Chapter 14: Encounter (I)

Within the crowd, there were several Foundation Establishment cultivators specifically entrusted by Linqing to watch over Hansu. They were prepared to step forward to defend her but, unexpectedly, such an imposing expert was present at her side. Unsure whether this person was friend or foe, they could only hold their ground and wait in secret. The rest of the onlookers, hearing her clear and childish voice, felt a pang of shame; seeing an expert nearby—likely a senior from Hansu’s family—they quickly dispersed. As for the four who had started the trouble... Lin Yuansheng’s face flushed red with indignation, but he knew he had nothing to say. He regretted not being able to stand up for beauty, and besides, though he hadn’t noticed anything wrong with the spiritual fruit, he trusted Lu Tanxian’s judgment more than a little. If she claimed something was amiss and dared to ask for it even knowing her opponent was the daughter of a Nascent Soul Daoist Lord, the item certainly couldn’t be ordinary.

His guess was not far from the truth; Lu Tanxian was sighing inwardly at that very moment. When the little girl had produced the spiritual fruit, the spirit beast Shaobi in her space had immediately cried out, urging her to seize it. Shaobi, a spirit formed from the essence of plants, was most familiar with spiritual flora, and if even it deemed the fruit valuable, it was certainly worth fighting for. That was why she had spoken up, thinking perhaps the young, privileged girl would be easily deceived. To her surprise, the girl was sharp-tongued and clever. When she reached into her pouch for the fruit, her movements were hidden by her robe, yet as soon as the fruit emerged, Shaobi knew it had been switched—proof of a sleight of hand. Left with no choice, Lu Tanxian secretly employed a supreme charm technique she had obtained from the remains of a female cultivator. Although she dared not use it too openly in the sect’s market, most people had been subtly beguiled. Yet this little girl, young and not highly cultivated, remained clear-eyed. Indeed, as the daughter of a Nascent Soul cultivator, her family’s resources far surpassed Lu Tanxian’s, and now she even had an unexpected helper.

This attempt had come to nothing, so she could only let it go. Still, the seemingly ordinary stall of that high-level cultivator appeared to conceal some mysteries. Next time, she would come alone—perhaps she might find some benefits there. With these thoughts, she sensed the oppressive aura withdraw. Lu Tanxian gracefully bowed, returned the fruit to Hansu, and placed a white jade pure-heart lily in her small hand. With poise and a smile, she said, “Little junior sister, don’t be upset. I found your fruit exquisite and lovely and only meant to exchange this lily for two of your fruits. I must not have made myself clear, which caused the misunderstanding. Since you wish to gift the fruit to someone else, this flower is still yours—please don’t be angry with me.” With that, she rose and drifted away with Lin Yuansheng and the others.

Hansu couldn’t help but grit her teeth—how thick-skinned and cunning! This white jade pure-heart lily, though well known, was not easily acquired. As its name implied, it had the effect of calming the mind and clearing the heart, making cultivation much more efficient if placed in one’s chamber. During Foundation Establishment, it could also ward off inner demons. Such a flower could buy an entire basket of red-thread fruits. Moreover, Lu Tanxian’s words had been so grand and dignified that everyone sided with her. Ah, well, since the flower was offered, she might as well keep it. She casually tossed the lily into her bracelet, then set off toward the Divine Transformation cultivator.

The onlookers had expected, after such a slight, that she would throw a tantrum and discard the flower. Unexpectedly, she was so composed. Seeing her head toward her “powerful backer,” they quickly dispersed.

A few steps brought Hansu to the cultivator’s stall. Beaming, she took out the red-thread fruit and held it out to him, saying, “Elder, I’d like to offer you this fruit.” This cultivator was one of the sect’s four Divine Transformation elders, with the Daoist title Xuanlan. Of all of them, he was the most unrestrained, loving adventure above all else. Rather than remain in the sect as an elder, he traveled far and wide in search of opportunity, yet after several centuries at Divine Transformation, he had failed to sense any sign of advancement to the mid-stage. With only a few decades of life remaining, he knew his fate was sealed and, with little hope of breakthrough, returned to the sect, set up a small stall in the marketplace, and sold the oddities he had gathered over his years of wandering for the benefit of younger disciples. His free-spirited nature made him indifferent to his impending demise. He had concealed his appearance and cultivation, and had not contacted the sect’s elders—never expecting that he would encounter a red-thread fruit in the hands of a little girl here. Consuming this fruit would grant him another three centuries of life—who could say he wouldn’t break through after all? He’d been planning to exchange a treasure for the fruit, but hadn’t expected she would simply gift it to him, even allowing her to borrow some of his prestige.

The instant Hansu held out the fruit, Elder Xuanlan waved his hand and set up a barrier. He accepted the fruit with a smile and said, “This is indeed useful to me, and I have gained from your generosity. On my stall, you may choose any three items you like.” Hansu smiled bashfully and squatted down to examine the wares closely.