Heavenly Dao Engine
Chapter 1637 - 1637 0965 The Charm Remains Unsolved

Chapter 1637: Chapter 0965: The Charm Remains Unsolved Chapter 1637: Chapter 0965: The Charm Remains Unsolved Chapter 0965: The Unresolved Romance

Qi Tian paid no more attention to Xie Dasuo and said to all the team members who surrounded him, “Whoever among you wishes to take the Infant Fruit from me, there is only one condition for the exchange. Unless you’re willing to serve me loyally and without question, do not ask.”

Upon hearing this, the team members all fell silent. The condition Qi Tian proposed far exceeded their expectations. They had endured countless hardships and made significant sacrifices in hopes of advancing to the Nascent Soul Stage, not to become someone else’s subordinates. Not to mention that most of the members had the backing of a sect or a family, even if they hadn’t, they were not willing to lose their freedom and entrust everything to Qi Tian.

Unable to meet Qi Tian’s condition and feeling embarrassed to continue surrounding him, they dispersed.

Qi Tian was pleased to see this, as he preferred some peace and quiet. However, at that moment, a woman’s voice reached his ears.

“Sir, do not turn around; I’m talking to you.”

Qi Tian raised an eyebrow. The one who transmitted the message was a female cultivator from their small squad. Initially consisting of ten members, besides Gao Yuqiu, there were two other female cultivators—this was one of them, calling herself Cheng Jianli. Not particularly beautiful, with average looks, she was usually low-key within the team. It was surprising that she took the initiative to communicate with Qi Tian in this manner.

Qi Tian nodded and replied with voice transmission, “Do you have something to say, madam?”

Cheng Jianli said, “You should be very clear about what I want. If you would give me the Infant Fruit, apart from the condition you mentioned that I cannot agree to, I am willing to consider any other terms. I have never married and have been devoted to cultivation since childhood, never having dealt with men.”

Cheng Jianli was indeed willing to go all out. Although she didn’t spell it out entirely, her meaning was clear—she wouldn’t mind getting involved with Qi Tian if he were willing to transfer the Infant Fruit to her, even considering a Taoist couple relationship in the future.

Cheng Jianli was over twenty years older than Qi Tian, but that age difference was insignificant compared to the centuries of life they might expect in the future. If she were to obtain the Infant Fruit and successfully advance to the Nascent Soul Stage, becoming a Master of the Nascent Soul Stage at just over twenty years old would be considered a prodigy in the Cultivation World. If such a person were looking for a Taoist couple, not only common Masters of the Nascent Soul Stage but even those at the Peak of the Nascent Soul Stage would come seeking marriage, and it’s possible that even cultivators with a higher realm of cultivation might propose.

Cheng Jianli’s offer was indeed sincere. Of course, terms were terms. Once the ownership of the Infant Fruit transferred from Qi Tian to Cheng Jianli and she successfully became a Master of the Nascent Soul Stage, whether she would fulfill this term in the future depended on whether Qi Tian had the means to enforce it.

In Cheng Jianli’s view, the likelihood of Qi Tian refusing her proposition was slim. Without going too far into the future, as long as Qi Tian accepted this condition, they would become a community with shared interests. Joined together, they could easily dominate the team, allowing them to take the lead in distributing interests within the team in the future, which would be greatly beneficial for both. Qi Tian had no reason to refuse.

Cheng Jianli was very confident in the tantalizing offer she had made, which seemed irresistible from any angle.

However, much to Cheng Jianli’s surprise, as soon as her words ended, Qi Tian shook his head decisively and said, “I’m sorry, but to take the Infant Fruit from me, there’s only one way—serve me loyally and without question, as I have just mentioned. Nothing else will work.”

Cheng Jianli hastily responded with voice transmission, “Deputy team leader, won’t you reconsider my offer? I’m sincere.”

Qi Tian merely shook his head slightly and stopped communicating with Cheng Jianli.

Although Cheng Jianli felt extremely reluctant, she could do nothing about Qi Tian and could only sit to the side, frustrated and sulking.

As time swiftly passed half a day, Gao Yuqiu approached Qi Tian and said, “Everyone’s injuries have mostly healed. Should we continue our journey?”

Qi Tian said, “You are the captain, what you say goes.”

Gao Yuqiu nodded, then glanced at Xiu Zhengyu and asked in a hushed voice, “Xiu Zhengyu’s injuries have yet to heal. The Queen Bee’s stinger penetrated his body, and it’s not something that can recover in a short amount of time. Are we still going to take him with us?”

