Chapter 89 The Price: "I want you to come with me somewhere."...
The room suddenly plunged into darkness, and Jiang Yuhuo couldn't see anything for a moment. He instinctively drew his sword.
A gleaming sword lay horizontally before him, its blade shimmering with the faint light of spiritual energy infused into it. Along with the sword, the mark on Jiang Yuhuo's wrist also shone brightly.
"It's you." Jiang Yuhuo suddenly remembered the moon-white silk umbrella on the street.
My gaze shifted to the window, where a silhouette stood with long, flowing hair, her figure resembling that of a woman.
A familiar figure, and a familiar angle outside the window. She remembered that she had sneaked into this very room that night to escape Ning Yu and Qing Lin's pursuit.
As soon as he finished speaking, all the lights in the room suddenly came on.
The person turned around, revealing a breathtakingly beautiful face illuminated by the candlelight, smiling radiantly.
But the smile on his face vanished the moment he saw her, not because she drew her sword, but because of her clothes.
Her naturally upturned lips pressed down sharply, and then her angry voice rang out, "Why are you still wearing this ugly outfit!"
"I picked out so many things to send over to you, how could you come to see me looking like this?"
Jiang Yuhuo subconsciously looked down at her clothes. They were neat and well-fitting Kunlun disciple uniforms. Although all Kunlun members, regardless of gender, wore black, they couldn't possibly be ugly clothes, could they?
...No, she came to ask for the Earth Flame Vine. What does her attire have to do with the transaction?
Jiang Yuhu sheathed her sword and asked suspiciously, "...You, are you the seller of the Earth Flame Vine?"
The man didn't answer, his beautiful eyes still glaring at her.
Could it be that she went to the wrong place again?
"Since that's not the case, I apologize for bothering you..."
Before Jiang Yuhuo could even utter the words "take your leave," the man suddenly appeared in front of her in an instant, his movements as swift as a ghost.
"Who gave you permission to leave?"
He was standing too close, and Jiang Yuhuo instinctively took a step back. "I came here to..."
He ignored her and instead picked up Jiang Yuhuo's collar, rubbing his fingertips on the fabric. A look of disgust appeared in his eyes, and his tone was ambiguous, whether it was contempt or pity, "So rough."
Jiang Yuhuo never thought there was anything wrong with Kunlun's clothes. She glanced at them unintentionally and saw that the other was wearing a light purple satin, which was smooth and draped, and the candlelight reflected on it like flowing light. Compared with such fabric, her clothes could indeed be described as rough.
However, it is really not a polite thing to comment on someone else's clothes to their face.
But the next moment, the other person continued, "However, it seems you like black. Next time, I'll prepare black clothes for you."
Jiang Yuhu snatched her collar back from his hand, smoothed it out, and said coldly, "No need."
Since this person was not the seller of the Earth Flame Vine, she decided to go downstairs and ask the manager.
A young man with flowing black hair spoke softly behind her, as if he were talking about something insignificant, “Where are you going? The Earth Flame Vine is in my hands.”
Jiang Yuhuo turned around, and the other person looked at her leisurely, with a hint of playfulness in his watery eyes. He looked like a friendly person who liked to joke with people. "Don't be angry, I was just teasing you."
He took Jiang Yuhuo's hand and said, "Sit down, let's talk slowly."
So, Jiang Yuhuo was pulled to sit opposite him on a small table.
In the candlelight, a beautiful woman with flowing black hair poured Jiang Yuhuo a cup of tea. Her elegant and charming features made it hard to tell whether she was male or female.
"This is Yushan Silver Needle tea, a new tea that was just delivered from below this year. Please have a taste."
The jade-like cup was filled with a clear, golden liquid. Jiang Yuhuo took it with both hands, her fingertips resting on the cup, but she didn't move it.
"Young Master Li, since you possess the Earth Flame Vine, I think it would be better if we discussed some terms?"
Li Mengbai took a small sip of tea, his movements extremely elegant, clearly the product of the refined manners and etiquette of a prominent family.
"Hmm, how would you like to discuss this?"
Jiang Yuhuo cut to the chase, "I want to know, what do you want to exchange for the Earth Flame Vine?"
He rested one hand on the coffee table, gently supporting his chin, his tender gaze looking up at her slightly. "Hmm, I'd also like to know, what are you going to do with the Earth Flame Vine?"
“I need it to save someone who is very important to me,” Jiang Yuhuo blurted out without hesitation.
Her grip on the teacup tightened suddenly, turning her pale pink nails white. Li Mengbai looked away, gazing at the gently rippling water in the cup, and chuckled softly, "So, you're absolutely determined to get it, aren't you?"
That's ridiculous. How can that bastard be considered an important person?
"Um."
"Young Master Li, please name your price. What do you want? A fragment of the Heavenly Pillar, or something else?"
Li Mengbai chuckled, "You think I'd lack these things?"
After the severing of the connection between heaven and earth, the four pillars connecting heaven and earth broke into countless fragments. Because the pillars once connected to the divine realm, even in fragments, they contained immense energy, some even possessing special functions that were highly beneficial to cultivators in improving their cultivation. As time passed, the fragments became increasingly rare, and are now considered a form of hard currency within the immortal sects.
Jiang Yuhuo has accumulated quite a bit of experience over the years by fighting demons. Although it can't compare to those who started accumulating in their early years, it's still a considerable sum because she rarely uses it. And yet this person doesn't even care about it.
"Then what do you want?"
She frowned, her gaze filled with doubt and wariness.
Looking into those clean, clear eyes, Li Mengbai suddenly wondered whether, to that bastard, the eyes were more important, or the person in front of him?
He couldn't help but imagine what a beautiful scene it would be if, on a sunny day, he brought the Earth Flame Vine and the corpse of the person before him to Wen Yizhan, and saw the man's astonished expression...
