I'll be heading out to sweep tombs later, so here's the update early.
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After this quick check, Yang Kai suddenly realized just how destitute he actually was.
Thinking it over carefully, he decided he'd just give them a bottle of heaven-grade pills.
A bottle of heaven-grade pills was quite valuable, and this one had been casually taken from Shan Qing Luo's treasury. It was at least upper heaven-grade quality, each bottle worth at least two or three hundred thousand silver taels.
That should be enough to offset a Spirit-Clearing Bottle.
Yang Kai frowned in thought, his Divine Sense roaming within the Black Book's space. Though it was only a moment, to the others, he seemed to be zoning out.
The three of them were already unhappy that Tao Yang had given a Spirit-Clearing Bottle to Yang Kai in the first place, but they'd held back out of respect for their senior brother.
Still, they felt their senior brother was being far too generous—and a bit reckless. It was their first meeting. Even if he wanted to befriend the guy, there was no need to go this far?
Now, seeing Yang Kai put on such an indifferent expression, they couldn't help but feel annoyed.
The girl called Rong Mei seemed to be the straightforward type. With a cold snort, she said, "When someone gives you something, can't you even say 'thank you'? It's not like you're mute."
The other two also wore cold expressions, looking as though they'd been greatly wronged.
Yang Kai blinked, looked up at them, and said calmly, "Apologies. I was lost in thought."
"Done thinking?" Rong Mei pressed, unwilling to let it go, as if she wouldn't be satisfied until she heard Yang Kai say thank you.
"Mm." Yang Kai nodded slightly, then tossed a pill bottle casually toward Tao Yang. Cupping his fists, he said, "Until we meet again!"
With that, his figure flickered, and he vanished like lightning.
"Hey..." Rong Mei took a few steps in pursuit, but Yang Kai was already gone. Her delicate heart filled with frustration, and she stamped her foot. "This person..."
"You three... sigh..." Tao Yang looked at his three disappointing junior brothers and sisters and couldn't help but shake his head with a sigh. Though he didn't scold them outright, the disappointment in his expression was plain to see.
"Senior Brother!" a thin-framed junior brother asked suspiciously. "Is he really worth courting like that?"
"Yeah. He doesn't look like anything special, and his clothes are pretty ordinary too. Why give him a Spirit-Clearing Bottle for free?" Rong Mei's large eyes were full of confusion as she muttered softly. "What a rude person. Can't even manage a 'thank you.'"
"Why should he say it? He didn't take the Spirit-Clearing Bottle for free." Tao Yang finally shot them a glare. He tossed the bottle Yang Kai had just thrown over to Rong Mei and said flatly, "See for yourselves."
"What is it!" Rong Mei accepted it unhappily, pouting her small mouth. "It's just a bottle of pills. How can it possibly match the value of a Spirit-Clearing Bottle? Hmph!"
While grumbling, she carelessly opened the bottle and gave a light sniff. Her beautiful face suddenly changed, and she stared at Tao Yang in shock.
A hint of helplessness flashed in Tao Yang's eyes.
"No way?" Rong Mei looked utterly surprised, as if she couldn't believe it. With a trembling hand, she poured a single pill from the bottle and examined it carefully in her palm. The other two crowded around as well. Smelling the rich medicinal fragrance and looking at the perfectly round, plump pill, they all exclaimed in unison: "Heaven-grade pill?"
"Look closer." Tao Yang's discernment was clearly a cut above theirs, and he'd instantly recognized the pill's quality.
"Could it be... upper heaven-grade pills?" Now all three wore expressions of pure delight, not a trace of complaint left.
"Upper heaven-grade True Yuan Pills!" Tao Yang said with a wry smile. "Tell me, does it offset the value of a Spirit-Clearing Bottle?"
Rong Mei's cheeks flushed, and she stammered, "Y-yes."
These people had ventured deep into the Sinister Demon Cave for training, so they naturally carried some pills for recovery and healing. However, the pills they'd brought were at most lower heaven-grade True Yuan Pills. The bottle Yang Kai had casually tossed over was two minor grades higher in quality.
The difference in value was immense!
Moreover, sometimes, a good bottle of pills couldn't be measured by money alone. It could save your life at a critical moment!
"That guy's background must be something else, to be so generous!" The thin junior brother looked utterly astounded.
It was actually quite amusing. Both the senior brother and that guy were meeting for the first time, yet each was trying to outdo the other in generosity.
"You treat me with peaches, I repay you with plums—something like that," Tao Yang clicked his tongue, looking at the three with exasperation. "I wanted to befriend him, but you three ruined it."
The three of them couldn't help but look a little ashamed, apologizing profusely.
Rong Mei asked curiously, "Senior Brother, how could you tell he was worth befriending? All sorts of people come here—what if he was a villain?"
Tao Yang smiled. "If he were a villain, he wouldn't have deliberately made noise to alert us just now."
The three suddenly realized. They'd thought the sound was just Yang Kai accidentally making noise when landing, but it turned out he'd done it on purpose to make them aware.
Probably to avoid any misunderstandings.