The stone door of the cave dwelling opened, and Shi Yu stepped inside, but Qingzhou was nowhere to be seen.
She looked around and saw that the cave dwelling was kept neat and clean. Several harvests of spiritual grain had been gathered, and the newly planted green seedlings were swaying gently in the breeze. Nearby, plump spirit chickens and spirit ducks pecked at their feed, while a bamboo basket beside their nests was filled to the brim with chicken and duck eggs.
Knowing that Qingzhou had likely just stepped out, Shi Yu was in no rush to find him. She tossed some food to the chickens and ducks before walking over to sit beside the spirit spring.
Sinking her divine sense into her Purple Mansion, she noted that now that she had finally entered the late stage of the Qi Refining Realm, the Yin-Yang Fate-Tapping Bell had undergone another transformation.
The internal space, which had previously begun to feel cramped, expanded from thirty feet square to double its previous size, instantly becoming much more spacious. The herb field had also enlarged, granting her significantly more room to cultivate spiritual plants.
Within the Life and Slaughter Springs, the spring water produced once every half-month had also increased from three drops to four.
“Both springs are of immense benefit to me. Now that their output has increased, I can explore other uses for them.”
Rich in vitality and vibrant spiritual Qi, the Life Spring water was something Shi Yu had never stopped consuming. As her cultivation progressed and her tolerance grew, the amount she drank each day had gradually increased.
By now, her body—once depleted of vitality and blood after having her spiritual meridian forcibly extracted—had largely recovered. Consuming the Life Spring water continued to nourish her flesh and blood, and a large part of her rapid progress in cultivation could be attributed to it.
“Though my physical strength cannot match that of body cultivators, it is still far superior to ordinary cultivators.”
With the increased yield of Life Spring water, she now had a surplus beyond what she consumed and used for watering spiritual grains, which she could try using for alchemy.
As for the Slaughter Spring water, she used it far less frequently. She had accumulated a considerable amount in storage, and aside from weapon refining, she could not think of a better way to utilize it for now.
Withdrawing her divine sense, Shi Yu looked at the chickens and ducks contentedly pecking at their food. After a moment's thought, she picked up a small chick and attempted to put it inside the Fate-Tapping Bell.
To her surprise, it actually succeeded this time.
The Fate-Tapping Bell, which previously could not store living creatures, could finally do so after this transformation.
The chick vanished in a flash, reappearing inside the bell's space. It stood dazed for a moment before happily scampering about.
The spiritual Qi inside the space was dense, bestowing natural benefits upon anything staying within. Though lacking intelligence, the chick instinctively felt comfortable.
After observing for a bit and confirming that living creatures could indeed be placed inside, Shi Yu picked up the largest spirit duck and tried putting it in, but failed this time.
“It seems to be related to physical size as well.”
Having figured this out, Shi Yu released the chick back outside.
Having sorted out the changes to the Yin-Yang Fate-Tapping Bell, Shi Yu shifted her thoughts and retrieved the Yinhuang Bow.
This artifact, naturally evolved from a Worldly Secret Treasure, was seamlessly integrated. Because it had formed so recently, it was currently only a Tier-1 artifact.
However, having been imbued with Shi Yu's heart's blood and nourished inside her Purple Mansion for so long, it was exceptionally attuned to her mind. Moreover, it possessed a natural spirituality, so when Shi Yu held it in her hand, she could feel the joy emanating from the bow body.
Although a natal magic treasure formed from a Worldly Secret Treasure could advance in tier alongside its master's realm, feeding it precious natural treasures and meticulously nourishing and refining it were still essential to enhance its power.
“The Slaughter Spring water has a tempering effect, I wonder...” Caressing the bow, a thought struck Shi Yu, and she extracted a drop of Slaughter Spring water, placing it near Yinhuang.
Yinhuang immediately conveyed a sense of longing.
Realizing the Slaughter Spring water was beneficial to it, Shi Yu comfortably let the drop fall onto the bow.
In an instant, ripples washed over the bow body as it absorbed the Slaughter Spring water, slowly integrating it.
