Chapter 66: At the Very Least, It Has to Be a... Well, Spirit Filling |
Hearing Zhou Yingxi praise the deliciousness of his family's donkey meat, Wang Yulou smiled and introduced the dish.
"Of course. This dry-fried donkey intestine end is made from the finest cuts. A single donkey only yields enough for one plate; it is purely the essence.
The seasoning uses a variety of medicinal herbs, and to stimulate their medicinal properties, a tiny bit of toxic aconite powder was even added.
Not only is it incredibly delicious, but it also achieves the principle of medicine and food sharing the same origin. Eating it regularly can prolong one's life."
However, Zhou Yingxi, sitting opposite him, was somewhat puzzled.
"What is... an intestine end? A relatively long donkey head?"
She found it a bit strange; the food on the plate clearly looked nothing like a donkey's head.
Wang Yulou blanked for a moment before explaining.
"Not at all. It's the donkey's intestine—the most essential part of the donkey's intestine."
She stood up silently and walked straight out without even glancing at Yulou.
'Wang Yulou, Wang Yulou... you're worse than a dog, Wang Yulou.
You don't deserve a single shred of my gentleness.
Our friendship ends here. My final act of grace is not turning against you as an enemy!
I accepted your invitation to this banquet, yet you treated me to intestine ends.
That thing that used to hold... fillings... and you just watched me eat it bite after bite?
Couldn't you have given me a single word of warning?
You really deserve to die!'
"Blergh~"
Ultimately unable to hold it in, Fellow Daoist Yingxi started dry heaving after taking just two steps.
Yulou stood up, looking slightly awkward.
What a mess this had turned out to be. She was clearly eating it with such relish just a moment ago, but now that she knew the name, she couldn't stomach it.
Fellow Daoist, you're too attached to appearances. This is being attached to appearances in a very physical sense.
"Miss Zhou, our Wang Clan's spirit donkeys eat spirit grass and spirit leaves for their three meals a day across all four seasons, and they drink from spirit springs and spirit dew. Don't misunderstand..."
Yulou's meaning was very simple: given the standard of the spirit donkey's diet, its... filling... wasn't entirely that bad.
At the very least, it had to be a... well, spirit filling.
Zhou Yingxi had already suppressed her urge to dry heave, but Yulou's words once again reminded her of what she had just eaten.
"Blergh~ Don't call me Miss Zhou! I can't bear the honor!"
Convinced she had been thoroughly tricked by that dog Wang Yulou, Zhou Yingxi rushed downstairs, looking completely out of sorts.
Yulou followed her all the way to the entrance of Flavorful Bistro, shouting at her back.
"Fellow Daoist Yingxi, will you still come to the Talisman Master Competition in a month?"
Having breathed in the outside air and finally recovered, Zhou Yingxi glared back viciously and said, "I'm raising my price. Six hundred spirit stones!"
'You dog, since you tricked me into eating that, I have to fleece you to vent the anger in my heart!
Otherwise, letting you off just like this would be too much of a loss. I'd be so angry that my Dao heart wouldn't be clear.'
However, contrary to Zhou Yingxi's expectations, Yulou—who had assumed the matter was ruined—was instantly overjoyed.
"Deal!"
Hearing this bastard agree so quickly, Zhou Yingxi realized she had bidded too low!
This guy made her so furious... put it this way, the breath flaring from Zhou Yingxi's nostrils was heavy enough to almost blow her veil right off.
In this regard, Ning Qianqian was Zhou Yingxi's senior; she was thoroughly proficient in dealing with the descendants of the Wang Clan.
The people of the Wang Clan had their family rules carved into their very bones.
Even Yu'an's lively personality had been gradually reined in by the family rules.
When it came to haggling and quoting prices, the people of the Wang Clan were absolute beasts. No matter how extraordinary your relationship with them was, you always had to be on guard.
Her heart burning with anger, Zhou Yingxi left. Old Tang of Flavorful Bistro smiled and stepped forward.
"That's the young lady from Senior Mu's family, isn't it? What's wrong, did you have an argument with her?"
Tang Nianqiu's round face was full of amusement, like someone watching a good show.
This kid Wang Yulou had poached his goddaughter, so seeing Wang Yulou hit a wall with Zhou Yingxi now, Old Tang couldn't be happier.
If he wasn't considering Wang Yulou's state of mind, he might have even sung a few lines.
"Yulou, it's not that your Uncle Nianqiu wants to lecture you, but when it comes to matters between men and women, it's best when the feeling is mutual.
Being one-sided will yield no results. Besides, the age gap between you and Senior Mu's young lady is quite large. Just give up on the idea, let it go."