Would he accept the antidote that his junior sister risked her life for?
Will he go crazy?
Even though he's a lowly bastard who can't be brought to the table, he's still a member of the Li family, with Li family blood flowing through his veins. How could he not go mad?
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but smile happily.
Li Mengbai grabbed her hand rather eagerly, his smile innocent and naive, "I want you to come with me somewhere."
*
Jiang Yuhuo settled down in Luoyue City.
She often saw disciples of the Heavenly Palace in white robes passing by in the city, but she never recognized a single face. Most of the disciples of the Washing Flower Hall held high ranks, so they weren't usually assigned the menial tasks that required going down the mountain. But precisely because of this, it would seem strange for her to approach and strike up a conversation with someone she didn't know.
Jiang Yuhu squatted on the roof, thinking about how to collect the aura of the Tianque disciples without letting them notice anything amiss.
The white-robed disciples on the road walked away in twos and threes, but no suitable opportunity arose. As the sky grew darker, Jiang Yuhuo didn't want to wait any longer and waved to the passing birds.
A plump, long-tailed finch excitedly hopped onto her shoulder, chirping incessantly, its round, black eyes blinking frequently, clearly curious about the human it could communicate with.
Jiang Yuhuo gave it a few instructions, asking it to cooperate in putting on a show. The long-tailed sparrow hopped around excitedly, immediately went to a nearby tree and ate a few insects, waiting for Jiang Yuhuo to give it commands.
Two disciples of the Heavenly Palace walked side by side from a distance. One was upright and aloof, while the other was slightly casual. Both of them had their hair neatly combed and their disciple name tags were hanging on their waists, making them very conspicuous.
Jiang Yuhuo decided that it would be the two of them.
Two disciples of Tianque were walking along when they saw a snow-white fluffy ball dart out from the crowd opposite them, flapping its wings and flying around wildly. A female cultivator in black followed behind it, trying to catch it, but the little sparrow was agile and always just missed its pursuer.
The two men were drawn to the farce when the bird suddenly changed direction and swooped down on them. Caught off guard, the bird spun around so quickly that it was right in front of them. Unable to predict the bird's flight path, the two men dodged left and right in a flurry of activity.
Taking advantage of the chaos, the long-tailed finches accurately dropped two "ammunitions" they had prepared before leisurely departing.
"That bird really has no eyes."
The carefree disciple, whose good mood had been ruined, couldn't help but complain. He had just heard a very faint "plop" sound, like a drop of rain falling on him, and asked the person next to him, "Did it rain just now?"
But then he noticed the person next to him looking at his shoulder with a strange expression.
He followed the gaze and saw a yellowish-white patch on his shoulder, wet and sticky, a shocking sight on his snow-white robe.
"Ah—" the careless disciple cried out in surprise, jumping up and down. "What is this? Get it away!"
Suddenly, a female cultivator in black appeared out of nowhere and grabbed his other shoulder. "I'm sorry, my little sparrow was startled and offended the Immortal Lord."
The carefree disciple recognized him as the person who had been chasing the bird earlier.
The female cultivator was incredibly strong; she pressed him to the spot, and her hand on his shoulder was warm.
“That immortal lord, you too have been tainted by my little sparrow’s filth.”
Another Tianque disciple with a cold and stern face was startled upon hearing this and immediately began searching his body, but after a careful examination, he found no dirt.
"Where?"
Jiang Yuhuo then put down the person she was holding to help him check. Just as her hand was about to touch the other person's sleeve, a clear bird call came from not far away—"Help!"
It was that little titmouse she was ordering around!
Jiang Yuhuo immediately looked toward the source of the sound and saw a familiar figure standing in the distance—long gray-blue hair, a white robe with silver embroidery.
He was clutching a ball of snow-white fur in his hand, and the silver snake on his wrist raised its neck, eyeing the little sparrow in his hand covetously.
Ignoring the aura that was about to be obtained, he said, "Immortal Lord, find it yourself."
"Hey..." The two disciples tried to stop her to apologize, but the black-clad female cultivator vanished in an instant, as fast as an arrow shot out.
At the end of the long street.
"Let it go!"
The moment Jiang Yuhuo saw the person clearly, she drew her sword, the gleaming tip pointing directly at the white figure.
The man saw her too, his icy blue eyes fixed on her, backlit, making it impossible to discern his emotions.
"You're back."
A whisper, as soft as a sigh.
Jia Yue spoke calmly, her smile gentle, as if she couldn't see the sword in her hand.
Where Jiang Yuhuo couldn't see, his fingertips were tightly gripping the silver snake that wanted to bite the bird to death.
You can't kill her, unless you want her to hate you.
You can't hate her, or she'll leave again.
Jiang Yuhuo gripped his sword tightly, while Jia Yue walked towards her step by step, stopping an inch away from the tip of her sword. If he had extended his arm just a little further, Jiang Yuhuo could have plunged his sword into Jia Yue's heart.
“It accidentally bumped into my arms,” Jia Yue smiled and stroked the fluffy ball in her hand. “Is this your bird? It’s very cute.”
The poor long-tailed tit was trembling in his hand.
"Give it to me." Jiang Yuhuo looked displeased, but Jia Yue continued to stroke its feathers, showing no intention of letting go.
"Otherwise, don't blame me for being impolite." The tip of the sword pressed against the man's chest, stopping short of advancing further.
Jia Yue simply lowered her head and gently stroked the bird in her hand, ignoring the sword pointing at his chest.
He gently stroked the bird's feathers, but for some reason the bird was so afraid of him, even though he treated it very well.
It's like he treated her very well, but she still left.
I gave it back to her, and then what?
Then she will leave.
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