Chapter 89

The Water Cloud Miao Village, nestled in a deep valley, is very beautiful.

Hundreds of stilt houses, characteristic of the Miao people, are distributed across the valley in a staggered manner, connected by covered bridges, forming a giant maze.

In this maze, there are tall and dense trees, many magnolias that bloom even in winter, winding and clear streams, and beautiful Miao women!

Clouds and mist swirl, making it seem like a paradise beyond the world.

Wei Changfeng finished three bowls of rice wine served by the Miao women in one breath, and memories of the past surfaced in his mind.

Wei Changfeng is not at all unfamiliar with the Miao people.

A thousand years ago, when he had just advanced to become a Great Alchemist, he lived in the largest Miao tribe in the southern border region, the Nine Phoenix Tribe, for three years, and met many tribal leaders, chiefs, and powerful experts.

A thousand years have passed, but the taste of the rice wine used to welcome honored guests in the Miao village remains as strong and pure as ever!

After drinking the welcoming wine and stepping over the fire pan symbolizing the expulsion of evil, he was led by Yun Yue to a bamboo house in the valley, where he met the chief of the Water Cloud Village, Shuishan Qing.

The Miao people of Water Cloud Village number more than two thousand, with the surnames Shui and Yun being the most common.

Shuishan Qing, the chief, is a plain-looking, thin old man who sits cross-legged on the ground, smoking a water pipe and exhaling smoke, making it hard to believe that he is a peak Qi Condensation expert.

However, Wei Changfeng does not dare to underestimate this old man in the slightest.

In addition to the martial arts passed down through generations, the Miao people are most skilled in capturing, raising, and releasing insects. Every chief is an expert in insect manipulation, mastering various bizarre and strange insect techniques.

Do not underestimate Shuishan Qing just because he is at the Qi Condensation stage; combined with insect techniques, he can rival a Xiantian-level expert!

For centuries, the Miao people have been in conflict with the witch and barbarian tribes, and insect techniques are the fundamental reason for the prosperity of their tribe.

"Junior, Wei Changfeng of the Jingyun Martial Academy's Upper Academy, pays respects to Senior Shui!"

Wei Changfeng bowed respectfully to the other party.

"I already know about your situation..."

Shuishan Qing put down the large water pipe in his hand and said, "The Mountain Ghost Tribe and our Water Cloud Village have always been like water and fire, never interfering with each other. I never thought they would dare to ambush and attack the students of your academy on the mountain path, which is sheer audacity!"

On his left, a beautiful Miao girl took the water pipe and handed him a teacup. On his right, a middle-aged man in a gray robe sat expressionlessly, looking at Wei Changfeng.

After a pause, Shuishan Qing continued, "We also bear some responsibility for this. I plan to add an extra 20% of medicinal herbs to the goods we originally agreed to trade. What do you think?"

Old fox!

Wei Changfeng secretly cursed in his heart.

Old ginger is indeed spicier! This Miao village chief is completely different from the straightforward and honest Yun Yue. In just a few words, he deftly shifted all the responsibility to the other side and kicked the Mountain Ghost Tribe in the process.

The Mountain Ghost Tribe is certainly not innocent, but to say that the Water Cloud Village has no responsibility at all is also unreasonable. Therefore, adding 20% compensation is airtight.

However, Wei Changfeng does not believe that he is completely unaware of his situation!

After a moment's thought, Wei Changfeng decided to be straightforward: "To be honest, Senior, the gold and elixirs for this transaction were originally on my senior brother. Unfortunately, he met with a tragic end, and those items are now gone."

"Oh!"

Shuishan Qing lamented, "They must have been taken by the barbarians of the Mountain Ghost Tribe. But don't worry, my promise still stands. You can come back after you return, and I will still compensate you with 20% more!"

How can it be that simple!

Wei Changfeng secretly smiled bitterly and probed, "Senior, can you..."

"Little boy..."

Before he could finish, Shuishan Qing interrupted him, "Are you a descendant of the Wei family of Jingyun?"

Wei Changfeng was taken aback, not understanding the relevance of the question to the transaction.

But he still shook his head and said, "Although I am surnamed Wei, I have no connection to the Wei family!"

"Oh!"

Shuishan Qing said with some regret, "I do have some connection with the Wei family of Jingyun. If you were a descendant of the Wei family, I could have let you take the medicinal goods first and pay the gold and elixirs later."

Shuishan Qing having a connection with the Wei family was something Wei Changfeng did not expect.

But regardless of whether there is a connection or not, even if he knew beforehand, he would not deign to use the Wei family's name.

As for the idea of taking the goods first and paying later...

It sounds good, but it is not what Wei Changfeng wants at all!

He would still have to pay for the goods later. Even if he took the medicinal goods back now, it is uncertain whether the academy would recognize this debt. This disciple mission would undoubtedly be considered a failure.

The failure of the disciple mission is not a big problem, but the trouble is that those who set up the scheme against him will not let it go. They might create new traps, making it impossible for him to focus on preparing for the academy's grand competition at the beginning of next month.

Thinking deeper, the loss of valuable gold and elixirs, and the fact that Fang Chi is dead while he is still alive, could lead to someone taking advantage of the situation to hold him responsible!

