by Mars Gravity
“Don’t worry, I absolutely will not let you give it to me for nothing.” He said with absolute sincerity: “You used two thousand purple profound coins to buy the Phoenix Helianthus from Falling Flame Merchant Guild… I’ll use three thousand… no! Five thousand… no! Ten thousand… I’ll use ten thousand purple profound coins to buy it off you!”
He yelled out an incredibly crazy price, quickly took out a purple shining profound coin card, and looked at Yun Che with a beseeching face.
Yun Che remained unmoved, and slowly shook his head: “If it were any other time, I might’ve been able to transfer it to you. But as of right now, I urgently need this stalk of Phoenix Helianthus to increase my strength. Otherwise, after half a month, I might even lose my life in Divine Phoenix City. Thus, even if you put forth even more money, I would not give it to you.”
After he finished speaking, Yun Che directly left.
“Big bro!!”
The man charged forward and firmly gripped his clothes with both hands trembling slightly: “The Phoenix Helianthus in your hands is the last stalk that could be found this year. Please, no matter what, you have to give it to me. If ten thousand purple profound coins is not enough… don’t hesitate to tell me how much you want. As long as I can take that out, I definitely won’t even bat an eye!”
Yun Che resolutely shook his head: “I’ve said it before, it’s not an issue of money. This Phoenix Helianthus concerns my fate. I definitely will not be giving it to anyone else no matter what. Go look elsewhere for one, perhaps you might find another one.”
“If it’s anywhere else that has it, I’ve already gone to all of them.” The man’s face revealed a deep implorement: “Big bro, you have amazing eyes. You even know the exact medicinal ingredients I have come in contact with, so you must know also know how great of a pain would follow after combining them all with Purple Veined Heaven Crystals to extend one’s life. She only has not even one year left to live, my biggest wish right now is to accompany her to pass the last year of her life in peace. How could I possibly have the heart to allow her to suffer through that kind of pain… I went through the greatest amount of efforts, but could only find half a stalk of Phoenix Helianthus. Not only has the other half a stalk of that Phoenix Helianthus been used, its medicinal energy has already substantially dispersed. Its results would be extremely miniscule. My only hope right now lies on that stalk in your hands… Please, I beg of you, give it to me. I swear to god that I’ll definitely repay you back one day.”
Yun Che cast a sidelong glance at him, yet he still shook his head: “Every sort of ability you possess all clearly indicate that you are a genuine thief, but it is evident that your heart is not bad at all. Each one of your words all contain genuine urgency but you, and the person you wish to save, both have nothing to do with me. I am not that generous and benevolent to use an item that is related to the safety of my life to save a total stranger… Just give up, don’t follow me anymore!”
With a swing of his hand, he Star God’s Broken Shadow’d more than thirty meters away.
“Bang!!”
The sound of knees heavily falling to the ground came from behind Yun Che. Yun Che’s footsteps paused, he turned around, and said with furrowed brows: “You…”
The man knelt on both knees. His face filled with a deep beseechment as his eyes swayed with tears: “Big bro, I have never begged anyone before in my entire life, nor have kneeled to anyone… Even when my parents were alive, I never had the time to kneel to them… I’m begging you… have mercy… She really… only has not even a year left… Please, I’m begging you… even if I have to slave for you…”
Yun Che’s heart was fiercely moved… Even though this was the first day he had met this ghost-like figure whom not even eight Overlords could deal with, he understood what his tears and kneeling signified…
That was all of his pride and dignity…
In his entire life, this was indeed the first time he had ever kneeled to anyone. Otherwise, his knees would not be trembling so acutely. He had on an utterly helpless expression, and if he rejected him again, that helplessness would turn into complete despair…
That expression looked extremely close to himself on that day, when he cried painfully toward the sky while embracing Ling’er’s beautiful corpse…
“Huu…” Yun Che inwardly sighed, but no longer took another step onward. He walked over and said: “The person you want to save, who is she to you?”
