Chapter 574: An Apology

The sound of flapping wings came from outside the hall. The Little Chick folded its wings and landed on Chen Che’s shoulder, spitting out a Jade Scroll as it opened its beak.

‘It’s news from Jinyun Valley,’ Chen Che thought, his heart stirring.

He took the Jade Scroll and swept it with his Divine Sense. As he expected, it detailed the progress of the arrangements he’d made before leaving: the restoration of production in their territories, the pledges of allegiance from two states, the influx of disciples from various other influences, and the progress on purging Evil Cultivators from those same states.

Jinyun Valley was developing rapidly. Unlike the Primordial Sect, it hadn’t accumulated a web of vested interests over a long history, so its operational efficiency was still quite high.

Moreover, everyone did their utmost to carry out the tasks he assigned.

Of course, with the passage of time, any Sect or influence would eventually develop the same problems as the Primordial Sect. But as long as he was at Jinyun Valley, he would ensure that within the Sect’s Halls, advancement was based on strength and merit.

However, much to Chen Che’s regret, neither of the two locations with anomalous Spiritual Qi he was monitoring turned out to be an Earth Store Profound Tree.

One anomaly was caused by the Aquatic Race making trouble, while the other was due to an Array left behind by a fallen Golden Core Cultivator.

The Aquatic Race had been dealt with, and the Golden Core Cave Mansion had been fully explored.

Since the cultivator had been dead for less than three hundred years, the large quantity of materials within the Cave Mansion was well-preserved and had been transported to Jinyun Valley. Unfortunately, this cultivator had only been at the Mid-stage Golden Core Realm, so his resources were mediocre and not particularly abundant—not even amounting to half a year’s income for one of Jinyun Valley’s Halls.

“The Earth Store Profound Tree…”

Chen Che murmured, tapping his fingers.

“Chief, Chief Qiu from the Internal Affairs Hall is here to visit.”

An Elite Disciple whispered a few words to Huang Baishong, who immediately relayed the message.

“Show him in.”

The man was a Chief who had come to pay a visit, so Chen Che couldn’t very well keep him waiting.

“Congratulations on emerging from seclusion, Fellow Daoist Chen! May your Cultivation advance even further and your Immortal Techniques become peerless!”

A few breaths later, Qiu Tianshui entered the hall, his wide robes trailing behind him. His face was beaming as he clasped his hands and spoke.

“Fellow Daoist Qiu, please have some tea.”

Chen Che walked forward a few steps to greet him, invited him to take a seat, and personally poured him a cup of Spirit Tea.

“You are too kind, Fellow Daoist Chen. Such small tasks can be left to your subordinates.”

Qiu Tianshui accepted the tea with both hands, his demeanor exceedingly polite.

Not long ago, the two had a minor conflict, yet now they acted in perfect harmony, as if no ill will remained between them.

After a small sip of Spirit Tea, Qiu Tianshui initiated the conversation. He was unabashed in his praise, complimenting Chen Che on his capable governance and the rapid improvement of the once-chaotic Pill Hall, even saying that he himself had much to learn from Chen Che.

Seeing that Qiu Tianshui seemed prepared to go on indefinitely, Chen Che had no choice but to interrupt.

“Fellow Daoist Qiu, I was wondering about the purpose of your visit…”

“The other day was my five-hundredth birthday, but you were in seclusion and missed the celebratory wine. When I heard you had emerged today, I rushed over to share a cup with you. Beyond that, I’ve also come to apologize for my rash words from our last encounter. Please, forgive me, Fellow Daoist.”

A smile on his face, Qiu Tianshui opened a Jade Brocade Box and gently pushed it across the table toward Chen Che.

Chen Che glanced inside and couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow.

Inside the Jade Box lay two shriveled, withered Cyan Apples. They looked as if they had been sealed for countless years—the kind of thing you wouldn’t bother picking up if you saw it on the road.

However, when Huang Baishong, who stood to the side, saw the two fruits, his pupils contracted.

Though their appearance was nothing to speak of, they were genuine Tier Four Middle Grade treasures.

This item was called the Illusion Beast Fruit.

It was worth noting that this fruit offered no benefit to Cultivators. In fact, if a Cultivator consumed one, it would cause their meridians and Dantian to solidify, and it was highly likely they would even show signs of atavistic bestial transformation:

This included, but was not limited to, growing fur and developing a transverse bone in the throat. Furthermore, these changes were irreversible.

However, for Demon Beasts, this fruit was an incredible tonic.

It could not only enhance a Demon Beast’s Physique but also purify its bloodline and even increase its chances of Breaking a Tier in the future. Moreover, this fruit was exceedingly rare; the appearance of a single one would incite a mad scramble among Demon Beasts.

The resulting frenzy was no less intense than Cultivators fighting over Celestial and Earthly Treasures, and could even trigger massive beast tides!

