The Arrogant Immortal
Chapter 196 - 195: No Means No

Chapter 196: Chapter 195: No Means No

Chaoyan saw his growing impatience and could not help but smile even more, "If she’s unwilling, senior brother, you mustn’t force her. Find your own way to settle it."

"Fine, fine, fine."

Chaoruo, upon seeing his retreating figure, was suddenly compelled to call out to him, "Junior brother, did you really not swallow up my Monkey Wine?"

Chaoyan pretended not to hear and quickened his pace, vanishing from sight in the blink of an eye.

The more it happened, the more Chaoruo suspected.

Chaoruo took out the Monkey Wine that Chaoyan had just handed over.

Half a jar of Monkey Wine, the Seal Spirit Talisman had been tampered with? Without much thought, one wouldn’t notice, but upon closer inspection, suspicions arose everywhere.

He lifted the Seal Spirit Talisman and took a whiff—?

Chaoruo was instantly overjoyed, "Great stuff!"

The wine, a tribute from Xiaojiu to the elders, was certainly not of ordinary quality. It was personally brewed by the Golden Monkey Clan Leader and was a top-tier wine suitable for Nascent Soul consumption. The Spirit Fruits and Spirit Plants needed for the brewing were extremely rare and precious in the Secret Realm.

Human emotions are nurtured through interactions.

So, for tributes to her master and elders, Xiaojiu was never stingy.

Chaoyan had just left the Main Peak.

Immediately, a Sound Transmission Talisman arrived, and Chaoruo’s voice was certain, "Junior brother, return the other half of my wine."

No way!

Not happening.

Everything had gone into his pocket; there was no reason for it to come out again.

Chaoyan dared to meddle with Chaoruo’s items but not Qiansha’s. He had gone to the Sect Secret Ground, conveyed his disciple’s filial intentions to the great-grandmaster, received a reciprocal gift, and then headed back to Zhengyang Peak.

Xiaojiu was astonished to receive a gift of shark gauze from the great-grandmaster.

Chaoyan said, "This is woven by the Shark people, girls love to use it for making vestment robes."

"Thank you, Master," Xiaojiu said with a beaming smile.

"Now tell me, what should be done with the Mysterious Ice Fig?" Chaoyan sat beside her and added, "You want the Nine Turns Vitality Pill; it doesn’t necessarily have to be traded with the Mysterious Ice Fig."

Compared to the Mysterious Ice Fig, Shengxi Grass was still findable.

Thinking of Shengxi Grass, Xiaojiu searched through a pile of Jade Boxes in her Storage Ring and found a high-grade Spiritual Jad Box. It was one of the heritage items she had obtained from Daoyin.

After examining it, Chaoyan confirmed it indeed was Shengxi Grass.

Opening just a sliver of the box revealed a rich vitality from within.

"Disciple, this is..."

"A lucky find," Xiaojiu replied.

She wasn’t wrong; it was a lucky find from a Divinity Transformation expert’s oversight.

Chaoyan did not inquire further, "Once we’ve gathered the other ingredients, we’ll ask someone to perform the alchemy."

"What else is needed?" Xiaojiu handed over the Spirit Plants she didn’t need to Chaoyan, "Master, take a look, do you need any of these?"

Chaoyan fell silent for a moment.

Quietly, he gathered the items.

His disciple was too capable, what should he do?

The slumbering Vermilion Bird slightly opened its eyes and transmitted its consciousness, "Little Chaoyan, your disciple has something I urgently need."

"What is it?" Chaoyan asked with caution.

The Vermilion Bird said, "Starwood."

"Impossible. That’s a legendary divine wood, how could it possibly be here?"

"I smell an unusual fragrance that hasn’t dissipated, which is unique to Starwood. With it, the injuries to my essence can be healed."

"You’ll just have to heal slowly then. Even if it existed, I would not ask for it on your behalf. My disciple’s items, should I, as a master, shamelessly ask for them? Am I that shameless?" Chaoyan would definitely not ask.

This was a matter of principle.

