Chapter 160: The Qiankun Love Inquiry Valley
Furina looked at him with a half-smile and countered: "So, you really have seriously considered the matter of merging the Black Tortoise Sect into my Church of the Water God and becoming a subsidiary sect?"
Xu Sanshi coughed lightly twice to hide his embarrassment: "Ahem... well..."
He scratched his head and simply decided to be frank: "In any case, even if I truly wanted to, there's no way I could bring the Black Tortoise Sect into the Church of the Water God. Our Black Tortoise Sect may not compare to the likes of top-tier great sects like the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect, but we're by no means weak on the continent. What's more, we hold the secret formula for the Profound Water Pill—something every major power scrambles and vies for. Relying on this secret formula, the Black Tortoise Sect hasn't exactly been short on wealth these past years."
After hearing him out, Furina let out a soft laugh.
Xu Sanshi furrowed his brow, somewhat puzzled: "What are you laughing at? Everything I've said is the truth."
"I know," Furina nodded, her smile undiminished. "Of course I know your Black Tortoise Sect is renowned for producing Profound Water Pills. But I also happen to know—yours doesn't seem to be the only house that can produce them anymore."
She tilted her head slightly, revealing a deeply meaningful smile: "As the young master, you should be aware of this matter too, yes?"
Xu Sanshi's expression changed drastically.
"Y-you... how do you know this? Did Bei Bei tell you?"
This was the only possibility he could think of. He had only ever mentioned this matter to Bei Bei. And Bei Bei was now a member of the Church of the Water God; even if he hadn't spoken of it, Tang Ya, with her unguarded mouth, definitely would have let it slip.
As for any other possibilities... he didn't dare think of them, and didn't want to.
Furina, however, only answered blandly: "All I know is that I know more things than you do. If you wish to hear them, you'll have to pay a small price."
The corner of her lips curved upward, her voice carrying a note of lazy certainty: "You must understand—intelligence, as long as it hasn't gone stale, is always worth something."
Xu Sanshi's Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed unconsciously.
Furina's expression didn't look like she was bluffing him.
He remained silent for a moment, then finally spoke: "Then... What is the price?"
A trace of laughter flickered through the depths of Furina's eyes.
The fish had taken the bait.
"Very simple. You, young master, must be loyal to me."
"This..."
Xu Sanshi's face stiffened.
The words sounded simple enough, but doing it was far too difficult. The three words "be loyal to me" covered far too broad a scope—and were far too vague. Who knew what she might demand of him in the future?
Just as his expression was growing increasingly unsightly, Furina abruptly shifted gears and burst out laughing:
"I'm joking. Look how scared you got."
She waved a dismissive hand, her tone lightening: "It's free of charge. Just consider it as making a friend."
Only then did Xu Sanshi let out a long breath, but inwardly, he grew even more vigilant.
He knew perfectly well that gifts never fell from the heavens.
But Furina had already withdrawn her smile and spoke with complete seriousness: "Setting aside the other powers that now possess the Profound Water Pill formula, let's just look at your Black Tortoise Sect itself. Relying on nothing but a single Profound Water Pill recipe, plus your martial soul and its so-called evolution method—frankly, thinking you can go far in the long run like that... it's impossible."
She looked directly into Xu Sanshi's eyes, enunciating each word clearly: "This is the era of soul tools. If you don't transform, don't develop soul tools, don't expand your scale, don't accept talents with other martial souls... I estimate that the Black Tortoise Sect won't last a thousand years before it's finished."
Xu Sanshi frowned, a touch of skepticism in his voice: "Aren't you... exaggerating just a little?"
"Exaggerating?" Furina gave a cold laugh. "I'd say I'm being generous with that timeline."
She took a step forward, her voice low but each word crystal clear: "The Sun Moon Empire's strength is growing year by year. Their research into soul tools as weapons has long since far surpassed the three great empires. The enmity between the Sun Moon Empire and the three great empires isn't something that started just a day or two ago. Even in this so-called era of peace, the small skirmishes along the borders have never once ceased."
"You want to say that with Shrek Academy holding the ground, the balance between the three sides can be maintained?" She shook her head. "But you have to understand—no matter how strong Shrek is, in the end, it's still just an academy. If the continent truly erupts into full-scale war, whether Shrek can step forward as it did back when it resisted the Sun Moon Empire's invasion—that's still unknown. Simply preserving itself would already be difficult enough."
