Having come to a decision, Tang Xiadan took one last look at the cyan-white flame radiating from Yang Qing’s palm. Its boundless life force and harmony of yin and yang surpassed his imagination, not only in terms of that harmony but in the quality of it.

Spirit Jade Yin Qi, River Marsh Yin Qi, Caldera Yin Qi, Fresh Lake Yin Qi, Winter Yin Qi, Spring Yin Qi, Dawn Yang Qi, Vibrant Earth Yang Qi, Spring Yang Qi, Convectional Yang Qi, Dusk Yang Qi... how was that one flame able to seamlessly embody the nature of all these different types of yin and yang qi?

Every instant his spiritual sense made contact with that gently glowing flame left Tang Xiadan more shaken than the last. The intensity of his shock rose rapidly as he sensed the aura of yet more yin and yang qis radiating from that palm.

Even Boundless Grass Yang Qi?! Wait, even Moonlight Origin Yin Qi? Tang Xiadan had believed, given his exploits over the years, that even if he hadn’t seen all there was to see in the world, he had seen enough to remain unshaken even when a Saint Grade treasure appeared before his eyes. But this. How could anyone ever be prepared for what he was seeing?

Yin-and-yang-natured treasures and artifacts were rare enough on their own. What more needed to be said of treasures that held more than one type of such energies. In his years of wandering and exploration, Tang Xiadan had never encountered one. What was happening before his eyes was a first. He would have taken it all for an illusion if not for the Soulfrost Sequoia’s reaction within him, and his innate instincts as a Gold Treasure Jade Mouse that flared every time he drew close to something worthwhile. Right now, those instincts were an erupting volcano.

Even Profound Yang and Yin Qi!!! Tang Xiadan’s surprise surged further when he realized rare versions of both energies had begun to make an appearance. Fearing his drying tongue would seize up entirely, or that he’d end up too stunned to speak (even though he was already beyond stunned at this point), Tang Xiadan hurriedly composed his response to Yang Qing’s earlier offer. Not wanting to appear too eager, he arranged his expression into something resembling calm. He couldn’t help but thank his lucky stars for having spent enough time around Fan Jie and the others to pick up on their mannerisms and make them his own.

"Since Fellow Daoist Yang Qing is being frank and upfront, I’ll do the same," Tang Xiadan said, smiling faintly.

"Please," said Yang Qing, smiling as he motioned for Tang Xiadan to continue.

"Concerning the matter of the introduction," Tang Xiadan’s gaze drifted skyward before falling back to Yang Qing, "I can’t make any promise that they’d agree to it, but I do promise to put the request to them."

Fearing the response was leaning too far toward an ambiguous no, Tang Xiadan added, "The Star Shrouding Sky Crow is an old friend of mine. We grew up together in the Green Fog Region, and she has saved my life more times than I can count. I owe her a lot," Tang Xiadan smiled reminiscently.

His gaze drifted to the cyan-white flame before moving back to Yang Qing.

"As you can tell, given my condition, that flame," he gestured toward it, "is not something I can afford to pass up. But," Tang Xiadan paused to sigh.

"I can’t force her to meet anyone if she decides against it. She likes to keep to herself a lot of the time," Tang Xiadan admitted.

"But I will forward your request. It is the best I can do. I hope that is okay with you, Fellow Daoist Yang Qing. If not, I am more than willing to make up for it with anything else you may ask of me," Tang Xiadan offered, watching Yang Qing carefully as he waited for his response, slightly nervous beneath it all, though his demeanor revealed none of it.

Yang Qing waved his free hand lightly, as if to show Tang Xiadan the matter wasn’t as grave as he thought. Smiling, he said, "I am more than okay with your arrangement. In fact, had you guaranteed the meeting, I would have cancelled the deal altogether. If I were in your senior’s shoes, or yours, my response would be the same. I have a senior who doesn’t do well with unfamiliarity, and myself too at times, so I understand."

Yang Qing’s mind flashed to the shell nestled beneath his robes, the one belonging to the overly cautious Assistant Dean Bu Zhou of Survival Adaptation Studies. Had the roles been reversed and it was Tang Xiadan making the request to meet the paranoid Domain Shrouding Water Jade Turtle, Yang Qing was fairly certain Senior Bu Zhou would outright reject the request and then proceed to deliver an impassioned twelve hour lecture on the potential dangers Yang Qing would have exposed him to, but not before running various tests on Yang Qing to check for signs of mind control, soul hijacking, or the possibility that his memories had been stolen by a mimicking impostor. And even after every test came back clean, Yang Qing felt fairly certain Senior Bu Zhou would still eye him with suspicion for the next few months.

