154. Transaction

Lingyu turned around and looked at him.

Xu Zheng said leisurely, "That night, you purposely came to provoke me. Were you trying to make me alert, afraid that I might discover your unspeakable secrets, so that I would stay away from you and stop bothering you?"

Lingyu pursed her lips, stared at him, and said nothing.

"I must say, you struck just the right balance. It wasn't enough to make me feel so threatened that I would silence you, but it successfully raised my guard." Xu Zheng's tone was calm and detached, quite inconsistent with his usual arrogant and easily irritated demeanor.

"Then why didn't you just play along with me?" Lingyu crossed her arms, leaned against the stone wall, and spoke in a tone as calm as his.

"Originally, I wanted to play along. But who asked you to have something I need in your hands?"

Lingyu frowned slightly. "My sword formula? I really cannot understand why you would need it. With Young Master Xu's status, what sword formula could you possibly not get? The sword cultivation heritage of the Violet Firmament Sword Sect is far more abundant than that of the Taibai Sect."

Xu Zheng did not speak, his gaze fixed on her, very serene.

After watching her for a moment, Lingyu smiled. "Fine, I asked a foolish question. If you told me, it would be equivalent to telling me your secret—look, this is completely insolvable. If you tell me the reason, you're laying your trump cards out for me to see; if you don't, I have no way to trust you. Just saying that my sword formula is useful to you, is that any different from saying nothing at all?"

"There are two methods," Xu Zheng said. "First, we establish a transactional soul pact; second, I show you my sword formula and my natal spirit sword. Which one do you choose?"

Lingyu's smile vanished as she looked at him. "Are you serious?"

"Do you think I have that much time to waste?" Xu Zheng's expression was indifferent, the arrogance of Young Master Xu instantly possessing him once more.

Lingyu felt rather depressed. Just as she was starting to find him a bit more tolerable, he immediately ruined her mood.

Setting up a transactional soul pact seemed to be the safest route, but it was very easy to fall into traps—for instance, Xu Zheng might promise not to kill her himself, but have someone else do it instead. After pondering for a moment, she asked, "Can the Sword-Sealing Box store sword qi right now?"

"Naturally." Xu Zheng played with the Sword-Sealing Box in his hand. "These top-grade materials with various attributes are meant precisely for storing sword qi. Of course, if you want to release the sword qi and use it against enemies, you must reach the Core Formation stage."

"Can it be used to store other people's sword qi?"

"Yes."

The more Lingyu asked, the more depressed she became. This thing seemed tailor-made for her; if this continued, she would inevitably end up agreeing!

Yet Xu Zheng pressed on, "One or two. Which do you choose?"

Lingyu struggled internally for a good while before finally letting out a defeated sigh. "I'm not familiar with soul pacts. If you set a trap, I'll take a massive loss."

"So, you choose the second option." Xu Zheng nodded. "Not bad, you have the confidence of a sword cultivator."

Lingyu twitched the corner of her mouth. "Is Young Master Xu mocking me?" Knowing full well that she currently couldn't beat him.

Instead of looking triumphant, Xu Zheng gave her a deep look. "You're the one mocking me, every time you call me 'Young Master Xu'."

"..." Her thoughts had been seen through, but Lingyu didn't feel embarrassed in the slightest.

"This is my primary sword formula." A jade slip was tossed over, and immediately afterward, Xu Zheng flicked his sleeve. A beam of purple light flowed out from the sword case, hovering in his palm and transforming into a slender sword.

Lingyu stared fixedly at the sword in his hand. The blade was narrow and long, radiating a cold metallic sheen. The crossguard was very narrow, carved with a simple Taiji symbol, and the entire weapon was shrouded in a mist-like purple aura. Though it was a deep purple, it lacked the overbearing dominance of the Violet Lightning Sword; instead, it exuded a steady, pure aura, carrying the ethereal clarity innate to the primal purple qi.

As a sword cultivator herself, she could tell without Xu Zheng's explanation that this sword moved at his command, perfectly attuned to him as a true natal spirit sword.

"Since natal spirit swords are more powerful, why do you never use it?" Lingyu asked with a sigh of admiration. As soon as the words left her mouth, she realized she was asking a foolish question again—obviously, she wouldn't get an answer.

True to form, Xu Zheng offered no reply. With a flick of his wrist, he recalled the sword back into the sword case.

Lingyu gave a light cough, asking no more questions. She picked up the jade slip, infused her spiritual sense into it, and began to read.

The next moment, she was startled. Pulling back her spiritual sense, she looked at Xu Zheng. "The Violet Firmament Sword Canon?"

Xu Zheng smiled. "Yes, and no."

What was that supposed to mean? It clearly said Violet Firmament Sword Canon right on it!

She asked again, feeling uneasy, "If I read this, will I be hunted down?" The Violet Firmament Sword Canon was the supreme cultivation method of the Violet Firmament Sword Sect. While the Taibai Sect had nine major sacred classics, the Violet Firmament Sword Sect possessed only this single text, holding a position of absolute supremacy.

"Rest assured, this Violet Firmament Sword Canon is known to me alone."

Lingyu looked at him skeptically.

Xu Zheng made a motion to take it back. "If you aren't going to read it, forget it."

Lingyu tucked the jade slip behind her and said, "I've already seen your natal spirit sword. If we aren't going to trade, are you going to silence me?"

Xu Zheng didn't answer, but the murderous intent in his eyes made his stance clear.

"…Then I suppose I'll read it." Lingyu wasn't afraid of him making a move right now; as long as she ran back, Fu Yuanqing would definitely help her. Still, if troubles could be minimized, it was always better to have fewer of them.

