Chapter 188: Trade with Liu Yang (Part 1)
"...Did I fall asleep?"
"Yes. You were sleeping soundly, so I didn't want to wake you up," replied Lu Yin with an awkward smile.
"Like this... I'm sorry, that was rude of me to leave you alone," muttered the young man in a low voice and stood up.
"Oh..."
Lu Yin made a strange sound as if she was disappointed. Xie Qing was still sleepy, so he didn't hear it.
Sitting up straight, he rubbed his eyes and sighed.
"I haven't slept for a long time..." thought Xie Qing and yawned, covering his mouth with his hand. He looked out the small window and narrowed his eyes: "We're almost there. I need to contact the Master about that matter..."
The young man sighed. So much work...
***
The carriage landed lightly in front of the gates of the Sect of Nine Pills. The distance to the entrance was about ten meters. This was required by the security system so that it would not be considered a violation.
Opening the carriage door, Xie Qing jumped down and then extended his hand, helping Lu Yin out of the carriage.
When these two left the carriage, the young man waved his hand, and their transportation disappeared. The guards were amazed.
"Miss Lu Yin!" they exclaimed in surprise, seeing Lu Yin's appearance and bowing: "Welcome back! The Sect Master is waiting for you..."
He fell silent when his gaze fell on Xie Qing, who looked indifferent. His behavior created a mysterious atmosphere around him.
"He seems unhappy," thought the other guard, getting nervous.
Who didn't know about the young talent of the Sect of Heavenly Sword? Although he rarely appeared, every appearance of his was maximally loud. And because Xie Qing looked slightly gloomy, the guards were afraid to disturb him.
Quickly opening the gates, the guards bowed. Lu Yin and Xie Qing entered. When the gates closed, the guard duo sighed in relief.
"Damn! I thought I was going to die. He's so scary when he's silent!" said one of them.
"I wonder what happened to him? This young master looked annoyed..."
"Well! It's none of our business, we're just ordinary guards..."
"Hey, friendly fire is not accepted!"
As for Xie Qing's mood... it was just neutral. His facial expression was gloomy because he was a little hungry.
Poor guards...
***
"Master!"
Lu Yin bowed when she saw Liu Yang, who was sitting with her back to them and preparing pills. Xie Qing also bowed, although his bow was less respectful and adhered only to formalities.
"You have come. Wait a moment, I will finish with the pill..." replied Liu Yang in a calm voice.
The changes in her behavior were somewhat unusual. She behaved distantly and coldly while working with the pills... Xie Qing was reminded of Xu Mei, who had the same character.
When it came to training, Xu Mei always looked serious and cold, as if ready to kill anyone who got in her way.
"I like this temperament!" thought Xie Qing, entertaining himself while they waited: "I wonder what pill she is making? It must be something amazing..."
Xie Qing's eyes sparkled. Although he had seen several of her works, there were too few of them, and the pills created by Liu Yang were usually brought up in seconds.
Therefore, he was curious to see what it looked like. He was sure that it would help him form some understanding of the Dao of Alchemy.
In addition to his curiosity, Xie Qing was also a little nervous and wondered how to persuade Liu Yang to pass on the cultivation technique to him. Although the new alchemical flame was undoubtedly excellent and powerful... it was not easy to control!
Five minutes passed, and Liu Yang was still busy preparing the pill. Xie Qing waited patiently.
Ten minutes passed... twenty minutes... an hour!
"I mean, I'm no, I'm not the most charming guy in the world so I've been told, but..."
Xie Qing sighed. It was not easy to endure so much time, given his restless nature, but the personality of the woman in front of him was too influential. Moreover, he had a similar character.
Fortunately, Liu Yang finished after twenty minutes. The cauldron shook, and when Xie Qing already thought that there would be a bang, Liu Yang waved her hand, and the cauldron lid flew off, falling to the ground, and a small, pure white pill fell into the woman's hand.
The pill was the size of a bead, with a smooth, pure white texture.
"There it is... now I understand..." muttered something Liu Yang, and some of her words could not be understood. She turned around and gently smiled, seeing Lu Yin: "You have deigned to return to me, my dear disciple? And you even brought this boy... oh? Could it be that you..."
"M-Master!" Lu Yin cried out in embarrassment. Xie Qing covered his ears by that time.
"Hahaha..." Liu Yang laughed cheerfully.
Xie Qing was surprised. Was this crazy woman in a good mood?
At the same time, Lu Yin asked a question that also interested Xie Qing.
