Qi Zhiheng and Yang Yitian had walked a short distance when two disciples dressed in Shenmu Sect attire stepped forward and stood in front of them.
One of the Nascent Soul cultivators stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "Guan Yunmo of the Divine Wood Sect greets you two fellow Daoists. Would you mind coming to the teahouse for a chat?"
Qi Zhiheng returned the greeting, saying, "Since it's a matter of respect from the Shenmu Sect, we should naturally give it to them."
Since they had already stepped forward to stop him, Qi Zhiheng couldn't just leave. As for his next plan, he would have to see how they reacted.
The group went up to the teahouse together, and Guan Yunmo poured a cup of tea for Qi Zhiheng, Yang Yitian, and the werewolf: "Please enjoy your tea, both of you."
Guan Yunmo must be a skilled alchemist. Although Qi Zhiheng did not know his exact age, judging from his appearance, Guan Yunmo was indeed very young. Even if a cultivator had entered the Nascent Soul stage, it would be difficult for him to keep his appearance young.
Qi Zhiheng took a sniff of the tea aroma, and after confirming that the other party had not tampered with the tea, he took a sip.
That makes sense. Since the other party knows that he can refine a fourth-grade top-quality pill, they probably wouldn't dare to tamper with its pharmacology.
Seeing that Qi Zhiheng had drunk his tea, Yang Yitian knew there was no problem and also took a sip of tea.
“This spiritual tea is full of spiritual energy. Such a fine tea must not be something that can be obtained in this teahouse.” Qi Zhiheng put down his teacup.
Guan Yunmo smiled and said, "It is a blessing for this mere spirit tea to receive a compliment from you, fellow Daoist. This tea is called Pine Snow Fragrance."
Qi Zhiheng's brow twitched: "I didn't expect Fellow Daoist Guan to have such precious spiritual tea. He truly deserves to be a pill master from the Divine Wood Sect."
"Fellow Daoist, you flatter me. May I ask how you two are addressed, and who your masters are?" Guan Yunmo inquired about Qi Zhiheng.
Qi Zhiheng said, "My surname is Yi, and my name is Yi Yun. My Daoist partner's surname is Wen, and his name is Wen Zhi. We are two free spirits, just two rogue cultivators, and we do not belong to any sect."
Guan Yunmo's smile became even more sincere, and the topic became slightly more connected to the overall situation: "I have something to say. If I offend you in any way, please forgive me."
"Fellow Daoist Guan, please speak frankly." Qi Zhiheng could guess what this person was going to say next; it was nothing more than a rhetoric to win him over.
Guan Yunmo said, "To be honest, before you two left the trading post, my Shenmu Sect had already heard about your deeds. We heard that you traded several top-grade fourth-level pills in the trading post. I wonder if you two refined these pills or not?"
Qi Zhiheng smiled and said, "What do you think, Fellow Daoist Guan?"
Guan Yunmo sniffed and said, "I guess this pill must have been made by Alchemist Yi. If Alchemist Yi hadn't been making pills so frequently recently, he probably wouldn't have been able to reach this level."
Qi Zhiheng hadn't expected that the scent of pills on his body could reveal his identity as an alchemist. It seemed he would really have to find a way to conceal the scent in the future. After a moment's thought, he replied, "It's Fellow Daoist Guan who flatters me. Those top-grade pills in my hands were not made by me. I was just a disciple helping out. These pills were made by my master. I don't have the ability to make top-grade pills."
Guan Yunmo hesitated for a moment: "I wonder who Master Yi's master is?"
Qi Zhiheng waved his hand and said, "My master is a rogue cultivator and probably doesn't reveal his name. As his disciple, it's also inconvenient for me to reveal it. I hope Fellow Daoist Guan will understand."
"In that case, I was being presumptuous," Guan Yunmo said with a polite smile. "I wonder if Fellow Daoist Yi still has any intention of selling such pills? If we could contact Fellow Daoist Yi's master to refine some for our Shenmu Sect, that would be wonderful."
Qi Zhiheng feigned regret and said, "There are still two pills left. I originally planned to keep one for myself and one for my partner. If Fellow Daoist Guan wants them, I will sell them to you. However, there are no more top-grade pills. My master's lifespan ended two months ago, so he is probably no longer able to serve the Divine Wood Sect."
"That's truly regrettable. Please accept my condolences, Fellow Daoist Yi." Guan Yunmo also felt that Qi Zhiheng was unlikely to be a top-grade pill refiner. If he were, how could he be so young? It would make sense if the pill refiner were a Nascent Soul cultivator nearing the end of their lifespan. However, he didn't believe that only two pills remained. The two of them traded so readily for fourth-grade top-grade pills, so they must still have quite a few more top-grade pills in their possession.
Qi Zhiheng sighed: "Yes, it is indeed a regrettable thing to run out of lifespan."
In the teahouse, it was mainly Qi Zhiheng and Guan Yunmo who were talking, while Yang Yitian and the Golden Core cultivator they brought with them spoke very little.
Yang Yitian remained silent because he feared that others would see through his actions and might guess his identity from his words and behavior. He didn't want to reveal himself at this moment.
Guan Yunmo subtly continued to extract information from Qi Zhiheng, whose answers remained flawless. After about an hour in the teahouse, Qi Zhiheng took out some pills and exchanged them with Guan Yunmo for some medicinal herbs. He then took his leave, saying, "Today's conversation with Fellow Daoist Guan has thoroughly resolved many questions that have accumulated over the years. I have truly gained a lot. However, it is getting late, and we have some matters to attend to. I must take my leave now. I look forward to discussing the Dao of Alchemy with Fellow Daoist Guan again when we have more time!"
"I have gained a lot from today's detailed discussion with Fellow Daoist Yi. Since Fellow Daoist Yi still has other matters to attend to, I, Guan, will naturally not stop you. Please accept this communication jade slip, and we can arrange to discuss the art of alchemy again next time." Guan Yunmo politely handed over the jade slip.
Qi Zhiheng accepted the jade slip, and then handed over his own communication jade slip to the other party: "Then let's arrange to talk again next time. Take care, Fellow Daoist Guan."
Qi Zhiheng and Yang Yitian left the teahouse, and Guan Yunmo did not stop them.
After the two had walked some distance away, the Golden Core cultivator beside Guan Yunmo said, "Master Guan, is it appropriate to just let them leave like this? Even if it wasn't a top-grade fourth-level pill they refined, I can see that Master Yi's alchemy skills are extraordinary. It wouldn't be bad to recruit him into the sect."
Guan Yunmo glanced at him indifferently and said angrily, "There's no rush. We need to find out his background first before we can proceed with the next step."
After Yang Yitian and Qi Zhiheng had walked some distance apart, Yang Yitian transmitted his voice to Qi Zhiheng and asked, "Are we safe now?"
Qi Zhiheng replied telepathically, "No, those eight Nascent Soul cultivators are still following behind us."
Yang Yitian was somewhat surprised: "Does the Divine Wood Sect have so many Nascent Soul cultivators? Isn't it said that it's not easy for them to improve their cultivation level?"
Qi Zhiheng chuckled inwardly: "Those people are Nascent Soul cultivators, but not necessarily alchemists. With so many Level 4 alchemists in the Divine Wood Sect, what difficulty would it be to bribe some Nascent Soul cultivators? These are probably just guest elders of the Divine Wood Sect."
"Then how do we shake them off? With teleportation talismans? I've recently drawn quite a few powerful teleportation talismans; even Nascent Soul cultivators can't catch up with us," Yang Yitian said telepathically, somewhat boastfully.
Qi Zhiheng stopped him: "Wait a minute. The pills they exchanged and the communication jade slip he gave me have both been tampered with. Even if we are teleported to the ends of the earth, they can still catch up."
Yang Yitian was somewhat surprised and angrily transmitted his voice, "What! These people are so dishonest in doing business!"
Qi Zhiheng smiled and transmitted his voice: "This is nothing serious. Although ordinary spatial devices cannot isolate their marks, my space is a world of its own. Once it is thrown in, the other party will not be able to detect it."
Yang Yitian nodded: "That's good."
Qi Zhiheng sighed and said, "It's just that our plans to come to Juxian City to exchange for spirit veins are now off the table. Let's stay in the sect for a while and come out again after this matter has calmed down." After saying that, he put the spirit herbs and communication jade slips into his space. The next moment, he teleported back in the opposite direction with Yang Yitian.
To avoid suspicion, they left in the opposite direction from the God-Slaying Sect, so this is the only way to teleport back now.
Guan Yunmo, still in the teahouse, suddenly looked up and crushed the porcelain cup in his hand!
"Master Guan, what are you doing..." The Golden Core cultivator beside him was startled by his actions.
Guan Yunmo did raise his hand to indicate that he was alright, but he was somewhat surprised. He hadn't expected that he had underestimated that person after all.
Not long after, the eight Nascent Soul cultivators returned somewhat dejectedly to report back.
"Master Guan, I'm truly sorry, but the other party had a high-level teleportation talisman, and we lost track of them," said one of the leading Nascent Soul cultivators, somewhat ashamed.
Guan Yunmo smiled calmly: "It's because the other party is too capable. You can't blame your fellow Daoists. After all, no one expected that the other party would have such methods."
"It's good that Master Guan didn't blame us. However, since we haven't completed our mission, let's cancel the promised pills," said the leading Nascent Soul cultivator.
Guan Yunmo took out a jade bottle and said, "This one won't do. The deal we agreed on is what it is. Although the mission wasn't completed, our Shenmu Sect can't let you all come for nothing. However, we can only fulfill half of the promised reward."
The leading Nascent Soul cultivator said politely, "Master Guan is truly righteous! This time it was indeed our dereliction of duty, and it is only right that our reward be halved. If there is any need for our assistance next time, Master Guan, please just give the order."
Guan Yunmo smiled and said, "Definitely."
After receiving their payment, the Nascent Soul cultivators left.
The Golden Core cultivator beside Guan Yunmo was somewhat displeased to see so many pills being taken away, and muttered, "These people clearly didn't even get the job done, yet they have the nerve to take so much reward."
Guan Yunmo said calmly, "If we don't give them some benefits this time, how will we be able to order them around in the future?"
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