Chapter 437: A Meeting Between Women
“Cry!”
The eagle cried out as it descended in front of the Alchemist Association’s mountain gate, catching the attention of everyone within.
In an instant, three streaks of light shot up from below, heading towards the eagle.
These were none other than Ye Zhiqiu and the two Nascent Soul elders, Xie Yuan and Wu Qingsong, who had been left by Ouyang Mingyue to protect her.
At that moment, the two Nascent Soul elders looked at Su Jingzhen and his companions standing atop the eagle with wary eyes.
They had no idea that Ye Zhiqiu had already decided to cooperate with the Evil Moon Sect’s Linjiang Branch, long since discarding Ouyang Mingyue’s previous orders.
Therefore, they still saw Evil Moon Sect as their adversary.
“President, are you sure we shouldn’t reconsider this? I believe that with the two of us accompanying you to the ruins, it would be more than sufficient,” Xie Yuan finally spoke up, his tone filled with concern.The white-haired Wu Qingsong nodded in agreement, “The branch here is now in a stable phase of development. Leaving it temporarily wouldn’t be a problem.
Moreover, if we meet up with the main headquarters after reaching the ruins, the journey would be far safer.”
The two old men didn’t bother to lower their voices, making sure that Su Jingzhen and his companions could hear them.
Shen Yifeng, with his hands clasped behind his back, gazed into the distance, not even bothering to respond.
After all, his role was simply to provide protection.
All these matters were left to young people like Su Jingzhen to handle.
Su Jingzhen, with a faint smile on his face, remained unperturbed.
If Ye Zhiqiu decided to change her mind and not accompany them, he wouldn’t argue.
To him, bringing Ye Zhiqiu along was merely a gesture of gratitude for the information she had provided.
Otherwise, they had no shortage of strength on their side, with Shen Yifeng’s formidable presence and Su Jingzhen’s own capabilities.
In terms of alchemical knowledge, he was confident that Xuening wouldn’t be outmatched by Ye Zhiqiu.
“Elder Wu, Elder Xie, there’s no need to say more.
Since my master entrusted me with the management of this branch, he has given me full authority.
My mind is made up, and you need not argue further. I believe my decision is the right one.
You two should remain here to guard the branch. Linjiang City is filled with all kinds of people, and the Alchemist Association holds a special status.
With you two here, I can leave with peace of mind.”
As Ye Zhiqiu spoke, a subtle authority crept into her tone, making it clear that her decision was final.
Before Xie Yuan or Wu Qingsong could protest further, she was already flying towards Su Jingzhen.
Seeing this, Xie Yuan and Wu Qingsong exchanged helpless glances. They had no choice but to accept her decision.
“Master Shen, we must ask that you take good care of our President. We entrust her safety to you!”
With Ye Zhiqiu’s determination to leave, they were powerless to stop her. But knowing her relatively weak cultivation, they could only appeal to Shen Yifeng to ensure her safety.
Their attitudes shifted quickly, knowing there was no room for stubbornness when it came to Ye Zhiqiu’s well-being.
After speaking, the two elders respectfully cupped their fists and bowed to Shen Yifeng.
Though their cultivation levels might have been on par with his, they knew full well that in terms of combat ability, even combined, they wouldn’t stand a chance against him.
Furthermore, in the hierarchy of Qingzhou, Shen Yifeng’s status far outstripped theirs.
So, calling him “Master” was no strain on their pride.
Shen Yifeng, slightly surprised by their deference, nodded in silent acknowledgment, appreciating their sensible attitude.
Without a word, the white-feathered eagle let out another cry, flapping its wings and taking off, circling once before flying off into the distance.
“Sigh… Our President is still too headstrong.
At this rate, it’s only a matter of time before our Linjiang branch falls into the hands of the Evil Moon Sect’s Linjiang Branch,” Xie Yuan lamented as he watched the eagle fade into the horizon.
Wu Qingsong nodded gravely, “Our President is a woman, and that has its downsides. If Vice President Ouyang doesn’t intervene, it’s not unlikely that one day she might be swayed by Kid Su.”
The two elders sighed deeply, understanding that there was little they could do to change the course of events.
They were well aware that, while the Linjiang branch existed partly to counter the Evil Moon Sect’s Dan Hall, it was ultimately no match for the sect’s power.
…
As Su Jingzhen and his companions set off, the news of the discovery of the Dantai clan’s relics indeed swept across the Qingzhou land like a storm.
Various forces, big and small, moved swiftly, all heading toward the former Dan Holy City.
This was destined to be the most significant event in Qingzhou in recent years.
Even the alchemist conference held by the Feng family paled in comparison.
Everyone knew that this event would inevitably change the current power dynamics in Qingzhou.
While Su Jingzhen and his group rode the white-feathered eagle away from Linjiang City, Feng Qingya, accompanied by Elder Mu, were heading toward the Linjiang Branch of the Evil Moon Sect.
When they arrived at the gate of the Linjiang branch, this time no one dared to stop them.
They were smoothly guided to where Luo Yuebai was located.
At this moment, in a pavilion on the edge of the central square of the Linjiang Branch, Luo Yuebai and Feng Qingya sat across from each other.
Elder Mu had conveniently disappeared somewhere, leaving the two women alone.
“I didn’t expect you to stay behind at the sect this time. I thought you’d be joining in the excitement,” Feng Qingya remarked.
