Translation: Aerial Rain Translation (aerialrain.com) by koffeam

At every city in Three Thousand Worlds, there was an office of Cultivators Alliance. Similar to Medical Cultivators Alliance, they wouldn’t interfere in the internal affairs of big sects, but would help solve the problems and mediate conflicts between cultivators——including debt settlement.

Meng Qi couldn’t find Lu Qingran, so she went to the Cultivators Alliance with the IOU marked with Lu Qingran’s spiritual sense. She only needed to hand the IOU over to the alliance, and they would collect the debt on her behalf, taking ten percent face value as the fee.

The Cultivators Alliance in Huajiang Manor was located in the eastern part of the city, not far away from Ruyi Inn. Meng Qi walked in and stated her business with the man in charge. The man took the IOU from Meng Qi and saw the amount written on it. He was a bit surprised. The man raised his eyes and glanced at Meng Qi. The girl was just a Foundation Establishment cultivator. However, she had an IOU of three ninth-grade and 500 eight grade spirit stones?

The man quickly hid his surprise. Without asking further, he said: “According to the rules, the alliance will take ten percent of the IOU’s value as the fee.”

“I know.” Meng Qi nodded, “When can I get the money?”

The auction would be held in two days. The price of Blazing Feather was on the scale of the hundreds of ninth-grade spirit stones. To be honest, what Lu Qingran owed her was just a drop in the bucket. However, even a small amount was better than nothing. She had to gather as much money as possible.

“If you need it quickly, there is an extra fee of one hundred eighth-grade spirit stones.”

“Alright.” Meng Qi nodded, “Can I get it in one day?”

“You may come again tomorrow evening.” The man then proceeded through the procedure and let Meng Qi marked her spiritual sense on the IOU.

“Thank you.” Meng Qi handed back the IOU to the man and left the alliance office. What else could she do? Meng Qi stopped near the city center and fell into deep contemplation. To earn enough spiritual stones in a short time, what else could she do? Refining Beiming pill? But the price wouldn’t surpass the last auction. Even if she doubled or tripled the quantity, it wouldn’t fetch enough——a few hundred eighth-grade spirit stones would not help much.

Meng Qi stared blankly at the sky. The names of the pills that she could refine at this moment flashed quickly through her mind. She knew that if she was willing to sell the method to imbue spells into medicines, she would be able to get a large sum of money instantly.

But she must not!

Although Meng Qi also contributed to the research, the arrays needed for the method were mainly her Master’s creation. Without Master, there was no way she could achieve it. Master was a great expert in array, and no one else would have so many fantastic ideas and such deep knowledge. Meng Qi was very grateful that the man was willing to teach her many things. That’s why she was not qualified to sell the method.

Without selling Master’s arrays, what else could she do…

Meng Qi calculated the contents of her storage space. She was just a cultivator in the Foundation Establishment stage. Except for spirit stones, there was nothing valuable in her possessions. Even if she forced Qin Xiumo to pay off his debts, it was still far from enough.

“What makes you so worry?” Qin Xiumo asked. He has been waiting outside and saw Meng Qi came out of the building with a deep frown, seemingly at a loss. “Is it because your spirit stones aren’t enough?” He guessed.

“If I can buy it directly, it might be okay. But buying it from the auction floor is almost impossible.” Meng Qi said.

“Is there a way to buy it directly?” Qin Xiumo asked, “Do you know who brings the Blazing Feather for auction?”

“Of course I don’t know.” Meng Qi shook her head. “The auction house will protect the seller’s identity.”

“How high will the price be?”

“Hard to say. According to Su Junmo, at least five hundred ninth-grade spirit stones.” Meng Qi answered. “It’s far from enough.”

Qin Xiumo tried his best to think for a way, but he was also equally at a loss. Even before he got betrayed and had to leave the sect, a few hundred ninth-grade spirit stones were not a small number for him. “Does it have to be Blazing Feather?” He couldn’t help asking again.

“Yes.” Meng Qi replied in a low voice. She pondered for a while, then began to walk to Cloud Immortal Pavilion. No matter what, she should refine some pills first, and see how much it could be sold.

Cloud Immortal Pavilion was selling almost all varieties of Three Thousand Worlds common-grade medicinal materials and herbs. Meng Qi spent two hundred eighth-grade spirit stones on buying a bunch of materials needed to refine pills and drew arrays. When she finally walked out of the shop, her storage space was almost full.