Seeing this, Shi Yu shifted her gaze and gently plucked the bowstring.
As she drew the bowstring, a faint red-gold halo emerged on the bow, naturally drawing forth the spiritual Qi within her body to coalesce into an arrow that appeared almost solid.
Shi Yu drew the bow, raising it to take aim.
Right at that moment, the stone door of the cave dwelling opened, and a youth of striking beauty walked inside. He froze when he saw Shi Yu aiming a bow and arrow at him.
“Qingzhou?” Shi Yu blinked. The arrow of light dissolved from the string, and she stashed the Yinhuang Bow back into her Purple Mansion.
Recovering his composure, Qingzhou stepped up to her quickly. “Ah Yu, you're back.”
He pressed his lips together, his eyes glistening. Though he voiced no words of complaint, an unmistakable sense of grievance hung in his posture.
Before Shi Yu could speak, he looked away. “At least the life scale is intact. Knowing you are unharmed is enough for me.”
Shi Yu gave a light cough and offered an explanation anyway. “I was trapped in a secret realm; that's why it took so long.”
Qingzhou lowered his eyelids, glanced at her, and suddenly pulled out a storage bag to hand to her.
Having reached the fourth layer of the Qi Refining Realm, he possessed enough ability to protect himself. Outside of cultivation, he frequently left the city to venture into the mountain forests, relying on his bloodline's keen perception of spiritual items to gather spiritual plants and materials for her. The storage bag held everything he had accumulated over this period.
Taking a glance inside, Shi Yu saw that it indeed contained quite a few rare and valuable items.
Looking at the spiritual energy swirling around him, he was likely not far from reaching the fifth layer of the Qi Refining Realm as well.
“Thank you, Qingzhou.” Shi Yu did not stand on ceremony with him and stored the items away. Pausing briefly, she added, “In a month, I must head to Hengze Prefecture with the association. It will be a long journey, and I likely won't return for several months.”
She looked up, her long eyelashes curling into a lovely arc. “Would you like to come along?”
Upon hearing her question, the light suddenly returned to Qingzhou's dim eyes. He nodded and said, “I would love to go with you, Ah Yu.”
Having settled the matter, the two ate a meal together before Shi Yu retired to her master bedroom.
She produced the two severed halves of Yun Ran's red silk and examined them closely. The red silk, originally pliable and radiant with flowing brilliance, was now dull in color, resembling an old piece of fabric that had laid forgotten for years.
Shi Yu gently stroked the severed edges, sensing the lingering ripples of spiritual power.
“If I hadn't reached the seventh layer of the Qi Refining Realm, I could at best restore it to seventy or eighty percent of its original condition.”
At times, repairing an item proved far more difficult than forging a new one altogether. Shi Yu had initially intended to offer to forge a new piece of silk for Yun Ran, but noticing the unspoken attachment and sorrow in Yun Ran's eyes as she looked down at the silk, Shi Yu guessed that this red silk held a special significance for her. Thus, the offer became a promise to restore it.
Now that her cultivation had improved, her confidence in restoring it completely had grown considerably.
Shi Yu closed her eyes, focusing her mind and channeling her spiritual power into the break. Twirling her fingers gently, her divine sense acted like a needle and thread, guiding the spiritual energy to strip away the shattered restrictions on the red silk before inscribing brand-new ones in their place.
The edges began to draw together slowly. As Shi Yu's mind connected with the artifact, she could feel the vitality dormant within the red silk. A faint glow emanated from the break, as if the artifact itself were cooperating and responding to her, striving to regain its former glory.
Pondering for a moment, Shi Yu extracted a drop of Life Spring water. With a flick of her finger, the water flowed into the break like a fine thread, significantly boosting the repair's efficiency.
...
Several days passed before the red silk was fully restored, once again glowing with vibrant spiritual light, indistinguishable from its former self.
Putting away the red silk, Shi Yu was just about to head down the mountain to deliver it to the Yun Clan when, by chance, Wen Wen arrived outside her cave dwelling, sending a message to invite her for a chat.
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