Will the Senior Brother Return to the Sect? - Chapter 3

Wen Qixue brought Su Xuanlin into a blacksmith shop. Inside, an old blacksmith with graying hair was rhythmically hammering refined iron on a furnace. Seeing them enter, he glanced at them casually without pausing his work. “What can I do for you, customers? Do you need new weapons forged, or are you looking for maintenance?”

Wen Qixue scanned the room, his gaze settling on the furnace. It was clear that this shop had very basic facilities, lacking even a proper forging hearth. This was to be expected; Yuanwu Gate, the sect protecting this city, was minuscule, and Yuanwu City itself was hardly a bustling hub.

Since they were already inside, he asked the blacksmith, “Do you purchase refining materials here?”

“Refining materials?” The old blacksmith set down his hammer, used tongs to hold up the glowing iron, and glanced at Wen Qixue. “What kind? Let me see.”

Wen Qixue produced a piece of black-gold ore.

Su Xuanlin let out a soft “Ah.” He recognized it; this was the item the other had retrieved from the puppet’s chest after the lightning tribulation, though he hadn’t known its true nature at the time.

The blacksmith’s pupils contracted slightly upon seeing the ore, but he kept his expression neutral, taking two steps toward them. “This is an unfamiliar material. I’m afraid it isn’t worth many spiritual stones. How about five hundred low-grade spiritual stones?”

Wen Qixue remained silent for a moment. Just as the blacksmith began to think he would get angry, Wen Qixue chuckled, retracted the ore, and said, “Fair enough.”

The blacksmith: “…” Wait, fair? He didn’t even recognize the material! Feeling insulted, he tried to raise the bid. “Tch, I’ll add another hundred. Is that enough?”

Wen Qixue ignored him and turned to Su Xuanlin. “Let’s go.”

The blacksmith called out from behind, “Then how much do you want? Don’t be greedy!”

Once outside, Wen Qixue sighed. “Miscalculated.”

Su Xuanlin followed, confused. “What happened?”

Wen Qixue patted his own forehead, but due to his lack of control over the puppet’s strength, his hand knocked against his head with a light clack.

Wen Qixue paused, rubbed his head, and explained to Su Xuanlin, “Alas, Yuanwu City is truly too small. A shop like that cannot recognize, let alone value, ore that has been refined within a Golden Core puppet. They could tell it was high-quality, but that’s as far as their judgment goes.”

“We need to go to a major trading firm.”

Wen Qixue led Su Xuanlin forward. Before long, he spotted a familiar logo. Pointing to the “Mingfeng Trading Firm” ahead, he asked, “Do you know this firm?”

Su Xuanlin nodded. “Yes, the ancestor often came here; he acquired many of his materials here. It is said their influence spans the entire Guangling Continent.”

Wen Qixue hummed. “Mingfeng’s strength is greater in the south, but they establish outposts anywhere there is profit to be made, even in small places like this.”

Su Xuanlin looked curiously at the entrance, noticing a group of people gathered. “What are they doing? Are they not going in?”

Though Wen Qixue lacked a physical body, his divine sense was far superior to Su Xuanlin’s; he could hear everything perfectly. He lowered his eyes and explained, “This outpost is being downgraded.”

“Downgraded?”

“It was originally ranked for Golden Core-level resources,” Wen Qixue said. “But with so few Golden Core cultivators in Yuanwu City—or even the entire Yuanwu Gate—it isn’t cost-effective to keep supplying high-tier resources here. They are lowering it to a Foundation Establishment-level outpost.”

As they approached, they heard the person in charge instructing his staff: “The resources left behind by Wen Qixue of the Heavenly Sword Sect, who perished in the Nascent Soul lightning tribulation five years ago, have yet to be found. We don’t know if they formed a secret realm or if he had other means. Keep an eye out when you reach the Western Continent.”

Wen Qixue: “…” What? He had only just awakened, and already people were eyeing his estate!

Su Xuanlin secretly glanced up at Wen Qixue. If he recalled correctly, was this “Honorable One” not named Wen Qixue?

At that moment, the manager of the Mingfeng outpost spotted them. He looked at Wen Qixue, then at the boy behind him. He did not recognize Wen Qixue, but he certainly knew Su Xuanlin. In a city controlled by Yuanwu Gate, few did not know him. A year ago, when Su Xuanlin’s ancestor was nearing the end of his life, every shop in town had been warned not to sell anything to the man’s descendant.

