Yang Jing’s pupils trembled as he held the key from Si Taizhen.
He had been in Si Taizhen’s manor for some time and knew there was only one vault. All of Si Taizhen’s rarely used treasures were stored within it, not just Spirit Medicines.
Furthermore, the Jade Poison Kingdom was rich in Spirit Medicines. Since Si Taizhen was deeply trusted by the Sovereign and frequently rewarded, the vault held countless precious Spirit Medicines.
The key felt scorching hot in his hand.
Out of the corner of his eye, Yang Jing could see Eunuch Gui’s eyes were as wide as saucers, utterly horrified. He clearly hadn’t expected Si Taizhen to make such a move.
Xu Qian’s eyes seemed to drift about, as if she had no idea what the key signified. In reality, her heart was already ablaze with greed.
Though it was her first time accompanying her master here, she had long heard of the Jade Poison Kingdom’s great wealth. The Jade Poison Great Saint and the kingdom’s abundant Spirit Medicines had played a huge part in her master, Danxia True Monarch, advancing to the Late Stage Nascent Soul.
Xu Qian reckoned that if she could get her hands on the treasures in the vault, even if she couldn’t form a Nascent Soul, reaching the Late Stage Golden Core would be a breeze.
Even Yi Hongzheng, who sat beside her, was visibly tempted.
Riches stir the hearts of men, and this was the fortune of a prince of the Jade Poison Kingdom.
"Your Highness, my Power is insufficient. Besides, the great thief who plundered the Demon King’s vault is still hiding somewhere in the Jade Poison Kingdom. If he were to find out that I’m holding the Vault Key, it would surely lead to my death. It would be best for you to keep the key, Your Highness. If I lack any Spirit Medicines for my Alchemy Skill, I can just request them from you."
Yang Jing’s senses were sharp; he had naturally detected the faint killing intent radiating from Yi Hongzheng.
If he were truly entrusted with this key, he would have to constantly face the overt and covert attacks of this prominent disciple of the Purple Mist Sect. Killing a Golden Core Cultivator would be simple, but hiding it from the two Nascent Soul Stage experts who were secretly monitoring him would be extremely difficult.
Eunuch Gui looked at Yang Jing in shock. He hadn’t expected a Snake Demon of such humble origins to be so tactful. It was a rare quality indeed.
Seeing that Si Taizhen was about to protest, he rushed forward to intervene. It took a great deal of persuasion before Si Taizhen finally put the Vault Key away.
But no sooner had Si Taizhen put the key away than he took out a Tiger Talisman and shoved it into Yang Jing’s hands.
"Si Minister, this is my Tiger Talisman. With it, you can mobilize my Third Squad. It’s fine that you won’t accept the Vault Key, but you must keep this Tiger Talisman safe. The Jade Poison Kingdom is in chaos right now. If anything were to happen to you, I... I..."
Si Taizhen had never uttered words of affection before. A thousand words were caught in his throat, but he couldn’t get a single one out. All he could do was grip Yang Jing’s hands tightly.
Yang Jing cringed so hard his toes nearly clawed a hole in the floor.
It took him several tries to wrench his hands free from Si Taizhen’s iron-like grip.
"I understand."
He could sense that Si Taizhen had grown increasingly feminine over the past few days. Now, being presented with the Tiger Talisman, a crucial symbol of military authority, gave him the bizarre feeling that he was Yang Lianting and Si Taizhen was Dongfang Bubai.
Yang Jing instantly quashed the thought.
Across the table, Yi Hongzheng was practically seething with jealousy. Just as his master had said, Si Taizhen was clearly on the verge of transforming into a woman. This Eleventh Prince of the Jade Poison Kingdom possessed such breathtaking looks even while androgynous; if he were to fully become a woman, Yi Hongzheng feared that none of the numerous Female Cultivators in the Purple Mist Sect could ever compare.
In comparison, Xu Qian, who had no shortage of admirers in the Sect, seemed plain and unremarkable.
Yi Hongzheng took a deep breath.
"Eleventh Prince, my junior sister and I begged our master to bring us along on this trip. We came seeking a specific Spirit Medicine to refine a Spirit Pill that will help us break through in our Cultivation. If Your Highness has this Spirit Medicine in your vault, we would be willing to trade a Nine Yin Transformation Pill for it."
As he spoke, he took out the Nine Yin Transformation Pill he had been keeping hidden inside his robes.
’Hmph. As long as Si Taizhen consumes this Pill, his feelings for you will instantly vanish. Then, I’ll just watch as you fall from the heavens and shatter into a million pieces.’
Yi Hongzheng thought viciously.
His master had ordered him to trick Si Taizhen into taking the Nine Yin Transformation Pill. Having cultivated all the way to the Golden Core Realm, he was not foolish enough to offer the Elixir directly. Instead, he used the pretense of seeking medicine to avoid arousing Si Taizhen’s suspicions.
Right now, Si Taizhen’s heart was entirely captivated by Yang Jing, a tangled mess of emotions. He couldn’t muster any interest in an Elixir.
"What Spirit Medicine do you seek? And what is the effect of this Nine Yin Transformation Pill? Can it raise Si Minister’s Cultivation?"
"This Pill is refined from nine types of extremely yin Spirit Medicines, based on the principle of extreme yin transforming into yang. After consumption, nine streams of Yin Qi are stored within seven of the body’s Acupoints. If you suffer a grievous injury, you can immediately activate this Yin Qi to heal yourself. It’s like having a second life."
This was the true effect of the Nine Yin Transformation Pill; it and the Nine Yang Life-giving Pill were two of the Purple Mist Sect’s most famous life-saving Spirit Pills.
After all, not even a Demon would be foolish enough to consume an Elixir of unknown origin.
"Because this Pill must infuse its medicinal power into the Acupoints, it places high demands on the user’s Cultivation. Anyone below the Demon King Realm who takes this Pill will have their Acupoints damaged by the surging Yin Qi. The gains would not be worth the losses."
Fearing that Si Taizhen might give the Pill to Yang Jing and ruin his master’s plan, Yi Hongzheng hastily added this warning.
Eunuch Gui’s eyes lit up. He had heard of the famous Nine Yin Transformation Pill before. The Third Prince of the Jade Poison Kingdom had once tried everything in his power to obtain this Pill from Danxia True Monarch.
But Danxia True Monarch had refused, claiming the Spirit Medicines needed to refine it were too difficult to gather.
He rushed forward to impress upon Si Taizhen how precious this Pill was, urging the Prince to find a way to trade for it.
But Yang Jing, sitting off to the side, narrowed his eyes. Although Yi Hongzheng had only opened the Pill Bottle for a fleeting moment to prevent its potency from escaping, Yang Jing could still easily sense the Pure Yin Qi leaking from the Spirit Pill.
The Yin Qi contained within this Pill was the most potent he had ever encountered in a Tier Three Elixir.
Ordinarily, he wouldn’t have thought much of it. The principle that extreme yin gives birth to yang was a fundamental truth in the Alchemy Skill, so the Pill’s effects were likely just as Yi Hongzheng had described.
However, considering Si Taizhen’s changes over the past month, Yi Hongzheng’s sudden and roundabout offer of such a Pure Yin Elixir couldn’t help but make Yang Jing suspicious.
’Could it be that Si Taizhen’s sudden, inexplicable affection for me is because he has been Refining Innate Pure Yang Qi all this time?’
An incredible thought suddenly rose in Yang Jing’s mind.
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter