Chapter 151 - 147: Meeting Li Xuerou Again, Refining the Cyan Feather Crane Puppet
Chapter 151: Chapter 147: Meeting Li Xuerou Again, Refining the Cyan Feather Crane Puppet
The entrance to the Bixia Marketplace’s Black Market remained well-hidden. The air was a mix of stale, musty odors, the scent of Spiritual Materials, and the reek of desire. Lu Zhao, familiar with the route, wound his way through the twisting alleyways and headed straight for the corner stall he remembered, where a cloth banner reading "Hundred Knows" hung.
Behind the stall, Li Xuerou was bent over, sketching something with a pen on a scroll of dark, lustrous beast hide. Her moon-white gown accentuated her exceptionally graceful figure. With features as lovely as a painting, she seemed like a handful of pristine snow, somehow preserved untouched by the filth of the Black Market.
Four years seemed to have left little trace on her. Instead, they had lent her a serene composure, like the stillness of a deep pool. The fluctuations of Magical Power rippling from her indicated that her Cultivation had advanced to the Qi Cultivation Eighth Layer. Only when she sensed someone stop before her stall did she look up.
Their eyes met. In that fleeting moment of shifting light and shadow, Lu Zhao caught a flicker of faint surprise in her gaze, followed by a brief, pensive pause. Countless fragments of memory seemed to flash through her clear eyes. She set down her jade pen, the corners of her lips curling into a gentle smile. Her voice was as crisp and clear as spring water striking stone. "Fellow Daoist... you look somewhat familiar. Have we met at my little shop before?"
Lu Zhao cupped his hands, his voice as steady as a placid pool. "I am Lu Zhao, currently serving as an Outer Sect Steward of the Bixia Sect. Seven years ago, on the eve of the Ascension Ceremony, I purchased a detailed record of the ceremony from Fellow Daoist Li, and it benefited me greatly."
"Lu Zhao... the Ascension Ceremony..." Li Xuerou’s slender fingers fluttered to her temple, as if touching a long-forgotten memory.
Then, realization dawned. Her smile bloomed like a spring breeze rippling across a pond. "Ah, so it’s Fellow Daoist Lu! It’s been years. Your bearing is even more impressive than before, as profound as an abyss. I wonder what you’ve come to inquire about this time?" Her gaze, clear as crystal, seemed to hold a worldly, penetrating wisdom.
Lu Zhao cut straight to the chase, wasting no words. "I’ve come to trouble you today because I’m looking for a way to procure the corpse of a Tier Two Demon Beast. It must be perfectly intact, and the tougher and more powerful its Flesh Body, the better." His tone was level, but each word carried weight.
Upon hearing this, Li Xuerou’s lovely eyes darted toward him, her gaze lingering on his face for a moment. She let out a soft, "Oh?" The single syllable rose slightly at the end, crisp as a pearl dropping onto a jade plate. "A Tier Two Demon Beast corpse... that’s hardly comparable to an ordinary Spiritual Material. Demon Corpses are difficult to find. One that’s both intact and has a powerful Flesh Body is as rare as a phoenix feather, and its price is steep." In the dim light, her eyes seemed to shine a little brighter.
Lu Zhao’s heart stirred. ’That wasn’t a refusal,’ he thought. ’On the contrary, it sounded like she knows a way.’ He suppressed the ripple of excitement in his chest and said in a low voice, "Fellow Daoist, there’s no need to probe. Spirit Stones, Spiritual Materials—I can gather them. As long as the item is what I need, the price is not a problem."
But Li Xuerou slowly shook her head. The gentle smile remained on her lips, but something deeper surfaced in her eyes. She looked directly at Lu Zhao and said, each word perfectly clear, "Fellow Daoist Lu, you misunderstand. This time, I don’t want Spirit Stones, nor do I want Spiritual Materials." She paused, her speech slowing. "What I seek is a promise from you after you reach Foundation Establishment, a promise that is within your power to fulfill. If you agree, I will naturally provide you with a channel to get the Tier Two Demon Beast corpse."
