Chapter 416 : Accepting Graciously
Jiang Mo stared at the 5,000-point price tag on the system mall interface and immediately felt a sharp pain in her heart. After much hesitation, she ultimately decided not to place the order immediately, only purchasing the Spirit Nourishing Pill produced by the system before temporarily closing the mall interface.
The communication with the system took only a moment. By the time Jiang Mo closed the mall, the two people before her still wore worried expressions.
The Little Swan Goose rummaged through her own storage space, but her cultivation was inherently inferior to Zhu Baiyi's, so the resources she had collected naturally couldn't compare with Zhu Baiyi's—especially after the atavism lightning tribulation two years ago had left her completely destitute. Now, the items in her space were either cultivation resources given by her master or spirit stones given by the little tiger, and she naturally didn't have even half a pill for treating the divine soul.
With frustration written all over her, Yun Qingyue couldn't ignore Zhu Baiyi's predicament. After much consideration, she said: "You shouldn't appear in public for now. Jianbing and I will leave secretly; perhaps we can find a second Spirit Nourishing Pill."
She spoke with little confidence, knowing that ninth-grade pill refiners were nearly extinct, which was why the ninth-grade Spirit Nourishing Pill had been so precious before.
Zhu Baiyi naturally understood that these words were mostly consolation. Just as she was about to shake her head and say something, she suddenly saw Jiang Mo secretly nudge Yun Qingyue. Then, "before everyone's eyes," she secretly slipped a jade bottle to Yun Qingyue.
The two who had been conversing fell silent. Yun Qingyue turned back in confusion, looking at the jade bottle that Jiang Mo had tucked under her wing, her expression subtly peculiar—not only was tucking a jade bottle under a bird's wing utterly impractical, but more intriguingly, given Yun Qingyue's understanding of Jiang Mo, she could somewhat guess what was inside that bottle.
So after a moment's hesitation, she accepted it. White spiritual energy enveloped the jade bottle as it hovered in the air before Zhu Baiyi.
Zhu Baiyi looked at the jade bottle and then at the two of them, asking: "What is this?"
Jiang Mo didn't answer, and Yun Qingyue gestured for her to open it herself.
Although Zhu Baiyi appeared weakened due to her injury, she wasn't so depleted that she lacked the spiritual energy to raise her hand and accept a medicine bottle. She frowned as she took the jade bottle, and after removing the seal on the bottle's mouth, a rich and imposing medicinal fragrance immediately gushed forth. Zhu Baiyi was instantly enveloped by this fragrance, her spirits lifting noticeably—compared to when she had smelled the Spirit Nourishing Pill's fragrance earlier, the effect was a hundred times stronger.
Even Zhu Baiyi, as the leader of a sect who had seen much of the world, couldn't help but show traces of surprise on her face. She didn't rush to consume it but rather resealed the jade bottle and asked: "What is this?"
Jiang Mo blinked, no longer keeping the suspense, and frankly replied: "Spirit Nourishing Pill."
Zhu Baiyi was somewhat skeptical, as the performance effects of the two pills differed too greatly, but thinking carefully, the two fragrances did seem somewhat similar, so she was half-believing, half-doubting. Compared to her, Yun Qingyue's suspicions were even stronger—she still remembered clearly how empty-pocketed Jiang Mo had been during the auction they had attended together, so where had this Spirit Nourishing Pill come from now?
But suspicions aside, it wasn't the first time the little tiger had produced something remarkable. Although Yun Qingyue had never known the origins of these items, she hadn't asked before, and now, in front of Sect Leader Zhu, she naturally wouldn't ask.
Yun Qingyue looked at the Spirit Nourishing Pill, then at the little tiger, and finally said to Zhu Baiyi: "Your injuries shouldn't be delayed. You'd better take the medicine quickly."
Zhu Baiyi had spent considerable time with them and trusted them greatly. However, before taking the medicine, her gaze swept between the two, and she suddenly said: "This pill belongs to Jianbing, doesn't it? Something so valuable, and you're just giving it to me?"
How precious a ninth-grade pill was—even between father and daughter, mother and daughter, or Dao companions, one might not necessarily be generous enough to offer it to another. Zhu Baiyi's question clearly carried deeper meaning. When Jiang Mo met her gaze, her ears instantly turned red. As for Yun Qingyue, even though her Swan Goose face couldn't reveal her emotions, meeting her eyes one could sense her composure.
The preciousness of the Spirit Nourishing Pill was beyond question. Under what circumstances could one so calmly accept such a lavish gift from another?
Normally, there were only two possibilities: one was that the person accepting the kindness was thick-skinned, able to accept anything from others without hesitation; the other was that the relationship between the two was profound, reaching a point where there was no distinction between yours and mine.
Even as her discount daughter, based on Zhu Baiyi's understanding of Yun Qingyue, she was not the thick-skinned type. So the reason for Yun Qingyue's composure could only be one thing. Unfortunately, the little tiger seemed somewhat slow, apparently not realizing this point. She had given the item and was now furtively checking Yun Qingyue's expression, as if afraid she wouldn't accept it.
Zhu Baiyi shook her head, suddenly not wanting to say anything more, and poured out the pill to take it directly.
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The Spirit Nourishing Pill was indeed extremely beneficial for Zhu Baiyi's injuries, especially the pill produced by the system mall, which was among the finest—the system mall valued its reputation above all, and products of insufficient quality couldn't even be listed, just like that tampered Spirit Nourishing Pill which wasn't qualified.
