Spirit Ruin, Sword Coffin, Blind Swordsman

Li Guanqi turned to look at Ye Feng and saw that he was also eager to leave, so he smiled and said, “Alright, this is for you. Go take a walk.”

The pouch he handed over contained ten thousand spirit stones. Ye Feng peeked inside and jumped at the sight. He stammered, “Boss… This… Cough, cough… How much did you give Big Head?”

Li Guanqi raised three fingers.

Ye Feng couldn’t help but grin. He tucked the pouch away with care and got up, sending a message via voice transmission. “Boss, I’m heading out too!”

When Miao Rongchang saw Ye Feng sprint off, he froze and pointed in his direction. “Kid, you… Li Sangou… He’s not—”

“He’s fine,” Li Guanqi said with a casual wave, spinning nonsense. “His condition comes and goes. He’s just having a lucid moment right now.”

Both of them locked eyes, then the old man cursed, “You cunning little fox.”

Li Guanqi laughed. “Takes one to know one.”

Li Guanqi smiled as he watched them leave. He currently carried over seventy thousand spirit stones.

Before departing, Ye Feng had returned the ten thousand spirit stones, asking Li Guanqi to hold onto them for safekeeping. In Ye Feng’s own words, he spent too much and did not know how to save.They had gotten nearly thirty thousand low-grade spirit stones from the bodies of the Dark Blood Association members, then some more at their base. The rest came from the day’s sales.

It was a good thing he’d used the flying sword trick to scare off the local thieves. Without that deterrent, a newcomer like him would’ve seemed like easy prey.

Li Guanqi didn’t bother hiding his favoritism. He’d known Ye Feng longer, and they had spent a lot of time together in the sect. He knew he could trust Ye Feng.

Cao Yan might’ve been a prodigy, but talent alone wasn’t enough to make someone a true brother. Maybe, once the three of them went through a brush with death together, things would change. For now, he still held back, partly to preserve Ye Feng’s pride and partly to see what kind of person Cao Yan really was.

As the sun set, the crowd grew thicker. Only a few things were left at Li Guanqi’s stall, and while more people stopped to browse the old man’s wares, most fell for his smooth talk and clever lies. Only the more discerning buyers bought Li Guanqi’s wares.

Meanwhile, Ye Feng caught up with Cao Yan, concerned about him since his body was still weak. They made frequent stops along the street to browse and ended up buying many items, mostly practical medicinal herbs and materials for talisman-making.

The things they bought weren’t cheap. Cao Yan looked uncertainly at the talisman-making materials in his hands, which came to two thousand low-grade spirit stones. As he hesitated, Ye Feng took everything from him and turned to the seller. “Eighteen hundred. We’ll pay now.”

The vendor did not hesitate either. He laughed and praised Ye Feng for being straightforward, then happily accepted the spirit stones. Cao Yan did not get the chance to refuse.

When Ye Feng shoved the items back into his arms, Cao Yan felt a little embarrassed. “That talisman brush is an excellent magical item. It’s made from Azure Wolf fur, a tier-two demonic beast.”

Ye Feng threw an arm around his shoulder and grinned. “Relax! It’s just a few spirit stones. You could earn that back in no time!

“Besides, if Boss knew you were trying to save money over this stuff, he’d probably be annoyed. Honestly, he wouldn’t even blink if we blew it all on wine and women.

“Just buy whatever you need. You don’t need to worry. As for these, just consider them a gift from me.”

Cao Yan looked up at him with bright eyes. He had not felt such warmth in his cold heart in a long time. However, the weight on his shoulders merely felt heavier. He didn’t say anything, burying his thoughts deep in his heart.

Cao Yan took a deep breath and said, “Don’t worry, Second Brother! I will definitely earn it back!”

Ye Feng instantly melted when Cao Yan called him Second Brother. With a grand wave of his hand, he said, “Since you called me Second Brother, you can buy whatever you want! I’ll pay for it!”

Cao Yan broke into a wide smile, and the two continued on their way.

Suddenly, Cao Yan turned around. Ye Feng stopped and asked, “What’s the matter?/”

Cao Yan looked overjoyed and transmitted, “Second Brother, let’s go there and have a look!”

The two of them walked to another street. It was quieter, but it also had some stalls.

Cao Yan seemed to know exactly what he was looking for. He strode straight to a booth run by a man in black robes. Several weapons and magical items were laid out on a mat: knives, swords, seals, and spirit banners. There weren’t many, but every one of them radiated thick spirit qi.

Ye Feng squatted down with intrigue and asked, “May I try them out?”

A deep voice came from beneath the hood. “Sure.”

Ye Feng picked up a sword. The moment his vital force touched it, the blade let out a faint metallic cry.

“Tsk, tsk. It’s a good sword, a low-tier spirit sword. Unfortunately, it does not suit me.”

When Ye Feng put it down, he noticed Cao Yan staring right at a weapon. Ye Feng gulped, looked at the weapon on the ground, then at the gentle and introverted Cao Yan. He blurted, “Big Head, don’t tell me you’ve taken a liking to this!”

Cao Yan merely grinned. He looked up and asked the seller, “How much for the vambraces[1] and gloves?

Ye Feng blinked in surprise. It was a set of fire-red vambraces and gloves. The gloves bore a tiger’s head, and with the vambraces, the whole set looked ferocious. Dark red patterns glowed along the surface, radiating fire energy.

The vendor was clearly taken aback. He hadn’t expected Cao Yan, who had the appearance of a delicate scholar, to show interest in something used exclusively for martial arts.

The number of cultivators who used vambraces was extremely small. Vambraces were very obscure.

The man, who seemed honest enough, said plainly, “I’m only here for the day. I’ll be leaving the port tonight. This pair came from an ancient ruins site.”

Ye Feng muttered under his breath, “Stall owners always know how to spin a tale…”

The man wasn’t offended. He simply continued, “Old as they are, they’re still rare magical treasures.”

Ye Feng shot to his feet, pointing at the gear. “Fellow Daoist, that’s enough! I’m not blind. Sure, there’s an array carved on the vambraces, but it’s so scratched up! Maybe it was a magical treasure once, but not anymore. I’ll give you that the materials are rare, but calling it a spirit tool is already generous!”

1. A vambrace (臂铠) is a piece of armor designed to protect the forearm ☜