’A promise for after I reach Foundation Establishment?’ Lu Zhao’s pupils contracted sharply. He stared at Li Xuerou’s exquisite face, trying to find any clue in those clear, bottomless eyes.
’How can she be so certain I’ll be able to reach Foundation Establishment? And what sort of debt would this vague promise entail?’ Silence spread between them like an invisible web.
After a moment, Lu Zhao spoke, his voice low. "Fellow Daoist Li, your perception is truly remarkable. I am impressed. But... why are you so certain I will succeed at Foundation Establishment? And this promise—what would you have me do?" His gaze was as sharp as a sword.
Li Xuerou’s smile didn’t waver, and the inscrutable air around her deepened. "There is no need to investigate the reason, Fellow Daoist. It is merely a simple art of observing people in this mortal world. As for the task... should you truly step through the gates of Foundation Establishment one day, I will naturally inform you. It will certainly be within your capabilities. I would never force you into a difficult position, nor would I do anything to tarnish your name in the Bixia Sect. You need only answer: yes, or no." Her words were as gentle as a spring breeze, yet they carried a cadence that permitted no debate.
Hearing her words, Lu Zhao rapidly weighed the pros and cons in his mind. ’A future promise, one explicitly defined as ’within my power,’ in exchange for the Tier Two Demon Beast corpse I desperately need and can’t find anywhere else.’ For him, the deal’s risks were contained within an acceptable range, while the reward was tangible and immediate. Besides, Li Xuerou’s background was mysterious and unfathomable; her connections were likely extraordinary.
"Fine!" His mind made up, Lu Zhao no longer hesitated. "I agree. If I am fortunate enough to reach Foundation Establishment one day, so long as your request does not violate my principles and is within my power, I will honor my promise!"
"Excellent!" Li Xuerou beamed, her smile as radiant as a blossoming flower—far more brilliant and vivid than before. She turned back into her stall and re-emerged a moment later, her jade-white hand holding out a simple, ancient-looking Token.
The Token felt slightly heavy in his hand. It was made of a strange material, neither metal nor wood. The front bore the two flamboyant, intaglio-carved characters for "Bixia," while the back featured the simple yet powerful Ancient Seal script for "Black Market." Engraved in the bottom-left corner was a small "Xuan Fifty-Six."
Lu Zhao accepted the Token. The pads of his fingers could clearly feel the cool indentations of the carving. He glanced at the beautiful woman’s serene face, his eyes full of questions.
Li Xuerou’s vermilion lips parted, her voice as crisp as ever. "This is a ’Xuan’ entry Token for the Bixia Black Market’s Secret Auction. The auction will begin in three months, and you may enter with this. When the time comes, the item you require will be on the auction list." She paused, then added, "I have already performed a Casting, binding the Token to your aura. No one else can use it. For the next three months, you need only wait for the good news."
"Many thanks for your help, Fellow Daoist!" Lu Zhao solemnly tucked the Token away safely. He gave Li Xuerou’s mysterious smile one last, deep look, then said no more. With a cupped-fist salute, he turned and melted back into the darkness, his figure quickly swallowed by the crowd.
After leaving the Black Market, he first went to the Spirit Puppet Tower. He handed over the few Ice Wind Wolf Puppets and Water Spirit Turtle Puppets he had managed to craft in his spare time to Lin Yuanshan. Seeing Lu Zhao produce the Puppets, Lin Yuanshan was all smiles and settled the payment in Spirit Stones quickly and without fuss.
Next, Lu Zhao crossed several bustling main streets and skillfully located Zhao Xiaoshu. He hadn’t seen him in a year, and Zhao Xiaoshu’s Cultivation was still at the Qi Cultivation Fourth Layer. He was exceedingly respectful upon seeing Lu Zhao. Lu Zhao asked him about the recent minor happenings in the Marketplace, fluctuations in prices, and any unusual news in the area worth noting.
Zhao Xiaoshu held nothing back, spilling everything he knew—from marketplace rumors to firsthand accounts—like pouring beans from a sack. Lu Zhao listened quietly until he was finished, then left a few Spirit Stones as a tip and departed gracefully under Little Shu’s watchful gaze.
