Chapter 117: Chapter 113: Farewell, Xi Mengran
Du Youqian was quite surprised, as he truly hadn’t expected Meng Xiao to interfere.
Setting aside the question of whether a mere Foundation Establishment Perfection Cultivator had the guts to openly violate Sect rules.
This man’s public image had always been that of a rather cold and exceptionally rule-abiding person.
His actions today were truly baffling.
"Xiao Lang, what exactly do you mean by interfering in a life-or-death duel?" Feng Xiaoyi asked with a beaming smile, her tone like a lover’s playful teasing.
But anyone who knew her was aware that her favorite time to take a life was in the middle of such playful banter.
Meng Xiao sighed. "In this battle, Ran’Er has lost."
Feng Xiaoyi smiled. "In that case, Xi Mengran’s status, all her possessions, her body, and her soul now belong to this young man, Yu Fei. Xiao Lang, you should hurry up and hand Xi Mengran over to him!"
Xi Mengran clutched her chest, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. Her eyes were defiant, and she said not a word, nor did she beg for mercy.
"Sigh, why must it come to this?" Meng Xiao looked at his beloved disciple and sighed again before turning to Du Youqian. "Yu Fei, I know the grudge between you and Ran’Er is irreconcilable. However, there is nothing in this world that cannot be compromised. What price must be paid for you to spare her?"
As he spoke, he tossed over a porcelain vial.
Du Youqian caught it smoothly, uncorked it, and took a sniff. His expression changed. "A Tier Two Top Grade Nine-Flower Rejuvenation Pill? This is truly precious. This vial of Elixirs can restore thirty percent of the Essence Blood and lifespan I’ve lost. But as for making me spare Xi Mengran... that’s impossible. Between her and me, only one will live to see tomorrow."
Meng Xiao sighed again but did not try to forcefully "persuade" Du Youqian to change his mind—if he did, it would be the Sect’s Core Formation Ancestors who came to "persuade" him.
He simply asked in a pleading tone, "Could you... refrain from using the Secret Technique of Gathering and Replenishing on Ran’Er?"
Du Youqian raised an eyebrow. "Elder Meng, I respect you as my senior and speak to you politely, but don’t take me for a soft touch you can just push around. Xi Mengran can use Gathering and Replenishing on me, but I can’t use it on her? What kind of twisted logic is that? The Sect’s rules are paramount. Since I won today, according to the rules, she belongs to me. I can do whatever I want to her, and no one can interfere."
Though he said this, Du Youqian was actually just posturing to bargain.
He had no real intention of using Gathering and Replenishing on Xi Mengran.
According to the information he had researched, the probability of improving his own Spirit Root by using Gathering and Replenishing on Xi Mengran was less than twenty percent.
Du Youqian was not one to do something that violated his moral principles for a less than twenty percent chance of improving his Spirit Root.
He would need a better offer.
Meng Xiao took an item from his Storage Treasure Pouch and tossed it over.
Du Youqian caught it and saw that it was a rolled-up mat. Judging by its texture, it seemed to be a Golden Willow Leaf Cool Mat.
Du Youqian sucked in a sharp breath. Even the Core Formation Ancestor surnamed Chen looked on with a hint of envy.
Feng Xiaoyi’s eyes, however, held a hint of coldness.
This treasure, which could slightly enhance one’s Comprehension, was the very thing she had gifted her lover. A treasure like this was extremely precious, even for a Core Formation Ancestor.
In fact, it could be said that such a treasure only became truly useful once one reached Core Formation.
After Core Formation, the Spirit Root was no longer the primary factor limiting a Cultivator’s Cultivation growth.
Comprehension was.
She had given this item to her lover in the hopes that he could reach Core Formation sooner.
But she never expected him to give this treasure away for another woman.
Du Youqian forced his gaze away and shook his head. "Elder Meng, don’t test me. Xi Mengran must die today. It doesn’t matter what treasure you offer."
A look of anguish appeared on Meng Xiao’s elegant and handsome face. "I know. I’m not asking you to spare her life today. I only ask for three things. First, do not humiliate her. Second, do not use Gathering and Replenishing or seize her Spirit Root. Third, release her soul and allow her to reincarnate. As long as you agree to these three things, both the Nine-Flower Rejuvenation Pill and the Golden Willow Leaf Cool Mat are yours."
Du Youqian thought for a moment, then turned to look at the spectating Core Formation Ancestors. Seeing no objections, he finally said, "Very well. I accept these terms."
He looked at Xi Mengran and smiled faintly. "Xi Mengran, have a safe journey."
With that, he was about to behead Xi Mengran with a single sword strike.
With a BUZZ, his Flying Sword was caught between two of Meng Xiao’s fingers.
Du Youqian slowly turned. "Elder Meng, what is the meaning of this?"
Displeasure also flickered across the faces of the several Ancestors.
Meng Xiao released the Flying Sword, his voice tinged with sorrow. "She is my disciple. Let me be the one to see her off on her final journey."
Du Youqian considered for a moment. He calculated that Meng Xiao wouldn’t dare try any tricks in front of so many Core Formation Ancestors, so he put on a magnanimous air. "If that’s the case, Elder Meng, please!"
Meng Xiao took a step, Flying through the air toward Xi Mengran.
He had never felt such a short distance seem so long.
Every step he took felt as if it weighed a thousand pounds.
But when he finally reached Xi Mengran, he suddenly felt he had walked too fast, that the time was too short.
He was about to send her off with his own hands before he’d even had a chance to look at her properly.
"Sigh!"
"Master." Blood trickled from the corner of Xi Mengran’s mouth. Her beautiful and dignified face was deathly pale; her heart meridian was severely injured.
Her large, normally bright and beautiful eyes, though much dimmer now, still held an unyielding light.
She still held her head high, proud, like a noble white swan.
"Master, your disciple was useless. I have brought you shame."
Meng Xiao didn’t know what to say, looking distraught. "You haven’t shamed me. It’s alright."
"Right now, there are a thousand words in your disciple’s heart, but thinking about it now, it makes no difference whether I say them or not. The grace of your more than twenty years of patient teaching... I can only repay it in the next life."
"Master, take care!"
With that, she slammed a palm toward the crown of her own head.
Of course, Meng Xiao could have stopped her.
In that instant, her movement seemed so slow in his eyes.
He had countless moments in which he could have reached out and saved his disciple.
But in every one of those moments, a different reason held him back.
In the end, he watched as Xi Mengran’s palm shattered the crown of her head. The light in her eyes vanished completely; her life had clearly faded away.
"Sigh... why did it have to be this way?"
Meng Xiao shook his head, his mouth twisting with bitterness.
Du Youqian did not step forward, but he used his Divine Sense to scan the area and confirmed that Xi Mengran was dead, her soul having left her body.
Whether out of attachment to her master or some other reason, the soul lingered around Meng Xiao for a long time before slowly dissipating.
Du Youqian did not act to disperse the soul, allowing it to go and reincarnate.
As long as Xi Mengran was dead, that was all that mattered; he did not want to offend Meng Xiao too grievously.
Although Meng Xiao hadn’t been a True Successor Candidate back in the day, he was still somewhat famous. The probability of him reaching Core Formation was said to be over twenty percent.
Du Youqian had no desire for a Core Formation Ancestor to come looking for trouble with him several decades later.
Meng Xiao stared at Xi Mengran’s gradually cooling corpse for a long while before reaching out and levitating the Storage Treasure Pouch and Spiritual Artifacts from her body, handing them all to Du Youqian.
He added that Xi Mengran’s cave residence and other properties under her name would also be transferred over later.
Du Youqian, naturally, had no objections.