“…My wife.” Seeing Yun Che walking back toward him, his eyes brightened with a hopeful radiance: “Big bro, I’m begging you, as long as you give me the Phoenix Helianthus, I’ll agree to any condition you put forth.”
“Tell me, what kind of illness has your wife contracted.” Yun Che asked.
“She didn’t contract an illness.” The man shook his head as his expression grew pained: “Five years ago, our entire family was secretly ambushed by enemies. Both my parents were murdered. They used their lives so my wife and I could escape, but my wife was severely injured at that time, and had been infected by a strange incurable cold poison. All these years, I’ve been doing my utmost so she could continue living on, but this kind of life expansion still cannot persist for long. This year is already the limit…”
“Secretly ambushed?” Yun Che was slightly surprised: “You are an expert in stealth attacks so your parents ought to be even stronger than you. How could you possibly end up this way? Five years ago, your skills shouldn’t be that lower than what you possess right now, right?”
The man revealed a struggling expression, then still slowly said it out in the end: “It’s Sun Moon Divine Hall…”
Yun Che: “!!”
“My family have been thieves for many generations and we happily robbed the rich to help the poor. One of my ancestors had once infiltrated Sun Moon Divine Hall and stole a Tyrant Profound blade. As such, for the past several hundred years, Sun Moon Divine Hall had always been searching for our tracks. Afterwards, I don’t know what kind of searching method they used, but they found one of our bases, and thus calamity descended…”
“I understand. Get up.” Yun Che pulled him up… A special clan of people that were thieves for many generations, an ancestor, and even a Sacred Ground like Sun Moon Divine Hall had come in the picture with a Tyrant Profound blade. This kind of family inevitably possessed a great fame within the Profound Sky Continent.
“Bring me to see your wife.” Yun Che said seriously: “I believe that you wouldn’t let her stay anywhere too far, she ought to be within Divine Phoenix City, right?”
“Ah?” The man was stunned.
“I know a bit of medicine, I can perhaps cure your wife’s injuries and poison. Also, don’t worry, I won’t leak out any information concerning you and your wife. I won’t even bother to check to see what you truly look like.” Yun Che said indifferently.
The man gaped: “But… but… this…”
“No buts.” Yun Che interrupted: “Since you care about her that much, then you can only trust me. Even if the number one genius doctor told you that there is no cure, you still have to trust a person who claims that he might possibly cure her! Because if you miss this opportunity… you might miss the opportunity to save her life!”
“Okay!!”
Yun Che’s last words suddenly smashed all the hesitation the man possessed. He no longer thought of anything else as he nodded fiercely: “You can even differentiate what kind of medicine I had been in contact with in an instant, so I believe that your medical skills have reached perfection! I believe even more that you would not harm us, and you don’t even have a reason to harm us… If you can truly cure her, my life is yours!”
Chapter 410: The Legendary Princess Snow
Night gradually fell, Yun Che followed the man toward a place at the edge of Divine Phoenix City’s southern region.
“Why… Why are you helping me?” The man asked cautiously after being silent for a long period of time. Like Yun Che, he was a person who h
ad been in innumerable life and death situations before, his perceptiveness and wariness were no less inferior to Yun Che. Thus, he could tell with a single glance if someone possessed evil intentions or was conspiring against him. However, he couldn’t find any trace of malice or conspiracy on Yun Che.
“Just treat it as my doctor’s heart suddenly reawakening after a long period of silence.” Yun Che said as he secretly sighed in his heart… Having a doctor’s heart that loved everything under the heavens and helped the people, that had made up his entire soul back then, and was the core part of what his Master had taught him. But once his Master had been forced to death, his doctor’s heart had been replaced by endless hatred. After that, he had never used his medical expertise to save anyone.
“Err…” This answer confused the man.
“You said that you had obtained half a stalk of Phoenix Helianthus?” Yun Che casually asked.
