South Foothill Gathering

Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.

Though dawn had only just begun to break today, and a thin mist still shrouded the Li River, South Foothill Market had already completely boiled over.

Just as Chen Shi Shi had said, the monthly South Foothill Gathering had arrived.

Streams of multicolored light crisscrossed the sky above the market like woven threads. Cultivators riding flying boats, Wind-Riding Talismans, and all manner of bizarre flying artifacts descended in an endless stream, merging into the crowds on the main street.

Besides the permanent shops flinging their doors wide open, Rogue Cultivators' stalls packed both sides of the streets so densely that nearly every inch of open ground had been claimed, leaving only narrow paths through the middle for passersby.

Hawking cries, haggling, the laughter of old acquaintances catching up, and even arguments over stall locations intertwined into a droning wave of noise, clearly audible even through the thick wooden doors of Jade Spring Artifact Pavilion.

South Foothill Market was lively beyond compare today.

Inside Jade Spring Artifact Pavilion, Chen Ming Hui and Li Tong had long since efficiently wiped every counter spotless, while the crystal cases housing the artifacts shimmered with flowing light.

The artifacts that had originally been arranged in neat order now seemed to possess an extra touch of alluring radiance beneath the scorching gazes sweeping over them.

Shopkeeper Chen Xing Shan himself stood watch at the entrance. His kindly face carried an unusual trace of solemnity and anticipation.

Turning back to Chen Heng, who had just emerged from the rear hall, and Chen Shi Shi, who was helping out, he said, "See that? This is the South Foothill Gathering! For our artifact pavilion, today is of utmost importance! Half a month's usual sales are often made in just these one or two days."

"Ming Heng, Shi Shi, keep your spirits up. Ming Hui, Li Tong, keep your eyes sharp!"

Chen Shi Shi's little face was flushed with excitement. He had clearly been looking forward to this for a long time.

Chen Heng, meanwhile, remained calm and merely nodded slightly. Still, the sight before him was even grander than what he had heard about within the Lineage.

Most were Qi Refining cultivators, dressed in all manner of attire. There were Rogue Cultivators and Lineage disciples alike, while Foundation Establishment true cultivators were indeed almost nowhere to be seen, just as the shopkeeper had said.

The air was thick with mixed spiritual energy, sweat, medicinal herbs, and the metallic scent of ores, mingling with the faint dampness drifting from the distant Li River to form a distinctive, intense market atmosphere.

"Open the doors and welcome our guests!"

At Chen Xing Shan's command, Li Tong forcefully pushed open the artifact pavilion's heavy wooden doors.

An even noisier heatwave surged in alongside the flow of people.

Less than the time it took to drink a cup of tea after the doors opened, several groups of customers had already poured into Jade Spring Artifact Pavilion.

Some came straight for their targets to purchase artifacts, some carried damaged old artifacts to ask whether they could be repaired, some brought strange materials to seek appraisals or sell them off, and still others were Rogue Cultivators who had entered purely to broaden their horizons.

Chen Ming Hui and Li Tong moved back and forth between the ordinary artifact section and the materials section, dealing with Rogue Cultivators who mainly wished to buy finished artifacts or sell common treasure materials.

Chen Ming Hui was silver-tongued and handled customers with ease. Li Tong was quick with both hands and feet, carrying artifacts, seating guests, and serving tea and water without a hint of disorder.

Under the shopkeeper's direction, Chen Shi Shi helped with miscellaneous tasks, his eyes occasionally darting toward Chen Heng.

Chen Heng's position had been specially arranged by Shopkeeper Chen Xing Shan. It appeared leisurely, but his responsibilities were actually heavier.

It had been reserved specifically for higher-value and more complicated requests, such as large orders, special custom work, and the appraisal or repair of difficult items.

Chen Heng sat upright beside a large square table in the inner reception room, his gaze calmly sweeping over the incoming crowd.

A middle-aged Rogue Cultivator in coarse hemp clothing entered. His face bore the marks of wind and hardship, and his cultivation was roughly at the Fifth Layer of Qi Refining.

