Stall Owner Zhou stopped speaking and slowly lowered his head.
Hearing these words,
Wang Ziyu's Face showed a look of sighing emotion.
In this world,
this is the fate of forces outside the orthodox lineages.
One either learns from the Lu family's Spirit Mountain, seeking a large tree to lean on, wagging their tail for pity and acting as a watchdog for others.
Or... like this Pill Cauldron Sect, one is toyed with at will, without even the right to utter a sound.
Jiang Yuechu calculated silently in her heart.
Spirit Mountain again... It seemed that many things she had encountered along the way were related to this mysterious demonic force.
As it stood,
there was more than one Dao Lineage standing behind Spirit Mountain.
To be an enemy of Spirit Mountain was to be an enemy of most of the orthodox Dao sects in the Eastern Region.
Now, it seemed there were only two paths to take.
Either learn from the Lu Clan of Spirit Mountain, attaching oneself to a Dao Lineage as a dog to find a way for the Great Tang to survive.
Or... carve out a path through blood.
But whether it was her or the precarious Great Tang behind her, neither currently had the ability to contend with such a colossus.
The young girl looked up and spoke slowly.
"Those two Demon Emperors, do you know their names?"
Stall Owner Zhou's body stiffened, and he suddenly looked up.
A flicker of surprise flashed in the clouded eyes beneath the bamboo hat, but he quickly adjusted his mindset and nodded. "Naturally. One is the Demon Emperor of Spirit Mountain's Fourth Cave, calling himself Taiyuan. The other is the Demon Emperor of Spirit Mountain's Seventh Cave, Azure Fox."
"Both Demons... are at the late stage of Ascending the Tower."
Two late-stage Ascending the Tower Demon Emperors, plus the backing of the Chunyang Lineage.
This deal was not an easy one.
Jiang Yuechu did indeed covet that pair of gauntlets, but she was no fool who ignored the heights of heaven and depths of earth.
If she risked her life and used all her trump cards, she might be able to kill them.
But what after killing them?
Wouldn't it just needlessly accelerate the wrath of the Chunyang Lineage?
To gamble the entire fate of the Great Tang for a mere Magic Treasure.
It wasn't worth it.
The girl remained silent for a long time, the heat in her eyes gradually cooling.
She shook her head, her voice cold and clear.
"I cannot do this for now."
As her voice fell,
the bamboo hat behind the stall trembled slightly.
Stall Owner Zhou's previously straight back instantly slumped.
It made sense.
What was he hoping for?
Looking across this vast Eastern Region, how many would dare to touch the Chunyang Lineage's precious assets for a mere Magic Treasure?
He was being delusional after all.
Since the deal was off, there was nothing more to say.
Dispirited, Stall Owner Zhou was about to say some polite parting words when he heard the girl's voice again.
"Where are the people of the Pill Cauldron Sect currently being held?"
Stall Owner Zhou was stunned and replied subconsciously, "Still at Spirit Mountain..."
Jiang Yuechu nodded slightly. "I cannot kill Wang Canglan right now, nor do I dare to, but I can help you rescue the people of the Pill Cauldron Sect."
Once these words were spoken,
beside them, Wang Ziyu's eyelids twitched wildly.
How was this any better than killing Wang Canglan?
Had she become addicted to killing?
She had just slaughtered two Demon Emperors, and now she wanted to break into someone's lair?
Stall Owner Zhou, however, showed no joy.
Rescue the Sect?
And after they were rescued?
The Eastern Region was vast, but where would there be a place for the Pill Cauldron Sect to stay?
As long as Wang Canglan was still alive,
even if they fled to the ends of the earth, he would never let it go.
In truth, he knew as well.
Even if Wang Canglan was killed... with the death of a Prodigy, the Chunyang Lineage would surely drag the entire Pill Cauldron Sect down with him.
"Whether it's saving people or killing, the Pill Cauldron Sect... is already in a dead end. Since it's a dead end, why seek liberation? What I seek now is merely to vent this resentment."
Even if the Pill Cauldron Sect was completely wiped out,
as long as he could take Wang Canglan down with them and see him die first.
Other than that,
everything was in vain.
Everything was so powerless.
This was the sorrow of the weak.
Even the power to choose life or death was not in one's own hands.
Jiang Yuechu listened quietly.
She did not speak to refute him, nor did she mock his obsession.
Compared to him, how similar was the Great Tang?
However, the only difference
was that the Great Tang had her, Jiang Yuechu.
She just took a deep look at that pair of gauntlets.
Then she turned around and walked away.
Before leaving, she left a sentence: "Think it over carefully. I will stay here for a few more days. If you reach a decision and can accept this compromise, come find me again."
...The three of them wandered around the White Jade Square for a while longer.
This Treasure Gathering Assembly of the Lu family was indeed worthy of its reputation.
Many things Jiang Yuechu had never seen before opened her eyes.
Some even stirred a few sparks of desire in her heart.
But as soon as she asked the price,
Jiang Yuechu left the stall expressionlessly.
Wang Ziyu watched from the side with amusement.
Opportunities to see Jiang Yuechu suffer a setback were rare.
"I'm not looking anymore."
The girl flicked her sleeves and turned away; looking more would only be frustrating, so she might as well start making contact with the Lu family.
Running Ox, following behind, seemed somewhat uneasy.
His dark Face was full of conflict; he wanted to speak but hesitated, opening his mouth several times only to swallow his words.
Jiang Yuechu glanced sideways in doubt. "Just say what's on your mind. Why are you holding that cow Face like you're performing a play for me?"
Running Ox shuddered and gave a sheepish smile. "Actually, it's nothing..."
"Tsk..."
Seeing the girl's impatience, he quickly said, "I wanted to say, once things here are settled and you've obtained the Golden Body Technique, could you... could you allow me to leave for a while?"
"You want to go to Spirit Mountain?"
"Moo?"
Running Ox suddenly looked up, his two bovine eyes wide with shock. "You... how did you know?"
Jiang Yuechu rolled her eyes.
"I'm not deaf."
Previously on the road, they were intercepted and attacked by three Great Demons of Spirit Mountain.
Although she was confronting the Thousand Feathers Demon Emperor with her mind tense,
it didn't mean she was oblivious to her surroundings.
Especially that Crimson Blood Demon Emperor, whose voice was as loud as thunder; it was hard not to hear him.
"From what that tiger demon said, the Demons of the Great Marsh went to settle a score, but instead of settling it, they ended up getting themselves caught."
Hearing this, Running Ox's straight back slumped a bit.
A bitter expression appeared on his Face. "Actually, in the past, if Spirit Mountain went too far like this and even dared to touch the Demons of our Great Marsh, with the Lord's former temper, he would have attacked them long ago..."
At this point, Running Ox sighed, his eyes full of confusion.
"But for some reason, the Lord didn't take action this time, and instead let my big sister go alone..."
Although his big sister was quite strong, running off to someone else's territory alone to cause trouble was a bit suicidal... and the result was no surprise.
Running Ox took a deep breath, clenched his fists, and said in a low voice, "Though my skills are meager, I still know the meaning of the word loyalty."
"big sister did it for the Face of the Great Marsh and for us brothers."
"Now she's trapped in that tiger's den of Spirit Mountain, her fate unknown. If I still hide outside like nothing's wrong..."
"Then being a Demon would be too meaningless."
Having said that,
he looked at the girl with some trepidation.
After all, he had a prior agreement with her.
But now he was breaking his word, and the Spirit Mountain Demon Emperors had even arrived earlier than expected.
If not for the girl's terrifying strength,
there would be no place for the three of them to be standing here right now...