“How many do you have?”
Wen Fei tightened her fingers.
One fruit can repair a segment of the Dao bone and restore a small amount of cultivation.
If there were more…
Although it wouldn’t restore her to the peak of the Tribulation Stage, it might allow her to surpass the Transformation Stage and reach the Integration Stage.
But she couldn’t afford that many spirit fruits.
The Hunyuan Spirit Fruit was a treasure of mid-grade earth level, worth its weight in gold.
To reach the Integration Stage, at least ten would be needed.
Regardless of whether the other party’s words were true or false, just the price of ten fruits was beyond what Wen Fei could hope for.
No matter how accommodating one might be, the grade of the spirit fruit was a hard fact.
“I…”
Tang Muxi hesitated for a moment, still not daring to speak recklessly, “I consumed some Hunyuan Spirit Fruits a while ago, and now there aren’t many left.
May I ask how many you need, senior?”
After pondering for a while, she hoarsely asked, “Would six be acceptable?”
Six would allow her to recover to the Transformation Stage, though still not enough, but at least it would provide her with a means of self-defense.
Moreover, this price was relatively cheaper and not too far beyond her means.
She could consider it as owing this girl a favor and compensating her in other ways.
Tang Muxi calculated in her mind.
She had a total of ten fruits, consumed two, leaving her with eight.
If the senior wanted six, she would still have a little left for emergencies, which was within an acceptable range.
“Six are naturally available, but there is one condition.”
Upon hearing this, Wen Fei immediately became cautious and listened intently.
To her surprise, the person said, “After you use them, could you return the seeds?”
Wen Fei was taken aback, realizing in disbelief, “You want to plant a Hunyuan Spirit Fruit Tree? That’s a heavenly grade!”
The Hunyuan Spirit Fruit Tree produces Hunyuan Spirit Fruits, and its power is even more refined; it is a heavenly treasure.
Even a single leaf or branch is incredibly precious.
The resin left by the trunk is called Hunyuan Purple Crystal, exquisite and beautiful, making it an excellent material for refining tools, but it is extremely rare and seldom appears.
In the cultivation world, Hunyuan Spirit Fruit Trees are few and far between, barely enough to count on one hand, and all are sealed off by powerful forces, never revealing their locations.
To prevent the crime of possessing a treasure, they only release a small quantity of the tree’s fruits, branches, and purple crystals every ten years.
However, the Hunyuan Spirit Fruit Tree is incredibly difficult to cultivate, with a probability of less than one in a million, so they are not afraid of other forces obtaining the Hunyuan Spirit Fruit Tree.
Tang Muxi didn’t know that the mother tree of the Hunyuan Spirit Fruit was heavenly grade and was momentarily stunned.
But since she had already planted it, how could she give up just because the grade was too high?
She was delighted at the prospect.
“I have to give it a try. Besides, I have Hunyuan Purple Soil and a spiritual spring. With careful cultivation, I might be able to grow a tree.”
Wen Fei’s breath hitched, suddenly feeling her heart take a blow.
Indeed, the other party had a full hundred acres of Hunyuan Purple Soil, brimming with treasures, so why would she need her to worry?
She had previously comforted herself, thinking that a mysterious grade spirit plant was just a trivial matter; who hadn’t had one before?
But now, Wen Fei suddenly realized that her little treasury was a joke.
At least a hundred acres of Hunyuan Purple Soil would be impossible to produce in a lifetime.
“No problem.”
Wen Fei forced a dry smile, her voice hoarse, filled with self-doubt and a hint of anger.
People cannot be compared to one another.
After finalizing the most critical condition, Tang Muxi breathed a sigh of relief, smiled, and took out six Mixed Origin Spirit Fruits from the dome of jade.
In truth, it pained her a bit.
There weren’t many of these things in total; they were treasures.
Next time, she would have to think twice before even feeding them to Senior Sister… “What does the senior plan to exchange for them?”
Tang Muxi asked somewhat casually, not that she didn’t care, but she had already assumed the other party would hand over the treasures from the cold pool, so she treated it as a formality.
