Chapter 552 - 235: Lunar Eclipse Calamity - Breaking the Agreement Midway
Chapter 552: Chapter 235: Lunar Eclipse Calamity - Breaking the Agreement Midway
He knew very well that this was how the cultivation world worked: those with a higher Realm had the final say.
The right thing to do now wasn’t to argue about it, but to leave immediately. That way, she wouldn’t have a chance to regret her decision and demand the Moon-Dyed Jade Marrow Ganoderma back.
One shouldn’t think such a thing was impossible. The cultivation world had no shortage of precedents for killing to silence a witness.
If you weren’t extremely careful out here, you’d eventually be devoured without a trace.
As Su Li watched his back, a strange emptiness bloomed in her heart, as if she had suddenly lost something important. She called out subconsciously, "Wait a minute!"
’Huh?’
Xiao Chen’s steps faltered. He cursed inwardly, ’This is bad!’
As long as there was a possibility, things always seemed to develop in the worst way imaginable.
His gaze hardened. ’Don’t tell me Su Li actually wants the Moon-Dyed Jade Marrow Ganoderma back.’
If she dared to make that demand, then even if it meant offending a local power, Xiao Chen had no intention of compromising today.
He could tolerate some things, like the manual labor of chopping wood or superficial matters like being a little more respectful in his speech.
But when it came to a Spirit Medicine for a Tier Breakthrough, it was worth it even if he had to offend the entire Compassion Sea. The worst that could happen was he’d have to find a new place, which just meant enduring a few more months of salty sea wind.
"Is there anything else, Senior?"
Xiao Chen turned, his expression calm, and asked with quiet dignity.
Su Li opened her mouth, but it felt as if something was caught in her throat. She hesitated, the words left unsaid, her heart a tangled mess.
Her fingers unconsciously fiddled with the hem of her clothes. ’Maybe the curse won’t act up early this month?’
Those other two times were exceptions, after all. Most of the time, the curse erupted on the fifteenth.
Today was only the 9th day of the 1st lunar month, and the fifteenth was still several days away. It should be fine to send him away tomorrow.
’But what if?’
"Take those Moon-Dyed Jade Marrow Ganoderma."
Su Li bit her lower lip, leaving a deep indentation. "You can take any Spirit Grass you want from the island, but be quick. You must leave this place before Midnight tonight."
"And remember, never come back."
"The next time we meet, I will show you no mercy."
’Huh?’
Xiao Chen was confused. ’What is she playing at now?’
Honestly, the way Su Li was acting was bizarre. He couldn’t figure her out at all.
’If she isn’t planning on breaking the contract, why suddenly cancel the deal?’
’It’s for no reason at all. This doesn’t make any sense.’
’Did something happen in the last two days?’
Xiao Chen suddenly recalled the scene from last night: Su Li staring at the first statue he had finished carving, her brow tightly furrowed.
’Hiss... Could it be she thinks the statue I made is too ugly?’
He glanced at his ’masterpiece’. ’I’ve never actually studied carving, but it can’t be *that* bad, can it?’
’People from major powers are so hard to please.’
’She’s not even willing to chop a piece of wood herself, yet she’s complaining that someone else’s work is ugly.’
But then again, although Su Li was picky, she was willing to pay the agreed-upon reward, plus a bonus.
’In that case, never mind.’
’The pursuit of art should indeed strive for perfection. Nothing wrong with that!’
Xiao Chen immediately bowed respectfully with his hands clasped. "Thank you, Senior. I understand."
’She did say I could take any Spirit Grass I wanted... so it shouldn’t be a problem if I go chop down a couple of Spirit-Extinguishing Cloud Woods later, right?’
’That’s Tier Four Spirit Wood. It would be a waste not to take it.’
To prevent any further complications, Xiao Chen deliberately quickened his pace, practically running, and vanished from Su Li’s sight in a flash.
’What a greedy little thief!’
’The moment he heard he could pick Spirit Medicine, he ran as if his feet were greased.’
Su Li stared blankly in the direction Xiao Chen had disappeared.
’He seems to really like those things. It’s not like I use them anyway... .’
’No!’
’The truth is, I’ve found those things to be an eyesore for a long time. I was just letting this greedy little thief clear out some useless trash for me.’
Things having come to this, she too should start preparing for the possible arrival of the Lunar Eclipse.
After all these years, Su Li was no longer as lost and helpless as she had been at the beginning. She had gradually figured out some of the patterns related to the curse on her own.
The curse was most likely related to the Ancient Witch Race.
She had likely experienced the legendary and extremely rare phenomenon of atavism, becoming something akin to a mutated Spirit Beast.
Based on Su Li’s numerous observations, a few special types of High Tier Spirit Grass could survive for a relatively long time under the curse’s influence.
To be more precise, the curse drastically shortened their natural cycle of sprouting, growing, maturing, and withering.
This was because the curse also carried a vast amount of life force.
Furthermore, this life force was also significantly related to her own condition.
Although Su Li felt that the word "beauty" would probably have nothing to do with her for the rest of her life...
...the Moon Eclipse Spell had indeed preserved an unnatural vitality in her, as if freezing her age and her skin in the very year she broke through to the Nascent Soul Realm.
If she could get rid of the curse, this life force would actually be quite useful.
Unfortunately, the Moon Eclipse Spell was too tyrannical, making it impossible to use effectively.
.
"Eh?"
Xiao Chen’s expression tightened. He reached out, pushed aside the dark green vines, and stared at the three Moon-Dyed Jade Marrow Ganoderma before him, slightly stunned. "How is there an extra one?"
’This is insane,’ he thought. ’It’s only been a few days, and a new Jade Marrow Ganoderma has already grown here.’
And it wasn’t a newly sprouted seedling either. It was nearly half the size of the other two, looking as if it had been growing for forty or fifty years.
Faced with this situation, Xiao Chen didn’t need to be a genius to guess that something must be accelerating the Spirit Medicine’s growth.