The Weeping Blood Demonic Zither
P. S.: I've been so busy these past few days I'm completely overwhelmed! In my exhaustion, I'm asking for monthly votes, subscriptions, clicks, and recommendations...
Upon hearing the voice, Zhuge Xiang opened his eyes. In front of the stall stood a timid girl, about twelve or thirteen years old, holding something wrapped in burlap in her arms. Although he couldn't see what it was, the thing was almost taller than the girl herself.
"Excuse me, can you tell the value of this Magic Artifact? If you can offer 10,001 Spirit Stone Coin, I'll sell it to you," the girl said, looking somewhat startled as Zhuge Xiang opened his eyes, but she mustered her courage and spoke to Zhuge Xiang.
"Younger Sister, you need to show me what it is," Zhuge Xiang said, intrigued by the girl's words.
Want to sell it for over 10,000 Spirit Stone Coin? Generally, only Seven-star magic tool can fetch that price. Weaker Eight-star Magic Artifact can also be bought.
"Okay," the girl nodded, then slowly lifted the burlap lining of the object in her bosom, revealing a corner of the Magic Artifact inside.
This is a black zither, entirely black, resembling neither gold nor wood nor jade. Even Zhuge Xiang couldn't discern what material it was made of. There were no seams on the zither, nor were there any dragons or phoenixes carved on it. Instead, there were only blood-red Formation patterns. The black body of the zither, paired with the Scarlet Formation, gave people a bloody and sinister feeling.
However, this black zither was covered in cracks, as if it could shatter into hundreds of pieces at any moment, and there wasn't a single Qin Strings left. It was immediately obvious that this was a ruined zither.
Beside her, Qin Qing also opened her eyes, looked at a corner of the black zither, raised an eyebrow slightly, and said to Zhuge Xiang, "This zither is strange. I can't tell if it's good or bad, but it's already ruined..."
Qin Qing, who entered the Dao through the zither, naturally had some knowledge of it, but she never expected that even she couldn't see the clues about this damaged zither.
As a corner of the black guqin was revealed, Xiao Yue, who had been lying on the stall, suddenly stood up, her eyes fixed on the instrument. Through Divine Sense Transmission, Xiao Yue urgently called out, "Zhuge Xiang, buy it quickly! Although it's damaged, the energy contained within this guqin is stronger than that of a twelve-star Magic Artifact."
In his Divine Sense, Xiao Yue's words made Zhuge Xiang raise an eyebrow. He then reached out and touched the guqin. However, the girl, who was holding the guqin, cautiously took a big step back.
Without any intention of catching up, Zhuge Xiang looked at the girl in front of him with some helplessness and said, "Since you want to sell it to me, you should at least let me study it before I can determine whether it is worth 10,000 Spirit Stone Coin."
"It's ten thousand and one," the girl Righteous Path Zhuge Xiang upon hearing his words, but she lowered her guard slightly and held the guqin in front of Zhuge Xiang, holding it very tightly as if afraid that Zhuge Xiang would snatch it away.
With a smile, Zhuge Xiang didn't say much. He reached out and gently placed his hand on the guqin. A strange light flickered in his eyes. Besides being Beginner Grade Seven Artifact Forger, Zhuge Xiang was also Beginner Grade Seven Appraisal.
Weeping Blood Demonic Zither (Fragment): Attack? Attribute? Description: This ancient harp once possessed its own glory, but now it is damaged, and its Artifact Spirit is on the verge of dissipation. To repair it, at least the ability of Intermediate Artificer is required. Durability 0120, Weight 30.
The abilities of a Beginner Grade Seven Appraisal could only Appraisal this information, but it made Zhuge Xiang ecstatic. From these simple things, Zhuge Xiang was already able to deduce a lot of information.
Although the attributes of this guqin are not visible, Zhuge Xiang can tell that it is Treasure Artifact, something that requires Intermediate Artificer to repair. Furthermore, the Artifact Spirit is on the verge of dissipation, but it is not said that the Artifact Spirit has fallen into slumber, which means that the owner of this Treasure Artifact is not dead.
Treasure Artifact possess spirits, and once their owners die, the Artifact Spirit will fall into slumber. Only when an Appraisal can invoke its attributes and abilities will the Artifact Spirit sense and awaken. However, the Artifact Spirit has not fallen into slumber. In other words, as long as this ancient zither can be repaired, this Treasure Artifact can be used directly without needing to be re -Appraisal.
"Indeed, this guqin, though damaged, is worth ten thousand Spirit Stone Coin," Zhuge Xiang thought quickly, nodded, and said, indicating his willingness to buy it.
"I need 10,001 Spirit Stone Coin." Upon hearing Zhuge Xiang's words, the girl's eyes lit up with joy, but she still insisted on the question about the one Spirit Stone Coin.
"Alright, young lady, ten thousand and one is fine, but why do you insist on this one Spirit Stone Coin?" Nodding, Zhuge Xiang wouldn't argue too much about one Spirit Stone Coin, but seeing the girl's struggle with this one Spirit Stone Coin, Zhuge Xiang couldn't help but ask curiously.
Hearing Zhuge Xiang ask this, the girl was a little embarrassed. "Originally, I only needed to sell this zither for 10,000 Spirit Stone Coin, but I haven't eaten for two days, so I need one Spirit Stone Coin to exchange for money to buy some steamed buns."
"What are you planning to do with these ten thousand Spirit Stone Coin?" Hearing the girl's words, Zhuge Xiang keenly noticed the problem and asked. Ten thousand Spirit Stone Coin couldn't be touched; she needed one more Spirit Stone Coin to buy steamed buns?
"I... I need 10,000 Spirit Stone Coin... to save my mother..." Zhuge Xiang's questioning seemed to touch a raw nerve in the girl, bringing her to tears. She choked out her words through her teary eyes.
"Ding, the quest 'Human-Ghost Love Affair' has been triggered. Upon completion, you will receive 1 million experience points and 1 Thousand-Year Blood Python Tendon. Accept or decline?"
At that moment, a system notification appeared without warning, causing Zhuge Xiang to pause slightly.
He hadn't made any promises to help others, and the girl hadn't even asked him for anything, yet a quest had been triggered? Moreover, this quest actually offered a reward of 1 million experience points? With no penalty and no time limit, Zhuge Xiang had no reason not to accept the quest, so he chose to accept it directly.
After accepting the task, Zhuge Xiang became much more concerned about the girl and asked, "Save your mother? What happened? What exactly happened? Tell me, perhaps I can help you."
Looking at Zhuge Xiang with some odd curiosity, Xiao Yue clearly didn't understand why Zhuge Xiang would offer to help her out of the blue. Xiao Yue also stared at Zhuge Xiang with a strange expression. Based on Xiao Yue's understanding of Zhuge Xiang, although he would occasionally help people, there was no reason for him to be so proactive in helping a complete stranger.
Qin Qing, upon hearing Zhuge Xiang's words, smiled. She hadn't made the wrong choice after all. Although he came from the Demonic Sect and acted decisively and ruthlessly, Zhuge Xiang was, at heart, a good person with a strong sense of justice. (To be continued...)