Hunyuan Immortal Sect

Chapter 169: Marriage Matchmaking
"Fellow Daoist Shao, according to our previous agreement, you were to take 30% of all the items in the cave. I didn't expect the harvest to be so bountiful this time. In addition to the spirit stones, there are also those elixirs, talismans, magical instruments, and even high-level storage bags. I will give you 30% of them as we agreed. However, the value of the second-level spirit pond and the three-colored spirit lotus fruit is difficult to estimate."

In the main hall, everyone took their seats, and Song Xian looked embarrassed.

"There's no need to be so troublesome. The storage bag also contains a second-level spirit pool and three-colored spirit lotus fruits. I am willing to give up my share. As long as Sect Leader Song can distribute the other things to me as agreed, I will be satisfied." Shao Jian said hurriedly with a smile.

This trip brought him a bountiful harvest, which was completely beyond his expectation and beyond his wildest dreams. He had only thought that there might be some magical medicine or treasure inside, but he had never expected that the rewards would be so rich.

Whether it's spirit stones, pills, or talismans, any one of them is enough for him to fight for his whole life.

Before this, he hunted monsters in the Ten Thousand Mountains of the Muhe Grassland, risking his life. If he was lucky, he could only earn a few hundred spirit stones a year. If he was not careful or had bad luck, he might become food in the monster's belly.

With this amount of spirit stones, it is enough for him to reach the great perfection of Qi Refining and have hope of building the foundation, which is what he has always dreamed of.

Along the way, what he was most worried about was that the Hunyuan Sect would break the contract. After all, anyone might be greedy for such a large amount of spirit stones, and he was alone and weak.

Once the Hunyuan Sect wanted to swallow up the spirit stones, they would most likely kill him to silence him. He wanted to propose the distribution of property several times, but he held back, fearing that he would get into a dispute with the other party and be killed in the wilderness.

Song Xian didn't mention this along the way, so he had no choice but to follow him to Solitary Peak. Now, after hearing these words, his heart finally settled down.

"Okay then. The total amount of spirit stones we've obtained this time is nearly 100,000. We also have magical instruments, talismans, and elixirs. Do you want to convert them into spirit stones to take away, or just divide them up?"

"Collapse them all into spirit stones!" Shao Jian thought for a moment and gave the answer. He didn't have a storage bag on him, and it was not convenient to carry so many pills and talismans on him. Moreover, the top-grade magic weapons would be too conspicuous and might be seen on the road by people, which might lead to bad intentions and bring disaster upon him. It would be better to collapse them into spirit stones for easy carrying.

"Okay, as you say. We'll calculate the price of the magic tools, talismans, and elixirs, and then exchange them for spirit stones for you to take away. We've all been on this journey and are exhausted. It's getting late today, so please rest up in our sect for one night. Tomorrow we'll calculate the price of these items one by one."

"There's no need to be so troublesome. There's no need to calculate everything in detail. Sect Leader Song only needs to give me 35,000 spirit stones in total. Your sect should be able to accept this price!" Shao Jian was eager to take the money and leave, fearing that something unexpected would happen, so he didn't want to stay here for long.

"Does Brother Shao really only want 35,000 spirit stones? You must think it over carefully and stop considering it. Don't let others accuse us of bullying the weak with our strength and the few with our numbers." Song Xian said with a smile.

Just the spirit stones alone, at 30%, Shao Jian could get 30,000. And the magic tools, talismans, and elixirs couldn't possibly be worth only 5,000. He certainly knew what Shao Jian was worried about.

"Thirty-five thousand is more than enough. To be honest, I didn't expect to gain so much from this trip. This amount has far exceeded my expectations. I just have a small request. I hope you can give me three fifth-tier spirit stones and five fourth-tier spirit stones so that I can carry them with me."

"That's no problem. I'll give it to you now. But my sect also has a request. I hope you won't tell anyone about this. You know, my sect wants to build a training room in that spiritual pond. The unripe three-colored spiritual lotus fruit hasn't been picked yet. If the news gets out, it will definitely cause a lot of trouble."

Shao Jian immediately said seriously, "Master Song, please rest assured. I will never reveal a single word to anyone. Master Song is a man of his word, and I am not a frivolous playboy. Besides, revealing this matter will not benefit me. If others knew that I had such a large sum of money, there is no guarantee that there would not be villains who would want to kill me for their wealth. I am willing to swear that if I reveal this matter, I will die a miserable death."

"There's no need for a poisonous oath. I believe what Brother Shao says." Song Xian took out two bags from the high-level storage bag, took out three fifth-level spirit stones from one of them, and took out five fourth-level spirit stones from the other bag, and handed them all to Shao Jian.

"Friend Shao, I hope we can have another opportunity to cooperate next time."