Hearing Old Tang's nagging nonsense, Yulou didn't bother to explain.
'What do you mean by 'give up on the idea' and 'being one-sided will yield no results'?
Do you think I'm a simp?
No, I firmly rejected the marriage proposal back then!'
Old Tang only had this much foresight anyway, so why would Wang Yulou bother explaining to him?
"Yes, yes, yes. What you said is absolutely right, sir. Yulou will keep it firmly in mind, firmly in mind."
That barrage of "yes, yes, yes" left Tang Nianqiu at a loss.
Even though Wang Yulou kept saying "yes, yes, yes," no matter how he listened to it, something seemed off.
Yes, yes, yes... was that really a "yes"?
Probably not.
Just as Tang Nianqiu was about to ask, Wang Yulou had already walked quickly away.
——
Another morning arrived at Forge Peak Residence.
The scorching peach wood spirit fire baked the room like a steamer. This was actually a manifestation of Senior Martial Sister Ningyao's insufficient control over the spirit fire; such an issue wouldn't occur when Hongmei refined artifacts himself.
Her cultivation base was only at the eighth layer of Qi Induction, while refining mid-grade magical artifacts required an even more vigorous spirit fire. Thus, Ningyao was still wearing her special set of fire-repelling spiritual artifact clothing today.
However, Yu'an had long passed the age of secretly peeking at his senior martial sister. He simply circulated his divine sense in silence, observing the refinement of the magical artifact in the furnace.
"Phew~"
Senior Martial Sister Ningyao helplessly wiped the sweat from her forehead and slumped into a chair.
"There was a slight problem when inscribing the eleventh restriction layer. Father, is it possible to modify the restriction's design and make the ninth layer just a bit smaller?"
Hongmei shook his head and commented.
"It's fine. You've still made progress, it's much better than last time. Go to the front and look after the shop. Yulou, it's your turn now."
This was their biannual artifact refining assessment. Hongmei's requirement for Zhong Ningyao was to directly refine a mid-grade magical artifact with eleven restriction layers.
His requirement for Yu'an and Yulou was to attempt refining a mid-grade magical artifact with nine restriction layers.
There was a difference between crafting a magical artifact embryo and directly crafting a finished magical artifact. If one wanted to reach the theoretical limit of restriction layers on an embryo, it required subsequent refinement.
Directly forging it into a mid-grade magical artifact was naturally better than creating an embryo first and refining it later. After all, it could also explode during the refinement process.
However, magical artifact embryos were also a necessity. By forging the foundational restrictions in advance, they could adjust the subsequent restriction types according to the customer's needs when an order was placed.
This prevented them from refining items that wouldn't sell, while also speeding up their turnover rate.
After selecting a piece of purple copper, Yulou stood before the artifact refining furnace.
Over the years, he had developed a preference for purple copper. For no other reason than the fact that Yulou intended to cultivate water methods once he reached Qi Refining.
Among metal and stone materials, purple copper was one of the spiritual materials with the highest affinity for water methods.
"This piece of purple copper hasn't undergone Imbuing Nature, so it will be relatively simpler. However, you must control your spiritual energy consumption. Do you want to take a Spirit Opening Pill?"
Hongmei, whose original name was Wang Yushuo, gently reminded him from the side.
After all, Yulou was his nominal younger brother and his bastard disciple.
If he didn't pass on his Fire Method Metal-Stone Artificing Way entirely, Wang Xianmao would never give him the opportunity to reach Foundation Establishment.
Yulou swallowed a spirit pill and placed a second Spirit Opening Pill in his mouth. Once properly prepared, he tossed the purple copper into the artifact refining furnace.
He stimulated its spirituality, added the supplementary materials in sequence, controlled the spirituality, and began to alter its shape.
The Jade Ruyi activated, rapidly consuming golden light. Yulou's movements were so incredibly smooth that Hongmei was left staring in shock.
'He's only in his early twenties... The Wang Clan, the Wang Clan, the Wang Clan of Anbei Kingdom.'
"Ten layers?"
Yu'an discovered in amazement that Yulou hadn't stopped after completing the ninth restriction layer. Instead, he immediately began inscribing the tenth layer.
The tenth restriction layer was completed. Hongmei furrowed his brows tightly; this was no longer just outstanding, it was monstrous.
The eleventh restriction layer was completed. The spirit fire began to slip out of control, prompting Hongmei to help stabilize the flames while the spiritual rhythm of the spiritual belt automatically activated to protect its master.
The twelfth restriction layer was completed. Yu'an looked at Yulou's spiritual belt. Though he felt somewhat envious, he also believed his older brother deserved it.
