Chapter 55

She nodded, indicating she understood perfectly. After he spoke, she recalled the people she had passed on her way from the city gate, and, having settled on a few candidates in her heart, had a general sense of things. There were too many people for her to properly salute her grand-masters, so she simply nodded. Before leaving, she asked, “Grand-uncle, does the sect leader know you’re all out here?” If he didn’t, she would surely come to ‘visit’ them often in the future.

Watching the little girl drop a bombshell and turn to leave, the True Lord of Soaring Dragon shook his head. Ah, children these days truly have no respect for their elders.

Li Mengze thought for a moment, then went straight over to that demonic ancestor. This was, after all, the first time she’d been so close to a demonic cultivator of such high cultivation.

As soon as Li Mengze approached, the demonic cultivator sensed her. With his level of power, even whispers between two people in a crowded market could not escape his notice. So, as she neared, he raised his head to look at her.

Their gazes met for a moment. Li Mengze hesitated, but he nodded and tossed her a storage pouch. “Go find those old fellows from the orthodox sects. I don’t have what you need,” he said. With that, he ignored her and cheerfully greeted other customers.

Li Mengze remained captivated by his demeanor. It was no wonder, now that relations between the demonic and orthodox paths had eased in recent years, so many esteemed female cultivators had fallen for demonic cultivators. That air of wicked charm was more than enough to be irresistible.

There was a touch of spring in his brows and eyes, and beneath his left eye, two tiny dark moles. His lips were redder than a maiden’s. Such charm, in Li Mengze’s eyes, would be wasted if not shared with a female dual cultivation partner.

She accepted the storage pouch without looking inside. Since he was generous, she would be courteous as well. Since he had dismissed her, she would not linger. Thinking it over, she realized she had little to offer in return; after all, while she possessed many treasures, they were of little consequence to a cultivator at the Nascent Soul stage.

Yet she couldn’t help but feel compelled to show some appreciation to such a beautiful man. From her own storage pouch, she took out the spirit wine she’d just bought, selecting two jars each of fifth-grade spirit rice wine and spirit honey, and placed them into his pouch.

“Senior, this is fifth-grade spirit wine. The grade isn’t high, but it’s absolutely pure. Please enjoy it,” she offered.

The demonic cultivator paused, as if surprised. Perhaps it was the first time he’d seen someone insist on returning a gift after receiving one. Still, he said nothing, simply accepted the pouch and returned to his business.

Li Mengze didn’t mind. For a formidable Nascent Soul cultivator to respond to her at all was already showing her much favor.

His reaction kept her in good spirits for almost the entire day—although it also had something to do with the many valuable items she’d received from the others.

Perhaps it was because Li Mengze had been a good girl for over twenty years. Even with her independence from a previous life, she couldn’t help but carry the tenderness of a young lady, which made the great masters quite fond of her. Whatever the reason, she hadn’t returned empty-handed.

By day’s end, she hadn’t spent much spirit stone, yet had acquired numerous treasures. Even those things the Nascent Soul cultivators no longer wanted were rare opportunities for others.

She’d also received many refining materials, though there were several she didn’t recognize and planned to have them appraised upon her return.

Her happiness was almost written on her face. Along the way, the young disciples she passed whispered among themselves—today, Auntie seemed in an excellent mood. Could it be she had gone out on a date with Uncle Wei?

She did not return directly to her little courtyard on Sword Repository Peak but went first to her uncle’s place. After all, every Nascent Soul cultivator in Kunlun had left at the same time—a momentous event. As a thoughtful child, she felt it her duty to report this to her elders.

Li Yunran and Li Yunzhan, the two brothers, sat beneath the Enlightenment Tree, drinking tea and discussing the Dao. When Li Mengze entered, she sat down unceremoniously, poured herself a cup of tea, and downed it in one gulp, caring not a whit for her father’s pained expression.

“Uncle, have you visited Grandmaster recently?”

Li Yunzhan shook his head. At their level, cultivators often established their own peaks. Even within the same sect, if there was no reason, one rarely saw the other.

Why was she asking this? Li Yunzhan suddenly remembered his niece had gone out today and casually asked, “Did you see your grandmaster?” He asked only out of habit, for his little niece was merely at the Golden Core stage, while her master was a Nascent Soul cultivator—they moved in different circles and rarely crossed paths.

To his surprise, Li Mengze nodded firmly. “Yes, not only did I see Grandmaster, I saw Master Soaring Dragon, Master Bluebrow, Master Seeker, and…”

Li Yunzhan raised his hand, interrupting her, “So, did you go to the market or to greet your grandmasters today?” Could it be that the Nascent Soul elders were having a gathering and called her over? That sort of thing had happened before—when she was little, her master would take her to gatherings to collect gifts from the others. But she was too old for that now.