Between the two women was a pot of tea, from which wisps of steam gently rose.
This was their first meeting since they had reached a collaboration agreement some time ago.
Despite the tension that had lingered between them in the past, today there was no mention of previous conflicts, and the atmosphere was surprisingly harmonious. Perhaps this was just how women interacted.
Hearing Feng Qingya’s words, a slight smile curled on Luo Yuebai’s lips. “Aren’t you doing the same?”
Feng Qingya chuckled, “But you’re the chief saintess of the Evil Moon Sect and now the head of the Linjiang Branch.
Surely you know that my Treasure Gathering Pavilion always remains neutral in such matters, never getting involved?
After all, whatever they find inside, if it’s something they can’t use, it’ll end up being traded at my pavilion.”
Luo Yuebai paused for a moment, realizing she had overlooked that fact. The Treasure Gathering Pavilion was indeed a wealthy and powerful entity in the cultivation world.
The two women, each with her own status and influence, seemed to have reached an unspoken understanding.
Their conversation flowed without the undercurrents of rivalry that had marked their previous interactions.
It was a meeting not just of words but of minds, where their respective roles and intentions were subtly acknowledged.
The exploration of ancient ruins was certainly not something they were passionate about.
A competent merchant would not risk their life but would rather throw money at the problem.
“So, is Manager Feng here to discuss a transaction with the Evil Moon Sect?” Luo Yuebai subtly shifted the topic.
As she spoke, she directly produced several jade bottles.
These were concocted by alchemists from Xuening’s group some time ago in the strange land.
When Su Jingzhen left, he handed them over to Luo Yuebai.
Originally, Su Jingzhen had intended for her to personally go to the Treasure Gathering Pavilion for the transaction.
However, Luo Yuebai was somewhat uncomfortable with the idea.
She was unwilling to go herself.
Now that Feng Qingya had come to her, she was more than willing to make the deal.
Additionally, Luo Yuebai actually hoped to reconcile with Feng Qingya.
After all, besides Su Jingzhen, there seemed to be no other conflicts between them.
After these two intense battles with Su Jingzhen, Luo Yuebai realized she had perhaps overestimated herself.
Recently, she had been struggling to keep up with Su Jingzhen’s rapid progress.
Until now, when Su Jingzhen showed his talent, Luo Yuebai had no intention of monopolizing Su Jingzhen.
The initial goal of being the first to possess had long been achieved.
Now, perhaps it was time to find someone to share the burden.
She could see that Feng Qingya also seemed to have a special interest in Su Jingzhen.
Moreover, since Su Jingzhen had done her a great favor, Feng Qingya might be a suitable candidate.
Seeing the pills on Luo Yuebai’s table, Feng Qingya’s eyes suddenly brightened.
She was always enthusiastic about transactions.
Curious, she opened one of the jade bottles.
With a slight probe of her spiritual consciousness, Feng Qingya’s smile abruptly froze.
“W-What… This bottle contains all top-grade pills!”
Each bottle contained exactly four pills, with a total of ten pills, all of top-grade quality.
This truly stunned Feng Qingya.
Previously, when Su Jingzhen mentioned that the Dan Hall would produce a batch of pills, Feng Qingya hadn’t expected much.
After setting down that jade bottle, she proceeded to open two more.
These contained pills refined by Zhao Tianming and two other former Spiritual Medicine Sect fourth-grade alchemists.
All were fourth-grade pills.
However, these two bottles did not contain exclusively top-grade pills; many were of mid-grade quality.
Yet, they were still quite valuable.
Plus more than ten bottles of second-grade, third-grade, and first-grade pills.
This was a substantial transaction!
“I wonder how much Sect Master Luo wants for this batch of pills?”
As Feng Qingya spoke, her tone was inevitably excited.
Luo Yuebai smiled and said, “I don’t want any spirit stones; I’d like to exchange everything for medicinal materials.”
With that, she handed over a white jade slip.
It recorded the list of medicinal materials Xuening had previously specified.
The quantity required was quite large.
After a quick scan with her spiritual consciousness, Feng Qingya’s expression grew even more astonished.
“What’s going on with your Linjiang Branch?
Have those alchemists experienced a significant enhancement?
Or have you recruited another sect focused on alchemy?”
Feng Qingya was well aware of the scale of the former Spiritual Medicine Sect.
After all, their Treasure Gathering Pavilion had the second-largest alchemy team in the Qingzhou region.
The Spiritual Medicine Sect was still quite inferior by comparison.
Seeing the scale of the medicinal materials now, it didn’t seem like something the former alchemists of the Spiritual Medicine Sect could handle.
Feng Qingya couldn’t help but have doubts.
“Perhaps it’s just good fortune for our Evil Moon Sect’s Linjiang Branch.
The alchemists in the Dan Hall have indeed made some breakthroughs.
Manager Feng only needs to tell me if this transaction can be completed?”
“Yes! Absolutely!
By the end of today, Qingya will deliver all the required materials from the list.”
With Feng Qingya’s position at the Treasure Gathering Pavilion, handling such matters was a breeze for her.
Luo Yuebai smiled once more.
She then extended her right hand to Feng Qingya.
“Pleasure doing business with you!”
The two women shook hands lightly.
The cooperation and understanding between these two leaders were fully established.
With this meeting, the interaction between the Treasure Gathering Pavilion and the Evil Moon Sect was bound to spark surprising developments that would astonish the world.