Chapter 275 - 271: The Hall-Guarding Treasure, Can It Be Borrowed Just by Asking?
Chapter 275: Chapter 271: The Hall-Guarding Treasure, Can It Be Borrowed Just by Asking?
With a soft DING.
The elevator doors opened, and Tang Qinru stepped out.
A Little Daoist had been waiting for quite some time.
"Benefactor, please follow me!"
Tang Qinru quickly nodded. "Alright!"
She followed the Little Daoist forward.
This place was called the Dragon Tiger Palace, and each building resembled a palace in the clouds.
A light mist drifted between the grand halls.
It truly felt like walking into the heavens.
Paths of bluestone slabs stretched toward various halls.
Along the way, the Little Daoists in their robes would bow in respect the moment they saw Tang Qinru.
For a fleeting moment, Tang Qinru truly felt as if she had traveled back in time.
After they had been walking for over ten minutes,
the Little Daoist led Tang Qinru to the front of a great hall.
"The Celestial Master is inside, waiting for you, Benefactor!"
"Thank you!"
Tang Qinru nodded quickly and walked straight toward the hall doors.
As she stepped over the threshold, she found another Little Daoist waiting inside.
After a brief exchange, he once again led Tang Qinru deeper into the hall.
Tang Qinru had been here once or twice before.
But returning now, the place felt completely unfamiliar.
If it weren’t for these Little Daoists guiding her, she would have probably gotten lost.
They continued down a small path to the back.
An exquisite courtyard appeared before Tang Qinru’s eyes.
There were flowers, grass, and a rockery. Two elderly men were seated at a stone table.
One, wearing a silver Tang suit, sat with a ramrod-straight back, holding a teacup and sipping his tea.
Opposite him was a Daoist with a white beard and hair, dressed in a Daoist robe—it was none other than the Elder Celestial Master, Mu Ru.
A look of pleasant surprise crossed Tang Qinru’s face.
She hurried forward and said, "Greetings, Elder Celestial Master. Grandfather, why are you here too?"
The old man in the Tang suit was Yi Nanshan.
He turned to glance at Tang Qinru, a gentle smile on his face, and chuckled. "My grandson is becoming this old Daoist’s disciple today. How could I not come?"
"Has Xiaoyi arrived?"
"He has. He’s climbing the mountain as the Elder Celestial Master instructed!" Tang Qinru nodded quickly.
The moment she said that, Yi Nanshan’s brows furrowed deeply.
And the Elder Celestial Master’s expression became a little awkward.
"Hey, Elder Mu Ru, what’s the meaning of this? My grandson comes to become your disciple, and you make him climb the mountain? You really don’t think much of my, Yi Nanshan’s, grandson, do you?"
A hint of anger glinted in the old man’s eyes.
In an instant, his protective instincts for his own kin flared up.
The Elder Celestial Master shot him a glance. "So what if he’s your, Yi Nanshan’s, grandson?"
"Getting into my Dragon Tiger University is simple enough—he just needs a qualifying score on the martial exam!"
"But if he wants to become my personal disciple, what’s wrong with me setting up a little test?"
"Should I give him a backdoor pass just because he’s your grandson? If he’s really made of the right stuff, he’ll make it up here even without a backdoor. If his aptitude isn’t enough, then wouldn’t giving him a backdoor just be harming him?"
The Elder Celestial Master grew angry as well, arguing his case with the old man.
Just as the old man was about to say more,
Tang Qinru cut in with a smile. "Grandfather, I think the Elder Celestial Master is right!"
"The Elder Celestial Master already announced publicly that he’s no longer taking disciples. Anyone who wants to join Dragon Tiger Mountain can get into Dragon Tiger University based on their martial exam scores. This is common knowledge among all the universities in the New District!"
"The only reason the Elder Celestial Master is even willing to accept Lin Yi as a disciple now is out of respect for you!"
"Otherwise, who else has enough clout to convince the Elder Celestial Master to come out of seclusion?"
"In any case, I have faith in Lin Yi. I’m sure he can pass the Elder Celestial Master’s test and successfully reach the summit!"
As soon as she said this,
the Elder Celestial Master smirked triumphantly. "See that? You’ve lived for so many years, yet you’re not as sensible as this girl Qinru. Don’t tell me you have no confidence in that grandson of yours?"
Yi Nanshan shot the Elder Celestial Master a sidelong glare.
"Who told you I have no confidence?"
"The blood of my Yi Family flows in his veins. When has the Yi Family ever produced a coward?"
"There you have it! Everyone in your Yi Family is extraordinary, and that boy Lin Yi is even more so. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been chosen as the White Tiger Martial God!"
"Before he truly becomes a Martial God, every step he takes is a trial, an experience!"
"Otherwise, would his title as Martial God hold any real weight?"
Hearing this, Yi Nanshan fell silent.
He drained his cup of tea and set it on the table.
"Pour the tea!"
As soon as the words were out, Tang Qinru, who was standing nearby, hurried over, picked up the teapot, and personally refilled the cups for the old man and the Elder Celestial Master.
The Elder Celestial Master nodded with a smile. "This girl Qinru really is something. So much better than an old stubborn mule like you!"
"Better than me? Hmph. Why don’t you ask her yourself? Being so attentive for no reason... I bet she has a favor to ask you," Yi Nanshan snorted.
At these words, the Elder Celestial Master’s expression froze, and he quickly turned to look at Tang Qinru.
Before he could speak, Tang Qinru smiled.
"Grandfather knows me best. Elder Celestial Master, I did come up the mountain today for a small personal matter, and I was hoping to ask for your help," Tang Qinru said with a quick smile.
