The Aloof Immortal Venerable is Pregnant with My Fox Cub - Chapter 16

Chapter 16

After finishing the wontons, Cang Ran took the sword and went with Tan Qingxuan to the artifact refining shop in Luofeng City, placing the sword on the workbench in front of the refiner.

She was not short of money now and was quite generous, stating directly, “Take a look. Can this sword be repaired, and can you make it look a bit better?”

The refiner picked it up and glanced at it, frowning with distaste. “This sword is so broken. What’s the point of repairing it? I have so many good swords in my shop. Wouldn’t buying any one of them be better than the one you have?”

She casually flicked a finger, sending out a streak of spiritual energy. The spiritual energy traversed the room, and the swords covering the wall began to vibrate gently. Silver light shimmered on the blades, like layers of beautiful waves, and a sharp chill spread out.

It was as if a large group of little fairies were extending small handkerchiefs, enthusiastically shouting, Come, sir, come and buy me home!

Cang Ran’s gaze swept over the spiritual swords, and she couldn’t help but sigh. Comparing goods is throwing out the garbage.

Any one of these swords looks stronger than the one in her hand.

Seeing her attention, the refiner seized the moment. “Buying a new sword will save you a lot of spirit stones compared to paying for materials to repair this old one. If you really can’t part with the sword core, how about I melt it down and forge a new one for you?”

The two options the refiner gave were indeed excellent. They fully considered the customer’s needs and saved them money. Most people might agree.

However, Tan Qingxuan knew that if the sword were truly melted, the residual sword spirit would likely perish. To subdue a proud heart, one must first let it know what value it holds in others’ eyes.

As for the swords the refiner pointed to, they were all low-grade spiritual swords. How could they compare to a Heavenly Grade spiritual sword with a sword spirit?

Once a sword spirit pledges allegiance, it commits itself to the master, even unto death. Even if the sword master is destined to die, the sword spirit will risk its life to accompany them.

Sure enough, upon hearing this, the sword spirit jolted upright in its near-death state, angrily vibrating immediately.

If it could speak, it would undoubtedly curse out loud.

Of course, this was just the sword spirit’s imagined fury. In reality, the sound was barely louder than a buzzing mosquito.

This drew the refiner’s attention. She looked surprised and raised an eyebrow. “Can this broken sword even have a sword spirit? But the spirit’s aura is faint, no different from being dead. How about I just put it out of its misery?”

The sword spirit instantly became still, presumably because its grief was greater than a dead heart.

Cang Ran also felt that the refiner’s words were quite hurtful to the sword. But this was the sword Tan Qingxuan told her to keep, making it their token of love.

She sighed and said grandly, “Repair it, repair it, and it will last another three years. We’ll make do with it. Why throw it away? Repair it. I’ll pay any price!”

The spiritual sword immediately came back to life, vibrating on the table twice more.

The refiner’s gaze towards Cang Ran was instantly filled with the thought: a foolish demon with lots of money. She began to introduce options cheerfully. “Well then, Great Demon King, we have three types of repair materials here. The lowest grade uses 200 low-grade spirit stones. The middle grade costs 1,000 low-grade spirit stones. The highest grade costs 8,000 low-grade spirit stones. Which one would you like?”

Cang Ran wanted to choose the cheapest. She glanced at Tan Qingxuan, then cleared her throat. “Then the middle grade. Can it be a bit cheaper, say 500?”

Tan Qingxuan hadn’t expected Cang Ran to know how to bargain. She was almost cheated by the apothecary manager just now, yet she was surprisingly clever when buying something now.

However, Cang Ran immediately halved the price. She wasn’t afraid of the refiner kicking her out.

The refiner showed a strained smile. “That’s too much of a difference. At least 950 spirit stones.”

Cang Ran sensed hope and continued to bargain. “Then 600 spirit stones.”

The refiner couldn’t maintain her composure. She had never met a demon who bargained like this. “The lowest I can do is 800 spirit stones, and I’ll help you repair it. Any lower is really not negotiable.”

