To be frank, Wang Xiu hadn't forgotten that the Nourishing Soul Lotus was effective for Jiang Yourong. He had originally planned to give a few high-quality Nourishing Soul Lotuses to Senior Jiang to replenish her divine soul once he returned to Spirit Turtle Peak.
After all, she and his master had a love-hate relationship, so she could be considered half a senior to Wang Xiu. To think that a mighty expert of the Emergence Stage had been reduced to a remnant soul, unable to even defeat someone in the Foundation Establishment Stage—it was quite pitiable.
But since Senior Jiang had money, Wang Xiu saw no need for charity. This was especially true since Spirit Turtle Peak itself was so poor it practically clinked when shaken, and he, the head direct disciple of the Divination Sect, couldn't even produce a single Spiritual Artifact.
So poor!
Thinking of this, Wang Xiu heaved a long sigh. "You should have said so earlier! Senior Jiang, why didn't you mention it sooner?"
"How about this," he proposed. "Tell me how many Spirit Stones you have, and I'll go find Senior Sister Qingyu and get all four of those Nourishing Soul Lotuses back."
HMPH!
Jiang Yourong's face turned livid as she huffed coldly, "I may not have much money, but for a common spiritual herb like the Nourishing Soul Lotus, I have more than enough to buy three to five hundred of them."
[Ding!]
[Bragging detected. Congratulations to the Host for receiving Mana +66.]
What a coincidence!
Wang Xiu grinned. "As it happens, I have exactly 30 Nourishing Soul Lotuses right here. That's more than enough for you to eat to your heart's content, Senior!"
WHOOSH!
As he spoke, a dense array of wooden boxes materialized before Jiang Yourong, leaving the Jiuli Saintess utterly dumbfounded. "You... you can't be serious!"
What joke? Wang Xiu formed a hand seal, and all thirty wooden boxes snapped open in unison. The lotus flowers within exuded a clear, distant fragrance that tantalized the soul. What could they be if not Nourishing Soul Lotuses?
"The payment, Senior!" Wang Xiu rubbed his hands together gleefully. Thirty Nourishing Soul Lotuses, even at a bulk price of 3,000 Spirit Stones each, would come to 90,000 Spirit Stones!
Based on Spirit Turtle Peak's monthly stipend of 100 Spirit Stones, it would take Wang Xiu 75 years of not eating or drinking to save up that much. He was about to leap from poverty to riches and a comfortable life in an instant!
What if Jiang Yourong was just bluffing? What if she doesn't actually have the money?
Wang Xiu wasn't worried about that, though. After all, Jiang Yourong had boasted that the Spirit Stones in her pocket could buy three to five hundred of them. He wasn't selling three to five hundred, just a mere thirty.
Even a starved camel is bigger than a horse. Surely a Great Power Remnant Soul wouldn't be unable to produce a mere 90,000 Spirit Stones!
No way! Absolutely no way! Who would even think of bluffing like that?!
「On the other hand.」
When Jiang Yourong saw the thirty Nourishing Soul Lotuses appear before her, her expression suddenly became quite peculiar. It was a mixture of pleasant surprise, vexation, awkwardness, and shame. Her entire demeanor was like a complex pie chart—utterly fascinating to watch.
"Senior Jiang?" Wang Xiu keenly picked up on her micro-expressions, and a bad feeling suddenly rose in his heart.
This isn't good...
Seeing a seductive smile form on Jiang Yourong's face, as if she intended to wheedle a lower price, Wang Xiu said gravely, "I've already brought out the herbs. As a peerless prodigy from the Jiuli Immortal Sect and a contemporary of my master, surely you wouldn't pretend to be poor to haggle, right?"
Pretending to be poor to haggle, my ass! You really know how to put someone on a pedestal!
Jiang Yourong's smile froze as she groaned inwardly. How was she to know that this kid, Wang Xiu, actually had thirty Nourishing Soul Lotuses on hand?
That stuff... isn't it supposed to be incredibly rare?
