Chapter 22
Jiang Liuya felt the breath near her ear and immediately woke up, taking three steps back to the side.
My scalp tingled with disgust, and my whole body radiated an aura of resistance.
Her face was frosty, and she said with displeasure, "Fellow Daoist Ning, why don't you name a price? I've never liked owing favors."
“Miss Jiang, since that’s the case, I’ll give you a fair price.” Ning Xuan smiled and held up five fingers.
Jiang Liuya's pupils contracted slightly. The difference was so great; it seemed she wouldn't be able to buy the alchemy furnace today. She glanced longingly at the immortal-grade furnace, shook her head, and said, "I don't have that many crystals on me."
Jiang Liuya looked at Ning Xuan and thought to herself that this was a spoiled brat and she shouldn't get entangled with him.
Since the deal fell through, he decisively took his leave.
Ning Xuan replied, "Miss Jiang, a celestial-grade alchemy furnace is a rare find, and someone will likely buy it soon. Once you leave this door today, you may never have the chance to have it again."
Jiang Liuya paused for a moment, but did not turn around, and quickly left the Lingbao Pavilion.
Although Ning Xuan's cultivation level was ordinary, he was used to acting recklessly because he had a powerful older brother in the Nine Nether Sect, and he rarely received such cold treatment.
Through the third-floor window, he stared intently at Jiang Liuya's departing figure, his eyes filled with malice, muttering to himself, "Is there anything I can't give away?"
When Jiang Liuya returned to the Imperial Pill Sect, Song Chu and Li Yuan immediately came to greet her.
Song Chu said with admiration, "My dear senior sister, you are so amazing! You won the championship with ease!"
Li Yuan was still immersed in the excitement of the match and said, "Liu Ya, what was with your last few moves? I didn't understand them at all. How did your opponent suddenly get so red? Weren't we taught by the same master?"
"Hehe, given your current level of control over spiritual power, you wouldn't understand even if I explained it to you." Jiang Liuya's lips curled up slightly, looking smug.
"How dare you say that about me! How awful!" Li Yuan pretended to be angry and lightly punched her shoulder.
...
Seeing familiar senior and junior brothers and sisters, hearing their warm words, the disgusting experience at the Spirit Treasure Pavilion and the regret of not obtaining the Immortal-grade alchemy furnace instantly vanished.
"Junior Nephew Jiang! Are you inside the sect?" A voice asked from the main gate of the Imperial Pill Sect.
The usually deserted Yu Dan Sect has unexpected visitors.
The gate of the Imperial Pill Sect was unguarded, and the man shouted as he strode in.
The three siblings followed the sound and came over.
The visitor was a middle-aged man with Foundation Establishment cultivation, but he was an acquaintance.
This was Elder Ye from the Imperial Pill Sect, who was once their master's junior brother. They should call him Uncle-Master.
However, when the Imperial Pill Sect was in peril, he did not hesitate to betray it, taking with him all kinds of pill formulas, spiritual herbs and elixirs.
The group had long since forgotten about this senior martial uncle, and upon seeing him now, their expressions were slightly displeased. At the same time, they couldn't help but wonder what his purpose was in coming here.
"My fellow disciples, how have you been?" Elder Ye said to himself, then looked at Jiang Liuya: "Junior disciple Jiang, I didn't expect you to be so accomplished, reaching the Foundation Establishment stage at such a young age."
As he spoke, he took out a pill-refining furnace from his Qiankun bag and placed it in front of the group. It was the same immortal-grade pill-refining furnace that Jiang Liuya had previously set her sights on.
"Elder Ye, what does this mean?" Jiang Liuya asked.
Elder Ye said, "I was just following orders. This alchemy furnace was brought to me by Young Master Xuan."
Ning Xuan? So the treasure appraiser from the Imperial Pill Sect that Ning Xuan mentioned earlier is Elder Ye.
Speaking of Ning Xuan, Jiang Liuya felt a sense of unease.
It seems this person intends to keep bothering them.
"What if I resolutely refuse to accept it?" Jiang Liuya asked calmly.
"Young Master Xuan said that Miss Jiang can consider it as an overpayment, owing Lingbao Pavilion crystals. But the alchemy furnace cannot be taken back." Elder Ye said, "If Junior Nephew Jiang does not accept it, I will use a secret method to destroy it."
It seems that once this alchemy furnace leaves the Lingbao Pavilion, it will be attributed to Jiang Liuya.
There's no reason for such forced buying and selling!
"Understood. Elder Ye, please convey my message to Fellow Daoist Ning that I will repay the spirit treasure pavilion's debt as soon as possible." Jiang Liuya's face was cold and stern as she continued, "Elder Ye, please return."
“Junior Nephew Jiang, let me give you a piece of advice: one should always strive for higher goals. Don’t act rashly just because you have some ability. On this path to immortality, you and I are nothing but ants.”
Jiang Liuya snorted coldly and said, "The high place you speak of is not the same as what I pursue. We have different paths, so we cannot work together."
After Elder Ye left, the three of them moved the alchemy furnace into the alchemy room.
Song Chu and Li Yuan looked at Jiang Liuya with some worry. They didn't know what had happened to Jiang Liuya at Lingbao Pavilion, but it didn't seem to be anything good.
"Did the Lingbao Pavilion try to recruit you, Senior Sister, but you refused?" Song Chu cautiously guessed.
Jiang Liuya was slightly taken aback, thinking to herself, "This clever little devil, she actually guessed some of it."
"Alright, you two stop worrying. It won't do any harm. Someone wants to give us a celestial-grade pill furnace, what's wrong with that?" She smiled slightly, trying to ease the tense atmosphere with a relaxed tone.
As she spoke, Jiang Liuya turned her gaze to the immortal-grade pill furnace.
She gently lifted the furnace lid and carefully examined the inside. The furnace walls were smooth as a mirror, without a single impurity, gleaming with the faint, eerie light of black iron. She then looked at the bottom of the furnace, where some runes were engraved, all for gathering spiritual energy and stabilizing the furnace. She reached out and gently touched the bottom of the furnace; it felt cool and hard, and she found nothing unusual.
"There's nothing wrong with it. In that case, let's keep it."
Jiang Liuya thought to herself, as long as she can refine immortal-grade pills, she can make a second one, and she will be able to earn those crystals sooner or later.
However, what she didn't notice was that at the junction of the furnace bottom and the leg support, a silver-gray Gu worm was hidden in the shadows, blending seamlessly with the black iron furnace beneath her. This was a hidden-winged Gu, which could change its color according to its surroundings, making it extremely difficult to conceal.
As the three left, the Hidden-Winged Gu slowly moved out of the ditch in the alchemy furnace. It silently crawled out of the alchemy room and came to the bushes in the courtyard. As soon as it got into the bushes, it immediately changed to a fresh green color, cleverly hiding itself.
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