Chapter 767: The Peril of Annihilation
Moreover, this was a True Lord of the Gold Core stage, whose cultivation had reached the late phase of the Gold Core level. His strength was overwhelmingly powerful, and he possessed so many spirit stones that she could scarcely imagine their number.
And he wasn't the late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator she had assumed him to be.
The gap between these two stages was enormous.
Whether it be in terms of cultivation, power, or even wealth disparity, the difference was vast.
Because of this realization, Zhou Ruo compared He Song's immense wealth with her own family's Foundation Establishment Elder.
She immediately felt that their Foundation Establishment Elder seemed rather impoverished by comparison.
Simultaneously, Zhou Ruo internally elevated He Song's status far above that of their family's Foundation Establishment Elder.
With this thought and the growing realization that He Song might be much more powerful than their Foundation Establishment Elder, Zhou Ruo came to a conclusion regarding whether He Song could annihilate her entire clan alone.
Now, it seemed clear.
Even if He Song couldn't single-handedly wipe out the Zhou family,
with his ability to casually produce a Foundation Establishment Pill, he certainly could hire several Foundation Establishment cultivators to attack the Zhou family alongside him.
In other words,
if He Song were to lose all goodwill towards the Zhou family and even develop animosity,
he might indeed gather a group of Foundation Establishment Elders to uproot the Zhou family entirely.
By the time that happened...
Flashes of thoughts raced through her mind, and Zhou Ruo's sense of awe towards He Song gradually increased.
Until finally,
realizing she had been silent for quite some time and that He Song might already be growing impatient,
Zhou Ruo snapped out of her reverie and quickly nodded before speaking.
"Since it is something the Senior has entrusted to me, I will do my utmost to assist you."
"Senior, please rest assured. Gathering information is not too troublesome for someone like me."
"It simply involves spending some time each month going out to collect news."
"I won't deceive you with false reports of events that never occurred."
"For this matter, since you have asked, I will do everything in my power to ensure you are informed about everything happening around Red Maple Prefecture."
"Even if I hear some distant news from afar,"
"I will relay that information to you as well."
"However,"
"Regarding those rumors whose authenticity cannot be verified, I am also uncertain of their truth."
"If they turn out to be false, I hope you won't hold it against me."
"Of course, if they are proven false later on, I will inform you immediately so you don't make a wasted trip."
Zhou Ruo bowed deeply to He Song, making multiple assurances regarding what he had requested.
Though she couldn't guarantee that every piece of information she provided would be accurate,
she promised to promptly inform He Song if any turned out to be false, preventing him from making unnecessary trips.
Such promises could be considered sincere.
Otherwise, if He Song were to travel all the way upon hearing some news only to discover it was false,
Zhou Ruo would surely bear responsibility.
Clarifying this now left He Song somewhat satisfied with her conduct.
However, He Song didn't speak much about it.
After hearing Zhou Ruo's various pledges, he merely nodded.
Though He Song couldn't guarantee the veracity of everything Zhou Ruo said,
once something caught He Song's interest,
He Song naturally could instruct Zhou Ruo to purchase that information from the Treasure Gathering Pavilion.
Only after confirming its authenticity would He Song set out.
This way, there wouldn't be any wasted trips.
Thinking this through,
He Song made a decision.
While bestowing the Foundation Establishment Pill, he would also provide some spirit stones for Zhou Ruo to leave at the Treasure Gathering Pavilion for purchasing information occasionally.
This would serve as an additional safeguard.
After all, the information at the Treasure Gathering Pavilion, especially that purchased with spirit stones, was guaranteed to be true.
With the Treasure Gathering Pavilion's endorsement, He Song surely wouldn't make a wasted trip when pursuing something he needed.
With this in mind, He Song acted swiftly.
He took out a storage pouch, placed thousands of low-grade spirit stones inside,
and then added the jade bottle containing the pill.
