Every day, Qu Qing would go to the underground spirit vein, watching with his own eyes as the light upon it grew dimmer and increasingly gray.
It had been a very, very long time since he had seen the spirit vein emit such a dazzling color!
It was only then that they believed what Yuan Shu had said was true.
She might actually be able to bring the spirit vein back to life!
When asked what she wanted, she only said one thing: to ensure her safety within the Luoxian Sect.
For him, the Sect Master of the Luoxian Sect, wasn't that a piece of cake?
He had even wanted to pull out the Sect's Guest Token on the spot and stuff it into Yuan Shu's hands!
It was just that Yuan Shu left too quickly, and he was too busy checking on the revitalized underground spirit vein to hand it over in time.
Unexpectedly, Medicine Cloud Peak beat him to it.
Moreover, judging by Yuan Shu's attitude, she seemed quite satisfied with Medicine Cloud Peak!
They were all Guest Tokens of their own sect, after all.
Since Yuan Shu was satisfied with Medicine Cloud Peak, there was no absolute need for him to take out the Sect's Guest Token from his pocket.
It just so happened that Medicine Cloud Peak excelled in pharmacology. Perhaps they could even help Yuan Shu improve her strength as quickly as possible, enabling her to better assist in revitalizing the underground spirit vein.
It was killing multiple birds with one stone!
What reason did he have to stop it?
Of course, the matter regarding the underground spirit vein could not be spread carelessly, and he couldn't show too much overt concern for Yuan Shu.
That was why he had merely reprimanded Lu Guichen a few words before leaving.
How could a mere Lu Guichen be more important than the underground spirit vein?
That was the foundation of the Luoxian Sect for thousands of years, and it would affect the sect's foundation for thousands of years to come. It was unshakeable!
Qu Qing let out a long sigh.
Who could understand the feeling of helplessly watching the underground spirit vein's spiritual source dry up and lose its luster, while being completely powerless to do anything but lament?
He had even poured all of his spiritual energy into the underground spirit vein, yet there had been no sign of it regaining its brilliance.
Until Yuan Shu appeared, and the underground spirit vein actually reacted because of her.
At that moment, Qu Qing was not only shocked but also ecstatic!
For so many years, he had borne too much alone. Now, there was finally someone who could share the burden with him.
Exchanging the protection of one person for the revival of the underground spirit vein—this deal was truly a massive bargain!
Thinking of this, Qu Qing's gaze couldn't help but fall on Yuan Shu among the crowd again.
Why hadn't he noticed before that this Yuan Shu was quite bold?
She actually dared to publicly challenge Lu Guichen in front of so many people?
No wonder she had taken the initiative to seek him out. So she knew she had stirred up trouble and wanted to find someone to protect her?
Not to mention, she had quite a good eye!
The smile in Qu Qing's eyes deepened as he stroked his chin. Take good care of her from now on.
Yes, Shen Jingyuan agreed with a smile.
...
Yuan Shu, the Guest Token requires a drop of blood to recognize its master before it can take effect.
Below the martial arts stage, Yao Qianci stopped Yuan Shu and gently reminded her.
Yuan Shu raised an eyebrow slightly, finding it somewhat amusing. Was Yao Qianci afraid she would back out? Being so impatient to remind her to bind it with blood?
Peak Master Yao, since I have accepted the Guest Token, there is naturally no reason for me to go back on my word, Yuan Shu said.
The Sect Master instructed me to take care of you. To avoid any unforeseen complications, it's better to bind it with blood first. Yao Qianci's voice was gentle, but his attitude was very serious.
Recalling what happened on the martial arts stage just now, Yao Qianci had casually turned his head and seen the Sect Master secretly take out the Sect's Guest Token.
It was clear that the Sect Master also intended to gift a Sect Guest Token to Yuan Shu!
If even the Sect Master was doing this, then Yuan Shu definitely had something special about her!