Xu Sanshi wanted to retort, but found he couldn't open his mouth.
Furina continued: "Hyper Douluos are hard to come by. Limit Douluos are existences as rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns on this continent. But Class 9 soul tools can be endlessly manufactured, batch after batch, and their power is not necessarily inferior to that of a Hyper Douluo, or even a Limit Douluo."
She fixed her gaze upon Xu Sanshi, her eyes calm yet piercingly sharp: "If war truly breaks out, my bet is on the Sun Moon Empire's certain victory—even with Shrek Academy added to the equation. Unless Shrek can completely unite the three great empires under a single, unified command. But you tell me—would the three great empires willingly let Shrek ride on their heads and give them orders?"
Xu Sanshi fell silent.
His understanding of politics and military affairs was not deep, but he understood the most fundamental principle: no one was willing to be trampled under another's feet. Shrek, in name, was only an academy. How could those three lofty, high-and-mighty emperors willingly submit to its direction?
"Of course they wouldn't," Furina answered. "When that time comes and the three great empires are annihilated, do you think the Black Tortoise Sect can remain untouched and unscathed?"
Her tone was calm, yet it was as if she were laying out an already predetermined future: "How many Titled Douluos do you have? Do you have as many as Shrek? As many as the three great empires? No. When that time comes, you'll either be conveniently wiped out by the Sun Moon Empire, or have the very foundation of your survival stripped away. Something as enticing as the Profound Water Pill—surely it's safest when held in one's own hands, isn't that right?"
Xu Sanshi's brow was deeply furrowed. He couldn't help but cut in: "What exactly are you trying to say? Why are you dragging this further and further off-topic?"
"I'm simply telling you the current state of affairs," Furina shrugged. "So that when you make your decision in a moment, you'll have a proper foundation of understanding."
She paused, and her tone grew lighter: "Alright, since you feel we've strayed too far, let's return to the main point. Let me tell you who that other power is—the one that also holds the Profound Water Pill formula."
But before she could finish, Xu Sanshi suddenly spoke, his voice laden with complex emotion: "It couldn't be... your Church of the Water God?"
His mind was racing back through their conversation just now—
Why had Furina told him so many things? Why had she analyzed the continental situation? Why did she want him to bring the Black Tortoise Sect into the Church of the Water God?
The answer seemed to be practically shouting at him.
The Church of the Water God was the second power that possessed the Profound Water Pill formula. And not only did they have the formula, they also had vast quantities of the medicinal ingredients to refine Profound Water Pills, and foundations that far exceeded the Black Tortoise Sect's.
He hoped this guess was right, and he also hoped it was wrong.
Right, because it would mean he could rightfully and smoothly bring the Black Tortoise Sect into the Church of the Water God—clinging to a massive thigh while also being able to spend his days in close contact with Nannan.
Wrong, because a faint sliver of fear was already growing in his heart. If the Church of the Water God even had the Profound Water Pill, then just how many more things were they still hiding?
Furina inclined her head slightly, the corner of her lips curling upward: "Correct guess."
She then withdrew a small bottle from her storage ring and casually tossed it to Xu Sanshi.
"Take a look. Profound Water Pills."
Xu Sanshi fumbled to catch it, pulled out the stopper, and tipped a pill into his palm.
The medicinal fragrance assailed his nostrils, the color round and lustrous—no matter how he looked at it, it was exactly identical to the ones produced by his own family. No, he even felt... Its appearance and quality were a touch better.
He then glanced inside the bottle—a full ten pills.
Ten Profound Water Pills, and she had just casually tossed them to him like that?
It was as if, to the Church of the Water God, this stuff truly was worthless.
Furina smiled, light and breezy as a cloud: "Like them? If you do, take them. I've got even better things here."
As she spoke, she seemed to inadvertently withdraw two pills from her storage ring, shaking them lightly in her hand before swiftly putting them away again.
But in that fleeting instant, Xu Sanshi had already seen them clearly—those two pills were precisely Soul Ascension Pills. And Soul Ascension Pills were more than a single tier above Profound Water Pills.
"Damn... is your Church of the Water God this obscenely wealthy?!" Xu Sanshi couldn't hold back the profanity.
