Fan Jiasheng emerged from the side room with a troubled brow, heading into the main hall. The mere thought of Old Hei Xia’s severe injuries sustained in the Grand Canyon made him let out a long, heavy sigh. For a cultivator, even some degree of disability was not the end, so long as one survived. However, the toxic mist sprayed by the poisonous locusts was vicious, penetrating deep into the bone and clinging to the flesh, proving impossible to eradicate. This had prevented Old Hei Xia’s leg wound from improving, and his cultivation base was subtly showing signs of regression. Fan Jiasheng feared that in a few months, Old Hei Xia might lose his Fourth Level Qi Condensation cultivation.
Removing the poison itself was simple: one only needed to spend ten-odd spirit stones at the market to purchase a few low-grade Detoxifying Spirit Pills. The problem was, both he and Old Hei Xia were destitute cultivators; where were they supposed to find the spirit stones to buy those pills?
Thinking of spirit stones only deepened Fan Jiasheng’s worry. Perhaps it was time to find some work. But having no special skills, earning spirit stones was not easy. As he mulled this over, he walked downstairs, intending to wander the city and see if any workshops or shops needed to hire extra hands.
Fan Jiasheng suddenly froze. A young cultivator in a green robe was ascending the stairs from below.
“Brother Ye, you’re back!”
Fan Jiasheng exclaimed with delight.
Ye Qin looked up, saw Fan Jiasheng, and smiled faintly, “Yes, just returned yesterday. I wasn't clear on your situation, so I was a little worried and came to check in. How are things with Brother Fan and Old Hei?”
Fan Jiasheng gave a bitter smile and shook his head. “Old Hei is holding on, I suppose. That injury won't kill him! He’ll just have to suffer a bit.”
Ye Qin nodded. “Are the Zhang siblings back as well?”
Fan Jiasheng replied, “They are, but the Zhang siblings found the immortal path too perilous. They’ve already packed up and returned to the Nanliang Kingdom. Right now, it’s just Old Hei and me still staying here. The rent for this inn has been paid for a full month, so we can stay a little longer. In a few days, the two of us might have to return to Nanliang too. These past few days, I’m trying to see if I can find a spirit pill to detoxify Old Hei.”
Ye Qin thought to himself: It’s likely the Zhang siblings couldn't endure being in Xian Yuan City with Xu Qing’s cousin, which is why they left. That's probably for the best. The Jianghu gangs of the Nanliang Kingdom are certainly much safer than Xian Yuan City. At least there, one doesn't have to constantly worry about being ambushed and killed by so many cultivators.
Ye Qin was momentarily speechless. He went to the side room to check on Old Hei Xia, who was still unconscious on the cot. Dark energy swirled around the injury on his leg; if left too long, it would surely leave a chronic ailment.
He remained silent for a long time, sighing inwardly. Who knew how many Qi Condensation cultivators perished in the Spirit Mist Grand Canyon every year? Although Old Hei Xia was severely injured, Fan Jiasheng had risked his life to carry him back. Compared to those cultivators whose bodies were left abandoned in the canyon, he was still fortunate.
The path of cultivation was incomparably dangerous; one slip could lead to death. But if one didn't tread this immortal road, they were destined to live out their remaining decades in mundane obscurity in the mortal world.
Ye Qin pondered, his gaze gradually firming, then turned and left.
Fan Jiasheng felt a slight sense of disappointment. Among them, Ye Qin was considered the one with slightly more money. If Ye Qin had been willing to offer assistance, perhaps Old Hei could have been detoxified sooner. But Ye Qin hadn't mentioned it at all, and Fan Jiasheng found it difficult to ask.
Fan Jiasheng was racking his brains in vexation when he suddenly paused. On the table, seemingly appearing out of nowhere, were three small bottles of spirit pills. He rushed over and opened them. “Detoxification Pill, Bone-Mending and Muscle-Regenerating Spiritual Ointment, Dew-Dropping Pill!” Fan Jiasheng murmured, frozen in place, his eyes growing moist.
He returned to the inn and settled into quiet seclusion.
Three days later, Ye Qin made another trip to the Baofeng Artifact Refining Workshop. Led by an attendant, he proceeded to the second floor of the pavilion, entering the private compartment where he had met the white-robed old man previously.
The white-robed old man smiled broadly upon seeing Ye Qin arrive. He beckoned a young attendant, handed him a slip of paper, and instructed him to retrieve the goods from the Baofeng Workshop's vault. A short while later, the attendant returned, escorted by two purple-robed guards at the Seventh Level of Qi Condensation, carrying two large brocade boxes into the second-floor compartment.
“Appraiser Ma, here is the merchandise you requested!”
The young attendant delivered the two brocade boxes and respectfully retreated. The two guards remained outside the compartment; security was extremely tight during delivery, even within the Baofeng Workshop itself, to prevent any mishaps with the goods.
Ye Qin and the white-robed old man surnamed Ma both sat on chairs. On the table lay one two-foot-long brocade box, meant for a long weapon, and another large box, nearly a zhang long, designed for a bigger item.
Old Man Ma gestured toward the brocade boxes and chuckled, “Little brother, both spirit artifacts are here. The refinement by the Great Luo Sect's artifact smiths was flawless. Please examine the delivery.” Old Man Ma first opened the smaller box for Ye Qin to view.
Inside lay two pure white spikes, resembling ivory, each almost one foot and three inches long, emitting a faint spiritual energy. They were curved, blunt implements without edges, which, after quenching, looked like two exquisitely crafted pieces of white porcelain. The hilts of the spikes were carved with intricate golden symbols, clearly etched by the artifact smith—it was unclear what purpose they served.
This was a pair of daggers, usable one in each hand, or both together. Furthermore, each spike had a brand-new white talisman stuck to it, sealing them shut.
