Chapter 327: Surprisingly Felt a Little Grateful

She had no idea what that black blood bead was.

It just looked bizarre and ominous.

Feng Ying, her face grim, didn’t dare refuse and swallowed the black blood bead.

The blood bead was odorless and tasteless.

It vanished the moment it slid into her mouth.

Feng Ying’s body trembled slightly, and at the same time, she felt her Spiritual Energy suddenly begin to circulate faster.

Her heart hammered in her chest. She thought the black blood bead was meant to seal her cultivation.

’Am I going to be stuck at the Foundation Establishment Stage forever, unable to advance another inch?!’

At this thought, Feng Ying felt a wave of despair.

She began to regret her decision to follow them.

A moment of greed, coupled with a rare sliver of pity.

’That combination was my undoing!’

Song Jiulai was also a bit puzzled. After the black blood bead entered Feng Ying, she couldn’t sense any change in her.

She asked Lai Cai, who had just woken up, "What exactly did I just feed her?"

This time, Lai Cai gave a very reasonable explanation.

"I forgot."

System: "..."

Song Jiulai: "..."

’Dammit.’

’You forgot and you still had me feed it to her?!’

At that moment, Feng Ying had no idea about the tempest raging in Song Jiulai’s mind. She only saw the female cultivator before her looking increasingly tense.

She said with a wry smile, "Senior, is there anything else you need this junior to do?"

Song Jiulai got straight to the point. "A Fourth Rank Green Beast Bone with Dragon Breath Spirit. Where can I find one?"

Liang Xueyao was still missing this particular refining material.

When Feng Ying heard this, her heart was instantly thrown into turmoil.

She actually knew where to find such a thing.

’But what if I tell Song Jiulai and she makes me lead her to it?’

’And if I’m seen with Song Jiulai, when Liang Yao’s death is discovered, I won’t be able to escape involvement.’

Just thinking about this bleak future made Feng Ying’s vision darken.

’But if I don’t say anything, I’m afraid Song Jiulai will just make me go find it myself.’

’There’s no escape either way.’

Looking at Song Jiulai’s cold face, Feng Ying forced herself to speak. "A Fourth Rank Green Beast Bone... this junior does know where to find one. But, Senior, could you let me go get it... and bring it back to you myself?"

The request might have seemed outrageous to someone like Song Jiulai.

After all, her life was in this person’s hands, yet she dared to make a demand.

Who would have thought that Song Jiulai would agree so readily?

"Fine. You go get it, and I’ll wait for you in Xuanwu City. You don’t have to worry about anyone finding out I killed Liang Yao, as long as he didn’t notice you following him."

Song Jiulai turned her head, casting a sidelong glance at Feng Ying before leaving. "I’ll give you one day. Since I’m agreeing to this, I’m not worried about you trying any tricks."

With that, Song Jiulai actually left.

Seeing Song Jiulai leave so freely, Feng Ying was momentarily stunned.

After a long moment, her expression turned grim again.

’That Green Beast Bone I know about... it’s our safety net.’

’But now, to save my life, I have no other choice.’

After Song Jiulai had gone, Feng Ying silently returned to the marketplace.

Her own movement Cultivation Technique was impressive, making her as elusive as a phantom. The average Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator couldn’t keep up with her.

The fact that even Liang Yao had never detected her was a testament to her skill.

When she returned, a male cultivator in the market immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

He hurried over and asked in a low voice, "Liang Yang just left in a rush. What happened?"

Feng Ying looked up at him with a bitter smile and gave him a look, signaling him to pack up the stall.

Following Liang Yang’s departure, many cultivators had left the area, afraid of getting into trouble.

It wasn’t strange for them to leave now as well.

Once they were in a safe place, Feng Ying let out a huge sigh of relief and said, "Liang Yao is dead."

She didn’t dare say who killed him, but this cultivator had personally seen Liang Yao follow that female cultivator.

In fact, it wasn’t just them; everyone in the marketplace had seen it.

