บท 229: Halberd Blueprint
The group decisively left the burning prairie behind, making their way out of Ghost Fog Valley by carefully retracing their steps.
Yes, this fire would probably cause quite a bit of damage to the valley, but that might not necessarily be a bad thing.
After all, the fairymist flowers had flourished to the point where they could be considered overgrown, resulting in the Ghost Fog Valley being shrouded in a thick fog that had long started to endanger the lives of visitors.
Perhaps it was a good thing that this fire could reduce the number of fairymist flowers, at the same time turning them into valuable fertilisers that nourished the land for other vegetation.
Dusk had already fallen by the time they returned to the entrance of Ghost Fog Valley.
"All right, pass me my grimoire plant. You can have your sealing bag back," Zhao Yunxiao offered the bag in his hands.
"What do you mean my sealing bag?" Lou Yuan took a step back. "Aren't you the one who used it?"
"I... am the one who used it, yes," Zhao Yunxiao raised an eyebrow at this unexpected reaction from Lou Yuan. "But-"
"Aren't you the one holding onto it now?" Lou Yuan continued to question.
"Yeah...?" Zhao Yunxiao had a bad premonition.
"Then you should naturally be the one to hold onto it," Lou Yuan claimed. "At least until you get rid of that thing inside."
Hua Xian: "..."
What do you mean by 'that thing'?
On their way out of the valley, Hua Xian had tried to say all sorts of things to get their attention – from cursing their families to berating their looks, to even pleading for mercy. However, all of his words had been completely ignored without exception.
By now, he had completely given up on saying anything, and decided that he might as well save his energy in preparation for any opportunity to escape.
"Are you serious? Why should I hold onto it?" Zhao Yunxiao felt the corner of his lips twitch as he glanced at the sealing bag in his hands. "Wait, didn't you say that you want to bring a few fairymist flowers back to perform some tests? This is perfect then, isn't it? He is a fairymist flower too!"
"I wanted normal flowers! Not a crazy flower demon!" Lou Yuan retorted.
"What a coincidence! I don't want this thing either!" Zhao Yunxiao said. "And the bag isn't even mine to begin with!"
"Then get rid of him before returning the bag to me!" Lou Yuan insisted.
"How am I even supposed to get rid of him? Do you want me to release him right now?" Zhao Yunxiao rolled his eyes. "It's not like this is some regular trash that can just be thrown anywhere!"
"Aren't you part of the Black Tortoise Sect? Can't you get your elders to get rid of it somehow?" Lou Yuan questioned.
"And didn't you say you are the apprentice of Wushuang?"
"My master is a designer! Not a demon slayer! Why would he get rid of this thing for you?"
Zhao Yunxiao: "..."
Lou Yuan actually had a point.
Wushuang was a famous designer, while the Black Tortoise Sect was the leading faction of the region. If they wanted to be strict about it, the Black Tortoise Sect did have a responsibility to take care of the demons and threats in the area.
Did he really have to bring this dangerous Hua Xian back to Purple Plum Mountain?
It would be fine if this sealing bag was truly secure, but what if an accident occurred along the way that caused the bag to be unsealed?
That said, handing Hua Xian to the sect administrators might actually yield him some sect points. If things went well, he might even be able to recoup a big part of his losses from this trip!
Lou Yuan's eyes lit up upon seeing Zhao Yunxiao's hesitation.
"It's settled then! Here is your grimoire plant!" Lou Yuan shoved the bag containing the grimoire plant over to Zhao Yunxiao as well. "All right, let's quickly get some rest. Everyone must be tired!"
Without waiting for a response, Lou Yuan immediately marched back to Green Bull Inn which was not far away from them by now.
Zhao Yunxiao and Nie Hanchang exchanged glances, then helplessly followed along.
Just like that, the group returned to Green Bull Inn where they had stayed the night before. The only difference being that while they left as four in the morning, yet they were only returning as three in the night.
The innkeeper naturally noticed this as well, but said nothing about it while checking them into their rooms.
Ghost Fog Valley had always been a messy place, and he knew better than to butt into other people's businesses.
Had it not been for this discretion of his, Green Bull Inn might not have been able to last until this day.
That night, Zhao Yunxiao sat cross legged on his bed with his eyes closed.
The room smelt of medicinal herbs, which Zhao Yunxiao had skilfully prepared and applied to himself.
Unlike usual times, he was not cultivating but recuperating instead.
The injuries that he had suffered this time were not light by any measure. While he had been fortunate enough to escape without any severe internal injuries, he still knew better than to ignore the numerous smaller issues, lest they fester into a bigger problem in the future.
At the same time, Zhao Yunxiao thought back to how he had handled the situation in Ghost Fog Valley.
Even though the situation had taken an unexpected turn, he believed that he was not the one at fault this time.
