A few seconds after the offer had been made, there was a deafening silence. Yang Qing had expected it, really. Not everyone was like him, eating first and suspecting later, and even then, the suspicion was more of an afterthought than any deliberate intent on his part. Take the wine they were currently enjoying, for example. Yang Qing knew more about Fan Jie and the other founders of the Vast Blue than he did about the mysterious figure who had handed him that wine and the gourd it came in, made from precious Saint Grade material.

Yang Qing and that person had not known each other at all. Though a wishful part of him did play around with the idea that the figure could have been a Yang Clan ancestor, doting on a promising descendant. After all the suffering he had endured for the sake of the clan, Yang Qing felt he was owed some manner of recompense, and that wine and gourd felt fitting enough for it.

And if that figure hadn’t been some Yang Clan ancestor, then perhaps it had been some senior from the Order. After all, at the time, there had been a Gold Grade Formation Master and a few figures from the Spirit Council present in the Deer Mountain Range, laying down plans for a large-scale formation array to cover the entire range. Perhaps that mysterious figure had been one of them.

But if they weren’t, and were just some stranger with zero connection to Yang Qing, he still would have had no reservations about accepting that wine. He may be a naturally paranoid individual, but he, just like Feng Xin, didn’t have nearly enough restraint in him to refuse something good, especially when it tasted as well as it did.

But the same couldn’t be said of other cultivators, and more so of merchants with a rogue cultivating background. For such an audience, that platter of fruits may as well have been a silent declaration of attack. Those fruits, as harmless as they looked, were no different from a drawn, poisoned dagger to them.

Had Yang Qing not been a member of the Order, or had he not built the little rapport he had with Han Bai and Meng Song, he would not have found it strange if all of them had released a faint killing intent, bodies taut, ready to attack at a moment’s notice if he so much as blinked funny.

Always be wary of something given freely. There is always a price to pay, was a saying most cultivators lived by, especially rogue cultivators.

Luckily, the awkward silence didn’t last long, as one of their number broke the tension by reaching out for a Silver Ice Tear Guava.

"Since Judge Yang Qing has so graciously offered, it would be rude of me to refuse," Fan Jie said, nodding appreciatively as he examined the guava, rotating it slightly in his palm before bringing it up for a small bite. "The gentle yin qi in this is one of the more refined I have come across, and the quantity is deceptively large for something this small. Just this piece," he said, tearing off a piece the size of his thumb, "is more than enough to support a Core Formation expert’s cultivation from the early stage to the peak, with some energy still left over. You said you grew it yourself?" he added, his gaze shifting from the guava to Yang Qing.

"I did," said Yang Qing, smiling.

"You have quite the talent for it, Judge Yang Qing. Truly worthy of being an illustrious figure from the Order," Fan Jie said, bringing his eyes back to the guava. Though as he looked away, his gaze lingered for the briefest moment on Yang Qing’s outer robe. "Truly a surprise," he murmured, almost to himself, as he nibbled on the guava.

"Thank you for your praise," Yang Qing said, smiling, even though he knew that final comment from Fan Jie had likely been a sneaky jab. Not that Yang Qing minded, given the help Fan Jie had so graciously provided simply by being exactly what Yang Qing had expected him to be. In a room full of reserved people, breaking the ice required a shameless individual who acted without concern for appearances, and Fan Jie was that person. It was precisely why Yang Qing had dared bring out the fruit platter and make the offer.

With Fan Jie having taken the lead, Han Bai and Meng Song were left with little choice but to do the same. They thanked Yang Qing before reaching out for the platter. Whether it was to follow in Fan Jie’s footsteps, or the strain of the moment, or some other reason entirely, both Meng Song and Han Bai reached for the Silver Ice Tear Guavas.

If they were to be restricted to one choice, Yang Qing would have expected them to go for the Gentle Yang Pineapples over the Silver Ice Tear Guavas, given their situation. After all, the latter was better suited for those whose path ahead was still very much viable, while the former had rejuvenating properties that, though they wouldn’t add much to one’s lifespan, would give one’s waning body vigor. Gentle yang qi rejuvenated everything, from the vigor of their qi to their organs, skin, bones, and blood, and anything it could reach, it would rejuvenate, which meant one could maintain their body in its optimum condition up until their last breath without any loss of strength due to declining lifespan.

