Chapter 744: Chapter 744: The Beggar

There was no guarantee that this ancient jade would be of any use, but Zen would take any chance he could get. He was a desperate man clutching at straws.

There was only one way to find out if it could heal Letitia. At the very least, he would be able to feel the life energy within this ancient jade.

He had no more time to waste. Letitia, who used to be full of life energy, was quickly wasting away. The Life and Death Wind had all but depleted her life energy. Zen didn't know how much longer she could last, and he prayed silently that she would be able to absorb the life energy inside the jade.

He led the beggar into the room where Letitia was. Then, extending his hand, Zen said coldly, “Hand it over.”

The beggar took a step back in surprise and curled into a defensive stance. “If it's effective, then the rewards...” he demanded, looking at Zen and maintaining his careful pose.

“You will be compensated well, as long as it works,” Zen replied impatiently.

However, the beggar shook his head at this and said, “The things you are offering are of no use to me. I am only a warrior at the nature level.” He paused before continuing, “I want to join the Cloud Hall or the World Commercial Alliance instead.”

Zen's patience was wearing thin. He had no time for this beggar's demands. Throwing a sharp glance at him, he answered, “If the jade works, I can help you. So stop with the demands and give me the jade.”

In the world of warriors, there was only one thing that mattered—strength. Zen could easily snatch the jade from the beggar. He could even kill him to make sure his mouth was kept shut. That was what many others would do.

But not Zen.

The beggar of course understood this. As a warrior of the Central Region, he knew how the rules worked. The moment he had chosen to present the treasure, he had already decided to gamble.

The man before him seemed to be one to keep his word. Nodding to Zen, he handed him the ancient jade.

As the jade touched his hand, Zen felt a warm sensation. It was unlike the characteristic coldness one would normally find in a piece of ordinary jade. Was it because of the life energy within it? Or was it because the beggar had kept it close to his body?

But now was not the time to wonder. There was a far more serious situation. Zen walked towards Letitia, but hesitated when he was right in front of her. How was he going to transfer its life energy into her body?

The beggar noticed Zen's conflicted expression. He explained, “My ancestors said that these kinds of ancient jade could only be used after being crushed. Once they are crushed, the life energy within them will automatically dissipate.”

'There is more than a piece of ancient jade?'

Zen's heart skipped a beat as he caught on the connotation of the beggar's words. He glanced at the beggar. This guy was no fool. He probably didn't bring all the pieces of ancient jade he had.

But first, he had to see if it was useful. Zen placed the ancient jade above Letitia and crushed it with his fingers. Cracks appeared on its surface, a translucent light emitting from the cracks.

'The life energy!' he thought to himself. He kept a close watch on Letitia. It was too early to rejoice. He didn't know whether she would be able to absorb the life energy or not. He watched her face for any sign of change, his breath caught in his throat.

This life energy inside the ancient jade was indeed quite strange. After the light broke out from it, it started to go towards his own hand. Zen hurriedly retracted his hand, fearing that he would absorb the energy instead of Letitia.

She needed it now more than ever.

After Zen removed his hand, the life energy hovered above Letitia's unconscious form, and then pierced into her body.

“Is it working?” Zen's eyelids twitched as he watched the light disappear inside her.

Soon, Zen sensed Letitia's aura grow stronger. His own pulse quickened as he felt her energy. It was just a sliver, but to Zen, it was a great hope. The ancient jade had worked! ṘÁΝ𝐎₿Ёs

It was able to replenish Letitia's life energy.

With this realization, Zen turned his head to the beggar. His eyes bored through him as he asked, “How many pieces of ancient jade do you have?”

At his question, the beggar looked nervous and fidgeted. “I...I have...”

It was true that he still had other pieces of ancient jade—he actually still had seven remaining. The beggar was Hanson Li. In the old times, the Li Clan was also among the ranks of third-grade clans, but it faced a tragic decline in its warriors. Three hundred years ago, the clan fell and no one was able to revive it.

However, from the ruins of the clan, the eight pieces of ancient jade had survived and had been preserved to this day. They were the Li Clan's most precious treasures. No one in the clan had ever thought of using them.

Then came the announcement from the World Commercial Alliance that anyone who managed to save Letitia would be rewarded greatly. Hanson Li had caught word of this. The announcement already mentioned of something that had to do with life energy. Taking the jade, he went forward and tried his luck. The Li Clan had already been buried in the dust of the past, but he might be able to change his future.

According to the old records of his clan, the ancient jade contained life energy, and from what he had seen just now, it seemed that it was indeed useful.

Hanson Li was no fool. He knew that if he were to take all the pieces of ancient jade and give them all at once, he would not be able to make the most use out of them. There were also plenty of stronger warriors than him. If they were to snatch away the jade, all his hopes would be gone.

