After a moment of silence, Yan Yan took out a pill and handed it to Xiao Man.
"This is a Foundation Establishment Pill. My father obtained it for me from the Hundred Herbs Hall." Yan Yan gritted her teeth and handed the pill to Xiao Man. "When you reach the ninth stage of Qi Condensation, take this Foundation Establishment Pill. It will greatly increase your chances of successfully establishing your foundation. After you have established your foundation, can you treat my grandfather?"
Xiao Man looked at the Foundation Establishment Pill in Yan Yan's hand, a flicker of surprise in her eyes. "Aren't you afraid that I'll take your Foundation Establishment Pill and then refuse to acknowledge you?"
"The City Lord's mansion is heavily guarded, and there are many people stronger than you. For you now, it's very dangerous, yet you still put yourself at risk for a friend. Someone who can brave danger for a friend, I believe you are not a person of broken promises."
Xiao Man picked up the Foundation Establishment Pill and examined it closely. "Are there any other good things?"
Yan Yan glared at Xiao Man. You are asking for the moon! A Foundation Establishment Pill is already a rare treasure, and you're asking for other things. You're too greedy!
However, Yan Yan had no choice. As long as her grandfather could be cured, she was willing to give everything. She immediately took out everything from her Qiankun bag. "Take whatever you fancy, but after you establish your foundation, you must return to the City Lord's mansion and treat my grandfather."
Xiao Man rummaged through the bag and found several yellowed pieces of paper, seemingly torn from some book. Xiao Man examined them carefully. These were pill recipes!
"What is this?"
"Useless pill recipes. Because they are incomplete, and there are no alchemists in Wuji City, these things are useless to me. If you like them, take them."
"In that case, I will gratefully accept." Xiao Man put away the pill recipes and then handed Yan Yan a small porcelain bottle. "This is a return gift. One pill every ten days will ensure your grandfather's life is safe for one year. Before then, I will come to find you."
Yan Yan took it. "Thank you. Then let us make a year our pact. I will wait for you."
"I bid farewell." Xiao Man leaped away, disappearing in an instant. Yan Yan looked at the medicine bottle in her hand and then turned towards the City Lord's mansion. At the entrance, she encountered Fan Ting, who was returning.
"Young Lady, are you going out or have you just returned?" Fan Ting asked Yan Yan.
"I just returned from outside." Yan Yan looked up at Fan Ting. "I saw her."
Fan Ting grabbed Yan Yan's shoulders. "You saw Xiao Qin? Where is she?"
"She left."
"You let her go?" Fan Ting couldn't believe it. "She is our only hope now."
Yan Yan pushed Fan Ting's hand away and walked into the mansion. "I know she is grandfather's only hope, so I cannot offend her, nor dare I. I can only let her go."
"Then the old City Lord will be..."
"She said she cannot treat him now." Yan Yan headed towards the reception hall. The City Lord had not slept all night. Upon learning that Xiao Man had taken away their bargaining chip, he had been restless. The City Lord's mansion, a formidable stronghold, had been infiltrated by a mere newcomer to Wuji City, who had rescued someone without a trace. He didn't know whether to scold his own guards for their incompetence or praise Xiao Man's skill!
"Father."
"City Lord."
"How is it?"
"Your subordinate is incompetent. I could not find any trace of Xiao Qin." Fan Ting finished speaking, then secretly glanced at Yan Yan, hesitating whether to mention that Yan Yan had met Xiao Man.
"Father, your daughter did manage to track down Xiao Qin." Yan Yan said immediately.
The City Lord, upon hearing this, quickly stood up and looked Yan Yan over. "That fellow didn't hurt you, did he?"
"She didn't hurt me. Father, your daughter is useless. She refused to come back with me. She said she cannot treat grandfather's injuries at the moment." Yan Yan said cautiously.
The City Lord sighed and sat back in his chair. "It was to be expected. So many physicians from the Hundred Herbs Hall couldn't cure him, how could she?"
"Xiao Qin said that her cultivation is not high enough, so she cannot treat him now. After she successfully establishes her foundation, she is confident she can treat grandfather."
The City Lord, who had just sat down, suddenly stood up again. "Did she really say that?"
"Yes."
"City Lord, Xiao Qin just arrived in Wuji City. Who knows when she will establish her foundation."
"Fan Ting, Xiao Qin is already at the seventh stage of Qi Condensation. With time, when she reaches the ninth stage, she can establish her foundation." Yan Yan argued. "I believe she will be able to complete her foundation establishment soon."
"Foundation establishment is not easy. Even a heavenly talent like yourself has not completed it, let alone him... Xiao Qin is already at the seventh stage of Qi Condensation?" Fan Ting finally reacted. If he remembered correctly, Xiao Qin hadn't even learned Qi Condensation when he entered Wuji City. In just a few days, he had reached the seventh stage!
"Yes, Xiao Qin is already at the seventh stage of Qi Condensation. To help him establish his foundation sooner, I even gave him the Foundation Establishment Pill that my father gave me."
As these words fell, the expressions on the City Lord's and Fan Ting's faces changed. That was a Foundation Establishment Pill! He had humbled himself and begged for a long time to obtain it, and you just gave it to someone you met for the first time? What if the other party's intention was to trick you out of the Foundation Establishment Pill?
"Young Lady, how could you give her the Foundation Establishment Pill? What if she's a trickster?"
"I believe she won't deceive me!" Yan Yan said with conviction. "And she also gave me a bottle of medicine."
"What medicine?" The City Lord could not bear to reprimand his daughter, but in his heart, he cursed Xiao Man to the highest heaven.
"I don't know. She told me to give it to grandfather. One pill every ten days, it can keep grandfather safe for a year. Within a year, she will complete her foundation establishment and come back to find me."
"Where is she now?"
"Father, we can't find her. She's probably already entered the Roland Mountain Range by now."
The City Lord and Fan Ting were convinced that Yan Yan had been deceived, but they still took the medicine and had the mansion's physician examine it. The physician looked at the medicine for a long time, then took a small sample to test.
"City Lord, this medicine is not poisonous. It's just that your subordinate is incompetent and cannot discern the ingredients. However, it should be beneficial to the old City Lord's health."
The City Lord looked surprised. "Is it really useful?"
"The formula for this medicine is very peculiar. It is likely that the person who concocted it is a very powerful alchemist. Was this medicine prepared by a celestial master from the Hundred Herbs Hall?"
The City Lord put the medicine away and nodded vaguely. He didn't want anyone to know that Xiao Man had prepared the medicine. If the tallest tree catches the wind, it will be destroyed. Before Xiao Man could cure his father, he didn't want to reveal Xiao Man's whereabouts. Otherwise, if Xiao Man was snatched away by the seven great sects and couldn't cure his father, he would suffer a great loss!
"Fan Ting, retrieve Xiao Qin's portrait and withdraw the bounty for her capture." The City Lord looked at the medicine bottle in his hand. "Since Yan'er has chosen to believe her, I, as her father, will bet on her!"
"Yes, City Lord."