Chapter 20: Striking a Deal
Faced with the two of them fighting with all their might, the steward was well prepared. At the brink of life and death, he swept his wide sleeve heavily, sending out two beams of spiritual light that swiftly shot before Feng Yu and Jiang Min, blocking both the thunderbolt and the net of fire.
“This match.”
“Jiang Min wins!”
Upon hearing the result, Jiang Min’s strength deserted her, and she collapsed onto the ground, gazing up at the sky. Though her entire body was covered in blood and pain throbbed through every inch, she laughed aloud, overjoyed.
“Junior Sister Jiang!”
Zhong Qu and the others rushed onto the stage. Qin Gengyun, dragging a young woman by the hand, hastily brought her before Jiang Min, urging, “Senior Sister, please help her stop the bleeding.”
Lying on the ground, Jiang Min’s vision blurred as several faces leaned in, their eyes filled with concern. She forced a smile to reassure them, “I’m fine… just flesh wounds—ah!”
A cold sweat broke out on her brow as the senior sister responsible for healing lifted the cloth at her arm, which had already stuck fast to the mangled flesh beneath.
After tending to the worst of her injuries, the bleeding from Jiang Min’s other wounds ceased—the healing effects of her wood spiritual power were evident. With a few days of rest, she would recover.
“The Azure Cloud Tournament is concluded.”
“The top ten, come here to claim your rewards.”
The voice, imbued with profound spiritual power, echoed across the mountain. The distributor of rewards was clad in a pale purple robe adorned with special cloud patterns—a true Golden Core cultivator.
With her strength somewhat restored, Jiang Min hurried over to claim her prize: three items.
A small bottle containing spirit pills.
A dainty token.
A folded document.
The token had two sides; the front bore the words “Spirit Convergence Valley,” while the back was illuminated with the characters “Ten Days,” denoting the time limit for entry.
The document served as a pass, allowing one unrestricted visit to the Library Pavilion.
Jiang Min carefully tucked these three treasures into her storage pouch and pressed it close to her chest. She had fought desperately for these—they were crucial to her cultivation.
Looking up, she saw a crowd of servant disciples eyeing her and, more pointedly, the pouch at her chest. Wariness rose in her heart, and she quickly left.
When she rejoined those from Flowing Cloud Peak, their faces were aglow with happiness as they showered her with congratulations.
“Congratulations.”
Ming Ruoshui also muttered her good wishes softly, lowered her gaze, and turned away.
Jiang Min was taken aback and hurried after her, calling, “Senior Sister Ming!”
But Ming Ruoshui did not look back, intent on leaving. Yet Jiang Min, persistent as ever, followed her to the edge of a grove, where Ming Ruoshui finally stopped and turned, her voice cold, “Why are you following me?”
At that moment, she seemed more aloof and distant than ever, even toward Jiang Min.
Jiang Min ventured tentatively, “Senior Sister Ming, are you angry? I didn’t mean to keep things from you—”
“Jiang Min.”
Ming Ruoshui cut her off, her voice icy and remote.
“I am going home.”
Jiang Min was startled. “Home?” she exclaimed in surprise. Why so suddenly?
“After the Azure Cloud Tournament comes the time my family set for my marriage.”
Ming Ruoshui’s eyes were utterly calm, as though recounting another’s story. “I am to return to my clan and become someone’s concubine.”
At this, she could not help clenching her fists and lowering her gaze.
“There’s no need for apologies. I’m not angry with you. I just can’t face my own failure.”
“I’m simply unwilling to accept it.”
She turned and left, her steps slower than before.
Jiang Min watched her go, her heart surging with sudden sorrow and helplessness.
“A concubine…”
In an instant, Jiang Min understood everything.
Why Ming Ruoshui had focused so single-mindedly on cultivation, why she cherished every moment, why she cared so deeply about the tournament’s outcome… How could someone so proud accept returning to her family and becoming a concubine?
“So, you’re here.”
The familiar voice made Jiang Min turn. She found Feng Yu behind her, affectionately holding the arm of another young woman. The newcomer wore an outer sect blue robe and looked a few years younger than Feng Yu, her features bearing a clear family resemblance.
