Seated on the back of the flying beast, Li Lingyu took out a simple light-blue porcelain vial. With two fingers, she scooped out a smear of black salve and began applying it to the burns on her arms and legs.
A strong medicinal scent drifted through the wind. After covering her wounds, she handed the vial over.
"Muscles burned by fire-type spiritual energy don't heal easily. Put some on."
Ji An guided the gray-feathered sand goose closer, took the ointment, and rubbed it onto his own scorched skin. At once, a cool sensation spread through him, soothing the burning pain.
"Thank you, Senior Sister. This medicine is much better than what I had prepared."
He offered a grateful salute. Both of them then pulled out a spirit stone each and began drawing in spiritual energy.
Though their main battle relied on talismans, the strain on their own mana had still been enormous.
Once they had flown a dozen miles from the battle site, the two landed in a forest clearing.
"Senior Sister, I'll stand watch first. You focus on recovering your mana."
As he spoke, Ji An released the Spirit-Seeking Rat.
Because of the stone tortoise's constant devouring, his own reserves were down to just thirty percent. Without at least seventy or eighty percent mana in his body, he never felt secure.
"My thanks, Junior Brother."
Li Lingyu didn't stand on ceremony. She swallowed a pill, sat cross-legged, and began refining its power with her cultivation method.
Taking turns to guard and recover, the two eventually mounted their beast again. Before the sun slipped fully behind the mountains, they reached the next market town.
The battle had changed something between them. Their mutual trust had deepened.
Alone, either of them would have been completely suppressed by that Foundation Establishment bandit. Together, they had survived. That kind of shared life-and-death ordeal forged a bond stronger than mere friendship.
At an inn, they rented two rooms, then gathered in one to tally their gains and losses.
Ji An passed over a storage pouch.
"Senior Sister, help me erase the imprint on this. I'll count how many talismans we burned through."
"All right."
Li Lingyu's eyes gleamed. She laid the remaining twenty-odd talismans neatly on the table, then took the pouch and began eroding the former owner's divine sense mark.
Storage bags weren't exclusive to their owners. As long as the original imprint was wiped clean, anyone could use them. In fact, it was good training for the divine sense.
Ji An finished counting and sighed lightly. Nearly eight hundred talismans had been consumed in the battle, like throwing spirit stones at the enemy's face.
He picked up the yellow triangular banner and couldn't help smiling. It was a superior-grade artifact, more practical than even his Stone Tortoise Shield.
He had expected to lose everything, but killing a Foundation Establishment bandit had turned the tide. In the end, all their losses were recouped and more. Truly satisfying.
Li Lingyu erased the final shred of divine sense from the bag and probed inside. She drew out the contents, laying them across the table.
Lifting several jade slips to her forehead one by one, she frowned.
"A flying boat, a few artifact blanks, some ores, and metal ingots. I don't know their exact worth. I'm not versed in refining materials.
As for the jade slips, they hold a second-tier refining inheritance and some refining notes. Not quite what I was hoping for."
Ji An alone had spent quite a sum of spirit stones in the bandit's shop. Li Lingyu had expected at least a hundred or two to turn up in the storage pouch, but not a single spirit stone was inside.
The Golden Spirit Sect was renowned for its skill in artifact forging. A refining inheritance was practically useless to them, less valuable than a few practical notes and insights.
After finishing her examination, she handed the pouch over.
Ji An accepted it, swept through it with his divine sense, and chuckled.
"The space inside isn't small. We could probably sell it for seventy or eighty spirit stones.
As for the unfinished artifact blanks and ores, we'll have a trustworthy refiner in the sect to appraise them. If a Foundation Establishment cultivator carried them on his person, they must be worth something."
He then pulled out a blank jade slip, copied the refining inheritance into it, and added:
"That man wasn't a true desperado. No one would carry their entire fortune when going out to rob others.
Let's just hope the sect can use our report to wring some real benefits from the Bamboo Mountain Market. If so, we might be able to get a share of it."
Li Lingyu slipped the jade slip into her own storage bag, then produced the captured flying sword.
"These two superior-grade artifacts, what should we do with them? Do you want them, Junior Brother?"
Ji An shook his head. At the moment, what he lacked most was spirit stones. Only after securing a Foundation Establishment Pill could he consider anything else.
"Sell them both. If Senior Sister wants one, we'll just calculate the spirit stones' worth."
"My original artifact was ruined. As for this defensive one, once I form my foundation, it'll suit me perfectly. I'd like to keep it."
Ji An thought for a moment before replying:
"My Stone Tortoise Shield took damage too. How about this, we have everything appraised once we're back in the sect. We'll sell off whatever we don't need, repair our damaged artifacts, replenish the talismans I used up, and then split whatever spirit stones remain evenly. What do you think, Senior Sister?"
Clear accounts keep harmony even between siblings.
"Your words fit my thoughts exactly," she agreed.
Three days later, following their planned route, the pair arrived in Azurecloud Immortal City, just in time for the sect's supply barge returning the next morning.
Guiding their beasts down onto the platform, they presented their sect identity tokens and entered the city free of charge.
Li Lingyu let out a faint sigh, muttering,
"I wonder how many other disciples already know. Let's just head straight for the artifact shops."
"No matter how many know, they can't possibly sweep every last item in the city.
