Chapter 344: Redemption Payment
Time returned to just one incense stick ago.
The Wanli Dragon, concealed and hidden, arrived at the Mist-Hidden Mountain, before the Cloud Fox Mountain God's temple.
Ning Zhuo and Sun Lingtong emerged from the mechanical dragon.
The temple gates were wide open, and there were already worshippers entering and exiting, mostly villagers.
Seeing the sudden appearance of the two, the villagers were startled, but soon someone recognized them as previous guests in the village and greeted them with a smile.
Sun Lingtong crossed his arms, saying nothing.
Ning Zhuo smiled warmly, nodding in greeting to the villagers who had greeted them, his attitude very cordial.
The villagers were enthusiastic: "Have you two figured it out? Offering incense and making a wish here is absolutely not wrong. The Fox God is very effective."
As soon as Sun and Ning appeared at the temple gate, the Fox God immediately sensed it and her heart gave a slight tremble.
She had previously informed Sun and Ning of the secret in the Shanxi Valley, intentionally revealing this matter to them. But after waiting and waiting, for days, there had been no movement, and the Fox God thought they had truly left the Mist-Hidden Mountain and never returned.
Little did she know, on that very day, Sun and Ning had deliberately flown far from the Mist-Hidden Mountain and then secretly re-entered the Shanxi Valley using the Wanli Dragon.
Although the Fox God was a Mountain God, she was only an assistant god, and her true power was only at the Golden Core level within the Mist-Hidden Mountain, making it impossible for her to detect Sun and Ning's whereabouts.
She knew very little about what had transpired in these days, almost nothing at all.
Now, seeing Sun and Ning suddenly return, she immediately sensed that something significant was about to happen.
She promptly issued an oracle.
The fox guest runner rushed out and deeply bowed to Sun and Ning: "Honored guests, please come in!"
The worshippers nearby were all showing expressions of surprise.
They had burned incense and worshipped the gods many times, but had never seen the usually calm and collected fox guest runner display such a humble attitude.
Sun Lingtong shook his head repeatedly: "We're not going in. Have your master come down halfway up the mountain to meet us."
The last time they had been trapped in the temple, they had suffered a small hidden loss.
There was no way Sun Lingtong was going to make the same mistake twice.
This time, Sun and Ning no longer concealed their tracks, secretly having the still-invisible Wanli Dragon follow them. The two of them, however, took out the Cloud Somersault, and flew downwards.
As they descended to the mountainside, they saw a sudden surge of mountain mist that swiftly condensed into the Fox God.
As Sun and Ning dismounted the cloud, the silver-haired, white-robed, graceful Fox God was already standing on the ground ahead, looking at the two of them with a smile.
Sun Lingtong leaped lightly, landing on the ground with both feet.
Ning Zhuo lowered the cloud to just above the ground, stretched his legs, and put the cloud away. The mist dispersed and entered his storage belt, and he stood naturally before the Fox God.
The first words out of his mouth were: "Fox God, your secret is out!"
The Fox God's pupils contracted slightly, though she still maintained a calm and smiling expression: "Young lord, it's been so long, this god has missed you dearly. But I never expected that upon our reunion, your first words would be so hurtful."
Ning Zhuo chuckled coldly: "The case of the Black Wind Tiger Demon in the Shanxi Valley, I have thoroughly investigated it."
"The Golden Core cultivator of the Meng family in Yugang Town has secretly been assisting this group of demons, and now they're hopping mad with anxiety."
"As for you, as the Mountain God, you knew about this but failed to report it. You are an official of the Southern Dou Country, but you sheltered demons and helped them cause trouble in the region. Your crime is very serious, Fox God."
The Fox God's expression changed, revealing a trace of panic.
"Young lord, you are truly remarkable!"
"In just a few short days, you've uncovered the truth."
"I was forced, really. If I had refused, I would have died long ago, and how could I have met you, young lord?"
"The situation compelled me to comply. I had no choice but to submit and serve the criminals, but my heart was always loyal, heaven and earth can witness! I was always plotting to expose this conspiracy."
"That's why, when I met you, young lord, I immediately told the two of you."
"This alone proves my sincerity."
Sun Lingtong sneered: "Quite the eloquent Fox God. You told us about the secret in the Shanxi Valley because you wanted to trick us into exploring it."
"If we lacked strength, we would have become food for the demons. I'm guessing you've done this sort of thing before?"
"If our strength was on par, and we caused a commotion, you could sit back and watch the secret be exposed, driving the demons out of the Mist-Hidden Mountain, removing your troubles."
"And if we were even stronger, or simply brought reinforcements to kill these demons, you could effortlessly enjoy the fruits of victory. After all, the real Mountain God is already gone, so you could easily take over the position."
Sun Lingtong directly exposed the Fox God's scheme.
The Fox God forced a smile: "Little boy, you're making me out to be too evil."
She was about to continue explaining but was interrupted by Ning Zhuo raising his hand: "Alright, let's save the mutual probing and acting for later. We can protect you, but Fox God, what can you offer in return?"
The Fox God was momentarily stunned, then showed a look of delight, tentatively saying: "I am willing to offer ten thousand mid-grade spirit stones."
Spirit stones are divided into lower, mid, upper, and supreme grades.
