Firmament Sword

Once it left the city, the carriage picked up speed, heading straight for a manor outside the walls.

The manor was immense, with clusters of old castles nestled among towering ancient trees. It was a beautiful sight, full of fragrant flowers and lush greenery.

The old castle appeared tranquil on the outside, but it was, in fact, heavily guarded.

Xu Luo could clearly sense that as the carriage neared the castle, the figures tailing them from the shadows all came to a halt. They didn't follow any further, clearly wary of the place.

The carriage traveled deep into the castle grounds. Xu Luo was then shown into a large reception hall, where Xie Yudie was the only one present.

When she saw Xu Luo, a smile appeared from beneath Xie Yudie's veil. She asked cheerfully, "Well? Did you get everything?"

Xu Luo nodded. "Thank you for your help, Madam Xie!"

Xie Yudie shook her head slightly. "It was no trouble. Helping you... also served my own purposes."

Xu Luo smiled faintly, casually took out a jade vial, and placed it in front of Xie Yudie.

Xie Yudie, who had been perfectly composed, fixed her gaze on the small jade vial. Her breathing hitched, but only for an instant. She quickly regained her composure, looked up at Xu Luo through her veil, and said softly, "For you to bring out the Nether Flower Seed so readily... do you trust me that much, Sir?"

Xu Luo said, "I trust that you are not the kind of person to break a promise, Madam Xie."

"Hee hee..." Xie Yudie laughed happily. "Yu Rou, I won!"

"Hmph!" A cold snort came from behind a nearby screen, and then a crimson figure floated out. The young lady, Xie Yurou, fixed her lively eyes on Xu Luo and said, "Hey, are you an idiot? You're giving us something this valuable right now, on our own turf? Aren't you afraid we'll just take it and cut you out?"

As she spoke, Xie Yurou deliberately put on a fierce expression, shaking her little fists. Her two small canine teeth glinted.

Xu Luo couldn't help but laugh. "If the robbers are as beautiful as you two," he teased, "I wouldn't mind being robbed at all."

"Hey... that's going too far!" Xie Yurou puffed her cheeks and glared at Xu Luo, who was completely shrouded in his black robes. "My sister and I are being so open, showing you our real faces, but you... you're still hiding like this! It's not fair!"

"Alright, Yu Rou, stop fooling around. The gentleman has his reasons," Xie Yudie said gently. She picked up the small jade vial, uncapped it, and sniffed it. After observing it carefully for a long moment, she said in delighted surprise, "It's bursting with activity, full of vigorous life! Thank you so much, Sir!"

With that, Xie Yudie took out a Purple Crystal Card and pushed it toward Xu Luo. "This Purple Crystal Card contains fifty million Top-level Immortal Spirit Stones. As I said before, I would do my best to match the price offered by Celestial Brilliance."

Xu Luo smiled. "Aren't you taking a loss, Madam Xie?"

Xie Yudie was brilliantly clever and understood his underlying meaning. She shook her head and smiled. "To others, the Nether Flower Seed might simply represent... astonishing wealth. But to me, it's truly... just a flower!"

"Of course, I can't say I'm entirely without selfish motives. I want to stay young forever, too!"

"Based on that, and the fact that I like it, I feel... it's worth the price," Xie Yudie said, her expression calm and serene.

Xu Luo was silent for a long moment before looking up. "Your straightforwardness and open-mindedness are a lesson to me, Madam Xie."

With that, Xu Luo pushed the Purple Crystal Card back across the table. "I was able to leave Baihua City safely this time thanks to your help, Madam Xie. Please, take this seed as my thanks. A gift."

"Hey, are you stupid?" Xie Yurou exclaimed, utterly flabbergasted. She'd probably never seen such a fool in all her time at Celestial Brilliance, and she found it completely unbelievable.

Xie Yudie was also very surprised. From behind her veil, she stared at Xu Luo as if trying to see right through him. But under the black robes, his aura was completely concealed; she could see nothing at all.

"Hey... mysterious guy! Don't think you can use this as a way to woo my sister. My brother-in-law will kill you!" Xie Yurou chimed in, her lively eyes twinkling.

Xie Yudie watched her sister, speechless. No matter the situation, once this girl started her antics, the conversation would veer further and further off course.

"Even with a Nether Flower Seed, only the first one... is truly valuable," Xu Luo said.

Xie Yudie shook her head gently. "I understand what you mean, but... I cannot accept this method of transaction."

"As I said, I helped you before because I had my own motives. So... you don't need to feel indebted to me. You must accept this payment. In my heart, the value of this seed is even greater than this amount!"

"That's right," Xie Yurou muttered from the side. "A woman's beauty is priceless!"

Xie Yudie nodded. "She's not wrong."

With that, Xie Yudie stood up and led a very pretty little girl in from outside. The little girl looked timidly at Xu Luo, who was completely shrouded in his black robes, her eyes filled with fear.

She pleaded, "Big Sister... please don't give Nannan away, okay?"

"Nannan, be a good girl... This... this uncle isn't a bad person. He won't hurt you," Xie Yudie explained gently to the little girl as she brought her before Xu Luo.

