Chapter Eleven: Preparations for Forging

In the blink of an eye, a month had passed. Li Chengzhu, accompanied by Xiaoying, had been on a grand spree, purchasing all sorts of materials for artifact forging. In no time at all, over two hundred high-grade spirit stones were nearly spent. Xiaoying watched as Li Chengzhu swaggered about, buying here and there with the air of a nouveau riche, and her heart ached at the extravagance. All her worldly possessions amounted to no more than a dozen high-grade stones, while this fellow had blown through more than two hundred in a single month without so much as a frown. She could not help but curse him inwardly for his profligacy.

Li Chengzhu, meanwhile, was puzzled by the abject poverty of cultivators in the Immortal Realm. In his mind, wasn’t this supposed to be a land where treasures grew everywhere, where one might trip over a celestial stone with every step? Yet when the local cultivators saw the pile of high-grade spirit stones in his hands, their eyes gleamed with the hunger of a lustful ghost who, after a millennium of imprisonment, suddenly glimpses a naked beauty.

When he voiced his confusion, Xiaoying patiently explained, “There are nearly one hundred thousand ordinary immortals in the Celestial Realm, ten thousand upper immortals, two thousand golden immortals, just over four hundred Great Luo golden immortals, more than fifty Heavenly Lords of Luo, ten Celestial Lords, and at the very top, the Celestial Emperor. On top of that, there are countless immortal sects and noble families. Though the realm is rich with resources, most have already been carved up by those at the top. For the likes of us—without background or strength—it’s already a stroke of luck to stumble upon anything valuable.”

Li Chengzhu gave a knowing “oh!” No wonder Hao Meili and Cui Xiaosa had fought so bitterly over just two Destiny Spirit Stones, with Hao Meili eventually self-destructing her nascent soul—leaving him, in the end, to profit from their ruin. Clearly, those two were also among the lowest tier of ordinary cultivators.

Throughout the month, Li Chengzhu did not see Gu Linglong again. When he asked Xiaoying, she looked at him with a pitiful gaze. “My sister is working out a way to extract the immortal aura from your body.”

The prospect of Gu Linglong reclaiming the immortal aura from his body filled him with dread. Who could say what he’d become after such an extraction—a mere mortal? A dried-up corpse? The thought sent chills down his spine.

Yet Xiaoying shadowed him everywhere, never giving him the chance to escape. Pretty as she was, Li Chengzhu now regretted ever asking her to be his bodyguard, wishing he could bite off his own tongue for that foolish idea.

Truly, one’s own folly can be the hardest to bear.

Li Chengzhu’s eyes grew moist with frustration.

Barely a few days after he’d left the City Lord’s residence, word spread throughout the city’s cultivators that the former “God of Song” was now buying up artifact materials in bulk, acting under the authority of the City Lord’s special envoy. Eager to cash in, they flocked to him with their collections, demanding exorbitant prices.

With Xiaoying, a native, by his side to appraise the goods, Li Chengzhu rarely suffered much loss. He bought honestly from the fair dealers, but if anyone tried to gouge him, well, he’d show no mercy. A single glance from Li Chengzhu, and by the next morning, those overvalued materials would mysteriously vanish.

Though the victims suspected the City Lord’s envoy was behind these thefts, they had no evidence, and since he was under the City Lord’s protection, they could do nothing but swallow their anger.

Each night, upon returning to the City Lord’s residence, Xiaoying would see Li Chengzhu grinning slyly as his little companion spat out a storage ring, dumping out a heap of artifact materials.

After seeing these familiar items a few times, Xiaoying suddenly realized, “You’re stealing from people!”

Li Chengzhu shook his head with feigned innocence and pointed at the little creature. “It’s the one stealing!”

---

“Squeak, squeak!”

Xiaoying pouted. “If not for your instructions, how could this well-behaved creature suddenly turn thief?”

Li Chengzhu grinned wickedly, “Those things are dirt cheap, yet those people dare to set sky-high prices. I’m just teaching them a lesson to uphold the City Lord’s prestige.”

“Despicable!” Xiaoying huffed.

Li Chengzhu pressed his palms together in mock solemnity. “Amitabha, this humble monk would not harm even an ant or a moth at a lamp. Such sordid deeds are beneath me.”

Xiaoying rolled her eyes so hard they nearly turned white. “Then why do you keep insisting the little one isn’t a Treasure-seeking Mouse?”

Li Chengzhu shrugged helplessly. “How should I know? I’ve only been in the Immortal Realm for two years. I wouldn’t recognize a Treasure-seeking Mouse if I saw one.”

Xiaoying picked up the little creature, scrutinizing it from every angle, but found nothing resembling a Treasure-seeking Mouse. After all the recent feedings, the creature had grown plumper—it looked more like a piglet than any mouse.

Yet for all its plumpness, its speed had only increased. With Xiaoying’s late-phase Divided Spirit cultivation, she still couldn’t catch it. Perhaps only Gu Linglong could barely keep up.

With these ill-gotten gains, plus what Li Chengzhu had collected previously, their storage ring was filled to the brim with materials.

Li Chengzhu handed everything over to Xiaoying, his face alight with excitement. “I’m counting on you!”

Xiaoying smiled charmingly. “We’ll split the profits sixty-forty!”

Li Chengzhu’s eyes bulged. “Isn’t that a bit much? I paid for all these materials.”

She locked eyes with him, her gaze curving into crescent moons. “But I’m providing the skill and the labor.” She pouted, looking irresistibly pitiful.

A shiver ran down Li Chengzhu’s spine; he almost felt his nascent soul flee his body. He bowed his head quickly. “Eighty-twenty. You get two, I get eight. If you agree, we’ll do it. If not, I’ll find someone else.”

---

Xiaoying wouldn’t give up, grabbing his hand and shaking it like a child. “How about seventy-thirty? You get seven, I get three. Forging artifacts is hard work!” She looked every bit the spoiled little girl.

A wave of comfort swept through Li Chengzhu—before he knew it, he blurted, “Deal!”

“And I get first pick of two flying swords!” she added.

“Deal!”

Giggling, Xiaoying let go of his hand. “It’s settled, then!” With that, she scooped up the little creature and left the room.

Only after she had vanished did Li Chengzhu snap out of his daze and curse at the door, “You wretched woman! How dare you use charm magic on me! Just you wait—one day I’ll use knockout incense on you and have my way with you!”

For artifact forging, a few more things were needed. Li Chengzhu spent his remaining spirit stones at the apothecary, buying a large supply of “Heaven’s Extreme Pills” to instantly replenish spiritual power for Xiaoying. He even paid the local weapon shop owner five high-grade stones to rent his ancestral forging cauldron.

After giving some instructions, Xiaoying shut herself in a room to begin forging.

Watching her close the door, Li Chengzhu’s mind was consumed by a single thought: escape! Now was the perfect opportunity to run, even if it meant leaving all those materials to Xiaoying. After all, he had spent over two hundred high-grade spirit stones.

But could that price compare to his own freedom?

Having made up his mind, Li Chengzhu dashed for the exit. Yet before he could reach the main gate, a blue barrier sprang up, stopping him in his tracks inside the residence.

“Damn it all!” he cursed, charging at the barrier with all his might.