One thousand lower-grade spirit stones can be exchanged for roughly one hundred mid-grade spirit stones, and those can be exchanged for ten upper-grade spirit stones.
This conversion is only an approximate market reference.
In reality, most cultivators, under the same conditions, prefer to pursue higher quality. No one would choose the latter over ten upper-grade spirit stones or a hundred mid-grade ones.
As for supreme-grade spirit stones, they are priceless and unavailable in the market, so this conversion doesn't apply.
Ten thousand mid-grade spirit stones are a huge fortune.
But Sun Lingtong immediately shook his head: "Tsk, are you trying to send us off like beggars?"
The Fox God said: "I hadn't finished yet, little boy, don't be so hasty."
She looked at Ning Zhuo, her beautiful eyes glimmering: "I am also willing to offer six Golden Core-level Walnut Mountain Essences."
Walnut Mountain Essence is a rare product of the mountains, a kind of stone essence.
It is small in size, resembling a walnut kernel, but extremely dense and capable of bearing numerous formation patterns. It is an excellent material for use as a formation base.
The Heavy Armor Blood Ape, Dasheng, had many Walnut Mountain Essences in its body, though they were all at the Foundation Establishment level.
Replacing them with Golden Core-level Walnut Mountain Essences would increase the number and scale of formations it could carry tenfold!
Ning Zhuo was tempted but kept his expression neutral.
Sun Lingtong, working in perfect sync with him, immediately exclaimed: "Fox God, you must understand, we come from extraordinary backgrounds, from wealthy families. A mere six Walnut Mountain Essences is far too little to offer."
The smile on the Fox God's face faded as she took a deep breath: "I am also willing to offer three hundred Mist Orchid Flowers, one hundred eighty Mist Stones, and sixty drops of Morning Purple Qi Dew."
Mist Orchid Flowers are white orchids that grow only in dense misty environments. They are often used to make talismans for disguise or pills that mask one's aura.
Sun Lingtong and Yang Chanyu had previously stolen many while inside the Cloud Whale.
Mist Stones are found only in deep fog that never dissipates. When crushed, they release a dense mist that can envelop several miles around.
Morning Purple Qi Dew is, at its core, simply dew, but its value lies in the purple qi it contains.
The saying "purple qi comes from the east" refers to a cultivator's practice of absorbing the purple qi at dawn when the sun rises and spreads its rays over the heavens and earth.
Morning dew is abundant in the mountains, and some of it absorbs a small amount of purple qi. As the temperature rises, the dew evaporates into vapor, and the purple qi dissipates into the world.
For a Mountain God like the Fox God, collecting morning dew gives her an extraordinary advantage.
Although the quality of this dew was only at the Qi Refining level, the purple qi was useful to both Ning Zhuo and Sun Lingtong, making it quite valuable.
However, Sun Lingtong still shook his head: "Not enough, not enough!"
The Fox God glared, her expression cooling: "Little boy, your appetite is too large. Can you really digest it all?"
Sun Lingtong snorted coldly: "You should be more concerned about yourself."
The Fox God gritted her teeth and had no choice but to increase her offer: "Thirteen Ghost Shadow Bamboos, each at the Foundation Establishment level. This is my entire collection, surely that is enough?"
Sun Lingtong raised an eyebrow.
As someone who had run the black market for many years, he naturally knew the value of trade goods.
Ghost Shadow Bamboo is extremely rare, only growing in very eerie places where vast numbers of ghosts reside, highly dangerous areas.
Ghost Shadow
Bamboo can house wandering spirits, and when it sways, its shadow appears ghostly, floating above the ground, capable of killing enemies and stealing lives.
The bamboo contains a vast amount of yin qi and serves as an enormous cultivation resource for some cultivators.
When entering the ghost market, a lantern made of Ghost Shadow Bamboo is one of the best treasures for clearing the way.
In short, Ghost Shadow Bamboo is so rare that it usually only appears in auction houses, and as long as the quality isn't too poor, any one stalk can fetch the price of Golden Core-level materials.
This time, the Fox God had offered not just one, but thirteen stalks. For a newly ascended Mountain God, this was truly giving away everything. Even Sun Lingtong found it hard to believe—how could the Fox God offer so much? Was the Mist-Hidden Mountain's Mountain God really this profitable?
"By common sense, the Mist-Hidden Mountain shouldn't be a place that produces Ghost Shadow Bamboo," Sun Lingtong wondered, deciding to ask directly.
The Fox God smiled bitterly: "That Black Tiger demon contains the Night Shadow Yin Fiend as part of its innate talent, and it slaughtered many living beings, all gathering in the Shanxi Valley. Only there could some Ghost Shadow Bamboo occasionally grow."
"Honored guests, I only became a god recently. I've already given up everything to buy my life and atone for my sins."
"I beg you two to have mercy on this humble god..."
The Fox God's eyes welled with tears.
Sun Lingtong sneered, being more experienced in extortion than Ning Zhuo: "Hmph, Fox God, you can't fool me. These are not your bottom-of-the-box treasures. I can tell at a glance!"
"You must understand, when we take your things, we're helping you."
"We're only taking a small portion. To truly absolve your sins, we have to grease the wheels properly."
"At this point, clinging to a few possessions is truly unwise."
"When your mountain is razed, your temple broken, your body scattered, and your spirit extinguished, what use will all that wealth be to you?"
(End of Chapter)