Cang Ran stopped bargaining, satisfied. “Fine, 800 it is. That’s quite an auspicious number.”

She turned and winked lightly at Tan Qingxuan, showing a slightly cunning and mischievous smile. Her three large fox tails wagged happily at that moment.

“Qingqing, what do you think of me giving it the nickname ‘Eight Hundred’ in the future? It’s catchy and easy to care for.”

Tan Qingxuan’s eyes shimmered slightly. That name is not imposing at all. If Cang Ran were to fight someone in the future, shouting “Eight Hundred” every time would probably lack any intimidation.

Cang Ran probably only had this fleeting novelty, but the sword spirit was proud and likely wouldn’t accept this indignity.

Sure enough, as soon as Cang Ran’s words fell, the spiritual sword began to tremble again in dissatisfaction.

Cang Ran, mimicking Tan Qingxuan’s earlier action, expertly flicked the blade. The sword spirit was quickly stunned into silence.

“Resistance is futile.” Cang Ran smiled, handing the sword to the refiner. “Please go ahead and repair it.”

Tan Qingxuan’s cool eyes softened slightly. This little fox was quick to learn.

The refiner took some of the mid-grade repair materials and went to the specialized forging furnace to begin the process.

The artifact refining shop was unremarkable, mainly filled with sword core materials, and there wasn’t even a cup of tea.

Separated by a cloth curtain, Cang Ran and Tan Qingxuan waited in the outer room for a while.

Boom, bang! A few loud noises, as if something had exploded. A dangerous explosive aura drifted in the air.

Cang Ran’s ears twitched. Startled, she jumped up from her chair and pulled Tan Qingxuan, about to rush out. “It exploded! Let’s get out quickly before we get hit!”

Tan Qingxuan’s expression remained unchanged. She held Cang Ran’s hand. “Wait a moment. It should be over soon.”

Clang, clang! A few more loud thudding sounds of a hammer hitting the blade, accompanied by sounds of shattering.

In less than a quarter of an hour, all the noise stopped. The cloth curtain was lifted.

The refiner walked out, holding the sword, covered in ash, and looking utterly defeated. “Great Demon King, please forgive my incompetence. I really can’t fix your sword. It wouldn’t even enter the furnace. The repair materials wouldn’t fuse even when forcefully hammered, and it damaged several newly forged sword cores.”

She took off her gloves and wrist guards, wiping a tear of frustration. “Look at my hand. It probably won’t heal for another month. If I didn’t have protective gear, I would probably be crippled. I need some compensation for the damage, and to buy some medicine, right?”

Several large blisters appeared on her dark, reddened hands. She looked genuinely miserable.

Cang Ran suddenly understood the meaning of Tan Qingxuan’s “It should be over soon.” It seemed the sword wasn’t repaired; the sword had dealt with the person!

The refiner was injured while repairing the sword for her, after all. Cang Ran rubbed her forehead, sighing. “Alright, then how much are the medical expenses and the cost for the damaged sword cores?”

The refiner quickly stuffed the hot potato of a long sword back into Cang Ran’s hand. “Buying burn medicine will cost 80 spirit stones. I won’t charge you for the damaged sword cores. Just take the repair materials for your own use.”

Cang Ran let out a long sigh of relief. Fortunately, she didn’t ask for an exorbitant price. She really couldn’t afford to pay much more.

Tan Qingxuan understood. This was the expected outcome. Qiuhe Hall’s apothecary was located in Luofeng City. If the sword could be easily repaired, it would have been taken to the city’s only artifact refining shop long ago and wouldn’t have been shelved for so long.

Her red lips parted slightly, and she said calmly, “We don’t need the repair materials; they are likely ineffective on this sword. We can pay the compensation.”

The refiner hesitated for a moment, then agreed. “That works too. Then I’ll return the remaining spirit stone notes to you.”

The refiner returned seven spirit stone notes and twenty low-grade spirit stones to Cang Ran, then closed the shop and limped away to fetch medicine.

