Ning Fa dared to say this.
It was because Ning Yuwen and Yun Jian were in similar situations.
Both had their foundations severely damaged.
To fully recover and not affect their future Foundation Establishment, they would need pills of the Essence Gathering Pill's caliber.
Pills of this grade were naturally rare and hard to come by.
Ning Fa's previous idea was to refine the Second-grade Low-rank healing pills into Dao Patterned Pills.
For example, the Second-grade Low-rank healing pill, the Jinlu Pill.
If they took a few Jinlu Pills with One Dao Mark, relying on the miraculous properties of Dao Patterned Pills, it was possible for their foundations to recover.
This was because Ning Fa had previously made a promise to Ning Yuwen.
Therefore, Ning Fa had already begun to study this pill recipe and prepare to refine it.
He had even obtained some of the Spiritual Materials for the Jinlu Pill.
This way, if he could successfully refine this Jinlu Pill with One Dao Mark, it would be perfect for saving Yun Jian as well.
This was naturally to make Yun Ying feel grateful, so that she would cooperate with him to the best of her ability later on.
Seeing Yun Ying's current appearance, it was clearly very effective.
"Fellow Daoist Yun, please follow me first."
Afterward, Ning Fa led a somewhat confused and even wary Yun Ying to the quiet room.
Ning Fa handed a Wood Origin Fruit to Yun Ying.
Yun Ying looked at Ning Fa with surprise and disbelief, clearly not expecting Ning Fa to give her such a precious spiritual fruit.
Ning Fa said with a faint smile, "You possess the Ethereal Wood Spirit Body; this Wood Origin Fruit should be very helpful to you. I won't beat around the bush; the stronger your Spiritual Body becomes, the greater the help you'll be to me."
Upon hearing this, a blush appeared on Yun Ying's icy, beautiful face, clearly reminding her of their Dual Cultivation agreement.
It was truly like an ice lotus blooming, exquisitely beautiful beyond compare.
"Thank you!"
Yun Ying thanked him in a low voice.
Ning Fa smiled and was about to speak when his expression suddenly changed.
He took out a green bamboo slip from his Storage Bag, and small characters appeared on it.
Ning Fa's eyes showed a strange expression.
This bamboo slip was the invitation to the Hundred Bamboo Assembly that Meng Ruoqi had given him when they were at the Huang Family.
Ning Fa then realized that this invitation was also a clever communication magic tool.
That pearl of the Meng Family was indeed sharp-witted.
"Heh, I'd like to see what you can offer to impress me?"
Ning Fa thought to himself.
Then he said to Yun Ying, "Fellow Daoist Yun, please go back and refine the Wood Origin Fruit first. I need to go out for a while."
After Ning Fa left, Yun Ying tightly gripped the Wood Origin Fruit in her hand, her expression somewhat complex.
Ning Fa arrived at a pavilion on the southwest edge of Small Bamboo Island.
There, Meng Ruoqi, dressed in a cloud-white palace dress, sat elegantly in the pavilion, calmly gazing at the lake surface not far away.
She was as beautiful as a painting.
Not far away, the dying old man in black robes whom Ning Fa had seen at the Huang Family stood dozens of feet away.
His eyes were half-closed, as if he were asleep.
Ning Fa entered the pavilion and carefully observed Meng Ruoqi, feeling a renewed sense of astonishment.
He sat down leisurely and chuckled, "Fairy Meng, I didn't expect us to meet again so soon. But why don't I see Fellow Daoist Shi? I thought you two were inseparable recently."
Meng Ruoqi looked at him, a hint of melancholy in her beautiful eyes.
She said leisurely, "It's not appropriate to bring him along when I'm here to see Fellow Daoist Ning."
Ning Fa's eyes showed a strange expression.
Her words made it sound as if Meng Ruoqi was meeting him in secret behind Shi Shaoyang's back.
Meng Ruoqi glanced at him, hinting, "Actually, Shi Shaoyang and I are just good friends, not Dao Companions. Fellow Daoist Ning doesn't need to overthink it."
The strange expression in Ning Fa's eyes intensified. He wondered if Shi Shaoyang would be heartbroken if he heard this.
