Free Web NovelChapter 166: Chapter 166: Let’s Talk About Compensation
This was the first time Lu Sangjiu had seen Xie Ningyuan with such blatant killing intent.
She couldn’t help but feel a little unnerved and quickly tried to placate him. "Don’t overthink it for now. In any case, just wait until I’m done here."
"The Sword Seizing Conference will be over in about five or six days. After that, on the fifth day, we can enter the Sword Tomb. We’ll have one day to find a sword."
"All in all, it’ll only be a matter of ten-odd days. Then we can take the Teleportation Array straight to Qingyun State. There’s plenty of time, so there’s no need to rush."
Xie Ningyuan grunted in acknowledgment. "You don’t need to feel too much pressure, either. The curse won’t affect you before it fully activates."
"Besides, since they’ve already confirmed that you’ll be going to Qingyun State, they won’t make another move against you. You can focus on the competition without worry."
Lu Sangjiu nodded. "That’s what I was thinking, too. Although the Gold and Silver Gate haven’t given a verdict on today’s incident, I imagine they’ll give me some preferential treatment. That means I have to give the rest of the competition my all."
Xie Ningyuan thought for a moment, then asked with some curiosity, "So, are you aiming for the Muxian Sword this time?"
Lu Sangjiu didn’t hide this from him. "The Demon Blade Dominator is in the Gold and Silver Gate’s Sword Tomb," she admitted. "I’m going for it."
Xie Ningyuan’s gaze froze, and he lost his composure for a moment. "You’re saying... Dominator is in the Gold and Silver Gate’s Sword Tomb?"
Seeing his agitation, Lu Sangjiu looked baffled. "Yes... Why are you so worked up? Are you interested in Dominator, too?"
"A Cultivator could use it, but they’d have to seal the Demonic Qi inside, making it a mere shell of itself. You can’t draw out its greatest power that way."
Xie Ningyuan took a deep breath, then shook his head. "No... I’m not interested in it for myself. But I did indeed spend many years searching for Dominator for *her*."
The Poison Master refused to tell him Dominator’s whereabouts, no matter what, so he could only try to find out on his own. Unfortunately, after the incident at the Mountain of Ten Thousand Poisons, Dominator vanished without a trace.
He hadn’t managed to find Dominator by the time the news of her death spread... To think it was placed in the Gold and Silver Gate’s Sword Tomb all along.
He let out a soft sigh. "It seems I was never fated to find it."
Lu Sangjiu’s expression was complex. She couldn’t resist asking, "You... you feel guilty about her, don’t you?"
She had wanted to ask this question for a long time.
Xie Ningyuan had personally said he wasn’t in love with Gu Huang, and their initial acquaintance had been far too brief. It was unlikely for someone born with a Buddha Heart to abandon his path and fall so deeply in love with her.
Because of this, Lu Sangjiu had considered many possibilities, but in the end, she felt that Xie Ningyuan’s guilt toward her was the most likely truth.
After a long silence, he chuckled softly. "You’re not entirely correct. My guilt has never been for her alone... though, of course, she does bear the largest part of it."
Lu Sangjiu looked at Xie Ningyuan, and in that moment, she could see a faint sadness on his face.
It wasn’t an intense sorrow, but it made one involuntarily feel sad for him.
"Do you... regret meeting her?"
’If it weren’t for what happened, perhaps he wouldn’t be the man he is today.’
But Xie Ningyuan shook his head. "I don’t."
He raised his head and looked into Lu Sangjiu’s eyes, his expression suddenly becoming incomparably calm.
He said, "Because... before I met her, all the beauty I thought I saw in this world was false."
"She was the one who made me see this world for what it is... even though it was excruciating."
’Lu Sangjiu mulled over his every word. She vaguely felt that the thick fog shrouding him had dissipated a little... It seemed she was a bit closer to the truth she was so curious about.’
But this rare moment of candid connection didn’t last long. He soon stood up and said, "The people from the Gold and Silver Gate have been waiting for you downstairs for a long time. I won’t keep you from your business."
"I might not be in Muxian Town for the next few days, but I will definitely be back when you enter the Sword Tomb."
He understood better than Lu Sangjiu just how difficult it would be for her to retrieve Dominator from the Sword Tomb.
"Alright. You be careful, too." After a pause, Lu Sangjiu added, "...And don’t forget I’m still waiting for your help."
Xie Ningyuan tilted his head slightly, a faint smile gracing his lips. "Okay."
With that, he opened his Thousand Luo Umbrella, swaggered out the door, and left her room.
Lu Sangjiu got up, took a sip of water, and then went downstairs.
Just as Xie Ningyuan had said, the messenger from the Gold and Silver Gate had arrived early in the morning.
However, Luo Linlang had told him that Lu Sangjiu was still circulating her energy to heal, so he had been waiting in the inn the whole time.
The moment he saw Lu Sangjiu coming downstairs, the Gold and Silver Gate disciple immediately stood up, took a few steps to meet her, and bowed.
"I am Zhang Luo, a disciple of the Gold and Silver Gate. I have come under my master’s orders to deliver a message to Lu Fairy."
"My master was the referee for Lu Fairy’s match yesterday."
Lu Sangjiu nodded in understanding and politely returned the gesture. "I see. I was busy circulating my energy to heal and have only just recovered a little. I’ve made Brother Zhang wait for a long time; please don’t be offended."
Zhang Luo chuckled. "Please don’t say that. Healing is more important. And I haven’t been waiting long."
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, they got down to business.
Zhang Luo invited Lu Sangjiu to take a seat at a nearby table, then raised his hand to set up a Barrier before he began to speak.
"First, regarding the Evil Cultivator who injured you, our Gold and Silver Gate has already reported it to the Immortal Alliance. The Immortal Alliance will investigate this matter thoroughly. If there are any results, we will be sure to inform Lu Fairy at the first opportunity."
"Second is the matter of the Gold and Silver Gate’s error this time, which harmed Lu Fairy’s interests. The Gold and Silver Gate will compensate Lu Fairy for this."
"My master was supposed to discuss this with you himself. However, he was unable to see you when he came this morning, and he is very busy with other matters, so he had me wait here instead."
"For now, my master has offered a compensation plan. If Lu Fairy would please hear it."
Zhang Luo explained that since the Gold and Silver Gate was at fault, their proposed compensation was to give Lu Sangjiu an additional spot to enter the Sword Tomb. This way, she would not need to continue competing.
This was, of course, taking into consideration that Lu Sangjiu was injured. Although they didn’t know how serious her injuries were, it wasn’t difficult for them to make things more convenient for her.
Lu Sangjiu thought for a moment before saying, "Giving me a spot to enter the Sword Tomb is acceptable, but I’m wondering if I can give this spot to someone else?"
Zhang Luo was slightly taken aback. "This... Master didn’t say."
Lu Sangjiu nodded. "Then please ask him in a moment. If I earn a spot for the Sword Tomb by placing in the top three on my own, there shouldn’t be a problem with me giving that spot to someone else, right?"
Zhang Luo was about to take out his Communication Talisman, but Lu Sangjiu stopped him, smiling. "Don’t be hasty. Isn’t there other compensation? Let’s finish our chat, and I’ll give you all my thoughts at once. Then you can ask. It’ll save some trouble, won’t it?"
Zhang Luo: "..."
He wiped the sweat from his forehead. ’Just a moment ago, he thought Lu Sangjiu had a gentle personality and was easy to talk to, but... it was all an act!’
’He already had a nagging feeling that this negotiation over compensation was probably not going to go smoothly...’
