Chapter 41: The Price of a Shard

“It’s impossible. I can’t do it. Just kill me.”

The Xuan Yin Book Spirit decisively cut off Ye Qingfeng’s utterly impossible notion.

Ye Qingfeng’s eyes gleamed with disdain, and she scoffed, “Can’t… can’t you be *even more* useless?”

The Xuan Yin Book Spirit stared at Ye Qingfeng, utterly dumbfounded, wondering just how shameless one had to be to utter such words.

‘Big brother, pfft, big sister. Just look at your strength!’

‘You’re in the renowned Bone Cleansing Realm, the lowest cultivation stage in the entire cultivation world!’

‘No matter how fragmented that thing is, it’s still a shard from a Heavenly Demon’s magical artifact, capable of clashing head-on with a quasi-immortal!’

‘It’s like an ant delusionally believing it can move a boulder that only an elephant could push. Perhaps you should look inward for the problem.’

“What’s with that look? Are you looking down on me?”

Having already produced a second Blazing Fire Talisman, Ye Qingfeng prompted the Xuan Yin Book Spirit to instantly change its demeanor. It said fawningly, “Of course not! It’s naturally my inadequacy; I can’t even handle such a small matter. Perhaps you could check back at the Sky Philosophy Sect? After all, it’s a major sect that has produced several immortals; they might have a solution.”

“Tsk, you know perfectly well I can’t go back.”

“Tsk, you know perfectly well you’re asking the impossible.”

“Hmph!”

“Hmph!”

The person and the book spirit bickered for a moment, but after only a few seconds, they returned to normal, resuming their discussion.

Ye Qingfeng asked, puzzled, “How did Quan Haoqing get that thing?”

The Xuan Yin Book Spirit replied, equally perplexed, “I’m not sure. That boy refuses to say anything. However, to acquire a shard of the Heaven-Refining Furnace, there must be quite a story behind it. Although the Heaven-Refining Furnace has significant side effects, it is still a Heavenly Demon artifact, and powerful cultivators are collecting its fragments. If word got out that this boy possesses a shard of the Heaven-Refining Furnace, I fear some mighty figure might directly cross space and time to seize him.”

The room once again fell silent, as countless thoughts churned frantically in Ye Qingfeng’s mind. Her peripheral vision caught sight of a toner bottle, and suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck her.

“What if, instead of removing it, we sealed it?”

“Hm?”

Ye Qingfeng excitedly said to the Xuan Yin Book Spirit, “Calling it a seal might not be entirely accurate; perhaps just reducing the shard’s devouring capability. I should be able to do that, right?”

The Xuan Yin Book Spirit asked curiously, “What exactly do you intend to do?”

“Look, this is toner, right? Its purpose is to replenish moisture. But, conversely, there’s also moisturizer, whose purpose is to lock in moisture.”

The Xuan Yin Book Spirit said helplessly, “Master, if you intend to hydrate the shard, there’s truly no need. It won’t suddenly show you mercy just because it becomes shiny and lustrous.”

“Foolishness! Your imagination only extends to painting a layer of lacquer on a hotpot shard.”

Ye Qingfeng retrieved the Profound Ice Sword she had simply crafted in the secret realm.

“Regarding that shard, I’m certainly not trying to ‘lock in its moisture,’ but rather to lock down its abilities. However, since it’s a Heavenly Demon’s artifact, my Profound Yin magical power might not be enough. But this thing, it should at least have some effect, right?”

The Xuan Yin Book Spirit thoughtfully asked, “Setting aside your overly imaginative leaps in logic for a moment, do you intend to use *this*?”

“Can’t it be done?”

Ye Qingfeng furrowed her brow.

Her cultivation technique was Yin-aligned; the Profound Yin cold energy could not only freeze matter but even magical power, making it exceptionally effective for sealing.

This Profound Ice Sword, moreover, was forged by condensing the cold energy from an entire Profound Ice Lake, a feat only possible due to the methods left by the Xuan Yin Book Spirit’s previous master. The Profound Yin power contained within it was simply immeasurable.

The Xuan Yin Book Spirit asked strangely, “Are you truly willing to part with it? Don’t tell me you’re unaware of its value.”

“There’s no ‘willing’ or ‘unwilling’ about it… By the way, how many spirit stones is it worth?”

Ye Qingfeng abruptly changed her tune mid-sentence. The Xuan Yin Book Spirit was utterly speechless for a moment before replying, “Converted to spirit stones, a sword embryo formed from such high-purity Profound Yin cold energy would probably be worth several million high-grade spirit stones. However, if someone truly possessed such an item, they wouldn’t sell it anyway; it’s the kind of treasure that has a price but no market.”

Upon hearing this, Ye Qingfeng’s pupils instantly constricted, and she asked in disbelief, “You, you, you said *how much*?!”

The Xuan Yin Book Spirit nonchalantly replied, “Just a few million high-grade spirit stones.”

‘Sigh, just look at this child’s ignorant expression. What’s a mere few million high-grade spirit stones?’

‘My previous masters used to extort hundreds of millions from those major sects and factions, treating Confucian, Buddhist, Daoist, and Demonic paths all the same.’

