My Artifacts Can Upgrade Infinitely

Chapter 77: Chapter 77: A Letter

’Could something have delayed her?’

Zhao Zuo’s anxiety grew. He took out his Communication Jade and spoke softly.

"Taoist Friend Shen, have you run into trouble? Do you need my help?"

His voice echoed in the air, but he received no reply. It was as if his words had vanished into the endless void, causing not a single ripple.

After speaking, Zhao Zuo held the Communication Jade and waited patiently for an answer. But his words were like a stone sinking into the sea; a long time passed with no response. A sense of unease began to creep in. He worried that Shen Yunjiao might have encountered some danger, yet he tried to suppress this feeling with reason.

Zhao Zuo waited and waited. Finally, he decided to get up and head to the kitchen to make a simple breakfast.

He took out some Spirit Rice and cooked it, pairing it with the pickled vegetables he usually ate. But the taste was slightly different from usual, perhaps because his Heart Realm had changed.

Zhao Zuo calmly stood up and washed the bowl and chopsticks with Clear Water.

In truth, he could have used a Cleaning Talisman for this task. But adhering to the principle of saving Spirit Stones whenever possible, he didn’t bother using a Cleaning Talisman for something so trivial that took hardly any time.

After washing the dishes, Zhao Zuo went to the courtyard to practice his swordsmanship. Recently, he had been focusing his energy on the top-down slash from his ’One Slash’ technique. This move was the most domineering and powerful; if he could find an opportunity to use it in battle, his opponent would be either dead or crippled.

Zhao Zuo repeated this one move over and over, occasionally pausing to ponder. He explored different ways of exerting force, then resumed his practice, striving to adapt his method to better suit his body and ultimately unleash even greater power.

The sun reached its zenith. It was noon, but the Communication Jade remained silent, and Shen Yunjiao had not returned home.

His mind was filled with distracting thoughts today, making it unsuitable for Artifact Refining. He decided to spend the day adjusting his state of mind. Zhao Zuo was well aware that the tempering of his character was far from sufficient; he couldn’t face Shen Yunjiao’s disappearance with calm indifference.

Obviously, this wasn’t what he wanted. He didn’t want to lose a friend like Shen Yunjiao. However, he also understood that he couldn’t change what had already happened. The most important thing now was to adjust his own mentality.

There was nothing to be done about it. Most importantly, Zhao Zuo didn’t want to lose his human emotions.

He practiced like this for three two-hour periods, until the sky began to grow dim.

Zhao Zuo was exhausted. His muscles ached, and his limbs felt as if they were filled with lead, impossible to lift. Yet, his heart felt refreshed. The negative emotions born from Shen Yunjiao’s disappearance had all dissipated, and his wavering heart had become resolute once more.

He could feel the Source Water pearl in his Dantian taking effect, releasing a cool energy that soothed and eliminated his fatigue. Zhao Zuo could also sense a Purifying Spirit Qi from the world slowly entering his body, being transformed by his Meridians, and finally gathering in his Dantian as Mana.

His mind became utterly clear and empty. He could almost feel the cells of his body cheering with joy.

The feeling came as quickly as it went, lasting for less than three minutes. Yet, more than half of his fatigue had vanished, and even the Mana in his Dantian had grown by a fair amount—roughly equivalent to the progress of three two-hour periods of seated Cultivation.

’Was that an epiphany just now? No, definitely not...’

Zhao Zuo shook his head. ’If it were an epiphany... the progress wouldn’t be so minor.’ It was more like, in that instant, his Soul and body had achieved a state of harmony with heaven and earth, allowing him to enter that state. It was a bit like the Realm known as the Unity of Heaven and Man.

This state was incredibly miraculous. Three minutes were equivalent to his progress from three two-hour periods of Cultivation. If he could maintain this state, in three two-hour periods, he might break through directly to the Qi Cultivation Sixth Layer.

Zhao Zuo closed his eyes again, concentrating on the changes in nature, trying to find traces of the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Power. But after several minutes of trying, he found that the empty, clear state did not reappear. It was as if a barrier stood between him and the natural world.

’As expected, that profound realm isn’t so easy to enter.’

Zhao Zuo sighed with a mix of emotion and envy. Legend had it that those with a Celestial Spirit Root were the darlings of heaven and earth, able to enter the state of Unity of Heaven and Man with extreme ease and increase their Cultivation at an unreasonable rate.

After speaking, he subconsciously glanced toward the courtyard gate. Unfortunately, the familiar figure was still nowhere to be seen. A feeling suddenly struck Zhao Zuo: Shen Yunjiao might really not be coming back.

For the next few days, Zhao Zuo lived a solitary life and gradually grew accustomed to it. He would practice his Blade Skill in the morning, enter seclusion for Artifact Refining in the evening, and finish with seated Cultivation.

One day at the end of the month, Zhao Zuo realized he hadn’t thought about Shen Yunjiao for several days. This lapse in memory panicked him slightly, for he felt he was becoming cold and indifferent.

Finally, Zhao Zuo walked up the stairs. He put on his Spirit Silk Gloves, pushed open the door that had been sealed for about half a month, and slowly stepped into Shen Yunjiao’s room.

The air in the room held the faint scent of flowers and sandalwood. In the center of the room were a carved mahogany chair and a square table. On a bed not far away lay soft and magnificent brocade quilts and embroidered covers. At the head of the bed sat a pair of night lamps powered by Spirit Stones, though their light had now grown very dim.

Next to the bed was a mahogany vanity, on which sat a bronze mirror, a horn comb, an ornamental comb, and various hair accessories and hairpins. Beside them was an incense box.

Zhao Zuo himself didn’t know why he had pushed open this door today. Perhaps he was hoping Shen Yunjiao might have left him a final letter or something of the sort. Knowing her... it was very likely she would do something like that.

Sure enough, a letter was placed next to the incense box.

Zhao Zuo took out an Antidote Pill and swallowed it, then held his breath and opened the envelope.

The envelope opened. There was no trace of powder or traps. Zhao Zuo was finally certain that this letter was indeed left for him by Shen Yunjiao. She had foreseen the possibility of her not returning.

As expected, she was as meticulous as ever. He unfolded the letter to reveal characters written with a sharp, yet incredibly elegant and refined, hand. The overall appearance was exceedingly beautiful.

"Taoist Friend Zhao, by the time you read this, I may have already died at the hands of a Demon Beast."

"I knew that going out would be dangerous and that anything could happen, so I have placed most of the Spirit Stones I’ve saved over the years in the Storage Bag under my pillow."

"Since I am already dead, you are free to do with these Spirit Stones as you please."

Zhao Zuo’s calm expression shifted to one of astonishment. The resolve in his eyes wavered. He admitted to himself that he felt regret.

But it was too late.

"Under the pillow, there is also the Scroll for the Sharpness Spirit Pattern. Remember to make a Heavenly Dao Oath."

"Finally, I only wish for my Taoist friend to achieve Longevity and Vision. If you ever master the river of time, remember to resurrect me."

This was something Zhao Zuo had said as a joke while they were fleeing for their lives. He never thought she would remember it.

In the entire letter, Shen Yunjiao didn’t explain why she was entrusting the Spirit Stones to Zhao Zuo, nor did she ask him to do anything for her in exchange for them.

Shen Yunjiao, who usually loved Spirit Stones so much, had so easily gifted most of her savings to him. A strange feeling suddenly arose in Zhao Zuo’s heart.

This short letter had carved an impression of Shen Yunjiao upon his heart.

......

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