novelraw Chapter 705: Ning Xiaoqiu
Chapter 705: Ning Xiaoqiu
Ning Fan shook his head, not commenting on Ouyang Nuan’s words.
In fact, this was actually their first meeting; the time at the city gate was just a distant glance and didn’t count at all.
Meeting someone for the first time and receiving such enthusiasm genuinely overwhelmed Ning Fan a bit.
However, Ning Fan had to admit, Ouyang Nuan had a unique charm that was very attractive.
Her smile was like the morning sun, bringing a sense of warmth.
"Sorry, I already have a sect, and I won’t join another. At least, not as a disciple of the Medicine Sect."
If he were to join the Medicine Sect, it would be as a Guest Elder.
But to become a Guest Elder of a True Immortal Power, one needs at least the strength of a Fate Immortal...
Ning Fan was self-aware and wouldn’t arrogantly try to join the Medicine Sect.
Moreover, he was still busy searching for Immortal Soul Grass and had no time to join the Medicine Sect.
Speaking of which, Ning Fan was indeed the Sect Leader of the Black Evil Sect, but that identity seemed useless in the Eastern Heaven.
"Ah? You already have a sect? What a pity... By the way, what if I recommend you to be a Guest Elder of my Medicine Sect?" Ouyang Nuan said with a smile.
"Young Miss, this can’t be! Our Medicine Sect requires a minimum of a Fate Immortal cultivation or a Seventh Revolution dan refinement skill to be a Guest Elder! His qualifications are insufficient..." The Fate Immortal surnamed Wei said urgently.
"Uncle Wei, it seems you’re unable to oppose my decisions, right?" Ouyang Nuan looked at the Fate Immortal surnamed Wei with a cheerful smile.
The Fate Immortal surnamed Wei sighed helplessly and glanced at Ning Fan again, smiling wryly at him, "Qiānqiū Xiaoyou, my young miss has a unique Medicine Soul that can sense people’s hearts. She detests those with hateful characteristics and likes those with hidden merits. Although your reputation may be bad, she seems very fond of you, suggesting that you are not a treacherous person. But our Medicine Sect is very strict in accepting disciples, and more so with recruiting Guest Elders. Regarding this Guest Elder matter..."
Well, he indeed couldn’t win against the young miss, so he hoped Ning Fan would give up the position himself.
Ning Fan naturally understood the meaning of the Fate Immortal surnamed Wei.
He knew he was not qualified to be a Guest Elder of the Medicine Sect, but he was not interested in currying favor with them either.
This Fate Immortal seemed to underestimate him.
"Senior, rest assured. I am self-aware and will not accept this position of Guest Elder."
He then turned to Ouyang Nuan and respectfully cupped his fists, "I appreciate your kindness, Miss, but I have important matters to attend to and truly have no intention of joining the Medicine Sect."
This was a telepathic message.
Ning Fan guessed that Ouyang Nuan’s concealment of her gender was likely to avoid trouble as a woman.
Thus, he wouldn’t reveal her gender in front of others.
Upon hearing Ning Fan’s words, a hint of surprise appeared in Ouyang Nuan’s eyes, along with a sense of regret in her heart.
She was surprised that Ning Fan had already seen through her feminine identity.
Regretful because such a dan refinement talent as Ning Fan didn’t wish to join the Medicine Sect, giving her the feeling that a pearl was wasted.
Her Medicine Soul was exceptional, recorded in ancient legends as the Five-Color Medicine Soul.
She could consistently find good medicine treasures thanks to this Five-Color Medicine Soul, not because her Medicine Soul level was close to the Seventh Revolution.
She could perceive the good and evil in people’s hearts with her Five-Color Medicine Soul at just a glance.
She could see that although Ning Fan wasn’t a good person, he wasn’t deceitful either.
"Oh well, if you don’t wish to join the Medicine Sect, I won’t force you. How about being friends? I’m called Ouyang Nuan. Your dao title is Qiānqiū, is that also your real name?" Ouyang Nuan asked this through telepathy.
"Friends?" Ning Fan was taken aback. He had many close companions but very few friends.
Ning Gu was his younger brother, not a friend.
As for friends, Mu Luo was one, Liu Haoyue was another, and Wu Chen was also one. Besides that, there didn’t seem to be any others...
