A Lead on Spirit Stones

"Spirit Stones?" The three of them spoke at the same time, and the courtyard fell silent for a moment.

Xiao Mingshu stood up first, her gaze fixed on Shen Jingchuan, her tone carrying a hint of undisguised surprise:

"Young Master Shen, you actually know about Spirit Stones?"

Shen Jingchuan's heart skipped a beat. Seeing her solemn expression, he was unsure for a moment—could this Spirit Stone be some kind of forbidden object? He paused, not daring to answer rashly.

Yan Chongli also suppressed his smile, stroked his beard, and spoke in a deep voice:

"No wonder you have no interest in fame and fortune; so you are a cultivator? Could your Shen Household be a long-established Aristocratic Clan of cultivators?"

Upon hearing this, Shen Jingchuan quickly waved his hand and stated the truth:

"Sir, you misunderstand. I am not a cultivator. My Lineage has given me a mission to secretly find this kind of Spirit Stone. As for the reason behind it, I am not entirely clear about it."

Xiao Mingshu secretly focused her senses and detected no fluctuation of Spiritual Power on Shen Jingchuan's body, so she knew he was telling the truth. She asked slowly:

"Young Master Shen, have you found it yet?"

Shen Jingchuan shook his head. "Not yet. We've searched many places, but haven't found a single clue."

Xiao Mingshu gently stroked the pocket watch she had just received with her fingertips, then looked up at him:

"Young Master Shen, I do know where to find Spirit Stones. But you don't know that such spiritual items are extremely rare and hard to come by."

Shen Jingchuan was overjoyed upon hearing this; after searching for so long, he had finally found a clue. He immediately said:

"My Lineage only instructed me to find the Spirit Stones, without specifying a price. If you have any clues, or if you happen to have Spirit Stones, please name your price. As long as I can do it, I will not hesitate."

Yan Chongli, stroking his beard, spoke up:

"I only had the good fortune to see two of them in my younger days... well, I don't have any on hand, and I don't know where they came from. If you want to find them, I'm afraid you'll have to rely on Mingshu."

Yan Shuyao sat to the side, her eyes lowered, saying nothing, only gently twisting the corner of her handkerchief with her fingertips, lost in thought.

After hearing Shen Jingchuan's description, Xiao Mingshu understood the situation. Judging from his aimless and haphazard search, his Lineage must have only heard of or at most seen Spirit Stones, and could not be considered a proper cultivation Aristocratic Clan. Otherwise, they would definitely not be unable to find a way to obtain Spirit Stones.

She spoke calmly, "These kinds of spiritual objects are inherently rare. Although I know about them, I don't even have one myself. Finding one isn't that easy."

Seeing this, Yan Chongli changed the subject and talked about poetry for a while. Yan Chongli did most of the talking, while Shen Jingchuan echoed his words, and Yan Shuyao listened quietly from the side.

Shen Jingchuan dared not say more, for fear of revealing his ignorance—his skills were all copied.

Seeing that it was getting late, Shen Jingchuan got up to say goodbye. Yan Chongli asked him to stay for dinner, but he said he already had appointments that evening. He added that he knew the master was returning to the Capital the next day, and that the journey was long, so he had something he wanted to give the master and asked the group to go out with him to see it.

The group walked to the courtyard of the mansion specifically for parking carriages and horses. This type of villa all had a separate courtyard for carriages and horses, which was equivalent to a private garage.

When Liu Hu saw Shen Jingchuan enter, he quickly stood up. Seeing that there were people following behind him, he stepped forward, bowed, and then stepped aside to wait.

Yan Chongli and the other two looked around the carriage inside and out, and all said that it was the first time they had ever seen such a four-wheeled carriage.

Shen Jingchuan said it was made in the Lineage workshop, and it was comfortable to sit in while traveling. He also said there was nothing new about it; it was just a solution to the front wheel steering problem, and everything else was easy to handle.

He sincerely said that the car would be given to the gentleman.

This was a last-minute decision.

Today I got a clue about the Spirit Stones from Xiao Mingshu. I must stick close to Yan Chongli. Although we haven't gotten anything substantial yet, at least we've made some progress.

Yan Chongli was quite moved. He hadn't even had a chance to give his newly accepted disciple any benefits yet, but the disciple had already accepted his watch and four-wheeled carriage, all rare and precious items.

However, it is common for masters and disciples to exchange gifts, and this can actually bring them closer, so he did not refuse and accepted the gifts readily.

Shen Jingchuan immediately took his leave and told Liu Hu to prepare to depart. Liu Hu quickly went to the place where the horses were tied up and led out two horses, Little Black and Treading Snow.

When the two horses appeared, Yan Chongli and his companions were all taken aback and exclaimed, "Whirlwind Horses?"

Shen Jingchuan scratched his head, a little embarrassed:

"Sir, normally when we deliver a carriage, we should provide you with the horses as well, but these two horses have unusual temperaments, and I'm afraid we won't be able to keep them."

Xiao Mingshu looked at the horse, then at Shen Jingchuan: "You actually used Whirlwind Horse to pull the carriage? That's such a waste! What's even stranger is that such a spirited horse is actually obediently pulling the carriage as you command. It seems it has already recognized you as its master."

Yan Chongli waved his hand. "It's alright, it's alright. I know the temperament of the Whirlwind Horses. Even if we force them to stay, they won't let anyone else do their bidding. Finding two horses to pull the carriage isn't difficult for me."

Shen Jingchuan nodded, knowing full well that with Yan Chongli's status, there were plenty of people who wanted to give him good horses, so he really didn't need to worry about it.

Shen Jingchuan bowed again to take his leave, and Liu Hu followed behind with two horses. The two of them left the courtyard together.

As Xiao Mingshu watched his departing figure, she pondered to herself that although he looked ordinary, he was by no means an ordinary person, and his Lineage must have a profound background.

The fact that these two Whirlwind Horses were willing to acknowledge her as their master is enough to tell the story—she was unaware that Shen Jingchuan had an even more formidable Big Black in his possession.

Shen Jingchuan rode his Treading Snow in front, while Liu Hu followed behind with Little Black on his hand, all the way back to their residence.

As soon as he arrived at the inn's entrance, he saw Zhou Tong, Xu Mo, and Su Yan standing there waiting. Zhou Tong, with his sharp eyes, immediately spotted the two particularly eye-catching horses and waved and shouted:

"Brother Shen, you're finally back! Quick, quick, let's go!"

Shen Jingchuan in his horse, somewhat helplessly. "I haven't changed my clothes yet."

"Why are you changing your clothes?!" Zhou Tong rushed over and pulled him off his horse.

"Let me tell you, if you stand there today, you'll be the most handsome guy in the entire Phoenix Perching Tower. Even if you're naked, no one will dare say a word against you."

Xu Mo and Su Yan, who were standing nearby, shook their heads in unison when they heard him speak so crudely, looking as if they couldn't bear to watch.

Shen Jingchuan couldn't refuse him, so he had to agree. The four of them simply got into Zhou Cong's carriage and set off. Before leaving, Shen Jingchuan specifically instructed Liu Hu to tell the Lin Household siblings that he was going out. Liu Hu nodded in agreement and led the two horses back to the courtyard.