Chapter 1801 — Snow Valley (Part 2)

But it was only when Gu Mengyao said that he was a cultivator that Elder Zhang gave Wei Zhao a look, walked over, and reached out to test his strength—whereupon Shen Yushu hurriedly cried, "Careful!"

"Oh?" Elder Zhang started slightly. Yet he too could feel the heat radiating from Xiao Shu and Wei Zhao, and his expression turned grave at once as he caught a hint of what was going on. "A fire-element cultivator? Qi deviation?"

"Whether he's a fire-element cultivator we can't say for certain, but he has indeed fallen into qi deviation in his cultivation," Gu Mengyao said. "We came here to buy natural treasures precisely on his account..."

"If I'm not mistaken, you've come for the Ice Spirit Sacred Fruit, haven't you?" Seeing Wei Zhao's condition, Elder Zhang guessed their intent. Over the years, a number of fire-element cultivators who had fallen into qi deviation had come here seeking the Ice Spirit Sacred Fruit, so Elder Zhang already had experience in such matters.

Of course, rare as the Ice Spirit Sacred Fruit was—ranking alongside the Fire Spirit Sacred Fruit of the Ice Palace—it was utterly useless to Snow Valley itself. Everyone at Snow Valley cultivated the supreme-yin water-mist method, and even if one of them fell into qi deviation, they had to take the Fire Spirit Sacred Fruit; to eat the Ice Spirit Sacred Fruit would, in all likelihood, kill them outright.

Thus, to Snow Valley, the Ice Spirit Sacred Fruit was merely a commodity for making money or bartering—though its value was naturally no small thing. The few fruits they had traded away in the past had each brought Snow Valley even rarer natural treasures.

"Elder Zhang's eyes are indeed sharp as torches; it is the Ice Spirit Sacred Fruit we seek." Never had the young mistress imagined that a day would come when she would flatter someone, yet the words came out naturally, as though doing so for Wei Zhao's sake were only proper—which surprised even her.

"And what natural treasures do you intend to trade for it?" Elder Zhang asked. "The Ice Spirit Sacred Fruit is a specialty of Snow Valley, found nowhere else, and its yield is exceedingly low. It is one of our valley's most prized treasures. So unless you can offer natural treasures of equal or greater value in exchange, we will not part with it..."

"We have no natural treasures, but we heard that your valley's treasures may be purchased with money. Might I ask what the Ice Spirit Sacred Fruit is worth?" Gu Mengyao had come prepared to buy—how could she possibly have natural treasures?

"Purchase with money?" Elder Zhang was briefly taken aback. Only those hidden families and minor sects with nothing of value in hand came to Snow Valley to buy natural treasures with money, and even then only ordinary goods. The Ice Spirit Sacred Fruit had never once been sold for coin; the few fruits before had all been traded away.

"Yes," Gu Mengyao nodded.

"Though I am an elder of Snow Valley, I truly cannot decide the price of the Ice Spirit Sacred Fruit myself—and of course, even if you wished to trade, I could not decide that either. It must all be reported to the valley master for her judgment," Elder Zhang said. "Why don't you ladies rest a while in the guest rooms nearby? Once I have asked the valley master about the price, I will bring you her reply."

"We leave it entirely to Elder Zhang's arrangements!" What else could Gu Mengyao say when he put it that way?

And in truth, even this outcome delighted her. Since Elder Zhang had not refused them on the spot, it meant the matter had hope. So Gu Mengyao and the others gladly followed a Snow Valley disciple to a guest room and settled in to rest for the time being.

Elder Zhang was gone the whole night. By the time Gu Mengyao and the others had arrived at Snow Valley, it had already been dusk, verging on evening, so it was only natural that he would reply the next day; none of them were anxious.

In fact, the moment Elder Zhang left the reception hall, he went to see the valley master, Xue Li—only Xue Li was at that moment discussing with Bing Tang, master of the Ice Palace, whether Feng Xiaoxiao might be given to Snow Valley. Elder Zhang did not dare intrude, and so resolved to wait and ask again first thing the next morning.

Yet when Elder Zhang saw the valley master Xue Li early the next morning, her face was exceedingly dark. That countenance, usually so delicate and fair, was now black as could be, and when she saw Elder Zhang she did no more than give the faintest nod.

Xue Li was, after all, the personal disciple of the grand elder and the previous valley master; but she was only an early Heaven-rank expert, while Elder Zhang was already a mid Heaven-rank expert. In the past Xue Li had always treated him with great respect, so something had clearly gone wrong this time.

"Valley Master, what has happened?" Elder Zhang started slightly, and forgetting all about the matter of someone wishing to buy the Ice Spirit Sacred Fruit, asked straight out.

"Bing Tang has politely declined the terms we proposed for Snow Valley..." Xue Li sighed.

"Could it be that the Ice Palace does not realize that for metal, wood, water, fire, and earth, each element needs at least two inheritors before there is any real hope of opening Cloud-Rank Island? With only one inheritor, it becomes terribly, terribly difficult..." Elder Zhang asked, somewhat puzzled.

"Bing Tang knows that well enough, but she hinted to me that those people have already found a candidate for the water-element inheritor..." Xue Li said with some helplessness. "Add the Ice Palace's ice-element inheritor, and the water element will have two inheritors. Three would be safer, of course, but what sect would willingly hand over an expert at the peak of late Heaven-rank, a future master of the heavenly way?"

"That is true enough..." Elder Zhang nodded, a look of regret coming over his face...

"By the way, Elder Zhang, what did you come to see me about?" Though Xue Li was somewhat displeased at being refused by Bing Tang, some things simply could not be forced. Young as she was, she was still the mistress of a valley, and so her expression quickly returned to normal as she asked Elder Zhang courteously.

"Valley Master, someone has come to Snow Valley seeking to buy the Ice Spirit Sacred Fruit, and wishes to pay in money. I do not know how to set the price," Elder Zhang said.

"Seeking to buy the Ice Spirit Sacred Fruit? From which sect—Fire Flame Mountain or the Mystic Elixir Sect?" Xue Li asked, slightly taken aback. After all, the Ice Spirit Sacred Fruit was both a supreme treasure and a worthless scrap: only those who cultivated the supreme-yang fire-element method could use it, and to anyone else it was neither medicine nor a boost to cultivation. Hence her question.

But whether Fire Flame Mountain or the Mystic Elixir Sect, they would generally trade natural treasures or elixirs of equal value, not buy outright with money. Only those hidden families and minor sects would spend coin directly.

"Neither. Three young women, none of them cultivators, and a single young man who is a cultivator—it seems he practices a supreme-yang method and has fallen into qi deviation. Someone must have directed them here to seek medicine.

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