He clutched a tightly wrapped bundle to his chest, passed through the noisy crowd, and scanned the shop for a moment before his gaze finally settled on Chen Heng's relatively secluded corner.

He looked hesitant and constrained, but he still gathered his courage and approached.

"Sir... manager?" the Rogue Cultivator asked tentatively, his voice somewhat hoarse. "I... I have something I'd like someone to appraise, and maybe see if it can be repaired... But I've gone to several places already, and they all said it couldn't be done..."

Chen Heng nodded slightly, signaling for him to sit opposite. "No matter. Take it out and let me have a look."

The Rogue Cultivator carefully placed the bundle on the smooth rosewood table, then peeled away the tightly wrapped layers of burlap and animal hide one by one. His movements were as gentle as though he were handling an unparalleled treasure.

What was finally revealed was a metal cylinder roughly half an arm long. Its surface was mottled with rust, yet several twisted, dim, strange patterns remaining on its body still carried a trace of ancient aura.

Chen Heng reached out and picked it up. It was quite heavy.

One end of the cylinder was sealed, while the other had clearly once been connected to something. Now, only irregular fracture marks remained.

The Rogue Cultivator nervously rubbed his hands together. "This... I picked this up in an abandoned cave dwelling deep in the mountains. It looked like some old thing."

"When I found it, one end was still connected to half a spear-like point. But that day, I ran into a troublesome black bear. While running for my life, I slammed into a mountain rock, and the spear tip broke off and fell into a deep ravine. I couldn't find it... There's still something stuck inside the cylinder. I didn't dare mess with it, and I couldn't get it out either..."

Chen Heng slowly extended his spiritual sense into the damaged cylinder.

Its internal structure was quite intricate. Sure enough, several rusted metal components of varying sizes were lodged within. They were twisted and locked together, blocking the passage completely.

Faintly visible on the inner wall were patterns similar to those on the exterior, only more complex and dim.

In an instant.

Passages from the Chen Family Record of Artifact Refining concerning the forms and decorative patterns of ancient artifacts flashed through Chen Heng's mind.

"This object should be the base component of some combined artifact from ancient times." Chen Heng set down the broken cylinder, his fingers unconsciously tapping lightly against the tabletop.

"The patterns on the cylinder are incomplete, but they vaguely resemble ancient artifact patterns of the Gathering Fire and Solidify Gold types. The inner core has been badly damaged, and the blockage is residue left behind by the shattered front component."

"If you wish to separate the remaining objects within, you will need an exceedingly delicate and gentle force. Otherwise, it will be very easy to destroy everything completely, and the ancient patterns on the inner walls may also be ruined beyond recovery."

At those words, the Rogue Cultivator's face immediately fell, and the flame of hope in his eyes dimmed. "Ah? Still no good...? This... this was my last hope..."

His "last hope" clearly meant exchanging this lucky find for some Spirit Stones.

Chen Heng caught the despair on the other man's face, and something stirred in his heart.

Though this broken artifact was badly damaged and of limited value, to a Rogue Cultivator struggling at the bottom rung for resources, it might provide the cultivation sustenance needed for some time.

Besides, the Water-Fire Treasure Gourd he had recently refined could happen to be of use here.

"It is not entirely without hope," Chen Heng said calmly.

The Rogue Cultivator abruptly lifted his head, a thread of hope rekindling in his eyes.

Chen Heng brushed a hand over his waist, and the yellow-jade Water-Fire Treasure Gourd was already resting in his palm.

The gourd's warm yellow glow faintly resonated with the revolving artifact patterns on its surface.

He mobilized his true essence and gave a soft shout toward the mouth of the gourd. "Come forth!"

The gourd's mouth trembled slightly, and a warm, clear mist containing faint spiritual power flowed out like a trickling stream, incomparably precise as it covered the broken opening of the cylinder.

This was the ordinary mountain spring spirit water he had previously stored inside the gourd.

"Chen Heng... nephew?" Chen Xing Shan, who had just seen off a customer, caught sight of this from the corner of his eye. Puzzled, he did not understand why Chen Heng was wasting spiritual power by using his new artifact on a damaged item of obvious little value.

