Cold Marrow Pill Pearl of our sect."

He emphasized the words "the last one".

Si Ming was taken aback for a moment, then nodded in understanding and said, "I understand. I'll tell everyone after we get out that Medicine King Valley gave me the last Cold Marrow Pill Pearl, and there are no more."

The two exchanged a smile, Qin Yueren added, "Our disciples have never been skilled in martial arts, yet we possess treasures, so this is the only way we can protect ourselves. I hope you'll forgive our poor performance."

"Not at all. Valley Master Qin is dedicated to the sect's cause, flexible and resolute, and disregards personal honor and disgrace. He is truly admirable," Si Ming praised, giving a thumbs up. "He is well-deserving of the position of Valley Master."

These words were not flattery; he genuinely believed it. In terms of martial arts ability, this Valley Master Qin was probably no match for Elder Yi, whose cultivation was slightly weaker. The latter possessed a fierce aura and sharp, eagle-like eyes, clearly a master of martial arts. In contrast, the former appeared to have been out of combat for a long time, possessing only extraordinary cultivation. If they were to fight, he was afraid he wouldn't be able to defeat Ying Zhou and Xia Guanxue, whose strength had been enhanced.

However, the position of sect leader has little to do with martial prowess. The fact that Medicine King Valley was able to survive and thrive amidst the greedy eyes of outsiders without a sufficiently powerful Spirit Transformation cultivator in charge is largely thanks to Valley Master Qin.

Si Ming was in a hurry to deliver the medicine back, so he didn't exchange any more pleasantries and quickly took his leave.

Only after the figure disappeared from sight did Elder Yi unable to help but say, "Valley Master, when you proposed a deal that was all talk and no action, did you truly intend to do so, or did you know the other party would agree, so you used this as a pretext to back down?"

"It's a two-sided matter. The Mohist value their promises and wouldn't take advantage of others for no reason; everyone knows that. Besides, he's Yan Jinghong's apprentice, so even for the sake of his master's reputation, he wouldn't push too hard. But if he really agrees to my proposal, it's not a bad thing. At least we'll have made a good relationship, which might come in handy in the future."

"He's just a genius martial artist with Spirit Transformation level combat power, is there any need to be so cautious?"

Qin Yueren shook his head, took out a letter, and said, "This is the intelligence that came in this morning; I just saw it myself."

Elder Yi took the letter and immediately read its contents. His expression changed several times in quick succession, and before he had even finished reading, he roared, "Impossible! If what the letter says is true, that Demon Emperor possesses the strength of Void Returning Great Grandmaster, how could that brat have the strength to stop the pursuit, let alone defeat him? His performance on the battlefield three years ago was certainly remarkable, but he was only at the level of an ordinary Spirit Transformation. Even if his talent is outstanding, it's impossible for him to have grown so much in just three years. This must be a rumor spread by the Nation of Valor to stabilize morale, exaggerating the facts!"

Qin Yueren sighed and said, "How do you know he can't? Even Xuanfu feared the younger generation, so a man should not underestimate the young. He might be Kunpeng among men, capable of soaring ninety thousand miles in a day. We shouldn't look down on him just because he's young. Even Ba Shenhuang trusts him and entrusts his life to him, which shows that even if his strength isn't as exaggerated as the intelligence reports, it's not far off."

"How could such a thing be...?" Elder Yi was caught in a contradiction between rationally wanting to admit it and emotionally refusing to admit it.

"When it comes to such young prodigies, it's better to misjudge than to offend someone. History is full of examples of people who can improve rapidly and become completely different in a short period of time. Who can guarantee that this Mad Ink won't be the next one? Besides, haven't you felt it yet?"

What did you feel?