amaotonovel Chapter 276 Hollow Yuan Stone
Chapter 276 Hollow Yuan Stone
"Eunuch Chen, thank you for your trouble!" came the voice of Crown Prince Duan Yaoxuan from outside.
Upon hearing this, Shen Xu's expression darkened, but it was too late to leave now. Sure enough, there was a price to pay for reckless acts of kindness.
“I believe the Crown Prince would never reveal your existence on his own initiative, but if Father presses him for answers, he will probably have no choice. Otherwise, given Father’s personality, he certainly won’t be able to bring anything back,” Consort Xue immediately explained.
"Husband and wife in perfect harmony, you two truly are a perfect couple," Shen Xu said with a cold smile.
As the door opened from the outside, the Crown Prince entered, accompanied by a sprightly old man dressed in a red brocade robe.
Shen Xu's eyes narrowed when he saw the old man. Although the old man looked like an ordinary old man, he could feel a deadly threat from him. He was no match for this old man.
As soon as the old man entered, he closed the door behind him and then asked Consort Xue with concern, "Is the young master's condition any better?"
"After a nap, the baby is much better." Consort Xue pressed her face against the baby's forehead and found that the temperature had indeed dropped.
"Then I am relieved. The Crown Prince said that the young master needs the hollow Yuan Stone from the treasure vault to cure his illness. Because this item is extremely precious, His Majesty sent me to deliver it."
After the old man finished speaking, he took out a purple wooden box from the ring on his hand and placed it on the table. Then he gently opened the lid, and a Yuan Stone emitting a faint white fluorescence was lying quietly in the purple silk in the box.
Shen Xu had seen Yuan Stones before, but this was the first time he had ever seen one this big. Most Yuan Stones that were just mined were about the size of a fingernail, and a Yuan Stone the size of a pigeon egg could be considered top-grade.
But the Yuan Stone in front of us was the size of an infant's head. Even more amazing was that there seemed to be a sizable cavity inside the Yuan Stone, which looked a bit like a placenta.
This conjecture instantly stirred something within him. If a being had once existed inside, he couldn't imagine how high its affinity with the elemental energy would be, or how high its cultivation talent would be.
But then he thought it was probably just a coincidence, because the Yuan Stone in front of him had no damage on the outside, and if there really was a living being coming out of it, it was unlikely that the Yuan Stone would have ended up in the hands of the Yunyang royal family.
"I wonder how Your Highness plans to use this Yuan Stone to cure the young master's illness?" the old man asked the prince.
"As you, Eunuch Chen, know, the Crown Prince has always been very weak, and his life force is constantly fading away, so he has almost no resistance to changes in the external environment."
This physician possesses a type of spiritual wood nectar with extremely rich vitality, which can help the crown prince slowly nourish his body.
But he will be leaving Yunyang Kingdom soon, so I asked the Crown Prince to ask my father for a treasure that can store that spiritual liquid. I never expected my father to bestow such a treasure.” Consort Xue choked up a little.
"I see. His Majesty said that treasures are not meant to be displayed in the treasury for show, but rather to be put to good use at the right time. If this Yuan Stone can heal the Crown Prince, then that is its greatest value."
"Please give it a try, doctor! But please be careful, this Yuan Stone is one of the national treasures of Yunyang Kingdom." The old man stepped aside.
Wait a minute! How did the risk suddenly shift onto him? Who knows how fragile this thing is? If it breaks with just a touch, wouldn't all the responsibility fall on his shoulders?
No, he absolutely cannot do this!
"It's far too valuable, I dare not make a move. Let's cancel this transaction!" Shen Xu said helplessly.
Consort Xue and the Crown Prince understood Shen Xu's concerns, but they were helpless because the item was simply too precious.
If this Yuan Stone is destroyed during the process of infusing it with Yuan Qi, even they cannot bear the responsibility.
"Please, physician, act boldly. Since His Majesty has chosen to use this Yuan Stone to treat the Crown Prince, he has no intention of taking it back. As long as you do not intentionally damage this Yuan Stone, even if the final result is not good, the royal family will not hold you responsible," the old man said with a smile.
