Chapter Thirty-Six: All Debts Settled
Qu Yiqiu returned to Xiaoping Peak and knocked on Mu Yunjin’s door, but there was no answer.
Without giving it much thought, she headed straight for the summit.
Yet Mo Qingli’s cave residence was equally quiet and deserted, with no one to respond. She took out Mo Qingli’s identity jade token and unlocked the protective barrier.
One table, one chair, one stone bed—so impeccably tidy that it was as if no one lived there.
“What’s this? Don’t tell me they’ve slipped out again to undertake some mission without me?” A sense of unease crept into Qu Yiqiu’s heart.
Catching a glimpse of a jade slip placed behind the teacup on the stone table, she beckoned it over.
“Yiqiu, your master and Yunjin are currently visiting Sect Leader Luo. You needn’t worry.”
“What in the world, so they’ve gone to see Sect Leader Luo!” Qu Yiqiu sighed in relief, thinking it natural for Mo Qingli, who had just recovered his Dao foundation, to visit the sect leader.
She pressed the jade slip to her brow, inputting the news that she was heading to Qunan City, set it back down, and returned to her cave.
…
The weary, cold moon hid behind clouds to rest, leaving only a handful of twinkling stars.
Treasure Pavilion.
“Master Chi, I’ve sold the cloud brocade you requested to her. But… but I fear this immortal maiden has already sensed something amiss.” Shopkeeper Qian bowed slightly, speaking respectfully to the young man before him.
Chi Yushu’s handsome brows furrowed ever so slightly. He replied in a gentle tone, “It’s fine, as long as she accepted it.”
Shopkeeper Qian hesitated, then produced a storage pouch from his sleeve, pouring out a heap of porcelain bottles. “She paid a handsome price. Among the two-pattern Condensing Essence Pills we agreed upon, she slipped in six bottles of top-tier three-pattern Condensing Essence Pills.”
Judging by their quality, a single bottle of three-pattern Condensing Essence Pills could fetch at least twenty-three thousand low-grade spirit stones.
That’s based on prior standard rates; with the righteous and demonic factions now battling in Qunan City, the buying price would certainly be higher.
Shopkeeper Qian couldn’t help but sigh inwardly at the profitable deal. There was hardly any need for Master Chi to maneuver so subtly to gift her the cloud brocade—she had more than enough resources to purchase it herself.
He was truly curious who this immortal maiden’s master could be.
Chi Yushu raised his hand in mild surprise, summoning the six bottles of three-pattern Condensing Essence Pills. He inhaled their subtle medicinal fragrance and said gravely, “I underestimated Uncle Mo’s affection for Junior Sister Qu.”
No need for Qu Yiqiu to explain; everyone believed these pills were refined by Mo Qingli.
…
Golden dawn bathed the towering peaks in crimson light.
Even the humble Xiaoping Peak, dwarfed by the majestic mountains, caught a few rays.
Outside the gates of Tianyan Sect, several teams had gathered.
Qu Yiqiu stood side by side with Luo Yingying, countless curious gazes circling her, as if trying to see right through her.
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“My goodness, she’s human like us, but how is she so beautiful?”
“Did you see? That’s Qu Yiqiu, Xiaoping Peak’s senior disciple! Truly a peerless immortal!”
“I can’t believe it—looking like that, she’s actually a talentless spiritual root?”
“…”
Since arriving at Tianyan Sect, Qu Yiqiu rarely appeared in crowds.
Yet every time she did, she became the center of attention.
She’d grown accustomed to the whispering voices.
Luo Yingying bared her teeth at the surrounding crowd in annoyance.
At first, she would curse them, but now, one voice against many, she could only glare threateningly, hoping to silence them.
“Heh, Junior Brother Chi has brought that junior sister again? What, planning to use her beauty to lure out the demonic cultivators this time?”
Before the assembled teams, their respective leaders stood at the front.
The speaker was a young woman, perhaps twenty, her hair styled in an immortal’s bun, adorned with a bejeweled hairpin dangling with tassels.