Meng Qi returned to the small courtyard she rented, released Xiao Qi from the beast house, then took out all the spirit herbs and spirit plants she just bought. The bitter smell of medicine instantly filled the room.

Xiao Qi jumped onto the bed and turned around to look at Meng Qi. He watched her getting busy and began to draw Lihuo fire array, then preparing the small medicinal cauldron.

The arrays Meng Qi drew this time were a bit more complicated. A total of six arrays overlapping complexly. One by one, each array surrounded the other and together formed the shape of a hexagram. At the very center, there was a separate array, with the small cauldron placed on it.

Xiao Qi felt that nothing could surprise him now. Meng Qi could even use their white tiger clan’s star array, not to mention other arrays. Xiao Qi watched the little girl moved around and fro busily. He probably knew what she was going to do.

She wants to buy Blazing Feather…

She wants Blazing Feather to heal him.

Xiao Qi’s azure eyes gradually became gentle. He stared at Meng Qi, thinking that she looked like a hardworking little rabbit. She was so cute, making people even want to…rub her soft hair.

Meanwhile, at a place three hundred miles away from the outskirts of Huajiang Manor.

Under the green mountain, Lu Qingran helped the black-robed man sit down beside a big rock. They were leaning against a big tree. Its shade blocked almost all the sunlight. Only fine beams occasionally spilled through the thick foliage and fell on Lu Qingran’s small face, making the fear in her eyes even more apparent.

“You…” Her eyes flickered slightly. “Are you okay?”

“Heh——” The man chuckled in a low voice. He still wore the black gauzed hat, which completely covered his face. But compared to when they were still in Xuanyun Villa’s courtyard, his laughter contained less mockery and was a bit more pleasant.

The man raised his hand. His slender and pale fingers quickly grasped Lu Qingran’s small jaw. “Worry about me…huh?” His tone was slightly sarcastic. “Don’t you wish for my wounds to get worse so you can take the opportunity to escape?”

“No! I am really worried about you! Didn’t you say before…that you cannot easily make a move? Then why did you have to…” Lu Qingran’s couldn’t finish her words. She fell silent, and quietly lowered her head, refused to let the man see her reddening eyes. Only her slender and white neck was revealed to his line of sight.

“If I didn’t threaten them, we won’t be able to leave that place safely.” The black-robed man snorted coldly. “Those people, except for your junior sister, are in the Golden Core stage, and there is even a Nascent Soul guy. If they really tried to fight us, right now, I——who?!”

The man suddenly turned his head. His eyes were covered by a layer of black gauze, but his sharp gaze shot into a distance like a real sword.

Lu Qingran was startled and hurriedly turned to look in the same direction. They were originally alone in this place, surrounded by green mountains and tall trees towering the sky. But finally, she saw it: four people stood silently on the nearby trees.

All four wore dark blue cultivator robes, without a particular insignia. They didn’t seem to be old, around thirty years old. It’s just that in Three Thousand Worlds, with its endless supply of beautiful and handsome cultivators, the four men’s appearances were ordinary at best. The kind that was easily overlooked among the crowd.

But at this moment, the four men stood silently on the towering trees. Their slender figure slowly waved with the tree as the wind passed through, bringing over an indescribable chilliness.

Lu Qingran’s eyes quickly swept over them, and she couldn’t help but shiver secretly. She didn’t even notice when these people appeared. Did these men follow them behind since they left Huajiang Manor?

The black-robed man didn’t move. He kept sitting firmly next to the big rock. Leaning his back against the tree trunk, it was as if he didn’t care about the four cultivators who suddenly appeared. He slowly lowered his right hand to hold Lu Qingran’s hand.

A small, icy jade pendant was stuffed into her palm.

Lu Qingran turned her head in surprise, but the man didn’t even look at her. The four people who suddenly appeared were all in the Nascent Soul stage. If he was in full power, he naturally wouldn’t have to be afraid of them. But in his current condition, he couldn’t even guarantee that he could get away intact, let alone bringing Lu Qingran over.

None of the sides spoke first. For a while, only the sound of the wind was heard on this place, accompanied by rustling leaves and branches over the treetops.

