“Master Huo, since you have admitted defeat, then I’ll take the Holy Purple Frost Bamboo now.” Lou Qianxue was not bothered about winning or losing. She only cared about obtaining the Holy Purple Frost Bamboo.
However, before she got up, her gaze swept past a few of the herbs in the room, and a reluctance to leave surged in her heart.
But she still turned around and walked out.
“Little girl!” Master Huo suddenly called to stop her. “Hold on.”
Lou Qianxue paused her footsteps. She turned around and looked at Master Huo. “What’s the matter?”
A strange expression appeared on Master Huo’s aged face, and his forehead became sweaty again. “That…”
“Huh?” Lou Qianxue did not understand.
“You seem to like the herbs in this house a lot?”
Lou Qianxue narrowed her beautiful eyes and magnanimously admitted. “Yes.”
“I can give you the herbs that you like. It’s just that…” Master Huo’s expression became more awkward. He stammered while he spoke, and his reluctance to continue was evident.
Lou Qianxue’s gaze swept past those herbs again. “Master Huo, feel free to tell me regardless of what you’re thinking.”
The lowest stage of the spiritual herbs in this room was third-grade. Moreover, the room even contained herbs, other than Purple Frost Bamboo, that were required in a pill to break through the core realm. If she could get hold of them, it would be as good as directly obtaining the pill for breaking through the core realm.
“It’s like this. Everyone outside knows that the two of us are having an alchemy knowledge battle… If you go out like this with the Holy Purple Frost Bamboo in your hand, everyone will definitely know that I have lost…”
Lou Qianxue nodded. “Indeed.”
“It’ll be very hard for everyone to accept this result.” Master Huo tried hard to convince Lou Qianxue. “The wind always destroys the flourishing trees in the forest. Look at you. Being so young and high-profile will inevitably make others jealous, and you may encounter harm… You have to know that our Xuantian continent has never lacked geniuses. What we lack are the geniuses who live to the end and really grow up.”
Lou Qianxue somewhat understood Master Huo’s intention and raised her eyebrows. “Master Huo, can it be that you can’t afford to lose? Instead of saying that you’re afraid of me being too high-profile, why don’t you say that you’re afraid of being embarrassed?”
Master Huo’s expression instantly became awkward. “Little girl… Why do you have to say it so bluntly? I’m actually not afraid to lose. It’s just… you should also know that our Tian Zhao Dynasty has three fourth-grade alchemists, including me. The other two old fellows are in the Imperial City. Hence, they have always disliked me, and have always been competing with me in the dark. If they were to know that I lost to a little girl like you, they’ll mock me to death…”
“What’s wrong with losing to someone like me?” Lou Qianxue became unhappy.
Master Huo hurriedly explained, “Little girl, I’m not saying that you’re not good. It’s just that others would find it really hard to believe that you’re so highly skilled in alchemy at your age. Therefore…”
“Therefore, you plan to bribe me with those herbs? And have me admit defeat on purpose?”
It was the first time Master Huo had done this in his entire life. He was so vexed that his face turned red, and he felt ashamed and embarrassed. Yet, he had to force himself to nod.
“Do I look like a person who can be easily bribed?” Lou Qianxue calmly said.
As Master Huo looked at her cold expression, he shook his head and instantly became listless.
“However…”
A tinge of a smile flashed past Lou Qianxue’s eyes. “If you’re willing to give me the Fire Sun Cauldron in this room together with the Holy Purple Frost Bamboo and the herbs I like, I can force myself to pretend that I have lost.”
“Fire Sun Cauldron!!! Little girl, you’re really sharp-eyed! The Fire Sun Cauldron is not only the best medicinal cauldron here, but it’s also a third-grade medicinal cauldron. It can even handle the refining of a fifth-grade pill without any problems! I generally don’t even bear to use it!” Master Huo looked miserable as he negotiated with her. “I have four cauldrons at my place. Can you change to another one?”