Chapter 323 - 321: Matchmaker
Ouyang Meijia seemed to see a relative, and her expression instantly became gentle. Meanwhile, the Matchmaker looked at the little beauty in front of her, furrowed her brows, unable to recall for a moment.
"Who are you...?"
The Matchmaker asked again.
"Little Meijia, Meijia from the Ouyang Family!"
Ouyang Meijia directly reminded her.
"Ah? Is it you, Little Meijia, is it really you?" The Matchmaker was somewhat excited. She had held her while growing up until she left at the age of five, visiting once every few years.
Now, she hasn’t come for several years, and I really missed her.
Meijia’s mother was an elder in the Ice Hall. Later, by coincidence, she fell for her father Ouyang Xiu, and soon after, was pregnant with Ouyang Meijia.
However, when the then Hall Master found out, he decided to send people to pursue Ouyang Xiu. In order to save her husband, Meijia’s mother sacrificed her life asking for forgiveness, pleading for the Hall Master to spare Ouyang Xiu.
Later, the Matchmaker felt sad for Little Meijia and pleaded along with other elders to raise Meijia in the hall until adulthood. Afterward, when Ouyang Xiu returned home, he somehow became very wealthy in just a few years and established Ouyang Manor. Only then did the Hall Master agree to let him take Meijia home for upbringing.
"Yes, Matchmaker, it’s me, Meijia!"
Ouyang Meijia walked over quickly, took out a little bell from her pocket, and handed it to the Matchmaker.
The Matchmaker took it in one hand, looked at it, and directly pulled Ouyang Meijia into a tight embrace: "Little girl, I’ve missed you to death. I really didn’t expect that in a few years, you’d grow into a young lady, making it hard for the Matchmaker to recognize you."
Their actions left everyone nearby stunned.
Especially those few gatekeepers, who were arrogant and domineering before, now had weak knees at such a sight.
The Matchmaker was their boss, and this girl was someone she cherished, so wouldn’t they be the ones punished later?
Everyone knew, although the Ice Hall was mostly women, their punishment methods were very cruel, sometimes directly stripping a person and leaving them in the snowy field for a day and a night.
Many people couldn’t endure the cold and froze to death.
The weather forecast said there would be heavy snow tonight; if punished like that, wouldn’t death be near?
Thinking of this, all the subordinates’ hands and feet were trembling. Including the middle-aged woman.
"R... Steward Hong, we’re sorry, we didn’t know this was your..."
"Hmph, looking down on people, I, the Matchmaker, will teach them a lesson, see if they dare to bully people casually in the future." Ouyang Meijia was evidently not someone kind; before meeting Chen Tianlong, he was the unruly little princess of the manor.
"Hehe, Little Meijia no need to fuss with them, I’ll take care of it when I get back. Now it’s already dark, and you don’t want your friends standing outside in the cold, right?"
As the Steward, she could oversee this minor matter, knowing Ouyang Meijia was rather unruly, and her subordinates were somewhat arrogant, but if punished severely, it would cost lives.
"Alright then, I’ll listen to the Matchmaker!"
Ouyang Meijia saw the Matchmaker pleading for them and couldn’t be too harsh.
"You lot, why aren’t you properly welcoming the guests, bring them inside!" The Matchmaker gave the captain a hard look, hinting her to be tactful.
"Yes, yes, yes, welcome guests inside! Sorry for the offense earlier." As the captain saw the Steward’s cue, she quickly responded, putting on a respectful smile.
Chen Tianlong smiled wryly, truly unexpected that this Ouyang Meijia really had her ways, luckily he believed in her, or he’d have to force his way in.
However, after forcing his way in, Chen Tianlong knew the consequences could be severe, not to mention whether they’d help treat Wu Mengting, just handling the people inside would be a problem.
The three followed the group inside, meanwhile, when the Matchmaker inquired about the matter, Ouyang Meijia suddenly stopped: "Matchmaker, my friend is gravely ill this time, could you... provide us with the Ice Spirit Fruit!"
"What? Ice Spirit Fruit?"
The Matchmaker was instantly dumbfounded upon hearing this term, not that she wasn’t willing to help, but this Ice Spirit Fruit was an extremely precious medicine, practically unavailable on the market.
This herb is extremely rare and scarce, used for brewing water for the Hall Master each year to dispel the Cold Poison within the body. After all, our Ice Hall is a place for Ancient Martial Cultivators, and the Hall Master learned a heaven-defying skill, suffering annual Cold Poison attacks. If the Ice Spirit Fruit isn’t used timely, the Cold Poison might attack the heart and cause death.
"Yes, as my friend said, it’s the Ice Spirit Fruit." Even though Ouyang Meijia didn’t understand it well, she just repeated what her father and Chen Tianlong mentioned.
"Little Meijia, I may not be able to provide it for you, to be honest, it’s something the Hall Master relies on to sustain life, now barely enough to last three years. Our Ice Hall is as anxious as well, how could we possibly give it to you."
The Matchmaker said frankly.
"Ah? Is it that scarce, not even enough to cure us?" Ouyang Meijia was also a bit frustrated, thinking there’d be a lot.
"Yes, the Ice Spirit Fruit is an extremely rare divine pill. All previous Hall Masters have consumed it, but in recent years, despite sending people to scout, almost no new sources are found, it’s like we’re living off the old ones, and once exhausted, the Hall Master must stop cultivating."
The Matchmaker, speaking of this, turned to Chen Tianlong and his companions: "Our Ice Hall has over three thousand people, if the Hall Master doesn’t cultivate, we may face attacks from nearby towns, especially North City and East City. They’ve been eyeing our Ice Hall’s resources, and once the Hall Master loses her strength, we’ll be quickly overrun."
"So, sorry, we cannot gamble with the lives of three thousand people!" The Matchmaker’s expression also turned a bit cold.
Chen Tianlong frowned tightly, unable to let go of the distraught Wu Mengting in his arms.
"I beg you, didn’t you mention earlier that the medicine could sustain your Hall Master for three years? Lend me a year’s supply first; saving a life comes first. Once she recovers, I’ll help figure something out with you." Chen Tianlong thought about it, and suddenly said.
"Hehe, young man, you’re too naive. The girl in your arms, if I guess right, is already in the Late Stage of Cold Poison attack, and conservatively needs three times the amount needed for Hall Master. Are you saying our Ice Hall should give you three years’ worth of Ice Spirit Fruit? Do you think that’s feasible?"
The Matchmaker suddenly let out a cold laugh, speaking playfully to Chen Tianlong.
"I beg you... then let me see the Hall Master, I’ll talk to her directly." Chen Tianlong felt speaking to those who couldn’t make decisions was useless, so he changed his target.