Chapter 51: First Publication on Jinjiang, Killing Three Birds with One Stone

The fish for dinner was cooked by Qi Mu and Liu Yuan, using the cookware that Yao Sisi had made. She was busy helping them with their work, fetching things and washing ingredients. They didn't want to use her cookware, but she felt that participating would create a better atmosphere.

When everything was almost ready, and the small pot was already boiling, Yao Sisi began to worry about Rijiu's situation, frequently looking into the distance.

The flames under the iron pot were casually set off by Yao Sisi. Qi Mu noticed that she was looking away absentmindedly and knew that she was thinking about someone else!

Qi Mu: "What is Miss Sisi looking at?"

Yao Sisi scratched her head: "Ri Jiu went to scout out that gathering point for us. I'm worried there might be danger."

Qi Mu scoffed inwardly, "You're quite frank, aren't you?"

“If Miss Sisi is worried, why not ride Lingyun to meet her? That way, the fish might be cooked before you return.”

Yao Sisi's eyes lit up: "You're right! I originally thought that since my cultivation level wasn't as high as his, I wouldn't be able to help much, but providing backup is no problem at all! Then I'll trouble you, young master, to help watch over the fire."

Seeing her leave so decisively, Qi Mu lowered his eyelashes slightly, concealing the expression in his eyes, as if he were very seriously looking after the stew pot. He released a wisp of flame from his palm, which slowly spread to the bottom of the pot. Liu Yuan, who was not far away, walked over and said, "Young Master, look how much she cares about that person. Doesn't she think about whether Young Master will be sad?"

Qi Mujian waited until Yao Sisi had walked away before softly asking, "Why am I sad?"

Liu Yuan was taken aback: "Young Master! You two are a couple, a proper marriage, how perfect! So many people were watching. Even if... it's fake, a day as husband and wife is still a hundred days of kindness. I kept watch outside all night on our wedding night! Young Master, you just went through all that trouble for nothing?"

Qi Mu looked at him and said, "Knowing it's fake, why should I be sad? Besides, there's no such thing as being husband and wife for even a day. We have nothing to our name, let alone any hardship."

Liu Yuan pursed his lips and muttered under his breath, "Young Master, you're just speaking up for her!"

Qi Mu continued to pour spiritual fire into the pot, saying without even raising his head, "Whether you're speaking up for her or not, you'll know when you see the chastity mark on my waist. I didn't need you to serve me personally these past few days because I was afraid you, with your big mouth, would lose your temper once you found out the truth. See? You're asking all sorts of questions as soon as she left. You really can't keep your temper in check."

Liu Yuan's mouth opened slightly: "Where did this servant talk big? We've been out for so long and I'm only now standing up for you, young master. I've been holding back for so long, and I only told you quietly after they were gone... Anyway, as long as you're not upset, that's fine."

Qi Mu smiled slightly and sighed, "What's there to be sad about? That woman is so single-minded and careless that she didn't even think that way. If I get angry with her, I'm afraid I'll just lose my composure instead of getting angry."

On the other side, Yao Sisi saw Ri Jiu near the gathering place. He was wearing a brightly colored cloak and was very conspicuous in the forest. This made her realize that he was not discreet enough. It would be better to change to green camouflage, which would make it easier to cover his tracks.

Actually, Ri Jiu's clothes were very expensive when she bought them. They could change colors, but they could only change to solid colors and couldn't change into camouflage. Just as she was lost in thought, Ri Jiu noticed her and waved to her.

Once the two reached Lingyun, Rijiu spoke of their earlier discovery: "There's an array in that place, and several trading exchanges inside. It's all done by individuals; there aren't any proper shops. Apart from one legitimate food and beverage shop, many people live in temporary housing."

Yao Sisi went straight to the point: "So, is it dangerous inside?"

