It could greatly accelerate the time needed to achieve all this. Absolutely not a loss. In fact, it was a profitable situation for Yu Tangtang as well. A win-win.
The challenge, then, lay in achieving an equal transaction.
This would require some skillful negotiation. Until his goals were met, he wouldn't take out the Flood Dragon inner core. It would also be very difficult for Yu Tangtang to confirm its existence. An aura was easy to explain away.
In the garden, the atmosphere suddenly grew quiet. Since Yu Tangtang had spoken, Tanai Chan didn't dare go against her master's wishes. Having her face slapped by this little munchkin made it impossible to maintain her strong front, no matter how much she wanted to.
After a long silence, she finally said, "I need to talk with Tangtang. You wait here for a while."
Wang Yu shook his head.
"I'll talk with Sister Tangtang first. Senior Tanai, please excuse us."
"You—"
"*Leave!*" The little munchkin glared at Tanai Chan, her tone brooking no argument. Tanai Chan was left speechless, her breathing growing heavy. She stiffly walked into the inner cottage.
Only then did Wang Yu smile and say, "Sister Tangtang, let's talk."
The little munchkin shifted her bottom, sitting on the still-warm octagonal stool Tanai Chan had vacated. She lifted her delicate little face, the aura of a 'big sister' quite prominent. Yet her voice was clear and crisp, still carrying a child's naive tone and a slight nasal quality: "Speak. What's the story with the aura on you?"
This appearance of a child acting like an adult made Wang Yu chuckle involuntarily. He reached into his robe.
A fragrant, roasted-looking pill appeared in his hand. It was the failed "Youth Preservation Pill" from their meeting over a decade ago, the one Yu Tangtang had concocted using a pot, wasting quite a few second-tier Moonlight Fruits.
Part of the reason Wang Yu wanted to trade with her was her 'extravagance'. That face of hers that treated spirit herbs as unimportant was uniquely captivating.
Strangely enough, over ten years had passed. Yu Tangtang was now nearly twenty, and her cultivation had even broken through to the first level of Foundation Establishment, yet her physique showed little change. He had never heard of demonic beasts maintaining a juvenile form during cultivation. On the other hand, demonic beasts only gained the ability to take human form at the Nascent Soul stage, yet Yu Tangtang had already appeared as a human child during Qi Refining. This highlighted her uniqueness. Her father, the Blood-Eyed Demonic Flood Dragon, probably knew the reason, but it wasn't something Wang Yu could, or dared, ask.
When Wang Yu produced the Youth Preservation Pill, Yu Tangtang's first reaction was actually embarrassment.
Her beautiful eyes darted around. She pretended to be angry: "Why are you taking that out? I said I gave it to you. Hurry up and eat it."
Wang Yu sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Sister Tangtang, that's not what I mean. There's an old saying among humans: 'You throw a peach to me, I give you a white jade in return.'"
"Back then, you could gift a second-tier Youth Preservation Pill to a mere early Qi Refining cultivator. Now that I have a treasure you need, of course, my first thought is to give it to you."
"However, this item was not easily obtained. I nearly lost my life and Dao for it. Simply giving it away for free would somewhat trample on the value of my survival."
"I get it, I get it." Yu Tangtang stood on the octagonal stool, hands on her hips, her manner heroic and grand. "Speak! What treasure is it? I'll get something from my dad's treasury to trade with you. Two for one! Righteous enough, right?"
Wang Yu's eyelids twitched. A sense of foreboding struck him. He quickly said, "A third-tier Flood Dragon inner core. No need for two-for-one. I only want two second-tier Foundation Establishment spiritual treasures. One of them should preferably be suitable for breaking through in Body Refining Foundation Establishment."
"Besides that, there are two small favors that Senior Tanai can help me with."
He laid out his conditions rapidly. The vague sense of impending doom he felt gradually receded. He glanced suspiciously at the sky, deeply doubtful.
"Simple! I decide Xiao Chan's matters. I agree on her behalf!"
"Then... alright."
Yu Tangtang jumped off the stool, her small hand outstretched, palm up. The corners of her mouth curved, revealing two small canine teeth.
"Hand it over."
"This..." Wang Yu decisively shook his head.
"One thing at a time. You are my Sister Tangtang, that's true. But this treasure is far too important to me. I'll wait for you here."
"Hmph—
"You don't trust me."
Yu Tangtang pouted, her large eyes misty, the sense of grievance practically overflowing.
"These are two separate matters. Business is business, friendship is friendship."
"Fine, fine, fine! Wang Yu, right? I remember you."
"*I, Yu Tangtang, keep my word!*"
With that, Yu Tangtang, fuming, took out a small bell and gave it a gentle shake. The clouds above stirred, and a Three-Colored Dragon Sparrow poked its head out, its aura unmistakably at the mid Core Formation stage.
"Color Sparrow, take me back to my dad's cave dwelling."
"Coming, Little Master."
The Three-Colored Dragon Sparrow swiftly descended. Wang Yu realized this was probably the being whose gaze he had felt earlier, no wonder he'd felt that heart-pounding fear. He guessed it had witnessed the entire transaction. He didn't know if it would report to the Blood-Eyed Demonic Flood Dragon. Yu Tangtang was young, her mentality childish, easy to... persuade. Not that he was tricking her! In terms of value, Yu Tangtang was absolutely getting the better end of the deal. That was likely the real reason the Three-Colored Dragon Sparrow hadn't intervened.
But for some seasoned old demons, direct robbery was the option with the highest payoff. A mere Qi Refining cultivator like him had no qualification for an equal transaction. This had been his biggest worry when coming here. It all depended on how much importance 'Sister Tang' held in her father's eyes.
Just then, Yu Tangtang turned back to Wang Yu.
"Wait here for me. I'll be back within half a day."
"Alright."
There was no need to voice his slight worries. Watching Yu Tangtang mount the Three-Colored Dragon Sparrow and leave, he could only resign himself to waiting. Regardless of the outcome, it was worth a try.
*Creak—*
Once Yu Tangtang was gone, Tanai Chan, though she hadn't used her spiritual sense to eavesdrop, had been monitoring the situation outside. She emerged now, looking at Wang Yu with clear displeasure.
"You really know how to make trouble. Where's Tangtang?"
"She went back to her cave dwelling to get something to give me. She'll be back soon."
"Ha. You're truly insane. Do you know who Yu Tangtang is?"
"I do."
"You know, and yet you still..."
Tanai Chan was furious, but seeing Wang Yu's indifferent expression, she had no standing to continue. She could only heave a long sigh in her heart.
Back then, she had encountered Yu Tangtang by accident. Upon learning her identity, she thought it was a great opportunity to rise rapidly. Coupled with Yu Tangtang's naive and lively personality, which made it easy to gain her trust, Tanai Chan had planned to build a good relationship and plan for the future.
However, after a year of interaction, the expected rewards never materialized, and her own resources had been depleted by the girl's appetite. Furthermore, she was facing trouble at the time and urgently needed a sum of spirit stones to resolve it.
She took a risk and attempted to deceive Yu Tangtang once. The result was being captured alive by the Three-Colored Dragon Sparrow and forced to sign a blood contract, becoming Yu Tangtang's human slave.
A blood contract was a high-level method created by humans to enslave demonic beasts. Even Nascent Soul cultivators found it difficult to break.
From that day on, she became Yu Tangtang's 'Xiao Chan', 'Chan'er', 'nanny', 'human slave'... Clearly still a young woman herself, she was forced to cultivate a special art to induce lactation... just to lull Yu Tangtang to sleep.
Her life's circumstances had been turned completely upside down.
**(End of Chapter)**