When Gu Yan learned that the affliction plaguing the disciples was Immortal Severing Poison, even he was thoroughly startled.
From that alone, one could see just how insidious and troublesome this poison was.
Gu Yan's brow furrowed, his expression turning exceedingly grave, his eyes thick with worry. He shot to his feet, turned to Li Guanqi, and asked in a heavy voice, "How long has it been? No, this cannot drag on like this. We must construct cold pools immediately to buy time. Old Sun, hurry and contact medicine merchants to gather Demon Slaying Flowers! Quick! The faster the better!"
Beside him, Sun Miao remained unmoved, merely saying in a deep voice, "This matter... you cannot meddle in."
Gu Yan frowned and snapped in a low voice, "At a time like this, what do you mean meddle or not meddle? How many disciples are infected with Immortal Severing Poison?"
Li Guanqi sighed heavily. "Over seven hundred."
"Hiss... This is trouble..."
"Over seven hundred people... The amount of Demon Slaying Flowers required is simply too immense. Even if every medicine merchant in the entire Northern Region combined their stocks, they probably wouldn't have that many..."
Gu Yan's eyes brimmed with anxiety.
He truly considered Li Guanqi a dear friend despite their difference in years, not to mention that his own grandson revered Li Guanqi to the extreme. Li Guanqi had even gifted Gu Yi that precious Tyrant Sword sword intent.
Sun Miao stood up and barked, "You are not permitted to meddle!"
"Why?! Are you telling me to stand by and watch them die?" Gu Yan said angrily.
The plump old man slammed the table and said chillingly, "If you offend Juexian Mountain, do you think they will spare you?!"
Gu Yan fell silent. He knew Sun Miao meant well in keeping him out of these muddy waters.
Even Lu Kangnian and the others saw their expressions shift repeatedly; it seemed this matter... was truly not so easily resolved.
Suddenly!
Standing off to the side, Li Guanqi looked straight at Sun Miao and spoke softly.
"What price would it take?"
Sun Miao sneered. "Setting aside whether you can produce anything to tempt me, you cannot even scrape together those two thousand-odd stalks of Demon Slaying Flowers. Let alone anything else."
With that, Sun Miao clasped his hands behind his back and said, "Old Gu, let's go."
Everyone in the hall fell silent. They all knew that with merely the few spiritual veins of the Great Xia Sword Sect, the man would not give them a second glance.
Clang!
Lu Kangnian stood abruptly with a grim expression, seven archaic longswords suddenly materializing beside him!
"Senior Sun, please hold your steps! If you can lend your aid, these seven ancient swords... you may take them!"
Sun Miao glanced back and sneered, "Useless to me."
Gu Yan stood in place with an exceedingly grim face, yet he did not move a step.
Just as the old man lifted his foot to step out of the hall doors—
Bang!
An eerie flame abruptly erupted from Li Guanqi's palm!
The dark purple flame radiated bizarre power and violence.
The instant the flame appeared, the temperature throughout the entire hall spiked dramatically. The surrounding void warped violently, and the fire-attribute spiritual qi within a hundred zhang trembled as though running rampant.
Sun Miao whipped his head around, his eyes filled with disbelief, pupils contracting to pinpricks!
Shock covered his face, his Adam's apple bobbing involuntarily.
Gu Yan looked at the flame in Li Guanqi's hand in astonishment. After a long moment of contemplation, he said, "What a terrifying earth flame. Little friend, you truly possess great fortune."
Gu Yan's voice held only admiration; he had not thought further into it.
Yet Sun Miao at the doorway spoke with an utterly solemn expression.
"No, that is no earth flame. This is... a companion flame of a heavenly flame!"
Li Guanqi smiled and nodded at the elder, then tilted his head and calmly addressed the back of the man whose foot was suspended mid-step at the threshold. "Is it enough?"
The corner of Sun Miao's mouth twitched, the expression on his face beyond description. His facial features contorted; for a moment, he didn't even know what expression to make. His jowls tightened, and a trace of flattery actually surfaced on the plump old man's face...
He then pulled back his foot, flashed forward in a single stride before Li Guanqi, and took Li Guanqi's hand with a beaming smile.
"From the start, I thought you were a dragon among men with an extraordinary bearing, little friend! What is a mere Juexian Mountain anyway? This old master never put them in his eyes. And Old Gu, you too! If you knew little friend was this capable, you should have told me sooner!"