"Forget it, if you don’t want to be friends, let’s drop it..." Ouyang Nuan responded lightly with telepathy, not being pretentious.
"Ning Fan."
Ning Fan conveyed his message telepathically and walked towards a garden filled with medicine treasures.
Regardless, the lady held no malice towards him, and he could see that.
Her Medicine Soul was powerful, and Ning Fan couldn’t use the Mind Reading Technique to sense her thoughts, nor did he want to.
Since the lady repeatedly wanted to see Ning Fan try out the medicine treasures, Ning Fan decided to try a few.
Though his Medicine Soul was not as formidable as Ouyang Nuan’s Five-Color Medicine Soul, his luck was better than hers.
Upon hearing Ning Fan reveal his true name, Ouyang Nuan showed a gentle smile.
She quietly watched Ning Fan choose medicine treasures without interrupting or helping.
Large blue stones piled up in the garden, all being Ancient Divine Treasures.
Each of these blue stones was clearly priced.
The lowest was 10,000, and the highest could even reach tens of millions!
Ning Fan walked through the garden, touching each blue stone, but he didn’t use his Medicine Soul to perceive them.
With his level of Medicine Soul, he couldn’t sense the spiritual herbs sealed within the Ancient Divine Treasures.
His Medicine Soul was not one of the legendary Medicine Souls, and not as powerful.
He closed his eyes, and gradually, a black light of fortune began to rise around him.
Ordinary cultivators couldn’t see the light of fortune, but who among those who entered the Sky-Grade Trading City would be ordinary?
"Black fortune! The worst kind of fortune! How dare this child come to cut the Ancient Divine Treasures with such poor fortune!"
Master Yun looked at Ning Fan with a peculiar expression, for this Immortal Luck Gambling House was his establishment.
Having run a gambling house his whole life, he had seen all kinds of cultivators, including those with dark fortunes.
Not one of those with dark fortune had ever won half a Dao Crystal from the gambling house; they always lost until they couldn’t lose anymore.
In his opinion, if Ning Fan cut open the Ancient Divine Treasures, he certainly wouldn’t find anything good and would just be wasting money.
Even the old monsters present looked at Ning Fan with peculiar gazes.
The Fate Immortal surnamed Wei, standing behind Ouyang Nuan, also shook his head speechlessly, "Indeed, it’s black fortune..."
Ouyang Nuan’s eyes flickered slightly, with a trace of surprise.
In her intuition, Ning Fan shouldn’t be someone with extremely poor fortune.
Her intuition was always accurate, thanks to her sensitive Five-Color Medicine Soul.
She trusted her instincts and believed Ning Fan could discover some unexpected things.
"Uncle Wei, do you, like everyone else, think he will lose money..."
"Of course, he’s got dark luck. It’s not surprising if he cuts out century-old herbs. Uh, maybe he’ll even cut out an Ominous Treasury..."
The moment the Life Immortal with the surname Wei mentioned the words "Ominous Treasury," all the Masters present, including the Life Immortal, turned pale and quickly stepped back.
There’s no telling, really no telling!
Ning Fan’s luck is extremely dark, and the possibility of cutting out an Ominous Treasury is definitely not small!
There could be many people here who might fall because of Ning Fan’s Ominous Treasury!
With his eyes closed, he walked through the small garden, his hand brushing over numerous blue stones.
Cutting a Medicine Treasury relies solely on luck, and he had neither the experience nor a mighty Medicine Soul.
With purple luck upon him, occasionally, as he passed some blue stones, Ning Fan would feel a subtle sense of mystery within him.
Whenever this happened, he would open his eyes again, pay the Dao Crystals, and purchase that Medicine Treasury.
By the time he reached the end of the Medicine Treasury garden, Ning Fan had bought seventeen Medicine Treasuries.
Among them, the cheapest was worth fifty thousand Dao Crystals, and the most expensive was worth ten million!
"What a big move this guy’s making, is he really going to cut a ten million God Treasury!"
"Cough cough... No matter how rich, he shouldn’t waste it like this. He has dark luck... The ten million God Treasury he picked must have nothing good."
"Is he getting ready to cut the stone? He won’t really cut out an Ominous Treasury, will he?"
Numerous voices of discussion spread around, but they couldn’t disrupt Ning Fan’s state of mind.