Senior Sister, I'll lend you some spirit stones later," Ji An said. She had accompanied him through all this trouble, so he had to show some goodwill.
Li Lingyu glanced sideways at him, her beautiful eyes curving with a smile.
"Junior Brother is generous, I won't stand on ceremony then."
Ji An handed her two mid-grade spirit stones. Together, they made their way to the refining district.
They automatically skipped over the sect's own storefronts and began their purchasing spree.
After touring half of the hundred or so shops, Ji An had spent the last of his spirit stones, leaving just enough for lodging and the fare for tomorrow's barge.
Even though he had offered slightly above-market prices, the shopkeepers would not part with too many elemental materials at once. These were still normal businesses; they needed reserves for their own refining.
"Senior Sister, go ahead and book two rooms at the Yingshan Inn, it's cheaper there. I'll deliver the last of these talismans to our partner shops."
Ji An handed the spirit stones to his senior sister. After accepting them, she bid him farewell and left.
He shook his head slightly, then strode quickly toward the talisman district. Today, he needed to properly explain matters to his partner's shops.
The talismans left in his hand were worth little more than a hundred spirit stones. After purchasing talisman ink and pens, he would be left with almost nothing.
Half an hour later, Ji An walked out of a shop with a handful of spirit stones. He glanced back at the signboard, five bold, inky-black characters spelling "Pang's Treasure Talisman Shop". Each stroke was strong and unrestrained, full of character.
Lowering his head, a glint of coldness flashed in his eyes.
Just moments earlier, after receiving the stones, he had let the spirit-seeking rat sniff them. The little beast had raised the alarm. A stone bore the same faint powder as before.
Should I find a broker to dig into the background of this shop?
Ji An considered it, then dismissed the thought. Brokers almost always had ties to the shops themselves, and making inquiries might only alert the enemy.
...
The following day, after returning to the sect by airship, Ji An and Li Lingyu hurried back to Verdant Cliff together to report to their master.
Ge Ying listened to their account, her heart seething with both shock and fury. Fortunately, they had carried a large stock of talismans this time; otherwise, the outcome would have been grim.
If either disciple had been killed, she wouldn't just lose two promising students; she would also lose the twenty mid-grade spirit stones she had loaned them, and the sect would be deprived of two potential Foundation Establishment cultivators, one of whom was a rare, gifted spirit farmer.
Her gaze turned icy as she gave a cold snort:
"To dare attack my disciples, bold indeed.
Tomorrow, I will go straight to the Law Enforcement Hall and speak to Senior Brother Chen. Rest assured, I will see justice done.
This concerns the sect's reputation. The Law Enforcement Hall will not treat it lightly."
In the Western Continent, the Three Sects were absolute overlords. If their promising disciples were targeted, the sect would certainly respond with full weight.
"Hand me the confiscated artifacts and anything else that can serve as evidence of his identity as a bandit. The sect will use them in negotiations with the Emerald Bamboo Mountain market."
Somewhat reluctant, Li Lingyu handed over the two superior-grade artifacts and several jade slips containing techniques the spoils she had been holding onto.
Ge Ying shot her a playful scold:
"Reluctant, are you? Don't worry, once this is settled, these things will still be yours.
That man was the owner of a refining shop. Once it is proven that he was a bandit, his assets will be seized jointly by the sect and the market.
At that point, you'll not only receive the bounty for slaying a Foundation Establishment bandit, but also rewards from the sect itself.
With me here, you won't lose a single spirit stone."
"Thank you, Master," Li Lingyu said sweetly.
"Hmph! Neither of you is to leave the sect until you've built your foundations.
Right now, the sect is at a critical stage in cultivating its spiritual veins. Once the mandatory task is announced, we'll need to temporarily draw our forces inward."
She then took out a few jade slips, copied one, and tossed it to Ji An.
"Take this. It's the sect's Hundred Herbs Manual, a compilation describing various spiritual herbs and their cultivation methods.
It covers most of the plants commonly used in the Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment stages. Study it carefully in a few days, I'll test you."
"Thank you, Master."
Ji An bowed, understanding her expectations. He scratched his head and gave a sheepish grin.
"Master, this disciple feels his knowledge is far too shallow. I want to improve quickly. Would you happen to have any records about spirit trees?"
Inheritance techniques, manuals, and knowledge were all priceless and free, even more so.
Ge Ying narrowed her eyes.
"Don't bite off more than you can chew. Master the Hundred Herbs Manual first.
There are hundreds of plants in there, along with explanations of their medicinal properties. Memorize them all; that will be enough to keep you busy for quite some time."
...
After leaving the cave dwelling, Ji An turned to ask:
"Senior Sister, do you know any refiners we can trust?"
It was time to appraise their spoils. For now, these items that they couldn't use were best converted into spirit stones.
"The refiners I know are all still in Qi Refining. I doubt they could properly evaluate artifact blanks and ores.
Do you have anyone in mind? At the very least, we need a Foundation Establishment-level refiner.
If you don't, we'll have to ask our senior brothers and sisters for an introduction."
"I happen to know a Foundation Establishment refiner, he's from the same academy as me, and we get along well.
If you're willing to trust me, we can visit him tomorrow."
Li Lingyu couldn't help but laugh.
"How could I not trust my junior brother? Tomorrow, then."
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