A Loose Cultivator's Path to Longevity

Chapter 74: Chapter 73: Ink Crystal Shield

”Follow me.”

Huang Shuyuan waved him over after she finished paying.

Lü Zhong followed her into a house made of wooden planks.

”Fellow Daoist Lü, please find a place to sit. I’m going to get some hot water,” Huang Shuyuan said, looking a little embarrassed as she picked up a kettle.

It just wouldn’t do to have a guest over with no hot tea to serve.

”It’s no trouble,” Lü Zhong said with a smile.

Once Huang Shuyuan had left, he looked around the wooden house.

The layout was similar to the little hovel he’d first lived in at Qingliu Square. It was also just a single room and a living area, the only difference being an added kitchen barely large enough to turn around in.

Judging from the packed bags in the corner, Huang Shuyuan must have moved in recently.

He stopped looking around, found a chair, and sat down carefully.

Before long, Huang Shuyuan came back in, carrying a pot of hot water.

GLUG, GLUG, GLUG...

Soon, a pot of hot tea was brewed.

”My apologies for not being able to offer you Spirit Tea, Fellow Daoist Lü. Please, make do with this.” Huang Shuyuan’s expression was apologetic, and it seemed entirely genuine, not put on in the slightest.

From what Lü Zhong knew of her, she probably truly meant it.

After taking a sip of tea, Lü Zhong was the first to speak:

”Fellow Daoist Huang, you seemed puzzled earlier about my conflict with Mo the Third. Is... there something I should know?”

”More than wrong—it’s deeply suspicious!”

Huang Shuyuan put down her teacup and said slowly, ”I suspect someone has targeted you!”

”From what I know, Mo the Third is an extremely cautious man. He doesn’t make enemies lightly. There’s no way he’d personally start a feud with you, Fellow Daoist Lü, just because one of his underlings lost a hand.”

”That’s why I think you’ve been targeted, Fellow Daoist Lü.”

Lü Zhong fell into deep thought after hearing this.

He secretly cast Malice Detection.

’Strange, there’s no reaction at all.’

’The result isn’t necessarily reliable. There are too many ways to avoid this skill.’ Combining this with what Huang Shuyuan had just said, he didn’t hesitate to assume the worst; he was now more inclined to believe that Mo the Third was the problem.

’Sigh, what a headache!’

’Why do I keep running into trouble?’

No matter how he thought about it, Lü Zhong couldn’t figure out why he would be targeted.

’Was it because I’m a Talisman Maker who can afford a Dharma Robe and a small courtyard with an Array in the fourth ring? Or was it because I killed Thousand-Faced Lang, and his backers have come for revenge? Or did it have something to do with the Spirit-Seeking Rat I got?’

’Any of these three reasons is highly possible.’

’No matter what, I’ll have to be even more careful from now on!’

At this thought, Lü Zhong looked at Huang Shuyuan across from him and, with a flip of his hand, took out a whole pack of Talisman Paper from his Storage Bag.

”Thank you for bringing your people to help, and for the warning that I might be targeted. This isn’t much, just a small stack of Talisman Paper to show my gratitude. Please, accept it.”

An entire pack of Talisman Paper, a thousand sheets in total.

He didn’t offer more because he knew that while Huang Shuyuan was a Female Cultivator, she was very proud. Giving too much might only offend her.

”No, no, this is too much.” Huang Shuyuan waved her hands and pushed the Talisman Paper back.

But as soon as she pushed it back, she immediately felt a pang of regret.

Such a large pack of Talisman Paper, worth ten Spirit Stones, was like a Timely Rain for someone as hard-pressed as she was right now.

Seeing the conflicted expression she unintentionally revealed, Lü Zhong pushed the Talisman Paper back again.

”Please, Fellow Daoist Huang, take it. They say a debt of gratitude is the hardest to repay. Now, I can consider mine settled.”

”Sigh, all... all right then.”

With a wry smile, Huang Shuyuan accepted the pack of Talisman Paper.

...

After leaving Huang Shuyuan’s house, Lü Zhong used his Qi Observation Skill.

He glanced left and right, and only after confirming no one was lying in wait nearby did he head toward his destination.

After walking a few streets, he began to hear the continuous sound of smithing.

By now, he could see a structure in the distance that resembled a Dock Fortress. Tall chimneys rose from its four corners, continuously spewing thick, billowing smoke.