Lu Qingran lowered her gaze, staring at the pendant in her hand. It was made from green jade, with a speck of deep red color in the middle. The pendant looked old and simple, without unnecessary decorations. But the speck of red felt so mysterious in Lu Qingran’s eyes, as if it wasn’t the jade’s natural color, but someone’s blood being dripped on it.

The black-robed man once said to Lu Qingran. If he was killed by others, he would give her a token before he died, and she should find a way to take it away and throw it into the Starfallen Sea.

——Does he think that his life in danger now?

Lu Qingran raised her gaze to look at the black-robed man. Obstructed by the black gauze, she couldn’t even see his face, let alone perceiving his expression. She turned her head towards the four blue-robed cultivators, who were still standing quietly on the trees. She couldn’t see their cultivation levels, which meant that they were stronger than herself and even this man. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be so wary.

Lu Qingran clenched her fist. She held the jade pendant tightly in her palm, and suddenly stood up. She walked in front of the black-robed man, covering him behind her back, then looked up at the four blue-robed cultivators: “You…” She swallowed her fear and turned her eyes slightly at the man behind her. With flushed cheeks, she mustered her courage and yelled loudly: “You can’t hurt him!”

“Ha——” A laughter came from behind. This time, the joy in the voice was more apparent. It seemed that he was laughing at Lu Qingran’s recklessness and also…appreciating her bravery.

Lu Qingran’s face flushed even more. She straightened her back and looked up at the four strangers: “He…he is not a bad guy! You can’t hurt him!”

“Haha…” Another low laughter came from the black-robed man. Under the black gaze, his eyes, which were always cold and merciless, warmed unconsciously. Like the snow at the top of a high mountain, finally blown by the spring breeze and began to melt a little.

Lu Qingran stomped her feet and whispered embarrassedly, “Don’t laugh!”

“Silly child.” The black-robed man seemed to sigh slightly. Initially, he didn’t intend to move. But now, he used the big rock as support to slowly stand up.

The man was very tall. When he stood next to Lu Qingran, it made her looked small and helpless. “Stay behind me.” He said coldly. Then he turned to the four cultivators, throwing a sharp glance at them.

“It won’t be so easy to harm me.” The black-robed man said casually. Even if he was badly injured, the arrogance in his tone wasn’t diminished in the slightest. The man raised his hand and pointed his pale fingertips at one of the cultivators. “Come on.”

The black-robed man raised his hand and pointed his pale fingertips at one of the cultivators. “Come on.”

“You are misunderstanding.” One of the cultivators, who have been silent until now, suddenly spoke. He glanced sideways, and another man came out from behind.

The fifth cultivator…The black-robed man squinted his eyes. His hand hanging on the side already gripped a magic weapon.

Golden Core stage?

Normally, it didn’t worth mentioning before his eyes. But now, every additional enemy might become the last straw that crushed the camel’s back——even if it’s just a Foundation Establishment stage.

Misunderstanding? The man sneered. The four Nascent Soul cultivators stood in a half-circle formation. In a blink of an eye, they instantly surrounded him and Lu Qingran.

What kind of misunderstanding is this?!

“Fellow Daoists…” The Golden Core cultivator who had just arrived put on a friendly smile and said: “Be assured, we have no ill intention…excuse me, is one of you Lu Qingran?”

“Huh?” Lu Qingran was startled. Did they come to find her?

Lu Qingran subconsciously took a step closer towards the black-robed man. She glanced at the newly-arrived cultivator cautiously. Even though the other party had a friendly smile on his face, she hesitated for a long time before nodding slowly. “Y-yes…I’m Lu Qingran.”

Lu Qingran took a deep breath and subconsciously grabbed the black-robed man’s arm. He didn’t break away from her. Lu Qingran breathed a sigh of relief and raised her eyes towards the Golden Core cultivator: “May I ask fellow Daoist, for what purpose do you come to find me?”

The Golden Core cultivator smiled: “I am the clerk from Huajiang Manor’s Cultivators Alliance. You owed fellow Daoist Meng Qi a number of spirit stones and wrote an IOU for her. I wonder if you still remember?”

Lu Qingran was startled: “…I remember.”

“That’s good.” The Golden Core cultivator seemed to sigh in relief, and his smile became more gentle. “Fellow Daoist Meng entrusted us from Cultivators Alliance to recover the debt in her place. Fellow Daoist Lu, please pay it now.”