Looking at the 17 blue God Treasury stones before him, his expression resembled a calm, deep well.
The God Treasuries were his choices, even if he lost everything, he wouldn’t care.
He chose this path and must be ready to bear all the consequences.
Cutting stones requires purchasing a special Dao Power Blade from the Immortal Luck Gambling House, which costs fifty hundred thousand Dao Crystals each.
Ouyang Nuan released the power of the Medicine Soul and lightly sensed the 17 God Treasuries chosen by Ning Fan.
The serene look on her small face gradually turned grave, with a hint of incredulity.
"There’s something like that here, how did I not notice before... Did I miss it..."
She sighed softly, brushed away the regret, and walked up to Ning Fan, turning to instruct the Life Immortal Uncle Wei, "Uncle Wei, may I borrow your Dao Weapon to help him cut the stone?"
Dao Weapons belong to the Masters themselves, born from the Dao, and cannot be taken by others.
They can be lent, but merely with a thought, the Dao Weapon will return to the Master’s body.
The Life Immortal with the surname Wei smiled awkwardly, taking out a fire-red flying knife.
He didn’t want to show his Dao Weapon too much, but with the little master’s request, how could he refuse?
"You want to help me cut the stone?" Ning Fan’s gaze narrowed slightly, as if noticing something, his eyes swept over the 17 blue stones.
"Mmhm, trust me." Ouyang Nuan’s gaze also slightly narrowed.
Ning Fan seemed to understand something, showing a grateful smile toward Ouyang Nuan.
He knew Ouyang Nuan wanted to help him.
Therefore, though he could be ruthless, he still offered a kind smile.
Raising his palm, the power of memories wove like wind and snow, forming into a small black-gold sword in Ning Fan’s hand.
As the small sword appeared, even the Life Immortals here showed expressions of astonishment.
"A Dao Weapon! This child, whose cultivation is only at the Seven Fragmentation, actually possesses a Dao Weapon!"
"This is... the Second Step of Intent! This child has actually cultivated the power of Intent to the Second Step!"
The Life Immortal with the surname Wei’s gaze also shook. He had always been proud, as few in the same level of Life Immortals possessed Dao Weapons, unlike him.
Now seeing that Ning Fan possessed a Dao Weapon, how could he not be amazed?
Anyone who possesses a Dao Weapon before becoming an Immortal has boundless potential!
He had previously underestimated Ning Fan too much!
With such high potential, what’s wrong with taking him as a Guest Elder of the Medicine Sect!
"Is this your Dao Weapon?" Ouyang Nuan’s small mouth gaped in surprise.
Given her identity and experience, she rarely showed such shock.
"Mmhm, lend it to you for cutting the stone."
Ning Fan handed the small black-gold sword to Ouyang Nuan, and since she treated him with sincerity, he returned it in kind.
Receiving the small black-gold sword, Ouyang Nuan gently patted its icy-cold blade, finding the Dao Weapon unrefined.
Upon reflection, she found it normal.
Refining a Dao Weapon requires at least a Life Immortal’s cultivation.
"You don’t mind being embarrassed, right?" Ouyang Nuan displayed a mischievous look.
"I don’t mind, as long as my life is safe." Ning Fan spoke with deep meaning.
He knew something remarkable must be hidden in the God Treasury he chose.
If it was an Ominous Treasury, it would doom countless people, including himself.
If it were a Treasure Burial, it might contain rare Supreme Treasures and Ancient Medicines, and cutting it open in public could lead to too much pursuit and attack.
Ouyang Nuan wanted to help him avoid cutting that God Treasury.
The fact that she wanted to assist him, without any familial ties, was what astounded and gratified Ning Fan about Ouyang Nuan.
"Then I’ll cut, starting with this ten thousand one."
Ouyang Nuan raised her gentle hand, and the small black-gold sword fittingly transformed into a three-foot black sword.
She didn’t cut the stone cautiously as usual but directly slashed, splitting the blue stone into two with one strike.
Swoosh!
With a single slash, the spiritual herb within the God Treasury was severed into two pieces, and the medicinal aura swiftly dissipated.
Countless Masters were stunned by Ouyang Nuan’s terrifying way of cutting stones.
Ning Fan, however, was not surprised at all, shaking his head helplessly, "Sometimes, luck is truly unreliable."
