novelraw Chapter 189 : Corrupt-Firefly Yin Locust Acquired
Chapter 189 : Corrupt-Firefly Yin Locust Acquired
Chapter 189: Corrupt-Firefly Yin Locust Acquired
Ji Yuan had stayed in Great Love City for five days without being disturbed in the slightest.
During this period, he went out many times to purchase various cultivation resources in Great Love City. After all, each place had its own specialties—especially within the territory of Joy Palace.
For example, in the matter of pills, there was a great difference.
Aside from the common cultivation pills, the best-selling items here turned out to be pills that aided in… ahem… men-and-women pleasures.
Such as… well, forget it. Too uncouth to mention.
Thus, Ji Yuan only bought a few First-Tier pill recipes to bring back and open up the market in the Water Dragon Sect.
Of course, his main purchases were herbs that were unavailable in the Water Dragon Sect and could only be supplied by Joy Palace. For this, Ji Yuan specially bought an entire Storage Pouch full of herbs.
He was just waiting to go back and make a fortune.
Although he never passed directly in front of Wu Yunbo’s shop during his outings, he still probed it each time with his Divine Sense.
Inside Wu Yunbo’s tavern, there was a posted notice.
It contained only a single, simple sentence:
“Can meet and talk in detail.”
The notice carried Deng Pinghai’s aura.
Ji Yuan knew this was the other party’s invitation to meet.
After all, although he had accepted the Messaging Talisman, as long as he didn’t activate it with spiritual energy, Deng Pinghai wouldn’t be able to find him.
Meet?
If they met again, Ji Yuan didn’t need to be told to know that the other party wanted to persuade him to join their Great Love Sect.
During this time, Ji Yuan also made more inquiries around Great Love City and learned some news about both the Great Love Sect and Ghost-Seeking Pit.
First, the Great Love Sect was not some underground rat force.
They could even be said to act openly and aboveboard.
Those Foundation Establishment cultivators had joined forces to rent several streets in Great Love City and opened a market there, calling it the Great Love Market.
Prices were not high, and safety was guaranteed.
Thus, Deng Pinghai’s group had always maintained a fairly good reputation in Great Love City.
Next was the news about Ghost-Seeking Pit.
The reputation of those forces was far worse. Many cultivators who entered Ghost-Seeking Pit to seek treasures either died under its natural disasters and demonic beasts or fell to those demonic cultivators’ hands.
Most of the murders and arson in Great Love City were also committed by cultivators from Ghost-Seeking Pit.
They were outlaws to begin with. If they committed a crime in Great Love City, as long as they moved fast enough, they could usually escape back to Ghost-Seeking Pit where others would likely not dare to pursue them.
Even if they encountered pursuers, they could use the treacherous environment of Ghost-Seeking Pit to attempt a counter-kill.
Thus, the cultivators from Ghost-Seeking Pit had always had a terrible reputation.
Upon hearing this back then, Ji Yuan had immediately laughed.
“Demonic cultivators, and you expect them to have a good reputation?”
In comparison, Ji Yuan actually wanted to join Ghost-Seeking Pit more. Why?
Because they were demonic cultivators.
After some thought, Ji Yuan still decided to meet first, hear what they had to say, and then decide.
In short, he leaned toward not picking a side for now—waiting until the two sides fought it out before changing his identity to enter Ghost-Seeking Pit to do business with them, perhaps even joining them.
Having made up his mind, Ji Yuan sent a message to Deng Pinghai the next day, arranging to meet on the second floor of a teahouse near the east city gate.
“If Brother Qiu hadn’t sent a message soon, I’d have thought you’d left Great Love City.”
This time, Deng Pinghai didn’t use those ghostly methods but walked in openly from the door.
Ji Yuan sat in the main seat without ceremony. “Speak. What else do you want from me?”
Upon entering, Deng Pinghai’s brows rose slightly—there was hope.
“Brother Qiu is a smart man; no need to say too much.” Deng Pinghai chuckled.
“Better say it anyway, so we don’t end up talking past each other.”
Ji Yuan picked up a spiritual fruit from the table and tossed it into his mouth. It was sweet-and-sour, quite tasty, like eating grapes—just that it restored so little spiritual energy as to be negligible.
Deng Pinghai nodded slightly, then formed hand seals to add several layers of restrictions to the room before sitting opposite Ji Yuan.
“Our Great Love Sect wishes to invite Brother Qiu to join us and participate in this grand undertaking.”
“Grand undertaking?”
Ji Yuan smirked and shook his head. “As I said before, I’ve had enough of being hunted up north. I came here precisely to avoid that kind of life.”
