章節 6: Spirit Artefacts Pavilion

"Huh? What do you mean?" Xuefeng raised his eyebrows at Wuying's reaction. "Isn't it just a discount card? Why are you freaking out?"

He observed the golden card again, but it didn't look any special to him.

"This card is much more than just a simple discount! Trade Union has shops all over the world. It literally means that wherever you go, you will have twenty percent off every purchase. Normally you would need to spend like a million spirit stones to obtain this card," Wuying explained excitedly.

"Why did she give it to me then?" Xuefeng questioned bewildered.

"Manager Wu probably heard other people gossip about your healed dantian. A cultivator needs a lot of resources throughout his life and you, as the Liu Clan Young Master, have deep pockets. Why would you buy at a different shop, when you have twenty percent off in another? It's basically an investment," Wuying speculated.

"That's pretty smart. They figured out how awesome I am going to be once I start cultivating," Xuefeng praised with a nod, causing Wuying to roll her eyes.

"Young master, I know you are excited but cultivation isn't as easy as you think," Wuying informed with a stern gaze. "Even if you happen to be talented, the gathering of Qi is just a small part of our lives. The rest is endless practice since you require months, if not years, to grasp just the basics of swordsmanship. Your Qi will be useless if you don't know how to fight."

"Well, I'm not worried about it. I'm sure everything will work out with you by my side," Xuefeng assured with a smile. "Also, you don't need to call me Young Master anymore. Just use my name when we are alone."

As much as he enjoyed the special treatment, he was uncomfortable with treating others like servants. Especially in Wuying's case, who was close to his predecessor's heart, it was only fair to treat her like a friend.

His reasoning was quite simple, but Wuying seemed to misunderstand, taking aback by his words. She blushed heavily and looked away from his gaze, her voice as tiny as a mouse, "Okay, Xuefeng…"

Xuefeng was momentarily dazed from her cuteness, only snapping back when she pulled herself closer to him, their shoulders touching. It felt as if she was closing in to kiss him which caused him to stand up abruptly, not ready to face his feelings directly.

"Ehem, that's much better," he nodded in approval, trying to calm down his heart. "Let's go to that Spirit something Pavilion. It's already getting late."

He extended his hand to help her stand up, but he regretted it the very next moment. Be it a coincidence or not, Wuying tripped while walking out and landed in his arms, their faces just inches away from each other.

"Xuefeng… You made me flustered with your request…" Wuying admitted, her gentle smile wreaking havoc in his mind. "But it made me happy. Please, don't take this privilege away even if you regret it later."

She caressed his cheek with affection and pulled away on her own, regaining her usual composure with a snap of her fingers. "Also, it's Spirit Artifacts Pavilion which is also owned by Trade Union. You will be able to use your golden card there in the future."

Xuefeng gazed at her attractive slender body as she walked out of the room and he shook his head, hoping to snap out of his perverted thoughts. Unfortunately, it was almost impossible considering her body was shaped similar to Tianshi who was always at the back of his mind.

'Ugh, my self control is too weak. It hasn't even been a day and I'm already involved with another woman…' Xuefeng lamented in his mind, feeling conflicted. 'But then again, am I going to be single forever? Even though we had feelings for each other, I doubt Tianshi will stay alone for my sake.'

As much as he hated such thoughts, he had always been delusional about his future, to the point of imagining his marriage with Tianshi before they even became a couple. Now that she was gone, his future looked extremely empty and sad.

'Ah, whatever... I will just focus on cultivation and see what happens,' Xuefeng decided as he walked out of the room, but then he paused, looking at the familiar shadow on the stairs.

"Tianshi…?" He muttered out loud unconsciously, only to swallow hard, immediately realizing his mistake.

"Who is Tianshi?" Wuying asked as she walked into the light, a frown evident on her face.

"Ah, it's nothing, don't worry about it. Let's go," he waved his hands in denial and walked down the stairs, covering for his error.

Wuying thankfully didn't say anything and only stared at him suspiciously, following closely behind him. Her smile from before was also gone, but at least she resumed her role as a guide, "Young Master, we are going this way."

'Damn, I almost exposed myself… What if she finds out I'm not the real Xuefeng? I need to be more careful from now on.'

***

Sun had already begun to set, but since the Spirit Artifacts Pavilion was one of the most important shops for everyone on the Cultivation path, it was still full of people lingering around the area.

"In the Spirit Artifacts Pavilion you can buy, sell and even lend Spirit Artifacts. You can even post missions for others to hunt a specific kind of Spirit Artifact you want. Of course, it will cost you quite a bit so it's better to hunt beasts yourself," Wuying introduced as they stepped inside the massive hall, similar to the Earth's train stations.

The first thing they saw was a large mission board hanging on the wall and Xuefeng started reading some of them out of curiosity.

