At his words, Venerable Yao froze. Even Venerable Feng, standing beside him, was taken aback. What was going on? Why was there a fourth person who knew about the Flame Mantra? He had never mentioned it, not even to his personal disciple. His close friend would never bring it up either, so there was only...
At that moment, Feng Xian looked toward the friend's disciple, whom he had watched grow up, standing at the front of the group behind the spatial gate... Han Feng... It could only be that fellow...
Han Feng, however, stared outside in shock. He had indeed leaked information about the Flame Mantra, but he had no idea who the Dou Sheng Expert in the sky was... Could Elder Mu Gu have told him?
No... This has nothing to do with me... Right, I never said anything... I can't lose my master yet...
"Yao Chen... what should we do now?" Venerable Feng asked softly, his face clouded with worry.
"What else can we do? Neither of us would ever cultivate the Flame Mantra. Rather than keep it and invite trouble, we might as well give it away and protect Starfall Pavilion. How could the two of us possibly stand against this person? Even with my powerful soul, I still can't see through his strength. He must be at least a Four-Star Dou Sheng..." Venerable Yao looked helpless. He was only weighing his options. He would hand over the Flame Mantra, this tremendous opportunity, in hopes of putting an end to the trouble. At least the visitor showed no clear intent to kill. Otherwise, killing and looting were commonplace on this continent.
"Four-Star or higher... My heavens..." Venerable Feng exclaimed. The item was with his friend, so he said nothing more. The decision was Yao Chen's to make.
While the two elders were still discussing the matter, Zhang Nian wasn't about to indulge them. He had come here for just one thing, but the spatial journey alone had already taken more than ten minutes. If he wasted any more time, he wouldn't be able to get back.
"Come on, make your decision already. I'm in a hurry. Just give me a straight answer. If three ninth-grade medicinal ingredients aren't enough, I'll give you five." His tone was impatient, with just a touch of arrogance. It was as if he were saying that if they weren't satisfied, they could always talk money.
"Uh..."
"Saint, I'm willing." As Yao Chen spoke, a faint gleam flashed across the ancient Storage Ring on his fingertip. He held out a tattered-looking manual, wrapped in a piece of rag.
Zhang Nian lightly tapped a finger. A powerful spatial force surged forth, and the manual in Yao Chen's hands rose into the air and drifted toward him, settling lightly in his grasp.
He glanced down at the slightly battered Flame Mantra. He had no idea whether it was genuine, but the system promptly gave him a notification.
[Beep! Detected cultivation technique "Flame Mantra." This technique can evolve. Recommended for the host to cultivate.]
Nice. Very considerate.
With a turn of his hand, he took five ninth-grade medicinal ingredients out of his medicine storehouse. A deal was a deal. Zhang Nian wasn't one to simply seize things by force. Of course, throwing his weight around was an unavoidable part of the process. If you couldn't beat someone and were carrying a treasure, then of course I'd take an interest once I found out. That was just the law of survival.
As the five ingredients drifted down, Yao Chen recognized at a glance that they were all rare treasures. Any one of them could cause a stir across the Central Plains...
"My heavens... the Penglai Immortal Spirit Fruit..."
"The Bodhi Purifying World Lotus..."
"The Nine Nether Sumeru Flower..."
"Thank you for this generous gift, Saint!" Yao Chen meant every word. He had memorized the Flame Mantra's cultivation method by heart. He could compile another copy whenever he wanted, but these five ninth-grade medicinal ingredients were treasures one could only hope to encounter. Even the Yao Clan likely had very few. Treasures like these could now only be found in certain Dou Di Ruins.
"Deal's done. Goodbye."
With a thought, the spatial rift behind him slowly opened. He was just about to turn away when he seemed to remember something. Turning back, he looked down at Yao Chen and said:
"That young man closest to the spatial gate looks like your disciple. He has your aura."
Before Yao Chen could give a clear answer, Zhang Nian continued, "Um, I know a little about reading faces. That fellow has a 120-jin body with 118 jin of rebelliousness in it. I'm off."
Huh?
Why did that sound like he was implying something?
The two exchanged a glance, then both turned to look at Han Feng inside the gate. His somewhat panicked face gave away an overwhelming sense of guilt... How could that escape their sharp eyes?
Meanwhile...
Medusa, remembering her master's instructions, sat in the hall as she had been told. But the sect had only just been founded, so there really wasn't much to deal with. She simply turned to the two maids beside her.
"What are your names?"
The two hurried forward and bowed. "My name is Xiao Qing, my lady."
"My name is Xiao Hong."
"All right. You don't have to be so careful around me from now on. I don't like a fuss. If I'm practicing, you can find something to do or take a rest. Just don't disturb me."
She raised a slender hand and picked up the tea on the table. Her red lips parted as she took a small sip, her gaze fixed outside. The room fell silent once more.
"Was Master in a hurry when he came by this morning?" she asked suddenly. Xiao Qing, standing nearby, quickly lowered her head and replied, "Yes. The Saint left in a hurry. He seemed a little anxious."
Thinking of what Ya Fei had told the two of them the previous night, Xiao Hong hurriedly added, "But I saw that the Saint wasn't so anxious anymore after he came out of your room. I suppose he was worried about you..." As she said this, Xiao Hong's heart pounded. She wasn't sure whether Medusa would take it well.
Medusa fell silent for a moment.
Master cares about me so much...
The two maids cautiously glanced over at her, their eyes darting about. Seeing Medusa's reaction, they understood. This was clearly a case of mutual affection! It seemed Ya Fei hadn't lied to them. If this really worked out, wouldn't a bright future be beckoning to them?
"That's right, that's right! The Saint has two disciples, but he treats you so wonderfully. He gave you pills just yesterday, and this morning he even..." Xiao Qing trailed off. She had been peeking from behind the wall that morning...
"Maybe our lady is talented and lovely, too," Xiao Hong hurriedly interrupted, afraid Medusa would catch on.
If Zhang Nian had heard this, his thoughts would have galloped in every direction. You think I did all that to woo her? I was just maximizing the benefits! I swear, I'd thank your whole family!
Thinking of the Heavenly Flame he had specially seized for her, warmth filled her heart. Master really treated her so well...
Since childhood, only Granny Snake and Elder Li had treated her like their own. Zhang Nian's arrival had filled a large part of the emptiness in Medusa's life. Having someone to depend on was the sort of feeling that could easily sweep a young girl off her feet. At that moment, Medusa felt more at peace than ever before.
Suddenly, a voice called from outside the sect gate.
"Yun Shan, Sect Master of the Misty Cloud Sect, has come with his disciples to congratulate Saint Qinglian on his new home!"
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