I Am the True Lord of Running Away

Chapter 177: Chapter 177: An Unexpected Holdup

This Cultivator had a Foundation Establishment Cultivation. As soon as he landed, he began to scan the entire Alchemy Pavilion.

Then, his eyes landed on Jiang Xu, who looked completely out of place among the surrounding Alchemists.

As for Jiang Xu, he had just collected the white robes of an Inner Sect Disciple and had come over before he even had a chance to change, making him highly conspicuous.

When the Elder saw that Jiang Xu hadn’t yet walked over to the elixir exchange, he breathed a sigh of relief.

He first straightened his robes, reining in his anxious expression and resuming his usual dignified bearing as an Elder.

The Elder slowly walked to Jiang Xu’s side and said:

"You’re Jiang Xu?"

It sounded like a question, but his tone allowed no room for doubt.

Jiang Xu started. He was instantly on guard, but his face showed only alarm.

"Yes, that’s me. May I ask what instructions you have for me, Elder?"

The Elder glanced around, uttered a single phrase, then turned and walked toward a secluded spot without a backward glance:

"Follow me."

Jiang Xu felt helpless. Though he had his suspicions, ’I have a bad feeling about this,’ he could only follow for now and see what sort of trouble the Elder was planning to stir up.

Once they reached a secluded area, the Elder set up a Sound Insulation Shield and, without wasting any words, got straight to the point.

"I hear you have the Spirit Medicine needed to trade for a Foundation Establishment Pill?"

’Just as I expected,’ Jiang Xu thought.

’I just got back to the Sect and have barely been seen.’

’If anything could attract an Elder’s attention, this would be it.’

’In that case, it must have been that little old man from the General Affairs Hall who leaked the news.’

Jiang Xu was furious with himself.

’I only asked a casual question and didn’t even say I had the herbs. But that old fox lived up to his reputation, immediately figuring that I probably did have the Spirit Medicine for a Foundation Establishment Pill.’

’My showing up at the Alchemy Pavilion now just seals it.’

Still, Jiang Xu wanted to try and salvage the situation.

"Huh? Elder, did I mishear you, or did you misspeak?"

"I didn’t misspeak, and you didn’t mishear. Do you have the Spirit Medicine for a Foundation Establishment Pill or not?"

"Heh, you have a good sense of humor, Elder. How could a mere Junior Cultivator like me, only at the Qi Cultivation Middle Stage, possibly possess something so valuable?"

The Elder grew impatient.

"Enough. Stop the act. Let’s be frank. I even looked into it. You only just returned to the Sect after visiting the Secret Realm in the Endless Forest. It’s highly probable you acquired the Spirit Medicine there."

Jiang Xu tried to argue, but the Elder cut him off again.

"You came straight to the Alchemy Pavilion from the General Affairs Hall. Who’s going to believe you when you say you don’t have it? If you really want me to believe you, fine. Show me your Storage Bag. Otherwise, I’ll just assume you have it."

Jiang Xu’s face darkened.

’This guy is dead set on the idea that I have the Spirit Medicine!’

’Of course I can’t let him see my Storage Bag.’

’It’s full of Spirit Stones and Spirit Medicines.’

’I believe any Foundation Establishment Cultivator in Dinghai State would turn green with envy at the sight.’

’And that’s not even mentioning the fact that the main ingredient for the Foundation Establishment Pill is actually in there.’

Seeing Jiang Xu’s silence, the Elder grew more certain and proceeded to lay out his offer.

"You’re only at the Qi Cultivation Middle Stage. You’re a long way from Foundation Establishment, so holding onto a Foundation Establishment Pill is just a waste. And that’s not even considering whether your Spirit Root will allow you to reach Qi Cultivation Great Perfection before you turn sixty."

"Even if you do, a single Foundation Establishment Pill only gives you a slim chance of breaking through to Foundation Establishment. The probability of failure is extremely high."

"How about this? I’ll give you eight hundred Spirit Stones, one Top Grade Magical Artifact, and twenty Middle Grade Talismans for your Foundation Establishment Pill. What do you say? This is an excellent deal for you!"

"Instead of clinging to a Foundation Establishment Pill you may never even use, you could trade it for a chance to easily reach Qi Cultivation Great Perfection."

"Once you’re at the Qi Cultivation Great Perfection Realm, you might even be able to get more Foundation Establishment Pills. It’s a win-win, isn’t it?"

Having said his piece, the Elder stood his ground, calm and composed, confidently awaiting Jiang Xu’s answer.

He felt the terms were more than generous.

Truth be told, the price wasn’t low, but it was still a far cry from what a Foundation Establishment Pill was actually worth.

However, given his status as an Elder, if this disciple refused to comply, he had plenty of ways to make life difficult for Jiang Xu.

Any smart person would know the right choice to make.

It wasn’t that the Elder hadn’t considered simply taking it by force.

However, he’d heard that Jiang Xu’s promotion to Inner Sect Disciple had been arranged by Elder Leng.

Jiang Xu was also a disciple of the Talisman Pavilion, and the Elder couldn’t gauge the true depth of their relationship. So, to play it safe, he had chosen to spend a few Spirit Stones to avoid any potential trouble.

But while the Elder felt Jiang Xu wasn’t getting a raw deal, that was his opinion, not Jiang Xu’s.

The thing was, Jiang Xu had already reached Qi Cultivation Great Perfection. He was just one Foundation Establishment Pill away from breaking through to Foundation Establishment.

’If I lose this Foundation Establishment Pill...’

’...then who knows when I’ll ever get my hands on another one. It could be forever.’

Jiang Xu was absolutely unwilling to hand it over.

’But how am I going to get past this Elder?’

’Right now, I really want to find that little old man and beat him senseless. And I’m a fool for not being more careful,’ he cursed inwardly.

"Elder, I was sent by Elder Leng to exchange for the Foundation Establishment Pill. It’s not for me." Jiang Xu decided to use Leng Qingqiu’s name as a shield.

"Oh, it belongs to Elder Leng?" The man hesitated.

"Yes, yes, exactly!" Seeing a glimmer of hope, Jiang Xu quickly affirmed.

The Elder said leisurely:

"In that case, I might as well go find Elder Leng and ask her about it myself."

"If I do, however, you’ll most likely have to return this Foundation Establishment Pill to her."

"You might not even get to keep a single Spirit Stone from the deal."

"Are you... certain you want me to do that?"

Jiang Xu’s face froze.

’Leng Qingqiu might not forcibly take other things, but this Foundation Establishment Pill is meant for Yu Wenfeng.’

’For her, the more of these, the better. If she found out I had a Foundation Establishment Pill, her methods would probably be far more vicious than this Elder’s.’

Left with no other choice, Jiang Xu had to try a different tactic.

"To tell you the truth, it wasn’t Elder Leng... It was actually Sect Elder Zong who sent me!"

As the Elder stared in astonishment, Jiang Xu took out the Communication Pearl and played the message from Zong Ziqi to prove their connection.

When the words "Brother Jiang" echoed from the Communication Pearl, the Elder looked completely stunned.

’A Qi Cultivation Middle Stage cultivator... being called ’brother’ by the Sect’s rising star, Zong Ziqi?’

’Well now, Zong Ziqi certainly doesn’t stand on ceremony.’

However, the Elder’s expression quickly returned to normal, now tinged with mockery.

"If this were three or five days ago, I might have shown Zong Ziqi some respect and let this matter drop."

"But now... Heh. Zong Ziqi can barely save his own skin, so how could he possibly worry about you, all the way back here at the Sect?"