Chapter 18

Qiu Tu ultimately said nothing. He truly did not want others to know that he had once foolishly used the furnace beneath them—the very same furnace that could swim freely in molten lava—to refine pills.

Thinking of this, he cast a resentful glance at the culprit who had added this dark chapter to his past.

He then noticed Qi Miao busily sticking some talismans onto the alchemy furnace.

Instinctively, Qiu Tu asked, “Junior Sister Qi, what are you doing?”

Qi Miao lifted her face and met Qiu Tu’s gaze.

With a gentle and obedient expression, she replied, “On the way here, I asked Senior Sister Chu. She said that the molten lava would take a day or two to recede.”

“So, I made an arrangement with the people trapped in the valley. Once I reach a safe place, I’ll transport the furnace over and bring them here.”

Qiu Tu was puzzled.

Chu Chan rubbed her forehead and explained to the three who were still stunned, “There were many people trapped inside the valley. On our way back, we met some of them. Seeing that we had a spiritual tool capable of traveling through molten lava, they tried to seize it.”

“At first, I drove a few of them away, but as we went on, the number of people we encountered grew.”

“I couldn’t handle them all alone, so Qi Miao made a deal with them. She told them that only she could control this water-element spiritual tool and promised that after reaching the shore, she would bring the tool back. For only fifty spirit stones, she would ferry them out one by one.”

“Did they agree?”

Qiu Tu looked incredulous.

Chu Chan gave him a look that seemed to say, “Why would you be so surprised? We could come through only because they agreed.”

Qiu Tu was amazed that others could be so reasonable. Based on their usual behavior, shouldn’t they have just taken it by force?

Liu Ruzhen’s pupils flickered slightly; she was equally surprised.

Seeing their thoughts, Chu Chan sneered coldly, “They did want to seize it, but no one had ever seen a water-element spiritual tool in this form. They feared that if it truly was controlled only by Qi Miao, even if they got it, they wouldn’t escape the predicament. It was better to strike a deal with Qi Miao and pay a little to be ferried out.”

Some didn’t believe them and even considered attacking her inside the secret realm, leaving Qi Miao to control the tool alone. However, Qi Miao’s cultivation was low; a glance confirmed she had only recently begun her path.

Since they couldn’t guarantee they could take down Chu Chan without harming Qi Miao, they chose to negotiate with Qi Miao after careful consideration.

Qiu Tu and Liu Ruzhen understood.

Only Tang Mingqin stared at Chu Chan in disbelief.

So no one else had seen such a water-element spiritual tool either. Why had she just mocked him for being ignorant?

Liu Ruzhen lowered her eyes to glance at Qi Miao, whispering, “Actually, you don’t have to honor that agreement.”

Qi Miao’s fee of fifty spirit stones per person was just to make the deal appear genuine. Those who conceded to her did so out of helplessness.

If they were confident in controlling Qi Miao’s spiritual tool, they wouldn’t have bargained with her.

Liu Ruzhen thought it acceptable to break such a deal.

Qi Miao, of course, knew all this. She blinked and said, “I’ll still bring them out.”

---

Liu Ruzhen paused, looking at Qi Miao, and sighed silently at her junior sister’s innocence and purity. The next moment, she heard Qi Miao continue.

“Those people are well-dressed and seem wealthy. I told those behind them that I’d first ferry out those trapped elsewhere. If anyone wanted to cut in line, they’d have to pay an additional fifty spirit stones per position.”

The girl’s voice was lively. “When Senior Sister Chu and I left, someone had already raised the price to a thousand spirit stones!”

Liu Ruzhen was speechless.

She turned her head as Chu Chan, rubbing her forehead, quietly slid her hand over her eyes, refusing to meet their gaze, and muttered, “If Junior Sister Qi wants to ferry them, let her. Their arrival is fine; I want to settle accounts with those who attacked us.”

“Senior Brother Liu.”

Liu Ruzhen looked back at Qi Miao, whose eyes sparkled with a pure longing for money.

“…If you want to ferry, then go ahead.”

So, there was money to be made after all.

Had she said so earlier, he wouldn’t have stopped her.

With permission granted, Qi Miao’s eyes curved into a smile. She quickly finished sticking the remaining talismans and stepped aside, instantly releasing a wind talisman to send the alchemy furnace back along the way it came.

Once the furnace picked up the people, she would sense it. It was just a matter of summoning the furnace back.

Watching the furnace depart, Qi Miao turned around and was startled.

She met a pair of sinister eyes.

“Senior Brother Qiu…?”

“Junior Sister Qi,” Qiu Tu’s voice was heavy, “Why do I feel a strange familiarity with what I just heard?”

Qi Miao stammered, “Th-there is still a difference.”

“Of course there is,” Qiu Tu gave a forced smile, “I’ve already spent a thousand spirit stones on cheap pills for that senior brother of yours.”

Others could offer a thousand spirit stones to be first to ride Qi Miao’s furnace back, but he had indirectly spent a thousand spirit stones and yet his creditor queue only moved forward by one position.

“…”

Qi Miao lowered her head, putting on a pitiful expression.

Qiu Tu narrowed his eyes, finally finding an opportunity to bargain again: “Move me forward two more spots, and I won’t bother you.”

Qi Miao remained silent.

Curious, Chu Chan looked over. “What are you two talking about? I don’t understand a word.”

“Nothing,” Qiu Tu quickly replied, not wanting others to know.

Chu Chan eyed him suspiciously.

Liu Ruzhen also looked at him, frowning, “You’re not bullying Junior Sister Qi, are you?”

Qiu Tu was baffled.

Who was bullying whom, after all?

* * *

Qi Miao’s ferrying business went very smoothly.

The alchemy furnace drifted on the molten lava for a whole night, bringing back nearly a hundred cultivators.

Qi Miao’s judgment had been accurate.

These cultivators were wealthy and, after being ferried out, did not hesitate to hand Qi Miao bags of spirit stones.

Even if one or two tried to shirk the promised payment, upon seeing Tang Mingqin and the others beside Qi Miao, they immediately gave up their dishonest thoughts.

Chu Chan glared fiercely below. She had finally encountered those who had attacked them earlier. Before she could act, the attackers changed their attitude from trying to seize the spiritual tool to expressing sincere apologies, saying they had acted rashly in their haste to snatch it.

They even gave a few hundred additional spirit stones as a gesture.

Chu Chan left feeling neither victorious nor satisfied.

Liu Ruzhen and the others, indifferent to Chu Chan’s frustration, simply surrounded Qi Miao tightly. They watched as the cultivators paid their spirit stones and then promptly sent them away, preventing anyone from approaching Qi Miao.

Qi Miao was busy all night, eating several restorative pills like candy. When dawn broke, she summoned the alchemy furnace back.

“There’s no one left in the areas I could scan.”

Qi Miao rubbed her pale cheeks, concluding her impromptu business.

Qiu Tu begrudgingly handed her a nourishing pill.

Qi Miao obediently accepted it and then asked how many spirit stones it cost.

“...Just eat it,” Qiu Tu said dryly, “I’m not charging you.”

“That can’t be!” Qi Miao’s eyes widened slightly as she earnestly said, “I’ve already earned spirit stones. Last night, I borrowed talismans from Senior Sister Chu, and I just paid her back for them.”

Qiu Tu shot her a sidelong glance. “You don’t have to move me forward in line anymore.”

“Oh.”

Hearing this, Qi Miao immediately took the nourishing pill without hesitation.

Qiu Tu: “...They really should all see how Junior Sister Qi talks.”