"Master, what is this pill?" the girl's eyes brightened as if she had found a new toy.
"Ah, this one? A new recipe. I've been experimenting for a long time and have achieved several good changes!" said Liu Yang happily, excitedly telling, like a little girl sharing her favorite toys: "This pill can help increase the cultivation level by one small stage, sacrificing Blood Essence. However, it can only be used once in a lifetime."
"This..."
Xie Qing was surprised. Although Blood Essence, which was also considered an important basic life energy, was valuable, a small depletion would not significantly affect the situation.
Therefore, such a pill would be in high demand. Even Xie Qing would want something like that for himself. However, he had a System. Meanwhile, he checked the store.
"Hm?"
The young man smiled. There was indeed something like this here!
[Small Ascension Pill] | [Price: 150,050 Spiritual Stones] | [Description: A pill that exhausts 100 years of life, helping to break through a minor cultivation stage. Can only be used once]
"But... it's a pity that it can only be used once" The young man was a little disappointed and checked the store for something similar, but without restrictions.
However, he had to stop, finding nothing. He sighed.
"Too bad. Although, if there were something like that, the cultivation world would have relied on pills alone long ago" thought Xie Qing and shook his head: "Moreover, relying on this means is dangerous. It should only be used when there is no other choice."
Liu Yang had already finished explaining. By this time, she had calmed down a bit, looking calm.
Which could not be said about Lu Yin.
"Master! Please! Teach me!"
Her excited appearance looked very cute, and even Xie Qing could not help but be amused. It was nice to see a woman of her age so excitedly asking for something.
Liu Yang gently smiled - it seemed that even the heart of this crazy woman had melted before her disciple's request.
"Of course. But let's put that aside for now. You are here for another matter, aren't you?" she asked with a smile, turning her gaze to Xie Qing, who had been silent all this time.
"Lady Liu Yang" Xie Qing nodded and then got straight to the point: "I need the Golden Dragon Elegance alchemical flame cultivation technique."
"Oh?"
Liu Yang clicked her tongue in surprise, looking over Xie Qing's body from head to toe, and then asked with a smile:
"Will you show me your flame?"
"If you can ensure Lu Yin's safety" Xie Qing nodded.
"Naturally. Now show me!" Liu Yang spoke in a stricter voice, but it could be seen that her eyes were slightly sparkling.
Xie Qing shrugged and then extended his hand forward, summoning the alchemical flame.
Whoosh!
The fierce golden flame shot out of Xie Qing's hand. The most amazing thing was that he was absorbing Qi around him, not consuming Xie Qing's Qi!
Liu Yin clicked her tongue in surprise and waved her hand. A barrier appeared around Lu Yin and the rest of the furniture, isolating them from the fire.
"Monstrous fire. It tries to devour everything in its path. It's even trying to break my barrier!" Liu Yang admired, her eyes sparkling: "Incredible. Fire with its own consciousness? Heavens!"
"Can I withdraw the fire now? It consumes too much Qi..." Suddenly, Xie Qing's tired voice was heard.
"Oh, right... you can withdraw it."
"Uh..."
The young man clenched his hand into a fist, and the flame disappeared. Although, most likely, due to the rich Qi in this room, the fire was easier to control because it fed itself, but the huge consumption of energy was still there.
Moreover, after some time, the alchemical flame seemed to try to break free from his control.
The only reason the fire did not burn him was the Golden Dragon bloodline.
Liu Yang thought about something and wanted to say something, but the young man interrupted her.
"I'm not asking for the cultivation technique for free. And I won't accept it for free either; it's a matter of my pride. The cultivation world and the relationships between cultivators should be based on mutual benefit" said Xie Qing with a serious expression.
Although this might seem somewhat strange and unnecessary to someone, Xie Qing had his own pride. Moreover, although Liu Yang was a close friend of Xu Mei, it should not be forgotten that she was first and foremost the Sect Master.
And Xie Qing would remain in debt if he did not offer something equivalent. Therefore, he confidently smiled.
"And I have something that might interest you"
Ding!
[Items for the task received...]
[The user wants to receive 'Recipe for 'Dao Comprehension Pill' (x1)'... request approved...]
Ding!
[Recipe for 'Dao Comprehension Pill'] | [Rank: Legendary] | [Description: A recipe for a pill from antiquity. Can be beneficial even to a cultivator at the level of Transcendence. Helps to enter the state of Dao Comprehension].
Xie Qing deftly smiled, rubbing his hands together.
"Now we can start the trade."