Chapter 157 - 156: The Trouble Caused by a Habitual Smart-Mouth

It was hard to say if Chu Liangyu had opened the Trading System at a bad time, but Li Jingxuan’s expression was off, as if he were wrestling with some impossible conundrum.

Lying beside him was the woman from before who looked identical to Chu Liangyu, only she didn’t appear to be in good condition.

"Looks like I’ve come at a bad time, but it can’t be helped. I have something important to discuss."

When he didn’t speak for a long moment, Chu Liangyu finally broke the silence. "I was wondering if you have a talisman that can sever the connection between a person’s main body and their clone," she said. "Spirit Stones are no object."

"I do, but I don’t need Spirit Stones."

Chu Liangyu frowned. Just as she thought the deal was dead, she heard Li Jingxuan add, "Do you have an Ancient Green Lotus? We can trade for it."

Besides being the final medicinal herb for the Body Refining process of Body Technique, the Ancient Green Lotus could also purify the mind and act as an antidote.

But the plant was incredibly rare, and given the current situation, he couldn’t afford to waste time searching for it.

The worst-case scenario was that he would have to expend some of his own cultivation to neutralize the love poison for the young woman. While it would be a loss, he was a mighty Immortal Venerable; he couldn’t possibly risk his own life over such a trivial matter.

It wasn’t that he was particularly kind-hearted; it was just that the young woman had ended up in this state because she had shielded him from a scheme by a temptress from the Hehuan Sect.

By all rights, he couldn’t just abandon her to her fate.

Li Jingxuan let out a deep sigh, a feeling of utter helplessness washing over him.

And with it came that profound sense of powerlessness he felt when faced with the young woman’s fanatical pursuit.

"Deal. But I want to trade for ten of those talismans. What do you say?"

A flicker of pleasant surprise crossed Li Jingxuan’s face. He hadn’t expected Chu Liangyu to actually possess such a thing. Nodding without hesitation, he said, "These are extremely hard to come by. But if you have an Ancient Green Lotus, I’ll give you twenty."

Chu Liangyu was inwardly stunned. ’From all our past interactions, this guy has never been generous. I can’t believe he’s willing to pay such a high price this time.’

Narrowing her eyes, Chu Liangyu studied the pair for a long moment before it seemed she understood something.

’After all, the young woman did share some connection with her. And she had seen the girl fail in her attempt to become his disciple.’ A wave of sympathy washed over her.

’He’s a tough nut to crack. That young woman certainly has her work cut out for her.’

"In that case, thank you. I’ll close the connection for now. As soon as I get the item, I’ll send it straight to you."

"Be quick."

Li Jingxuan said nothing more. Seeing this, Chu Liangyu closed the Trading System, opened her door, and headed for Xiong Jiaojiao’s home again.

Just as she stepped out of her courtyard, a figure in white instantly caught her attention.

The figure seemed familiar, so Chu Liangyu walked closer. One look, and she froze.

"Chi Yizhong, what are you doing out here in the middle of the night?"

The aura of depression around him was so thick it was almost tangible. He stared at Chu Liangyu with vacant eyes, saying nothing, looking as though he’d suffered a devastating blow.

It was a startling sight, and because of his identity, Chu Liangyu couldn’t help but wonder if Jiang Li had pulled some strings behind the scenes.

But he remained silent, just staring, until Chu Liangyu started to feel her skin crawl.

"Being silent isn’t going to solve the problem. Or do you plan on standing here forever?"

She had no idea how long he’d been standing there, his hair and shoulders covered in a layer of snow he hadn’t even bothered to brush away.

As she spoke, Chu Liangyu reached out to brush the snow from his shoulders, but was caught by surprise when Chi Yizhong grabbed her hand.

She flinched in surprise but quickly calmed herself, meeting his gaze without a word.

After an unknown amount of time, Chi Yizhong released her hand. A wounded expression had appeared in his eyes.

His voice was unusually hoarse. He lowered his head, unable to meet her eyes, but he had taken her words to heart and began to explain. "Feng Qiwu said you sent the others out on some mission, but you didn’t notify me. He said... you don’t care about me, and that I should leave the tribe as soon as possible."

"I was hurt."

Chu Liangyu froze for a second. ’So this is the mess that foul-mouthed repeat offender Feng Qiwu has made for me!’

Gritting her teeth, Chu Liangyu said, clearly annoyed, "He’s full of shit. Don’t pay any attention to him."

Chu Liangyu’s tone was harsh, but it was clearly directed at Feng Qiwu, not him. Chi Yizhong could tell the difference.

The painful feeling in his chest eased considerably, but the issue still weighed on him.

Pressing his lips together, he finally dared to lift his head and meet her gaze. After a moment’s hesitation, he asked, "Then... why wasn’t I included?"

His question left Chu Liangyu at a loss for words. ’I haven’t obtained the talisman to sever the connection between the clone and its main body yet. Saying anything now could jeopardize my plans.’

But seeing Chi Yizhong in this state, she knew she couldn’t say nothing at all. After a moment’s thought, she said, "Tell you what, go wait in my room for now. I’ll explain everything when I get back from my errand."

The words had barely left her mouth when she remembered the clone in her room. Just as she was about to change her mind, Chi Yizhong asked, "Can I go with you?"

This actually worked out better for Chu Liangyu, so she didn’t refuse. "You can."

It had already taken Chu Liangyu some time to deal with the two souls from the Otherworld, and now this standoff with Chi Yizhong had delayed her further. The night was growing late.

Most people were likely already asleep, a fact Chu Liangyu was well aware of. As such, she wore an apologetic look on her face when she knocked on Xiong Jiaojiao’s door.

"Sister Liangyu?" Xiong Jiaojiao rubbed her tired eyes. Once she saw who was at the door, she immediately moved to let her inside.

Chu Liangyu stopped her, however, getting straight to the point. "It’s like this, Jiaojiao. I came to ask if you have any spare Ancient Green Lotuses. I need one urgently."

Xiong Jiaojiao had mentioned them to her earlier in the day, which was why Chu Liangyu had come to her first.

Xiong Jiaojiao glanced curiously at Chi Yizhong standing behind her, but despite her confusion, she didn’t ask any questions. Instead, she said, "I do, Sister Liangyu, but they’re growing out in the shed."

"Wait here, I’ll take you there now."

Seeing that she was only in her inner clothes and was about to head out without even putting on her High Level Magic Robe, Chu Liangyu quickly stopped her. "It’s snowing outside. You should get dressed first."

"Right. Then please wait a moment longer, Sister Liangyu."

Only after the reminder did Xiong Jiaojiao seem to feel the cold from outside. She ran back into her room, quickly got dressed, and came right back out.

"Let’s go, Sister Liangyu."

Chu Liangyu nodded, and she and Chi Yizhong followed behind her.

The CRUNCH CRUNCH of their footsteps on the thin layer of snow was a pleasant, soothing sound, but with their minds preoccupied, none of the three were in the mood to appreciate it.