After finishing, He Song looked at Zhou Ruo before him and casually said,
"This storage pouch contains one Foundation Establishment Pill and thousands of low-grade spirit stones."
"The Foundation Establishment Pill is your reward from me for handling this task and for previously relaying information to me."
"As for the thousands of low-grade spirit stones,"
"You may not use them under normal circumstances."
"You can only use them to buy information from the Treasure Gathering Pavilion when reporting back to me, and only with my permission."
"In other words, these spirit stones are solely for purchasing information from the Treasure Gathering Pavilion on my behalf."
"Do you understand?"
Having said this, He Song flicked his hand.
The storage pouch instantly floated into the air and soon landed before Zhou Ruo, hovering steadily in mid-air.
Facing the hovering storage pouch, Zhou Ruo's previously dissipated fervor returned in full force.
At this moment, Zhou Ruo's face lit up with excitement.
Her gaze, fixed on the floating storage pouch, gleamed with intense fervor.
Foundation Establishment Pill!
Coveted endlessly by countless Qi Refining practitioners.
A Foundation Establishment Pill capable of changing the fate of any Qi Refining practitioner!
And it was just floating silently before her!
Looking at the hovering storage pouch, Zhou Ruo suppressed her inner excitement, reached out, and grabbed the pouch.
But her face remained ablaze with fervor.
Meanwhile, as Zhou Ruo grasped the storage pouch bestowed by He Song,
and quickly examined its contents with spiritual energy, seeing the Foundation Establishment Pill inside,
her fervor grew even more intense.
Although she couldn't confirm that the small jade bottle He Song had presented truly contained the precious Foundation Establishment Pill,
with He Song's peak Foundation Establishment cultivation and status,
it was impossible for him to deceive a mere Qi Refining practitioner like her.
If He Song, with his cultivation and prestige, presented counterfeit items to trick her,
and word got out, it would immediately tarnish his reputation as someone who oppresses juniors and does evil deeds.
Such a reputation would be unbearable for any Foundation Establishment practitioner.
Given this, Zhou Ruo, upon merely seeing the small jade bottle in the storage pouch,
subconsciously believed she had indeed received a Foundation Establishment Pill from He Song.
Moreover, according to what He Song had said earlier,
He Song intended for her to continuously relay information while stationed here.
Given this condition,
He Song naturally wouldn't deceive her.
With this in mind, Zhou Ruo extended her spiritual energy and quickly retrieved the small jade bottle from the storage pouch.
Holding the jade bottle, she quickly opened it and peered inside.
Inside the jade bottle,
an unknown, crystal-clear medicinal pill lay quietly.
As Zhou Ruo's gaze swept over the pill, a hint of confusion appeared in her eyes.
She didn't know what a Foundation Establishment Pill looked like.
Naturally, she couldn't tell whether the pill in the jade bottle was indeed a Foundation Establishment Pill.
However, Zhou Ruo subtly glanced at He Song's expression.
Seeing He Song's calm demeanor,
Zhou Ruo withdrew her gaze.
Meanwhile, she began forming some conjectures about whether the pill was indeed a Foundation Establishment Pill.
Judging from He Song's tranquil expression, he clearly wasn't worried about her inspecting the pill.
This meant that
the pill was highly likely a genuine Foundation Establishment Pill.
Besides, He Song had no reason to deceive her.
Considering all these factors, the likelihood that this pill was a Foundation Establishment Pill was actually quite high.
Upon realizing this,
Zhou Ruo's gaze towards He Song changed significantly.
Previously,
although He Song had mentioned that if she performed well, obtaining a Foundation Establishment Pill wouldn't be a problem,
before seeing one, Zhou Ruo always found it hard to believe that she might one day acquire one herself.
But today,
when He Song personally handed her a Foundation Establishment Pill,
along with thousands of low-grade spirit stones,
Zhou Ruo truly believed.
So,
what He Song had said earlier wasn't just empty talk.