Yang Qing wouldn’t even put it past the old turtle to loop in the Spirit Council and have Soul Formation experts run further checks to confirm whether Yang Qing was really himself or had been compromised. To be fair, Yang Qing would likely do the same given their shared nature, which was precisely why he had made the request he did concerning the Star Shrouding Sky Crow.

When he made that request, it had been part whim and part test. He wanted to see the character of the person he was dealing with, so he’d know what attitude to take going into the deal. You learned who people truly were at their most desperate, and given the state of Tang Xiadan’s body, he definitely counted as someone in a desperate situation. Yang Qing’s flame was like offering water, the best water there was, to someone on the verge of dying of thirst. It wouldn’t be strange for someone to throw out morals, principles, and things of that nature when their life hung in the balance.

The fact that Tang Xiadan had offered an honest reply despite the risk that it could cost him the deal raised him a couple of levels in Yang Qing’s eyes. At least now, Yang Qing felt he was dealing with someone whose word and information maybe could be trusted, which mattered loads to him given the nature of his second request.

Even though he hadn’t meant to, Tang Xiadan let out a small sigh of relief at Yang Qing’s response.

"Thank you for your understanding, Fellow Daoist," Tang Xiadan said, cupping his fists. "Whether that senior agrees to the request or not, I still owe you a favor for this," he added solemnly.

"It is okay," Yang Qing said, smiling faintly. "So you’re from the Green Fog Region. I have two acquaintances from there," he added casually, trying to ease the mood.

Tang Xiadan’s eyes lit up. "From which zone?"

Curious about the reaction, Yang Qing replied, "The eighth."

"Oh," said Tang Xiadan. His tone was even, but Yang Qing felt the disappointment behind it. He quickly chalked it up to Tang Xiadan having hoped his acquaintances might be people he knew. Given his cultivation realm, Yang Qing guessed Tang Xiadan had likely been a resident of Zone Seven or Six, where spirit beasts at the Palace Realm were usually found. I wonder what kind of spirit beast he is, Yang Qing thought, his curiosity growing as he quietly studied him in the hopes that maybe something on Tang Xiadan would reveal it.

"Those two must be quite the talent to catch the Order’s eye," Tang Xiadan said, reaching for his wine.

"They are," Yang Qing said. More so Haishi, and the secrets her body holds, he added inwardly, reaching for his own cup.

"How long has it been since you’ve been there?"

Tang Xiadan held his chin contemplatively. "Mmh, probably around eight hundred years. I left once I broke through to the Palace Realm and haven’t been back since."

"Do you miss it?" Yang Qing said, passing a bowl of spiced nuts to Tang Xiadan, who nodded slightly in gratitude. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

"Some days, yes, but other days not so much," Tang Xiadan answered. "But I will be back once I finish with certain matters out here," he added.

"So on your second request..." A subtle sharpness filled with curiosity settled in Tang Xiadan’s eyes.

"In your travels, have you stumbled across any places tied to the Frozen Serenity Sect?" Yang Qing asked. He rested his chin on his hand, leaning lazily into it, a gleam in his eyes that matched Tang Xiadan’s.

This had been his real target ever since Tang Xiadan had introduced himself as a wandering explorer. The Star Shrouding Sky Crow feather further cemented the idea.

There were more than a few reasons why Yang Qing had been daydreaming about being a Star Shrouding Sky Crow descendant, or forming a pact with one. Increasing his personal safety had been one, and having the wiggle room to indulge his adventurous spirit had been another.

If he had the spirit beast’s danger-sensing abilities, then maybe, just maybe, he would be willing to brave certain dangers and explore here and there. After all, by the looks of things, Tang Xiadan had been doing exactly that and doing pretty well for himself. Who knew how many places he had visited and returned from alive, thanks to said Senior.

And given the wealth Tang Xiadan had shown, Yang Qing felt it wouldn’t be that far-fetched to assume that amongst Tang Xiadan’s ’worthwhile harvests,’ it wouldn’t be strange for some of them to have come from ancient lineages, like, let’s say, former holy grounds like the Frozen Serenity Sect.