“Yes.” The man nodded: “Every year, the quantity of Phoenix Helianthus that sprouts is already very few, and most are usually immediately seized by Divine Phoenix Sect, so I could only infiltrate one of Divine Phoenix Sect’s treasure halls. But many protective profound formations are littered everywhere there, just as soon as I went in, I accidentally touched one of them and had no choice but to escape… Luckily, before I escaped, I already had that half stalk of Phoenix Helianthus in hand. I believe the reason why I could so easily steal it, was because since that half stalk of Phoenix Helianthus had already lost too much of its medicinal force, it had been casually tossed on top of a jade cabinet.
Yun Che’s steps slowed as he said with shock: “You… infiltrated Divine Phoenix Sect?”
“Yeah.” Hearing the shock in Yun Che’s voice, the man slapped his chest while proudly nodding: “In this world, aside from the Four Great Sacred Grounds and Black Moon Merchant Guild, there has never been a place I have not snuck into. Even though they discovered me… Heh heh, they couldn’t even manage to touch my butt before I disappeared from their sights without leaving even a trace.”
Yun Che: “…”
This man said that one of his ancestors had infiltrated Sun Moon Divine Hall, which had also shocked him, and the man himself beside him… He was about to steal into Divine Phoenix Sect, yet had escaped without a single injury after being discovered…
Who… the heck…
The man’s voice lowered, as he said with a distressed face: “When I stole into Divine Phoenix Sect, I originally wanted to secretly check out the legendary Princess Snow, but she just had to happen to not be there. I heard a few people discussing… and it seems like she had went to some Perching Phoenix Valley.”
“Princess Snow?” Yun Che raised his brows: “One of Divine Phoenix Sect’s princesses, right?”
After Yun Che finished speaking, he saw the man’s eyes widen. That expression… was as if he was examining an alien.
“Could it be… that you don’t know Princess Snow?” The man said with wide eyes.
“Is this Princess Snow… really famous?” Yun Che asked back.
Yun Che’s unchanging expression did not have the least bit of falsehood. The man swept him up and down with his gaze, then used an extremely expression to once again size Yun Che up again. That gaze… was totally not a gaze that was looking at a living person: “Holy cow! You’re serious? You seriously don’t know Princess Snow? As expected, y-y-y-y-you’re not someone from Divine Phoenix Empire! Ah, no wait! Even if you’re not from Divine Phoenix Empire, even if you’re from a remote mountain region in another nation, it’s impossible for you to not know Princess Snow!”
Yun Che: “…”
This was indeed the first time he had ever heard of the name Princess Snow.
“Then… have you ever heard of the name ‘Hua Minghai’?” The man’s eyes flashed.
“Hua Minghao? Never heard of it before, is it another famous person?” Yun Che asked.
“Holy cow!!” The man hopped up and roared with bared teeth: “I-i-i-it’s whatever if you don’t know Princess Snow, but you actually have never heard of the great Hua Minghai! He’s the legendary ‘Ghost Mirage Sacred Hand’, the most awesome person in all of Profound Sky Continent… Cough cough, one of them. Let alone humans, even a fish in mud would know of this great name, how could there exist a person who has never heard of that name!!”
“Ghost Mirage Sacred Hand? What a terrible nickname.” Yun Che curled his lips.
“~！#￥%……” The muscles on the man’s face twitched, and looked as if he wanted to fight to the death with Yun Che: “You couldn’t have come here from another world, could you?”
Yun Che turned around, and nodded seriously: “You can believe that.”
“Fuck!”
“You can’t be… that ‘Ghost Mirage Sacred Hand’ Hua Minghai, could you?” Yun Che gave him a new measuring look.
“Right, that’s me!” Hua Minghai patted his chest, then the corner of his eyes twitched uncontrollably. Holy fuck… this was the first time he had revealed his own name to someone… yet this person had actually never heard of him before!
“Oh, I understand.” Yun Che asked flatly: “Then should I call you Little Hua or Little Hai?”
“…Just call me Little Hai.” Hua Minghai was about to cry. No matter how you put it, I’m almost thirty years ago, and this kid’s obviously not even twenty years of age.
“Talk to me about Princess Snow, why is so so famous?” Yun Che asked with some curiosity.
“Cough cough, you don’t want to know about Ghost Mirage Sacred Hand’s past achievements first?”
