Chapter 99: Brought Money?
============================================================
"You have a celestial-grade artifact? I never would've guessed~"
After all, as a Dragon King, Yu Lan possessed immortal-grade artifacts herself. She merely expressed surprise, though she couldn't tell.
"Um… I acquired it by chance. Do you like it, Sister?"
"It's okay. Not that fond of it."
Yu Lan shook her head. If he truly possessed any formidable treasures, he wouldn't have come seeking her out. Most likely, these were just useless trinkets.
Yu Lan found herself growing curious. Judging by Su Cheng's demeanor, this immortal-grade artifact didn't seem like his trump card either.
However, Su Cheng truly had no other treasures to offer. While he still possessed several innate treasures, such artifacts weren't something one could casually give away.
Qinghan and Shiyao were his disciples, but Yu Lan was an unbound Dragon King!
Not only was the Dragon King a formidable opponent in her own right, but more importantly, her cultivation far surpassed Ye Qinghan's. A先天 treasure in her hands would be a completely different matter than in Qinghan's.
"Then I'm stumped. I truly have nothing else of value to offer."
If possible, Su Cheng hoped to exchange the Spirit Bead for something purchasable from the system store.
Even Immortal-grade treasures were irreplaceable. Once lost or destroyed, there was no way to obtain them again.
Su Cheng possessed numerous magical treasures, some of which he didn't even recognize. After all, he couldn't use them, so he rarely examined or inventoried them carefully.
These treasures had all come with the system upon his arrival in this world. Su Cheng suspected the system might be hinting for him to open a divine artifact shop to trade them.
Su Cheng had indeed contemplated this path, but he knew that doing so would make him a fish on the chopping block. In that scenario, he'd lose both his treasures and his life.
Yu Lan smiled. Su Cheng was surprisingly composed, but she wasn't the one in a hurry. She simply remained silent, watching him.
"Sister Dragon King?"
Yu Lan propped her chin on her hand, amused, twirling the jade pendant she'd just stolen from Su Cheng. "Since the beginning, you haven't once addressed me by name. To me, humans are an inferior race. There's no need for such formality."
The jade pendant was exquisite, radiating a profound spiritual aura. It clearly wasn't an ordinary piece of jade; it contained divine power, sealed like a jade slip with special spatio-temporal abilities.
Su Cheng, however, remained unconcerned. The jade pendant was bound to him; in anyone else's hands, it was merely an ordinary ornament.
The same applied to Ye Qinghan and Li Shiyao. Li Shiyao's Jade Pendant currently only possessed storage space and communication functions. Even if she obtained the senior sister's pendant, she wouldn't be able to summon the treasures of the Moon-Winding Pavilion.
Su Cheng narrowed his eyes slightly and smiled. "Sister, you're overthinking it. I didn't mean it that way."
"Then you have nothing to trade with me. Since that's the case, go about your business."
Yu Lan no longer felt rushed. Su Cheng's thoughts weren't that difficult to discern—while she couldn't be certain, she could make a pretty good guess.
Whether he was going to rescue someone or not, Su Cheng still wanted the Spirit Pearl. There was no need for her to force him to stay. Judging by his demeanor, he probably wouldn't run off anyway.
"Um…"
"What? You wouldn't be thinking of using force to snatch my spirit pearl, would you?"
Yu Lan had noticed the subtle shift in Su Cheng's demeanor just now. Those narrowed eyes clearly signaled he was plotting something.
But she wasn't afraid. If anyone and everyone could come snatch her possessions, the Spirit Pearl would have been stolen long ago and wouldn't have remained with her until now.
Besides, the spirit orb was sealed within her spiritual platform. Beyond nurturing and absorbing millennia of cultivation within it, it also served as a protective barrier against mental-type magical artifacts. It had never left her side for a single year.
To obtain the Spirit Pearl, one would either need Yu Lan's willing consent or Yu Lan's death.
Yu Lan didn't consider herself invincible, but she had few equals in the world. Very few could even fight her to a standstill, let alone kill her.