Xu Luo was stunned. He muttered, "This is it? The... five-million-year-old... already transformed... with power approaching the Great Saint Realm... Medicine King?"

It was truly hard to imagine. The so-called Transformation Medicine King was actually such a delicate, doll-like little girl. If Xie Yudie hadn't specifically brought her over, and if he hadn't overheard their conversation, Xu Luo was certain he would never have been able to tell.

Because this little girl didn't have the slightest trace of a non-human aura about her!

It was nothing like the Infinite Saint Emperor's attendant, the Steel Beetle. Even when that creature took human form, its icy aura made anyone who got close feel deeply uncomfortable.

This little girl named Nannan, no matter how he looked at her, was just a normal human child.

"But Nannan's scared... He looks so frightening!" The little girl clutched Xie Yudie's hand, half-hiding behind her, her large, clear eyes peeking out at Xu Luo.

Xie Yudie gave Xu Luo a wry smile and said apologetically, "I was impulsive that day. I didn't think about the consequences. I wanted the Nether Flower Seed so badly that I ignored Nannan's feelings. But, what's done is done. I hope that you will treat Nannan well in the future, Sir."

The little girl's large, clear eyes welled up with tears. "Please... please don't eat Nannan..." she said timidly.

'Is she... really a Holy Medicine?' Xu Luo still found it hard to believe. There wasn't a single perceivable flaw in the little girl's appearance.

'Logically, an ancient medicine that has lived for millions of years would have transformed long ago. No matter how unversed in the ways of the world, it could never be like the little girl before me.'

'Some things... just can't be faked!'

Xie Yudie nodded and said softly, "Nannan's history is quite miraculous. Normally, no Holy Medicine could possibly live for several million years. A million years is typically the limit. But Nannan... she falls into a deep sleep every eight or nine hundred thousand years."

"Each time she awakens, it's like she's gone through a rebirth. She remembers nothing and reverts to being a small child." Sensing Xu Luo's doubt, Xie Yudie explained, "Her blood is a supreme medicinal treasure. It can regenerate flesh on bare bones and bring the dead back to life!"

"Years ago... Nannan was captured by a Great Demon. That Great Demon was incredibly powerful, at the Great Saint Peak, and he wanted to break through to the Venerable Realm. So, he planned to refine Nannan."

"Although she is a medicinal treasure, she has already taken form and developed Spiritual Wisdom. To be directly refined and consumed would be a great offense against the heavens. So, I returned to Celestial Brilliance and begged my father to intervene. He found that Great Demon and paid a great price to rescue Nannan. I've kept her with me ever since."

"Though her blood is a supreme treasure, in all these years, we have only ever used it once—to save a life."

Xie Yudie's tone was gentle as she told the story, but Xu Luo could clearly sense the hardship and heart-pounding danger she was leaving unsaid.

He especially thought of himself. Ever since he had started cultivating and making a name for himself, people had constantly been trying to refine him into a grand medicinal pill.

Therefore, Xu Luo could deeply empathize with Nannan's fear.

"Since he was a Great Demon, why did you resort to that method? Couldn't you just... eliminate the demon?" Xu Luo asked.

Xie Yudie shook her head slightly. "Although that Great Demon cultivates a Demon Skill, he isn't an irredeemably evil person. His desire to refine Nannan... was excessive, yes, but for something like this, you can't... you can't necessarily say he's a bad person. After all... Nannan is, technically, a medicine."

Xie Yurou added from the side, "Yeah, it's just like eating meat. The animals we eat... aren't they living creatures too?"

Xu Luo nodded and said nothing more.

Xie Yudie said, "I impulsively agreed to this condition, and a promise made cannot be unmade. So I can only ask you to treat Nannan well in the future, Sir. I can see... that you are not an evil man. That is the only reason I dare entrust Nannan to you. Otherwise, I would have broken my promise and found a different replacement, no matter the cost."

Xie Yurou chimed in, "If it weren't for my brother-in-law..."

Before she could finish, Xie Yudie shot her sister a fierce glare. Xie Yurou immediately snapped her mouth shut, her cheeks puffed out as she rolled her eyes.

"In the future, if you have need of Nannan, a few drops of her blood will be enough," Xie Yudie said softly.

The little girl, Nannan, pouted, looking like she was about to cry. "Nannan's not afraid of a little pain," she said. "Just as long as Uncle doesn't eat me!"

At that moment, Xu Luo suddenly felt like a horrible villain. He gave a wry smile. "Don't worry, I won't eat you."

Xie Yudie smiled faintly. "Well then, this transaction... is complete. As I mentioned before, I have one more piece of information to give you, free of charge. Whether or not you use it has nothing to do with me..."

Then, Xie Yudie conveyed a message to Xu Luo directly via voice transmission.

After hearing it, Xu Luo's mouth twitched. He looked at Xie Yudie. "You and he... are from the same sect, aren't you? And you'd do this?"

"I am a woman, after all. And women... hold grudges," Xie Yudie said with a captivating smile. Even through her veil, her beauty was utterly breathtaking.

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