The thirteenth restriction layer was completed. Hongmei had long noticed the belt Yulou had worn for years, and he recalled the night he and Yulou had shared a room.
As the thirteenth restriction layer finished inscribing, Yulou noticed that the full bar of golden light in his mind had been completely exhausted.
Yulou waved his hand, and a Purple Copper Dharma Sword bearing thirteen restriction layers flew out of the artifact refining furnace.
Its body was entirely purplish-red and shimmering with spiritual light. It was already considered a boutique-grade mid-grade magical artifact.
During magical combat, it would be top-tier for breaking through an opponent's spells and defensive barriers.
Hongmei—no, Wang Yushuo—let out a long sigh.
'A monster, this is a monster.'
In his early twenties, he already possessed the aura of a Master Artificer. It could be said that Wang Yulou's talent on the artificing path far surpassed his own.
He looked at Yulou with deep emotion and spoke.
"Yulou... alright, Yu'an, you refine next."
His senior martial sister had exploded her furnace, but she still had the skill to reach ten layers without exploding. His older brother had even successfully refined a mid-grade flying sword with thirteen restriction layers.
Yu'an was under immense pressure now. He silently tossed a piece of ninth-grade multicolored agate into the artifact refining furnace and began refining with considerable nervousness.
He didn't aim for a particularly high number of restriction layers. After all, he didn't possess a fire spirit root; there was a fundamental gap between him and both Zhong Ningyao and Wang Yulou in this regard.
Half a quarter-hour later, under Yu'an's careful maneuvering, the ninth restriction layer on the multicolored agate was finally completed.
A multicolored agate seal with nine restriction layers.
Even if it was merely at the threshold of the mid-grade tier, it was still a mid-grade item after all.
Even Yu'an himself felt it looked pathetic.
Hongmei didn't mind too much; even Zhong Ningyao had more talent than Wang Yu'an.
Moreover, with Yulou's shining example right before them, Yu'an's ninth-grade multicolored agate magic seal really had nothing worth praising.
"Not bad. Go on, head to the front and keep your senior martial sister company while watching the shop."
Hearing Hongmei say this, Yu'an glanced at his older brother. After Wang Yulou nodded, Yu'an happily jogged to the front to find his senior martial sister.
Yulou shook his head.
Yu'an had matured a lot, but in front of his older brother, he would always act like a young boy.
"Yulou, you have the greatest talent for the artificing path I've ever seen. Have you ever considered joining Nine Apertures Valley in the future to continue your artificing cultivation?"
Nine Apertures Valley was one of the Ten Sects of Wunan, belonging to the 'Lower Seven Sects' on the same level as the Red Lantern Illumination Sect.
It was named Nine Apertures because it was situated within a Tier 3 spiritual object, the Nine Apertures Valley. The nine apertures corresponded to the production of nine special types of spiritual materials.
As a result, Nine Apertures Valley was highly inclusive when it came to the artificing path. Their skill level was high, and they possessed numerous legacies.
Legend had it that even Golden Core True Persons standing upon the Gathering Immortals Platform would seek out the Nine Apertures Valley to help refine their magic treasures.
"No matter. You've still made progress, and it's much better than last time. Go to the front and watch the shop.
Yulou, it's your turn now."
This was the biannual artificing path examination. Hongmei's requirement for Zhong Ningyao was to directly refine a mid-grade magical artifact with eleven restriction layers.
His requirement for Yu'an and Yulou was to attempt refining a mid-grade magical artifact with nine restriction layers.
There was a significant difference between creating a magical artifact embryo and directly crafting a finished magical artifact. For an embryo to reach its theoretical maximum number of restriction layers, it required subsequent refinement.
Directly refining a finished mid-grade magical artifact was naturally far superior to creating an embryo first and refining it later. After all, the item could easily explode during the subsequent refinement process.
However, magical artifact embryos were also in high demand. By refining the foundational restrictions in advance, the artificer could easily adjust the subsequent restrictions to meet a customer's specific needs for custom orders.
This avoided situations where fully refined items sat unsold, while simultaneously speeding up turnover.
After selecting a piece of purple copper, Yulou stood before the artifact refining furnace.
Over the past few years, he had favored purple copper for one simple reason: he intended to cultivate water methods after breaking through to Qi Refining.
Among metal and stone materials, purple copper possessed one of the highest degrees of compatibility with water methods.
"This piece of purple copper has not undergone Imbuing Nature, so it will be relatively simpler to handle. However, you must carefully manage the depletion of your spiritual energy. Do you want to take a Spirit Opening Pill?"
Hongmei—whose true name was Wang Yushuo, and whose Daoist title was Hongmei—gave a gentle reminder from the side.