Before Qi Tian could reply, Xiu Zhengyu suddenly shouted loudly, “Fairy Yuqiu, Sir Qi Tian, don’t abandon me. No matter what, let me accompany the team. Don’t worry about me holding the team back; if it really comes to that, I will leave on my own without needing you to tell me. Now, please remember that I was injured while fighting for the Infant Fruit for everyone, and give me a chance. Don’t send me away.”

Xiu Zhengyu’s outcry immediately drew the attention of all the team members, who turned their gazes towards Qi Tian and Gao Yuqiu.

When they had first entered the secret realm, they had left behind a teammate who was severely injured from a fall. Now, Xiu Zhengyu was similarly gravely injured and encumbered, so being left behind wouldn’t be out of the ordinary. However, as Xiu Zhengyu himself pointed out, he had made contributions to the team. To abandon him like this was somewhat indefensible.

Gao Yuqiu looked at Qi Tian and said, “This matter is for you to decide. If you say to let Xiu Zhengyu stay, he stays. If you say he goes, then I’ll have him leave.”

Indeed, Gao Yuqiu had thrown the hot potato to Qi Tian. Moreover, she had brought it up in front of all the team members. No matter what decision Qi Tian made, it would deeply impact the other team members and could even affect his standing in their eyes, especially since anyone could find themselves in the same situation as Xiu Zhengyu in the future.

Qi Tian truly didn’t care whether there was one or two more injured members in the team; he simply didn’t want to let Gao Yuqiu’s scheming succeed. So he said with a smile, “Mrs. Zhengyu is utterly devoted to the team captain, something I’m fully aware of. A gentleman should help others achieve their aims, so I won’t get in the way. Zhengyu, remember your words—you can move with the team. Make haste and heal your injuries; if we encounter danger again and you have not recovered, remember to do as you’ve said.”

Xiu Zhengyu nodded repeatedly, his heart’s resentment and dissatisfaction towards Qi Tian dissipated a great deal.

A trace of disappointment flashed deep in Gao Yuqiu’s eyes. She had intended to use Qi Tian’s word to drive the severely injured Xiu Zhengyu out of the team, thereby getting rid of this tough nut to crack and undermining Qi Tian’s image among the team members. Little did she know Qi Tian wouldn’t fall for it. Moreover, he used Xiu Zhengyu’s admiration for her as a pretext to keep Xiu Zhengyu, making it very odd if she felt satisfied with that.

However, since Qi Tian had already made arrangements, it was not easy for her to directly oppose him, particularly because Qi Tian’s strength truly intimidated her, and she dared not confront him.

The team set off once again, but the atmosphere was no longer as cheerful as before. During their first few days in the secret realm, their experiences had been relatively plain. However, today’s series of events had made them profoundly aware of how vicious the competition in the Holy Land was. Just today, they had gone through several battles. It was only because they had a teammate like Qi Tian, whose strength far surpassed an average person at the peak of the Gold Core Realm, that they survived. Otherwise, it was very likely that their whole squad would have been annihilated today.

With the lesson learned from others’ misfortunes fresh in their minds, how could they dare to take things lightly? Even though Qi Tian was still with them, he couldn’t be by their side every moment, especially since he had to act as the Vanguard Officer, which would create some distance between them. This also meant that they couldn’t place all their safety in Qi Tian’s hands. Besides, Qi Tian was neither kin nor did he have an obligation to ensure their safety.

Everyone was on high alert, bringing out their hidden treasures—wearing them, placing them within reach, or keeping them ready to activate at a moment’s notice. Their hands, previously empty, now held their favored weapons, ready to respond instantly to any danger.

Qi Tian continued as usual, leading at the front of the team, maintaining about ten miles’ distance from the main force.

In the previous days, Qi Tian chose his path at random; even now, he still hadn’t figured out the directions within the secret realm. Although the realm had a day and night cycle, there were no celestial bodies like the sun in the sky to guide him, nor did he know what controlled the cycle.

Today, Qi Tian decided to adopt a different method to select his direction. He had used the Heavenly Dao Engine to survey the area within a hundred-mile radius after the Infant Fruit was stolen during the chase.

He had made some discoveries: in the immense area he scouted, there were quite a few places similar to the Spirit Fruit Forest, centered around an Infant Fruit Tree, with little variation between them. But upon closer inspection, there were slight differences. Some Spirit Fruit Forests bore fruit that contained marginally more Spirit Qi. Of course, the difference was tiny, only about one-thousandth, which would be unrecognizable through ordinary means.

Qi Tian was able to identify the slight differences due to the scouting function of the Heavenly Dao Engine coupled with his previous life’s knowledge of mathematics.