Since that was the case, he felt it was safer to have Yuan Shu bind his peak's Guest Token with blood first.
Otherwise, the next time they met, there was no telling whose guest elder Yuan Shu would become!
Compared to the Medicine Cloud Peak Guest Token he had taken out, the Luoxian Sect Guest Token brought out by the Sect Master obviously carried more status.
What if... Yuan Shu really got poached by the Sect Master?
Yuan Shu chuckled softly. Under Yao Qianci's persistence, she took out the Guest Token he had just given her and bound it with a drop of her blood.
Is this alright now, Peak Master Yao?
Meeting Yuan Shu's smile, Yao Qianci also smiled. As a guest elder of our peak, you may stay on the peak freely from now on, and you are not bound by the ordinary rules of the peak.
Guest Elder Yuan, I look forward to your guidance in the future.
Yuan Shu smiled and said, Peak Master Yao is too polite. I still have to thank you for standing up for me today. Why don't you just call me Yuan Shu from now on? Guest Elder Yuan sounds a bit too distant.
Then I shall respectfully obey!
...
After bidding farewell to Yao Qianci, Yuan Shu went to Know-it-all's gambling table.
At that time, many people had gathered around the gambling table, each with a long face, sighing in despair.
Who would have thought that Su Lingxi actually couldn't beat Yuan Shu? It made me lose a thousand spirit stones! That's my living expenses for several months! Boohoo, how many demonic beasts will I have to kill to make up for this?
Tell me about it! I also bet several thousand spirit stones on Su Lingxi winning. I never expected her to lose!
You guys are crying over a few thousand? I bet tens of thousands, just waiting to win big. Damn it! I lost it all!
Did any of you bet on Yuan Shu winning? someone in the crowd suddenly shouted.
Given how Yuan Shu was before, who would bet on her winning? Only she herself... No, wait, someone actually did bet on her winning!
Someone retorted, but as they spoke, their tone changed, and they pointed toward Yuan Shu's name on the gambling table.
Next to the large bag of spirit stones Yuan Shu had wagered herself, there was another small bag. At a rough glance, it looked to contain a few hundred spirit stones.
At the same time, a tall and thin figure squeezed into the crowd, wearing worn-out gray linen clothes.
His hair was intentionally combed to be very puffy, and a large chunk of bangs hung down the side of his face, covering half of it.
Only the other, handsome half was exposed.
Someone in the crowd quickly recognized him.
Xiao Li? Why aren't you properly sweeping your spirit horse stables? What are you doing here? Is this a place you can come to?
Xiao Li ignored the speaker, kept his head down, and walked straight past them toward the gambling table.
I'm here to collect my spirit stones.
His voice was young, clean, and very pleasant to listen to.
But this act of ignoring the person made the one who had just spoken feel a loss of face, and he grew angry.
The man quickly stepped forward, grabbed Xiao Li by the collar, and yanked him to the side. Ugly freak, I'm talking to you! Are you deaf?
Xiao Li was yanked so hard he staggered to the side a few times, and then, with a vicious shove, fell straight to the ground.
His gray linen clothes were instantly covered in a layer of dust.
And his half-face that had been hidden by his thick hair was finally revealed.
It immediately startled the people around him.
Ah, this guy is so ugly! Half of his face is black!
Looking at the other side, his face is quite handsome. I didn't expect this half to look like this! No wonder he's called an ugly freak!
Coming out to scare people when he's this ugly, it's truly disgusting!
Exactly, exactly...
As soon as Xiao Li's face was exposed, a chorus of discussions echoed around him.
Xiao Li, who suffered from extreme inferiority, completely ignored the pain from his fall and hurriedly scrambled to mess with his hair to cover the black skin on his face.
He kept his head down, not daring to look at anyone.
I just came to collect my spirit stones!
He gritted his teeth, his body trembling slightly. His previously calm tone now carried a hint of anger.
But he didn't dare to make a move against these people in front of him, because... he couldn't beat them.
