C517 What If It Gets Dirty?

Throughout the journey, Zhan Yifei frequently mentioned two people with the last name Fong to Woo Zhengyang: Fong Yeqiu and Fong Zhiyuan. One was a standout among the youth, and the other was the strongest in the Azure Sun Martial Mansion. They both hailed from the Fong family. Fong Jiaojiao was also from the Fong family; she was Fong Zhiyuan's cousin.

"Zhan Yinuo, you and that Woo Zhengyang, come over here!"

While Woo Zhengyang and Zhan Yinuo were talking, Fong Jiaojiao and Hee Tianye circled the small lake several times. From their whispers, Woo Zhengyang gathered that they had guessed it was a spirit pool, but they were hesitant to enter. Like many others, they had been worn down by the world's creator and were cautious about trying anything new. Yet, they called Woo Zhengyang and Zhan Yinuo over, and Woo Zhengyang had already guessed their intentions.

"Let's go over! Let's see what treasure this is. The energy here is overwhelming; it might be a great opportunity," Zhan Yinuo suggested.

Woo Zhengyang nodded subtly and walked over with Zhan Yinuo.

"You, put your hand in the water!"

As soon as they reached the lake's edge, Fong Jiaojiao pointed at Woo Zhengyang, ordering him with an air of authority.

"Miss Fong, maybe we should try a different approach to see what's special about this water. This world is quite peculiar, and rushing in might not be the best idea..." Zhan Yinuo advised.

"You don't get it. This might be a spirit pool, and what's inside could be spirit liquid. Spirit liquid can't leave the spirit crystal, so we have to test it like this."

Fong Jiaojiao seemed to know a bit about spirit liquid. As she mentioned, it's extremely hard to identify and even harder to collect. Situ Jingxiang could recognize it because she was from the Heavenly Mirror Pavilion and knew a lot about this world, possibly having encountered spirit liquid before. Fong Jiaojiao's knowledge couldn't possibly match up to Situ Jingxiang's.

"Why don't you try it yourself?"

Woo Zhengyang knew it was spirit liquid, beneficial and harmless, but he was annoyed by Fong Jiaojiao's attitude. It was one thing to use him as a guinea pig, but to order him around like that was too much.

If there's a first time, there's bound to be a second. This time it was testing the spirit liquid; next time, it could be something more dangerous. Woo Zhengyang wasn't about to compromise.

"Just reach out your hand. Why all the fuss? Do you want me to throw you in?"

Before Fong Jiaojiao could get angry, Hee Tianye spoke up, stepping closer to Woo Zhengyang, ready to act if necessary.

"Brother Hee, please don't resort to violence!"

Zhan Yinuo quickly stepped in front of Woo Zhengyang, trying to smooth things over with a smile.

"Zhan Yinuo, did getting beaten by this guy make you lose your senses? Why are you defending him?"

"I'll try talking to him," Zhan Yinuo said, turning to Woo Zhengyang with a look of concern. Woo Zhengyang understood that Yinuo was in a tough spot.

Compared to the boys from the village, Zhan Yinuo was naturally in a higher position. However, within the entire Azure Sun Martial Mansion, the Zhan family's status wasn't very high. Otherwise, he and his brother wouldn't have been assigned as sparring partners. Moreover, besides Hee Tianye, there was also Fong Jiaojiao, who belonged to the top family in the mansion, and Yinuo definitely didn't want to offend her.

"No need to say more. I've already checked. This is indeed spirit liquid, and it's already been refined," Woo Zhengyang said, knowing that Yinuo wanted to advise him. To spare Yinuo any difficulty, he laid everything out. Woo Zhengyang believed that his body could absorb the spirit liquid much faster than Fong Jiaojiao and the others, so sharing some with them wouldn't be a problem.

Unfortunately, he couldn't call out Bing'er and the others. While the spirit liquid was precious, the value of the first refinement was even greater. Bing'er and the others had already been refined once, so absorbing more spirit liquid would only increase their vitality.

Besides, Woo Zhengyang had already found three spirit pools and felt confident he could find a fourth, so there was still hope.

"Is it really spirit liquid? You're not pulling our leg, are you?" Hee Tianye asked skeptically.

"Believe it or not, I'm going in first," Woo Zhengyang said, stepping toward the spirit pool.

"Wait..." Fong Jiaojiao suddenly spoke up, blocking his path.

"What is it?" Zhengyang asked, puzzled.

"Who said you could go in? I only asked you to test it with your hand. If it really is a spirit pool, and you go in and dirty the spirit liquid, how am I supposed to enter?" Jiaojiao retorted.

Seeing Jiaojiao stop Zhengyang, Hee Tianye was a bit confused. He was worried Zhengyang might be deceiving them, so if Zhengyang wanted to go in, why not let him?

After hearing Jiaojiao's words, Tianye suddenly understood and agreed, "Exactly, Jiaojiao is as pure as snow. How can we let you, a country bumpkin, go in first?"

"So what are you suggesting? If it really is spirit liquid, I can't go in? Don't forget, I found this place first," Zhengyang replied with a sarcastic laugh.

"Of course, you can go in, but we should take turns. I'll go first, then Tianye, followed by Zhan Yinuo, and you'll be the last," Jiaojiao declared, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

As Jiaojiao laid out her plan, Zhengyang remained calm, but a flicker of something crossed Tianye's face. As for Yinuo, he seemed accustomed to such situations, offering a resigned smile without saying a word.

Everyone knew that the spirit liquid was incredibly precious and couldn't be absorbed indefinitely. Fong Jiaojiao wanted to be the first to enter, but she hadn't mentioned how long she'd stay. By the time she came out, she might have absorbed most of the spirit liquid, leaving an uncertain amount for Hee Tianye. When it was Zhan Yinuo's turn, there might be even less left, and as for Woo Zhengyang, he might only get the leftovers that Zhan Yinuo couldn't bring herself to absorb.

In her excitement, Fong Jiaojiao voiced her thoughts, only to realize the atmosphere had turned awkward. Although she held the highest status among them, her strength wasn't the greatest. If Hee Tianye became dissatisfied and decided to act against her, he could easily eliminate Zhan Yinuo and Woo Zhengyang to keep the spirit pool all to himself without anyone knowing.

To ease the tension, Fong Jiaojiao smiled and said, "Don't worry, everyone. I'll only absorb thirty percent. Hee and Zhan Yinuo will each get thirty percent, and the remaining ten percent will be for him. If Hee isn't comfortable with this, how about the two of us go together and let Zhan Yinuo and him go together? It's not that I mind Hee, but as a woman, there are some inconveniences, so I suggested this arrangement."

"Miss Jiaojiao, don't worry about it. Even if you absorbed it all, I wouldn't mind!" Hee Tianye laughed heartily.

Since Fong Jiaojiao had made her intentions clear, she wouldn't overstep. Even if she absorbed half and left the other half, Hee Tianye could still take forty percent or more, as long as Zhan Yinuo got a share.

Zhan Yinuo knew better than to speak out of turn. If he did, he wouldn't just upset the Hee family; it could also drag the Fong family into trouble. With the power the Zhan family held, they couldn't afford to provoke either one. As for Woo Zhengyang, a man from the countryside, he didn't even register as a concern.

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