The Arrogant Immortal
Chapter 379 - 378: Not Overtly

Chapter 379: Chapter 378: Not Overtly

As long as one could stay alive, losing memory was not within Xie Jiuniang’s scope of concern.

Xie Jiuniang said gravely, "Elder Yan, whatever you need, please feel free to ask."

"A high-grade piece of Soul-Nourishing Wood, a Calming Pill, and also Starwood, three pieces of the same size as the last time," Elder Yan’s heart trembled with each item he listed.

All were extremely rare.

However, Elder Yan believed that Xie Jiuniang could procure them.

Xie Jiuniang’s brows furrowed tightly, "I don’t have high-grade Soul-Nourishing Wood, only the ordinary grade."

She then took out the Soul-Nourishing Wood she had on her.

After inspecting it, Elder Yan shook his head, "This quality won’t do, his Spiritual Soul is currently very weak, and the ordinary Soul-Nourishing Wood has minimal effect on him. I’m not purposely making this difficult for you, the high-grade Soul-Nourishing Wood only needs to be nurtured for three to five years, but with this ordinary wood, it would take at least a hundred years."

That was the difference between superior and inferior quality.

Xie Jiuniang did not want to wait a hundred years.

But...

Elder Yan said with regret, "I have lived for so long, yet I have never seen high-grade Soul-Nourishing Wood."

"Is it that rare?"

"Indeed, it’s scarce."

After thinking it over, Elder Yan further explained, "Your grandfather must have used some forbidden technique which resulted in his Spiritual Soul being extremely weakened, to the extent that he cannot even withstand the effects of a Calming Pill. Only by nurturing with high-grade Soul-Nourishing Wood for a few years to stabilize the Spiritual Soul can he then take the Calming Pill."

This was not so simple.

After taking the Calming Pill, he would also need the aid of Starwood to recover the Soul Source.

The last step required Elder Yan’s intervention.

The process was complicated, too intricate to explain in detail.

It was not that he was being purposely difficult, but these items were indeed necessary.

With such stringent requirements, anyone else would only be waiting for death.

Xie Jiuniang took out a Calming Pill.

After inspecting it, Elder Yan nodded, indicating it was usable.

Then, Xie Jiuniang took out three pieces of Starwood, each the size of a finger.

Elder Yan checked them and trembled with his hands, "We still lack the Soul-Nourishing Wood."

The high-grade Soul-Nourishing Wood was extremely important.

Without it, the other two items were basically useless.

Xie Jiuniang inquired, "Do you know who might have it?"

"You’ve come to the right person." Since Elder Yan’s Soul Source was damaged, he paid extra attention to items for nurturing the soul, "I know that Medical Immortal Valley’s Mo Family might have it."

Xie Jiuniang asked, "Only a possibility?"

Elder Yan nodded, "The information I got before was just that."

She then consulted Elder Yan for some more information.

In the meantime, finding high-grade Soul-Nourishing Wood was still a priority.

After Elder Yan left, Xie Jiuniang turned to Chaoyan, "Master, doesn’t the Sect have any?"

"If we had any, it would have been exchanged long ago."

Who, among the Sect’s great powers, would not want items for nurturing the soul?

Xie Jiuniang said, "Should I issue a task?"

"Better not, to avoid attracting attention from others." Chaoyan knew such tasks were almost impossible to complete, at most he could help his disciple inquire among other Divinity Transformation cultivators.

However, the chances of finding it were slim.

Elder Yan’s Soul Source was damaged a long time ago, and the Sect had spent a lot of effort on his behalf, having inquired throughout the upper echelons before.

"Let’s go!"

Chaoyan spoke.

Xie Jiuniang stored the Jade Coffin in the Small Tortoise Shell.

Then, alongside Chaoyan, she left the Secret Realm.

Xie Jiuniang, just a junior in the Sect and not yet having undergone Divinity Transformation, was not allowed to stay in the Secret Realm for too long, according to the rules.

After the two of them left.

A few Divinity Transformation cultivators in the Secret Realm took notice.

"What is Chaoyan’s disciple doing in the Secret Realm?" someone curiously asked.

