“That’s all it took?” Chi Yantian came over. “How about I give it a pat too?”
“Brother Chi, think twice—!”
Yu Qingtang’s warning was still on his lips when Chi Yantian had already placed a hand on the Dragon-Crane Zither.
A moment later, he was airborne.
Yu Qingtang: “...”
Not bad. The zither was showing restraint today. It had sent him flying a little less far than usual.
“Hiss!” Chi Yantian nimbly flipped upright and sat up. “Still the same as ever. Won’t let men touch it.”
Entirely unconcerned, he rolled his shoulders and rubbed his neck. “We found what we came for, and the zither’s been cheered up. Let’s go.”
He stood and looked around.
“This might be the ruins of an ancient sect, and if we searched deeper, we could probably dig up plenty of treasures. But rummaging through their things just doesn’t sit right with me.”
“This was a sect of music cultivators.” Tu Jiaojiao glanced at Yu Qingtang. “Most of their inheritances would be useless to us. Qingtang might be able to use them, though...”
“Me?” Yu Qingtang cleared his throat and nodded at everyone with a face full of righteousness. “Not to brag, but even if the greatest opportunity in the world dropped right in front of me, as long as it required diligent cultivation, I still might not bother picking it up!”
Amusement flashed through Ye Chenyan’s eyes. “What if a Nascent Soul pork hock fell on the ground?”
Yu Qingtang answered instantly, “Wash it off and it’s still edible!”
Tu Jiaojiao’s eyes widened in horror. “How can you eat something that fell on the ground?!”
“I was just saying!” Yu Qingtang hurriedly clarified. “It’s not like I’ve ever actually picked food off the ground and eaten it!”
His gaze swept past the others and landed on Ji Ruxue behind them.
She stood there quietly. Without the veiled hat hiding her face, some of her usual untouchable mystery was gone. Instead, she looked more fragile, almost pitiable.
Remembering how hard she had pushed herself trying to mend the fissure just now, Yu Qingtang thought for a moment.
“Why don’t we rest here for a while? Everyone just fought a major battle against otherworldly evil demons, so I doubt any of us are in great shape. As the saying goes, we never fight a battle we aren’t prepared for—”
Ye Chenyan casually covered his mouth, then glanced at Ji Ruxue.
“Got it. We’ll rest. You don’t need that pile of ridiculous excuses.”
“How are they ridiculous?” Yu Qingtang struggled to lift his head. “I can’t exactly admit I’m tired, can I? Nobody else has complained, and I’d be the only one whining. How embarrassing!”
Ye Chenyan raised an eyebrow, looking at him with a half-smile.
Yu Qingtang grabbed his collar ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) and leaned close. “What are you smiling at? Don’t expose me.”
“Yes, yes.” Ye Chenyan nodded along solemnly. “I’m the tired one. This humble nobody was born frail and delicate, too weak to take care of himself, so I must trouble everyone to stop and rest with me.”
With that, he was the first to sit cross-legged in the middle of the plaza.
“Oh, honestly. So delicate.” Yu Qingtang patted his shoulder, immediately sat down beside him, then waved everyone else over. “Sit, sit! Everybody sit!”
Only after he saw Ji Ruxue sit down with the others, cross her legs, and begin regulating her breathing did he nod in satisfaction and quietly withdraw his gaze.
“I did forget you lot just went through a nasty fight.” Chi Yantian scratched his head. “Speaking of which, where’s Scholar Xiao?”
“He’s at Fire Cauldron Sect researching gossip.” Yu Qingtang sighed with emotion. “If he finds out he missed all the secrets here, he’ll probably be devastated.”
“We’ll replay it for him later.”
“Still, you really came the moment we called. Faster than I expected.” Yu Qingtang looked at him curiously. “I thought you’d still be in seclusion. So? Did the Young Dragon King have any good ore?”
“Loads!” Chi Yantian immediately perked up. “And that kid’s personality suits me too. Not stingy in the slightest, haha! I finished Scholar Xiao’s chessboard, and I brought the things I made for you two as well. Perfect timing.”
He took a dark green pearl from his storage ring and handed it to Yu Qingtang.
“This one’s yours!”
“Thanks!” Yu Qingtang’s eyes lit up. He immediately dug a bag of dried meat out of his storage ring and shoved it over. “I bought this for Flamelet! Here, take it!”
