Chapter 123: Bejeweled Nectar Conclave (1)
Translator: Kelaude Editor: Milkbiscuit
“I’ll repeat this again: before anything happens to me, I’d rather kill you as my scapegoat first!” Miao Yi said coldly. He slowly took in a breath of relief, he didn’t think he could avoid discovery forever, but it was best if he wasn’t found out for at least a while.
Flipping the thing in his hand as he roasted it, he pondered for a while, before asking in a demanding tone, “Do you have any good ideas to help me hunt?”
Charcoal had been eating while standing, then while sprawled on the ground, then while lying on its side. Pi Junzi glanced at it and felt that it was really a first for him to see such an odd dragon steed. He couldn’t help but ask cautiously, “Dare I ask what Great Immortal’s cultivation level is?”
Miao Yi squinted at him, then lightly raised his brows and said, “Even if my cultivation was any lower, it’ll still be more than enough to kill you. It would be best if you don’t plot anything malicious.”
Pi Junzi couldn’t help but think mockingly to himself, ‘A cultivator that still rides a dragon steed, how high could his cultivation be? At most, he’d be a Blue Lotus cultivator. He’s really got guts, to dare come running to the Sea of Constellations and hunt with such a low cultivation, and yet I had the misfortune of bumping into him.’
Both his bolted arms shook anxiously, as he said in distress, “This humbled one had no such intentions, I just wanted to ask how much prey the Great Immortal was intending to hunt. Is there a limit?”
Miao Yi replied, “Obviously, the more the better!”
The more the better? Pi Junzi laughed bitterly. “It’s best that I let the Great Immortal know, Commander Yuan has seventy-two Fort Masters under him, and each possess a cultivation level at the Second Grade. They’re spread out like a net, unlike this humbled one’s place where it was just me because of Madame Wu Hua. If someone were to infiltrate another’s territory, the alarm will surely be raised as soon as you kill one of their own. This humbled one just didn’t want the Great Immortal to come into any kind of trouble.”
Miao Yi scoffed, “Are you being considerate of me, or being considerate of the other Yao cultivators?”
Pi Junzi thought to himself, ‘I’m obviously not being considerate of you, but being concerned for myself. I’ll be damned if you come into some kind of trouble. If things don’t go well, you might just kill me as your scapegoat, so how could I not be wary?’
Ignoring the mockery in the other party’s tone, he could only try his best to sound convincing, “Great Immortal, this humbled one really isn’t lying. If you kill only one and then leave, that would be good, otherwise everyone will hunt you down and kill you!”
For his own petty life, and so that the other party would believe his words, he added another line of truth, “If the Great Immortal were to come into any trouble, you would kill this humbled one first as your scapegoat, which is why this humbled one doesn’t wish the Great Immortal to encounter any complications. This humbled one still wishes to live on.”
Miao Yi was silent. There was some logic in what the other person was saying. If it were so easy to hunt in the Sea of Constellations, who knows how many cultivators would flock over? He said in a low voice, “I came running here from a faraway place, how could I go back empty-handed? Think again, is there any method for me to obtain a little more in one go?”
“In one go?” Pi Junzi laughed bitterly. “In two months, all seventy-two Fort Masters will assemble at the Bejeweled Nectar Conclave…”
He hadn’t yet finished speaking, but what he implied was, ‘At that time there will be seventy-two Blue Lotus level Yao cultivators gathered together, so there will be plenty of them, but do you have what it takes to handle so many people? It’s best not to be too greedy, you won’t be able to gobble them up!’
Miao Yi asked inquisitively, “What is this Bejeweled Nectar Conclave?”
Pi Junzi explained, “Commander Yuan is fond of fine liquor, so every year the seventy-two Fort Masters brew a batch of quality wine, and everyone will give their assessments together. The wine that everyone regards as the best will be offered to Commander Yuan. Commander Yuan never refrains from handing rewards when he has nice alcohol, because he’s a drunkard. The seventy-two Fort Masters’ process of appraising fine liquor has thus been pegged with the title of the ‘Bejeweled Nectar Conclave’, but in truth it was just to cater to Commander Yuan’s fancies.”
“So that was it, a bunch of ass-kissers…” Miao Yi nodded his head thoughtfully, and a bright radiance flashed in his eyes.
