388: Chapter 388 One Drop for Ten Drops

Ling Hao snapped out of that wondrous aftertaste, realizing that what he had blurted out was rather abrupt, and apologized:

"My apologies. I was momentarily moved by my thoughts and spoke without thinking. Please do not take offense, Lady Shi Ji."

The flush on Shi Yunyu's face had not yet fully faded, and upon hearing this, she merely shook her head slightly:

"It is fine."

She lowered her eyelashes, masking the complex expression in her eyes.

Shi Qingxuan gave a light cough, trying her best to steer the topic back on track:

"Mother, Supreme Moonshadow, let us continue discussing the matter of the Ten Thousand Miasma Demon Forest."

"Very well."

Ling Hao naturally picked up the cup of "milk tea" and took a leisurely sip. The rich, milky fragrance melted between his lips and teeth, and a gentle warmth slid down his throat, putting him in a pleasant mood.

He should ask later if he could trade for some of this delicacy to take back to the Sect.

Seeing Ling Hao's intoxicated expression, Shi Yunyu suddenly felt a slight itch in her chest.

She secretly suppressed that strange sensation, took a deep breath, and said seriously:

"The core reason I invited you here, Fellow Daoist, is because of the trouble in the Ten Thousand Miasma Demon Forest. Deep within the Demon Forest dwell three great ancient Yao Race tribes."

"The Golden-Scaled Black Python tribe, whose Python Ancestor has thick skin and flesh, and poisonous mist that can blot out the sky; the Nether Sword-Toothed Tiger tribe, whose Tiger Ancestor possesses speed unrivaled in the world, and whose path of slaughter is pinnacle; and the Soul-Devouring Demon Flower tribe, whose Flower Ancestor's mental attacks are eerie and unpredictable, striking directly at the Divine Soul. The ancestors of these three tribes are all Mahayana Stage Yao ancestors with monstrous ferocity."

"Later, when the rules became chaotic, the main root of the Fallen Immortal Ancient Banyan appeared, and the erosion qi erupted. Little... Supreme Baiyan entered the Ten Thousand Miasma Demon Forest alone, wielding the rock cauldron, and joined forces with the three Yao tribes to suppress the main root of the Fallen Immortal Ancient Banyan."

"But a hundred years ago, strange noises came from the depths of the Demon Forest, and the Erosion Beast Tide erupted, intensifying ever since. A few months ago, I went deep into the core area to investigate, intending to communicate and connect with those three tribes, but I was ambushed by the Tiger Ancestor..."

Before she could finish, Shi Yunyu suddenly clutched her chest and began to cough violently.

"Cough, cough, cough—"

A mouthful of stagnant blood splattered onto the cold jade floor, with grey-black erosion qi faintly swirling within the blood.

Beneath the loose cloak she wore, several wisps of erosion qi uncontrollably escaped, making a faint "sizzling" sound in the air.

"Mother!"

Shi Qingxuan's expression changed drastically, and she hurriedly stepped forward to support her.

Ling Hao frowned slightly, pondered for a moment, and flipped his hand to produce a crystal-clear jade bottle. The spring water inside was clear to the bottom, yet it faintly exuded a rich vitality, as if it contained a pool of concentrated spring.

"If Lady Shi Ji does not mind, you might want to try this."

He handed over the jade bottle,

"Sheng-Sheng Creation Spring; it should be quite effective against injuries from erosion qi."

Shi Yunyu looked at the jade bottle presented before her, a flash of hesitation in her eyes.

Seeing this, Ling Hao curled his lips into a smile:

"I just drank your 'milk tea' and wasn't afraid of being poisoned; are you afraid I would poison you? You let me taste such delicious milk tea, so this little thing is just a return gift."

He paused, his smile deepening: "Besides, if I truly wanted to do something, I wouldn't need to go through such trouble."

These words were spoken lightly, yet they exuded unquestionable confidence.

Shi Yunyu was slightly startled by his words and looked up at him—only to quickly lower her eyelashes, seemingly afraid to meet his gaze.

As expected, she was stunned by my good looks and demeanor.

Sigh, this is the trouble of being a handsome guy; just saying anything makes people afraid to look directly at me.

Cough, cough, just kidding.

Shi Yunyu took the jade bottle and uncorked it. A surge of boundless vitality rushed towards her, and she felt as if even the erosion qi was being purified.

A flash of surprise crossed her eyes.

Such a treasure, and he just gave it away casually?

She tilted her head and drank a mouthful, feeling the warm liquid melt upon entering her throat, turning into countless tiny warm currents that surged into her limbs and bones.

The erosion qi that had plagued her for months, like snow meeting the sun, disintegrated and melted away.

"What powerful vitality..."

She exclaimed softly, the erosion qi escaping from her body having mostly dissipated, and her injuries greatly improved.

"Thank you, Fellow Daoist."

She solemnly put away the jade bottle, her expression gaining a bit more sincerity.

Ling Hao waved his hand and continued the previous topic:

"Since a union could be reached back then, some kind of agreement must have been established. Why would that Tiger Ancestor still attack you? And now, when it is time to overcome difficulties together, why would those three Yao tribes push away combat power?"

Shi Yunyu shook her head and said:

"The Tiger Ancestor... and the other two ancestors... I fear they have already been eroded by the erosion qi!"