And what did she mean by not overthinking it?
Seeing Ning Fa staring intently at Meng Ruoqi, a blush appeared on her fair face.
But she didn't shy away and suddenly asked, "Fellow Daoist Ning, I've actually always had a question. I believe I'm not without some beauty, so why do I feel like you're completely indifferent to me?"
Ning Fa was taken aback, not expecting the woman to be so direct.
In fact, among the many women he had encountered, besides Duanmu Ling, who came from a noble background.
In terms of appearance, even Ling Yue or Yun Ying could at best be considered equals to Meng Ruoqi.
But for Ning Fa, it wasn't a case of "if you're beautiful, I must curry favor with you."
He wouldn't do it in his past life, and he certainly wouldn't in this one.
Ning Fa said with a playful smile, "Who says my Fairy Meng isn't feeling anything? Haven't you noticed my admiration for you? If not, I'll truly be heartbroken."
Meng Ruoqi could clearly see that his words were not from the heart.
She gave him a deep look and said seriously, "Brother Ning, you should already know why I'm here today. I want to exchange for a Wood Origin Fruit."
Ning Fa's eyes showed difficulty as he shook his head, "That would be quite difficult. The Foundation Establishment elders in my family have also taken a liking to those Wood Origin Fruits, so it might be hard to part with them."
Meng Ruoqi smiled faintly, "Brother Ning, don't rush to refuse. Let's see what I have to trade first."
With that, she took out a brocade box and pushed it towards Ning Fa.
Ning Fa's eyes flickered, and he opened the brocade box.
Instantly, green auspicious light shone, and a wave of pure wood spiritual energy washed over him.
Inside the brocade box were three palm-sized green bamboo leaves.
They were covered in a faint green glow, and the surface of the bamboo leaves even had natural spiritual patterns, clearly indicating they were extraordinary.
Ning Fa felt that the spiritual material grade of these bamboo leaves was not inferior to the Wood Origin Fruit.
"Could these be the leaves of a Third-grade Spiritual Bamboo? No... they're not just any ordinary bamboo leaves..." Ning Fa exclaimed, a hint of joy in his eyes.
Meng Ruoqi looked at him with some surprise and smiled, "Fellow Daoist Ning indeed has a discerning eye. These leaves were harvested from a Third-grade Spiritual Bamboo, and they are the most precious Bamboo Heart Leaves. There aren't many of these leaves on the entire spiritual bamboo."
"The value of these three leaves even surpasses that of a Wood Origin Fruit. Trading them for a Wood Origin Fruit should not be a loss for you, Fellow Daoist Ning."
Ning Fa nodded, indeed it was so.
A strange glint flashed in his eyes as he asked, "Does your family possess a Third-grade Spiritual Bamboo?"
This Third-grade Spiritual Bamboo would be of great help to his Supreme Wood Divine Thunder, and he was immediately tempted.
Meng Ruoqi's expression remained unchanged, "If Fellow Daoist Ning is interested in this bamboo, it's not impossible to discuss."
Ning Fa regained his composure.
His mind was sharp, and he immediately realized that this woman seemed to have deliberately offered the Third-grade Spiritual Bamboo to pique his interest.
"How can we discuss it? Fairy Meng, please speak frankly," Ning Fa said calmly.
Meng Ruoqi sighed, "It's very simple. You should be aware of our Meng Family's situation. Our family is likely to face a great calamity soon. If you are willing to lend our family a hand at that time, then that Third-grade Spiritual Bamboo can be given to you."
Ning Fa's expression remained unchanged, and he secretly thought, "As expected."
He then shook his head, "I'm sorry, but such important matters are not something I can decide alone. Our Ning Family's situation has also not been good recently. If we were to openly send troops to save your family, it might give the Xue Family and Qian Family an excuse. I cannot agree to this trade."
Although Meng Ruoqi had anticipated this, she couldn't help but show a look of disappointment.
She then bit her lip and said something that greatly surprised Ning Fa, "What if I were added to the conditions? As long as Brother Ning can persuade the Ning Family to send troops to rescue our Meng Family, I am willing to become Brother Ning's Dual Cultivation Dao Companion."