His eyes widened instantly. "Was it that...?"

Feng Ying immediately stopped him. "Don’t say it!"

Lei Yushou snapped back to his senses. Noticing the unease in Feng Ying’s expression, he guessed, "Did you... run into trouble?"

Feng Ying bit her lip and gave another bitter laugh. "This time it’s my own fault. I have no choice. If I don’t give it up, I won’t survive. Yu Shou, we have to hand over that Fourth Rank Green Beast Bone."

"She wants that?" Lei Yushou recalled the materials the female cultivator had been collecting in the market and easily deduced that she must be the one after the Fourth Rank Green Beast Bone.

Seeing Feng Ying’s state, he figured she had probably chosen to hand it over to save her own skin.

He guessed that Feng Ying had only been able to return safely because the female cultivator had placed some kind of control on her. So, he didn’t hesitate to take out the Fourth Rank Green Beast Bone. "Alright. You went through hell to get this thing in the first place. Your life is what’s most important right now."

Feng Ying grew even more despondent. "If I had known, I never should have followed them. Now that the Green Beast Bone is gone, we won’t be able to explain this to Master when we return to the Sect."

"None of that is more important than your life," Lei Yushou said with a frown. "Take it. But I’m going with you."

Feng Ying knew Lei Yushou had guessed most of it, so she could only nod.

They returned to Xuanwu City, but Song Jiulai hadn’t said where they should meet.

The crowds in Xuanwu City were bustling. As someone brushed past Feng Ying, she suddenly heard a voice: "Over here."

Her heart skipped a beat, and she looked toward the slender back of a figure wearing a felt hat up ahead.

It was clearly not the same back she had seen on the female cultivator before.

She quickly followed, signaling for Lei Yushou not to follow and to stay back for now.

She followed the figure into an alley. Xuanwu City blocked Divine Sense, and the moment Feng Ying stepped inside, she saw Song Jiulai lift a corner of the felt hat, revealing her face. She was standing there, watching her. "The Fourth Rank Green Beast Bone. Where is it?"

Feng Ying didn’t dare to delay. With a wave of her hand, she took the Fourth Rank Green Beast Bone out of her Jiezidai.

It was indeed a Fourth Rank Green Beast Bone.

Song Jiulai hadn’t expected to gain so much from this trip.

’Not only did I run into a sucker, but I also found a second one—what a kind soul!’

Their ultimate goals were different, and the other party wouldn’t dare try any tricks now. Besides, once she left the alley, Song Jiulai could just change her face and walk away without a care.

She raised an eyebrow and took the beast bone.

Feng Ying didn’t dare to look up, only bracing herself to ask, "Senior, are... are you satisfied?"

Song Jiulai glanced at her.

Suddenly, she raised a hand. Feng Ying instinctively shut her eyes, but then, feeling something was off, she opened them again. A top-grade Spirit Stone was floating right in front of her.

Her eyes widened in an instant.

Song Jiulai’s figure had already vanished.

Only a single sentence lingered in the air.

"As long as you don’t do anything unnecessary, you’ll be fine for the rest of your life."

Previously, the three Third-tier materials had cost a total of eighty Mid-grade Spirit Stones, which was already a bargain for Song Jiulai.

A Fourth Rank Green Beast Bone should have been worth double that, or even more.

Sold properly, a Fourth Rank Green Beast Bone could indeed fetch a price of more than one top-grade Spirit Stone.

But the situation was different. This single top-grade Spirit Stone was walking a fine line—not kind, but not entirely unscrupulous either.

After all, she knew that for cultivators of Feng Ying’s level, obtaining a Fourth Rank Green Beast Bone must have taken a tremendous amount of effort.

After hearing those words, Feng Ying stood stunned for a moment.

Then, the tightness in her chest eased.

Surviving was already a stroke of luck, and now she’d even received a top-grade Spirit Stone. She found herself feeling somewhat grateful to Song Jiulai.

’I must be going insane.’