Chapter 77 - 76: 200 Spirit Stones

Chapter 77: Chapter 76: 200 Spirit Stones

"Brother Daniu, why don’t I see Xiaoniu?"

"We’re catching up on old times. Why would we want that little rascal here?" Yu Daniu laughed, a proud look in his eyes.

"When I left, Xiaoniu was just a baby. Nine years have passed. He must have started his Cultivation by now," Gao Peiyao said with a grin.

"He did. He started his Cultivation a few years ago."

Yu Daniu instructed a nearby maid, "Go and bring the young master here."

Chen Jianghe watched the scene unfold with a smile. He could see that Gao Peiyao was trying to grow closer to them, to make up for the nine years they had been apart.

But it also left him a bit puzzled.

’Logically, Gao Peiyao shouldn’t be acting this way. She’s carrying a great secret, and what’s more, she joined the Celestial South Sect and became one of the Immortal Sect Disciples.’

’Her status is now so lofty that she has left them all far behind. There’s no reason for her to intentionally try and strengthen their bond.’

Having learned what it took to reach Foundation Establishment, Chen Jianghe now understood its true difficulty. It was nothing like what his younger, naive self had believed.

On the surface, it seemed Gao Peiyao was the only one among them with any real hope of reaching Foundation Establishment.

Besides, it would be difficult for the three of them to help her with anything related to Foundation Establishment.

Before long, Yu Daniu’s eldest son, Yun Xiaoniu, arrived at the Jingyue Immortal Tower. The thirteen- or fourteen-year-old boy was already two meters tall.

He had completely inherited Yu Daniu’s genes, becoming tall and powerful.

His Cultivation had also reached the Second-Layer Qi Refining.

As expected, the Yun Family had no shortage of Cultivation Resources. Besides, the annual salary Yu Daniu and his wife received was more than enough to support their son’s needs.

After several rounds of drinks and dishes, the meal was well underway.

As they reminisced, Gao Peiyao put on no airs whatsoever. The mood at the table was jovial and filled with constant laughter.

After an hour of pleasant conversation, Yu Daniu had Yun Xiaoniu head home.

"I never thought Peiyao would be part of this Demon Extermination Squad. After nine years, we can finally get together again."

Zhou Miaoyun said with a gentle smile.

"Everyone, please keep the news of the Demon Extermination Team’s arrival in Jingyue Marketplace a secret. We don’t want to spook the Demon and have him flee."

Gao Peiyao naturally understood the underlying meaning in Zhou Miaoyun’s words. Her smile vanished, and she spoke seriously.

"The Sect dispatched my Master and two Foundation Establishment Senior Brothers to kill Lann Tianxiang."

"The four Late-Stage Qi Refining Cultivators, myself included, are tasked with dealing with Lann Tianxiang’s nephew, Lann Yunyi."

"Lann Yunyi? Isn’t he one of the two survivors from the Lann Family?"

Back then, when the Lann Family went on a rampage and fled, the Yun Family intercepted and killed over thirty of their members, but two managed to escape.

One of them was the Demon Cultivator Lann Tianxiang, who had already reached Foundation Establishment. The other must be him.

Chen Jianghe understood why Gao Peiyao had come.

’The Celestial South Sect’s purpose in sending four Late-Stage Qi Refining Cultivators must be for them to gain experience, while conveniently getting rid of Lann Tianxiang’s nephew, Lann Yunyi.’

"Is Lann Yunyi a Demon Cultivator too?"

Chen Jianghe asked.

Gao Peiyao nodded. "Lann Yunyi has a Five-Element Mixed Spirit Root. For him to go from the Fourth-Layer Qi Refining to the Ninth-Layer Qi Refining in a mere twenty years means he must have practiced a Demon Technique."

"Ninth-Layer Qi Refining!"

Chen Jianghe, Yu Daniu, and Zhou Miaoyun were all stunned.

Reaching the Ninth-Layer Qi Refining in twenty years wasn’t unheard of, but it would require someone with a Three-Element True Spirit Root, like Yun Bufan.

Clearly, Lann Yunyi was not such a person.

It also required an abundance of Cultivation Resources.

Of course, that was one thing Lann Tianxiang and his nephew didn’t lack, not after taking so many Spirit Stones from Qiyun Marketplace.

The critical factor was his Spirit Root, which should have limited Lann Yunyi’s cultivation speed. Therefore, his ability to reach the Ninth-Layer Qi Refining in twenty years led the Celestial South Sect to conclude he must have been practicing a Demon Technique.