Unexpectedly, the other party drew a bow and arrow, hovering in front of her.
The bow and arrow were snow-white, with a texture as gentle as jade, emitting a chilling light.
The upper and lower bow limbs were intricately carved with exquisite patterns, adorned with azure gemstones, elegant and refined.
The bow handle was frosted, with icy threads rippling, and inscribed within were profound and complex runes, intricate and obscure.
The bowstring was crystalline, made from the purest ice flame threads, intertwining and merging the powers of extreme cold and scorching heat, exquisite beyond compare.
“This bow is called the Illusionary God, originally a heavenly grade artifact, but no one could unleash its true power, so it was buried and downgraded to a mid-grade earth level. It was made using a segment of immortal bone, drawing spiritual power as arrows, and can transform into a long sword.”
As she spoke, the Illusionary God swiftly transformed, reshaping into a snow-white sword with exquisite blue-green jade patterns.
The crystalline bowstring morphed into a cluster of sword tassels hanging from the hilt, emitting a sparkling, shimmering light.
Ethereal and fantastical, the radiance flowed and shimmered, incredibly beautiful.
Tang Muxi’s eyes widened in astonishment; she had never seen such a stunning weapon before.
The fact that it could switch between a sword and a bow was simply unheard of.
Recently, she had been lacking a suitable weapon, so acquiring the Illusionary God seemed like a good idea.
However, as much as she liked it, Tang Muxi couldn’t help but ask, “Is this all…?”
If it were a heavenly-grade artifact, spending six mid-grade earth-level mixed essence fruits wouldn’t be a problem.
But this was only previously a heavenly-grade!
Now it had been downgraded to a high-grade earth-level, just one grade below the essence fruit, making it seem unsuitable no matter how she calculated it.
She didn’t believe she could wield the so-called “true power” and felt that her senior was just trying to fool her with grand promises.
Wen Fei was also aware that she had no ground to stand on, and facing a junior, she felt embarrassed to deceive her.
The Illusionary God had been in her possession for nearly a hundred years, and even she, who had once transcended tribulations, couldn’t unleash its true power, let alone a junior who hadn’t even condensed their dan yet.
After a moment of awkward contemplation, she said, “You can take this Illusionary God as a… as a deposit. In the future, if you need anything, I will do my utmost to help.”
In other words: give me some face, owe me a favor, and the balance can be settled later.
Tang Muxi’s face was filled with reluctance.
This… this was no longer a pretense; she was being forced into it!
“Senior, you’re trying to fool me again.”
Tang Muxi might be a bit naive, but she was quite sensitive when it came to money, a true little hamster, so she spoke her mind without hesitation.
Wen Fei cleared her throat, feeling embarrassed after being called out, her face burning.
“I don’t want the Illusionary God; I want that shiny thing in the ice pond.”
Her intuition told Tang Muxi that that item was the real treasure.
Upon hearing this, Wen Fei immediately became anxious: “No!”
Realizing her tone was a bit too intense, she gently explained to the little benefactor, “The Qiluo Green Lotus is now connected to my life; it cannot be exchanged.”
Moreover, although the Qiluo Green Lotus was only a high-grade earth-level item, it could bring the dead back to life.
Even if only a trace of a remnant soul remained, it could still save a person.
It was said to be a companion spirit plant of the demon clan’s divine artifact, the Jishi Lantern, which involved immense stakes.
Although it had been entrusted to her by her sister for safekeeping, it ultimately wasn’t hers.
Wen Fei had never considered using it without permission; even in her severely injured state, she merely sat beside the Qinglian, borrowing its power to preserve her life.
Tang Muxi circled around her for a moment, seeing that the other party truly didn’t want to part with it.
She felt regretful but also knew it was unwise to force the issue.
“Senior, do you know how to refine pills or forge weapons? Or perhaps practice talismans?”
“I can manage.”
Wen Fei was surprised, vaguely understanding what she was thinking, and felt relieved when she saw Tang Muxi no longer pursuing the Qiluo Green Lotus.