“As for your Great Love Sect’s situation, you know it yourselves—going to Ghost-Seeking Pit was most likely because Joy Palace forced you in, right?”
Deng Pinghai wasn’t surprised by this, instead chuckling.
“If Joy Palace wanted to act, why bother forcing us out? Just send a random Golden Core Real Person, and we’d all be slaughtered… Brother Qiu, think again.”
Ji Yuan frowned. “Think my ass—just say it directly.”
Deng Pinghai hadn’t expected Ji Yuan to respond so bluntly. With a slightly awkward laugh, he lowered his voice and said, “There are some things Joy Palace cannot act on directly, so we have to do them.”
“Oh?”
At that, Ji Yuan seemed intrigued and leaned forward. “You mean… we’re Joy Palace’s people?”
Deng Pinghai spread his hands and smiled faintly. “I never said that.”
Ji Yuan’s eyes flickered, as if extremely stirred.
But in reality… leaving aside whether this was even true, even if Great Love Sect really were Joy Palace’s people, so what?
That would still make them outsiders. Ji Yuan was a bona fide disciple of the Water Dragon Sect, a personal disciple of a Golden Core Real Person.
That kind of status wasn’t enough to tempt him.
“Brother Qiu, what do you say? Join our Great Love Sect.”
Seeing Ji Yuan wavering, Deng Pinghai hurried to press the advantage.
“Well…”
Ji Yuan began hesitating, stroking the beard on his chin. “If you want me, Qiu Qianhai, to join, it’s not impossible… but this battle will be very dangerous…”
“That’s no problem. When it comes to the actual fighting, we old-timers will be on the frontlines. Brother Qiu, you can just stay in the rear to hold the formation for us.”
Deng Pinghai smiled in explanation.
“No.”
Ji Yuan spoke very seriously, “What I mean is—you need to add more payment.”
Deng Pinghai’s smile stiffened on his face, but fortunately, he was no stranger to big storms. He quickly adjusted and still smiled. “Since Brother Qiu is new to our Great Love City, a settlement fee is naturally required. Name your price.”
Ji Yuan’s right hand, resting on the table, rubbed lightly. “Spirit Stones and such are secondary. Mainly, I’ve been cultivating a certain technique that currently requires some Corrupt-Firefly Yin Locust as material for training…”
“Corrupt-Firefly Yin Locust? That’s not cheap.”
Deng Pinghai’s tone turned serious.
Not cheap? That meant they had it… Ji Yuan’s mind stirred, but he said aloud, “If it were cheap, I wouldn’t be bothering you, would I?”
“That’s true.”
Deng Pinghai nodded. “How much do you need?”
Having obtained a piece before, Ji Yuan knew its weight well, so he directly opened his mouth like a lion, “Not much, just a hundred or eighty jin will do.”
“Brother Qiu, do you think this is some common street stone?”
Deng Pinghai wasn’t angered, even found it a bit amusing.
“Then tell me—how much can you give?”
“At most, one jin.”
One jin… The piece Hua Yaoyue had given before, palm-sized, was about half a jin. One jin wouldn’t even be enough to build a damn Chicken Coop.
“Too little. At least ten jin, otherwise it won’t be enough for my cultivation,” Ji Yuan shook his head.
Deng Pinghai smiled bitterly. “Brother Qiu, you probably don’t know the value of this thing. One jin of Corrupt-Firefly Yin Locust wood is worth about 300 middle-grade Spirit Stones. You asking for ten jin… to be honest, 3,000 middle-grade Spirit Stones would be enough to buy my life.”
Ji Yuan stared at him silently.
“Two jin, no more.”
Deng Pinghai compromised.
Ji Yuan haggled further, “Five jin. I’ll pay Spirit Stones for one jin, and for the remaining two jin… I’ll owe it first. Later, I’ll work for you to pay it off slowly.”
As long as he got five jin of Corrupt-Firefly Yin Locust, Ji Yuan would immediately use the Talisman Treasure: Sky-Escape Shuttle, or even that never-before-used top-grade Spiritual Artifact-level flying boat, to run away.
As for the debt…
It was Qiu Qianhai who owed it—what did that have to do with Ji Yuan?
Besides, a persona of swindling and trickery fit a demonic cultivator’s image better.
“Five jin really isn’t possible.”
“Oh, come now. Brother Deng, you’ve been operating in Great Love City for so long. How could you not have five jin of Corrupt-Firefly Yin Locust?”
“……”
Ji Yuan stood firm at five jin, but because of its high value, Deng Pinghai still refused to budge.
After a round of bargaining, Deng Pinghai finally stood and said:
“In that case, I’ll go back and ask the Sect Master for instructions, then give Brother Qiu an answer. How about that?”
“Alright, I’ll wait for your news.”
