Chapter 1078, The Condition

Translator: Silavin

 

“This?”

 

At that voice, a row of dazed eyes turned toward him. When their gazes fell upon what rested in Qin Yichen’s hand, a flash of surprise crossed each face in turn.

 

In his palm lay a vivid green Pill. From its smooth, lustrous surface curled an almost tangible fragrance, dense and swirling, and faint threads of light emanated from it in quiet pulses.

 

A single glance was enough to tell that this Pill was of no Low Grade.

 

Even so, the Elves felt no more than mild curiosity at the sight.

 

Their Elves had cultivated profound mastery in the Dao of Alchemy, and those capable of producing Pills of such Grade were typically Elves who had earned their seats as Elders.

 

The more critical issue was that the Elf Race’s Physique differed fundamentally from those of other Races. Pills refined by outsiders were, for them, almost entirely without effect.

 

And so, despite Qin Yichen’s words, they placed very little hope in what he was offering.

 

“Do you truly believe that what expelled the Blood Devouring Poison from that Elder’s body was mere luck?” Qin Yichen let out a soft laugh.

 

Without further explanation, he stepped toward a nearby table and chairs in disarray, helped upright an Elf Deacon, who had fallen to the floor, pried open the man’s mouth, and, beneath a rain of sceptical stares, placed the Pill between his lips.

 

“Will it work?”

 

Watching Qin Yichen’s movements, more than a few among the Elves felt a silent tightening in their chests. Eyes stretched wide, they fixed unblinking gazes upon the unconscious Deacon, not daring to look away.

 

By now, the skin of that Deacon had already begun to wither and parch. The Blood Devouring Poison was consuming his vital Blood Essence. Another day, perhaps, and every drop would be devoured, leaving behind nothing but a dried husk.

 

Beneath that collective, unwavering watch, no change came over the Deacon. Qin Yichen’s hand remained resting upon the man’s wrist.

 

*Pff…* Then, in a single sharp moment, Qin Yichen’s eyes narrowed. His palm swept swiftly across the Deacon’s wrist, and a line of dark crimson blood burst forth in a sudden arc.

 

“This is…?”

 

At the sight of it, the pupils of the Elves contracted sharply.

 

Their alarm was not born of any grievance at Qin Yichen’s abruptness, but at the colour of that blood.

 

“Ah…”

 

Even as the Elves reeled in shock, the Deacon lying on the ground let out a weak, trembling groan.

 

His complexion remained sickly, yet that withered, parched body had begun, slowly, to recover. The pace was not swift, but it was incomparably better than the continued ‘draining’ that had been his fate.

 

Qin Yichen then released the Deacon, and two Elf Elders hurried forward at once. After a thorough examination, the astonishment in their eyes was laid bare.

 

When the others read their expressions, every Elf present understood, the result was precisely what they had most desperately hoped for.

 

“Little Brother…”

 

In that instant, those Elves who had been so despairing a moment before began to soften. One by one, their expressions warming with unmistakable friendliness, the names they called Qin Yichen growing suddenly intimate.

 

Qin Yichen, for his part, merely regarded the Elf Queen with a calm, easy smile.

 

“Sir Qin, would you be willing to provide that antidote to us?” After a long pause, even the Elf Queen could no longer fully suppress the emotion surging within her. Her voice, when she finally spoke, still carried a faint tremor.

 

This Pill, in this moment, was nothing less than a divine medicine upon which their lives depended.

 

“That is naturally possible. However…” Qin Yichen gave a slight nod toward the Elf Queen, then let his words hang.

 

“However, what?” The Elf Queen’s beautiful eyes narrowed ever so slightly as she asked.

 

“I would ask Her Majesty to grant me one condition.” The corner of Qin Yichen’s mouth curved upward. The purpose that had brought him here was the Elf Race’s Life Scripture. Under ordinary circumstances, he might have paid any price imaginable and still found it beyond his reach.

 

And yet, given the circumstances now before him, it seemed the Elf Queen would find it very difficult to refuse.

 

“What condition?” The Elf Queen’s brow furrowed faintly, an effortless authority radiating from her that stirred something reverent in all who beheld it.

 

“I wonder whether it might be permitted for this one’s beloved Daughter to cultivate using the Life Scripture?”

 

Yet that Queenly bearing left no impression upon Qin Yichen, who had long since grown accustomed to the grandeur of the wider world. Without the slightest trace of trepidation, he spoke with quiet resolve.

 

“The Life Scripture!?” At those words, the Elves all went still, a shadow of sorrow passing through their eyes.

 

The Elf Race had always kept itself apart from the strife of the world, yet today they had been coerced by two different parties in swift succession.

 

First came a traitor from within their own kind, who had seized a portion of the Elf Race’s core strength as leverage and walked away with the Life Scepter, symbol of the Elf Queen’s authority. And now, within mere moments, an outsider had turned that very same coercion upon them once more.

 

In terms of worth, the Life Scripture was nothing compared to the Life Scepter.

 

Across the entire Elf Race, only the Royal Family held the right to cultivate the Life Scripture. Not even the Elders of the various Clans were granted that privilege.

 

“So long as you can produce the antidote, I will grant her one opportunity.” And yet, contrary to every expectation, the Elf Queen accepted without a moment’s hesitation. Her agreement was given in a single breath.

 

“Your Majesty is as forthright as you are admirable!” At her words, Qin Yichen let out a clear laugh. Without another word, he swept his sleeve, and several jade bottles shot forth in a sweeping arc, coming to rest, hovering, before the Elf Queen.

 

Witnessing Qin Yichen’s own straightforwardness, a flicker of surprise moved through the Elf Queen’s heart. She then took one of the jade bottles, drew out the stopper, and tilted it gently, upon which a smooth, lustrous Pill tumbled out.

 

“This Pill…”

 

Sensing the Grade of the Pill, the Elf Queen felt a quiet jolt. It was undoubtedly the work of a true Alchemy Grandmaster. If this Pill had been refined by the young man standing before her, then he was someone far more astonishing than she had imagined.

 

After taking the Pill herself, within no more than a few breaths, the Elf Queen gave a small nod, then distributed the remaining Pills to the Elf Royal Family members, who passed them along one by one.

 

“Sir Qin, your generosity has exceeded my expectations.”

 

Amid the bustle within the hall, the Elf Queen’s voice narrowed into a fine thread, slipping into Qin Yichen’s ear. “I had not thought that among the notoriously calculating Human Race, there would exist someone of your calibre.”

 

At her words, Qin Yichen’s eyes narrowed slightly. It was little wonder the Elf Queen had not suspected him of being from the Blood Beastmen Race when he produced the antidote. It seemed she had seen through his Human Race identity from the very beginning.

 

The Human Race and the Elf Race could not be called close allies, yet both were hunted as prized catches by the Myriad Races, and in that shared affliction lay a quiet, unspoken kinship.

 

In truth, the Elf Race regarded the Human Race with a measure of goodwill. Were it otherwise, the Elf Tea, which only the greatest pinnacle Races were entitled to exchange for, would never have found its way into Human Race hands.