The pill's effect was almost immediate. After Zhu Baiyi consumed and refined the medicinal power, her damaged divine soul immediately began to repair. Vaguely, she even felt a slight improvement in her realm. However, before she could indulge in the joy of recovery, she immediately sensed a subtle movement within her divine soul, as if something dormant had been disturbed.
Given the mysterious nature of her previous injury, Zhu Baiyi naturally wouldn't lower her guard upon detecting this subtle movement. Combined with Jiang Mo's earlier mention of insects, she immediately became extremely vigilant, firmly controlling that subtle movement.
From Jiang Mo and Yun Qingyue's perspective, Sect Leader Zhu's expression relaxed slightly after refining the pill, but quickly became solemn again. The two exchanged glances, both having guesses but not daring to speak rashly and disturb her.
After a while, Zhu Baiyi finally opened her eyes, a glint of light flashing in them.
Only then did Yun Qingyue speak, asking with concern: "How is it?"
Zhu Baiyi first nodded, then shook her head: "This Spirit Nourishing Pill has excellent effects; my injuries have recovered. However, the hidden influence that was placed on me hasn't been completely eliminated. I can only temporarily seal my divine soul."
Toward the end, Zhu Baiyi frowned slightly. Although she suspected, from Jiang Mo's description, that she had been affected by those unnamed insects, from the time she was injured until now when her injuries were healed, she had examined her divine soul meticulously countless times but never found those supposed insects... It was as if a gap had spontaneously appeared in her divine soul!
Sealing her divine soul was a desperate measure, one that would diminish Zhu Baiyi's strength, which was clearly extremely disadvantageous in times of war. However, she had no better way to prevent further damage to her divine soul, so she could only resort to this unavoidable method.
She didn't hide this from the two, and Jiang Mo listened with some guilt before asking: "Does the Sect Leader really have no other method?"
The system mall did have "insect repellent," but it was a bit expensive, and Jiang Mo was reluctant to spend the points.
Fortunately, Zhu Baiyi hadn't placed all her hopes on others, and immediately said: "Let's leave it for now; I'll find a solution eventually." Then, with renewed vigor: "Actually, even if you hadn't mentioned it, I suspected it was related to insects. I know about what happened in the town last night. Those black line worms are also extraordinary creatures that target the divine soul. I ordered their remains to be collected, and now there's an Elder skilled in medicine and insect control studying them."
Jiang Mo and Yun Qingyue remembered that the black line worms from last night hadn't left any remains, but the black water left after their deaths had indeed been collected by the Crimson Blood Sect people, though they didn't know how it would be studied.
As the conversation reached this point, the two suddenly understood the source of today's challenge—it seemed that even while severely injured, Sect Leader Zhu had not relaxed her control over Crimson Blood Sect. Additionally, her pretense of being unaffected in public, coupled with her refusal to appear for extended periods, made it impossible for those with ulterior motives to determine whether she had been compromised, which led to today's probing.
Of course, all of this was under Sect Leader Zhu's control, and she had used this opportunity to root out traitors within the sect.
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Jiang Mo temporarily saved a sum of points, while Zhu Baiyi recuperated for half a day, fully recovering her physical health.
Yun Qingyue and Jiang Mo had come specifically to check on her illness, and now that they had not only delivered medicine but also witnessed her recovery, their concerns were largely alleviated. As for Crimson Blood Sect's internal affairs, Yun Qingyue had no intention of getting involved, and Jiang Mo was even less interested. So the two began to consider whether they should take their leave, as they couldn't possibly help Crimson Blood Sect on the battlefield anyway.
Zhu Baiyi understood human nature deeply and saw through the two's thoughts with a single glance. Before they could speak of leaving, she took the initiative: "The Spirit Nourishing Pill is exceptionally precious, and I can't accept it from you for nothing. Please go to my treasury and choose a few items as you wish."
This so-called treasury wasn't Zhu Baiyi's personal treasury but the sect treasury of Crimson Blood Sect, and one could imagine the treasures it contained.
Hearing this, Jiang Mo immediately and shamefully became tempted—she wasn't someone willing to give without expecting return... Except for her Senior Sister, she felt pain spending points on anyone, and her mother-in-law was no exception!
The stingy tiger secretly glanced at her Senior Sister. Yun Qingyue had turned her head to meet her gaze, those beautiful glass-like Phoenix eyes filled with understanding. The little tiger felt embarrassed under her gaze and secretly lowered her head, just about to reflect on her own stinginess when she heard her Senior Sister's voice beside her ear: "In that case, we won't stand on ceremony."
Zhu Baiyi observed the interaction between the two and smiled gently. Then, forming a hand seal, a spiritual light suddenly illuminated the spacious cabin—a formation hidden in the floor had been activated.
"Go ahead," Zhu Baiyi stood outside the formation and said to the two.
Jiang Mo and Yun Qingyue exchanged a glance, not hesitating before stepping into the formation together. Then they felt a dizzying sensation, and when they regained their senses, they were no longer in the demonic vessel's cabin but had arrived in an entirely new world.
Tens of thousands of years of accumulated sect resources, a treasury that stretched beyond sight, filled with all manner of rare treasures—spirit stones, mineral veins, magical artifacts, pills, and even an entire wall of cultivation techniques. Needless to say, anything placed in the treasury was extraordinary. With just a cursory glance, Jiang Mo was nearly blinded by the treasures before her.