Chapter 276: 268 Meeting

"Huh? You've already arrived? How did you get here so fast?"

Yun Xiyan looked at the round-faced youth before her and realized it was an old acquaintance from whom she had parted half a year ago; she could not help but be pleasantly surprised.

The youth hurriedly stretched out a finger to press against his lips and said, "Shh. Just know it. Don't be too respectful to me. I'm just an ordinary person."

Yun Xiyan laughed, amused, and said, "Who wants to respect you? Was my tone very respectful? Wang Fei?"

This youth was none other than the Young Master of the Kungang region, a member of the Great Jin imperial clan, a close relative of the Great Jin Emperor, the Snow Mountain Prince, the financier of the White Jade Brilliance, the leader of the Battle of Jianzhou, the future master of the Snow Dragon Carriage, the savior of the snow leopards, and the ordinary person Wang Fei.

Wang Fei chuckled, then immediately asked in surprise, "Huh? You're already a Sword Guest?"

Back when they were in Jianzhou, both of them were still Sword Students. Although both were considered to have extraordinary talent and impressive combat power, because they were only Sword Students, their strength was limited by the lack of an awakening, so they could only be isolated from the front lines of the battlefield. Except for Wang Fei, who participated once in his capacity as a faction leader, Yun Xiyan could only do a little auxiliary work, like throwing people around. In fact, at the time, both were somewhat unwilling, and both secretly hoped to break through to Sword Guest early and possess a place of their own. Never did they expect that after half a year of separation, Yun Xiyan would already be a Sword Guest.

Yun Xiyan caught a glimpse of the sword on Wang Fei's back—carrying a sword on one's back meant he was naturally still a Sword Student.

This was not because he was incompetent—the matter of awakening to the sword was inherently a matter of serendipity. Someone as intelligent as Zhang Rong had also taken a full year to awaken, whereas some simple-minded people might not even need ten days or half a month. Yun Xiyan's opportunity had arrived, while Wang Fei's had not yet.

However, having taken the lead by one step, Yun Xiyan was ultimately somewhat smug and said, "Haha, it's a small matter. Since I'm already a Sword Student, isn't becoming a Sword Guest something you can do with your hands? I see you're almost there too. If there's anything you don't understand, just feel free to ask me."

Wang Fei waved the redemption voucher he was holding, and a Disciple came over to take away the owl doll he had fished out. Yun Xiyan's eyes went straight, her gaze following it, simply unable to bear parting with it.

Wang Fei found it amusing, grabbed one at random, and said, "Is it alright if I leave one for you?"

This Wang Fei had just given up so many dolls to solve a difficult problem for that young Disciple; at this moment, he smiled and agreed. Wang Fei pushed the owl doll toward Yun Xiyan, and Yun Xiyan accepted it after a moment of polite hesitation.

The two of them exited the tent together, and only then did Yun Xiyan ask, "Why did you come so early? Are you that free?"

If it were any other prince or noble, not holding power would make them a wealthy idler, and they would indeed be very leisurely. Let alone coming to attend the Sword Casting Assembly, even traveling around the country would be fine. But even Yun Xiyan knew that Kungang was currently not peaceful. The Turtle Bandits, having failed in their plot against Jianzhou, were still raising troops everywhere in the mountains, occupying the Kungang territory. For the past half year, Kungang had been filled with the smoke of war, resembling a chaotic age. The Snow Mountain Wangfu was even more at the forefront.

Under these circumstances, as the Prince, Wang Fei should be sitting in Kungang commanding the war. Even if he came to attend the assembly out of friendship, he should have only spared two or three days near the start of the conference to observe the ceremony before rushing back. How could he have come up the mountain seven or eight days early, and be so idle as to catch dolls at a marketplace?

Wang Fei sighed and said, "It is precisely because the situation is critical that I had to come." Having said this, he stopped speaking.

Yun Xiyan did not press him. Although she could not be called exceptionally wise, she did not have a poor background and had some insight, so she roughly understood what Wang Fei meant—this was not a private matter, it was official business!

If it were official business, could it be that he came to Zhuoyu Villa to seek an Art Tool?

No, seeking an Art Tool did not require a Prince. The style of Zhuoyu Villa was that as long as you had money, it was fine; the White Jade Brilliance was even afraid you wouldn't buy. Could it be seeking reinforcements?

Then that would mean not seeking a small sect, but seeking Yunzhou, seeking the Gaoyuan Marquis?

However, Yunzhou and Kungang were separated by several provinces; even if he sought reinforcements from Yunzhou, they wouldn't be able to get through, right? Could the Imperial Court watch its own vassal king unite with a foreign-surnamed feudal lord? I really don't know what the Snow Mountain King is thinking.

Yun Xiyan did not like to overthink these matters, and Wang Fei had no intention of saying more. He waved the redemption voucher in his hand and said, "I didn't expect there to be an unexpected harvest."

Yun Xiyan was startled, only then realizing that since Wang Fei had official business, he certainly wouldn't have caught so many dolls in the tent on a whim; there must be something he was seeking. "What good thing? What can the redemption voucher redeem?"

"Spirit Medicine!" Wang Fei said excitedly, "A very effective medicine. Even if it can't bring the dead back to life or regrow flesh and bone, at least it's a good medicine for saving lives and healing wounds." Seeing Yun Xiyan's skeptical look, he said, "This kind of medicine is a tribute mentioned in books from the past that was never leaked outside. Later, the formula was lost, and even the Imperial Court doesn't have it anymore. Someone in my family has always wanted to seek this kind of medicine, but it has always been hard to find. I never expected it to be here."