She re-infused her spiritual sense into the jade slip, scanning it ten lines at a time. Her expression gradually grew solemn. This sword formula was orthodox; whether regarding entry-level techniques or progression, it followed a proper and upright path. Yet the profound ingenuity hidden in the details was beyond description. She read straight through from Qi Condensation to Foundation Establishment, but just as she was about to flip further, the jade slip stopped right there.

"I cannot show you the entire content," Xu Zheng said. "However, this portion should be sufficient."

Lingyu nodded in understanding, tossed the jade slip back to him, and watched as he gave it a gentle squeeze, reducing it to powder which he casually scattered away, destroying all traces.

When he finished, Xu Zheng continued to watch her.

"Ask whatever you want to know, and I'll explain it to you. You know the rules of major sects; top-tier cultivation methods aren't even allowed to have duplicate copies."

Xu Zheng pondered for a moment before speaking. "Two points: first, how the sword formation is disassembled and practiced; second, how sword qi of various attributes can be converted."

"..." Lingyu spread her hands. "Young Master Xu, you certainly know how to pick out the core points." Weren't these two points the very essence of the *Five Elements Myriad Swords Technique*?

Xu Zheng smiled. "I showed you both my sword formula and my natal spirit sword. Having paid such a heavy price, placing my weaknesses in your hands, and even throwing in a high-grade magical treasure, are these requests really too much?"

Fine, they weren't excessive at all. Lingyu looked around, found a slightly spacious spot to sit, motioned for Xu Zheng to sit opposite her, and began to explain earnestly.

Time slipped away. By the time they finished their questions and answers, an hour had passed.

Lingyu glanced around. Inside the mine cave, daylight was invisible, save for the illumination given off by the ore. Still, she estimated that it must be night by now.

Xu Zheng showed no intention of leaving; a cluster of sword qi hovered in his palm as he intently comprehended what she had just told him.

After waiting for a short while, Lingyu suddenly recalled something. "Tell me, Young Master Xu, since you've let me in on such a massive secret, are you really not going to silence me?"

Xu Zheng halted the circulation of his sword qi and replied, "You are a disciple of the Taibai Sect, and moreover, Wei Wuyang's apprentice. Killing you would be too troublesome."

So, if she hadn't been a disciple of the Taibai Sect or Wei Wuyang's apprentice, he would have made a move?

"Still, I think it would be best for us to establish a soul pact."

Lingyu was momentarily stunned. "What?"

Xu Zheng said, "Or, taking a heart demon oath would work too."

A soul pact was mutual, whereas a heart demon oath was unilateral. Swearing upon one's Dao heart was the most solemn oath a cultivator could take.

Then she heard Xu Zheng say, "You're afraid I'll silence you, and I can promise to treat you as a companion on this trip and ensure your safe return. But you must also promise me that you will not leak a single scrap of my affairs. Whoever violates this shall have their Dao heart clouded and their Dao foundation destroyed!"

A clouded Dao heart and a destroyed Dao foundation meant the severance of one's path to immortality; the consequences were grave indeed.

Lingyu thought it over and asked, "What if, after we return, you send people to hunt me down?"

"Fine," Xu Zheng corrected himself. "I swear that this matter will be treated as if it never happened."

"…Let's just make a soul pact after all." Even with each holding leverage over the other, Lingyu still didn't dare take things lightly, because this Young Master Xu had a temper too eccentric to predict. He seemed normal enough now, but who knew when he might flip the table.

Both parties finalized the terms of the soul pact and established the transactional soul pact. This was something Lingyu had only learned after coming to the Cangming Realm; back in the lower realm, only master-servant recognition pacts existed.

With the soul pact taking effect, Lingyu finally felt a bit more at ease. She took the Sword-Sealing Box, fiddled with it, and asked, "How do I use this?"

"Throw it out, and it can absorb them directly." With that, Xu Zheng stood up. "Let's go back."

Lingyu shoved the Sword-Sealing Box into her cosmos sack, stood up, and straightened her clothes.

When they returned to their resting spot, Fu Yuanqing and Duan Feiyu had already finished their healing sessions. Each occupied a corner, chatting idly back and forth. Seeing the two of them return, both men simultaneously fell silent.

Too lazy to speak, Lingyu simply nodded at Fu Yuanqing to indicate that she had finished searching, then sat back down in her original spot to sort out her thoughts. Xu Zheng's sword formula had provided her with numerous inspirations; cross-verifying it with her own sword formula might yield unexpected gains.

Meanwhile, Duan Feiyu cast a peculiar look at Xu Zheng as the latter sat down beside him. Hesitating for a long while, he finally asked in a low voice, "Senior Brother Xu, why were you gone for so long?"

Xu Zheng turned his head and looked at him in puzzlement.

Duan Feiyu gave a dry cough and said, " Business matters come first, and besides, you see... getting involved with the Taibai Sect isn't a good idea..." His gaze flicked intentionally or unintentionally toward Lingyu.

Xu Zheng's expression turned odd. "What nonsense are you babbling about? I'm not..." He paused and corrected himself, "When have I ever messed up official business?"

Duan Feiyu choked slightly and felt reassured. "Oh, so that's not it. Makes sense, she's not your type anyway... But why did it take so long? Is this cave really that big?"

Too lazy to answer, Xu Zheng closed his eyes and began to cultivate.

As for Fu Yuanqing, he looked at Xu Zheng and then at Lingyu, feeling a vague sense of unease. How could he have been so careless? How could he have let this Junior Brother Xu alone with a female cultivator? After observing them carefully for a moment, he decided he was worrying over nothing; it didn't seem to be that kind of situation. Yes, it definitely wasn't that.