Ri Jiu: "I didn't know the situation when I first went in, and I didn't dare to buy anything to attract attention. Probably because I didn't lose any money, this trip was relatively safe. But I saw that there were disputes outside the formation from time to time, so I'm afraid it's not so safe."

The two chatted as they flew toward their temporary base, and by the time they returned, dinner was ready.

Rijiu lifted her veil and looked happily at the dinner: "I want to try the precious fish that Sisi caught in her net, and see just how delicious the varieties you wrote down in the booklet really are."

Before Yao Sisi could reply, Qi Mu raised an eyebrow and said gently, "You even know we use fishing nets?"

Ri Jiu asked, "Sisi showed off her fishing net to me when she came to see you. What, could it be that these fish weren't caught with a fishing net?"

Qi Mu: "It was indeed caught in a fishing net. Did you find anything when you went to investigate today?"

Yao Sisi poured herself a bowl of rice and said to them, "Don't just keep talking, let's eat and chat at the same time, and be careful of the thorns while you eat!"

Ri Jiu, holding his bowl, spoke so quickly it was as if the person was only instructing him, “Thank you for your concern, Sisi. I saw the materials you needed today. Let’s go buy them tomorrow! We won’t rush to leave the formation. We can finish refining the flying artifact inside before leaving. The longer it takes, the less time we can afford to waste, even if someone is waiting to intercept the goods.”

Qi Mu, who was not far away, seemed not to see anything, sipping his fish soup gently, but he was also like a tiger patiently lying in wait for its prey.

Liu Yuan beside him was different. Although he didn't show anything, his demeanor looked exactly like that of a servant beside the empress. When his eyes inadvertently swept over Ri Jiu, it was as if he were looking at a demon vying for favor. No matter how wicked he was, he could not surpass the empress.

As Yao Sisi ate the fish in silence, she thought the Luoshan fish was really delicious. If she remembered correctly, she would catch a few more and keep them in her space when she had time. But then she realized that there was no pond in her space. Even if there was a shallow river, it wouldn't be able to support such big fish, especially since there was no water in the river.

Looks like I'll have to make a fish tank...

"What do you think of this fish? Do you want to eat it?"

Regardless of what they were really thinking, everyone honestly replied, "It's delicious."

Yao Sisi: "I'll write down some refining materials later, and see if I can collect them tomorrow. Then we'll refine a space fish tank, and we can store as many fish as we want, so you can have some to eat along the way."

The next day, the group arrived near the gathering place, put Lingyun away, and walked there. From a distance, it looked like a small, undeveloped village with only a few households.

It would take them one or two years to travel from here to the city. If they hadn't relied on Lingyun's speed and worked day and night, they wouldn't have been able to get here so quickly.

Most of the cultivators here are ambitious and adventurous, which is why they dare to live so far from human settlements.

Of course, this place is indeed more suitable for cultivation than the city.

Ri Jiu led a few people into the trading hall, which was more like a shed than a hall. There weren't many people inside, and some of them were even agents. The main party was already out, and the trading was being handled by others, saving time and effort.

Yao Sisi noticed that there weren't many items on display, but there was a list in front of them. If anyone wanted something on the list, they could call the owner over to discuss it with them.

The things Yao Sisi needs are mostly on the list, not ordinary items that are readily available.

She turned to the group and said, "This shop has the ingredients for making fish tanks. Let's try to get them all together today."

They prioritized collecting all the materials they could find. As for the materials listed and awaiting their recipients, they would contact them first and collect them the next day.

They thought this was the fastest way, but Yao Sisi ran into trouble.

In front of me was a very honest-looking man, a bit older than I knew, who was probably someone's attendant. His stall had the most complete selection of items here.

The man gave her a simple, honest look, and then began to enthusiastically introduce the goods to her.

She picked up a piece of refining material that looked like a withered bone, looked at it, and prepared to accept it. She looked at several refining materials in a row. When it was time for her to make a transaction, the other party handed her a different bone than the previous ones.

