When Liu Xing's eyes narrowed, Fang Ruxue couldn't help but gulp. It was the first time he had looked at her with such a gaze, and she suddenly realized how terrifying he was. But while he was terrifying, she knew he was a kind and fair person. He wouldn't slap her, let alone kill her. However, she knew he was displeased by what she had said. After all, he had come all this way to find a single pill, and she was the one standing in his way, barring him from the information he needed. In this specific instance, she was his enemy.

Fang Ruxue fought the fear and panic rising in her heart. She knew what kind of person Liu Xing was, and the information she withheld was valuable. She wished it would be enough for him to relent and teach her cultivation.

"What do you want, Fang Ruxue?" Liu Xing asked as he masked all his emotions.

Fang Ruxue straightened her back. "Gathering information was hard. Before I arrived here, I needed to talk to and coax dozens of people. What's more, I did it without spending a single coin."

He was silent for a while, then nodded.

She continued. "Not only that, look at my face and my clothes. From this alone, you can determine that I've been working hard to gather the information you want. So, I don't think it's an exaggeration to say I'm worthy of a great reward for my hardships."

Inside her chest, her heart beat against her ribs like a drum, as if she were gambling all her belongings for a jackpot. She wanted to strike directly and say that she wanted to be taught cultivation. Instead, she decided to give him a little of the information she had gathered.

"In this city, there is indeed a legend about a pill," she said, glancing at Brother Roe, who had wisely decided to stay out of the conversation, which was good. He was the only one who could ruin this, but it seemed he was intent on cooperating. "It's a rumor about a heaven-defying pill."

At that, she saw Liu Xing lean a bit closer. While his face was calm and schooled, she knew he was excited by this information. The only thing preventing him from showing his excitement was the knowledge of what she was trying to do.

"I know the general direction where this pill is likely located," she continued, "however, I will only give it to you if your reward is sufficient."

"Sufficient, huh? I could give you three hundred spirit stones. That amount of money would surely make you rich for seven generations. However, that's not all. If your information is verified to be true, I could give you an additional two hundred spirit stones. How about it?"

Fang Ruxue licked her lips. In the edge of her vision, she saw Brother Roe's eyes open so wide it looked as if they would pop. In total, Liu Xing was ready to give her five hundred spirit stones. That was a huge sum of money.

Liu Xing flashed a small smile, no doubt enjoying her reaction, and it sobered her a little. She was fairly certain that even for Liu Xing, five hundred spirit stones was a great amount of money. Though he came from a great sect, his mannerisms, the casual way he talked with her and the others, and his comfort in a crowded street all pointed to a normal upbringing. Parting with that kind of money was surely not easy for him, and yet, he had said it so casually.

Soon, she understood his reasoning, and her eyes narrowed. This was a bribe. Was her becoming a cultivator so undesirable that he would casually throw away a fortune just to stop her?

"That's quite low," Fang Ruxue said after thinking for a moment.

To the side, she saw Brother Roe's eyes widen even further, as if they were ready to jump from their sockets. Liu Xing, on the other hand, only smiled, though it didn't reach his eyes.

"Then how much do you want?" he asked.

"How about... ten thousand spirit stones?"

At that, Liu Xing's eyes flew open, and Brother Roe began coughing again. Even the old man stopped and turned his head toward her, though being blind, turning wouldn't help him see. It was a normal reaction; after all, Fang Ruxue had just asked for fortune enough to buy a small kingdom.

"You're trying to extort me," Liu Xing said.

"Well, if you can't afford that amount of money, I want something equally precious," she licked her lips, here it is. "I can settle for knowledge. Perhaps you could share some precious knowledge from your sect. Like what qi is, and how people can harness it. I think that kind of knowledge is worth more than ten thousand spirit stones. Am I right?"

Liu Xing was silent for a while. "You're right, it's equally as precious. However, my answer is the same as last night's."

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Fang Ruxue grabbed the hem of her dress and clenched it. She opened her mouth to convince him, but he spoke first.

"Your price is too high, Fang Ruxue. I can't afford it," he said, his dark eyes boring into hers. The air suddenly grew cold, and she gulped as fear began to stir in her heart. She understood that what he meant was not the spirit stone.

"That's why we should just stop this deal. If you don't want to tell me, that's fine. I'll find the information myself."

"You can't do that!"

"I can," he said with a smile. "Especially since the source of this information is lying right beside me." He pointed to Brother Roe, who began coughing again. This time, it didn't seem as severe or wet as before.

Liu Xing then turned to her and smiled. "It seems you have underestimated me."