“No, I went to the market to look for refined gold stone. That’s when I saw them. Oh, right, Father, could you help me identify these stones and see if there’s anything you two could use?” As she spoke, she poured five or six pieces of spiritual material from her storage pouch—some as small as a fist, others as large as a human head.

Li Yunran’s gaze was immediately drawn. “Oh, that’s Rainflower Stone,” he exclaimed, picking up a black stone covered in radiating patterns. Li Yunzhan, though still mulling over the previous topic, was startled by his brother’s cry. Looking at the stones on the table, even as a Nascent Soul cultivator, he was amazed.

He picked up a crystal-clear stone, as though encased in ice, studied it, put it down, then picked up another that looked like a river pebble, his eyes brimming with joy. “Ze’er, where did you get all these?” Each of these stones was rare—especially the Rainflower Stone in his brother’s hand, which had been extinct for nearly a century. This girl was truly extraordinary, returning with so many treasures from a single outing.

Li Mengze sipped her tea lazily, “Well, just look at how likable I am. I go out and people rush to offer me good things. You can’t help but be envious.” She lifted her chin, looking every bit the proud, gifted child.

With a wave of her small hand, she said, “Take whatever you like, no need for ceremony.”

Li Yunran regarded his daughter’s haughty pose, then smacked the back of her head. “What do you mean ‘take whatever you like’? Haven’t you been searching for refined gold stone for ages? Don’t you want it anymore?” His daughter could be muddleheaded at crucial moments. He didn’t know whether to call her clever or foolish. Clever, because she shared her treasures without a thought for herself, even if the recipients were her uncle and father. Foolish, because she’d reached Golden Core in her twenties without a single bottleneck—perhaps that’s why she remained so innocent and generous.

Her eyes lit up at the mention of refined gold stone, and she turned her gaze to the unremarkable stones, scanning them for a long time before lowering her head in defeat. Forgive her, but she really couldn’t tell which, if any, contained refined gold.

Refined gold stone: possesses five-colored radiance, predominantly golden, metallic in nature, and most often found in century-old metallic veins. So stated the Compendium of Refining Materials.

But among these stones, not one emitted a golden glow. So, when she brought them back, it never occurred to her that any might actually contain refined gold.

Li Yunzhan picked up a black stone, applied some force, and the outer wrapping split open, revealing a small crack through which the five-colored radiance was visible.

He shook his head. This was clearly something one of the sect’s old ancestors had acquired long ago and kept merely as a curiosity. Perhaps, knowing she needed it, they took the opportunity to give it to her. What did this mean? It meant his niece was well-regarded, and all the grandmasters were fond of her.

The thought of all the elders heading out to the market for a grand giveaway left Li Yunzhan exasperated. Did the sect leader know about this?

“All right, keep this piece of refined gold stone for when you need to forge your life-bound artifact. Just hand it to that Wei family boy. As for the rest, your father and I will see if we can craft a set of defensive magic tools for you. You can go back now; I’m off to speak with the sect leader.”

With a wave of his sleeve, he vanished. Li Mengze stuck out her tongue and looked at her helpless father, shaking her head.

“Hey, Father, why don’t I have a little brother or sister? If I did, I could bring them along to benefit from such good fortune. Look, I even have treasures from that demonic ancestor.” As she spoke, she took out the storage pouch from her ring.

She upended it by the corners, dumping everything out onto the table. She had no idea what all was in there, but it completely filled the tabletop.

Li Yunran was stunned. What kind of wealthy eccentric would give so much? He’d been thinking about his daughter’s plea for siblings, but now, seeing this pile, his first thought was that the benefactor must have ulterior motives.

He stopped her from dumping out more, picked through a few items, sorted them into categories, packed them into several storage pouches, and handed them back to her.

“Who gave you all this? Was it just one person?”

“Yes, a demonic ancestor—very handsome, with two moles under his eye, and very polite.” Girl, you only noticed his looks? He simply gave you a pouch of things he didn’t need, and, with barely a word, you’re already convinced he’s wonderful. If that Soaring Dragon True Lord, who helped you amass gifts from others, is only second to your parents, what then?

At the mention of the two moles, Li Yunran calmly instructed her, “Keep these items safe and look them over when you return. If there’s anything else you want, you can go back and find him.” With this, he rose, preparing to seek out his wife. Since he was here, he couldn’t just leave without saying hello—it had been years since they’d met. He ought to leave something behind.

Hands clasped behind his back, gazing at the sky, Li Yunran decided that tonight he would go into seclusion and forge an all-new, invincible feather duster for his wife—a true artifact for disciplining the less-than-obedient children at home.