The spiritual herb that Ouyang Nuan destroyed with a single strike was merely a century-old herb...
Such a herb, once lost, was naturally no pity at all.
Inside the Ancient Divine Chest was only a century-old herb, and the gaze of the old monsters looking at Ning Fan was filled with deep sympathy.
This is truly dark-colored luck, spending a hundred thousand Dao Crystals, only to cut out a century-old herb, truly pitiful...
"Next one, cut the five-thousand one."
Swoosh!
Another slash, a thousand-year-old herb was sliced apart by Ouyang Nuan’s sword.
"Cough, cough, cough... A thousand-year-old herb, this child lost another fifty thousand Dao Crystals..."
Seeing no change in Ning Fan’s expression, Ouyang Nuan smiled, continuing to cut the stones,
"Next one, cut the twenty-thousand one!"
Swoosh!
Five hundred-year-old herb...
"Next one, cut the fifty-thousand one!"
Swoosh!
Ten thousand-year-old herb...
"Next one..."
Before long, Ouyang Nuan had cut through eleven Medicine Treasuries, leaving only six uncut.
Among the eleven spiritual herbs cut out, the oldest was only twenty thousand years...
"No more cutting, here’s your Dao Weapon back, further cutting would be in vain. The remaining six Medicine Treasuries can be kept as souvenirs..."
Ouyang Nuan returned the black-gold little sword to Ning Fan and subtly winked at him. Ning Fan understood and nodded, placing the remaining six Medicine Treasuries into his storage pouch.
Others all looked at Ning Fan with sympathy, having spent over ten million Dao Crystals, only to end up with a pile of rubbish herbs. Indeed, a Cultivator of Dark Fate really seems to lose every gamble.
"The remaining six Medicine Treasuries are not Ominous Treasuries. Open them in a secluded place, not in front of others, or even a True Immortal might kill you for the treasures." Ouyang Nuan then transmitted her voice to Ning Fan.
"Thank you." Ning Fan clasped his hands in gratitude as Ouyang Nuan returned his gesture with a smile.
"Your fortune is really interesting. Maybe because you appeared here, your fortune interfered with mine, making me unaware of that thing’s presence. However, the path of fortune isn’t always better the higher it is. Sometimes, it can backfire, just like today. Relying too much on fortune might bring disaster upon oneself, so be careful in the future, Taoist Ning."
Ning Fan gave another thanks for Ouyang Nuan’s reminder.
Ning Fan knew she was correct.
Fortune could help Ning Fan discover good things, but overly good fortune might make him find something too precious in public, causing those powerful masters to covet and seize it...
This is the disaster brought about by fortune.
"Is the way of the world always about balance...? As with fortune, so is destiny."
"The two extremes of destiny are life and death. The end of life is death, and the end of death is life, this is life and death within reincarnation. Surpassing reincarnation leads to longevity, a longevity with no end. If longevity breaks, it turns to long death, incapable of reincarnation... balance reversed..."
Filled with insight, Ning Fan watched as Ouyang Nuan again displayed a bored expression, eager to leave.
"Will you continue cutting stones? If not, I’ll leave first, then."
"Yes, I still want to cut some Beast Treasuries."
Ning Fan nodded, not forgetting his initial purpose for coming to the gambling house, which was to make money.
Those six Medicine Treasuries were mostly rare herbs, not for casual sale.
To make money, he couldn’t rely on those six Medicine Treasuries.
"Beast Treasuries?" Ouyang Nuan’s eyes lit up with interest upon hearing this.
"Then continue, I’ll see what interesting things you can cut out. But this time, be careful because I don’t quite understand the good or bad of Beast Treasuries. If you cut out another rare beast, I’m afraid I won’t be able to help you conceal it..."
"No worries, I have some understanding of the quality of Beast Treasuries."
With that, Ning Fan walked towards the small garden where the Beast Treasuries were piled.
The old monsters of the Void Fragmentation realm, who witnessed Ning Fan lose over ten million Dao Crystals, were speechless at his daring to cut stones again.
A million Dao Crystals is a huge amount to the Void Fragmentation realm.
Even if Ning Fan were wealthy, why would he waste money knowingly? Knowing his poor luck, yet still cutting stones, stubbornly refusing to turn back after hitting the south wall.