"It's alright," Furina said in a bland tone. "Just a mere ten-millionth of our wealth, that's all."
"Sss—" Xu Sanshi drew in a sharp breath. He didn't know whether to believe her or not. All he knew was that he had to give Furina and the Church of the Water God behind her a big thumbs-up.
Just what kind of transcendent existence was this? Which hidden, reclusive sect could possibly have such foundations? The legendary Clear Sky Sect? Impossible—even the Clear Sky Sect couldn't pull this off, could they?!
Furina smiled faintly and struck while the iron was hot: "So, do you now wish to bring the Black Tortoise Sect into my Church of the Water God?"
Her tone was light and casual, yet carried an unquestionable, resolute certainty: "This opportunity comes only once. Next time, it won't be me inviting you—it'll be you clinging to my thigh, crying and shouting, begging me to take you in. And when that time comes, it'll depend on my mood. After all, whether I have the Black Tortoise Sect or not truly makes no difference to me."
Her words were half-truth, half-fabrication.
The Black Tortoise Sect indeed wasn't important. But the secret formula for the Profound Water Pill was very important. One day, when she ascended to the Divine Realm, no matter how many Profound Water Pills she could exchange for right before leaving, they would eventually run out. Only by holding the formula itself could they be produced endlessly, achieving true, sustainable development.
Xu Sanshi's heart was moved.
Truly, genuinely moved.
He could cling to the massive thigh that was the Church of the Water God, and he could be in close, daily contact with Nannan. This was simply a perfect, couldn't-be-more-perfect plan!
Even if his old man was going to break his legs... Well, for Nannan's sake, broken legs were worth it!
Seeing the shift in his expression, Furina added another log to the fire: "Oh, right. I'll throw in another piece of free intelligence, just as a meeting gift."
She lowered her voice and leaned in slightly, her expression taking on a mysterious, playful edge: "If you want to truly reconcile with Jiang Nannan and return to how things were before, apart from changing your behavior, your words and actions, and your character and disposition—you'll also need to find a certain treasured place."
Xu Sanshi was taken aback: "A treasured place? What treasured place?"
"The Qiankun Love Inquiry Valley."
Furina enunciated those five words with a note of mystique in her tone:
"That place is the domain of the God of Love. If fate allows you to find that place, and if you bring Jiang Nannan there with you, it's possible you may be able to mend the feelings between you."
She paused, then added: "It's only a possibility. I wouldn't dare make any guarantees. And before that, you'll have to put in the effort to leave a good impression in her heart first—otherwise, even if you did go to the Love Inquiry Valley, it would all be for nothing."
Xu Sanshi's heart surged with excitement. He immediately pressed: "Then do you know where this Qiankun Love Inquiry Valley is?"
Furina rolled her eyes and retorted with exasperation: "How would I know? Didn't I just say you need fate to find it? If I knew its exact location, I would've dug the whole place up long ago and turned it into my Church of the Water God's private backyard garden."
These words were no lie. Aside from the Qiankun Love Inquiry Valley, she also wanted to dig up the Yin-Yang Eyes of Ice and Fire—even though as long as she could exchange for the Flame of Life, she could endlessly produce high-grade medicinal ingredients, who would ever complain about having too many treasured locations?
Xu Sanshi, however, failed to grasp the deeper meaning behind her words. He merely scratched his head, his face a mixture of excitement and bewilderment.
Watching his expression, Furina couldn't help laughing inwardly.
The Love-Brained Continent. The name truly is well-earned. For the sake of love, these people really will throw away absolutely everything.
She withdrew her thoughts and said coolly: "The intelligence has been given to you. Whether you seize the opportunity or not—that's up to you. As for the matter of the Black Tortoise Sect... go back and think it over carefully. Come find me once you've thought it through. Give me your answer within one month~"
Having said this, she turned and walked deeper into the woods, leaving Xu Sanshi standing there alone. Clutching the Profound Water Pills in his hand, he stared after her retreating figure, not moving for a long, long time.
Sunlight spilled through the leaves and branches, casting dappled patterns of light and shadow across the path. Furina's steps were light and unhurried, the corner of her lips carrying a faint, almost imperceptible smile.
The bait had been cast.
Whether this fish could be reeled in—that all depended on just how much of a "love-brain" he himself was.