Billowing white clouds floated across the clear, crystal-blue sky like clusters of blossoming flowers.
Two spirit beasts flew side by side. One was a slim, graceful Clearfeather Crane, its black-and-white plumage sleek and elegant; the other, a sturdy Gray-Feathered Sand Goose, its body marked with bold stripes, cutting powerfully through the air.
The crane's cry was sharp and clear, the goose's call deep and resonant, their voices echoing together like the harmony of zither and lute.
Watching their mounts leave behind groups of disciples riding talisman-birds, Li Lingyu looked down at the swiftly passing forests beneath them and gave the faintest shake of her head.
The beasts descended in the Copper Mountain region of the Qi Refining Hall. Ji An and Li Lingyu dismounted and walked a short distance up a mountain path, stopping at the entrance where a restriction barrier shimmered faintly.
Ji An took out a message talisman-sword, infused it with his divine sense, and gently tossed it upward. A streak of silver light vanished into the barrier.
"Senior Sister, no need to worry. Let's wait a bit."
"I'm not in a hurry," Li Lingyu said softly, her hand stroking the snowy feathers along the crane's back. With a quiet sigh, she added,
"These past few days, riding spirit beasts have spoiled me. Once we go back to riding talisman-birds, it will feel unbearably awkward.
The sect renting out mounts like these will certainly boost the sales of spirit beasts."
After all, once disciples experienced the convenience of faster travel, those with enough spirit stones would almost certainly choose to purchase their own flying beasts.
Ji An smiled. "I imagine that once Senior Sister reaches Foundation Establishment, the first thing you'll buy will be a mount or even a flying boat."
While Foundation Establishment cultivators could ride the wind with their own power, the speed was not much better than that of a spirit beast. Most cultivators still relied on external means for travel.
Besides specialized flying artifacts, Foundation Establishment cultivators could also ride atop magical tools, which consumed far less energy than using pure wind-riding arts, at least if one wasn't chasing speed.
It was said that sword cultivators who attained the realm of "union with the sword" could soar upon their blades with a technique called Sword Flight, swift as lightning, swifter even than those several realms above them. Among peers, none could rival their speed.
"Buying a mount is certain," Li Lingyu laughed lightly. "But a flying boat? Hardly worth it.
For Foundation Establishment cultivators, unless you're carrying a group, a flying shuttle is the better choice. It carries two people at most, but it's faster and more practical."
The two chatted idly until a streak of flame appeared in the distance, flying swiftly toward them.
"Junior Brother, Junior Sister, sorry to keep you waiting!"
A hearty laugh rang out as Zhang Yuanshan arrived. He had heard from Zhao Mengyao that Ji An had been accepted into the Verdant Cliff line. From that, he knew Ji An's future Foundation Establishment was assured.
By seniority, Verdant Cliff's Ge Ying was his Martial Aunt, famous in the sect for both alchemy and cultivation of spirit herbs.
Thus, he greeted the two as "Junior Brother" and "Junior Sister," deliberately showing a sense of closeness.
Ji An cupped his hands politely. "We troubled Senior Brother today, and must ask for your guidance."
He introduced Li Lingyu, and the three exchanged formal greetings before flying together toward Zhang Yuanshan's cave-dwelling.
Upon arrival, Zhang Yuanshan gave an order to his attendant:
"Brew us a pot of Silverhair Tea."
"Forgive the intrusion, Senior Brother," Ji An said once they were seated. "We came today with a favor to ask.
My senior sister and I happened upon some refining materials, though we don't recognize them. We hoped Senior Brother could lend us his eye."
Ji An spoke as he emptied the contents of his storage pouch onto the table.
Two unfinished magic-implement blanks and a dozen or so chunks of ore and metal lay spread out.
Zhang Yuanshan picked up one of the blanks, brow furrowing. Where on earth had these come from?
These implements were half-made; only the core shaping had been done; the runes and binding seals were still missing. No competent craftsman would sell half-finished pieces like this; hardly anyone could fetch a good price for such work. He traced a finger through the air, ignited a small yellow flame at his fingertip, and held it close to the blank to test the materials inside.
After a moment, he set it down and shook his head slightly.
"These two are defensive implements," he said. "Their main material is Red-Mountain Copper, with added Wind-Polished Copper and refined Xuan-Iron. The workmanship is a bit crude, and the material proportions are off; some good raw materials were wasted."
Zhang Yuanshan picked up the ores in turn, weighing and examining them. Then he smiled.
"This black one is Purple-Gold Copper ore; these grey pieces are Meteoric Iron; and this pale yellow metal is Wind-Polished Copper. They're materials fit for making high-grade implements. Purple-Gold Copper and Meteoric Iron can even be used for second-rank spirit-implements, quite valuable."
Li Lingyu's eyes lit up at the mention of refining materials. Their worth was far higher. She glanced at Ji An.
Their gazes met. Ji An asked, "Senior Brother, what's your estimate for these? We don't need to keep any of it; better to convert it into spirit stones."
An attendant brought over their tea. Zhang Yuanshan smiled, "Have a sip first."
They all raised their cups and sampled the brew. Zhang rubbed his chin, then said, "If you sell these through the sect, the unfinished implements will only fetch material value. I'd estimate the two blanks at about 180 spirit stones total. The Purple-Gold Copper ore could sell for around 120 spirit stones. You can have others check if you like, but it shouldn't differ much."
Li Lingyu brightened at the appraisal and nodded.
Ji An read the change in his senior sister's expression and asked, "Senior Brother, would you be willing to buy them?"
"If you two trust me, I'll take them," Zhang Yuanshan replied. "Second-rank materials are very tempting."