Cang Ran stood at the shop entrance, watching the refiner’s receding figure, and mused, “It seems being an artifact refiner is not easy.”

Tan Qingxuan’s eyes were calm. “Artifact refiners are divided into nine ranks. I saw the jade plaque hanging on that refiner’s body. She should only be rank four. It’s normal that she couldn’t fix your sword. You should take it back and try to repair it yourself.”

Cang Ran was stunned. She was unconfident. “Me? But I haven’t learned artifact refining. I don’t know how to repair it, and I don’t have any materials.”

Tan Qingxuan instructed, “You have unique fire. When separating the unique fire, temper it a little each day.”

Cang Ran nodded silently. “Alright, that’s the only thing we can do, trying to revive a dead horse.”

However, she felt like she had wasted her time for nothing. The sword wasn’t repaired, and she even lost 80 spirit stones.

So why did she run over to repair the sword? If it could truly be fixed, why didn’t that cunning apothecary manager fix it? It wouldn’t be her turn.

Cang Ran’s three large tails wagged listlessly. She extended her finger and poked the hilt. “You’re not called ‘Eight Hundred’ now. You’re called ‘Eighty.’ Your price has dropped.”

The sword spirit trembled twice, seemingly very dissatisfied.

“You’re still not happy?” Cang Ran snorted and poked it again. “Then ‘Losing Money’ is fine too. Your full name is ‘Losing Money,’ and your nickname is ‘Eighty.’ Simple and easy to remember.”

The sword spirit trembled even more fiercely. It was a unique sword spirit in the world. How could a mere 80 spirit stones be compared to an invincible sword spirit like it?

Seeing this, Tan Qingxuan smiled knowingly. This demon and this sword were quite a match. One was pretending to be lazy, and the other treated it as truly lazy. They would have many arguments in the future.

Actually, this trip wasn’t completely in vain. At least the sword spirit of this spiritual sword now knew that while everyone else looked down on it, only Cang Ran was willing to spend money to repair it. This could be considered the first step in winning its allegiance.

Cang Ran’s own subsequent tempering could also cultivate a rapport with the sword spirit. Constant closeness could also foster some affection.

Cang Ran didn’t know Tan Qingxuan’s deeper intention. She teased the spiritual sword for a while longer before putting it back into her storage bag.

She was about to take Tan Qingxuan to the Mingxia Square to buy a few new dresses when a fragrant breeze suddenly wafted over. Cang Ran caught a familiar scent.

The Yellow Weasel demon walked over from the other side of the street, lightly waving a round fan. She spoke in a casual tone, “What a coincidence, we meet again, little fox sister. We truly are destined.”

After saying this, the Yellow Weasel glanced provocatively at Tan Qingxuan, intending to give this frail mortal a scare.

Unexpectedly, Tan Qingxuan dared to look her straight in the eye. The coldness in those indifferent, beautiful eyes was extremely sharp, seeming capable of easily killing and annihilating demons.

The Yellow Weasel suddenly felt a chill in her heart. A strong intuition made the fur on her body stand up in alarm.

Just a mere mortal. What is there to be afraid of? I could crush her effortlessly.

The Yellow Weasel stopped looking at Tan Qingxuan and smiled seductively at Cang Ran. “A while ago, I thought it over. I offended you a lot, little fox sister, and wasn’t very proper in the past. Today, I’ll host and invite you to a tea house for tea, and then treat you to a show. How does that sound?”

She fanned her small fan twice more. “I hope, little sister, you can let bygones be bygones and forgive me. We can still be good neighbors in the future. If you run into any difficulties, you can also ask me for help.”

Cang Ran raised her palm to her forehead, gazing into the distant azure sky.

The Yellow Weasel was puzzled by her action. “Little fox sister, what are you doing?”

Cang Ran shifted her gaze back, her stray hair gently lifted by the breeze. Her amber-like eyes were very bright at this moment. “I’m checking to see if the sun is rising from the west today, or if you’ve been taken over by another demon?”

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