"Thank you, Master Song. If I have such good luck again, or if I get any news about treasures, I will be the first to tell your sect." Shao Jian took the spirit stone, and the corners of his mouth could not be suppressed and rose up. He was smiling and was very happy.

"It's getting late today, Brother Shao, please stay here for one night!"

"No, I'll take my leave now." Shao Jian was afraid of any complications, so he turned around and was about to leave.

"Fellow Daoist Shao, please wait a moment." At this time, Zhong Wenyuan, who had been silent, spoke.

"What else does Brother Zhong have to say?"

"Excuse me for asking, but what is the relationship between you and Junior Sister Mu?"

"Um... we're just friends. Why are you asking this, Fellow Daoist Zhong?"

Zhong Wenyuan remained calm and said, "In addition to the information provided by you, Junior Sister Mu also contributed to our sect's success. We should reward you generously. You are also the main contributor to this incident. In your opinion, what reward should we give Junior Sister Mu?"

Song Xian glanced at Zhong Wenyuan and said nothing. Instead, he looked at Shao Jian.

"This... is your clan's internal affairs, so I can't say much."

"I'm afraid Fellow Daoist Shao and Junior Sister Mu of our sect are more than just friends! Are they in love and planning to become a couple?"

"No, no, that's not it." Shao Jian waved his hands repeatedly: "Fellow Daoist Zhong misunderstood."

"So Brother Shao is attracted to Junior Sister Mu?"

"This...this!" Shao Jian blushed and was speechless.

"A gentleman loves a beautiful lady; it's only natural. Daoist Shao has made such great contributions to our sect, and we've been through life and death together. If Daoist Shao is truly interested, why not ask the Sect Master to act as a matchmaker and help Junior Sister Mu and Daoist Shao become a happy couple?"

Hearing this, Shao Jian suddenly looked at Song Xian, his eyes full of hope and joy, his face full of anticipation.

This caught Song Xian off guard, leaving him somewhat bewildered: "We need to ask Junior Sister Mu what she thinks. We can't make the decision for her."

Zhong Wenyuan said, "In that case, I will go and talk to Junior Sister Mu. If that doesn't work out, I'll ask the headmaster to step in. What do you think, Fellow Daoist Shao?"

Shao Jian hadn't expected this treasure hunt to yield both wealth and life. Overjoyed, he quickly bowed and said, "Master Song and Fellow Daoist Zhong, if you can help me accomplish this, I'd be incredibly grateful. In the future, if you need me to do anything, I'd be happy to help."

"Junior Sister Mu is at the mountain gate right now. Please stay there for a few days while I ask Junior Sister Mu."

Shao Jian originally didn't want to stay here and just wanted to take the money and leave quickly. But now, hearing Zhong Wenyuan's words, the opportunity to win the beauty was right in front of him. Yan She let it go and responded without hesitation: "Then I'll leave everything to Fellow Daoist Zhong and Sect Leader Song."

"Come here, take Fellow Daoist Shao to the guest hall to rest."

"Brother Wenyuan, do you really want to match Junior Sister Mu Hong with this person?" After Shao Jian left, Song Xian asked thoughtfully.

"This person must not be allowed to leave the sect. It is best to bring him into the sect. If not, then let him..." Zhong Wenyuan's eyes flashed coldly and he made a chopping gesture with his hand.

Song Xian was not surprised. He understood Zhong Wenyuan's intention from the moment he opened his mouth.

"It's not a good idea to do this. If he wants to stay, then he can stay. If he doesn't want to stay, then let him go!"

Zhong Wenyuan's expression was resolute, his attitude firm. "Master, you must not be soft-hearted. This is a matter of great importance. If this information is leaked, the Spirit Pond will inevitably be seized by other forces. Then, Junior Brother Lin will lose his training ground, and his foundation-building progress will inevitably be slowed down, which will be detrimental to the future development of the sect."

"Besides, I don't know if Wang Puqing has any relatives, friends, or descendants outside. Even if he doesn't, if someone comes to us claiming to be his descendant and asks us to return his legacy, it will be a big trouble."

"If you can't bear to do it, Master, just leave it to me."

Song Xian shook his head. "This isn't a matter of being lenient or not, it's just that the gains don't outweigh the losses. We're based in Bianxia Town, without any strong external support or resources. If we want to grow and develop, we must be trustworthy and honest. This is the right way. We should try to avoid those conspiracies and plots, and we must absolutely not kill or plunder."

"Killing Shao Jian is easy, but killing him would label the sect as unkind and unjust, and as someone who backstabbed our partners. That's not worth it."

"If we want to develop, we must rely not only on our own strength but also on a good reputation. If we do this, who will trust us in the future?"

