0p0 Chapter 137 Rong Yan's Whereabouts
Chapter 137 Rong Yan's Whereabouts
This strange scene made Shang Wen cough twice.
He asked tactfully, "Is it that the food I prepared today is not to your esteemed guests' liking?"
"What would you two distinguished guests like to eat? Shall I instruct the kitchen to prepare it now?"
Li Shao refused with a straight face: "No need. After we reach the Foundation Establishment stage, we abstain from grains and eat nothing else."
Shang Wen offered a few more words of advice, but seeing that the two still showed no intention of touching their chopsticks, he gave up.
After several rounds of drinks with Wen Fuyue, Shang Wen, slightly tipsy, finally became a little anxious when he saw that Wen Fuyue had no intention of asking any questions.
He remarked with emotion, "Decades have passed since we parted, and Master Wen's disciples have all become young talents."
"I wonder if Peak Master Wen still remembers my Fu'er?"
Wen Fuyue was taken aback and asked, "What's wrong with her?"
He remembered that Shang Fu was Shang Wen's only daughter.
When he traveled to Wangyue City before, Shang Fu was just a teenage girl who had only reached the Qi Refining stage.
If things go smoothly, Shang Fu should have obtained the Golden Elixir by now.
When Shang Fu was mentioned, Shang Wen looked sad, and his once upright shoulders slumped.
He said, "Ten years ago, when strange phenomena suddenly appeared on Kunlun Mountain, Fu'er led people into the mountain to investigate, but they were accidentally injured by the mountain-guarding monster."
"She has been in a coma for ten years now, and I have exhausted all my energy just to keep her breathing."
"The healer in the Valley of Healers said that this is not an illness, but rather that her sea of consciousness has been frozen by the demonic aura of that monster."
"There is only a glimmer of hope if we use Snow Sun Grass as a catalyst to refine the medicine."
"However, the growth conditions of Snow Sun Grass are harsh. Over the past ten years, I have sent many cultivators to investigate, and only the place guarded by the demon beast happens to have this herb growing."
Shang Wen hesitated, "If... if Peak Master Wen were to pass by that place, could you perhaps find a way to bring me a spiritual herb?"
Fearing that Wen Fuyue would refuse, he quickly added, "If you are willing, whatever I have, you only need to say so, and I will gladly offer it to you."
"If it's inconvenient, just pretend I never mentioned this. I just hope Peak Master Wen can keep an eye out for me. If there's any news about Snow Sun Grass elsewhere, please let me know."
Upon hearing this, Yun Yici and the other two realized that this meal was indeed not free, and they all stopped eating, feeling that the food in front of them no longer tasted good.
Before Wen Fuyue could speak, Di Zhao became interested: "You, a city lord, haven't been able to obtain a single herb in ten years? Just how powerful is that demonic beast?"
The emperor, unusually, considered the possibility of subduing the ferocious beast and bringing it back to the demon realm to intimidate other demonic cultivators.
Shang Wen sighed, "Don't be fooled by the wide spread of the news and the large number of cultivators entering Kunlun. In reality, only one in ten actually reaches the habitat of the demon beasts."
"In the past ten years, I have sent about ten groups of people into the mountains, all led by Nascent Soul cultivators, but it has still been difficult to obtain spiritual herbs."
Above that, cultivators at the Nascent Soul stage are beyond the reach of a mere city lord like himself, and he couldn't afford the corresponding price to command them.
"The latest news is that the mountain-guarding monster has died, and now batches of fearless cultivators are entering the mountain thinking they can get something for nothing."
"Actually, according to the news sent back by my people, there are two monsters. One is covered in black fur with white spots, and the other is covered in white fur with black spots. They look very strange."
"My son was killed by that white-haired monster."
Overwhelmed with grief, Shang Wen brought up another matter: "When my Fu'er was seriously injured and unconscious, her younger sister was only eight years old."
"Ten years have passed, and I am now exactly twenty-nine years old. A year or two ago, a male cultivator came to my door and said he could get me the Snow Sun Grass, but he wanted me to exchange it for my little girl."
"Both are my flesh and blood; how could I possibly agree to sacrifice one daughter for the sake of the other..."
"By the time I wanted to renegotiate the terms with that monk, he had disappeared."
"The appearance of Master Wen's disciple is somewhat similar to that cultivator. When I first saw him today, I was quite startled."
He does not mean that.
Wen Fuyue confirmed, "Does that person resemble my eldest disciple?"
Shang Wen looked at Rong Xuan, who had no expression, for a few more moments and said, "There are some similarities, but that man is more mature and composed."
He stammered, "Does Peak Master Wen know his background?"
Shang Wen had suffered greatly over the past year, and just when a glimmer of hope appeared, it turned out to be a condition that was absolutely impossible for him to agree to.
In fact, his youngest daughter was very sensible. After hearing about this, she was willing to sacrifice herself for her older sister, but he, as her father, could not agree to it.
If the other party reveals their identity and formally proposes marriage, Shang Wen will not refuse outright.
This person, without any official status, was taken away by a high-level cultivator, and their life or death was entirely in the hands of that cultivator.
Some might be enslaved or forced into slavery, while others might lose their lives.
Wen Fuyue did not want to spread the word about Rong Yan, so she said, "I only became curious after you mentioned him. I really want to meet him."
Shang Wen said, "I have been asking people to keep an eye on that cultivator's whereabouts for the past year. About two months ago, someone saw him in a snow mountain. By the time I sent someone to invite him, it was too late."
Wen Fuyue asked, "Could you draw a map of the last place I saw that person?"
Shang Wen was hoping that Wen Fuyue could fetch the Snow Sun Grass for him, so naturally he readily agreed.
Not only that, Shang Wen also compiled a copy of the maps drawn by the cultivators who had returned from their explorations over the years and handed it over to Wen Fuyue in a jade slip.
After a conversation, as dusk fell, Shang Wen got up and led everyone to the guest courtyard he had prepared.
Emerging from the main hall and turning into the long corridor, one finds a cool and aloof young woman in white waiting with her maid under the eaves.
She turned around at the sound of her voice, her appearance exquisite and beautiful, with a gentle smile on her face: "I am Shang Mi, honored guest, please follow me."
When Wen Fuyue and Rong Xuan saw her face clearly, they both froze on the spot. Only when they realized that their actions were inappropriate did they turn their heads away.
Upon seeing this, Shang Wen had an idea and said to Shang Mi, "Mi'er, you take Peak Master Wen's disciples to the guest courtyard to settle in. I will take Peak Master Wen and the two distinguished guests to the next courtyard."
Shang Mi responded and led Yun Yici and her group to the prepared villa.
The rooms in the courtyard are situated in three directions, ensuring that they do not disturb each other.
After Shang Mi left, Rong Xuan and Ning Tinglan naturally followed Yun Yici's lead and chose first, only entering their own rooms after she had made her selection.
As soon as Yun Yici returned to her room, she released Mu Yunjian and Xiao Ba, and then used a communication talisman to inform the little foxes who were left behind that they would be spending the night in the city.
After Mu Yunjian finished her work, she dug a pit for Rong Xuan, saying, "Just now, Senior Brother Rong's eyes were glued to that woman."
Yun Yici tapped the rabbit's forehead speechlessly and said, "I guess Shang Mi should look somewhat similar to our unseen martial uncle."
Otherwise, how could one explain Rong Yan's visit to exchange for Snow Sun Grass, and why Wen Fuyue and Rong Xuan were both stunned upon seeing her?