Chapter 21 Chapter 21

The school was on holiday for ten days, and Yan Luoyue finally had time to go and buy the fire she loved.

It was spring and the tribe was busy with many affairs. Not only was Yan Yu unable to spare time, but even Yan Gan was dragged away by the tribe members to help.

Under such circumstances, Yan Gan had no choice but to pack up Yan Luoyue reluctantly and hand her over to Sang Ji personally.

"When you take her to Ruyi City this time, please keep an eye on my sister and don't lose her."

"My sister, this is also my sister. Don't worry, I won't lose my sister."

Yan Gan touched Yan Luoyue's soft hair, looking at this big baby sister in front of him, still feeling very concerned.

"Really? Swear to it and make a written statement."

Sang Ji rolled his eyes and said, "Really, really, I'm going to give you a shit. If you're really worried, just go to my house and pick up one of my brothers and use him as bait."

"Well, not really, not really." Yan Gan waved his hands repeatedly.

Seeing that Sang Ji was about to carry Yan Luoyue away, he thought for a moment, then hesitantly called Sang Ji to stop.

"Um, um, what... Brother, which way does your front door open? Also, how many brothers do you have?"

Sang Ji held his breath, and concentrated his Qi into his Dantian: "...Get out!"

Finally getting rid of the annoying Yan Gan, Sang Ji happily picked up Yan Luoyue and hung a small bag around her neck.

Yan Luoyue opened the bag and turned it over, only to find that it was actually full of dried fruits.

Sang Ji smiled and said, "If you get bored on the road, just eat something. If you want to buy something, just tell your brother Ji. Don't be polite, okay?"

Yan Luoyue nodded obediently.

Sang Ji looked at it and felt very happy: "Okay, let's go now!"

…

Along the way, Yan Luoyue was first carried by Sang Ji and walked for dozens of miles.

Next, Sang Ji went to a specialized horse and carriage shop, paid a deposit, and rented a white crane for two spirit stones.

The white crane spread its wings and soared into the sky. As this beautiful creature flew higher and higher, a cool breeze blew on my face, and the houses and ridges on the ground turned into a few building blocks.

Looking down from the crane's back, countless wetlands and swamps have turned into moving eye waves across the earth.

Yan Luoyue looked down without blinking, her big eyes sparkling.

From ancient times to the present, flying has always been the ultimate romance in human fantasy.

And it’s so cool, she’s sitting on a crane!

The little hand caressed the white crane's slender and graceful neck tenderly, stroking it again and again without letting go.

The white crane's feathers were delicate yet stiff. When it sensed someone was touching its neck, it let out a clear cry and flapped its wings to fly higher.

What a proud, elegant and beautiful creature it is.

Yan Luoyue made up her mind that once she earned some money, she would raise a white crane as a mount.

Yunning Daze is quite a distance from Ruyi City. Even if one rents the fastest flying pet, it still takes two hours to get there.

But this trip was well worth it. As soon as he jumped off the crane's back, the bustling crowd rushed towards him and covered Yan Luoyue's face.

The place where the white crane landed was a bustling market with banners and decorations.

The sound of phoenix flutes can be heard and swords dance. In the tavern on the left, people are toasting each other and the dancing of the singing girl is reflected on the window paper. In the teahouse on the right, an old man is telling a story and when the wooden sticks are struck, the story becomes interesting and the audience bursts into applause.

Beside Yan Luoyue, a peddler was passing by with a bamboo basket filled with colorful rouge, perfume, and sewing kits. He was shouting as he walked, and his tone was quite powerful.

Although Sang Ji's family is rich, this is his first time coming to the human town.

His eyes were fixed for a moment, but considering his reputation as a brother, he coughed twice to calm himself down and hugged Yan Luoyue tightly.

"Let's go buy what you want first. After we finish shopping, we'll have enough shopping today!"

"Yeah, Brother Ji is so nice." Yan Luoyue had sharp eyes and looked around and saw the road sign, "Here, Brother Ji, let's go that way."

Two conspicuous buildings stand out in the center of the street, both of which are crowded with people. And whether it is a coincidence or a competition, the facades of these two stores are exactly opposite each other.

The "Zhao Xin Ju" plaque on the left is a bit old, but it has a grand layout, and the waiter is enthusiastically greeting customers at the door.

The shop on the right, "Lu's House", has a brand new sign, but no waiter is at the door soliciting customers. The three characters "Lu Bancheng" are printed in red on the plaque, which looks very arrogant.

Obviously, one of these two stores is an old-established business, and the other is a rising star.

Yan Luoyue thought about it, pointed to the house on the left, and asked Sang Ji to carry her in.

Before he even reached the door, the waiter smiled sincerely when he saw the young man holding the little girl who looked like a snowball.

They were not the only ones who received this treatment. Anyone who entered the store, regardless of gender, age or status, was warmly received by the store's staff, who would run around introducing the items of their choice to the customers.

"My two guests, what do you need to buy? Just come in and have a look. We have everything in Zhaoxinju."

Sang Ji held Yan Luoyue in his arms and strode into Zhao Xinju with a calm and generous attitude.

