Mo Tiange didn't know what the Yuanning Pill was, but upon hearing this, Yang Chengji's eyes lit up, and even Tian Zhiqian and Ling Yunfei both looked toward Ling Yunhe.
Ling Yunhe smiled without speaking.
Mo Tiange hesitated for a moment before asking, "Fellow Daoist Ling, what is the Yuanning Pill?"
Ling Yunhe paused, then smiled apologetically. "My apologies, I forgot Fellow Daoist Qin is not from Yunzhong, so you likely haven't heard of my Jiuyan Sect's Yuanning Pill. This pill is one of my sect's high-grade elixirs, used to break through bottlenecks... Of course, it's not guaranteed to be effective."
"I see." Ling Yunhe didn't elaborate much, but judging by the expressions on Yang Chengji and the others' faces, Mo Tiange could easily guess that this Yuanning Pill must be an extremely rare and precious elixir, capable of making even a disciple from a prestigious sect like Yang Chengji so covetous.
Ling Yunfei glanced at her and explained with a smile, "Fellow Daoist Qin, our Jiuyan Sect's Yuanning Pill is a famous spiritual elixir throughout Yunzhong. Forget outsiders, even us inner sect disciples find it very difficult to obtain." He looked at Ling Yunhe, his face full of envy. "If not for my second brother being deeply favored by the Patriarch, he'd probably be like me, waiting years just to be allocated a few pills..."
"Is that so?" Ling Yunfei was already a Core Formation cultivator, and in principle, he should be considered an elder within the Jiuyan Sect. Yet even he could only wait to be allocated a few pills. It seemed this elixir was indeed extremely precious. Ling Yunhe was truly going all out this time.
"A pill that can help break through bottlenecks?" Tian Can spoke up, looking toward Ling Yunhe. "Fellow Daoist Ling, is this true?"
"Indeed." Ling Yunhe raised an eyebrow. "Fellow Daoist Tian Can hasn't heard of the Yuanning Pill either?"
Tian Can said indifferently, "I've always lived in seclusion in remote, desolate places and rarely venture out. I'm not familiar with matters concerning your Dongtang country."
"I see." Ling Yunhe pointed to an empty patch of ground nearby. "Everyone, let's go rest over there. There's no hurry to make a decision."
Watching Ling Yunhe set up a defensive formation, the others hesitated for a moment but still went over to rest.
Mo Tiange saw that the previously tense atmosphere had now become much more peaceful. She gave Ling Yunhe a meaningful look.
This person truly could not be underestimated. If you called him forthright, he also knew how to play mind games. If you called him sinister, the terms he offered were extremely generous.
This matter was exactly as Ling Yunhe had just said. If he had explained everything clearly beforehand, there was an eighty percent chance the team would have disbanded before even entering Carefree Valley. After all, for people like them, no one was willing to entrust their lives to another, no matter how generous the conditions offered. But now, they had already entered Carefree Valley and were at the entrance to the Inner Valley. Withdrawing wouldn't be easy, so the conditions they could accept would be more lenient. And Ling Yunhe had chosen this moment to promise the Yuanning Pills.
Discovering his previous concealment had originally made the others very dissatisfied, and they might very well have stormed off in anger. But after his promises, they had calmed down again. Even if someone ultimately withdrew, they probably wouldn't hold a grudge against him.
Mo Tiange sighed inwardly. An open and forthright person was worth befriending, yet such a person found it difficult to gain a foothold in the cultivation world. A clever and shrewd person could thrive, yet they were kept at a respectful distance. And this Ling Yunhe... seemed to be somewhere between the two, making one neither fully angry nor fully pleased.
However, it was undeniable that someone like him, if he truly became the Jiuyan Sect's Sect Master, would probably do very well.
"Fellow Daoist Qin." Sitting alone in a corner, lost in her own thoughts, she suddenly heard a grating voice.
Mo Tiange turned her head and discovered it was actually Tian Can.
Apart from their one previous clash, she had had no interaction with Tian Can during this journey. She didn't know what his intention was in seeking her out to talk now.
"Fellow Daoist Tian Can, is something the matter?"
Tian Can glanced left and right, then sat down not far from her. He waved a hand, setting up a Sound-Isolation Barrier, and said indifferently, "What do you think of this matter?"
Mo Tiange was taken aback. "Fellow Daoist Tian Can is asking me what I plan to do?"
"Correct." Tian Can nodded, his only visible pair of eyes fixed on her. "Ling Yunhe is indeed cunning, yet he can also be considered sincere. Since he has promised those conditions, we should be safe until he obtains the Carefree Fruit. However, whether he'll turn on us afterward is hard to say."
"..."
Mo Tiange remained silent for a long while. Tian Can couldn't help but ask, "Fellow Daoist Qin, what is your opinion?"
Mo Tiange thought to herself, weren't they practically strangers? These words seemed far too intimate. But the other party looked like he was seriously discussing this with her, so saying that might seem a bit cold.
She thought for a moment and said, "What about Fellow Daoist Tian Can? What have you decided?"
Tian Can said, "That's precisely what I can't decide. To be honest with you, Fellow Daoist Qin, what Ling Yunhe promised me is extremely important. If I obtain it, my future cultivation path will be much smoother. One could say, for this item, taking a certain amount of risk is worth it. But..." He paused, his gaze sweeping over the others.
Ling Yunhe was currently sitting cross-legged within the formation, meditating and regulating his breath. His spirit beast, the vulture, perched on his shoulder, its fierce gaze fixed ahead, occasionally glancing at the others.