Ji Yuan seemed a bit impatient but eventually nodded in agreement.
As Deng Pinghai was about to leave, Ji Yuan added, “Brother Deng, you’d better hurry. Otherwise, I might just leave Great Love City.”
Deng Pinghai paused slightly, then still replied with an “Alright.”
He left, and this time, Ji Yuan didn’t even bother to walk him out.
He stayed in the teahouse, took out the True Explanation of Weapon Refining given by the Island Lord of Iron Hammer Island, and quietly flipped through it, absorbing its refining experience.
Ji Yuan planned that once this matter was concluded, he would return to Misty Island and open the Weapon Refining Room.
Opening it early would pave the way for refining his Life-Bound Magic Treasure after reaching the Golden Core Stage.
Unlike before when he had to wait, this time was fast. After only an hour or so, he received another message from Deng Pinghai, asking where he was.
“I’m still in the teahouse.”
After Ji Yuan replied, it wasn’t long before Deng Pinghai arrived again.
It seemed he had rushed quite far, because even as a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, he was slightly out of breath when he arrived.
“Brother Qiu, it’s settled.” Deng Pinghai wore a smile.
“Oh?”
Ji Yuan was a bit surprised. At 300 Spirit Stones per jin, five jin of Corrupt-Firefly Yin Locust would cost 1,500 Spirit Stones. Recruiting a mere early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator at that price—and so quickly—was unexpected.
“But there’s a slight difference.”
After sitting down, Deng Pinghai took out a piece of Corrupt-Firefly Yin Locust from his Storage Pouch.
Ji Yuan glanced at it. It was bigger than the one Hua Yaoyue had given him, but not by much—it certainly wasn’t five jin.
“This is two jin. As for the remaining three jin… the Sect Master says you don’t need to pay for them. You only need to join our Great Love Sect and contribute in the coming battle.
“Once the battle is over, the remaining three jin will be your reward. How about it?”
Deng Pinghai placed the two-jin piece on the table. “If Brother Qiu can accept, you can take this piece right now. If not… then it means we simply have no fate to work together.”
Ji Yuan looked at the piece of Corrupt-Firefly Yin Locust silently.
The meaning of Mourning Taoist was obvious. In his eyes, Ji Yuan’s worth was these two jin. He had more but wouldn’t give it now.
If Ji Yuan died in the battle, not to mention the remaining three jin—even these two jin would be taken back by Great Love Sect.
And if they won?
Among the four major sects of Ghost-Seeking Pit, no matter which one they took, Great Love Sect would be full to the brim with gains. By then, the remaining three jin would be nothing.
Of course, if Great Love Sect acted with true great love—after the war, they could simply kill Ji Yuan, saving the three jin entirely.
This possibility was small, but even if it happened, Ji Yuan was confident in escaping unscathed. If Mourning Taoist really tried that, Ji Yuan would exhaust all his connections to have him slain.
Do it or not?
Looking at the piece of Corrupt-Firefly Yin Locust on the table, Ji Yuan thought for a moment and decided… to do it!
When the melee began, he would mix in and use the opportunity to gain experience in chaotic combat.
Otherwise, once the righteous–demonic war started, combat would almost certainly be a chaotic melee.
Without experience, it was easy to end up as cannon fodder.
For now, in fighting Ghost-Seeking Pit, Ji Yuan planned to slack off—strike only if he couldn’t avoid it.
Seeing Ji Yuan take a deep breath, Deng Pinghai smiled and asked, “Brother Qiu, have you decided?”
Without changing his expression, Ji Yuan put away the two-jin piece of Corrupt-Firefly Yin Locust and smiled. “I wonder—what is the strength of our Great Love Sect?”
Deng Pinghai laughed heartily. “Very well. In that case, follow me to meet the brothers and you’ll see.”
“Brother Deng, do lead the way.”
Ji Yuan waved grandly, full of heroic spirit.
…
Not long after.
Inside a mansion in Great Love City, Ji Yuan met the other members of the Great Love Sect.
Including himself, there were six in total. He heard there were three others already waiting inside Ghost-Seeking Pit, ready to join the attack once Great Love Sect struck—all attacking together!
As for the five before him, Ji Yuan was introduced to them by Deng Pinghai.
First, naturally, was the skinny old man seated at the main seat—the legitimate son of Great Love Real Person, and the current Sect Master of Great Love Sect—Mourning Taoist.
Rumors said he was at the False Core Stage, but Ji Yuan couldn’t see through him.
Two were late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators.
One was a bald man named Lu Ping, his frame looking very sturdy—perhaps a body cultivator.