Although this was his first time traveling far away, he was determined not to show any weakness in public because he wanted to set a good example for his younger sister.

Sang Ji calmly took in the layout of the first floor and said slowly, "We want to buy fire for refining weapons."

"Hey, the fire for refining instruments, right? Please come this way."

As one of the two largest shops in Ruyi City, Zhaoxinju has a very complete range of goods.

There was a landscape screen behind the counter, and more than forty kinds of fire for refining tools were displayed inside the counter. Clusters of orange-red or bright yellow flames were sealed in transparent spirit beads, which dazzled Sang Ji's eyes.

The waiter introduced enthusiastically: "The fire here is also divided into three kinds. The ones on the left are low-level spiritual fires, priced between 200 and 400 spiritual stones. The ones in the middle are intermediate spiritual fires, priced between 500 and 1,000 spiritual stones. The ones on the far right are high-level spiritual fires, priced between 1,000 and 10,000 spiritual stones. Which one do you like? I will introduce it to you in detail."

Hearing the price, Sang Ji swallowed slowly.

"Sister, which one do you like?"

Yan Luoyue didn't even hesitate and directly picked from several spirit beads that sealed low-level spirit fires.

Sang Ji poked her and said, "Sister, I have some money here, enough for you to buy materials later. Isn't it said that the weapon refiner's fire is the most important? Should we choose a mid-level spiritual fire?"

The last time they did business with the Canglang Sect, the three of them earned a deposit of 600 spirit stones, plus 91 spirit stones from the first time they sold medicine, all of which are now in Yan Luoyue's hands.

This time when he went out, his family gave Sang Ji some pocket money, and he also brought his savings over the years, which added up to hundreds of spirit stones, just in case he didn't have enough money to buy things.

Yan Luoyue didn't even raise his head: "Brother Ji, there's no need. These fires are not much different."

The little girl spoke in a childish voice, and the waiter laughed as soon as he heard it: "Sir, you are joking. How can there be no big difference between low-level, medium-level and high-level spiritual fire?"

Sang Ji couldn't help but ask, "Yes, sister, two hundred spirit stones, one thousand spirit stones, and ten thousand spirit stones, the difference should be quite a lot, right?"

Even behind the screen, a figure moved slightly.

Yan Luoyue narrowed her eyes and smiled, but did not answer directly.

The last time she asked Mr. Jiang about spiritual fire, Jiang Tingbai had replied that there was no difference between spiritual fires below 500 spiritual stones and she could pick any one.

——This is a very standard answer that a classically educated instrument maker can give.

But that was not Yan Luoyue’s answer.

She stretched out her pink, round fingertips and lightly tapped the spiritual bead that was sealed with an orange-red flame. Yan Luoyue looked up and said, "Please pack it up. I want this."

"Okay, one Qingcheng Fire, two hundred spirit stones. Sir, please wait a moment."

"Do you have a smelting furnace and smelting materials? I want to see the materials."

"Yes, the smelting furnace and smelting materials are on the second floor. Please follow me."

It was not until the young man led the two people upstairs that the sound of conversation could be heard from behind the screen.

One of them had a neatly combed moustache and a beard on his chin. He was the shopkeeper of Zhaoxinju.

As for the other person, he was wearing a robe with tightly tied sleeves, had slightly dark skin, was serious and stern, and his exact age could not be determined.

The shopkeeper shook his head and chuckled, "Master Ding, these childish words sound lively and cute."

Master Ding said seriously, "She is right."

"……ah?"

Facing the shopkeeper's surprised look, Master Ding nodded slowly and said, "For ordinary weapon refiners, the three levels of low, medium, and high are enough to distinguish the quality of fire. But for weapon refiners who are proficient in this field, there is another way to distinguish fire."

"For example, under the strange fire of heaven and earth, these ordinary fires are divided into three levels, even if they are divided into thirty levels, there is no difference."

The shopkeeper was stunned.

At this moment, on the second floor, Yan Luoyue was selecting the necessary materials.

Rouge and cinnabar can be used to refine the weaving algae net for Sister Yu. Pick one piece of mother-of-pearl stone to refine the arm-binding shield for Yan Gan. Pick one piece of Xuanhuang refined iron to make a rhinoceros fang dagger for Sang Ji. Pick one piece of...

The remaining items that needed to be purchased in large quantities were, of course, the materials for the refining equipment she was going to use for her next business.

Yan Luoyue kept picking, and the young men kept signing up, and Sang Ji could only watch in confusion.

He was still young at heart, and when he saw others doing something great, he couldn't help but want to join in the fun.

"Hey, sister, can I also learn this skill of refining instruments?"

As soon as Yan Luoyue heard his tone, she knew that Sang Ji was not really interested, but seeing that his friend was so focused, he wanted to find out more and feel a sense of participation.

But she still answered Sang Ji's question seriously.

"Yes, it is not difficult to get started with weapon refining. If Brother Ji is interested, you can start by learning the twelve basic techniques."

Downstairs, the shopkeeper was paying close attention to their movements.

Hearing Yan Luoyue say this, he laughed and leisurely picked up the teacup.

