MTLNOVEL chapter 380
It has to be this way
Although not the female lead, Ye Yong had no aversion to the kind-hearted female bystanders and was willing to engage in conversation. As someone who had once surfed the internet waves, Ye Yong casually shared a few jokes, causing Li Lanshan to blush deeply, covering her red lips with one hand and her small abdomen with the other, her delicate body trembling slightly.
About half an hour after the two entered the room, Li Hong hurriedly arrived, clearly having received news and fearing something had happened to his daughter, rushing over in a flurry.
“Apologies for keeping you waiting,” Li Hong said, noticing Li Lanshan’s flushed face and disheveled breath, almost suspecting something untoward had occurred. While he didn’t oppose his daughter seeking support, he didn’t want it to happen so quickly and easily. One could know a person’s face but not their heart; what if the other party turned out to be a wolf in sheep’s clothing, pulling up their pants and denying everything?
Fortunately, his daughter was neatly dressed, and the two were seated across a tea table from each other. The time spent in the room wasn’t long, so Li Hong didn’t let his imagination run wild and got down to business: “You have saved my daughter twice from peril, brought back Elder Bu’s remains, and scared off the He Shan Sect. You have done us a great favor, and our treasury doors are willing to open for you. Whatever you desire, you may take without us batting an eye.”
“An exchange of goods; I won’t just take yours. Besides, I need to see it first; I might not even trade,” Ye Yong, as an excellent antagonist, naturally wouldn’t reveal his intentions directly. Speaking ambiguously, leaving the other party unsure of his motives, was the correct approach.
The treasury of the Yi Lian Sect was located in the back mountain. Previously, Li Lanshan had taken Ye Yong to see it from a distance and had introduced it. Opening the door required a few steps, but to Ye Yong, who possessed knowledge of fifth-level formations, it didn’t seem too difficult to break. After all, as a mid-tier sect, it had only been established for a little over a thousand years, unlike the Ye family and Tian Luo Sect, which had a long history and formidable formations.
Only the sect leader, Li Hong, accompanied him into the treasury; no other elders were present. After all, it wouldn’t do to have a group of people watching Ye Yong like a hawk.
Inside the treasury, there was a hint of golden gleam, but that was about it. The fifth-grade mystical weapons were carefully placed on weapon racks, and high-quality pills were stored in separate bottles, spaced out at intervals.
Ye Yong glanced around, his interest waning.
Is this it? It’s worth less than the junk in one of my storage bags.
Ye Yong said nothing, silently walking through the corridor. The deeper he went, the more advanced the treasures became. At the end, he saw a ground-level spear, which Li Hong introduced as a relic left by their sect’s founding ancestor.
Strange, looking around, Ye Yong didn’t see the “key.”
According to the novel’s description, it was a diamond-shaped stone slab, which should be quite conspicuous.
Ye Yong walked from the end back to the beginning, his consciousness sweeping through the jade boxes, yet he still found nothing, growing more puzzled.
“Your treasury…”
Li Hong smiled and explained before Ye Yong could continue: “I’m sorry, it doesn’t seem to catch your eye, does it?”
“Just some unremarkable trinkets,” Ye Yong shook his head in disappointment, casually inquiring, “Don’t you have anything more peculiar, something whose origins are unknown?”
Li Hong pondered for a moment, as if recalling something: “There is, but it’s in the Grand Elder’s private vault; he specifically collects oddities that are of little use.”
“Help me ask if I can visit his little treasury?”
“Of course.” Li Hong quickly led Ye Yong to the Grand Elder.
Upon hearing that Ye Yong was interested in rare items, the Grand Elder felt no hesitation. It was normal for the young master to look down on ordinary things; after all, he collected items without knowing their uses. Cultivators valued the concept of fate, so if Ye Yong took a liking to something and it proved useful, it was simply a matter of destiny.
Thus, the Grand Elder unreservedly led Ye Yong into the cave dwelling, opened the secret chamber, and showcased his collection from over the years.
There weren’t many items—about ten or so. Ye Yong quickly spotted a diamond-shaped stone fragment that closely resembled the description in the novel.
With intentions beyond mere curiosity, Ye Yong first picked up an ugly shell and inquired about its origin.
The Grand Elder answered without hesitation, repeating the process a few times before Ye Yong finally picked up the stone fragment.
“What is this?”
“I’m not sure. I found it in a cave, where there was a hidden river. The banks were littered with many bones, and this stone fragment was among them. I tried to trace the source of the water flow, but found nothing.”
“That’s quite interesting.” Ye Yong weighed the stone fragment in his hand before setting it down and then inquired about the nearby items.
After a round of introductions, the Grand Elder asked Ye Yong if there was anything he fancied, assuring him it was fine to take whatever he liked.
Ye Yong shook his head, indicating that while they all seemed to have stories, he couldn’t see any immediate value in them.
The Grand Elder expressed his regret, when suddenly a faint glow emanated from the stone fragment. Both men turned to look.
“Oh? Did it used to glow?” Ye Yong asked.
“No, this is the first time.”
Ye Yong picked up the stone fragment again. The previously uneven surface now displayed some faint patterns, resembling part of a formation.
Having lived for a thousand years, the Grand Elder knew the right words to say and immediately remarked, “It seems this item is fated to be with you. It has remained silent in my possession for so long, yet just your touch has caused it to change. Although I don’t know what it is, having it with you may prove useful in the future.”
Though Ye Yong’s face was not visible, his eyes remained fixed on the stone fragment, giving the impression that the more he looked, the more he liked it. He nodded, “In that case, I shall accept it.”
At the same time, he took out a piece of earth-grade treasure clothing.
“This is too precious; I cannot accept it,” the Grand Elder quickly waved his hand.
—
A piece of stone that no one knows what it is, exchanged for a mid-tier treasure? The Grand Elder’s appetite isn’t that big, or rather, in the face of Ye Yong, he doesn’t dare to have such an appetite.
“Alright, we agreed to exchange items for items.” Ye Yong’s attitude was resolute, and the Grand Elder, not daring to offend him, was forced to accept the great treasure.
The key was of no real use to Ye Yong; the associated events weren’t exactly good news either. But having the key in his hands was certainly better than it being in the hands of the Yilian Sect. Later, as long as he spread the news about the stone being exchanged, the unseen puppeteer would no longer keep a close watch on it, and the tragedy of the sect’s destruction would likely not occur.
“Ding, blocked the protagonist’s minor opportunity once, reversal points increased by 150,000.” At that moment, the system chimed in with a notification.
Ye Yong was taken aback; at first, he thought it was because he had obtained the stone. Then he realized it was still early, and even if there were rewards, they would have to wait for the corresponding event time. It dawned on him that the protagonist had reached the underwater cave.
150,000 reversal points! This was the first time he had earned so much from blocking an opportunity. The strategy of digging three feet deep was indeed correct; dealing with the Son of Heaven had to be done this way.
Moreover, Ye Mao and “Ye Yong” in the novel were nearing their time of death. Both were, after all, early-stage villainous young masters, and he believed the reversal points wouldn’t be lacking. Ye Yong was in high spirits; the time treasure was just around the corner.