Heavenly Dao Engine
Chapter 1611 - 1611 0950 Speaking from the Heart

Chapter 1611: Chapter 0950: Speaking from the Heart Chapter 1611: Chapter 0950: Speaking from the Heart Chapter 0950 Speaking to the Heart

Xiu Zhengyu gave an awkward smile and said, “Is it that obvious?”

Qi Tian nodded and said, “Let’s not beat around the bush with useless chatter, just tell me straight why you called me here?”

Xiu Zhengyu said, “Neither of us has much regard for the other, and I believe you don’t want to waste your time with me either, so I will be blunt. I hope that after you enter the competitive trials at the Holy Land, you will stay as far away from Fairy Yuqiu as possible, unless absolutely necessary. Do not do anything that could potentially make Fairy Yuqiu take a liking to you. As long as you agree to this, you will be handsomely rewarded.”

Qi Tian chuckled and said, “What kind of reward can you offer me? Don’t tell me you’re after Fairy Yuqiu purely because you like her. She must carry an opportunity that you cannot refuse. Whatever that is, I won’t expose you. I just want to ask you, facing such an opportunity, what price are you willing to pay?”

Xiu Zhengyu furrowed his brows, surprised that Qi Tian had uncovered the deeper reason for his pursuit of Fairy Yuqiu, not leaving any cover. However, he knew it made sense, as he wasn’t the only smart person in the world. Others besides him might see the opportunity in pursuing Gao Yuqiu, and he couldn’t expect Qi Tian to step aside without paying a price.

Xiu Zhengyu pondered for a moment, then said, “I have quite a few elixirs here. Just name the type, grade, and quantity of the elixir you want. As long as it’s not excessive, I’m willing to agree to it.”

Qi Tian waved his finger and said, “I don’t need your elixirs. If you truly want to show sincerity, a thousand top-grade spirit stones, that’s my final offer. If you agree, then I will cooperate with you. If not, then there’s nothing more to say.”

Xiu Zhengyu took a sharp breath. Qi Tian’s asking price was steep; top-grade spirit stones were incredibly precious to cultivators at their level. He had at most a little over a thousand on him, and Qi Tian’s request would take away the majority of them. The demand was ruthlessly steep.

Before Xiu Zhengyu could refuse, Qi Tian said, “This price is non-negotiable. Don’t talk to me about difficulty, it doesn’t matter.”

Xiu Zhengyu had no choice but to swallow the words at the tip of his tongue. After careful consideration, weighing his painstakingly gathered top-grade spirit stones against the potential success in pursuing Gao Yuqiu, Xiu Zhengyu finally gritted his teeth. He took out a thousand top-grade spirit stones and handed them to Qi Tian.

“Sir, don’t blame me for speaking plainly before we proceed, but I have paid the price according to your demand. From now on, if you make any moves that could be taken as flirtatious towards Fairy Yuqiu, it would mean you are violating our agreement, and you shouldn’t blame me for being discourteous then.”

Qi Tian casually stored the top-grade spirit stones that were bagged into his possession and said, “Look at you, talking as if you’ve always been so respectful towards me ever since we’ve known each other.”

Xiu Zhengyu huffed and, now that the matter was resolved, he no longer wanted to remain in Qi Tian’s company and left with a flick of his sleeve.

As he watched Xiu Zhengyu leave, Qi Tian shook his head. He had never really taken Xiu Zhengyu seriously. Moreover, he didn’t expect much from Xiu Zhengyu’s affections toward Gao Yuqiu, as it was likely a one-sided crush. How could someone like Gao Yuqiu fancy someone like Xiu Zhengyu? In the end, Gao Yuqiu was only using him. Otherwise, with so many people in the squad, why would Gao Yuqiu specifically appoint Xiu Zhengyu as the captain, if not to manipulate his actions through his affections?

Qi Tian prepared to head back to his inn. The great trials of the Holy Land would start tomorrow, and he planned to rest well before they began. Otherwise, once he entered the trials, it was likely he would be unable to rest properly for a long time.

Just as Qi Tian was about to reach the inn, someone suddenly called his name. He turned around to see Liang Hansen. Next to Liang Hansen stood Zhang Baolin.

Liang Hansen and Zhang Baolin, just like Qi Tian, were young talents from Wanjie City. Originally, when they were in Wanjie City, they had agreed to advance and retreat together during the Holy Land trials. But after a series of events, every time Zhang Chenghua targeted Qi Tian, Liang Hansen, Zhang Baolin, and the others either remained silent or appeared to side with Zhang Chenghua, never joining forces with Qi Tian. After a few such occurrences, Qi Tian and they gradually grew apart.

Qi Tian gave a faint smile. He didn’t harbor resentment towards Liang Hansen and Zhang Baolin for their actions — they were merely acting out of self-interest. More importantly, they hadn’t taken any actions that harmed Qi Tian. With no fundamental conflicts of interest between them, maintaining a superficial peace was still possible.

“Fellow cultivators, have you sought me out for something?”

Liang Hansen and Zhang Baolin exchanged glances, seemingly urging each other with their eyes to speak first. However, neither spoke, leaving it unclear whether it was out of embarrassment or because the matter was too difficult to broach.

Qi Tian said, “We’re all busy people, so if you have something to say, just speak your mind. If there’s nothing in particular and you just wanted to say hello, we’ve said our hellos, and I’ll be on my way.”