The fine stream of spirit water silently seeped into the rusted cylinder, soaking the corroded metal fragments wedged within.

Chen Heng was not recklessly expending spiritual power. He was making a prepared attempt.

The spirit water itself was gentle, while the minute spiritual energy it contained could slightly seep into and soften the rusted connections.

He closed his eyes slightly and separated out a thread of spiritual sense as fine as gossamer, carefully guiding that extremely faint water spiritual power to flow and seep through the cramped space.

This required extremely strong control of spiritual sense and precise command over the artifact.

Time passed bit by bit.

Chen Shi Shi set down the ore in his hand, holding his breath as his little face filled with tension and curiosity.

Chen Xing Shan also stopped walking, watching with a slight furrow between his brows.

He acknowledged Chen Heng's outstanding talent in artifact refining, but this method before him... seemed a little too "soft," did it not?

Using fierce fire or brute force to clear the blockage carried a greater risk of damage, certainly, but how much effect could this seepage of spirit water truly have?

After the time it took to drink a cup of tea.

Crack!

An extremely faint, nearly inaudible crisp sound came from within the cylinder.

Before everyone's astonished eyes, a fist-sized, irregular lump of dull metal, wrapped in damp vapor, was slowly "pushed" out of the broken opening by that thin stream of spirit water.

With a plop, it fell onto the rosewood table!

At almost the same time, several clearer ancient talismanic patterns remaining within the cylinder were exposed. Soaked by the water vapor, even their luster seemed to have become somewhat warmer.

"It... it worked?!" The Rogue Cultivator was so excited that he nearly jumped up, his face full of disbelief.

"It actually... pushed it out?" Chen Xing Shan was also stunned, a flash of brilliance crossing his eyes.

He instantly grasped the key: overcoming hardness with softness! Chen Heng's method appeared weak, but it had most ingeniously avoided using force to damage the ancient structure that was already on the verge of collapse!

Such thoughtfulness and such mastery of delicate control were truly exceptional!

Splash!

With a thought from Chen Heng, the spirit water instantly drew together. The vapor vanished and was taken back into the gourd.

He picked up the metal lump that had been "washed" out and weighed it in his hand. It was exceedingly heavy. He carefully identified its dim luster and the density of its material.

"This is a piece of Sand-Sinking Profound Iron, a top-grade first-tier treasure material. It contains earth and metal energies. Though coated in grime and rust, the main body is undamaged. It is not light, weighing a little over three jin."

Chen Heng looked at the Rogue Cultivator. "The broken cylinder itself is worth very little, but the pavilion can take this piece of Profound Iron. We offer one hundred and fifty low-grade Spirit Stones. What do you say?"

The Rogue Cultivator was nearly dazed by the number, then erupted in wild joy. "Sell! Sell! I'll sell it! Thank you, Manager! Thank you! You've helped me tremendously!"

One hundred and fifty Spirit Stones!

For a Mid Qi Refining Rogue Cultivator at the bottom rung, that was absolutely a windfall! It far exceeded his original expectations!

Seeing the matter resolved satisfactorily and the item fairly appraised, Chen Xing Shan nodded approvingly at Chen Heng, then signaled for the clerk Li Tong to take the Rogue Cultivator to the counter and complete the Spirit Stone transaction.

The light of admiration in Chen Shi Shi's eyes as he looked at Chen Heng nearly overflowed.

He himself had studied painstakingly for so long and was still learning to identify basic ores, while Senior Brother Ming Heng could casually resolve a difficult problem with such an exquisite method!

"Well done!" Chen Xing Shan quietly praised. "This new use for the Water-Fire Gourd is truly a fresh and original approach."

Just as Chen Heng was about to respond, a burst of clamor carrying obvious frivolity and mockery came from the entrance of Jade Spring Artifact Pavilion.

"Oh! Isn't this Shopkeeper Chen?"

"I heard your Chen Family recently gained an impressive little artifact refiner? Where is he?"

"Bring him out and let our Luo Family broaden our horizons too!"