Chi Yantian held it beneath his nose and sniffed. “From the Rongzhou desert?”
“I was afraid it might not be used to food from somewhere else.” Yu Qingtang gave a sheepish laugh. “Now that you say it out loud, buying local specialties for it to eat does sound a little stupid...”
“It likes this stuff.” Chi Yantian didn’t mind in the slightest. Laughing, he put the dried meat away and gestured toward the pearl. “I thought it over for ages. Had to make you the magical artifact that suited you best.”
“You usually don’t pick fights with anyone, so you wouldn’t use an offensive artifact even if I gave you one. But if I made you a defensive artifact, you’ve already got the Lotus Realm. With my current skill, anything I forge probably still won’t be tougher than the Dharma Academy’s secret inheritance.”
“Then I thought about it some more, and realized you’re not very smart.”
Yu Qingtang had been nodding repeatedly, touched by how considerate Brother Chi was.
His head suddenly froze.
He looked up in shock. “Why did you suddenly start insulting me?!”
“It’s the truth.” Chi Yantian looked perfectly righteous. “It’s not like I’m—hiss!”
Tu Jiaojiao drove an elbow into his back.
“Can’t you phrase it differently?! Like...”
She glanced at Yu Qingtang and carefully considered her wording.
“He’s... excessively innocent.”
Yu Qingtang: “...”
Thank you. At least you know how to be more tactful than he does.
Ye Chenyan propped his chin on one hand. He wanted to laugh, but valiantly held it in.
“Whatever. You all know what I mean.” Chi Yantian waved a hand. “This Evil-Repelling Pearl can detect malice. Keep it on you, and if someone with malicious intentions touches you, it’ll...”
Yu Qingtang pinched the dark green pearl between his fingers. “It’ll?”
Chi Yantian’s eyes gleamed with excitement.
“Breathe fire!”
Yu Qingtang: “...”
Of course.
As expected of a Heavenly Fire Cult disciple.
“You even made it green.” Yu Qingtang stared speechlessly toward the heavens. “So why does it still breathe fire?”
“What’s wrong with breathing fire? Don’t worry, it can’t burn you.” Chi Yantian was brimming with enthusiasm. “Come on, I’ll show you!”
As he spoke, he threw a punch straight at Yu Qingtang’s face.
“Whoa—!”
Yu Qingtang jerked backward in alarm, but Chi Yantian pulled the punch midway and gently planted his fist against Yu Qingtang’s forehead instead.
Yu Qingtang sat there with his forehead pressed against the fist.
After a moment of silence, he hesitantly said, “Nothing’s happening?”
“Hiss.” Chi Yantian scratched his head awkwardly. “Damn. Probably because I don’t actually mean you any harm, so it won’t activate.”
Yu Qingtang looked around.
“Then I guess we can’t test it today.”
Not to brag, but everyone here was one of his own!
He polished the pearl with his sleeve, even breathing on it before rubbing it until it gleamed. He obviously liked it very much.
Sure, the gift did carry the faint implication that Chi Yantian doubted his intelligence, but it was still Brother Chi’s heartfelt gift!
Yu Qingtang proudly held the pearl up in front of Ye Chenyan.
“Look. Brother Chi gave it to me.”
“Yes, Brother Chi is wonderful.” Ye Chenyan leaned closer to inspect him. “Unlike me. I can’t even refine artifacts...”
He reached out and poked Yu Qingtang’s cheek.
At that exact moment, the Evil-Repelling Pearl erupted with light and blasted a gout of flame straight at Ye Chenyan.
If Ye Chenyan’s reactions had been even slightly slower, he wouldn’t have flipped away in time—and his eyebrows would have been singed clean off.
Yu Qingtang’s mouth fell open.
“...Huh?”
He slowly turned toward Chi Yantian.
The creator of the Evil-Repelling Pearl looked even more stunned than he did. His eyes bulged as he pointed at Ye Chenyan in disbelief.
“You can actually harbor malice toward him? Impossible! Is there something wrong with your brain?!”
Ye Chenyan’s expression darkened. “There’s something wrong with your brain. Isn’t your stupid pearl broken?”
“Impossible!” Chi Yantian defended the dignity of his creation to the death. “I just finished refining it! How could it already be broken?”
