The most secure job in Dajin

Chapter 334, Exorbitant Demands

Seeing Tong Yao, Hua Changxi felt a little embarrassed: "I don't know if it's too late for me to apologize now?"

Tong Yao sensed Hua Changxi's apology and smiled, "I'm fine, it's just that the Grand Elder... when I see him later, he'll inevitably have to say a few words to you."

Hearing him say that, Hua Changxi quickly replied, "I am willing to pay for the hot spring bath."

Tong Yao led Hua Changxi away from Tanggu, saying as they walked, "The water level in Tangyu Pool is dropping, and the Grand Elder will definitely come after you. You should be prepared."

Upon hearing this, Hua Changxi quickly explained, "I didn't mean to." She paused, then looked at Tong Yao's expression, "The water level in the hot spring should rise again, right?"

Tong Yao couldn't answer that question; he probably didn't know either.

However, thinking of Elder Yiming's reaction after learning that the water level in the hot spring pool had dropped—though he was somewhat dissatisfied, he wasn't too angry—he guessed that the hot spring pool should be able to recover.

However, it was not appropriate to say these words to Hua Changxi, so Tong Yao simply smiled and shook his head at her.

Upon seeing this, Hua Changxi immediately had a premonition that she was about to suffer a massive hemorrhage.

Suddenly, she had a flash of inspiration and thought of Jingliao and Yan Zhenzhen.

"Tong Yao, I'm a little scared to go see Elder Yiming alone. Why don't you call Jing Liao and Zhen Zhen to come with me and give me some courage?"

With Jingliao and Yan Zhenzhen watching from the side, Elder Yiming probably wouldn't be able to ask for too much.

Tong Yao chuckled: "Do you know how long you've been soaking in the hot spring?"

Hearing him ask that, Hua Changxi had a bad feeling: "How long have I been soaking?"

Tong Yao: "You've been soaking for more than half a month, and today is already the seventh day of the first lunar month."

Hua Changxi was stunned: "So much time has passed, even the New Year has passed."

Speaking of the Chinese New Year, Tong Yao added, "On New Year's Eve, your third brother asked me about you. It seems your family wants you to come home for the New Year."

Hua Changxi fell silent after hearing this. It was one thing for her not to go home on ordinary days, but not to go home for the New Year either. Her family would definitely be unhappy with her.

As they were talking, they arrived at the teleportation array. Without saying anything else, the two stepped into the array.

After exiting the teleportation array, Tong Yao took Hua Changxi directly to the council hall to see Elder Yiming.

"Great Elder."

"Hua Changxi greets the Grand Elder."

Elder Yiming looked at Hua Changxi with a forced smile: "Young friend Hua, is the hot spring bath comfortable?"

Hua Changxi did not argue: "Elder, it was wrong of me to enter the hot spring bath without your permission, and I am willing to make compensation."

Elder Yiming snorted: "The hot spring pool has sunk by nearly ten meters, and we don't even know if it can be restored in the future. What do you plan to use to repay it?"

Tong Yao felt that Elder Yiming was being too harsh and wanted to say a few words in defense of Hua Changxi, but was given a warning glare by Elder Yiming.

Seeing that Hua Changxi was silent and ignored him, Elder Yiming pressed on and asked, "Young friend Hua, you refined the drop of Vermilion Bird essence blood that I gave you in the hot spring bath, right?"

Hua Changxi remained silent, which was taken as tacit agreement.

Elder Yiming then asked, "Have you obtained the Vermilion Bird's inherited divine abilities?" His tone carried a hint of eagerness and anticipation that was difficult to detect.

Hua Changxi glanced at him but remained silent.

Tong Yao, however, recalled the scene of Hua Changxi manipulating flames to devour flames and looked at her thoughtfully.

Elder Yiming seemed unconcerned about Hua Changxi's answer and continued to speak to himself: "Regardless of whether you have obtained the Vermilion Bird's inherited divine power, you must have consumed a large amount of energy in the hot spring while refining the Vermilion Bird's essence blood."

"The drop in the water level of the hot spring pool is just the most superficial loss. In places we can't see, who knows how much of the Qisheng Palace's resources have been 'stolen'?"

Hearing the Grand Elder use the word "stolen," Tong Yao couldn't hold back any longer: "Grand Elder..."

"you shut up!"

Elder Yiming glared at Tong Yao. Didn't he see Hua Changxi's guilty look? This proved that he wasn't wrong.

“Young friend Hua, you and Tong Yao are friends, I don’t think you did it on purpose.”

Upon hearing this, Hua Changxi nodded hurriedly.

Seeing her like this, Elder Yiming's expression finally softened: "I don't think young friend Hua would take advantage of the Weapon Saint Palace for nothing."

Hua Changxi nodded again, and was about to say something when Elder Yiming spoke first.