It was genuinely true.
She realized that she really might obtain a Foundation Establishment Pill, giving her a chance to aim for the Foundation Establishment stage.
As these thoughts flashed through her mind, Zhou Ruo swiftly closed the jade bottle and returned it to the storage pouch.
After finishing,
Zhou Ruo promptly bowed deeply to He Song.
She hastily spoke,
"Thank you, Senior, for bestowing the pill."
"This kindness is akin to giving me a new life. Whatever you command in the future, I will obey."
"The matters you spoke of earlier, I will strive to complete with all my effort, without any slack."
"In the future..."
"Even if I am fortunate enough to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage, I will never forget what I've said today."
"I will continuously provide you with any information I learn throughout the remainder of my life,"
"until my lifespan is exhausted and I perish."
"This vow, heaven and earth bear witness to."
Bowing deeply to He Song, Zhou Ruo's face was solemn.
At this moment, what Zhou Ruo said reflected her genuine thoughts.
As for He Song,
upon hearing Zhou Ruo's words and seeing her bow deeply,
his expression didn't change; he remained calm.
One Foundation Establishment Pill,
in exchange for a junior who was immensely grateful to him and would relay information to him every month henceforth,
wasn't a bad deal.
Moreover, this junior still held many potential benefits yet to be tapped.
Calculating this,
He Song's bestowed Foundation Establishment Pill was definitely not a loss.
In fact, it would allow He Song to reap substantial gains in the future.
As thoughts of the numerous benefits Zhou Ruo would bring in the future flashed through his mind,
He Song's gaze towards Zhou Ruo softened.
"No need for formalities."
"This matter, only heaven, earth, you, and I know."
"Don't mention it to others."
"From now on, report to me once a month."
"If the subsequent information you provide proves useful to me, I naturally won't be stingy."
"A second Foundation Establishment Pill,"
"or other treasures."
"I can bestow them at any time."
"I hope you investigate thoroughly and don't slack off."
"Additionally,"
"in the future, if you successfully reach the Foundation Establishment stage,"
"I naturally have other tasks for you to know."
"This matter is of great importance; I look forward to the day you reach the Foundation Establishment stage."
After painting another enticing picture for Zhou Ruo,
and motivating her accordingly,
He Song soon informed Zhou Ruo that he would be leaving this place.
This time,
all of He Song's objectives had been achieved.
Given this, He Song naturally had no reason to stay here any longer.
This place wasn't safe enough for him.
After all,
if he were in the Yunzhou Prefecture,
with the Treasure Gathering Pavilion's backing and the concealed cave he had established,
He Song's safety would be much higher here.
Even if he encountered turmoil, his identity as a guest elder of the Treasure Gathering Pavilion ensured he wouldn't face danger.
In other words, to enhance his safety,
returning to Yunzhou Prefecture as soon as possible was what He Song should do right now.
Thus, having achieved his goals,
and obtaining the advanced escape technique he sought,
He Song naturally decided to return to Yunzhou Prefecture and wouldn't linger here any longer.
Regarding this,
Zhou Ruo didn't try to persuade him to stay.
She knew that although He Song had shared this with her,
asking him to remain here was beyond her qualifications.
After all, she was merely a small Qi Refining practitioner, not a powerful cultivator equal to He Song.
Persuading He Song to stay was something she couldn't achieve.
Therefore,
after hearing this,
Zhou Ruo didn't attempt to persuade him further.
She merely requested that if the Zhou family faced calamity in the future, He Song would lend a helping hand.
Of course, Zhou Ruo also said that if the crisis facing the Zhou family was insurmountable even for He Song,
He Song could naturally decline.
If such a situation arose and led to the Zhou family's annihilation, it would be the Zhou family's fate, and they couldn't blame anyone.
Regarding this matter,
after brief consideration, He Song neither agreed nor refused.
He simply stated that he would decide when the time came.
End of Chapter