Seventy-two Fort Masters—that was seventy-two Yao cultivators equivalent to the Blue Lotus realm. If he killed these seventy-two people, that would be seventy-two First Grade Yao Cores.
He was tempted just thinking about it. If he could obtain such a harvest, even if he couldn’t stay as a Cave Master when he returned, it would still be enough for him to use for many years. But the biggest problem was, it didn’t seem quite probable to eliminate seventy-two Fort Masters at the Blue Lotus level in one go. And he would alarm the rest if he eliminated one, which wouldn’t be worth a candle if that were to happen.
Having had the experience of defeating Madame Wu Hua, Miao Yi began to have some faith in the little ones.
But using the little ones meant that he needed to ambush the target, otherwise the little ones would die like ants.
Ambushing seventy-two people at the same time—it wasn’t such a likely feat! Unless he had some way of approaching them, and have them lower their guards on top of that. Only then would he have the chance to succeed. Otherwise, it was completely hopeless.
The meat was cooked. Miao Yi cut half of it and tossed it over to Pi Junzi.
Pi Junzi thanked him as he smiled rigidly, hugging it as he bit in.
Miao Yi raised the Octopus Spirit’s meat and hesitated for a moment. As he was about to put it in his mouth, he inadvertently thought about that beautiful Madame, thinking, ‘I’m actually going to eat her?’
He slowly tried taking a bite, chewing for a bit, when his eyes suddenly shone. The meat was very fragrant, and was quite chewy. The taste was quite nice.
Furthermore, once he’d swallowed it into his stomach he quickly felt a warmth flowing through his limbs. This demonic spirit’s meat that had gone through many years of cultivation, and absorbed who knew how much essence of the heavens and earth—it was definitely extraordinary. It was not something normal poultry could compare with. No wonder Charcoal and the little ones liked it so much.
As he held onto his roasted meat, Miao Yi chewed silently for a moment, and suddenly raised his head and asked, “Do you have a method to help me infiltrate the Bejeweled Nectar Conclave?”
“Ah…” Pi Junzi instantly raised his head as he was eating, and cried, “Great Immortal, you really wish to go?! Great Immortal had better think carefully, the cultivation of seventy-two Fort Masters is equal to cultivators at the Blue Lotus level. Even if you managed to sneak in, you’ll still have difficulty finding a chance to make your move!”
“We can talk about whether a chance exists or not once I sneak in. What would you know about my chances if I don’t go inside? You just need to tell me, do you have a way for me to sneak in?”
“This…” Pi Junzi was at a loss and gave it some thought for quite a while, but after thinking it over he shook his head and said, “Madame Wu Hua would take part in the festivities once in awhile. She has brought me with her a few times. Looking at the situation back then, without getting permission, it doesn’t seem likely that outsiders can sneak in as they please.”
Miao Yi asked, “Then how would one get permission to enter?”
“Unless someone familiar were to bring the Great Immortal in, or if the Great Immortal had sufficient strength or background for them to welcome you in. Even though Madame Wu Hua had no fine liquor to offer and participate in, she had the Jade Stream Manor as her background, and was familiar with Commander Yuan, which was why she’d been able to take part in the festivities. Otherwise, there was no way to get in.”
“Jade Stream Manor….” Miao Yi was taken aback, as though something had crossed his mind. He flipped his palm, and an unclouded crystal token flashed on top of his palm—the ‘Jade’ character that was carved on top was as clear as day. Then he threw it to Pi Junzi and asked, “Can you take a look at this token and see if it has anything to do with Jade Stream Manor?”
Pi Junzi didn’t need to examine it as he held it in his hand. He exclaimed, “This is Madame Wu Hua’s token, and it comes straight out of Jade Stream Manor…”
He quickly understood—the other party had definitely obtained this token after killing Madame Wu Hua.
Miao Yi spread open his fingers, and sucked the token back into his hands, waving it as he asked, “Can I infiltrate the Bejeweled Nectar Conclave if I have this token?”
Pi Junzi nodded his head repeatedly and said, “If you have that token in your hands, it means that you have the Jade Stream Manor behind you. Bi Youbo and Commander Yuan are lifelong friends, so the seventy-two Fort Masters will definitely give face, and won’t impede your entry. It’s only that the Great Immortal doesn’t have an ounce of Yao aura on your body, which others might find suspicious.”