Someone speculated, "She must be looking for Old Yan. When Old Yan left Chaoyan’s cave dwelling earlier, his face was beaming with joy."

"Could there be another piece of good news?"

"Shall we go and get a share of the spoils?"

"Do you guys know what it is?"

"No need to know, just go and ask Old Yan," some of the Divinity Transformation cultivators who had received benefits in the past could not sit still.

Almost at the same time, they arrived in front of Old Yan’s cave dwelling...

Xie Jiuniang was unaware of what had happened after she left.

Even if she had known, she probably wouldn’t have cared.

The two of them returned to Zhengyang Peak.

Chaoyan took her to the peak, where to their surprise, they saw someone leisurely enjoying a drink in the pavilion, the epitome of a casual posture.

"Disciple Yuanxi pays respects to Uncle-Master," Chaoyan said.

Xie Jiuniang stepped forward to pay her respects to Chaoruo.

Chaoruo sized up Xie Jiuniang, "You seem unchanged, yet somehow different at the same time."

"It is the keen eye of my Senior Brother," Chaoyan chimed in.

Xie Jiuniang was utterly baffled.

Chaoyan didn’t explain.

Chaoruo also noticed.

It was as if Xie Jiuniang was different from before, as if some kind of shackle on her had suddenly been released, making her whole aura more smooth and integrated. It was not an improvement in cultivation base, but rather a transformation in the state of a cultivator’s mind.

Chaoruo laughed and glanced at Chaoyan, "You’re finally starting to look like a proper master."

Chaoyan raised an eyebrow, "Was I not good enough before?"

"You just didn’t have the appearance of a role model for others," Chaoruo retorted.

"..."

Xie Jiuniang tried hard to reduce her presence.

Were these conversations really meant for a disciple’s ears?

The two of them chatted for a while, and what Xie Jiuniang could overhear mostly made no sense to her, probably because the two were sometimes communicating through spirit transmissions and sometimes not, so she eventually stopped trying to listen.

At last, the crucial part came.

Chaoruo handed Xie Jiuniang a Storage Ring, "The resources inside are yours by right."

"The share from last time? Is there this much?" Xie Jiuniang was surprised after checking the ring.

The entire space inside the Storage Ring was filled with resources, more than she had anticipated, "Didn’t they say there were losses in the Northern Region?"

Chaoruo explained, "It’s not just the share from last time but also from the new Secret Realm."

All these resources together amounted to a huge sum.

Now, among the Sect’s direct disciples, nobody had more wealth than she did.

Upon hearing this, Xie Jiuniang confidently placed the Storage Ring into the Small Tortoise Shell, "Uncle-Master, among those who went to the Mo Family last time, did anyone obtain top-quality Soul-Nourishing Wood?"

"Last time it was only an attack on the Mo Family’s external Spiritual Stone Mine and Spiritual Medicine Garden; they probably didn’t get any Soul-Nourishing Wood," Chaoruo replied, puzzled.

Chaoyan mentioned the matter concerning the Clan Leader of the Xie Clan.

This time, Chaoruo understood, "There might indeed be some in the Mo Family’s treasure vault, but such treasures are passed down as utmost precious objects, and it’s not easy for outsiders to lay their hands on them."

"Isn’t the Mo Family currently falling apart? One branch has already left the Medical Immortal Valley, and their whereabouts are unknown. This suggests that the guards of the Medical Immortal Valley should be less strict than before," Xie Jiuniang hinted.

She didn’t specify.

Both Chaoyan and Chaoruo heard her intent.

This girl was eyeing the main property of the Mo Family!

Chaoruo cautioned, "This matter must not be done openly."

"I know, I will do it stealthily," Xie Jiuniang patted her chest and assured.

Chaoruo hid a smile behind the guise of savoring his drink.

Chaoyan didn’t object either, but he reminded, "Disciple, don’t underestimate the Medical Immortal Valley. The most fearful aspect of the Mo Family is not their strength, but the countless connections they’ve accumulated over the years."

Too many cultivators in the Cultivation World owed favors to the Mo Family.