Yun Xiyan was still doubtful. As Sword Guests, they basically rarely got sick, and even if they were injured, they could use corresponding Art Tools to heal. Whether it was Feitian Cave or Zhuoyu Villa, both had such healing Art Tools. If that didn't work, they could seek out a Sword Guest with the corresponding Sword Art, which was even more foolproof. What kind of medicine could they possibly need?

The two followed the directions and arrived at a tent.

That tent looked like a pergola, constructed from unpeeled trees, surrounded by fresh flowers and herbs, with vines entwined and a fragrant scent. The top was even covered in various strange plants—a truly natural scene. There were also dolls standing at the entrance, but it was a chubby lingzhi.

As soon as they entered the tent, a coolness immediately washed over them from head to toe, and a faint scent of grass mixed with medicinal fragrance rushed toward them. The tent was also piled with pots of flowers and trees; at a glance, it looked like a small jungle.

The light in the tent was slightly dim, and one could only vaguely see two people sitting under the largest bonsai pine tree, chatting as if they were good friends. One of them was in his twenties; although his face could not be seen clearly, he felt listless. The other was older; at a glance, his hair was white, and he was at least sixty or seventy years old—he could be called an old man. He was not sitting on an ordinary chair, but a wheelchair.

As soon as Yun Xiyan saw this, she felt it was unreliable—was he disabled if he was sitting in a wheelchair? Wasn't he selling a divine medicine that could bring the dead back to life? If he had such a good medicine, why hadn't he cured himself?

Wang Fei, however, had a solemn expression and asked politely, "Hello, I came from next door with a redemption voucher to exchange for a gift. May I ask where I can redeem the 'Zhu Zhi Dan'?"

The old man said, "Oh, it's with me." As he spoke, he used his hands to maneuver the wheelchair and came to the front.

Seeing his difficult way of moving, Wang Fei could not help but feel suspicious and said, "May I ask, is this Zhu Zhi Dan the miraculous medicine for saving lives and healing wounds recorded in the classics?"

The old man did not come over; he just dug into the soil under a tree in a flowerpot, dug out a small jar, and said, "Exactly. Legend has it that it cures all difficult and miscellaneous diseases with one dose. There is only this one portion now. You came early, so you can get it; if you come late, there won't be any."

Wang Fei looked at this jar covered in dust and felt much better—aren't Treasures all dug out of the soil? It's just that some are dug out of big mountains, and some are dug out of flowerpots.

After cleaning off the dirt, a black jar the size of a palm was revealed. Ignoring the stains, Wang Fei pried open the jar lid and poured out a snow-white pill. The pill was exquisite and cute, nearly transparent, and smelled of a faint fragrance.

Yun Xiyan was watching the excitement and leaned over, saying, "Is this the legendary Zhu Zhi Dan?"

Wang Fei's face sank, and he said, "No." After saying that, he pinched the pill and pressed, "Is this the Zhu Zhi Dan you are exchanging? The classics say it is as large as a dragon's eye, vermilion red as fire, and a divine medicine that smells of an exotic fragrance. This is just an ordinary Snow Ginseng Pill, right? You can buy it outside for one hundred taels of silver. How can you call this Zhu Zhi Dan?"

The old man said, "Young man, read fewer unreliable idle books and unofficial histories; you should read serious books. The books say Zhu Zhi Dan is like this. Our Zhu Zhi Dan here is the genuine article."

He said it decisively, and Wang Fei was momentarily intimidated, even beginning to doubt himself. But he was still unwilling to give up, and with a straight face, he said, "Old man, don't try to fool me! I am good friends with one of your True Jade Disciples, Tang Zhao. If I am deceived at Zhuoyu Villa, he will certainly not be happy, and I fear he will not let it go."

The old man laughed and said, "What's real is real, and what's fake is fake. What's the use of mentioning Tang Zhao? Even if Tang Zhao were here, he would still have to call me 'Grandpa'. What can he do?"

Wang Fei frowned, pinching the "Zhu Zhi Dan," finding it difficult to make a choice. If he were outside, let alone the suspicion of being cheated, the fact that this person's words were so rude would be enough for him to lash out. But this was Zhuoyu Villa, and he had to give Tang Zhao face. Furthermore, his identity was not suitable to be exposed, so it was clearly better to swallow his anger.

Yun Xiyan was watching from the side and also couldn't stand the old man acting arrogant due to his age. Her mind turned, and she suddenly shouted, "You're lying! This is not Zhu Zhi Dan. You hid the real Zhu Zhi Dan and are using this fake to fool us."

In an instant, the old man seemed to be struck by lightning and blurted out, "That's right, how did you know?"

This time, even Wang Fei was stunned—not only did this old man really dare to fool him, but as soon as Yun Xiyan asked, he actually admitted it just like that!

Is he really that unscrupulous?

Wang Fei could no longer endure it. He slapped the tree, immediately snapping a banana tree as thick as a bowl, and shouted, "Old thief, you actually dare to lie to me?! Who told you to do this?" If it weren't for the fact that he was a disabled person, he would have kicked him flying long ago.

Yun Xiyan gave a light flick, pulling down the curtain of the tent, immediately isolating the inside from the outside so that the situation within would not be leaked. She reached out and pressed the hilt of her sword at her waist, saying, "Good, that kid Tang Zhao looks clear-headed, but he's actually a muddle-headed fool. Look at how many monsters and demons are in his house. Inviting wolves into the house from the outside, and there are traitors eating inside and out everywhere at home. And he's still holding a Sword Casting Conference? What a load of crap! I'll have to clean up the house for him!"

The old man was also surprised that he had actually said it, but he was only surprised and not afraid. He frowned, as if he felt this matter was a bit troublesome.

At this moment, the youth who had been sitting in the chair, watching like it was a play, rose to his full height. He walked over unhurriedly, his heroic features becoming clearer, and said, "So that's how it is. Miss, was that just now a Sword Art?"