"Since we're all friends, the Artifact Saint Palace won't take advantage of you. As long as you tell me, or tell Tong Yao, how to fuse the Seven-Colored Strange Flames into the Great Sun Divine Flame, we'll settle the matter." Hua Changxi: "."

Tong Yao couldn't help but raise his hand to cover his face.

As expected, the Grand Elder really did ask for an exorbitant amount!
Hua Changxi was stunned for several seconds before she came to her senses and looked at Elder Yiming: "I almost lost my life because of the chance to obtain the method of 'converting the Seven-Colored Strange Flame into the Great Sun Divine Flame'."

"Yes, I did consume some resources of the Artifact Saint Palace in the hot spring bath, I do not deny that. However, the Artifact Saint Palace also benefited when I was cultivating, which means that I gave back to the Artifact Saint Palace."

Hearing this, Elder Yiming's eyelids twitched, thinking of the sudden calming of the earth fire veins. However, he remained stubborn and did not press for details, only saying, "Just tell me whether you will give compensation or not."

Seeing that Hua Changxi remained silent, Elder Yiming began to speak sarcastically to Tong Yao.

"Hmph, you still consider some people friends, but they used your things without even a word, and after using them, they weren't even willing to compensate you. Your taste in friends is truly appalling."

Tong Yao knew that Elder Yiming was trying to provoke Hua Changxi. He had experienced this tactic of the Elder before.

Similar rhetoric was also used on Jing Liao and Yan Zhenzhen.

Tong Yao felt utterly ashamed.
Seeing Tong Yao's predicament, and remembering how much she had indeed benefited in the Fusang Divine Tree space, Hua Changxi pondered for a while before looking at Elder Yiming and saying, "I can tell you how to convert the Seven-Colored Strange Flame into the Great Sun Divine Flame."

Upon hearing this, Elder Yiming's eyes lit up instantly.

Hua Changxi added, "However, the Artifact Saint Palace must give me ten magic artifacts of grade five or higher."

Elder Yiming's face visibly fell: "Ten magic artifacts, and they must be of grade five or higher. Young friend Hua, do you want to rob the treasury of my Artifact Saint Palace?"

Hua Changxi's eyes darted around, showing a hint of eagerness.

Upon seeing this, Elder Yiming's face darkened further. He feigned hesitation and said, "The fifth-grade storeroom of the Artifact Saint Palace can be opened for you, but you can only choose one magic artifact from it."

Hua Changxi objected: "One piece is too few, there should be at least five."

When Elder Yiming saw that Hua Changxi had bargained down the price by half, he barely managed to suppress a smirk: "Two items, I'll let you choose two at most."

Hua Changxi: "Three items, that's the bottom line. No less than that, otherwise there's nothing to talk about."

Elder Yiming: "Alright, three items it is!" Even a second's pause would be disrespectful to Hua Changxi's 'decisive' decision.

Hua Changxi: "."

Elder Yiming also felt that he hadn't been very dignified, so he quickly made amends by saying, "Considering that you are Tong Yao's friend, the Weapon Saint Palace should just accept this loss."

Tong Yao wouldn't listen to a word he said: "Elder."

"you shut up!"

Elder Yiming reprimanded Tong Yao, then looked at Hua Changxi with a smile: "Young friend Hua, do you want to tell me, or tell Tong Yao?"

Hua Changxi, with a blank expression, stretched out her hand: "Give me the Taiyin Stone, and I will use my divine sense to imprint it for you."

Upon hearing this, Elder Yiming and Tong Yao exchanged a surprised glance.

Elder Yiming laughed and said, "I don't have any Taiyin Stone on me. Wait here, I'll go get it for you."

Hua Changxi quickly said, "Elder, I am not very familiar with controlling divine sense. In order for you to obtain the method of 'converting the Seven-Colored Strange Flame into the Great Sun Divine Flame' as soon as possible, you will probably need to give me a few more Taiyin Stones as backup."

"."

Elder Yiming remained silent for a while with a blank expression before speaking: "There aren't many Taiyin Stones in the Artifact Saint Palace's storeroom. I need to go and see if I can find any."

After he left the main hall, Tong Yao asked, "You can control your divine sense now?"

Hua Changxi looked at him: "Can't you?"

Tong Yao shook his head: "The Weapon Saint Palace has methods to strengthen the soul, but controlling the divine sense requires corresponding techniques."

Upon hearing this, Hua Changxi nodded without saying anything more.

Tong Yao didn't ask any more questions after seeing this, and simply said, "I'll accompany you to the storeroom to choose some magical artifacts later, and I'll explain them to you properly then."

Seeing that he looked like she had been wronged and that she owed him something, Hua Changxi rolled her eyes and smiled, "If you think I've been wronged, then give me another magic artifact."

Tong Yao refused without hesitation: "That won't do."

Seeing his decisiveness, Hua Changxi was furious: "I've figured it out, you're all acting masters!"

He's embarrassed to admit it, but unwilling to offer compensation. Isn't this just blatant posturing?
(End of this chapter)