Upon hearing this, Shen Xu was somewhat surprised. It seemed that the King of Yunyang really wanted to save his grandson this time.
"As long as you do your best, whatever the final outcome, I can guarantee that you will not suffer any harm as a result. If I break my promise, I am willing to enter the endless cycle of hell." The prince said earnestly.
"The Crown Prince's promise also stands with me," Consort Xue retorted.
"Since you're willing to make this promise, I'll give it a try!"
Although he was skeptical of the couple's commitment, he felt that even if he wanted to terminate the deal now, the old man probably wouldn't let him leave easily.
Shen Xu walked past the old man to the front of the Yuan Stone. Looking at this Yuan Stone, which could be considered a treasure even in the True Origin Continent, it was impossible for him not to be tempted.
But the old man's gaze remained fixed on him, and that sinister look made him very uncomfortable.
He placed his palm on the Yuan Stone and probed it with a wisp of Yuan Qi. He found that the Yuan Qi inside the stone was very scarce. There was only the outer shell of the stone, and the Yuan Qi inside had all disappeared. This discovery seemed to add some credibility to his guess.
However, whatever creatures once inhabited this Yuan Stone is no longer relevant to him; he only wants to end this matter as soon as possible. He still remembers that when he came to the Crown Prince's residence, he only wanted to retrieve Huo Yan's letter, but too many twists and turns had occurred in between.
So he took out the jade bottle and began to manipulate the primordial energy inside the bottle to continuously flow into the primordial stone. The old man beside him widened his eyes upon seeing this.
As the cyan primordial energy was continuously injected into the primordial stone, the originally bright white primordial stone gradually turned cyan-green. Having received such a valuable item, he naturally couldn't possibly only give a single drop of primordial liquid.
He could separate the vital energy and life force within the azure energy, but he could put the azure life force into the spirit stone. However, he estimated that no one but him could extract the azure life force from it.
Although he didn't know how long it would last, the child's loss of life force wasn't too serious. It was just that he was still too young, and the life force generated in his body each day couldn't offset the life force being consumed. This situation would gradually slow down as he grew older.
After this series of operations, the remaining cyan energy in his storage bottle was only half of what it was when he first arrived. Most of it was absorbed by Huo Yan's jade pendant, and he gained almost no benefit from it.
This always pains him whenever he thinks about it; it's true that being a good person is much harder than being a bad one.
When Shen Xu took back the jade bottle, Consort Xue looked at him with gratitude. Although she didn't know exactly how much azure energy Shen Xu had poured into the spirit stone, it was definitely more than the one drop he had promised.
"I think our deal is done, so I'll take my leave now." Shen Xu said, then turned to leave the room.
But he suddenly stopped in front of the door and looked at Xiao Si, who seemed to want to follow him, and said, "You don't need to follow me. I have something to take care of. Remember to go back to the academy by yourself."
“Okay!” Xiao Si replied obediently.
"Young friend, please wait a moment!" The old man who had been watching him suddenly spoke up.
Shen Xu pretended not to hear and opened the door, slowly walking out. The thin mist outside drifted into the room as the door opened.
The old man, however, seemed unwilling to let him go. In a flash, he transformed into a red afterimage, dispelling the lingering mist, and arrived before him. "Young friend, why are you in such a hurry to leave? His Majesty has been wishing to invite you to the palace as a guest."
Looking at the silent Shen Xu, the old man smiled and said, "Actually, you don't need to worry too much. For an ancient magic genius like you, Yunyang Kingdom will only choose to befriend you."
The Lin family, whom you've been protecting, has been granted titles by the King—what an honor! You should, by all accounts, go and thank the King.
After the old man finished speaking, he noticed that Shen Xu remained silent, which made him frown.
Just as he was about to persuade him again, he suddenly realized that something seemed wrong with the person in front of him. So he suddenly waved his sleeve, and with a gust of wind, Shen Xu's figure instantly turned into mist and disappeared in front of him.