Striking a bargain sounded nice.
Of course, Yu Ci did not say those words aloud.
After all, He Qing was not old Taoist Yu Zhou, and up until now Yu Ci still could not quite figure out her mindset. If she could lay matters out in the open, speak clearly, and add a layer of agreement, distancing things as it might, it also provided peace of mind. Therefore, Yu Ci answered with great promptness:
"Please instruct me plainly, Immortal He."
He Qing fixed her gaze upon his face, dispensing with empty formalities and speaking directly: "I need you to send me a share of True Dragon Form Qi."
"Oh?"
He Qing reached out in a summon, and amid the vast, hazy clouds outside the railing, a long, winding dark shadow flew over. It measured forty or fifty feet in length, as thick as the rim of a cup, and a single lash of its long tail could cleave a trail through the clouds. It was none other than the fish-dragon Shan Gu, whom He Qing kept.
Having not seen it for many days, Yu Ci noticed that the scales on this big fellow had an even brighter luster and were brimming with spiritual Qi. The two short horns on its head had actually turned a golden-yellow hue, and each had grown an extra prong, clearly showing that its quality had improved once more.
Yet at this moment, He Qing said: "My breakthrough is imminent, and the three great barriers are pressing in upon me all at once. Because of this, I need to stabilize my Dao foundation. You should know that I take the fish-dragon as my Dao-achieving true intent, and furthermore entrust my Primordial Spirit to it; it is a very important link in my Dao foundation. However, up