After all, accounting for the birth of a flower demon was just too much of a stretch!
In any case, with the spatial escape talisman in hand, he had not been any real danger from start to end.
Perhaps the only criticism he had of himself was how he had not split his inventory up, resulting in him having to toss around his spatial pouch during battle.
That was something that only worked against an opponent as immobile as a plant demon. Had it been a faster opponent, he could have ended up losing his spatial pouch instead!
That's right.
He had to start working towards getting a second spatial item!
Apart from that, his clash with Old Niu also forced him to realise just how lacking he was in terms of physical prowess, while Hua Xian made him understand how lacking his energy sensitivity was.
Sigh, there were actually so many things that he had to improve on.
He truly had a long way to go!
***
Early next morning, the trio gathered at the entrance of the inn with their belongings packed. They were already done with their business here, so there was no reason to stay any longer.
Zhao Yunxiao had two bags tied to his belt – one containing the grimoire plant and the other containing the sealed Hua Xian.
"You two look better than expected," Lou Yuan remarked. "I wouldn't have been able to guess that you were dying yesterday!"
"We were never dying, though it would have been good to have a helpful third member of the group," Zhao Yunxiao replied sarcastically.
"Ahem! I'd have you remember that I am the one who identified that guy's true body!" Lou Yuan puffed out his chest in pride. "Would you have been able to do it without me?"
"All right, hush it. Do you want everyone to hear?" Zhao Yunxiao chided.
"Who cares if others hear it? It's not like this is something that needs to be kept under wraps!" Lou Yuan shrugged. "Oh, right! Before I forget!"
With a flick of his wrist, a scroll appeared in Lou Yuan's hands.
"Here, take a good look!" Lou Yuan handed the scroll over to Zhao Yunxiao before crossing his arms proudly.
"What is this?" Zhao Yunxiao asked while unrolling the scroll.
As he did, Zhao Yunxiao's eyes could not help but light up in surprise.
It was a blueprint for creating a halberd!
"I promised that I will make you admit that I am a famous designer, and I always deliver!" Lou Yuan declared triumphantly. "Make sure you open your eyes wide and see – this is something that you will never be able to come up with in your entire lifetime- no, not even in ten lifetimes!"
Zhao Yunxiao excitedly looked through the blueprint.
Unfortunately, it was not that easy to decipher.
The blueprint was extremely detailed, stating everything down to the most minute of considerations. It would probably take hours just to properly go through everything.
"All right, take your time," Lou Yuan said. "I don't expect someone like you to understand it right now, but if you can follow the blueprint and create this thing, you will definitely understand just how great of a designer I actually am!"
"I don't know about that," Zhao Yunxiao refused to go along with Lou Yuan. "No matter how intricate it is, it might not be something that suits me. After all, did you even ask me any questions about myself or my preferences?"
"Hahaha, what an amateur remark!" Lou Yuan laughed. "Questions like that make it obvious that you are someone who doesn't know the trade. For truly good designers on my level, we are able to gleen all the information we need just by observing the way you move and use your current halberd!"
"Is that so?" Zhao Yunxiao eyed him suspiciously while keeping away the scroll. "Unfortunately, I'd have to see for myself before I believe it!"
"Just be prepared to admit how good I am when we meet next time. I will be waiting!" Lou Yuan shrugged.
"When we meet next time? Does that mean you will be leaving now?" Zhao Yunxiao asked in surprise.
"Yes, I have wasted enough time with you guys, and it is time to go back to the important tasks that await my attention," Lou Yuan nodded.
"Is that so?" Zhao Yunxiao nodded with a tinge of regret.
He was still intending to go through the blueprint with Lou Yuan when they had the time, but that seemed to be impossible now.
Regardless, that was understandable as well.
The only reason why Lou Yuan tagged along with them was because he wanted to prove his worth. Now that he had completed the blueprint, it was only natural that he would be leaving.
They would also be heading back to Purple Plum Mountain now, and it would be unreasonable to expect Lou Yuan to follow them back.
"Do you need a horse?" Nie Hanchang asked.
Zhao Yunxiao looked at him sceptically.
They only had two horses. By asking that, was Nie Hanchang intending to give Lou Yuan one of their horses?
"Damn you, cheap bastard!" Lou Yuan immediately understood Zhao Yunxiao's thoughts from his looks. "Don't worry, I can easily get a horse myself! Goodbye!"
With that, Lou Yuan stomped off.
Looking at Lou Yuan's departing back, Zhao Yunxiao could not help but let out a deep breath.
There had been a few unexpected turns of events, but they were finally done with this visit to Ghost Fog Valley.
Now, it was finally time to return to Purple Plum Mountain!
"Shall we get going too, Junior Martial Brother Zhao?" Nie Hanchang asked.
"Yes," Zhao Yunxiao nodded. "It's time to head home."
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