Yao Sisi examined it carefully and realized that the new product handed to her appeared to be defective.

Selling inferior goods as superior ones? Does this person think she's a novice?

Seeing that she paused and didn't continue handing over the money, Ri Jiu, who was standing to the side, asked in a low voice, "What's wrong?"

Yao Sisi picked out all the defective products and said to the man, "I don't want these anymore. How much are the rest?"

The man could tell this person knew what they were doing, but he wasn't guilty at all. Instead, he changed his polite demeanor and loudly played the victim, saying, "Didn't you say you wanted these? Why don't you want them now? How can you go back on your word? I specially arranged these for you. You just say you don't want them? Isn't that bullying?"

Yao Sisi scoffed, "I've only just arrived here, how could I ask you to source goods? You don't seem to want to sell anything, do you?"

Ri Jiu and Qi Mu exchanged a glance. This person was trying to force them to buy something. They tugged at Yao Sisi, telling her to leave first and not get entangled with this person. However, when they were about to leave, before they could even take a step, they were grabbed by that person.

Yao Sisi looked down at the old man who was grabbing her arm, feeling so disgusted she wanted to vomit in his face. She drew her big knife and struck a very fierce pose, as if she would chop off his dog paws if he didn't let go.

The man was covered in dust but was very strong. When he saw Yao Sisi take out a knife, he had no choice but to let go. However, his eyes darted around and he started rolling on the ground, acting like a spoiled brat and spouting all sorts of bad things about Yao Sisi, all of which were made up by him.

Soon a lot of people gathered around them and started pointing and whispering about the matter, but they spoke very quietly and mostly exchanged glances, some talking about the buyer and some about the seller.

Yao Sisi crossed her arms and wasn't in a hurry, but Qi Mu, who was standing to the side, noticed something was amiss. Once a large number of people had gathered, Yao Sisi took out a list, cleared her throat, and said, "Since you say I'm ordering from you, do you have an order form? You can't just make things up without any proof, can you?"

Then she addressed the crowd, saying, "To be honest, I am a weapon refiner, and I can currently refine high-grade magic weapons. But this person just tried to pass off inferior goods as superior ones. The materials he gave me are probably not even good enough to refine a low-grade one. Isn't this blatantly cheating people?"

The crowd fell silent for a moment, all pondering Yao Sisi's words.

She added, "Anyway, I spend the same amount of money no matter where I buy things. If any of you have the materials I need, I can buy them. Not only that, I will be staying here for a while. If anyone wants to refine a weapon, they only need to bring out three sets of materials. I will not charge any extra fees for now, but the materials will not be refunded regardless of whether the weapon is successfully refined or not."

Upon hearing this, the people surrounding the city completely stopped watching the peddler performing on the ground. It was not easy to encounter a weapon refiner when traveling, especially one who didn't ask for any extra fees.

This must be a pie!

Yao Sisi took a moment to glance at the old man on the ground. What was wrong with this man to do? He was cheating and bullying newcomers and even tried to use public opinion to force her to pay the price. Little did he know that she was planning to acquire a batch of high-grade refining materials!

Everyone keeps the good stuff for themselves, so it's not easy to get it from them. Her move was a triple win: she instantly became famous, and all sorts of people would rush to send her materials. Not only that, her safety was also guaranteed; now, no one in the room wanted her to die.

If she dies, there will be no one left to forge magical artifacts.

Wouldn't that be incredibly convenient for her?

The peddler on the ground seemed surprised by how things had turned out. Now no one paid any attention to him. Even if he was just pretending to scam people, no one would believe him anymore.

In their eyes, is upholding justice important now? No, what's important is grabbing a spot for weapon forging.

He scrambled to his feet, grabbed his things, and ran. If his employer found out he had offended a weapon refiner, he'd be skinned alive!

Yao Sisi's voice, like a curse, rang out: "Where are you going?"

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Author's note: La la la~