Mingfeng Trading Firm didn’t fear Yuanwu Gate—this place was barely a town—but they didn’t feel the need to start a conflict over the boy. The manager spoke plainly: “Young Master Su, you should know that Yuanwu Gate has forbidden anyone in this city from selling to you.”

Su Xuanlin was stunned. Since his ancestor passed away, he hadn’t left the gate, so he hadn’t been aware of this. However, his initial anxiety quickly faded. He was leaving anyway; whatever barriers the sect tried to put up no longer mattered.

Su Xuanlin stood quietly by Wen Qixue’s side. Wen Qixue tilted his head to look at him, and seeing the boy remained calm, he felt reassured and pulled out the ore again. He didn’t waste time. “Are you buying?”

The manager didn’t hesitate. “Yes!” Whatever Yuanwu Gate thought didn’t matter compared to actual goods. He held the ore delicately. “This is excellent. The purity is far higher than ordinary velvet-red ore. Where did you get this?”

Wen Qixue replied nonchalantly, “Left behind by Old Man Su.”

The manager nodded repeatedly. “I see, I see. Old Man Su did have many treasures.” He weighed the ore in his hand. “It’s light, but the purity is high. I can see you are experts, so I won’t haggle three thousand medium-grade spiritual stones. How about that?”

Wen Qixue pondered. The price was lower than he’d hoped, but reasonable for such a desolate city. “Three thousand medium-grade spiritual stones, and a beast-drawn carriage.”

The manager hesitated, but Wen Qixue glanced at him coldly. “A beast-drawn carriage in Yuanwu City doesn’t cost much.”

The manager conceded. It was true; the carriage itself was worth less than a single medium-grade spiritual stone. He agreed, knowing the firm would make a massive profit once they transported this high-purity ore to a more prosperous city.

The manager happily tucked the ore away and asked, “I will have it prepared immediately. May I ask your name, Honorable One?”

Wen Qixue fabricated a name without hesitation: “I am Qi Wen.”

“Honorable Qi,” the manager bowed, then looked at Su Xuanlin. “And your relationship with Young Master Su is…?”

Wen Qixue gave a vague answer: “Old Man Su and I were old acquaintances. Why?”

The manager nodded, satisfied. “Honestly, Honorable One, I have been here for years. About a year ago, people from Yuanwu Gate visited, demanding I cut all ties with the young master and warning me that the old man was dying.”

Su Xuanlin’s eyes widened. “A year ago…”

Su Xuanlin hung his head. Wen Qixue sighed, tousling the boy’s hair. “We will discuss this later.”

The manager provided them with a private room. “You will not be disturbed until the carriage is ready.”

Once alone, Wen Qixue sat down and looked at Su Xuanlin. The boy was biting his lip. “Hon, Honorable One, I want to…”

Wen Qixue finished his sentence: “You want to seek revenge against Yuanwu Gate.”

Su Xuanlin nodded, looking up with a glimmer of hope. “Is it possible?”

Wen Qixue answered flatly, “No.” He patted his arm, causing another metallic clack. “This puppet body your ancestor gave me isn’t powerful enough for that.”

Su Xuanlin pouted in frustration.

Wen Qixue looked at him. “Furthermore, I will not help you. I dislike the conduct of those disciples, but I have no personal vendetta against them. I won’t go out of my way to attack them.”

Su Xuanlin looked at him, stunned. “But…”

Wen Qixue sighed again, rubbing the boy’s head. “In return for your ancestor helping me awaken early, I will take you to several renowned sects on the Guangling Continent to try your luck. Based on my years of cultivation experience, getting you into a reliable sect should not be a problem.”

“If you encounter difficulties in your cultivation later, you may seek me out, but I cannot stay with you forever, nor will I seek vengeance for you.”

Su Xuanlin let out a faint “Ah,” momentarily forgetting his thirst for revenge as he asked urgently, “Are, are you leaving?”

Wen Qixue nodded naturally. “Yes. I need to find a way to reshape my body. A puppet body can serve for a time, but it cannot last a lifetime.”

After all, his own treasures were still hidden within his divine sense! He needed to fuse his soul with a real body as soon as possible to retrieve them.