Qi Ping did not know that his fearful behavior actually boosted his favor in Meng Yan's heart, increasing the trust between them.
The two quickly cleared the battlefield and stepped out of the Illusion Formation. They traveled a great distance before stopping in a dense forest. Once they settled, Meng Yan did not immediately begin splitting the loot. Instead, he handed Qi Ping an item from his storage bag.
"This is the pill recipe you asked for to increase physical strength. I've found the spirit herbs and seeds for you as well."
"This is the Fire-Glow Pill. The primary ingredient is the first-grade high-rank Fire-Glow Flower, which has excellent body-tempering effects."
"Though it isn't exceptionally rare, it is quite good—the best body-tempering pill I could find in the short term. This pill nourishes the body gently, unlike some fierce body-tempering pills that increase strength but cause internal damage. The Fire-Glow Pill has no such drawback and can even slightly improve one's fire-attribute talent. It is quite rare."
"The effects are better with continuous consumption, though the pills are not cheap, and the efficiency drops as you use more. From a long-term perspective, it is a solid choice."
Hearing this, Qi Ping was incredibly excited. It could strengthen his body and improve his fire talent? Excellent! With Plant Growth to continuously force the growth of herbs, he wasn't worried about rarity. He just had to work hard! He would hand the herbs to the bees for brewing, then simply wait to refine the result.
"I am grateful to you, Brother Meng!" Qi Ping accepted the items with deep gratitude. Having a powerful ally was wonderful; things he could never reach were easily obtained by the other party.
"It is a small matter. Truly, it was lucky I had your help today, Brother Qi, otherwise I would have been in danger!" Meng Yan replied. The entire Qingtian Domain was in a standoff; finding suitable combat help wasn't easy. With Qi Ping as a trump card outside the chessboard, his chances of breaking through any scheme were much higher.
After handing over the recipe and seeds, Meng Yan emptied the storage bags of the twins and the Heavenly Fire Pavilion disciple. When the clatter of spirit stones reached Qi Ping's ears, his eyes almost went blind from the brilliance. Meng Yan, however, showed no emotion, appearing somewhat dismissive. He didn't lack resources; as a refiner with a Golden Core Master, he earned plenty of spirit stones.
After Meng Yan cleared the pile, the final tally was:
4,312 spirit stones!
Plus cultivation methods, spells, weapons, pills, herbs, sect tokens... and some strange objects that defied identification. Including the miscellaneous items, the total value was estimated at over ten thousand spirit stones!
Facing the pile, Meng Yan spoke first. "Brother Qi, could I have those objects? They are things my sect requires. In exchange, all the spirit stones belong to you. Aside from the stones, you can pick anything else you like from the pile—as much as you want."
Meng Yan pointed to the pile of strange things—stones with mysterious patterns, broken weapons, rusted tokens, and a mysterious jar. Some of these were items the Qingyuan Sect had ordered him to find; he hadn't expected to find them here. It was a pleasant surprise. But since they had slain the enemies together, he had to consult Qi Ping.
Qi Ping looked at the strange objects and nodded without hesitation. "Brother Meng, take whatever you need. I have already gained so much from you!"
In truth, even if Meng Yan hadn't asked, Qi Ping wouldn't have wanted those things. Though they might have incredible value, it was only a possibility. Qi Ping felt it was far more likely they carried hidden risks and would bring disaster. If they ended up in his hands, he would likely just have the bees bury them in a deep hole. He wouldn't even carry them with him, let alone study their secrets.
How could those things compare to solid spirit stones? Rather than a grand, heaven-sent fortune, Qi Ping preferred to cultivate step by step!
"Then I thank you, Brother Qi. These things are valuable, but it is truly inconvenient for me to explain their nature... so you must take all the spirit stones, and please, pick some other items as well!" Meng Yan bowed in gratitude. He felt Qi Ping was an amazing ally who never made things difficult for him.
Since Meng Yan insisted, Qi Ping stopped being polite. "Brother Meng, I will take the stones then. I need quite a lot to buy that spirit beast!"
"Take as many as you want, otherwise I won't feel at ease. I've heard some news about spirit-soul spirit beasts. I heard one of the Senior Brothers has a very rare one; I am currently inquiring and making contact. I should have more definitive news within a month."
"Good! I have no channels for this, so I must trouble you, Brother Meng!"
"It is only right! Aside from the stones, pick a few more things!"
Though Qi Ping agreed, he only took the spirit herbs and two bottles of Qi-Restoration Pills. Compared to the rest of the pile, it was a small share. In truth, only the herbs and pills were useful to him. As for the methods and spells, Meng Yan could just make a copy later. He had no way to sell the weapons or other valuables. He didn't dare use the unknown pills. So, while the miscellaneous items were valuable, only Meng Yan could truly utilize them.
"Is that all? You are being too polite, Brother Qi!" Meng Yan was caught between laughter and tears. Qi Ping might not be rich, but he wasn't greedy at all. This made him feel a sense of debt.
He did not know that this was exactly the psychological state Qi Ping wanted. Only by acting this way would Qi Ping avoid annoying Meng Yan when asking for things in the future. Qi Ping knew that even if Meng Yan was willing to give things for free, that patience would vanish if Qi Ping grew increasingly greedy. But Meng Yan was currently his best channel for everything he needed.
The best way was to take less of the unimportant things now, so that next time he asked for a favor, the other party would be more than willing. Win-win was the only way to long-term cooperation. Of course, this was based on Qi Ping's understanding of Meng Yan's character from their Dao discourse.
However, Qi Ping didn't expect the return to come so quickly. Meng Yan took out a high-grade spirit tool hammer and handed it to Qi Ping.
"Brother Qi, this is the hammer I used when I was comprehending the True Meaning of Fire during refinement. It still retains a trace of that Intent. Take it and study it; return it once you have comprehended the True Meaning of Fire."