Perhaps this is the gambler’s mentality, the more one loses, the more one wants to win back, and thus loses more miserably.
The Fate Immortal Old Monster present also shook their heads slightly, looking down on Ning Fan’s determination.
As a cultivator, gambling with fortune or fate is alright, but losing ungracefully is most taboo.
To lose gracelessly indicates a very fragile resolve.
The path of cultivation is not always smooth or victorious.
Without a strong heart to calmly accept failure, the path to the peak is hard to reach.
As everyone thought about this, Ning Fan purchased a Beast Treasury worth a million Dao Crystals and began cutting stones.
Ning Fan relied on ancestral blood perception and knew what he would uncover, so he wasn’t worried.
The old monsters present all shook their heads and sighed.
"No need to watch, this child is definitely throwing Dao Crystals into the river again..."
"He might cut out a Vein-Opening Little Beast, after all, who knows..."
Closing his eyes, Ning Fan cut the stone, using bloodline perception to locate the demonic mounts within the Ancient Divine Chest.
With his black-gold little sword, Ning Fan swiftly cut the stone.
Others worried for him, fearing he might accidentally kill the beast within, but he was unconcerned.
Soon, the stone shell was completely cut off.
Indeed, many guessed the beginning correctly, noting that this Beast Treasury housed a Vein-Opening Little Beast.
However, no one guessed the ending. Seeing the fluffy, adorable, and peacefully sleeping little beast, everyone was astonished!
When Ning Fan cradled that fluffy ball-like little beast in his arms, the Immortal Cloud Casino was abuzz with discussion.
"A... a True Blood Monster Beast, it’s the True Spirit Breed of a pure bloodline!"
"This beast has just Vein-Opened, it hasn’t awakened its blood yet, and it’s already a True Blood Beast. If it undergoes three blood awakenings, its bloodline might even reach the royal grade. This beast could become a Sea Beast King in the future!"
"Speaking of which, what species is this beast? I’ve never heard of it before."
"This is... This is... I recognize this beast! It’s an ancient extinct True Spirit, the Lingze!"
"What! It’s the Lingze! It’s said that if it reaches royal blood Lingze, after nine evolutions, it dares to feed on True Immortals! If one could raise it as a demon pet and nurture it through nine evolutions..."
The eyes of every Fate Immortal Old Monster were filled with extreme greed as they looked at the white fluffy ball in Ning Fan’s arms.
Ning Fan was straightforward. He had no intention of keeping the beast he cut out, nor the patience to nurture it for tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of years, until it evolved nine times.
He cut out this beast simply to sell it.
"One billion Dao Crystals for this beast." His offer was crisp and left all the Fate Immortals present in shock.
One billion? Just one billion to buy such a promising demonic mount?
Though this beast might not truly awaken its king beast’s bloodline, and even if it did, might not complete nine evolutions, spending a billion Dao Crystals for a possibility was worth it.
Just as several Fate Immortals intended to buy the beast, Ouyang Nuan gazed eagerly at the white-haired furball in Ning Fan’s arms and said softly,
"That, that... this little thing is so cute. I want it. Could you sell it to me?"
Swish!
As soon as Ouyang Nuan spoke, those Fate Immortals who wanted to purchase the beast sighed, but dared not compete.
How could they dare to contest against the Medicine Sect for a beast?
"You want it?" Ning Fan was taken aback, thought for a moment, and directly handed the furball to Ouyang Nuan.
"If you want it, I’ll give it to you as a token of gratitude."
If it weren’t for Ouyang Nuan, Ning Fan might have cut out a big problem from the Medicine Treasury.
The billion Dao Crystals were not worth demanding from a benefactor.
In this Beast Treasury, there were plenty of profitable beasts, and giving one to Ouyang Nuan was no trouble.
"Give it to me?" Ouyang Nuan hugged the furry little furball, utterly reluctant to part with it.
Her smile reached her eyes when she looked at Ning Fan.
"Then I’ll accept it without reservation. Hmm, this little furball is so cute, let’s call it Ning Xiaoqiu as its full name, and just Maoqiu as its nickname."
"What!" Uncle Wei, the Fate Immortal, was shocked.
As far as he knew, there were countless men like fish in a river trying to court the Little Ancestor, but their Little Ancestor had never accepted gifts from any man.