“Nope.”
“！#￥%……” Hua Minghai sucked in a death breath. Only after using all of his willpower to finally calm down did he answer: “Princess Snow is Divine Phoenix Empire’s treasure, the Divine Phoenix Spirit’s darling, and the miracle the heavens have bestowed upon Divine Phoenix. These were all her previous nicknames, and no one had seen her before. In the year Princess Snow turned thirteen, she had appeared on top of Divine Phoenix City’s tower because of some ceremony. That year, the Divine Phoenix City that had never seen even a bit of snow had unexpectedly seen snow descend from the sky; Princess Snow appeared, and the entire place had become a field of silence. Everyone who had gaze upon her had become dazed on the spot, as if they had seen a fairy descend to the mortal realm… On the very next day, she had been dubbed as Profound Sky’s number one beauty. It was unprecedented, and even those who were qualified to be mentioned in the same breath as her did not exist.”
“Thirteen years old? Profound Sky’s number one beauty?”
“Yes, back then, Princess Snow was only thirteen years old. She ought to be sixteen this year, so her beauty definitely should have increased. Unfortunately, aside from her surfacing three years ago, she had never come out in front of others. Nobody knows how Princess Snow looks like now.” Hua Minghai said with a face full of yearning.
“You’ve seen her three years ago?” Yun Che asked.
“No, I’ve only heard it from people…”
Yun Che smirked: “Then how do you know she’s beautiful to such an extent? For women, if you’re talking about thirteen years old, let alone mature, she hasn’t even blossomed yet. No matter how good-looking she is, how beautiful could she possibly be?” When he spoke till here, Yun Ch paused, because he thought about Jasmine… The first time he had met Jasmine, she was only thirteen as well, and the blow she gave Yun Che had even surpassed Xia Qingyue…
But Jasmine was a completely different kind of category that couldn’t be examined based on this world’s standards. How could that so called “Princess Snow” possibly be mentioned in the same breath as her?
As far as snow descending from the sky, that’s even more nonsensical. Divine Phoenix City is summer all year round, where would snow come from? I’d reckon that the title of number one beauty and snowfall stuff were all fabricated from Divine Phoenix Sect to strengthen its prestige.”
“But, everyone all says that…”
“I only believe things that I see with my own eyes, not what I hear.” Yun Che said slowly: “If you were to say the number one beauty in the world, I think that only my wife deserves this title… Who doesn’t know how to self-proclaim stuff like that?”
“Hmph…” Hua Minghai snorted softly, then said: “I heard that in this Seven Nation Ranking Tournament, Princess Snow will appear. At that time, I’m definitely going to mix in with the crowd to check out how Princess Snow looks like, are you interested?”
“Not interested.”
“……”
In the very edge of one of Divine Phoenix City’s corners. Hua Minghai’s footsteps stopped in front of an abandoned looking little house. He stopped breathing, quickly surveyed the surroundings, and whispered: “It’s right here… follow me in.”
The door opened and a strong scent of medicine assaulted over. This place was obviously a temporary residence; its furnishing was very simple. Purple crystals were on top of the little bed on the side, flickering with purple light. These purple crystal lights were deep and illusory, and peacefully lying on top of the purple crystals was a thin woman. Once she heard the door open, the woman stirred, and let out a weak yet eager sound: “Husband… you’re… back…”
This voice made Hua Minghai tremble all over. He hastily rushed over, threw himself in front of the bed, and said emotionally: “Xiaoya, you’re awake… I’m so sorry that I wasn’t here by your side when you woke up, I must have scared you… How do you feel? Does it hurt a lot?”
Yun Che walked in with light steps and stood behind Hua Minghai as he looked at the woman’s face… She had been reduced to an extremely thin and weak state, her face was pale without color, her eyes were half opened, and exuded a misty gaze… This kind of gaze was one that could not see anything.
The most conspicuous thing on her face was on her forehead… there was an obvious deep dark blue seal there.
Seeing this dark blue color, Yun Che’s brows slightly wrinkled.