Having said that, he turned to Lu Kangnian and smiled warmly.
"Ah, this old master has drifted for over a thousand years. I wonder if Sect Master Lu has any spare room here? This old master wouldn't mind serving as a consecrated elder. That way, we'd be family, wouldn't we? And family doesn't speak like outsiders. The disciples are deeply poisoned; this matter cannot be delayed! Let us make haste and act. I will contact medicine merchants immediately to gather Demon Slaying Flowers. Hey, why is everyone just standing there? Hurry, gather the disciples and create cold pools for them to soak in! And you too, little friend, keeping such a flame hidden instead of speaking up earlier..."
Sun Miao grinned from ear to ear, the wrinkles on his face deep enough to crush a fly. Hunching forward, he asked cautiously, "Um... little friend, do you think I should add another eight or ten spiritual veins to our sect? Besides, I have a few worthless disciples who can come over to serve as laborers. Cultivation methods, spirit tools, whatever our sect lacks, just say the word! Next time someone asks me to concoct pills, I will demand payment according to the list you give me. Furthermore, what is a mere Juexian Mountain? This old master might not have much else, but my face is still worth something. Summoning thirty to fifty Soul Formation cultivators is no trouble at all. I beg of you, give it to me..."
The old man's sudden about-face left everyone utterly dumbfounded...
His previous haughty aloofness was completely gone; he was practically fawning over Lu Kangnian, begging to come serve as a consecrated elder.
Li Guanqi rubbed his nose in slight embarrassment. He had not expected this flame to hold such overwhelming temptation for the old man...
Gu Yan laughed heartily beside them and transmitted his voice: "No need to be surprised, little friend. To us alchemists, the temptation of a top-grade flame is lethal. If not for my own lack of strength, I would be willing to empty my entire fortune to trade for that flame of yours."
Li Guanqi nodded silently, glancing at Lu Kangnian, Qin Xian, and the others, who were winking frantically at him.
This was one of the finest grandmaster alchemists in the entire Qingyun Continent! And he was practically begging to join them—only a fool wouldn't take advantage of such a bargain!
Li Guanqi smiled and said, "Of course. Then congratulations to Elder Sun on obtaining such a flame."
Sun Miao's eyes shone brightly as he looked at the flame the youth offered, yet he did not reach for it immediately. He looked up and said softly, "You're just giving it to me like this?"
Li Guanqi nodded with a smile, but right after, an incomparably terrifying pressure erupted from him! Along with that terrifying heavenly flame capable of destroying the heavens and earth!
His robes snapping in the wind, Li Guanqi looked at the old man and asked softly, "Juexian Mountain? Anyone below the mid Soul Formation stage, I slaughter as I please. As for the late stage..."
Li Guanqi grinned.
"It might take a bit of effort. Hmm... just a bit of effort, that's all."
Cold sweat beaded at the old man's temples. Lu Kangnian and the others simply pretended not to see.
The old man chuckled and received the flame, hurriedly saying, "Rest assured, rest assured! This old master can be considered to have settled down in the Great Xia Sword Sect! Haha, haha..."
Yet right after, Sun Miao spoke in a deep voice: "I can begin concocting pills at any time, and I have all the other ingredients in hand. But the Demon Slaying Flowers... finding such a massive quantity will be extremely difficult!"
Li Guanqi flipped his hand and retrieved a jade slip. "I need three thousand stalks of Demon Slaying Flowers."
Everyone was taken aback, wondering whom he was speaking to. Even Sun Miao froze where he stood.
"Little friend, don't be fooled. No medicine merchant in the entire Qingyun Continent could possibly have such a massive quantity of Demon Slaying Flowers!"
Buzz!
A voice slowly sounded from within the jade slip, laced with barely suppressed excitement and joy. "When do you need them?"
"The sooner the better! It is very important!"
The jade slip was silent for merely ten breaths before lighting up again.
"Three shichen. In three shichen, I will send someone to deliver them to the Great Xia Sword Sect!"
Li Guanqi lowered the jade slip, looked at Sun Miao, and smiled.
"Nobody important. Just the son of the Great Xia Domain's Treasure Pavilion."
Sun Miao's throat bobbed slightly as he murmured inwardly, "It seems... serving as a consecrated elder in the Great Xia Sword Sect isn't a bad idea after all..."
Chapter 404