Ning Fan gave her something, and she accepted it!
Was it truly because she liked the little creature, or, or...
Ning Fan felt utterly speechless.
That ugly little creature, Maoqiu is enough, why call it Ning Xiaoqiu.
Ning surname... Ouyang Nuan, was she mocking him? Could this girl be so idle?
Like him? No. Though she had a good impression of him, there was no affection, at most a friendly fondness.
Just a friend’s tease...
Forget it, Ning Xiaoqiu it is then.
"By the way! Isn’t Ancestor Qianqiu a Cultivator of Dark Fate? How could he cut out such an impressive beast treasury!"
"Could it be that today marks the official eastward shift of Heaven’s predictions? A day of reversal for those of us with poor fortune!"
The Old Taoist Swindler continuously calculated with his fingers, showing a face of incomprehension.
No, no, today Heaven’s predictions are intact, they haven’t moved eastward, so why could that Little Fat Sheep cut out such precious beast treasuries.
The Old Taoist Swindler looked perplexedly at Ning Fan, while some Fate Immortal old monsters seemed pensive.
"When you went out today, did you step in dog shit!" The Old Taoist Swindler suddenly pointed at Ning Fan, nervously affirming.
Yes, Ning Fan must have stepped in dog shit, and got the luck of the dog shit!
If not, it would mean a colossal error in his calculation of Heaven’s predictions!
The Old Taoist Swindler, after deceiving for so many years, has relied on his unerring calculations; if he miscalculated once, all future predictions would be wrong!
Doomed, doomed, let’s hope it’s not his miscalculation!
"Stepped in dog shit?" Ning Fan looked speechlessly at the Old Taoist Swindler.
If stepping in a pile of dog shit means getting the luck of the dog shit, then Ning Fan wonders how many piles of dog shit he’d need to step in his lifetime.
Ignoring the Old Taoist Swindler, Ning Fan continued selecting beast treasuries.
The Old Taoist Swindler, however, laughed heartily to the sky, gradually restoring his confidence.
That’s right!
That Little Fat Sheep just got the luck of the dog shit once, and it shouldn’t happen a second time; Heaven’s prediction shifting east is but a momentarily affair; he won’t consecutively have the luck of the dog shit.
"I want this one."
Ning Fan once more bought a beast treasury, at the price of two million Dao Crystals!
The Old Taoist Swindler’s heart leapt into his throat, but those Fate Immortals seriously watched Ning Fan without disturbing his stone-cutting.
These Fate Immortals noticed that Ning Fan’s selection of beast treasuries was not based on fortune!
But on Divine Skills!
This young man possesses the ability to discern the quality of beast treasuries!
Swish! Swish! Swish!
As Ning Fan swiftly cut open layer upon layer of stone garment, a fearsome beast’s aura, comparable to Fate Immortals radiated from the Divine Treasury.
It was an avian beast enveloped in a bloody light, its true form indistinguishable!
Ning Fan, without a word, hastily retreated behind the many Fate Immortals, and said lightly,
"One billion Dao Crystals for this beast! Whoever wants it, just capture it first, and then pay!"
"This is! True Spirit Blood Goose!"
All the Fate Immortals present held their breath, their gazes fiery.
Three old monsters at the Human Profound Initial Stage immediately took action to capture the fierce beast.
Though this beast was at the Human Profound Initial Stage, its speed was no less than a Human Profound Advanced Stage cultivator, making it an excellent riding pet!
"Haha! No one compete with me for this True Spirit Blood Goose! This beast, I’ve bought it!"
A short old man in the Human Profound Intermediate Stage, exuding a bloody aura, casually tossed a storage pouch to Ning Fan, containing an impressive two billion Dao Crystals.
"The extra amount is your reward! I once set a bounty of one billion Dao Crystals all around looking for the Blood Goose True Spirit, but found nothing! This beast aligns with my cultivation technique, if I ride this pet, my speed will surpass everyone in the Human Profound Realm! Except for Ghost Profound cultivators, no one’s speed will outstrip mine!"
"No one dare to compete with me for this beast!"
(1/2) (To be continued. If you like this work, you’re welcome to go to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast a recommendation ticket, a monthly ticket, your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read on m.qidian.com.)