ATPnovel Chapter 93 Heavenly Thunder Pig
Chapter 93 Heavenly Thunder Pig
"Thunder Bamboo?!"
Zi Ling's expression changed drastically, and her previously composed aura became slightly disordered.
Her tone became more wary and stiff: "Senior is joking. Thunder Bamboo is a rare spiritual material in the world. Although my Wonderful Sound Sect deals in rare treasures, we do not have such a treasure in our sect."
"Yeah?"
Mu Chunfeng chuckled softly, tapping her fingers lightly on the table.
"As far as I know, the former sect leader once managed to obtain a piece of thousand-year-old Heavenly Thunder Bamboo. After the former sect leader's passing, this item did not circulate in the market. Presumably, it was left in your possession as a keepsake, sect leader?"
Zi Ling's jade-like hand, hidden in her sleeve, clenched tightly, and her red lips beneath the veil pursed slightly.
The Thunder Bamboo was indeed a spiritual object that her father had obtained by chance years ago, but this matter was kept extremely secret and was not known to others. It is truly unknown how this Senior Mu found out.
However, Zi Ling was quick-witted and had seen many storms. Although she was shocked, she quickly regained her composure.
She knew that since the other party had revealed such a secret so readily, denying it now would only make her look foolish.
"Senior's information network is indeed excellent. The Heavenly Thunder Bamboo is indeed in my possession, but..."
Her tone shifted slightly, carrying a hint of refusal and a tentative probe: "While this item may not be as capable of warding off all evil as the legendary Golden Thunder Bamboo, if cultivated for ten thousand years, it can release divine thunder to ward off evil, making it priceless. This is a relic left by my late father, and it holds extraordinary significance for me. If you are merely taking on the role of an ordinary elder, this item as payment would be somewhat insufficient. If you would be willing to exchange it for a treasure of equal value, or grant me a few requests..."
"Sect Master Ziling, we are all sensible people, so there's no need for such empty words."
Mu Chunfeng chuckled lightly, interrupting her.
He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said calmly yet incisively, "If the Thunder Bamboo could be cultivated for ten thousand years, it would naturally be a treasure coveted by everyone in the cultivation world. But the problem is, the piece you have in your hand is only a mere thousand years old."
"As for the significance of the relics... in the eyes of a businessman like the Purple Spirit Sect Master, what doesn't have a price?"
Zi Ling fell silent.
Although Mu Chunfeng's words were straightforward, they hit the nail on the head.
In her hands, this piece of thousand-year-old thunder bamboo was indeed a "chicken rib"—tasteless to eat but a pity to throw away.
Moreover, her words just now did indeed contain the intention of taking the opportunity to raise the price, but the other party saw through it in one sentence.
Mu Chunfeng leaned forward slightly: "Moreover, I've heard that since the death of its former sect leader, the Miaoyin Sect has fallen into dire straits. The Star Palace even sent a Core Formation stage elder, Zhao Zheng, to the Miaoyin Sect to 'assist.' But his apparent assistance was actually a ploy to annex it. The sect leader is now beset by internal and external troubles and needs a powerful external ally who can restrain Zhao Zheng and has no ulterior motives towards the Miaoyin Sect's foundation."
"Use a piece of thousand-year-old Heavenly Thunder Bamboo in exchange for my help to stabilize the situation. Moreover, I won't interfere too much in the power of the Myriad Sounds Sect. This deal is a win-win for the sect leader."
A brief silence fell over the sealed room.
Zi Ling looked at the composed black-robed cultivator before her, her mind rapidly weighing the pros and cons.
The reason she has been struggling to hold on is because the sect lacks high-end combat power capable of controlling the situation.
The senior Mu before us is not only unfathomably powerful, but most importantly, his demands are very clear—he only wants resources and channels, and will not excessively interfere with power.
For a sect leader in a weak position, such a powerful elder is simply the perfect tool to break the deadlock.
In comparison, that piece of thousand-year-old thunder bamboo really seems insignificant.
After a long while, Zi Ling's tense shoulders relaxed slightly, and a smile curved her lips beneath the veil.
"Senior, you have such amazing eloquence. With just a few words, you've convinced me that this Thunder Bamboo is absolutely necessary."
With a flick of her jade hand, Zi Ling revealed a jade box with a restriction talisman on it on the table.
She gently pushed open the jade box, and inside lay a section of bamboo, entirely emerald green with subtle crackling light on its surface, emanating a faint aura of thunder.
"The Heavenly Thunder Bamboo is here."
Mu Chunfeng looked at it for a moment, but did not reach out to take it. Instead, she suddenly said, "I want the other part with the root."
Zi Ling's beautiful eyes narrowed suddenly, her face beneath the veil filled with disbelief.
She was already quite surprised that the other party knew she had Thunder Bamboo, but now they even knew the top-secret detail that the Thunder Bamboo in her hand had roots!
How exactly was this done?
Seeing Mu Chunfeng's ambiguous smile, Zi Ling knew that he was not making empty threats.
After a long while, she sighed softly, concealing the shock in her eyes, and took out a more exquisite jade box and pushed it over.
The box was opened, revealing a section of Thunder Bamboo with some roots and a more restrained lightning effect.
Zi Ling looked at Mu Chunfeng, her eyes flashing with intelligence and decisiveness: "This junior agrees to Senior's conditions. However, this junior also has a small request."
"Please speak, Sect Leader."
"When you are in the sect, you must address me as 'Sect Master,' and in front of outsiders like Zhao Zheng, you must show me great respect."