"A Ninth-Layer Qi Refining Demon Cultivator..."

Chen Jianghe mused for a moment, then said, "Back when Lann Tianxiang was only at the Ninth-Layer Qi Refining, he managed to escape from a Foundation Establishment Ancestor. Demon Cultivators have numerous tricks up their sleeves. Peiyao, you must be extremely careful."

"Our Cultivation levels are too low to help you with Demon Extermination, but we can provide you with Spirit Stones to bolster your arsenal for dealing with the Demon Cultivator."

Hearing Chen Jianghe’s offer, Gao Peiyao took the cue to rise. Cupping her hands in a fist-and-palm salute toward the three of them, she said sheepishly, "I do need to purchase a Magical Artifact for protection, and I was indeed hoping to ask for your help."

"How many Spirit Stones do you need, Peiyao?" Yu Daniu asked directly, showing his support.

Zhou Miaoyun added, "How much is the shortfall? We can all chip in."

"Two hundred Spirit Stones. And I won’t be able to pay you back for at least ten years."

"That many!"

The number Gao Peiyao stated left Chen Jianghe and the other two stunned and a little surprised.

If it were a hundred Spirit Stones, they might have been able to scrape it together, but two hundred was far too much.

Chen Jianghe immediately realized that the artifact she wanted to buy probably wasn’t an Attack Spiritual Artifact, but a Defensive Spiritual Artifact.

He also guessed that just because Gao Peiyao had entered the Celestial South Sect didn’t mean she was rolling in resources.

Seeing their shocked expressions, Gao Peiyao looked embarrassed.

She hadn’t been in the Celestial South Sect for long and was only an Outer Disciple. Her annual Basic Salary was a mere five Spirit Stones. To earn more, she had to make contributions to the Sect.

Although she had a Master Steward, she also had several senior martial brothers and sisters. Her master couldn’t possibly bestow large quantities of Spirit Stones on every single one of them.

Furthermore, her master was at the Late-Stage Foundation Establishment and was already preparing to attempt Core Formation. Naturally, he had to save up Spirit Stones and Sect Contribution Points to exchange for a Core Formation Opportunity.

Still, when she had broken through to the Seventh-Layer Qi Refining, her master had gifted her a High-Grade Flying Sword.

On this Demon Extermination mission, her master was trying to accumulate Contribution Points for a Core Formation Opportunity, while she was trying to accumulate them for a Foundation Establishment Opportunity.

When facing a Demon Cultivator, even Immortal Sect Disciples had to be cautious. That was why she wanted to buy a High-Grade Defensive Spiritual Artifact.

She had saved up over a hundred Spirit Stones, but still had a shortfall of two hundred, which was why she had thought of asking Chen Jianghe and the other two.

"I can put up thirty Spirit Stones."

Chen Jianghe did a quick mental calculation. After splitting this year’s profits from Talisman Making with Talisman Master Chu Lang, he would be left with thirty-one Spirit Stones.

He currently had another three Spirit Stones and fifty grains of Spiritual Sand on him.

The six Spirit Stones set aside for buying Talisman-Making Materials couldn’t be touched; that was the capital for next year’s work.

Furthermore, he had six Qi Storage Pills and five stalks of Spirit-Encompassing Flower, so he didn’t need to buy any other Cultivation Resources for himself.

That was how he was able to offer thirty Spirit Stones.

"I... I just bought a Misfortune-Breaking Pill to break through to the Late-Stage Qi Refining, so I don’t have any extra Spirit Stones on hand. I can only offer twenty-five."

Zhou Miaoyun gave Gao Peiyao an apologetic look.

Gao Peiyao nodded to Chen Jianghe and Zhou Miaoyun in gratitude, then turned her hopeful gaze to Yu Daniu.

Yu Daniu thought for a moment before asking, "How many Spirit Stones do you have on you?"

"One hundred and thirty Spirit Stones."

"One hundred and thirty plus fifty-five is one hundred and eighty-five Spirit Stones. A High-Grade Defensive Spiritual Artifact costs three hundred and fifty Spirit Stones, but I can get one for three hundred through Huizhen."

After making his calculations, Yu Daniu fell into deep thought, apparently trying to figure out how to raise the remaining Spirit Stones.

"That leaves a shortfall of one hundred and fifteen Spirit Stones. I’ll figure something out."