Xu Yi sent a thought: "I won't forget what you've done for me. Just tell me what you want. I can figure out the rest, but if you're after this Fire Element Seed, I'd advise you to keep quiet. I'd hate to see you lose face."
Old Desolate: "...￥￥￥￥"
"Why'd you stop talking?"
"You've already put it like that. What's left for me to say?"
"Enough, enough. Don't worry. There'll be bread, and there'll be seeds. You'll get your share when the time comes."
Ever since he'd tricked Old Desolate last time, the creature had started slacking off. This time, when Xu Yi had summoned him to Mount Sumeru and asked him for a breath of that urn-like aura to conceal his nature, the creature had put up a great deal of resistance and been far from cooperative.
Xu Yi knew he couldn't do without the creature's help at this juncture, so he had to make the promises he owed him.
Fortunately, Xu Yi had always kept his word, and Old Desolate believed him. The creature perked up at once. "I knew you couldn't pass up a chance to get the better end of a bargain. I bet you're going to sabotage the negotiations and stir up a war between the two sides, so you can play both ends against the middle and fish in troubled waters. I hit the nail on the head, didn't I?"
Xu Yi suddenly stopped beneath a towering tree and gazed toward the terraced fields in the distance. An old farmer, his beard and hair as white as snow and his body drenched in sweat, was guiding an old ox as it plowed the fields. A boy, not yet fully grown, followed behind, gripping the plow with practiced ease. Wisps of cooking smoke rose from