Chapter 199: Truly Astonishing

Chapter 199: Chapter 199: Truly Astonishing

October 18th, early in the morning.

Inside Yang Haichen’s room at the courier station, Xie Xichen and Ren Xunchun quietly studied him.

"Here are 230,000 Spirit Stones. This covers my debt from Fire Dragon Valley and my purchase of the Spiritual Cuisine. As for this Third Grade Storage Ring, consider it a gift for Junior Brother Liu."

Xie Xichen was the first to break the silence. Yang Haichen was about to start selling the Spiritual Cuisine, and if Xie Xichen didn’t act fast, he might not get any before the other Purple Cloud Valley disciples—not to mention the disciples from Qingxu Hall and Thunder Mountain who were also present.

"Ten portions of Spiritual Cuisine."

Yang Haichen nodded, verified the amount of Spirit Stones in the Storage Ring, and then placed ten portions of Spiritual Cuisine on the table. Xie Xichen saw this and immediately stored the Spiritual Cuisine away.

"I’ll also buy ten portions of Spiritual Cuisine. As for the debt from Fire Dragon Valley, I plan to speak with Junior Brother Liu about it personally."

Ren Xunchun spoke slowly. The Ren Family couldn’t pull together that many Spirit Stones, but they had already prepared an alternative plan. As long as Junior Brother Liu agreed, the 230,000 Spirit Stones he owed would surely find their way into Junior Brother Liu’s hands.

Yang Haichen completed the transaction without a word. Incidentally, the Yang Family had also funded the purchase of ten portions of Spiritual Cuisine. This was the absolute limit of liquid Spirit Stones that a family could muster—and that was only true for the more powerful ones. As for the less prominent families, they couldn’t hope to gather so many Spirit Stones.

"The Carefree King and his wife left the Royal Family and became Junior Brother Liu’s servants. Perhaps you could try approaching it from that angle. The Carefree King started his own businesses a long time ago, so he shouldn’t be short on Spirit Stones. And they certainly won’t be leaving with Peak Master Mo."

Xie Xichen couldn’t help but offer a reminder. This matter had caused a huge stir in the Great Xia Imperial City. Although most Mortals were saying the Carefree King had betrayed the Royal Family, in reality, all the Noble Families, and even the various factions within the Great Xia Royal Family, were envious.

A servant to a Second Grade Spirit Chef, even within Purple Cloud Valley, would earn the respect of Inner Sect disciples and even True Disciples. This whole uproar was likely just malicious gossip spread by those suffering from sour grapes.

"Thank you for the reminder. However, if I continue to address him as the Carefree King, it will cause unnecessary trouble. The Great Xia Dynasty no longer has a Carefree King."

Ren Xunchun nodded. It was impossible for the Ren Family to come up with that many resources directly, but offering other assets or businesses in trade was definitely an option. However, the exact approach would depend on Junior Brother Liu’s own thoughts on the matter. If he acted rashly and it affected Junior Brother Liu’s opinion of him, it would be a disastrous loss.

"That’s true. But for His Highness the Crown Prince to have taken no action is truly surprising."

Xie Xichen nodded. The Great Xia Royal Family had announced the revocation of the Carefree King’s title that very morning. This was as clear a statement as any. The only unexpected thing was that His Highness the Crown Prince had made no move. Normally, even if the Carefree King and his wife were spared, the Crown Prince wouldn’t just stay silent. At the very least, he’d have to put on a show for his followers; after all, quite a few people had betrayed the Carefree King to join his faction.

"It’s not that surprising. The first person in the Great Xia Imperial City to obtain Spiritual Cuisine was His Highness the Crown Prince. According to Junior Brother Liu, that guy shouted outside his estate for an entire morning. Junior Brother Liu only agreed to see him because he couldn’t stand the annoyance any longer. This is also why Junior Brother Liu shut the main gates to his estate."

Yang Haichen shook his head. He had been a bit stunned himself when he heard about it. But closing the main gates did stop the droves of Cultivators who wanted to visit. Everyone knew the estate’s back gate was still in use, but they were all influential figures. Who among them would be willing to stoop to using the back door on a first visit?

"The influence of a Second Grade Spirit Chef is truly terrifying. A potential bloodbath was avoided just like that."

Xie Xichen narrowed his eyes. ’So that’s how it is.’ Things were becoming clear. If the Crown Prince, Ji Feng, hadn’t bought the Spiritual Cuisine beforehand, the worst that could happen after the bloodbath was that Junior Brother Liu would refuse to sell him any more. But to receive the Spiritual Cuisine first, then launch a bloodbath with no regard for Junior Brother Liu’s own junior sister... that would be tantamount to slapping Junior Brother Liu right in the face.

By extension, that would be the same as slapping Peak Master Mo in the face. Although Peak Master Mo was rumored to be leaving, as long as he was still around, he was the Peak Master of Purple Bamboo Peak, one of the most powerful figures in all of Purple Cloud Valley. Such an insult would be tantamount to declaring war on Purple Cloud Valley.

The Great Xia Royal Family may be the strongest of the Noble Families, but they were nothing compared to the Three Immortal Sects. And Purple Cloud Valley was widely recognized as the most powerful of the three.

"Looking at it from another angle, isn’t the root cause of all this the current Emperor of the Great Xia himself?"

Ren Xunchun said calmly. If the Carefree King’s daughter hadn’t been taken as a disciple by Peak Master Mo, she would never have met Junior Brother Liu, let alone caused all this mess.

The upper echelons of the Three Immortal Sects don’t interfere in the Great Xia Royal Family’s internal power struggles. To be precise, the sects don’t get involved in such matters at all. It’s the price they pay for the privilege of recruiting disciples from within the Royal Family.

Besides, there’s no point to it. The very existence of the Three Immortal Sects ensures that no single faction can ever completely control the Great Xia Royal Family. Therefore, getting involved would not only yield no benefits but could also jeopardize their own stability.

"Who knows."

Yang Haichen shook his head. As for why exactly Peak Master Mo accepted Junior Sister Ji Suyao as a disciple, they could rack their brains and never figure it out. In fact, there was no need to look into it too deeply. The act of taking a disciple is entirely up to the master’s own preference.

Some look for Talent, others for character. And some just pick a disciple they find agreeable.

"Alright, time to get down to business. I have seventy portions of Spiritual Cuisine left. I’ll sell fifty to disciples from Purple Cloud Valley, and the remaining twenty can go to everyone else."

Yang Haichen said no more. Now that his business with the two men he knew was finished, everyone else would be treated the same. This decision already represented a huge favor to the Purple Cloud Valley disciples. If Junior Brother Liu were here himself, he wouldn’t care in the slightest who was buying his Spiritual Cuisine. He treats everyone truly equally.

"Don’t forget to take me to see Junior Brother Liu this afternoon."

Ren Xunchun stood up and left. Only after discussing a plan with Junior Brother Liu could he start repaying his debt from Fire Dragon Valley. Otherwise, acting rashly and earning Junior Brother Liu’s disapproval would do far more harm than good.

"Count me in."

Xie Xichen nodded. He needed to confirm something with Junior Brother Liu—something crucial to his future progress after becoming a True Disciple.

"See you this afternoon, then."

Yang Haichen said nothing more. He pushed open the door to his room and landed squarely in the plaza outside. The people living nearby were all his fellow disciples from Purple Cloud Valley, making it the perfect place to sell Spiritual Cuisine.

"Three thousand Spirit Stones for one portion of Second Grade Spiritual Cuisine! Limited quantity, first come, first served!"