At this moment, Jiang Yourong's entire soul went numb. As the Jiuli Saintess, she had certainly never lacked for money in her life. Forget 90,000, she could have produced 900,000 Spirit Stones. But the problem was, she was dead now! The Soul-Nurturing Bell, being a Magic Artifact whose primary function was nurturing souls, had very little internal storage space. It couldn't possibly hold that many Spirit Stones.
This is no good! I absolutely cannot let this boy see that I'm broke! Otherwise, if that girl Luo Binglan gets wind of this, wouldn't she be laughing at me from her grave for the next eight hundred years?
At this thought, a hint of pain flashed in Jiang Yourong's eyes, but she forced a smile. "Very well. These thirty Nourishing Soul Lotuses are indeed of great use to me."
"To me, their value far exceeds a mere hundred thousand or so Spirit Stones, so..."
Wang Xiu's eyes lit up. "You're going to add more money?"
Jiang Yourong's mouth twitched violently. After a long moment, she recovered and said helplessly, "Is money all you can talk about, kid?"
Wang Xiu replied with equal helplessness, "Senior, I look up to you as an elder. You're not going to start talking about contributions and sacrifice, are you?"
Jiang Yourong said, "Think for a moment. What do you need most right now?"
Wang Xiu replied flatly, "Money."
Jiang Yourong's soul-form flickered as she trembled with rage. "A weapon! A weapon! What you need most right now is a suitable weapon!"
CLANG!
Jiang Yourong formed a hand seal, and the Soul-Nurturing Bell trembled. A blood-red sword, over three feet long, shot out and plunged straight into the ground, emitting a resonant metallic cry. The hilt of the sword was black. Below it, the guard spread out like the wings of a bat, its black body shot through with faint, blood-red patterns. Further down was the blade itself, as red as fresh blood. Its entire length was covered in magnificent patterns, giving it an aura that was both elegant and bloodthirsty.
This sword... looks very expensive!
Jiang Yourong huffed, "This sword is named the Mingxue Executioner Sword. It originally belonged to the Ming Blood Sect and was forged from the celestial treasure 'Profound Nether Blood Gold.' It can devour the blood of living beings to increase its power."
"To nurture this sword, the Great Elder of the Ming Blood Sect slaughtered over a dozen frontier cities, raising it to the Sacred Artifact Level."
"Ultimately, he was discovered and slain by my Jiuli Immortal Sect. An Elder from our sect spent several years purifying the blade, eventually cleansing it of all the Human Race's Essence Blood contained within. However, the sword's quality also dropped from a Holy Artifact to a low-grade Spiritual Artifact."
Wang Xiu said gravely, "A low-grade Spiritual Artifact is typically priced between ten to thirty thousand Spirit Stones. That's not worth thirty Nourishing Soul Lotuses."
"What's your hurry?" Jiang Yourong countered. "Although this sword is only a low-grade Spiritual Artifact now, its potential is limitless. As long as you feed it enough demonic beast blood, it will quickly upgrade its quality."
"If you can feed it sufficiently powerful Essence Blood, in time, it could even evolve into a Holy Artifact or an Immortal Artifact."
Wang Xiu asked, "Powerful Essence Blood? How powerful?"
Jiang Yourong nodded, her expression turning a little unnatural. "For instance, the blood of those in the Saint Manifestation Realm, like Devil Saints or Demonic Saints."
Wang Xiu grimaced inwardly. If I can already slay Devil Saints, why would I still need your Holy Artifact?
Jiang Yourong pressed on, "And don't you underestimate this Mingxue Executioner Sword. It's incredibly powerful. Among weapons of the same grade, it's practically invincible, and it can even hold its own against a mid-grade Spiritual Artifact!
"What's more, it comes with two peerless skills!
"The first is called Blood Sea. You can expend the Essence Blood accumulated in the blade to manifest a Blood Sea phenomenon that empowers you. Within this sea, any injuries the wielder sustains will heal at an accelerated rate.
"The second is called Immortal Execution. It can channel all the accumulated Essence Blood into a single, ultimate strike against your foe.
"The more Essence Blood it has stored, the stronger the attack will be—there is no upper limit!
"Even Immortal-level experts wouldn't dare to underestimate it."
[Ding!]
[Bragging detected. Congratulations to the Host for receiving Mana +66.]