As she covered her mouth and laughed, the tassel swayed, chiming crisply.
Chi Yushu glanced at her carelessly and replied coolly, “It’s not a bad idea, but Senior Sister Jiang can’t use it, much to her junior brother’s regret.”
“You!” Jiang Shuangyan glared with bright, beautiful eyes, pointing a delicate finger at him, yet failed to utter a complete sentence.
Ignoring her, Chi Yushu calmly counted heads, waiting for the moment to depart.
Luo Yingying, ever observant, saw Jiang Shuangyan’s haughty demeanor and whispered, “Qu, look at Jiang Shuangyan’s getup—she can’t wait to tell the world she’s the pearl of the Jiang clan. I bet when we reach Qunan City, the demonic cultivators will target her first!”
Following her gaze, Qu Yiqiu saw Jiang Shuangyan turning her head away in a huff.
Jiang Shuangyan: single gold spiritual root, bone age twenty-two, early Foundation Establishment.
The cherished jewel of the powerful Jiang Clan.
The Qu family, though tens of thousands of years old, was merely a large clan—its foundation paled in comparison to the Jiang family.
Qu Yiqiu withdrew her gaze and asked, “Is she the leader of the first team?”
“Yes! If she weren’t a few months older than Senior Brother Chi, and had lingered in early Foundation Establishment a bit longer, she wouldn’t be leading Team One!”
Luo Yingying, a bit indignant, then grinned mischievously, “Let me tell you a secret—she joined the last demon purging mission, but the demon didn’t even bother with her. She failed the task, slunk back to Dai Luo Peak, and rumor has it, smashed a bunch of treasures in her cave!”
Qu Yiqiu clicked her tongue in mild surprise.
A prodigal heiress, indeed.
Luo Yingying’s laughter lingered, remembering how Qu had lucked out on the last mission.
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Senior Brother Chi, representing Nine Sword Peak, won the rewards, while Dai Luo Peak’s influence was suppressed.
Seeing the arrogant Jiang Shuangyan put in her place was a delight!
Qu Yiqiu had never participated in the inner peak contests, but she understood well that harmony was not the rule between the peaks.
Within the sect, each mountain vied for the best resources—openly or covertly, all competing for strength.
The sect's cake was only so big; to claim the largest slice, a peak’s disciples had to outshine all others.
As she mused on this, a sharp, cutting gaze swept over her from the front of the team.
Jiang Shuangyan sneered.
No matter how talented Chi Yushu was, he was still a man at heart.
Bringing along a teammate who’d barely reached the ninth level of Qi Refining through pills—this mission was doomed!
She glanced arrogantly at Qu Yiqiu, then surveyed her carefully chosen elite squad, her eyes brimming with confidence.
Qu Yiqiu shook her head in resignation.
Such senseless malice from other women—she’d encountered it far too often.
No need to take it to heart.
A sage once said: if you don’t provoke envy, you’re mediocre.
Excessive beauty was, in itself, a kind of crime!
Once all the teams had assembled, the leaders released the sect’s allocated flying boats, checked their numbers, and set off for Qunan City.
On the flying boat, Qu Yiqiu quietly sent a sound transmission talisman to Yao Zhimei.
The boat sped swiftly, soon arriving outside Qunan City.
Here, the righteous alliance had set up camp.
Qu Yiqiu waited silently among the crowd as the thirteen team leaders made contact with the alliance cultivators.
Chi Yushu emerged from the main camp.
“Our team’s task is to guard the Qunan City treasure vault. Everyone, follow me inside.”
Luo Yingying’s eyes widened: “Why is it this task? So many factions are eyeing the treasure vault—how many enemies will we face?”
Wu Qiu, overhearing her astonishment, whispered, “Didn't you come here to earn battle merit? The more challengers we face, the higher our merit.”
“At that rate, Jiang Shuangyan’s team will have a hard time catching up to us!”
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