Chapter 1801 — Snow Valley (Part 2)
The Blossom Guardian · Page 2 of 2
In fact, the moment Elder Zhang left the reception hall, he went to see the valley master, Xue Li—only Xue Li was at that moment discussing with Bing Tang, master of the Ice Palace, whether Feng Xiaoxiao might be given to Snow Valley. Elder Zhang did not dare intrude, and so resolved to wait and ask again first thing the next morning.
Yet when Elder Zhang saw the valley master Xue Li early the next morning, her face was exceedingly dark. That countenance, usually so delicate and fair, was now black as could be, and when she saw Elder Zhang she did no more than give the faintest nod.
Xue Li was, after all, the personal disciple of the grand elder and the previous valley master; but she was only an early Heaven-rank expert, while Elder Zhang was already a mid Heaven-rank expert. In the past Xue Li had always treated him with great respect, so something had clearly gone wrong this time.
"Valley Master, what has happened?" Elder Zhang started slightly, and forgetting all about the matter of someone wishing to buy the Ice Spirit Sacred Fruit, asked straight out.
"Bing Tang has politely declined the terms we proposed for Snow Valley..." Xue Li sighed.
"Could it be that the Ice Palace does not realize that for metal, wood, water, fire, and earth, each element needs at least two inheritors before there is any real hope of opening Cloud-Rank Island? With only one inheritor, it becomes terribly, terribly difficult..." Elder Zhang asked, somewhat puzzled.
"Bing Tang knows that well enough, but she hinted to me that those people have already found a candidate for the water-element inheritor..." Xue Li said with some helplessness. "Add the Ice Palace's ice-element inheritor, and the water element will have two inheritors. Three would be safer, of course, but what sect would willingly hand over an expert at the peak of late Heaven-rank, a future master of the heavenly way?"
"That is true enough..." Elder Zhang nodded, a look of regret coming over his face...
"By the way, Elder Zhang, what did you come to see me about?" Though Xue Li was somewhat displeased at being refused by Bing Tang, some things simply could not be forced. Young as she was, she was still the mistress of a valley, and so her expression quickly returned to normal as she asked Elder Zhang courteously.
"Valley Master, someone has come to Snow Valley seeking to buy the Ice Spirit Sacred Fruit, and wishes to pay in money. I do not know how to set the price," Elder Zhang said.
"Seeking to buy the Ice Spirit Sacred Fruit? From which sect—Fire Flame Mountain or the Mystic Elixir Sect?" Xue Li asked, slightly taken aback. After all, the Ice Spirit Sacred Fruit was both a supreme treasure and a worthless scrap: only those who cultivated the supreme-yang fire-element method could use it, and to anyone else it was neither medicine nor a boost to cultivation. Hence her question.
But whether Fire Flame Mountain or the Mystic Elixir Sect, they would generally trade natural treasures or elixirs of equal value, not buy outright with money. Only those hidden families and minor sects would spend coin directly.
"Neither. Three young women, none of them cultivators, and a single young man who is a cultivator—it seems he practices a supreme-yang method and has fallen into qi deviation. Someone must have directed them here to seek medicine.