Lu Zhao returned to his Cave Abode in the Bixia Sect, sat cross-legged on his meditation cushion, and closed his eyes to focus his mind. He meticulously went over every detail of the day’s events. Li Xuerou’s Token and her pending promise were a pleasant surprise. However, the success of his entire plan now hinged on crafting the all-important Cyan Feather Crane Puppet.
The difficulty of crafting a Tier One High-Grade flying puppet far surpassed that of any puppet Lu Zhao had made before. Its core material, Void Spirit Iron, was a precious Auxiliary Material used to craft Spiritual Ship-type Magical Artifacts. It was incredibly light yet exceptionally tough, capable of bearing far more complex and profound Flying Spirit Patterns. Naturally, its value was staggeringly high.
When Lu Zhao had inquired about Tier Two Demon Beast corpses a few days prior, he had confirmed that Sect Disciples could exchange Merit for them. But upon seeing the required amount, even though he had mentally prepared himself, the corner of his eye couldn’t help but twitch.
’Eight pounds of Void Spirit Iron for one hundred and twenty Merit...’ Lu Zhao stared at the number on his jade Token, which had just plummeted, and his heart ached. It would take him more than a year to accumulate that much. But when he thought about the puppet’s crucial role as his "legs and wings" in the plan to come, he gritted his teeth and, without another moment of hesitation, confirmed the exchange.
With the materials gathered, Lu Zhao devoted his entire focus to crafting the Cyan Feather Crane Puppet for the next two months. A serene, blue flame rose from the Earth Fire Stone, licking tirelessly at the raw Void Spirit Iron day and night.
The sharp tip of his Carving Knife glided over the tough material, producing a fine, continuous scraping sound. He pushed his Divine Sense to its absolute limit, condensing it into a silken thread to meticulously control the path of each intricate and complex Spirit Pattern. He could feel the faint trembling of the material beneath his blade and the instinctive resistance of its innate spirituality.
Failure. An imbalance in the material’s internal Spiritual Power structure triggered an explosion. The smell of scorching metal and a blinding flash of Spirit Light erupted within the stone chamber. Then, he would start again... Sweat soaked his robes, only to be instantly evaporated by his Magical Power and the residual heat of the Earth Fire. The stone chamber was perpetually filled with a mixed odor of burnt materials, the fresh scent of Spirit Wood, and the acrid smell of sweat.
Finally, just as he was about to exhaust the seventh crane corpse and the seventh pound of Void Spirit Iron, his eyes shot through with blood, the air in the stone chamber suddenly grew still. And then—
"KREEE!"
An ethereal, high-pitched cry, as if from the heavens itself, echoed through the stone chamber and then vanished in a flash!
Success!
A smile of immense relief finally bloomed on Lu Zhao’s exhausted face. Before him stood a magnificent and extraordinary puppet—an immortal bird.
It was shaped like a celestial crane. Its frame, built from the bones of a Red-capped Snow Crane, emanated a chilling aura. Its body was covered in specially treated, cyan-gray Feathers that were hard and richly layered. Its wingspan was nearly ten feet, and every single barb was clearly visible, exuding a beauty that spoke of both power and speed.
Small amounts of Void Spirit Iron were perfectly inlaid at its joints, outlining profound and inscrutable Flying Spirit Patterns. The crane’s head was held high, its long beak as sharp as a newly honed blade. Its eyes glinted with a cold, piercing light, so lifelike it looked as if it might spread its wings and take flight at any moment.
This was the Cyan Feather Crane Puppet, a Tier One High-Grade flying puppet!
Its speed, agility, and powerful loitering ability were far beyond what his old Flowing Cloud Sparrow could ever hope to match. It would be the indispensable foundation of Lu Zhao’s entire scheme!
Stroking the cool, mirror-smooth feathers and feeling the faint thrum of the Spiritual Power network beneath, Lu Zhao was filled with emotion. Seven precious crane corpses and seven pounds of expensive Void Spirit Iron—a terrifying cost equivalent to nearly three thousand Spirit Stones. Crafting a second one anytime soon would be absolutely impossible.