After all, Yulou was his nominal younger brother and an informal disciple.
If he didn't pass on everything he knew about his Fire Method Metal-Stone Artificing Way, Wang Xianmao would never give him the opportunity to reach Foundation Establishment.
Yulou swallowed a spirit pill, then held a second Spirit Opening Pill in his mouth. Once properly prepared, he tossed the purple copper into the artifact refining furnace.
He stimulated its spiritual nature, added the supplementary materials in order, brought the spiritual nature under control, and began to alter its shape.
As he activated the Jade Ruyi, the golden light was rapidly consumed. Yulou's movements were so incredibly smooth that Hongmei was left staring in utter blankness.
He's only in his early twenties... The Wang Clan, the Wang Clan, the Wang Clan of Anbei Kingdom.
"Ten layers?"
Yu'an was astonished to find that Yulou didn't stop after completing the ninth restriction layer, but instead began directly inscribing the tenth.
The tenth restriction layer was completed. Hongmei furrowed his brows tightly. This wasn't just excellent; this was monstrous.
The eleventh restriction layer was completed. The spirit fire began to slip out of control. Hongmei stepped in to help control the fire, while the spiritual charm of his spiritual belt automatically activated to protect its master.
The twelfth restriction layer was completed. Looking at Yulou's spiritual belt, Yu'an felt a pang of envy, but he also believed his big brother deserved such an item.
The thirteenth restriction layer was completed. Hongmei had long since noticed the belt Yulou had worn for many years, casting his mind back to the night he and Yulou had shared the same room.
With the inscription of the thirteenth restriction layer complete, Yulou noticed that the full bar of golden light in his mind had been completely exhausted.
Yulou waved his hand, and the Purple Copper Dharma Sword with thirteen restriction layers flew out of the artifact refining furnace.
Its entire body was purplish-red and sparkled with spiritual light. It already ranked among the premium tier of mid-grade magical artifacts.
When used in magical combat to slash through an opponent's spells and protective barriers, it would be absolutely first-rate.
Hongmei—no, Wang Yushuo—let out a long sigh.
A monster. This is what a monster is.
Barely in his early twenties, yet he already possessed the aura of a Master Artificer. Wang Yulou's talent in the artificing path could be said to far surpass his own.
He looked at Yulou with deep emotion and spoke.
"Yulou... Mmm, Yu'an, you refine yours first."
His senior martial sister's refinement had exploded, but she still possessed the skill to stably reach ten layers without fail. His big brother had even successfully refined a mid-grade flying sword with thirteen restriction layers.
Yu'an was now under immense pressure. He silently tossed a piece of ninth-grade variegated agate into the artifact refining furnace and began his refinement, feeling quite nervous.
He didn't pursue an excessively high number of restriction layers. After all, he lacked a fire spirit root; in this aspect, there was a fundamental gap between him and Zhong Ningyao or Wang Yulou.
Half a quarter-hour later, under Yu'an's exceedingly careful manipulation, the ninth restriction layer on the variegated agate was finally completed.
A variegated agate magic seal with nine restriction layers.
A bare-minimum mid-grade magical artifact was still a mid-grade magical artifact, after all.
Even so, when Yu'an looked at it, he couldn't help but feel it was quite shabby.
Hongmei didn't mind too much. Even Zhong Ningyao had more talent than Wang Yu'an.
Furthermore, with Yulou shining brightly like a pearl right before them, there was truly nothing worthy of praise regarding Yu'an's ninth-grade variegated agate magic seal.
"Not a bad refinement. Go on, head to the front and keep your senior martial sister company while watching the shop."
Hearing this, Yu'an glanced at his big brother. After Wang Yulou gave a nod, he joyfully headed to the front to look for his senior martial sister.
Yulou shook his head.
Yu'an had matured significantly, but in front of his big brother, he would always act like a little boy.
"Yulou, you're the person with the most talent in the artificing path I've ever seen. Have you ever considered joining Nine Apertures Valley in the future to continue your artificing path cultivation?"
Nine Apertures Valley, one of the Ten Sects of Wunan, belonged to the 'Lower Seven Sects' and stood on the same level as the Red Lantern Illumination Sect.
It was named Nine Apertures because it was situated within a Tier 3 spiritual object, the Nine Apertures Valley itself, with its nine apertures corresponding to nine distinct types of special spiritual materials produced there.
Consequently, Nine Apertures Valley was extremely comprehensive when it came to the artificing path. Its standards were high, and its inheritances were plentiful.
Legend had it that even Golden Core True Persons ranked on the Gathering Immortals Platform would seek out Nine Apertures Valley's help to refine their magic treasures.