"Besides, I doubt Shao Jian would reveal this. It wouldn't benefit him either. Didn't he also gain a large sum of spirit stones from this? Isn't he afraid that Wang Puqing's descendants might cause trouble? He's a powerless cultivator, and it would be dangerous for others to know that he has such a large sum of money. Why would he reveal this to others?"

"Besides, Shao Jian is a friend introduced by Mu Hong. If I kill him, what will Mu Hong think? Will she feel unfair and tell others about this? Will she also be killed as well?"

"This matter must not be done. Senior Brother Wenyuan, please do not mention it again."

Zhong Wenyuan was silent for a moment. "In that case, let's keep him in the sect and let Mu Hong become his Taoist partner."

"Let's look at Mu Hong's own wishes! We can't sacrifice Mu Hong and force her to agree just to keep Shao Jian here. How about this! Find Mu Hong and ask her face to face."

Song Xian originally didn't want to get involved in this matter, but seeing Zhong Wenyuan's attitude, he was really worried that he would force Mu Hong in the name of the sect.

Soon, Mu Hong arrived at the main hall and bowed to Song Xian. "Master, what do you want to talk to me about?"

"Junior Sister Mu, please take a seat!" Song Xian smiled and waved his hand for her to take a seat. "This time, we went to that cave to search for treasure and found a very rich harvest. You also contributed to this. Tell me! What reward do you want?"

"This is the duty of a disciple. I dare not talk about my merits." Hearing this, Mu Hong was very happy, but he could not take the initiative to make requests and passed the problem on.

"Since you don't want to tell me, I will make the decision myself. According to the rules of our sect, half of the money we get will go into the sect treasury, and the other half will be divided equally among the disciples. Because of your low level of cultivation, you did not go with us to get the treasure, but if it weren't for your recommendation, Shao Jian would not have told the sect this important news. In this way, you can take half of the reward we get, how about it?" Song Xian said.

He did this not to persuade Mu Hong next, but to motivate more disciples to provide valuable clues. Taking Mu Hong as an example, he believed that if other disciples got clues about related treasures in the future, they would definitely inform the sect enthusiastically.

"Thank you, Master." Mu Hong was overjoyed. She was just a middleman, recommending and accompanying Shao Jian to the mountain gate to inform him of the news.

She hardly put any effort into the whole thing. She didn't discover the clue, nor did she take the risk like others to go to the cave to get the treasure. Yet, she was able to get half of the reward that others got. What could she be dissatisfied with?

"The exact amount of spirit stones in reward still needs to be calculated, but it won't be small. Let me tell you! Shao Jian has just taken 30% of his proceeds, which is a total of 35,000 spirit stones."

Hearing this, Mu Hong was surprised and delighted. She could no longer hide the joy on her face. She had never expected to have such a rich harvest. She asked curiously, "Master, may I ask what treasures are inside the waterfall cave?"

"There's a second-tier spirit pond inside, containing a three-colored spirit lotus fruit. Of course, there are dangers there too. There are two demonic snakes guarding it, equivalent to those at the Great Perfection of Qi Refining. Both Wang Huan and Junior Brother Xu Zhen were killed by these demonic snakes, and we nearly lost our lives there, too. Furthermore, deep within the cave, there's a Foundation Establishment cultivator who passed away in meditation. The storage bag he carried contained a hundred thousand spirit stones alone, as well as magical instruments, talismans, elixirs, and more."

Song Xian did not hide this matter. He was one of the people who knew about it. Even if he didn't say it, Shao Jian would tell him.

Mu Hong's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he stood there in a daze.

"Junior Sister Mu, Shao Jian is pursuing you! He asked us to act as matchmakers. What do you think?"

Hearing this suddenly, Mu Hong didn't react for a moment, but soon a blush appeared on her cheeks, and she lowered her head without saying a word.

"There's nothing to be embarrassed about when a man and a woman get married. I won't hide it from you, we hope Shao Jian stays in the sect. After all, this matter is of great importance. If he becomes a sect disciple, everyone will be relieved. However, this doesn't mean he has to trade you for anything. I'm just conveying his intentions. It's up to you to decide whether to make it happen or not."

"I... I don't have such plans for the time being." After a while, Mu Hong said in a low voice.

"Okay, I get it, go ahead!"

"The disciple retire."

"If Mu Hong doesn't want to, let Shao Jian go! This matter is settled." Song Xian said after Mu Hong walked away.

Zhong Wenyuan's eyes flickered. "Since the Sect Master won't kill Shao Jian, then we should try to recruit him into the sect. Mu Hong may not agree, but she hasn't explicitly refused either. We can work on this and get Shao Jian to stay in the sect voluntarily."

"If Shao Jian is willing to stay, that's great. But we can't use force, and we can't use Mu Hong as a threat."

"I know how to do it."

(End of this chapter)