"Supreme Baiyan reached an agreement with the three Yao tribes—the three Yao tribes would assist the rock cauldron in suppressing the main root, and humans would never step into the depths of the Ten Thousand Miasma Demon Forest. But now, in this situation..."

"Mother! Why didn't you tell me about this?"

Shi Qingxuan only now understood the deeper layer of information. In that case, these three Mahayana Stage Erosion Beasts were not newly formed; they were likely already at the Mahayana Stage and were then eroded. The latter is far more terrifying than the former!

Shi Yunyu sighed,

"Whether I explained it clearly or vaguely, wouldn't the result be the same?"

Shi Qingxuan fell silent.

Ling Hao rubbed his chin, thoughtful: "Is that so..."

The three tribes helping to suppress the main root, the three Yao ancestors suspected of being eroded...

A moment later, the erosion qi in Shi Yunyu's body had completely dissipated.

She felt that surging vitality flowing through her Meridians and was amazed.

"This Sheng-Sheng Creation Spring... to have such miraculous effects on injuries from erosion qi!"

She looked up at Ling Hao, hesitating, "Fellow Daoist, I wonder if... this spring water could be traded for? I am willing to exchange it with treasures from the Holy Land."

Upon hearing this, Ling Hao's eyes suddenly lit up.

He looked thoughtfully at Shi Yunyu, then at Shi Qingxuan, the corners of his mouth curling into an arc.

"Trade? There is no need for treasures from the Holy Land."

He smiled even more brightly,

"Why not trade with that stone heart jade marrow? One drop for ten drops, how about that?"

In any case, for him, the Sheng-Sheng Creation Spring was inexhaustible.

As soon as these words were spoken, Shi Yunyu and Shi Qingxuan froze simultaneously, then spoke in unison.

"No!"

Ling Hao frowned.

Shi Qingxuan looked troubled and hurriedly explained:

"Supreme, it is not that we are stingy with this item, it is just... it is just that the essence that can be extracted during this period has all been put into that bottle."

Ling Hao showed obvious regret upon hearing this. But suddenly his eyes lit up:

"So... this item is not non-renewable? There will be more in the future?"

His eyes sparkled, and his fingers tapped lightly on the cold jade table:

"Then couldn't it be traded long-term? I am willing to trade the Sheng-Sheng Creation Spring in fixed quantities, settling once a month, how about that?"

A flush instantly flew across Shi Yunyu's cheeks again, even dyeing her earlobes pink. She lowered her head, her voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz:

"This... this item is not meant for trading..."

Ling Hao was even more confused and asked:

"Why? Didn't you say earlier that it wasn't a rare treasure? Since it is something available daily, wouldn't trading for Sheng-Sheng Creation Spring, which has miraculous effects on healing, be the best of both worlds?"

He paused and added:

"If you feel that the Sheng-Sheng Creation Spring is not enough, my Sect also has Soul Nourishing Liquid, Body Tempering Spirit Milk, a wide variety; Lady Shi Ji is welcome to choose."

Shi Yunyu: "..."

She was so embarrassed that she could barely speak, her fingers unconsciously twisting her sleeves, and those gentle, water-like eyes only dared to stare at the ground, as if flowers had suddenly bloomed there.

Shi Qingxuan watched from the side, anxious, and hurriedly tried to smooth things over, her voice a bit fluttery:

"If the Supreme really likes it, let's... let's talk about it later!"

Ling Hao frowned slightly, looking puzzled:

"Later? Why later? Since it is a renewable item, wouldn't it be better to set the contract early? Sect Master Shi just said she wasn't stingy, so that means she is willing to trade, right?"

He looked at the mother and daughter with sincere eyes, his manner of seriously discussing the trade not looking like a joke at all.

Shi Yunyu's face turned even redder, almost to the point of bleeding. She opened her mouth but could not make a sound.

Shi Qingxuan bit the bullet and said:

"Supreme, you do not know, this... the production of this 'stone heart jade marrow'... is not... not obtained through ordinary means..."

Her voice grew quieter as she spoke, the last few words almost swallowed in her mouth.

Ling Hao was even more confused:

"Oh? Then what means are required? Does it need some Heaven And Earth Treasure to nourish it? Or does it need a special Cultivation Technique to assist? If external objects are needed, my Moonshadow Sect does have some collection—"

"Fellow Daoist!"

Shi Yunyu raised her head and interrupted him. The flush on her face had already spread to her neck, her eyes glistening with moisture, and her voice trembled:

"This item... really cannot be used as a trade item. Please, Fellow Daoist... do not mention it again."

After saying this, she quickly lowered her eyelashes again, her chest heaving slightly, clearly embarrassed to the extreme.

Ling Hao looked at the mother and daughter's abnormal reaction, and smelled the unique, calming milky fragrance in the air—that fragrance, wisp by wisp, seemed to be drifting from across the table.

His gaze covertly swept over the contour of Shi Yunyu's chest, which was wrapped in a loose cloak.

After changing into a different outfit, its size was comparable to Yu Qing's, perhaps even greater?

Ling Hao recalled the taste of that cup of "milk tea" just now, mellow and rich, the taste of a mother that reached straight to the Divine Soul; he remembered Shi Yunyu's trembling fingers when she dripped the liquid into the jade bottle; he remembered how, when he mentioned "milk tea" just now, she was too shy to look at him...

An extremely bold and "evil" thought struck his mind like lightning!

Could this... be...