Jiang Min became wary, taking a step back. “What do you want with me?”
Feng Yu smiled. “I’ve come to make a deal.”
“A deal?”
“I’ll pay handsomely—sell me your Spirit Convergence Valley token.”
Jiang Min frowned, glancing toward her companions on Flowing Cloud Peak. “I worked hard for this. Why should I sell it to you?”
The woman at Feng Yu’s side spoke up. “After the Azure Cloud Tournament, many will seek to trade with you—outer sect disciples like myself among them. Do you think you can keep your token? Better to sell it to my sister and make a friend. We won’t cheat you.”
Jiang Min understood her meaning at once. A chill ran through her—could the token she’d fought so hard for prove more trouble than it was worth?
She kept her expression neutral. “Doesn’t the sect care about this sort of thing?”
Feng Yu smirked. “You’re so naïve. The sect only recognizes the token, not the person. So, will you sell or not?”
“How many spirit stones?” Jiang Min asked, feigning interest.
Seeing Jiang Min’s hesitation, Feng Yu’s face lit up. “Two hundred lower-grade spirit stones.”
“No.” Jiang Min refused flatly.
“Two hundred and thirty, then. Voluntary trade—don’t regret it.”
Jiang Min was merely testing her, but Feng Yu raised the price without hesitation, making Jiang Min realize how valuable the token truly was. She fell silent.
Feng Yu grew anxious at her silence. “Three hundred. That’s my final offer. If you refuse, I’ll just take it by force.”
Faced with this threat, Jiang Min felt a chill in her heart. Would the sect really turn a blind eye to robbery? Suddenly, she smiled sweetly. “Senior Sister, I’m open to a trade. But shouldn’t I at least know what the token is really worth?”
Even as she spoke, Jiang Min stealthily readied a Swift Movement Talisman in her palm—ready to flee if things went awry.
“Junior Sister Jiang!”
Not far off, Zhong Qu and the others approached, spotting Feng Yu confronting Jiang Min. They called out at once.
Upon seeing others approach, Feng Yu frowned and whispered to her sister, “Let’s go ask someone else.”
Her sister clearly didn’t want witnesses either. “Alright.”
The pair darted a final glance at Jiang Min, then left. Only then did Jiang Min breathe easier and stow away her escape talisman.
As her companions drew near, Qin Gengyun asked, “Senior Sister Jiang, what did Feng Yu want? And where’s Senior Sister Ming?”
“Senior Sister Ming left. Feng Yu tried to buy my Spirit Convergence Valley token.”
Zhong Qu blurted, “Did you sell it?”
“No.”
Jiang Min hesitated. “Senior Brother Zhao, Senior Brother Zhong, can the Spirit Convergence Valley token really be traded?”
Zhong Qu looked to Zhao Ji, who stroked his white beard and replied unhurriedly, “The token is usually given as a reward and not meant to be traded. But if a disciple ‘voluntarily’ trades it, the sect won’t interfere—they turn a blind eye.”
“So that’s how it is. Thank you for clarifying, Senior Brother Zhao.”
Only then did Jiang Min understand that Feng Yu had been trying to intimidate her. If she didn’t want to sell, Feng Yu couldn’t openly take it by force here.
She recalled the lot she’d drawn upon entering the sect. Officially, no exchanges were allowed, but for those with connections, such rules were easily bent.
Qin Gengyun added, “When we were on our way here, we saw several outer sect disciples surrounding someone, trying to buy his Spirit Convergence Valley token. That person set an outrageous price, inciting a bidding war. In the end, he sold it for five hundred and forty-eight lower-grade spirit stones, with the steward standing right there—he didn’t interfere.”
“Over five hundred spirit stones?”
Jiang Min’s heart thudded. The token was worth that much—enough for decades of a servant’s wages.
But she quickly realized that for a servant to openly obtain such wealth, he must either have powerful backing and no fear of being targeted, or spend it quickly before attracting disaster.
Suddenly, she felt as though she carried a burning coal in her chest.