The white-robed old man stroked his beard and praised, “Normally, spirit artifacts refined from the Bat King essence are blood-red, carrying a strong scent of gore, making them extremely fierce and prone to infecting the wielder’s mind, driving them towards violence. That’s why most people refer to Bat Thorns as evil implements, rarely used unless one is an evil cultivator. However, these two Bat King Thorns were refined to be pure white, lacking any bloody aura, but instead possessing dense spiritual energy. It’s rather puzzling; perhaps they have another function.”
Ye Qin nodded calmly, saying nothing. When he collected these two fangs, he hadn't sensed any bloody or fierce aura from them; otherwise, he wouldn't have used such aggressive material to refine spirit artifacts.
Old Man Ma then opened the larger brocade box.
A pair of Demon Bat King wings, after refinement, had been fused together into a single Wing Spirit Artifact. The external appearance of the Wing Spirit Artifact had not changed much, only shrunk slightly compared to the original material. It, too, was sealed with a white talisman.
“The wind-element quenching and forging method is very unique. It’s not apparent outwardly, but both the bone structure and the wing membrane have been quenched. All blood essence impurities have been removed, making them perfectly smooth, forming an excellent frame for wind-element channeling. You can infuse the spirit artifact with magic power and consume that power for use. Normally, a Bat King Wing's flight speed is around a hundred li per hour; that speed isn't fast. However, the greatest feature of a Wing Spirit Artifact isn't speed, but maneuverability. It is a slow-speed, high-control flight artifact. Wing Spirit Artifacts and Winged Spirit Artifacts are diametrically opposed: the latter are high-speed, low-control flight artifacts. Wing Spirit Artifacts and Winged Spirit Artifacts represent the two branches of flying spirit artifacts.”
Perhaps because Ye Qin was paying a premium price as the patron, Old Man Ma received a substantial commission from this transaction, so he diligently explained the peculiarities of this Wing Spirit Artifact to Ye Qin.
“If you, little brother, use a ‘Wing’ artifact against an opponent using a ‘Winged’ artifact, absolutely do not try to compete on flight speed. You cannot match their speed; you can only compete on maneuverability.”
Ye Qin nodded silently, firmly committing the advice to memory. Winged artifacts are extremely rare, so the chance of encountering another Qi Condensation cultivator using a similar artifact was slim. Still, if it happened, he would know what to do. As for Foundation Establishment cultivators, they could use Dharma artifacts to fly swords, rendering wing artifacts unnecessary.
“Can I use them now?”
Old Man Ma raised his hand to stop him, repeatedly stating, “No, these two spirit artifacts haven’t been unsealed yet; they cannot be used!” He pointed to the white talismans on them. “See these two sealing talismans? After a spirit artifact is successfully refined, this is applied to seal it.”
Ye Qin did not understand the purpose of these two talismans.
Old Man Ma explained, “After a cultivator uses a spirit artifact, they leave their familiar magical aura upon it. The more closely that aura matches the user, the smoother the wielder can control the artifact. If an artifact has been used by many cultivators, the magical auras on it become mixed and chaotic, making it feel awkward to handle. Therefore, there is an established rule in artifact refining: any spirit artifact refined for another—including the refiner themselves—is not used before delivery. Instead, a sealing talisman is applied to prevent contamination by mixed magical auras.”
Old Man Ma continued, “These two sealing talismans are pure white, without any specks of color. This indicates that these two spirit artifacts have not been touched by any other person’s magical energy; they haven't been used since their successful refinement.”
Finishing his explanation, Old Man Ma rubbed his hands together with a fawning smile. “So, you need to pay the remaining eight hundred low-grade spirit stones before I can lift the seals on these two artifacts. If you cannot afford the remaining refining fee, I will have to take them as they are to the counter outside and sell them to offset the cost.”
Ye Qin now understood this unique custom of the artifact refining guilds. With such a rule in place, he could hardly object. After a moment’s thought, he took out his storage pouch and paid the remaining eight hundred low-grade spirit stones.
Old Man Ma happily accepted the stones. In front of Ye Qin, he took out two unsealing talismans from his robe, infused them with magic power, and slapped them onto the two artifacts.
This involved the reputation and signboard of the Baofeng Artifact Refining Workshop; Old Man Ma dared not attempt any deception, nor could he fake it—these sealing talismans had been affixed by the Great Luo Sect’s artifact smiths and bore the smiths' unique markings.
Two streaks of white light flashed, and the sealing talismans fell away from the two spirit artifacts.
With the seals broken, Ye Qin retrieved the Bat King Thorns and the Bat King Wings from their brocade boxes—the pure white Bat King Thorns radiating pure spiritual energy.
Old Man Ma beamed, staring at the Bat King Wings and Thorns. “We keep some cheap First-Tier demonic beasts in the workshop; they can be used to sharpen them. Would you like to test the power of the Bat Thorns? We also have a huge cultivation room, very spacious, where you can try out the Bat Wings.”
“No need.”
Ye Qin coldly rejected Old Man Ma’s suggestion.
Since the spirit artifacts had been refined and paid for, the Baofeng Workshop wouldn't allow returns under any circumstances. Regardless of how effective these artifacts turned out to be, his transaction with the Baofeng Workshop was concluded; why test them here? Moreover, the old man’s excessive eagerness regarding his artifacts made Ye Qin wary.
Ye Qin directly stored the two high-grade spirit artifacts into his storage pouch, left the second-floor compartment, descended the stairs, and then departed the Baofeng Workshop.
A short while later, a white-robed silhouette also slipped out of the Baofeng Workshop, trailing far behind Ye Qin. (To be continued. For future developments, please log into www**m for more chapters, support the author, and enjoy legitimate reading!)