Chapter 17: The Borrowed Sword Stratagem

The battle outside had ended. In truth, it was not a battle, but a one-sided slaughter. The middle-aged man and the giant entered the room one after another. With a loud bang, the giant’s head hit the doorframe heavily.

The girl smiled, and Xue Jiu and Zhou Jin smiled as well. They shook their heads, appearing completely helpless against the giant. Su Tang wanted to laugh too, but he did not dare.

Other attendants appeared and began to clean up the messy battlefield. A silver tiger walked in slowly and lay down under the red mahogany table in the center, rubbing its head against the girl’s feet as if to please her.

“Young Master Su, Uncle Jiu says that we owe you a favor,” the girl said softly.

“I wouldn’t dare, I wouldn’t dare. It was only the right thing to do,” Su Tang replied with a forced smile. He understood everything now. No wonder Xue Jiu’s attitude had been so casual and indifferent. Even if he had not sent the warning, they would have been fine. The combat strength the giant had just shown was enough to torture and kill the bandits dozens of times over.

“But I do not like owing others.” The girl opened her palm, and two small porcelain bottles appeared. They contained something unknown that emitted a purple glow, like night pearls. “This is a medicinal liquid made from the fresh stamens of the Magic Orchid. It is very beneficial to Practitioners who have reached the Battle Fighter level. However, the Magic Orchid is too rare. It takes at least thirty to fifty years to take root and sprout, and once the flower finally blooms, it withers in just a few minutes. Therefore, this medicinal liquid is priceless and unavailable on the market.”

Su Tang was completely confused. Was she giving him a lesson? Fine… he would just listen seriously.

“The Magic Orchid is of no use to me, but I have a younger brother, and this is the birthday gift I prepared for him,” the girl said. “However, one bottle is enough. I will give the other one to you. One day, when you become a Battle Fighter, you will find it useful.” After speaking, the girl threw one of the small porcelain bottles toward him.

Su Tang was very surprised and hurriedly caught the bottle. After a moment of silence, he said with difficulty, “Grand Exalted, this… is too generous. I…”

“You are not satisfied?!” The girl’s voice turned cold, and Xue Jiu and the others looked at Su Tang with displeased eyes.

Su Tang’s face became very pale. He possessed strong self-control and should not have lost his composure like this. The reason was simple: his heart was filled with terror and extreme anger!

Yes, strictly speaking, he had not played much of a role, but he stood on their side and had done his best with his meager strength to help them. Even if there was no great merit, there was effort. Why did they want to harm him?!

Su Tang could feel the attendants cleaning the room staring intently at the bottle in his hand. Clearly, the girl had not exaggerated; the Magic Orchid was absolutely priceless. Forget the outside world, people in this very room were already envious!

Useful after becoming a Battle Fighter? Don’t be ridiculous! Su Tang was certain that as soon as these guests left Little Forest Castle, others would force their way in, and it might even be one of those attendants.

Handing over the Magic Orchid would be useless because a second or third faction would appear. His life would become restless, or rather, he would not survive for many more days.

Refuse? If he did not give them face, he might become a pile of meat paste in the next moment, just like Old Fei. Accept it? To him, the Magic Orchid was not a precious medicine, but a death warrant.

Su Tang felt both angry and hateful. Suddenly, a streak of boldness rose in him. You want to harm me this way? No way!

“Then I thank the Grand Exalted,” Su Tang beamed with a smile. Then, he curiously shook the bottle in his hand, opened the cap, tilted his head back, and poured all the purple liquid into his mouth.

“Hey…”

“Don’t…”

Two attendants could not control themselves and cried out in shock. Even Xue Jiu and Zhou Jin widened their eyes. Only a Battle Fighter, by coordinating the movement of a Battle Formula, could release the effects of the Magic Orchid. Drinking it like Su Tang did was useless; it was simply a waste of the incredibly precious liquid.

“Tsk tsk…” Su Tang smacked his lips with satisfaction. He smiled innocently. “The taste is wonderful…”

The girl looked at Su Tang quietly. Su Tang looked blissful and even swayed his head. Then, the girl suddenly laughed. “Heh…”

The girl had smiled before, but it had been indifferent and fleeting. This time, it seemed to come from her heart. The corners of her mouth rose, and her eyes, which looked like autumn water, curved. Then, a warm and infectious smile bloomed on her face.

“Uncle Jiu, did you see? He does not just have a little bit of cleverness…” the girl said with a smile.

Seeing that brilliant, spring-like smile, Su Tang felt dazzled, but he quickly snapped back to his senses. She wasn’t angry? She was praising him? What did this mean?

Xue Jiu and Zhou Jin looked at each other and shared a bitter smile. They had been a bit slow to realize; only now did they react that this was merely a test. However, wasting a bottle of Magic Orchid—wasn’t that price too extravagant?

“Young Master Su, tell me, can a golden phoenix fly out of a chicken coop?” the girl asked, still smiling.

In fact, since his rebirth, Su Tang’s thinking ability and speed far exceeded those of ordinary people. But at this moment, he really could not keep up with the girl’s pace. One moment he was wondering why she was happy instead of angry, and in the blink of an eye, she had shifted to a completely unrelated topic.

“That… I suppose so,” Su Tang said, unsure.

“I say it cannot,” the girl said, shaking her head.

“Why not?”

“What is in a chicken coop?” the girl said calmly. “Does arguing over a small insect broaden your horizons? Does feeling proud over laying one extra egg temper your will? If you are mediocre all day long, how could you possibly become the king of a hundred birds soaring through the nine heavens? Therefore… a golden phoenix cannot fly out of a chicken coop.”

Su Tang fell silent, and his expression became more solemn than ever. He understood the logic of what she said, but he did not understand the meaning of her saying these things to him.

“Conversely, if a phoenix falls into a chicken coop and does not know how to strive for self-improvement, it is possible that it will actually become a chicken,” the girl smiled. “Little Forest Castle is a chicken coop. Have you ever thought about traveling elsewhere?”

“Where? Go with you?” Su Tang asked.

“No,” the girl shook her head. “The places I go… haha, without decades of Cultivation, you cannot go. As I said, we owe you a favor, so I want to give you an opportunity.”

Su Tang fell silent again.

“Tomorrow morning, we will leave Little Forest Castle. Think about it yourself,” the girl said. “Now, you may go.”

Su Tang walked out silently. He indeed needed to think carefully. As he reached the door, he suddenly noticed something. “Wait, they… seem to be missing one person.”

“Who?” Xue Jiu asked.

“Liu Mingsheng from Black Wind Castle,” Su Tang said.

“Zhou Jin, go take a trip,” the girl ordered, then smiled faintly. “Such a clever borrowed sword stratagem; of course we didn’t notice it.”

“Cough…” Su Tang felt a bit embarrassed. “They really are together!”

“I know,” the girl replied.