Shaken, Qianye made to step out of the array. This mysterious woman never attacked, but the pressure she was exerting was no smaller than Luo Bingfeng’s. Qianye instinctively wanted to put some distance in-between.
The lady didn’t enter the array. She simply stood beside it, saying, “Why wasn’t I informed of such an important matter.”
Luo Yun appeared embarrassed. “This lowly one didn’t act without authorization, it’s on the city lord’s orders.”
The woman replied, “Now that I’ve already discovered it, you can go back. Leave this matter to me.”
With that, she gestured at Qianye. “Come in, am I that scary?”
Qianye didn’t enter the array and simply stood there with East Peak in hand. Her appearance had changed the atmosphere—the winds felt like a storm was brewing over the horizon.
She glanced at Qianye with a sudden smile. “I plan to stop the deal if I feel that it isn’t reasonable. What do you think about that?”
Shaken, Qianye shot a glance at the nearby Song Zining and made to speak.
But Li Kuanglan appeared beside him and pressed on his shoulder. “Wait! Let me”
She took a step forward, saying, “Is the madam going back on her words?”
The lady replied, “It can’t be considered that since I didn’t know about it, nor was I a part of it. Since it’s related to me, however, it’s only right that I should have a say. What I mean is that the deal can take place, but the conditions should be rediscussed.”
Li Kuanglan was resolute. “No negotiation!”
The woman frowned slightly. “Now that’s no attitude for business.”
“You guys should hold up your end of the bargain, or else…”
“Or else what? We’ll just call off the deal if worse comes to worst. The seventh young master is worth quite a bit right now, even his head will fetch a reasonable price.”
Qianye broke into a frown; scarlet flames started flickering on East Peak. This woman had been touching his bottom line repeatedly since her appearance. After going through so much and now that Song Zining was right in front of his eyes, Qianye wasn’t about to play games with his friend’s life.
The woman shot Qianye a glance, and then asked Li Kuanglan in a meaningful tone, “This Young Noble Li, I think you’re actually unconcerned about Song Zining’s fate. You just want Mortal Enlightenment, don’t you? If that’s the case, we don’t mind making a different deal.”
Qianye was somewhat alarmed because this woman’s words made sense. Mortal Enlightenment was useless to Qianye, and his true concern was Song Zining’s safety. Li Kuanglan, however, was adamant about this condition. Would she put the hostage in danger just for the art?
But from their long period of interaction and trust, Qianye was confident that this wasn’t Li Kuanglan’s intention. Hence, he simply maintained his silence.
Li Kuanglan shot Qianye a glance, seemingly touched and surprised. “Who would’ve thought you’d trust me?”
“Must I trust her, if not you?” Qianye replied.
Li Kuanglan glanced back at the woman with a bit of disappointment. “Does the Madam plan to renege on her words?”
The woman replied calmly, “So what if I do?”
Li Kuanglan sneered, “You don’t think you’ll be safe just by hiding in Tidehark, do you?”
The woman chuckled. “Of course it’s safe. Enough, the clock is ticking. I’ll just ask Qianye now, will you be willing to go through with the same deal but without Mortal Enlightenment?”
Qianye was just about to reply when Li Kuanglan cut in, “Ignore her!”
The woman raised her left hand and blew gently upon it. In the blink of an eye, a golden thread appeared from the tip of her fingers and stretched all the way to around Song Zining’s neck. This thread was originally transparent, so even Qianye didn’t notice it. It only appeared in view after being dyed golden.
Qianye’s expression changed slightly when he found Song Zining’s life in the other party’s hands. This made negotiations difficult.
“What do you say?” the woman asked.
Qianye pondered for a moment, and then shot a glance at Song Zining. “Fine.”
Song Zining shook his head with a light sigh. “You really aren’t fit for negotiating stuff! Kuanglan is so much better than you.”
Qianye paid him no heed. He stared at the woman and said, “This is final.”
The woman’s expression transformed drastically. Just as everyone was thinking she would be suggesting some other terms, she said with a charming smile, “Actually, Mortal Enlightenment is nothing too important. Let’s just go with the original terms.”
While Qianye was in a daze, she had already stepped into the formation. “Are you waiting for me to change my mind?”
Afraid that she would really change her mind, Qianye followed her into the array.
The origin array started to operate. Specks of starlight appeared around the lady, revolving brilliantly around her as she said, “I’m willing to trade Mortal Enlightenment and Young Noble Song Zining for Qianye’s secret cultivation art.”
With a simple beckon, the box in Luo Yun’s hand flew into her grasp. “The complete secret records of Mortal Enlightenment are in here. There is nothing left out or wrong.”
As she spoke, the starlight around her retained their clear blue color. Qianye had also cultivated Heart Reflection, so he knew that this sign meant the other party was speaking the truth. Normally, only a couple of starlight specks would appear around those who cultivated Heart Reflection. Qianye received much praise for his talents after producing seven on his first day of cultivation, yet this lady was surrounded by hundreds of them.
Such a scene surprised Li Kuanglan as well. This lady’s accomplishments in Heart Reflection could be attributed to her success in the path of divination. Her power definitely wasn’t below that of the Li family.
How could such a woman not know of this deal beforehand?
Qianye didn’t have that many misgivings. He also channeled Heart Reflection to produce seven starry lights, and he then fished out the two boxes from his backpack. “The two cultivation arts here are the ones I used to produce Venus Dawn. There is nothing left out or wrong in them.”
The starlight around him didn’t change after he had said those words.
With a nod, the lady exchanged sealed boxes with Qianye. Then, she called Song Zining over and removed the golden thread wrapped around his neck.
Qianye slashed several times at and around Song Zining, effectively confirming that there were no threads in the space around him. Only then did he pull the latter behind him.
“Good swordsmanship!” The lady praised. “It would seem you’re not just a brilliant marksman but also equally skilled with the blade. Those who think they can bring you down at close range will be in for a nasty surprise.”
“Thank you for the praise.” Qianye wasn’t moved.
The woman didn’t press on, either, and only said to Luo Yun, “Let’s go back.”
Luo Yun replied, “Madam, won’t you check the records inside?”
The lady replied calmly, “This is Luo Bingfeng’s deal, so we’ll just let him do the checking.”
Luo Yun didn’t insist. He simply followed her onto the airship back to Tidehark.