The other was a woman with an ordinary face but a fine figure, wearing a green dress—Ye Zhiqiu. From appearance alone, she didn’t seem like a demonic cultivator.
The remaining two were mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators.
One was Deng Pinghai, the one who had contacted Ji Yuan.
The other wore white robes and fanned himself with a feather fan, looking every bit like a scholarly strategist—Qian Xin.
After greeting them one by one, Ji Yuan, being at early-stage Foundation Establishment, naturally sat near the door—exactly as he preferred.
Sitting at the head, Mourning Taoist leaned on a cane and spoke slowly, “Our Great Love Sect has a new brother. By rights, we should celebrate with the whole sect.”
“But the situation is urgent, so we can only wait until after the battle to celebrate together. I ask for Brother Qiu’s understanding.”
Ji Yuan listened and naturally stood to give a bow.
“We’re all people of the jianghu, not fond of these formalities. Being able to meet all my brothers and sisters today is already a blessing for me, Qiu Qianhai—what need is there for celebration?”
“Good! Brother Qiu, those words suit my old Lu’s taste!”
Lu Ping rubbed his bald head and laughed heartily.
Mourning Taoist also forced a smile that looked worse than crying, motioning for Ji Yuan to sit.
After a few more polite exchanges, he gave Ji Yuan a Storage Pouch. Inside were the entry-level techniques of the Great Love Sect, including that escape technique which transformed the body into black mist.
There were also some Spirit Stones and such—nothing more.
This Sect Master of the Great Love Sect turned into black mist and left the place. Once he was gone, everyone present visibly relaxed, and their conversation became much freer.
Ji Yuan’s current image was that of a rough and straightforward man. No matter what they said, he could respond easily, so the atmosphere was harmonious for a while.
After some time, Ji Yuan gained a preliminary understanding of them.
What surprised him most was that the number two figure in the Great Love Sect was actually that mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator named Qian Xin.
Whenever the five of them were talking, if he spoke, the others would all fall silent.
No matter who it was—even the bad-tempered Lu Ping—when facing him, they would respectfully call him “Daoist Qian Xin.”
As for the rest, Ye Zhiqiu seemed gentle and quiet, speaking little. Ji Yuan couldn’t tell how she ended up among these demonic cultivators.
By comparison, Deng Pinghai seemed utterly ordinary.
An hour later.
After chatting about all sorts of topics and sharing food and drink, they were ready to part ways.
Ji Yuan didn’t move, and neither did this Daoist Qian Xin.
The other three weren’t surprised. After they left, Qian Xin smiled and said, “Brother Qiu, I imagine you have quite a few questions. Now you can ask me anything.”
“Who’s the target?!”
Ji Yuan asked bluntly.
Qian Xin shook his feather fan and paced back and forth in the hall. “In Brother Qiu’s opinion, who would be the right target?”
“You always pick the softest persimmon. Among the four major sects of Ghost-Seeking Pit, the weakest is the Blood Prison Helm—just five Foundation Establishment cultivators. If not them, then who?!”
Ji Yuan widened his eyes as he spoke.
“Brother Qiu speaks the truth.”
Qian Xin smiled and nodded. “But we’re not going after them. There’s no future in that.”
“Then who?”
Qian Xin turned back, the smile vanishing from his face, replaced by a serious look.
“Our Great Love Sect—if we strike, we strike the strongest. We’ll take down the Divine Vulture Palace. After that, Ghost-Seeking Pit will be our Great Love Sect’s domain.”
“Divine Vulture Palace?”
Indeed, Ji Yuan was somewhat surprised when he heard this.
He hadn’t expected the Great Love Sect to be so… bold.
“Exactly.”
“I’ve heard Divine Vulture Palace has twelve Foundation Establishment cultivators, and its Palace Master is a False Core Stage expert. Our Great Love Sect…”
Ji Yuan didn’t finish.
Qian Xin’s smile deepened. “False Core Stage is no problem. Our Sect Master is also at the False Core Stage. We have five Foundation Establishment cultivators here, and three more inside Ghost-Seeking Pit—making nine in total.”
“But still fewer than Divine Vulture Palace.”
“But what if the three inside Ghost-Seeking Pit happen to already be members of Divine Vulture Palace?”
Qian Xin asked with a smile.
Ji Yuan: “Hiss.”
“That’s why, Brother Qiu, the moment you joined, we’d have nine killing nine… the advantage is ours.”
Qian Xin, feather fan in hand, nodded in satisfaction.
Ji Yuan stepped back slightly and cupped his hands.
“Daoist friend can see that I’m merely an early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, hardly skilled in slaughter. Besides, I haven’t had time to cultivate the sect’s secret arts.
So when the fighting starts, I hope Daoist friend will look after me.”