[Rank 3 Mission]

[Type: Hunting]

[Beast: Rank 3 Scarlet Butterfly]

[Spirit Artefact: Rank 3 Aura Spirit - Scarlet Moon]

[Group Skill: 3-5 peak Spirit Masters]

[Reward: 200 Spirit Stones.]

"Huh? Only 200 Spirit Stones as reward?" Xuefeng questioned in surprise, finally realizing why the golden card was so special. He would have to work till he is 30 before he could afford to spend a million Spirit Stones.

"Even 200 Spirit Stones is a lot since Scarlet Butterflies are quite easy to hunt. The only issue is the artifact drop rate which is quite low," Wuying replied as he continued reading.

[Rank 2 Mission]

[Type: Hunting Bodyguard]

[Beast: Rank 2 Green Wolfs]

[Group Skill: 1-2 advanced Spirit Masters]

[Duration: 1 week]

[Reward: 100 Spirit Stones]

***

[Rank 4 Mission]

[Type: Expedition into the depths of Desolate Mountains]

[Beast: Unknown]

[Group Skill: 10+ Spirit Grandmasters]

[Duration: Unknown]

[Reward: 100 Spirit Stones a day.]

"These missions are the livelihood for many cultivators, since not everyone is part of a large clan with boundless resources," Wuying commented after noticing his surprised gaze. "Before I joined the Liu Clan, I was also dependent on them to survive."

"I guess they helped shape the person you are now. Maybe I should also take some of them in the future so I can become as diligent as you," Xuefeng muttered, hoping to cheer her up with compliments. "Anyway, is there a way to see some Spirit Artifacts? I can't see them anywhere.

When they entered the pavilion, he expected to see items for sale on shelves or cabinets but there was nothing even behind the counters.

"All Spirit Artifacts are being sold in the private chambers since they require Spirit Qi to survive. They are remains of the Beast's spirit after all," Wuying explained. "If you want, we can ask the manager to show us their collection. It shouldn't be hard considering you have the golden card."

"No, let's just leave. I'm not going to buy anything so let's not take their time for nothing," Xuefeng decided and they left promptly after, walking back to the clan while chatting casually.

It didn't take long before they were back inside Xuefeng's courtyard and Wuying excused herself, leaving him alone in the room.

'Although she didn't mention Tianshi's name again, I need to prepare for the time it comes up in the future…' Xuefeng figured, deciding to set rules for himself in order to survive in this world. 'Rule number one: Don't mention anything from Earth. Rule number two: avoid cliffs. That should be good for now.'

***

Meanwhile, in the courtyard across the street, a young man still gritted his teeth, his right arm wrapped in bandages, blood still visible on his shoulder as if someone had recently severed his arm.

"Father, you have to take revenge for me!" He suddenly turned around, complaining to the stern man standing behind him.

Pa! His face received a sharp slap in return, his father showing no restraint in his strength. "Do you realize what you've done?"

"But that woman cut off my arm!" the youth shouted again.

Another crisp slap echoed through the air.

"Shut up! Be grateful she didn't take your foolish head. I can't even match her strength, and you dared provoke her."

After two resounding slaps, the youth ceased his outburst, forcibly calming down.

"Who is she? I thought she was just a servant of that scum," he asked in confusion.

The middle-aged man sighed bitterly and muttered, "It won't do much harm if I tell you the truth. Do you know why I didn't become Clan leader a few years ago, even though I was stronger than Liu Xiaobei?"

"Why? Wasn't it because that's what grandfather wanted?" the youth guessed.

"No, that was just the public explanation to save face. The real reason was the girl you just offended. Despite her appearance, she's a twenty-year-old Spirit King. Your grandfather once saved her life, so she pledged herself to the Liu Clan. With her help, he formed the Shadow Guard, which later dominated every clan in the area."

The man looked at his son and added, "Liu Zexi… If you still think losing one arm is too high a price, then I have nothing more to say."

"How was I supposed to know that…" Liu Zexi's face paled. If his father's words were true, then he narrowly escaped death. "What a formidable opponent."

"At least now you understand. Stay away from Xuefeng. The Clan Leader announced today that his son's dantian has recovered. With Wuying protecting him, you can't touch him."

"He's six years behind. Even with all the clan's resources, he'll still lag behind everyone else," Liu Zexi commented sarcastically.

"If you want to enter a Sacred Institute in a year, you need to work harder. To elevate our status in the clan, you must secure that position. Your arm will heal in a month; try not to strain it."

"Yes, father!" Liu Zexi nodded.

After his father left the room, Liu Zexi's face twisted in confusion.

Though he hadn't shown it earlier, he was stunned when he heard Xuefeng was still alive.

'I used Nine Flower Poison. There's no way he survived… Even though the wound was shallow, the poison on the blade should have killed him,' He analyzed yesterday's fight with Xuefeng in his thoughts, but he was certain Xuefeng should be dead!

'Unless the poison was fake… Damn,' he cursed under his breath.