“Enough!” Tu Jiaojiao raised a hand to stop the argument. She narrowed her eyes thoughtfully. “Why don’t you try again?”
Ye Chenyan looked at Yu Qingtang.
Yu Qingtang cradled the dark green pearl in both hands and stared at him expectantly.
After hesitating, Ye Chenyan reached out again.
This time, he took hold of Yu Qingtang’s wrist.
The instant their skin touched, the Evil-Repelling Pearl reacted with astonishing speed and spat another fierce tongue of flame straight at Ye Chenyan’s face.
Ye Chenyan had been prepared this time and dodged it with ease.
The look he gave Chi Yantian afterward, however, grew even more hostile.
“That shouldn’t happen.” Chi Yantian anxiously yanked several strands of red hair out of his head. “How is this possible?!”
Yu Qingtang laughed dryly. “Maybe... try turning it off and on again?”
“I’m just wondering...” Tu Jiaojiao’s expression became somewhat peculiar. “Artifacts connected to the human heart are among the hardest things to forge. Their judgment criteria are influenced by the artifact refiner too.”
She slowly turned toward Chi Yantian.
“You didn’t happen to classify that kind of wicked thought between lovers as malice too, did you?”
Chi Yantian blinked.
He sank into thought.
Then, hesitantly, he said, “I... guess?”
“Lustful evil is obviously still an evil thought!”
Ye Chenyan smiled.
“...Brother Chi.”
His smile was bright as sunshine.
His hand, meanwhile, tightened around the spear beside him.
“You really know how to make a treasure.”
Yu Qingtang hurriedly stuffed the Evil-Repelling Pearl into his storage ring and grabbed Ye Chenyan’s hand.
“Calm down, calm down! Someone else might have done it on purpose, but your Brother Chi definitely just never thought it through!”
Chi Yantian frowned.
“Huh?”
Is this guy actually defending me or not?
“Just don’t take it out normally.” Tu Jiaojiao cleared her throat and shot Chi Yantian a speechless look, smoothing things over for him. “Anyway, that Ye fellow has plenty of schemes of his own. As long as he’s around, nobody else is likely to fool you.”
“When he’s not around, remember to carry the Evil-Repelling Pearl.”
Yu Qingtang nodded rapidly. “Makes sense!”
He winked at Ye Chenyan.
“Right, Brother Ye?”
Then he turned back toward Chi Yantian.
“Oh, right. Brother Ye gets something too, doesn’t he? What did you make him, Brother Chi?”
“Of course!” Chi Yantian answered readily.
He pulled a pitch-black hand crossbow from his storage ring and handed it over.
“I noticed he’s lacking ranged attacks. Every time he needs one, he just throws that spear of his around. Here. This should suit him.”
“I made you some bolts with special effects too. But if you use them all up, it’s fine. Spiritual power will work in a pinch.”
Ye Chenyan accepted the crossbow and strapped it onto his left hand. After testing the fit a few times, he seemed quite pleased with it.
Yu Qingtang lightly bumped his shoulder against him.
“Look at you. You were just being mean to Brother Chi...”
Ye Chenyan’s gaze wandered away. He cleared his throat.
“Thanks.”
Then he asked, “Are you short on anything lately? Ore? Spirit stones? Some other heavenly material or earthly treasure?”
“I should give you something in return.”
Tu Jiaojiao’s eyes rolled mischievously.
“He’s missing a beauty to keep him company!”
Ye Chenyan instantly pulled Yu Qingtang behind himself on guard.
“What would I want one of those for?” Chi Yantian rolled his eyes. “Can a beauty help me forge metal?”
Tu Jiaojiao: “...”
She sighed deeply and turned away.
“Forget it. He’s missing a tendon.”
Ye Chenyan raised his eyebrows, troubled. “That... sounds hard to find. Whose tendon are we supposed to get him?”
“No rush.” Yu Qingtang poked his head out from behind Ye Chenyan. “Look at Senior Burning Gold. He didn’t understand any of this before either, did he? If someone hasn’t figured it out yet, that just means they haven’t met anyone they like. Once Brother Chi does, he’ll understand without anyone teaching him.”
“And even if he really never meets someone he likes, Brother Chi already has work he loves. I doubt he’ll ever be bored his whole life.”
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