"I won't hide it from you, Sister. Back then, I didn't recognize your true stature and mistakenly thought you were a wicked dragon ruling over the mountains. That's why I had such thoughts. Now that I've met you, I see you are gentle and kind. What I heard about the world beyond these mountains was just rumors. So, I no longer harbor such intentions."
Yulan smiled. Though Su Cheng wore an expression as harmless as a lamb, his mind was sharp.
His words held no flaws—while feigning weakness, he subtly revealed sharpness, signaling he wasn't a bully or a sycophant. Most crucially, he seized the moment to pull out the universal four-character phrase to curry favor, clearly stating he meant no harm.
Meanwhile, Ye Qinghan had just arrived at Ling Mountain when she encountered Su Muchan and Dongfang Jue.
"What are you doing here? Didn't I tell you to stay away from me?"
Ye Qinghan's hostility was written all over her face. When it came to anyone who might threaten Lingxian Hall, she wanted nothing more than to eliminate them immediately—smiling politely was simply beyond her.
"Um… I came to get the antidote."
Ye Qinghan crossed her arms and chuckled. She rather liked the wealthy ones~
"Did you bring the money?"
Su Muchan glanced at Dongfang Jue beside her. Dongfang Jue shrugged. Truthfully, she’d seen Ye Qinghan’s attitude countless times and was long past being surprised.
But Su Muchan… she had forgotten to bring any money…
The kicker was that Su Muchan genuinely hadn't expected Ye Qinghan to actually be after those two hundred taels!
Ye Qinghan crossed her arms, visibly delighted, then hooked her little finger out.
"Um… two hundred taels?"
Su Muchan looked equally awkward. This Ye Qinghan… didn't seem like someone who needed two hundred taels!
Seeing Su Muchan hesitate, Ye Qinghan's smile began to fade.
"What else? Did you think I came here to save the world? Didn't I make it crystal clear last time? Two hundred taels—not a single one less!"
Before coming to the Southern Realm, Su Muchan had indeed considered encountering difficult situations.
But she truly hadn't anticipated that the biggest problem would be being flat broke…
Who in their right mind carries two hundred taels around with them? Even with a storage ring, Su Muchan didn't have the habit of keeping that much cash on her person.
"What? Think it's too expensive? Then wait to die. I've got things to do. I'm off."
Ye Qinghan, however, was different in this regard. As the Su family's daughter-in-law, her jade pendant always had a compartment reserved for money.
Once they were out, every expense, big or small, fell on her. Last time, her master had inexplicably booked the entire inn. Even when she confronted the owner, he couldn't explain why.
Ye Qinghan never carried excessive funds when traveling, though a thousand taels was certainly within her means. Yet, influenced by her master's frugality, she avoided extravagance.
In her eyes, while two hundred taels was certainly no small sum, she couldn't help but think Su Muchan was being rather stingy. After all, this was buying her life—if she didn't want to pay, then forget it!
Dongfang Jue analyzed the situation briefly. The fact that Ye Qinghan treated Su Muchan this way showed she wasn't an ordinary person. He simply waved his hand and asked the guards for two hundred taels.
One was a witch, the other a princess. Though both came from formidable backgrounds, neither had the habit of carrying money when they went out.
Especially Dongfang Jue—wherever he went, he could simply approach any government office and request funds. The officials wouldn't object; they'd be more than happy to oblige.
Though Dongfang Jue harbored doubts about Ye Qinghan's poisoning, he didn't dwell on it.
As for Su Muchan, she had indeed brought some silver on this journey… though certainly not as much as two hundred taels…
After all, she'd come to assassinate Cheng Liang. Who knew the attempt would fail, leaving her life now in someone else's hands?
Dongfang Jue decided to buy the antidote for Su Muchan. Ye Qinghan had no objections—she couldn't care less whose money it came from, as long as it paid the bill!
"Dongfang Jue, you seem pretty loaded~"
Watching Ye Qinghan open the velvet pouch and examine the silver inside, her face instantly lighting up with delight, Su Muchan’s opinion of him shifted…
Countless possibilities flashed through Su Muchan's mind, but she never imagined—she genuinely wanted two hundred taels!
============================================================