Lu Qingran blinked, unable to respond. Her mind was completely chaotic, and she was at a total loss. Meng Qi commissioned the Cultivators Alliance to collect her debt? So these people are not here to kill her…or him?

Lu Qingran subconsciously turned her head towards the black-robed man standing next to her. She clearly felt that the arm she was holding stiffened.

Lu Qingran naturally knew about Cultivators Alliance. She also knew that the alliance would help to mediate the conflicts between cultivators, including debt-collection. This was one of the systems created after the catastrophe thousands of years ago. In this era, no matter how fierce cultivators were, everyone still observed the rules set up by Cultivators Alliance.

Lu Qingran swallowed her saliva nervously. For some reason, she felt that this scene was familiar. Meng Qi…junior sister Meng didn’t change at all. Still demanding spirit stones from people.

“Fellow Daoist Lu.” The Golden Core cultivator from Cultivators Alliance once again reminded her patiently: “Fellow Daoist Meng asked us to collect the spirit stones you owed her in one day. Please don’t make things difficult for us and repay the money as soon as possible.”

Lu Qingran: ” ……”

Her face flushed even more. She has never felt so ashamed in this life. The five unfamiliar but powerful cultivators were looking at her, and there was even another man by her side, waiting for her reply. Lu Qingran opened her mouth strenuously and said very weakly: “But, I don’t…I don’t have enough spirit stones.”

Lu Qingran whispered in shame. Not to mention ninth-grade spirit stone, even a single eighth-grade spirit stone was an astronomical amount for someone like her who was still in the Foundation Establishment stage.

Lu Qingran felt the gaze of six pairs of eyes fell sharply on her. She felt so ashamed. She wanted to hide her face and ran away immediately. Lu Qingran’s family was wealthy, and she has lived well since she was born. Later, Qingfeng Valley sect leader met her, felt that she had a talent in the medical path, and brought her back to Qingfeng Valley as a personal disciple. From the moment she joined the sect, her master doted on her, and even her senior brothers and sisters treated her politely.

Even when the incident happened later and she was accused by her fellow disciples of Qingfeng Valley, she was quickly taken away by the black-robed man, so she didn’t have to face the embarrassing situation.

But now, in front of so many people, she was being confronted for her debt.

Lu Qingran’s face became hotter and hotter. Her eyelashes trembled pitifully. Her nose was sore, and her eyes reddened. She couldn’t understand why junior sister Meng Qi treated her like this. At the very least, they were used to be disciples of the same sect. Junior sister Meng Qi already earned so many spirit stones, why did junior sister have to force her into the corner? She was just a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Where did she can take out so many spirit stones?

Why should Meng Qi force her like this? To embarrass her?!

“However, fellow Daoist Lu, you personally marked your spiritual sense to this IOU. It is a legit contract.” The Golden Core cultivator frowned. “Then…how many spirit stones do you have now?”

“One…one hundred third-grade spirit stones.” With trembling hands, Lu Qingran took out all the spirit stones she kept inside her storage space item. Her eyelashes trembled, and her nose became sore. When the spirit stones were taken out, tears finally rolled down her cheeks.

The black-robed man: “…”

He turned his head and glanced at Lu Qingran. Seeing her tears finally made him recover from the shock of discovering that these people were chasing them only to collect a debt. The man took a deep breath and said coldly, “How much does she owe? I will pay it back for her.”

The black-robed man touched his storage space item, then took out a small brocade bag. To be honest, he truly looked down on these people. What a Cultivators Alliance? Just to settle a debt between two Foundation Establishment cultivators, they even dispatched four Nascent Soul and one Golden Core cultivators. If the alliance of cultivators in Three Thousand Worlds was only at this level, heh, it seemed these people would finish sooner or later, even without their intervention.

“Alright.” The Golden Core cultivator replied with a smile: “Three ninth-grade and five hundred eighth-grade spirit stones.”

The black-robed man doubted his ears: “…how many?!”

“Three ninth-grade, and five hundred eighth-grade spirit stones.” The Golden Core cultivator repeated patiently.

The hand holding the brocade bag instantly frozen. It was truly an awkward situation: he couldn’t throw the bag to those debt collectors, nor did he could take it back. If it was before he got injured and was forced to flee, not to mention three ninth-grade spirit stones, even three hundred was just a trivial amount for him.