Now the Elder Celestial Master glanced quickly at Tang Qinru, then back at Yi Nanshan.
He had the distinct feeling that the two of them had just lured him into a trap.
After a long moment, he finally said, "What is it? Let’s hear it first."
"It’s nothing major, really. I just... wanted to ask the Celestial Master for a few pill recipes!"
"Pill recipes?"
The Elder Celestial Master’s brows furrowed deeply.
But when Yi Nanshan heard this, he couldn’t help but start laughing.
He knew his granddaughter all too well.
If she didn’t have something on her mind, she would have just dropped Lin Yi off, handed him over to the Little Daoist at the foot of the mountain, and gone straight back. She wouldn’t have bothered coming all the way up.
Since she came up, she must have been seeking a favor.
Tang Qinru was a physician and an Alchemist.
And the world’s true Pill Masters and physicians were not at ’Chef’ Lanshan University.
The Alchemy and Daoist Doctor professions of Dragon Tiger Mountain were the true pinnacles of their fields.
Therefore, Tang Qinru’s request was inevitably related to these two things.
He couldn’t help but laugh; his guess had been spot on.
Tang Qinru nodded. "I have long heard that Dragon Tiger Mountain possesses two pill recipes: one for the Purifying Void Pill and one for the Qi Refining Pill. I would like to ask the Elder Celestial Master to lend them to me. I won’t take them with me; I only need to copy the two recipes!"
The moment the names ’Purifying Void Pill’ and ’Qi Refining Pill’ were spoken,
the Elder Celestial Master’s expression darkened.
His eyelids drooped, his gaze grew dim, and his voice turned icy. "Do you have any idea what those two pill recipes mean to my Dragon Tiger Mountain?"
"Of course I do. They are the prized treasures of Dragon Tiger Mountain’s Alchemy Hall!"
"And knowing they’re our prized treasures, you still dare to ask me to lend them? If it weren’t for your grandfather, I would have thrown you out the moment you mentioned those two recipes!"
The Elder Celestial Master’s anger was palpable.
If Tang Qinru were to say one more word about the pill recipes,
he probably wouldn’t even give Yi Nanshan face anymore.
Meanwhile, Lao Yi sat there, holding his teacup as if nothing was wrong.
He didn’t even glance at the two of them.
Instead, he turned his head to admire the distant scenery.
Tang Qinru glanced at her grandfather and felt her confidence swell.
The Yi Family’s protectiveness of their own was well-known throughout the New District.
Yi Nanshan would protect anyone from the Yi Family, even someone with a different surname, let alone his own granddaughter Tang Qinru.
His current display of indifference was enough to show that the situation wasn’t serious.
Otherwise, even if he wouldn’t fall out with Elder Mu Ru over Tang Qinru,
he would have at least chimed in and told him to just lend them to her.
His silence now meant he wanted Tang Qinru to handle it herself.
As for the Elder Celestial Master’s anger, he didn’t take it seriously at all.
"I know, of course. It is precisely because they are the prized treasures of Dragon Tiger Mountain’s Alchemy Hall that I dared to come up the mountain and ask to borrow them!"
"Setting aside the friendship between you and my grandfather, Elder Celestial Master, if these two pill recipes could be improved and developed into compound potions, the benefits for those who practice Martial Arts would be endless..."
Just as Tang Qinru was trying to persuade him with both logic and emotion,
the old man couldn’t listen anymore and glanced back at her.
"All that is useless. Just tell him directly how much of a dividend you’ll give him annually after you’ve improved them!"
At his words, the corner of Tang Qinru’s mouth twitched.
Although the matter of dividends was something she definitely planned to offer,
she couldn’t just take someone’s pill recipes, improve them, and not expect to pay a single cent, could she?
She just hadn’t expected her grandfather to be so direct.
What she expected even less was that a transcendent figure like the Elder Celestial Master would actually nod in agreement.
"Mm, your grandfather is right. I can’t just lend you the pill recipes for free!"
"You’ve seen for yourself how many people I have here on Dragon Tiger Mountain!"
"The daily expenses are quite substantial. I have to think about my disciples, don’t I?"
"Just tell me directly: after the improvements, from release to market to sales, how much of a dividend will Dragon Tiger Mountain get!"
Tang Qinru had prepared all sorts of arguments to persuade the Elder Celestial Master.
She had never imagined it would turn out like this.
In truth, the Elder Celestial Master was only being so straightforward out of respect for Yi Nanshan.
The two had a deep and unshakable friendship; they were sworn brothers who had been through life and death together.
Otherwise, those were the prized treasures of the hall.
How could they be given away just for a share of the dividends?
Tang Qinru naturally understood the reasoning behind this and quickly stated a number.
The Elder Celestial Master glanced at her and nodded with a smile.
"Alright. I’ll have someone bring the pill recipes over later. You can copy them yourself."
"Thank you, Elder Celestial Master... And thank you, Grandfather!"
Tang Qinru’s face was filled with delight.
The two old men shared a smile, a silent understanding passing between them.
"Is this little matter settled now? Can we check on where Lin Yi has gotten to?" the old man said with a smile.
As soon as he spoke, the Elder Celestial Master nodded quickly.
"Right, I completely forgot about that..."
With that, he quickly pulled a cell phone from his pocket and dialed a number.
The call connected quickly.
"Hello? Bring the computer to me—yes, the one for viewing the surveillance feed. Bring it here right away!"
After hanging up the phone,
the Elder Celestial Master put the phone back in his pocket.
He picked up his teacup and continued to sip his tea.
But Tang Qinru, standing to the side, couldn’t help but feel that something was a bit off...