The closer he got, the stronger the smell of charcoal fire in the air became.

Passing a massive storage yard for materials, Lü Zhong arrived at his destination.

The Huangyi Artifact Refining Workshop, one of the three major artifact refining workshops in Yanling Mountain Market.

Its Master was said to be a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, with ten experienced Artifact Refiners under him, who could steadily produce many Magical Artifacts every month.

As soon as he stepped inside, perhaps because of the Dharma Robe he wore, a Receptionist in a teal dress, with an excellent face and figure, immediately greeted him with a smile.

”Fellow Daoist, what brings you here today?”

”I’d like to commission you to refine a material into a Magical Artifact.”

”Commissioning a Magical Artifact involves many details that you’ll need to decide on personally...” The Receptionist’s voice was as pleasant as a spring breeze, and she maintained a constant smile. ”It’s dusty and quite noisy out here, not the best place for a discussion. Why don’t you join me in the tea room? We can discuss the details over tea.”

Hearing this, Lü Zhong couldn’t help but sigh internally. ’It’s true what they say: clothes make the man. The way you’re treated is completely different.’

He followed her to a tea room, where seasonal fruits and preserves were quickly served, along with a pot of hot tea.

He took a sip and found it was actually brewed with Spirit Tea Leaves.

He sighed to himself again. ’It really is good to have money!’

The cordial pleasantries came to an end.

At this point, the Receptionist smiled and said, ”I wonder what kind of material you’ve prepared, Fellow Daoist, that you wish for our workshop to refine into a Magical Artifact?”

”This.” Lü Zhong placed the piece of Ink Crystal Iron on the table.

”Could... could this be Ink Crystal Iron?” the Receptionist asked, uncertain. But the look she gave Lü Zhong was now entirely different.

This was a rare material, one that could be used to refine an incomparably hard Ink Crystal Shield.

A successfully refined Ink Crystal Shield was usually a Middle-grade Magical Artifact.

”My apologies, I can’t be certain about this material. Please wait here a moment, I will go and fetch the Appraiser.”

After speaking, the Receptionist gave a slight bow and hurried away.

A moment later, another set of hurried footsteps could be heard approaching.

This time, the Receptionist led in an old man with white hair and a wrinkled face.

”Correct. It is indeed Ink Crystal Iron, used for refining an Ink Crystal Shield.” The old man gave his appraisal quickly. His gaze shifted to Lü Zhong, who was seated at the table. Clasping his hands, he smiled and said, ”Is this Fellow Daoist looking to have an Ink Crystal Shield refined?”

”...Yes.” Lü Zhong replied after a moment’s thought.

”In that case, please take a look at these three Ink Crystal Shield blueprints, Fellow Daoist.”

As the old man spoke, he took a small brass tube from his Storage Bag and tipped out three blueprints of varying age. ”Different blueprints have different refining difficulties and require different supplementary materials. Therefore, the specific cost of refining the Magical Artifact can only be calculated after you’ve chosen a blueprint.”

Lü Zhong took the blueprints and began to study them carefully.

The three blueprints each had a different focus. First was the defense-oriented Profound Turtle Ink Crystal Shield. It came with two defensive Divine Techniques: the ”Steel Shield” technique, which was inherent to the Ink Crystal Iron and made the shield’s body sturdier and harder to destroy; and the ”Water Pattern Shield” technique, which was gained by adding Profound Turtle Shell as a supplementary material. When activated, it could conjure a Water Pattern Shield.

The Water Pattern Shield was the Profound Turtle’s innate magic, famous for being difficult to break.

The two Divine Techniques combined gave the Profound Turtle Ink Crystal Shield a terrifyingly high defense.

The second blueprint was for the Ink Crystal Great Shield. Besides the Steel Shield Divine Technique from the Ink Crystal Iron, its other Divine Technique was supportive, called the ”Giant Strength” Divine Technique, which could increase the strength of the shield’s wielder.

The incredibly sturdy Ink Crystal Great Shield, paired with the Giant Strength Divine Technique, was an absolute nightmare for cultivators who relied on agile Body Techniques. If they got smacked in the face by the door-sized shield, they would undoubtedly suffer broken bones and torn sinews.

As for the third blueprint,

Lü Zhong only glanced at it, and seeing that it had an offense-oriented Divine Technique, he immediately lost interest.