The Journey of Immortal Cultivation-Chapter 785 - 435: Underground Ambush
Hearing him speak so earnestly, she finally looked up at him: "Travel together? Does Mr. Miluo have no other matters to attend to?"
Indeed, the matters he had to deal with could be described as mountainous, and even today’s mediation was especially arranged by setting aside time. But the thought of traveling with her warmed his heart a bit.
"These are not major issues. How about it? I am quite serious with my suggestion."
She sighed: "Then I can only seriously decline. I do not even know when I will be able to leave Hidden Stream, well, perhaps after this crisis has ended. My next destination is the Great Snow Mountain in the northwest; it’s impossible that your path could coincide with mine." This was true; factors of local warfare complicated her plans, delaying her departure date indefinitely.
Great Snow Mountain? Why would she go to the Great Snow Mountain? Mr. Miluo supported his chin with his hand, pondering.
Time trickled by, and the representatives of both sides finally gradually reached an agreement, the negotiation was relatively successful, and the final terms are as follows:
First, both parties will cease hostilities immediately, the Northwest Alliance will no longer harass the borders of Hidden Stream, who will return all hostages. Afterwards, Hidden Stream will compensate the various Immortal Sects they had previously decimated, and must not restart hostilities. The various Immortal Sects must not seek provocations or bear grudges afterwards, otherwise the content of this agreement will be terminated immediately.
Second, the various Immortal Sects of the Northwest Alliance, including Guangcheng Palace and Immortal Fairy Sect, will have priority in purchasing Hidden Stream’s medicinal herbs and Spirit Pills; in return, the various Immortal Sects will offer magic tools, talismans, minerals, and Spirit Stones for an equal trade.
Third, Hidden Stream will provide a large batch of made plague antidote for the epidemic areas in the west and north.
These three clauses are not overly stringent demands for both sides; in fact, they could be considered neither too harsh nor too lenient. In essence, this was just minor friction at the borders; small issues can become big, and big issues can be downplayed. The biggest beneficiaries were Guangcheng Palace and Immortal Fairy Sect; the output of Spirit Grass and elixirs from the Bashe Forest was astoundingly high daily, not to mention the batch of plague antidote which was a great help in attaining merit for the various sects. Due to the Life Box of the Plague Demon not yet being found, the plague continued to flare up like the wildfires of autumn and winter forests across the Continent in a manner as though a spring breeze were bringing them back to life, greatly vexing all the Immortal Sects. Therefore, Ning Xiaoxian suggested that Elder He include this provision in the negotiations, which indeed accelerated the process significantly.
At that moment, Mr. Miluo suddenly opened his eyes, a flash of sharp light passing through his red pupils: "Ning Xiaoxian, I’ll owe you another favor, dare you accept it?"
She responded impatiently: "Speak quickly, we’re almost done here."
"Just so you know, I will be charging interest on this favor." With a smirk, he no longer prolonged the pretext and whispered a few words.
Ning Xiaoxian suddenly furrowed her brows slightly and discreetly surveyed the ground ahead without making a sound.
At this time, both parties in the negotiation had just signed and stamped the newly drafted documents. Elder He cautiously lifted the paper, gently blowing the ink dry, and chuckled: "With this matter settled, this old man will now return to report."
After much bargaining, Zhuo Erxiu also felt tired, but he had achieved enough to report back, and thus he clasped his fists, ready to take his leave.
The discussion had taken nearly two hours, and now the sun had moved past its zenith towards the west, reaching the time of 13:00, and everyone’s shadows were stretched out obliquely. On the unobstructed Red Cloud Plateau, shadows overlapped. Such trifles, of course, concerned no one because shadows are trivial – born to follow humans; stepping on a shadow isn’t stepping on the person itself.
Just then, Elder He’s shadow subtly shook. This slight movement was almost imperceptible, especially since the shadow’s owner was actively moving and taking large strides. If one were not observing closely, it would hardly have been noticeable.
Right then, a gust of strong wind passed, nicknamed "Gui Jianchou," meaning that it howled like ghosts and wailed like wolves as it forced its way through shattered rocks and deep valleys – its arrogance knew no bounds, sweeping through with each gust carrying sand and stones, stinging against one’s face painfully. Cultivators, protected by their Gang Qi, were spared from this torment.
Coming from the west, Hidden Stream now returned westward, naturally dragging their shadows behind them. As someone deployed a human-carrying magic tool to transport the group away, along with the gust of wind, sand and rocks flew by everyone. At that moment, Elder He’s shadow twisted abruptly followed by a sand arrow shooting from the shadow, aiming directly for Elder He’s heart!