Gentle yin qi, by contrast, refreshed and renewed the soul alongside restoring expended spiritual essence, and with long consumption it strengthened the soul over time, allowing for easier comprehension of soul arts, improved concentration which allowed for longer periods of meditation, and prolonged seclusion when pondering the Dao or looking to break through a bottleneck. Those who stood to gain the most from it were those who still had room to improve, or the luxury of actually putting its benefits to use.

Whether it be Han Bai, Meng Song, or Fan Jie, could they really still improve? Yang Qing had come to know there were no true impossibilities in life, especially in the cultivation world. If there existed a fruit that could give someone with no cultivation three dantians, or an ocean that continuously churned out hundreds of Saint Grade treasures, that alone showed that anything was possible. Han Bai and Meng Song may have exhausted all their potential, and Fan Jie was injured to the point that even with the treasure masking his cultivation base, Yang Qing could still smell the early stench of death on him. Despite how set in stone their circumstances seemed, who was to say there was no treasure out there capable of instantly reversing their fortune?

That being said, while the possibility existed, what were the chances of such a thing falling into their lap? Yang Qing was willing to bet: not high. And so the choice of Han Bai and the others to go for the Silver Ice Tear Guavas genuinely astounded him.

Had the Vast Blue been in a stable position and not at risk of being raided, then perhaps it would have made sense for them to go for the Silver Ice Tear Guavas. After all, while the fruit couldn’t help them improve their realms, it would allow them to deepen their understanding of their cultivation manuals and other disciplines they excelled in, and then pass that understanding down, deepening the legacy and inheritance of the Vast Blue in the process.

Yang Qing had seen and read of such instances, where members of sects, clans, and other organizations who were close to the end of their lifespans would use treasures that allowed them to crystallize and consolidate the understanding they had accumulated over a lifetime, which they would then pass on to deepen the sect or clan’s foundations. Or if they had a gift for teaching and guiding, they would spend their remaining years refining their understanding and discoveries and pouring it into their disciples or junior clan members.

The cultivation insights of an early-stage Domain expert concerning a low-tier Blue Grade cultivation manual were arguably more precious than having access to a low-tier Gold Grade cultivation manual outright. After all, a low-tier Blue Grade art could produce powerful experts just as much as a Gold Grade manual could, if cultivated properly.

If the Vast Blue had time on their hands, or something to rely on that could guarantee their safety even after their founders were gone, then perhaps Han Bai and the others could spend their remaining years nurturing members and deepening their legacy. But they had no such luxury. Their foremost concern at the moment was to drag out time and keep their enemies at bay, buying every second they could.

Their strength was the only commodity they had to keep the wolves from the door, and they needed to preserve it for as long as possible. In such a scenario, the Gentle Yang Pineapples were the better choice. It was actually one of the guiding reasons Yang Qing had brought them out in the first place. The Silver Ice Tear Guava was to test Tang Xiadan, while the Gentle Yang Pineapple was his way of indirectly helping Han Bai and Meng Song.

Yang Qing’s straying thoughts came to a halt when Tang Xiadan made his choice, and to Yang Qing’s surprise, he went off script as well, reaching for the Gentle Yang Pineapple closest to him.

"Thank you for your generosity, Fellow Daoist," Tang Xiadan said, smiling as he nodded gratefully at Yang Qing, before moving to take a bite. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Is this just to throw me o— Yang Qing’s thoughts were immediately cut short as his Peerless Yin Yang Jade Nature Physique reacted with even greater intensity than it had before. The moment Tang Xiadan bit into that Gentle Yang Pineapple, it was like a signal flare had gone off. Yang Qing’s left pupil went golden while his right went deep blue with a faint white undertone.

Is he crazy?! Yang Qing thought, genuinely shocked, as he finally got to see the treasure behind the supreme yin qi he had detected earlier. He is definitely crazy, he reaffirmed, still gobsmacked by what he saw.

The surprise must have hit him hard enough that he was incapable of completely masking it, because Tang Xiadan smiled at him. "Seems the cat is out of the bag, Fellow Daoist. This makes things easier." He glanced to his left, where Fan Jie sat, then to his right, where Han Bai and Meng Song sat, and bowed politely to both sides. "Fellow Daoists, would you please give us the room for a few minutes? Fellow Daoist Yang Qing and I have something to discuss."