Ling Yunfei and Tian Zhiqian seemed to be chatting idly. Tian Can had set up a Sound-Isolation Barrier around the two of them, so they couldn't hear each other's conversation. As for Yang Chengji, he was sitting leaning against the cliff wall, arms crossed, seemingly lost in thought as he stared at some indeterminate point.
"Where there is abnormality, there is deceit," Tian Can said. "Fellow Daoist Qin, look. The three of us invited by Ling Yunhe are no weaklings. On the contrary, Tian Zhiqian and Ling Yunfei are far inferior in strength. Tian Zhiqian is a Formation Master, so that's understandable. But what about Ling Yunfei? Is Ling Yunhe, as a candidate for the Jiuyan Sect's Sect Master, with reportedly good interpersonal relationships, truly unable to find more capable companions? Even if the Ling family doesn't have any, surely the Jiuyan Sect would?"
Mo Tiange said, "He said this matter involves the interests of various factions within the sect and family disputes, so he couldn't very well ask his usually friendly senior and junior brothers..."
"Hmph!" A trace of mockery flashed in Tian Can's eyes. "Is that truly the case? Yunzhong is not..." He stopped mid-sentence, then continued, "Yunzhong's number one major sect is well-deserved. They have over a dozen Nascent Soul cultivators and over a hundred Core Formation cultivators. Could they not find a single decent helper? Judging by Ling Yunfei's words, Ling Yunhe is deeply favored by the Ling family's Nascent Soul Patriarch. For the sake of his beloved grandson, plus an alliance of interests, even if he himself doesn't care, others wouldn't be indifferent, would they?"
"..." Mo Tiange kept her gaze lowered, a faint smile on her face. After listening, her expression didn't change in the slightest.
Tian Can blinked and pressed on, "Fellow Daoist Qin, you have to give me some kind of answer, don't you?"
Mo Tiange looked up. "What answer?"
"Your view on this matter, ultimately."
Mo Tiange sighed. "I'd like to ask instead, just who are you, Fellow Daoist Tian Can?"
Tian Can was startled, his gaze instantly turning sharp. "What do you mean by that, Fellow Daoist Qin?"
Mo Tiange said calmly, "Firstly, aren't you afraid that I might actually have ties with Ling Yunhe and am just pretending not to know him, so I can control the others later?"
Tian Can narrowed his eyes, staring at her without speaking.
Mo Tiange continued, "Secondly, even if you confirm that I truly have no connection with Ling Yunhe, we have no friendship. Should Fellow Daoist Tian Can be saying these things to a stranger?"
Tian Can's hand had already clenched tightly.
"Finally, what's the point of Fellow Daoist Tian Can telling me all this? Whatever I say, would you believe it?"
After hearing these words, Tian Can stared fixedly at her for a long time, neither moving nor speaking.
Mo Tiange merely smiled, making it seem to the others that the two of them were just chatting idly, without any dispute.
After quite a while, Tian Can finally relaxed his hand. He looked at Mo Tiange, his tone calm. "Who I am is not the time to say, just as Fellow Daoist Qin has also concealed your origins. However, I can speak frankly. The reason I'm saying these things to Fellow Daoist Qin is that I want to find a temporary companion. It's better than taking risks alone."
Mo Tiange raised an eyebrow, smiling as she asked, "Why me? Fellow Daoist Yang is also good. Although only at the early Core Formation stage, the strength he's displayed seems no less than ours."
Tian Can shook his head, staring at his own hand as he said indifferently, "That Fellow Daoist Yang is a demonic cultivator and a disciple of one of the Three Great Demon Lords. I don't want to get entangled with him. Besides, Fellow Daoist Qin's strength surpasses that of an ordinary mid Core Formation cultivator. You're stronger than Fellow Daoist Yang, not weaker."
"But I'm a female cultivator," Mo Tiange looked at him, her gaze seemingly amused. "Generally speaking, even with the difference between mid and early stage, wouldn't one think choosing a male cultivator is safer?"
Of course, she felt she was no weaker than male cultivators, but male chauvinism was a widespread phenomenon in the cultivation world. Even if a male cultivator's cultivation was lower, they'd still consider him more reliable because male cultivators were more decisive in handling matters. In life-or-death situations, male cultivators could exert greater capability.
Hearing her question, Tian Can glared at her angrily. "What does being a female cultivator matter? Is Fellow Daoist Qin also one of those who belittles herself?"
Mo Tiange was somewhat surprised by his anger, but she wasn't offended. She just shook her head and reminded him, "Fellow Daoist Tian Can, if your behavior is suspicious, I'd be even less willing to form an alliance with you."
Hearing this, Tian Can was taken aback and slowly calmed down.
Once he had completely regained his composure, Tian Can said, "Observing Fellow Daoist Qin's conduct and actions along this journey, you are in no way inferior to male cultivators. As for that Fellow Daoist Yang, his status is extraordinary, and I don't want to get involved with him. There are only six of us in total, and those three are a group. That being the case, I have no other choice."
Mo Tiange nodded, accepting this explanation. She thought for a moment and said, "Is Fellow Daoist Tian Can saying this because you intend to agree to Ling Yunhe's terms and continue taking the risk?"
Tian Can nodded. "Correct. I have to admit, Ling Yunhe is very capable. We're already here. Even if he lets us withdraw on our own, we have to consider whether we can leave safely. Then, considering the generous reward he's offering, it's very tempting. Plus, he has no reason to harm us at this point. It's worth a gamble."
"However, there is risk afterward, right?" Mo Tiange continued. "Based on your earlier deduction, after finding the Carefree Fruit, they might turn on us."
"Exactly. That's why I want to form an alliance with Fellow Daoist Qin." Tian Can looked toward Ling Yunhe, who was still meditating, deep apprehension in his eyes.