Instantly, panic settled in her heart. She knew her plan was over the moment Liu Xing revealed that he knew her source was Brother Roe because she lost all her leverage. Ideally, she had wanted to tell him this information later, after they regrouped in the city center. However, the situation called for swift action, and she had hoped that Liu Xing didn't know about Brother Roe. But clearly, he knew; he had just been humoring her.

She looked at Brother Roe. "You wouldn't tell him about the information you have, right?"

"I'm sorry. It's not that I don't want to help you, but if I have to choose between offending you or offending him, I'd rather not be on his bad side."

"What a good man," Liu Xing said. "Brother Roe, you're wise. Now, tell me, what is this important information that Fang Ruxue talked about? What is this heaven-defying pill?"

Annoyance flared in her heart, and she shot Liu Xing a sharp gaze. She was truly defeated. But it wasn't because Liu Xing was smart and had outmaneuvered her. No, the problem was that she had jumped into action too soon, without thought or preparation. It was a rookie mistake to jump into a discussion without a clear plan to leverage the information she had. If her father were here, he would be truly disappointed in her. It was not befitting her background and education.

However, she soon realized it wasn't purely luck that had put Liu Xing in complete control of the discussion. No, it was because while Fang Ruxue had leverage, Liu Xing had leverage too. He had planted some kind of surveillance on her. It was mainly for her protection, but it was also what had enabled him to know that Brother Roe was her source. She should have worn a hat or something to cover the technique. However, a moment later, she realized that if she had covered it, Liu Xing would have either come to verify her condition or been unable to help if she was in danger.

Brother Roe opened his mouth to begin his explanation, but she interrupted him. "Brother Roe. Since it has come to this, let me explain it to Liu Xing myself."

"Oh?" Liu Xing turned to her. "As I said before, I cannot afford your price, Fang Ruxue."

She narrowed her eyes. "I'll tell you for free. However, I want to remind you that the reason we're here is because of my hard work. Even if Brother Roe is the source, you wouldn't have arrived here without me, so I still want some kind of reward. Preferably, you'll teach me to become a cultivator, but anything goes. Clearly, no matter what a mortal does, it is the mighty cultivator who controls the heavens and the earth."

At that, Liu Xing pinched his chin and then nodded. "Alright, I'll give you some reward. But after all of this is over. You need to remember that while I look relaxed here, we're still in a hurry. Deal?"

"Deal," Fang Ruxue sighed. "Alright, this is the summary of Brother Roe's story."

She told him about the legend of the golden grass, the incident with the alchemist of the Jin clan, as well as the likely location of the new Alchemy Hall.

"I suspect the place that holds the pill you want is there."

"An Alchemy Hall on the seafloor, huh?" he rubbed his chin. "What a unique location. As far as I know, many herbs can only bloom directly beneath the sun or moon. The herbs they tend to in this new Alchemy Hall must be quite something. And a grass that turns golden after being struck by heavenly lightning? That's certainly unique."

"They don't necessarily grow herbs at this new location," Fang Ruxue added. "From the name, I suspect it was the place where the alchemists stored their ingredients and concocted them into pills or elixirs. The herbs themselves don't need to be grown there."

"Ah, that makes sense," Liu Xing nodded, then flashed a smile. "You're smart."

Fang Ruxue sighed. "Not too smart, apparently."

"Anyway, is there anything else you want to say?" Liu Xing asked.

"No, that's all," she replied.

"Alright, then we need to go. It seems they have finally arrived."

"Who?" she asked.

Instead of answering, Liu Xing got up from his seat and walked out of the house. Fang Ruxue followed, and soon both of them were standing near the five fainted cultivators. They looked at the sky, but there was nothing there. Only the sun, clouds, and blue sky. Although several birds flew across the sky, she doubted Liu Xing was referring to them. A moment later, however, something appeared in the very spot she was looking. It was not far from the ground, perhaps only three or four meters high.

Fang Ruxue blinked several times, trying to adjust her vision to see what had suddenly appeared. She soon realized it was a person. Specifically, a small child, perhaps one or two years old, with short hair so dark it looked as if it were made from darkness itself. Yet it also glistened, as if the sun reflecting from his hair created a field of stars. He wore white clothes that looked a little too tight for his growing body.

At that moment, she realized he had not appeared out of thin air. Rather, he had been made invisible by Liu Xing, which meant that while it looked like there was nothing in the sky, an invisible stone turtle was hovering there.

"Let's go back to our base first. From there, we'll discuss how to retrieve the pill and deal with the Qing clan," Liu Xing said.

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