Therefore, under the current circumstances, Wei Changfeng can only complete the mission perfectly to completely silence others!

"Chief, Brother Wei killed the Mountain Ghost Tribe's Wutu and helped Yun Ga avenge a great wrong!"

Yun Yue, who accompanied Wei Changfeng, could no longer hold back and shouted, "Now his gold is lost, and he will definitely be punished when he returns. Can't we just give him the medicinal goods..."

Yun Yue's straightforward nature made it impossible for him to hide his thoughts, and he blurted them out.

"Can't we just give him the medicinal goods?"

Shuishan Qing glared at him and said sternly, "Give them to him for free?"

"Do you know that these medicinal herbs were collected by the villagers with great effort and at the risk of their lives? How can we explain giving them away for free?"

Shuishan Qing's glare made Yun Yue wilt like a frost-bitten eggplant, and he stammered, "I... I meant to help Brother Wei raise the money. I still have some gold here."

What a straightforward man! Wei Changfeng was deeply moved by his words.

It was their first meeting, and simply because Wei Changfeng killed that barbarian warrior, Yun Yue treated him as a brother and offered to help him generously and selflessly.

A friend who is clear about right and wrong, values righteousness over wealth, is the most worth befriending!

Shuishan Qing, however, was angry and grabbed the teacup from the floor and threw it at Yun Yue, "You wasteful thing, weren't you going to use that gold to make jewelry for Shui Xiu'er?"

The Miao girl sitting next to him blushed and glared at Yun Yue.

"Get out!"

Yun Yue, hit by the empty teacup, immediately fled to the outside, but did not run far, hiding at the door.

Wei Changfeng, caught between laughter and tears, quickly said, "Senior, you misunderstood. I absolutely have no intention of taking the medicinal goods for free. I just have an idea I want to discuss with you."

He knew that Shuishan Qing was scolding Yun Yue on the surface, but some of his words were actually meant for him.

Hearing that Wei Changfeng did not want to take the goods for free, Shuishan Qing's expression eased, "What idea?"

Wei Changfeng asked, "First, I want to ask if your village's medicine warehouse has any Dizhishen, Duanhuncao, Baizhu, and Heqizi that are over ten years old?"

Shuishan Qing looked at the middle-aged man in the gray robe sitting on the right. After a moment's thought, the man nodded, "Yes!"

The middle-aged man's voice was hoarse and unpleasant to the ear, and his gaze was cold and unpredictable.

Wei Changfeng smiled, "That's good!"

"What's good about it?"

The Miao girl asked curiously, "These herbs are not for trading with you!"

Wei Changfeng smiled, "I know, but I can use these herbs to refine the Dizhishen Detox Pill for you!"

Dizhishen Detox Pill?

The Miao girl and the middle-aged man exchanged glances, their eyes filled with confusion.

Shuishan Qing asked directly, "What is the Dizhishen Detox Pill?"

This time, it was Wei Changfeng's turn to be surprised, "You don't know the Dizhishen Detox Pill?"

The middle-aged man said impatiently, "Little boy, don't play tricks. Speak clearly!"

Wei Changfeng was really surprised. After some thought, he said, "The Dizhishen Detox Pill is a fourth-grade elixir. Its function is to help insect masters remove the accumulated insect toxins in their bodies, thereby extending their lifespan!"

Insect masters are a unique profession of the Miao people and are very important members of the Miao tribes. They are responsible for capturing and raising insects and passing down ancient insect techniques. Their status is second only to the tribal leaders and is on par with ordinary chiefs.

Most insect masters have little combat ability and spend their lives dealing with insects, accumulating various insect toxins in their bodies, which severely affect their physical condition.

Therefore, the lifespan of insect masters is often not long, and their constitution is weak. Living to forty or fifty is considered a long life!

This problem is not unsolvable, for example, by strengthening the body through martial arts practice or taking elixirs to remove toxins. However, the effects are often not good because the complexity of insect toxins is hard for others to imagine.

The Dizhishen Detox Pill that Wei Changfeng mentioned is a mid-grade elixir for purifying insect toxins, and it is also his method for breaking the deadlock!

He just did not expect that the other party would not even know about the Dizhishen Detox Pill.

"What Dizhishen Detox Pill? I've never heard of it!"

The middle-aged man sneered, "When did the students of the Jingyun Martial Academy start talking nonsense? Not to mention this so-called thing that can remove insect toxins and extend lifespan, how old are you this year? Can you refine a fourth-grade elixir?"

A fourth-grade elixir can only be refined by a high-level alchemist. In the entire Jingyun, including the Jingyun Alchemy Academy, there are only a few high-level alchemists, and none of them are as young as Wei Changfeng.

So he does not believe Wei Changfeng's words, and his gaze is filled with disdain.

The Miao girl also pursed her lips, clearly not convinced.

Only Shuishan Qing seemed to be deep in thought.

Wei Changfeng smiled, "Age is not a problem. Whether I can do it or not, we can try and see!"

His tone was filled with boundless confidence!

Second update delivered, seeking subscriptions and monthly votes. More updates in the evening! (To be continued)

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