“I have reached a bottleneck in my cultivation and need a master to enlighten me. If you are willing to take me as your disciple and teach me your magical skills, I am willing to exchange these six mixed essence fruits as a token of respect for my teacher.”
As she spoke, Tang Muxi knelt on the ground, her skirt swirling around her.
Wen Fei’s expression softened, and she smiled lightly, “As you wish.”
Tang Muxi was overjoyed: “Thank you, Senior.”
“Still calling me Senior?”
“Thank you, Master.”
“Alright, get up.”
Although she couldn’t obtain the Qiluo Green Lotus, she had gained a powerful master and acquired the original heavenly-grade artifact, the Illusionary God, which, when carefully considered, was not a loss at all.
Moreover, Tang Muxi wasn’t foolish; now that she had become a disciple, it would be much easier to get closer to the Qiluo Green Lotus in the future.
She was Jiang Yin’s junior sister, and having taken Wen Fei as her master, Jiang Yin would also receive some protection from her.
Killing four birds with one stone.
“Master, since I have already become your disciple, it wouldn’t be right for you to suffer here. I have a Floating Immortal Island, vast and boundless, rich in spiritual energy. My residence only has me and my Senior Sister living there, so it is quite empty. Why not come and stay with us?”
Upon hearing that she had a Senior Sister, Wen Fei realized she had been outmaneuvered, feeling both amused and helpless.
I am gravely injured and urgently need to enter seclusion to heal; it’s not wise to make a big fuss.
Moreover, this cave contains an ice pond and the Qiluo Green Lotus, making it inconvenient to relocate.
Tang Muxi smiled and said, “No worries, there are a total of nine islands on Floating Immortal Island. If Master wishes to settle the ice pond and Qiluo Green Lotus, I can find a separate place for you. The island is protected by formations, making it undetectable to ordinary people, and there’s a powerful protective array around the island, ensuring safety. It’s the perfect choice for your seclusion, Master.”
After Tang Muxi finished speaking, she waited for a moment but saw that her master hadn’t responded.
Pouting slightly, she felt a bit wronged: “Is Master wary of me? Afraid I might commit murder for treasure?”
Wen Fei couldn’t help but twitch her lips, thinking this girl really dares to speak.
Although her cultivation had nearly been lost, she still had some life-saving talismans and treasures, so she shouldn’t be afraid of a little girl who hadn’t even reached the Golden Core stage.
After pondering for a moment, Wen Fei sighed, “Fine, you wait for me outside for a moment, and we’ll set off shortly.”
Tang Muxi beamed with joy, “Disciple understands.”
Half an hour later, the ice pond and Qiluo Green Lotus were all collected, and the layers of ice mist dissipated.
A young woman in her twenties or thirties emerged from the hazy mist.
Dressed in green, her long hair cascaded like a waterfall, held up by a jade hairpin.
She had a beautiful face, delicate brows, and red lips with white teeth.
Every movement exuded a gentle and soft aura, far removed from her dry voice and fierce tone.
Tang Muxi stared in disbelief, her eyes wide, her mouth opening and closing like a stranded fish: “Master… Master was eaten by a monster…”
Wen Fei’s loving and gentle expression shattered in an instant, and she raised her hand to smack the back of Tang Muxi’s head: “You’re the one who’s been eaten.”
Tang Muxi winced and covered her head, finally realizing upon hearing the familiar voice: “So Master isn’t an old person.
Then why did you call yourself ‘this old body nearing the end of its days’ to trick me?”
It was better not to mention this, but once it was brought up, Wen Fei’s anger flared up immediately: “Clearly, it was you who presumptuously guessed and called me ‘old lady,’ and now you’re turning the tables?”
Tang Muxi then remembered she had indeed said that, and she laughed awkwardly: “I just hadn’t seen Master’s appearance, and you didn’t remind me, allowing me to make such a mistake.”
Wen Fei was speechless, suddenly realizing that this person was quite clever and articulate.
Regardless, it was still her own fault.
“Don’t be so glib.”
After saying that, she pursed her lips and glanced at the green vine still lying in Tang Muxi’s arms, filled with regret.
How had she not noticed before that this thing was so spineless!