"Wrong, wrong, Master Ding, listen, children are indeed naive and cannot be trusted. Everyone knows that there are only nine basic techniques for refining weapons, so how can this little girl say there are twelve?"

Master Ding's expression was solemn: "She is not wrong."

"……ah?"

Looking at the shopkeeper's suddenly frozen expression, Master Ding raised his eyes slightly:

"Initially, there were twelve basic weapon-refining techniques. Later, the tradition declined, and the last three techniques, 'Starry Sky', 'Dance of the Dragon and the Fish', and 'Thousand Knots', were classified as intermediate techniques because they were difficult to learn... This was about five hundred years ago."

Master Ding stared into space, a little lost in thought: "It is said that those predecessors with deep foundation in refining instruments still follow the old rules when teaching their disciples. After seeing it today, I know that the rumor is true."

The shopkeeper paused, holding the teacup halfway in his hand, and he didn't know whether to drink it or not, so he finally put it back on the table quietly.

Yan Luoyue went on a shopping spree and bought a lot of materials for refining tools, which filled a large bag.

Sang Ji had been calculating the price for her in his mind. When he confirmed that all these things cost no more than two hundred spirit stones, Sang Ji suddenly became excited.

He brought more than a hundred spirit stones, plus the seven hundred spirit stones his sister had earned from selling medicine, so they still had quite a bit of money!

So…

"Sister, you really don't want to pick a better fire?" Looking at the boy next to him, Sang Ji deliberately lowered his voice, "That 'Qingcheng Fire', although the name is 'Qingcheng', even I can see that there are impurities in it."

The young man smiled widely, as if he would not hear anything even if Mount Tai fell behind him.

Yan Luoyue laughed dumbly, turned half of her body, and gently patted Sang Ji's hand.

"Don't worry, Brother Ji. That fire does have some impurities. But just wrap the impurities with the flame core and remove them like skimming off the foam from boiling soup. Then it will be a very useful and pure fire."

The shopkeeper pricked up his ears and waited for a long time. Finally, he heard these words and exclaimed "Ha!"

"Master, listen, this time it's really just a child's fantastic idea. As we all know, the core of a flame has the lowest temperature. How can she use the low-temperature core to remove the impurities that the outer flame cannot refine?"

Master Ding looked at the shopkeeper silently without saying anything immediately. His usually serious and dignified eyes actually contained a hint of sympathy.

"…Ah? Am I wrong again?"

Master Ding turned his eyes away and sighed deeply:

"I've heard that among the advanced techniques of refining instruments, there is a technique called 'Waves of Purification' that can extract a more refined kind of fire. In terms of its principle, it is indeed to ignite the inner flame and drive away the outer flame. My friend, you..."

The shopkeeper opened and closed his mouth, finally revealing a faint bitter smile.

"Well, I think I'd better keep quiet."

…

Yan Luoyue finally selected all the materials and returned to the first floor to check out.

Before the accountant could finish his calculations, another clerk came up and presented a gilded wooden plaque with both hands, and said respectfully:

"This sign is a gift to you. If you hold this sign, you can enjoy a 20% discount on all purchases in Zhaoxinju. In addition, if you have any finished products, we at Zhaoxinju are willing to purchase them at a high price."

Sang Ji was surprised, happy, and a little wary.

He stretched his neck to look around, and said hesitantly, "Why don't you give this brand to others, but only to us?"

The clerk was very polite: "I am short-sighted and don't know why. However, the shopkeeper asked me to present the sign to the distinguished guest, so there must be a reason for us to do so."

Yan Luoyue tugged at Sang Ji's sleeve.

"Brother Ji, just accept it."

Looking at the backs of the two people, one big and one small, leaving, the shopkeeper of Zhaoxinju finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"She has mastered so many principles of weapon forging at such a young age. I wonder whose disciple she is."

"I wanted to send someone to escort them back to the palace, but I was afraid that my attitude would be too flattering. Not only would I fail to establish a relationship with him, but I would also make him dislike me. So I had no choice but to leave a glimmer of affinity and hope that we will have a chance to establish a relationship in the future."

Master Ding nodded slowly: "My friend, you finally did something right."

The shopkeeper raised his sleeves to cover his face and waved his hands outside: "Master, please don't make fun of me."

Master Ding said: "If we talk about that young lady's teacher..."

"Master, do you know?"

Master Ding frowned and said, "I saw the string of sword tassels she tied to her purse not long ago."

The shopkeeper tried hard to recall and finally remembered the ornament on the little girl's purse, which seemed to be a string of straw grasshoppers full of childlike fun.

"This... all the grasshoppers in the world should be similar, right?"

The shopkeeper stared at the subtle movements of Master Ding shaking his head with fear and trepidation, and asked cautiously: "Am I wrong again?"

Could it be that it was not just a string of ordinary grass grasshoppers, but some kind of magic weapon that he could not identify?

"It's just an ordinary bunch of grasshoppers, nothing special, but..."

Master Ding seemed to be hesitant to speak, not knowing what he was thinking of.

——But, he had only seen such an ugly grasshopper once in his life, on the sword of Mr. Jiang Jian!