Zi Ling chuckled, "After all, the more seniors show that they value the Miaoyin Sect, the less likely that old fox Zhao Zheng will dare to act rashly."
"make a deal."
Mu Chunfeng readily agreed and put away the jade box.
From then on, he officially joined the Miaoyin Sect as an elder.
"Sect Master Ziling, now that I am an elder of the Miaoyin Sect, I wonder if the power to mobilize the sect's resources that I promised before can still be fulfilled?" Mu Chunfeng changed the subject.
"That's natural."
Zi Ling smiled slightly, her tone relaxed, but her words still clearly indicated her bottom line: "As long as you don't intend to shake the foundation of my Miaoyin Sect, you are free to make some adjustments to personnel and channels."
"it is good."
Mu Chunfeng nodded, flipped his hand and took out a jade slip, handing it over: "I have a list here, which I need to search through the channels of the Miaoyin Sect. Sect Master, rest assured, I will pay the required spirit stones in full at market price, and I will not take a single penny from the sect for nothing."
Zi Ling took the jade slip and probed it with her divine sense.
However, after just one glance, her composed expression froze slightly, and a hint of surprise flashed in her beautiful eyes.
"Ten-thousand-year-old fire crystal, the essence of pure gold..."
Zi Ling put down the jade slip, looked up at Mu Chunfeng, and said with a hint of seriousness in her voice: "Senior Mu, these are all extremely rare top-grade refining materials. In particular, this ten-thousand-year fire crystal is as priceless as Geng Jing. Even if a Nascent Soul stage old monster gets it, he will keep it in his hands as a treasure to keep at the bottom of his chest, and it will rarely enter the market."
She paused briefly, then tentatively asked, "Senior, are you collecting these divine objects to forge some extraordinary natal magic weapon?"
"These are all the materials we need; there's no need for the sect leader to ask about their specific uses."
Mu Chunfeng's expression was calm, as if he was unwilling to talk more. "Just tell me, can you find out through the channels of the Miaoyin Sect?"
Seeing that Mu Chunfeng was unwilling to talk more, Zi Ling wisely refrained from pressing the matter.
She hesitated for a moment, then answered truthfully, "Apart from the few extremely rare items on the list that depend on chance, the rest of the materials should be able to be collected by the sect with some time and manpower."
"Okay, as long as we can find it, I'll cover all the expenses."
Mu Chunfeng nodded in satisfaction.
Zi Ling nodded slightly upon hearing this.
If it were an ordinary item, she could have been more generous and given it away as a congratulatory gift for the newly promoted elder.
However, any one of the items on the list is extremely valuable, and the total price far exceeds the current affordability of Miaoyin Sect. Even close brothers should keep clear accounts, so trading at market price is the safest and most sustainable solution.
"I will now have someone arrange the matters on the list, and as soon as there is any news, I will immediately send someone to report to the elder."
Zi Ling offered the subsequent procedures, then asked softly, "Now that you've just joined the sect, would you like me to arrange a ceremony to introduce you to the disciples? That way, everyone in the sect will know your identity."
"No need. Just inform the sect yourself. I don't like to be ostentatious, and I don't want to get entangled in the sect's mundane affairs. Just send someone to let me know if you encounter trouble like Zhao Zheng."
Mu Chunfeng waved his hand, directly rejecting the suggestion to show his face in public.
Seeing that everything had been settled, he stood up and said, "Then I will not disturb the sect leader in handling sect affairs any longer. I will take my leave now."
"This humble servant respectfully sees Elder Mu off."
Zi Ling also stood up and gave a slight bow to see them off.
This time, she adopted a very humble posture, and her tone was less tentative than before, and more genuinely respectful.
Watching Mu Chunfeng push open the door and leave, Zi Ling sat back down in her chair. She gently stroked the teacup in her hand, her beautiful eyes behind her veil sparkling with wisdom.
In her opinion, exchanging a useless piece of Thunder Bamboo for a Core Formation Elder was an absolutely worthwhile deal.
What's even more ingenious is that Elder Mu has no interest in wielding power within the sect. In this way, she can use it without any scruples as a tool to check and balance Zhao Zheng.
"Having just entered the Core Formation stage, he can already kill opponents of the same level... and now he needs to collect rare materials like ten-thousand-year-old fire crystals to refine a magical treasure..."
She murmured softly, connecting the information she had gathered that day in her mind, a meaningful smile appearing on her lips.
"Zhao Zheng, you've been plotting to swallow up my Miaoyin Sect, but little do you know what kind of evil spirit I've invited this time."
……
However, what Zi Ling didn't know was that Mu Chunfeng also felt he had made a huge profit.
A section of thousand-year-old thunder bamboo?
This is the future Golden Thunder Bamboo, a divine thunder that wards off evil.
As for his earlier vow not to interfere in the power struggle, that wasn't entirely a lie.
Mu Chunfeng was indeed too lazy to bother with the trivial matters of Miaoyin Sect, but his subordinates Yanli and Yuanyao might not be so.
As the saying goes, a rising tide lifts all boats. In the future, all we need to do is go with the flow and place Yanli and Yuanyao into the core of Miaoyin Sect. With the protection of Elder Mu, they will naturally be able to develop their own faction and power within the sect.
He certainly didn't intend to seize the entire foundation of the Miaoyin Sect, but what he wanted was to use the Miaoyin Sect as a "golden hen" to lay his own "egg".
Use the existing resources and connections of Miaoyinmen to cultivate your own team.