And so he made a plan. When he entered Oracle City, he found a few, secret places and hid the remaining seven pieces of ancient jade in seven different locations. Only he knew where they were. No one else would be able to find and use them except him.

However, he was now facing a dilemma. He did not expect Zen to see through his plans so quickly. He fidgeted as he thought of the best way to answer his question. Zen was quick to notice the beggar's hesitation, and he knew immediately that his speculation was right on the mark. He asked the question again, this time more sternly. “How many pieces of ancient jade are left? Where are they?”

“I...I...” Hanson Li stuttered. He originally wanted Zen to swear on his warrior spirit that he would live up to his promise. That way, he would have a guarantee that he would get what he wanted, even if he had to give up the seven pieces of the ancient jade. However, under Zen's severe expression, his tongue kept on trembling.

Zen was getting more and more ticked off at the beggar's seeming refusal to answer. “The things that I have promised will definitely be fulfilled!” he assured him. “In the future, you will be a member of the Cloud Hall and you will be under its protection. Now answer my questions,” he demanded.

Zen did not want to waste a single more second bargaining. He needed to know how many more pieces of ancient jade the man had.

“Seven! I still have seven pieces of ancient jade. I buried them all outside Oracle City.” The words poured out quickly from Hanson Li's mouth.

'Seven...'

Zen felt the heavy weight of disappointment drop on him; the number was too small.

He looked at Letitia as she lay with her eyes closed. There had only been a small sliver of life energy in the piece of ancient jade. Only seven more would not be able to restore all of Letitia's life energy.

However, it was better than nothing. If seven pieces of ancient jade were all that Hanson Li had, he would make sure to get all of them. He turned to the beggar and grabbed him by the shoulders. “Take me to them!” he said.

Zen flew at an unbelievable speed out of Oracle City. Under Hanson Li's guidance, he quickly dug out the seven pieces of ancient jade one by one, and then made his way back to the Heavenly Stellar Palace.

He went straight to Letitia and crushed the pieces of ancient jade as he did earlier, and life energy from them flowed into Letitia.

He watched as her body took in the life energy. 'Still too little, ' he thought anxiously.

He waited for a while. Letitia still did not make a single move. Not a flutter of an eyelid, not a twitch of a finger. She lay motionless, sleeping like a child.

Zen merely stood there in a daze before he let out a faint sigh. “Not enough...” His voice trembled.

At his words, Hanson Li tensed up. He understood that the pieces of ancient jade did not have much of an effect. His position in Cloud Hall was in danger. “You...you will keep your promise, won't you?” he asked.

“The World Commercial Alliance will pay you 1, 000 supreme life vitality crystals,” Zen said absently. “But your jade didn't wake Tia up. I can't give you a low-grade sacred weapon.”

Hanson Li's faces lit up with joy at his answer.

Even the Li Clan wouldn't be able to take out 1, 000 supreme life vitality crystals at its peak. Any third-grade clan, not counting those with ties to the Cloud Hall and the World Commercial Alliance, would not have many of these crystals in their possession.

The sum of 1, 000 supreme life vitality crystals was enough to make him a nouveau riche. For Hanson Li, a warrior at nature level, it was more than enough for a reward. He would not dare ask for a low-grade sacred weapon anymore. He was already beyond satisfied with just the supreme life vitality crystals. Aside from this, a low-grade sacred weapon in his hands would only bring about a fatal disaster. He had really only been interested in the crystals since the very beginning.

“But before you get them, there is one more thing you have to tell me. Where did these pieces of ancient jade come from?” Zen asked and looked Hanson Li in the eye. Right now, this was his greatest concern.

He had laid eyes on countless rare treasures in the Central Region. However, this was the first time that he had seen a piece of ancient jade that contained life energy. If Hanson Li could give him any clue, he was determined to go and find these pieces of ancient jade at all costs. He wouldn't just sit still and watch as Letitia's life energy dwindled.

“Tell me,” Zen repeated when the man did not answer. “Tell me everything you know about these jades, and 1, 000 supreme life vitality crystals will be yours. You will also become an elite disciple of Cloud Hall.”

Now that the Heavenly Evil Sect and the Ethereal Spirit Sect had been annihilated, the Cloud Hall was the largest sect in the Central Region apart from the World Commercial Alliance. Even when the Cloud Hall was only a fourth-grade sect, warriors from the Central Region had all been rushing in like a flock of birds, and competition had only escalated from then.

As a nature creature with a mediocre talent in martial arts cultivation, Hanson Li could never hope to enter Cloud Hall. However, right in front of him was an opportunity to change his fate. How could he let this chance go by?