Ye Qingfeng swallowed hard before asking, “Then, then, that… could I keep half and use the other half to save him?”

The Xuan Yin Book Spirit responded, “……Let’s not talk about spirit stones for now. First, tell me how you plan to use the Profound Ice Sword to restrict the Heaven-Refining Furnace shard.”

Ye Qingfeng glanced at the Xuan Yin Book Spirit with surprise, then stated matter-of-factly, “No, I’m only providing an idea. The method, of course, is for you to devise.”

‘Stunned.’

‘The Book Spirit was stunned.’

‘Are these the words of a human?’

‘I think *you’re* the book here!’

“You see, such highly concentrated Profound Yin energy can easily seal matter and magical power, can’t it? You just need to figure out a way to place that Heaven-Refining Furnace shard inside. How about it? I’ve given you such a clear hint; you should know what to do now, right?”

The Book Spirit fell silent. Seeing this, Ye Qingfeng sighed, pulled out a few Blazing Fire Talismans, and said, “It seems I’ll need to ignite your fighting spirit.”

The Book Spirit angrily exclaimed, “Hey, hey, hey! Even if you are my master, your attitude when asking for help is absolutely terrible! Books have rights too!”

Ye Qingfeng charmingly pouted her lips. After all, they had been together for a year, and she knew this fellow inside and out.

“So, what kind of bribe do you want?”

The Xuan Yin Book Spirit’s voice immediately softened.

“Er, isn’t ‘bribe’ a bit harsh? ‘Reward’ sounds better. As for a reward…”

After hearing the Xuan Yin Book Spirit’s desired reward, Ye Qingfeng asked with a subtle expression, “Uh, what’s the use of that? There are so many prerequisites.”

The Xuan Yin Book Spirit declared with resounding conviction, “Where there’s a will, there’s a way!”

Ye Qingfeng waved her hand, saying boldly, “It’s a deal! Now, hurry and come up with a solution.”

The Xuan Yin Book Spirit reminded her once more, “But no matter how you look at it, this is a losing proposition. Be mentally prepared.”

Ye Qingfeng wagged her slender, jade-like finger, gazing down at the short-sighted Book Spirit before her with an expression that clearly said, ‘You wouldn’t understand.’

“See, you don’t get it. How can this be called a losing proposition? This is called proactive investment! Look at Quan Haoqing’s survival skills, comparable to a Qila monkey, his excellent social acumen, and his heaven-defying luck that allows him to escape my grasp time and again. He’s highly likely to become a major figure in the future. When that happens, I’ll just demand double from him, principal and interest. Er, or maybe triple, so he doesn’t think I look down on him.”

The Xuan Yin Book Spirit quipped, “How about just taking him entirely? Make him your beast of burden for life?”

Ye Qingfeng paused, then after a brief moment of internal struggle, reluctantly said, “Let’s not. I do have a conscience, after all. Being a black-hearted capitalist already weighs on it; outright usurious body-selling would be pushing my moral boundaries a bit too far.”

Though some terms were beyond its comprehension, it still understood what Ye Qingfeng meant.

‘You’re quite kind, aren’t you?’

‘However, you’ve misunderstood me.’

The Xuan Yin Book Spirit silently concealed its true intentions, then said, “Very well, let’s get to it. However, I’ll need some time. The sealing method you described is, theoretically, achievable…”

****

Two days later.

Two days’ journey from Xingqing City lay a low mountain named Songshan.

The mountain was covered in evergreen pines, lending this not-so-grand peak a touch of immortal elegance.

Originally, several villages at the foot of the mountain subsisted on logging, and while they weren’t wealthy, they were at least able to provide for everyone, old and young, with no worries about food or clothing.

However, now the villages lay desolate, the houses dilapidated, and several once-cultivated fields were overgrown with weeds. The expansive villages held not a trace of human presence; only the bleak autumn wind ceaselessly wandered through them.

The root cause of all this, however, was the ‘immortal’s cave dwelling’ that someone had established on Songshan.

A small bluestone path wound from the base of the mountain all the way up to the halfway point. The cave dwelling’s door and frame, crafted from fine pine wood and adorned with exquisite patterns carved by skilled artisans, appeared exceptionally grand.

Yet, if one were to turn over those bluestone steps, they would discover piles of bleached bones beneath.

The cave dwelling’s door was suddenly flung open, and Quan Haoqing burst inside, shouting towards the ‘immortal’ inhabitant, “Big brother! That money-delivering boy is finally going to make his move!”

Although the cave dwelling exuded an immortal grandeur from the outside, the moment its door was opened, a powerful stench of alcohol immediately surged forth.

While the extinguished stone lamps lying on the ground, the neatly squared floor tiles, and the broken pine wood tables and chairs hinted at an initial elegance within the cave dwelling, it was clear that much time had passed since then.

However, due to the cave dwelling’s owner’s reckless vulgarity, it had now unmistakably transformed into a place of drunken revelry and indulgence.

As Quan Haoqing entered, his gaze immediately fell upon the bandit leader, who lay slovenly sprawled on a wooden bed, crafted from the flesh and blood of villagers, snoring deeply. To his right, an overturned wine jar lay, and beside it, a beautiful woman reclined.