If the disciple offered it as a tribute, it would be different, but asking without her offering would be unbecoming of a master.

The Vermilion Bird persisted, "I don’t need much, just a small piece will suffice."

"No means no," she said.

Chaoyan’s stubbornness nearly drove the Vermilion Bird’s spiritual soul into turmoil.

What’s wrong with a master asking their disciple for some things? It’s not like I’m asking for nothing in return, I can always give her something good later on, yet Chaoyan refuses to ask. Initially, I contracted this fellow because I saw a glimmer of vitality in him.

But after waiting for hundreds of years, that so-called vitality never came.

Just when I was about to despair, a little disciple came along.

That spark of life was indeed present in Chaoyan’s disciple, the Child of Destiny of this world.

The Vermilion Bird angrily said, "If you won’t ask, then should I do it, alright?"

Just as it intended to ask, it was put under lockdown!

Sealed by the master, forbidden from contacting the outside world.

Chaoyan chatted nonchalantly with Xie Jiuniang, completely unaware of the anomaly between him and the Vermilion Bird, all of which Jian Lingyan had sensed.

Jian Lingyan didn’t know the content of the conversation between the Vermilion Bird and Chaoyan but was aware that Chaoyan had locked up the Vermilion Bird.

What’s with this master-servant drama? Did they have a falling out?

Jian Lingyan mentioned this to Xie Jiuniang, and she was also at a loss.

However, since Chaoyan said nothing, she acted as if she were unaware.

The master and disciple discussed their strategy.

In the end, Xie Jiuniang took out five Mysterious Ice Figs and asked the Sect Master to trade them, asking what she would like in return.

Xie Jiuniang wanted something to improve aptitude.

Chaoyan was in a dilemma, "Items that improve aptitude are hard to find, but I know who has one."

"Who has it?"

"Mo Chuan."

"Him? What does he have?" Xie Jiuniang was quite surprised.

Chaoyan recounted a recent event, "That kid is lucky, I heard he got a Cleansing Spiritual Grass not long ago, seemingly from opportunistic shopping in the Fangshi."

Now Xie Jiuniang was in trouble.

Once the news had leaked, many would want it, and no matter what, she would not be the one to get it.

Chaoyan then told her, "Besides the Cleansing Spiritual Grass, the Sect records mention the legendary Creation Pill that can improve one’s aptitude. However, the Sect doesn’t have the pill recipe; I heard the Mo Family does."

The Mo Family is an aristocratic family of Medical Cultivators with a long heritage.

It is said that an ancestor of the Mo Family once received the heritage of the Alchemy Dao.

The specifics are not well known to outsiders, but the possibility that the Mo Family has the pill recipe is significant, and Xie Jiuniang, wanting to improve her mother Mo Lan’s aptitude, would need to deal with the Mo Family.

Chaoyan left with the items.

Those five Mysterious Ice Figs, in the end, Xie Jiuniang insisted on exchanging for Shengxi Grass or a Nine-Turned Life Pill. Even with Shengxi Grass, who would complain about having too many Nine-Turned Life Pills?

Xie Jiuniang called Bai Mudan over.

She inquired how her arrangements in Dashan were progressing.

She then solicited information on what had happened in the Sect during her absence.

Bai Mudan gave her answers to everything.

It included the news of Mo Chuan visiting the Fangshi and acquiring a Cleansing Spiritual Grass, but Mo Chuan had released a statement saying the grass was too young to be medicinal.

Whether it’s true or false depends on who believes it.

After sending Bai Mudan away, Xie Jiuniang closed off for another night.

Early the next day, she saw Xie Siuniang who had come to find her.

"Xiaojiu!" Compared to Xie Jiuniang, Xie Siuniang could only be considered slightly graceful, but she had a warm and friendly temperament, an enthusiastic and forthright person who easily won the favor of others.

Xie Jiuniang greeted her with a smile, "Sister Si, long time no see."

"Haha, it’s you who’s hard to find."

It’s even harder to see you than it was to find someone on Shihao Mountain.