Chapter 193: A Deal

Worried, Li Daoye peered through the hall from outside, only to be shocked by the scene inside. "Lord Fang, what’s happening here?!"

Who was this person in the black robe?

"Move!" shouted Fang Chen as he pushed Mi Sheng away from him. He then quickly hurled ten Purple Lightning Talismans at the black-robed man.

Seeing what was happening, Li Daoye didn't hold back either, throwing all the remaining Purple Lightning Talismans he had at once.

After throwing them, he turned around and made a run for it without bothering to see the outcome.

A series of explosions sounded, and the black-robed person was shrouded in terrifying purple lightning. The hall was filled with flashes of lightning.

When the lightning dissipated and flashes subdued. The black-robed man saw that Fang Chen had disappeared together with Mi Sheng. The spirit stones, Blood Ginseng, Vermilion Fruit, and sword embryo were gone, too.

The black-robed person remained silent, only, a faint cold light flashed in his eyes. He tossed Li Xiuming aside like he would a bag of trash and slowly walked out of the hall.

The next moment, his figure turned into a wisp of faint light, sweeping down the mountain.

"

Cough, cough, cough—

"

Li Xiuming coughed violently for a while as he struggled to get up. Nearly ninety percent of his blood and energy were gone. He was nothing but skin and bones right now.

Such injuries would take at least several years of recuperation to recover.

Li Xiuming revealed a grim smile. The feeling of surviving a great calamity was good. Even though everything on the jade platform was gone, he had survived. As long as he was alive, everything lost could be regained!

"Junior sister was taken away by that guy too? But she is seriously injured and probably won't live much longer. Also, the target of that black-robed person might be that guy..."

Thinking of that, a touch of resentment appeared in Li Xiuming's eyes. He speculated that he had probably been used. Perhaps that guy had known about the danger here all along.

Suddenly, Li Xiuming heard voices coming from outside the hall’s entrance.

"Close call. I almost couldn't make it out."

"Earlier, that ferocious beast seemed to have other targets. If it had been chasing us all the way, I'm afraid we would have lost more than just a layer of skin."

Li Xiuming immediately waddled his way out the hall. When he saw the three, he weakly extended his hand out. "Do you have any herbs or pills to replenish blood qi?"

Ancestor Xia Yu and the others were slightly surprised. "Who are you?" They looked at Li Xiuming with suspicion and uncertainty.

“I am Li Xiuming.”

Ancestor Xia Yu frowned. “How did you end up like this? And where is your junior sister?” he asked. “By the way, have you seen our other two companions?”

Li Xiuming smiled bitterly. "We found a lot of spirit stones here, as well as sword embryos and blood ginseng. However, my junior sister unexpectedly colluded with your two companions and schemed against me, depleting more than half of my blood qi. I couldn’t chase after them in this weakened state."

The three of them exchanged a few odd glances. Looking at Li Xiuming's appearance, it didn't seem like he was lying.

"Did they really take all of it? We agreed to share them equally," said Liu Suifeng suspiciously.

"I have no reason to lie," replied Li Xiuming calmly.

"Let's find them first." Ancestor Xia Yu thought momentarily before tossing a pill to Li Xiuming. "We don't have any blood-replenishing herbs or pills, but this is a healing pill. It should make you feel better."

"Thank you." Li Xiuming immediately took the pill and swallowed it.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Liu Suifeng and Zhantai Qingxuan entered the hall and took a look. When they saw the lingering spiritual energy in the empty jade platform, they began to believe Li Xiuming's words.

***

Li Daoye ran wildly, but he didn’t forget to glare at Mi Sheng and curse his heart out. "Lord Fang, we are running for our lives. Why do we have to bring this woman with us?"

Mi Sheng was already very weak so when she saw Fang Chen carrying her to escape, gratitude appeared in her eyes. "Please put me down. His sword pierced my heart. I don’t have much time anymore. I only hope that you can make it out alive and expose the shameless true face of Li Xiuming."

Li Daoye suddenly felt curious. "What exactly happened in the hall just now? Was the sword injury in your chest caused by Li Xiuming?"

"Can a hundred-year Vermilion Fruit prolong your life?" asked Fang Chen offhandedly.

"A hundred-year Vermilion Fruit? Wasn't that on the jade platform? Wait a moment..." Mi Sheng looked at Fang Chen in disbelief. When he escaped just now, he not only took her with him but also took away the things on the jade platform?

"Can it?" asked Fang Chen again impatiently.

Mi Sheng responded quickly. "Yes!"

"Let's strike a deal. You provide us with the method to refine Destiny Treasures, and I'll give you a Vermilion Fruit on top of ensuring that you leave this place alive," proposed Fang Chen.

Li Daoye took in a cold breath, unable to help but curse inwardly. That guy! Even in this perilous situation, he could still think of making a profit!

He finally understood why Fang Chen brought Mi Sheng along. It wasn't that he was attracted to her, he was just greedy!

"So, that's your plan..." Mi Sheng’s expression changed slightly, and she weakly said, "I cannot give you the Wuchang Mountain's techniques. When we entered the sect, we swore an oath. If we privately pass on Wuchang Mountain's secret techniques, we will suffer divine punishment and die in three calamities and nine tribulations."

Bang!

The moment he had heard that, Fang Chen released his grip, and Mi Sheng fell to the ground heavily, rolling a few times. When she fell, she landed on her wound, causing it to flare up with pain. She bit her lip and gasped for air a few times.

"If there's no deal to be made, then let's part ways here," said Fang Chen as he prepared to continue on his way.

Mi Sheng immediately turned anxious. He didn’t even let her finish her sentence! "Wait..." she yelled. “Although I can't give you the Wuchang Mountain's techniques, my Chaoxiang Palace has a method for refining Destiny Treasures. I agree to your deal!"

Fang Chen immediately turned back, picked her up, and continued running. "Why didn't you say so earlier?"

After running a good distance, the three came to a stop in a safe spot.

Keeping his word, Fang Chen fed her a hundred-year Vermilion Fruit, and her complexion immediately became rosy.

"The Chaoxiang Palace’s refining method is relatively simple, but it can only refine Spiritual Treasures at the mid-grade inferior yellow and below. If the treasure you want to refine is a high inferior yellow-grade one, it won’t work," explained Mi Sheng.

"Lord Fang, the methods of that black-robed person just now were extraordinary. I'm afraid we won't be able to escape like this," whispered Li Daoye.

Fang Chen handed everything to Li Daoye. "Take these spirit stones, Blood Ginseng, Vermilion Fruit, and this sword embryo and run. I'll go and distract him."

Li Daoye was stunned. "What are you doing!? You're going to distract him?"

Fang Chen raised an eyebrow. "Would you rather go?"

Li Daoye was stumped, and he awkwardly mouthed. "You should go; you're more capable.”

Fang Chen nodded slightly, then leapt away and disappeared in another direction.

"He's a true gentleman. Such people are rare," said Mi Sheng.

"Hey, am I not one? Don't forget I'm holding you, but my heart is not in chaos. I am also a true gentleman," Li Daoye grumbled discontentedly as he fled with Mi Sheng toward the exit.

A few breaths later.

𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

"Hey, Young Lady, are you married?"

"Put me down. My injuries have recovered quite a bit," uttered Mi Sheng coldly.

***

Fang Chen had run tens of miles away. It was as if he had foresight of the dangers around, as he was able to avoid them with ease. However, he was eventually blocked by the black-robed man, who was now joined by the stone demon as well as the bat demon.

The black-robed person chuckled in a low voice. "You're quite good at running.”