"Of course, we trust you," Ji An said with a grin. (If we didn't, we wouldn't have come to you.)
He'd meant to ask for a primer on common ores before coming, but the question now would have sounded awkward, so he kept silent.
"Altogether, that comes to 490 spirit stones," Zhang Yuanshan continued. "Let's make it an even five hundred. I can pay three hundred now; the rest I'll settle within a month."
Zhang looked a little embarrassed.–Foundation Establishment expenses tended to pile up, and he'd already tied up capital in a batch of refining materials. Three hundred was the most he could spare at once.
Ji An reached into the pouch and produced the damaged Stone-Turtle Shield and the Tianluo Umbrella. "That's fine. One more thing we'd like you to repair these two implements."
Zhang Yuanshan examined them, eyes narrowing. "Did you get into a scrap with another cultivator?"
Both implements bore many stab-and-slice marks; the umbrella had several large holes ripped through it.
"A bit of bad luck, robbers outside the sect," Ji An answered briefly, omitting the full details.
"That's intolerable," Zhang said hotly. The sect's unwritten rule was clear: when external disputes involved sect disciples, everyone stood together. "Have you reported it to the Enforcement Hall?"
"We have."
Ji An hesitated a moment, then asked, "One more thing, those storage pouches are also made by smiths. Is there any way to detect whether specific items were once contained inside a storage sack? Some method to examine residues or traces?"
Zhang Yuanshan considered this. "You mean to probe a storage pouch for an imprint or residue? There are ways ritual-wards and forensic runework can catch traces, but it depends on the maker's craft and how the pouch was sealed. Bring it to me; I'll see what can be done, and I'll recommend a trustworthy refiner to evaluate the ore and blanks properly."
Ji An thought back to the drugged spirit stones.
Zhang Yuanshan explained,
"Some natural treasures contain their own pocket spaces and bear innate Dao patterns. From these patterns, great cultivators devised space seals, which are inscribed into artifacts. A storage pouch is crafted by combining low-grade spatial materials with such seals. And yes, there are secret techniques that can probe what lies within a pouch.
High-grade pouches are better; their seals are dense and harder to penetrate. But if a high-level cultivator is adept at this art, then to them, the contents of a lowly disciple's pouch are practically laid bare."
After some time, Ji An and Li Lingyu rose to leave. Zhang Yuanshan handed over three hundred spirit stones, saying:
"Take these first. I'll deduct the cost of repairing your artifacts from the balance later."
...
Outside Red Copper Mountain, Li Lingyu slowed her mount and said,
"Junior Brother, I'll head to Luoxia Mountain to return the beast. Let's part here."
She planned to go into seclusion as soon as she returned, preparing earnestly for Foundation Establishment.
"Alright," Ji An nodded. "That captured flying boat won't be easy to sell just yet. Keep it for travel in the meantime."
They split ways. Ji An flew to the Administrative Hall to buy more talisman-grass seed.
The last batch was surely already harvested by Huang Feihu and the others, so it was time to replant. With extra contribution points in hand, he purchased enough seed for a hundred mu of talisman grass and twenty mu of Jadegrain Rice, saving himself future trips.
...
Leaving the hall, Ji An made his way to the Bishui Market to find Wei Songnian.
Since his master had now restricted him from leaving the sect until he reached Foundation Establishment, future talisman sales would have to be entrusted to someone else.
"Don't worry, Junior Brother," Wei said, thumping his chest. "This is nothing for me, I'll handle it."
He jotted down the list of shops Ji An had supplied before, inwardly marveling. So this is what backing feels like. Since he's entered under Elder Ge, he'll probably reach Foundation much sooner than I.
"If I open a shop in Azure Cloud Immortal City someday, I'll count on you to supply me."
"No problem," Ji An smiled. "By then, I should be able to draw some bestsellers."
He fell silent for a beat, then added quietly,
"Senior Brother, my treasure-seeking rat discovered that a spirit stone given to me by a certain shop was coated with a special powder."
He didn't elaborate, but Wei Songnian immediately grasped the implication.
"When did this happen?"
"The first time was two months ago. Again, just a few days passed."
Wei's eyes flickered, then he asked gravely,
"What do you intend to do?"
"For now, stay quiet. We'll settle this slowly. But if you're selling my talismans for me, there's some risk."
Ji An's tone was firm. The suspicion alone meant nothing without proof. Reporting to the sect would lead nowhere unless they caught someone red-handed, and shopkeepers in Azure Cloud Immortal City often had connections.
"I'll be careful," Wei assured him. "Besides, when I go to the city, I take the sect's flying boat there and travel back with a dozen fellow disciples in the late Qi Refining stage. No real danger.
But you be cautious. Elder Ge already decreed you're not leaving the sect until you're Foundation. By then, these tricks won't trouble you."
With that settled, Ji An flew back to Bishui Lake and his spiritual fields.
Sure enough, the talisman grass had already been harvested. He planted fresh seed with practiced incantations, then returned to his courtyard.
There, he drew out two Wood-Essence Beads, releasing wood aura into the garden. He followed with the Flamefire Incantation and the Thick Earth Art.
Wood begets fire. A touch of wood aura could stimulate fire-element plants, a trick he'd picked up in his master's medicine garden.
Half an hour later, with most of the fire aura absorbed, he summoned a light rain. Clouds gathered above the courtyard, and the plants stretched gratefully under the gentle drizzle.
Closing the wards, he mounted his gray-feathered sand-goose and flew toward Huang Feihu's courtyard.
Outside, wooden racks had been erected, stacked high with bundles of golden-yellow talisman grass. Inside the courtyard, several people were hard at work, busily turning it into talisman paper.
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