According to the Primordial Sect’s records, beast tides triggered by the Illusion Beast Fruit had occurred twice in history. One had completely wiped out a Golden Core Influence, while the other had left a different Golden Core Influence so severely weakened that it was later conquered and annexed by an Outer Sect.

And now, Qiu Tianshui had actually produced two of them.

“I am aware that you are raising a bird and a turtle, Fellow Daoist Chen. I couldn’t think of a more suitable gift, so I present these to you. The fruits are several thousand years old, so their medicinal potency has diminished by about sixty percent. I hope you will not look down on them.”

Despite his words, Qiu Tianshui maintained a calm and leisurely smile. This was just false modesty.

Even with its medicinal potency diminished by age, the value of an Illusion Beast Fruit was self-evident. One only needed to look at Jingfeng on Chen Che’s shoulder; ever since the box was opened, its eyes had been locked onto the two fruits, unblinking. That alone made their value clear.

He had found the fruit while exploring the Undersea Palace and, seeing no one else around, had secretly hidden it away. He originally intended to raise a Spirit Pet, but he never found a suitable Demon Beast. Later, with the invasion of the Star-Picking Sect, he was forced to abandon the plan.

On his five-hundredth birthday, Huang Baishong had delivered a Pill. He hadn’t thought much of it initially, but upon seeing the Pill, he was stunned by its extraordinary quality.

After long deliberation, he finally decided to give this to Chen Che in return.

“If this is just an apology, these two Illusion Beast Fruits are far too valuable. Fellow Daoist Qiu… there must be something else, mustn’t there?”

Chen Che withdrew his gaze.

“Haha! Excellent! You’re a man of straight talk, Fellow Daoist, so I won’t beat around the bush.”

Qiu Tianshui’s thoughts spun for a moment before he burst into a hearty laugh.

“First, I would like to purchase two more of those Pills from the other day. If you don’t have any on hand, Fellow Daoist, I am willing to wait. If you lack any of the necessary Materials, I am willing to search for them. I only ask that you provide them to me within seven years.”

Qiu Tianshui was a slick operator by nature. After seeing the Fierce Beast Pill the other day, he had immediately resolved to make a ‘friend’ of Chen Che.

Pills of this type had occasionally been available during Huang Shiwo’s era, but their effects had been far inferior. Moreover, the most potent batches were always given to the Sect Leader first; only the leftover, lower-quality Pills ever made their way to the other Chiefs.

After seeing the Fierce Beast Pill, Qiu Tianshui’s mind immediately started racing.

‘The Sect Leader has already achieved Core Formation,’ he thought. ‘And I’m already at the Golden Core Eighth Layer. With three hundred years of life left, I can still make a push for the next realm.’

“Agreed!”

Chen Che nodded slightly. Two Illusion Beast Fruits for two Fierce Beast Pills—all in all, he was making out like a bandit. “And?”

“In twenty days at most, we are to join forces with the Star-Picking Sect to attack the Mist Rain Tower. As is customary, each Hall will most likely operate independently. I was hoping to form an alliance with Jinyun Valley. What do you think…?”

Qiu Tianshui’s tone was extremely sincere.

Chen Che mulled it over for a moment before shaking his head. “Jinyun Valley will most likely operate on its own. As for the situation with the Pill Hall, I’m not yet aware of the plans.”

‘Jinyun Valley has too many secrets. I don’t want to get too entangled with people from the Primordial Sect. Qiu Tianshui is old and cunning. Prolonged contact would inevitably lead to him uncovering our secrets from the smallest of clues.’

“In that case, I will not insist.”

Qiu Tianshui gave an awkward laugh.

His offer had been a concession, a way to pull Chen Che to his side. The rejection was, frankly, what he had expected. He wasn’t annoyed, however. Instead, he took a step back. “In the future, if the need arises, may I come to you to request Pills?”

“You may.”

Chen Che did not feel this was an unreasonable request, so he agreed.

“You are most generous, Fellow Daoist! I happen to have a detailed map of the Mist Rain Tower, which I’m sure Jinyun Valley will find useful in the upcoming attack. Please, take this as a token of my gratitude for your goodwill.”

An irrepressible smile spread across his somewhat aged face as Qiu Tianshui pushed forward another Jade Box.

“In this assault on the Mist Rain Tower, the Star-Picking Sect is also a rival. Since we are all members of the same sect, we should naturally stay in close contact. If I should encounter trouble in the future, I hope I can count on your assistance, Fellow Daoist.”

Of course, he wasn’t actually asking for Jinyun Valley’s help. It was a humble way of speaking, implying that if Jinyun Valley were the ones to encounter trouble, he would be willing to lend a hand.

“That goes without saying.”

So this time, Chen Che didn’t refuse. He simply gave the Jade Box a crisp tap.