A Little Attempt

"Dad, can I see Mom?"

Qian Renxue looked exceedingly cautious.

At the mention of Bibi Dong, Qian Xunji's expression visibly darkened.

"Wait a couple of days. Your mother is in a bad mood right now and doesn't want to see anyone."

Qian Renxue still wanted to plead with her father, but Shen Nuonuo tugged at her sleeve, and she fell silent.

Shen Nuonuo felt that even if Qian Xunji were willing to let Qian Renxue see Bibi Dong now, she would not want her to go.

Bibi Dong detested Qian Renxue at this point. If they met rashly and it left some kind of scar on Qian Renxue, that would be troublesome.

Qian Xunji said nothing more to them and summoned Moon Guan to escort them back.

Worship Hall.

Shen Nuonuo and Qian Renxue walked silently all the way back to Qian Renxue's room.

The moment they entered, Qian Renxue could not help asking Shen Nuonuo.

"Big Sister, why does Dad always look so upset whenever Mom is mentioned?"

"Why doesn't Mom like me? Why does she always look at me with that disgusted expression, like she's looking at something filthy? She never lets me call her Mom."

The more Qian Renxue thought about it, the more wronged she felt. The tip of her nose reddened, mist gathered at the corners of her eyes, and tears rolled down her soft, fair cheeks.

"Little Xue, don't cry. This is all between the previous generation. It has nothing to do with you. You'll understand when you grow up!"

Seeing Qian Renxue cry, Shen Nuonuo was at a loss and hurriedly comforted her.

She could not exactly tell Qian Renxue that her biological father had raped her biological mother, which was why her mother hated her, could she?!

That would be far too cruel for a child not even five years old.

After quite a while, Qian Renxue's emotions gradually improved, though her nose was still red.

"Who made the little princess of Spirit Hall cry?"

As soon as the words fell, Qingluan Douluo walked in from outside. He wore simple blue-and-white clothes and looked like a boy of thirteen or fourteen.

"Fifth Grandfather!"

"Fifth Grandfather!"

Qingluan Douluo stepped forward and first patted Qian Renxue's head before looking at Shen Nuonuo.

Shen Nuonuo silently mouthed, "Saintess."

Qingluan Douluo understood immediately!

"Ahem, Nuonuo, why are you calling me Fifth Grandfather again? Didn't I tell you last time to call me Fifth Grandfather, just like Little Xue?"

Qingluan Douluo changed the subject. As one of Spirit Hall's old guard, he naturally knew all about Qian Xunji and Bibi Dong's messy affairs.

"Fifth Grandfather." Shen Nuonuo went along with it.

Ding! Hidden mission triggered: Make Qingluan Douluo interested in Soul Tools. Reward: 1,000 Points.

"Ah."

Qingluan Douluo smiled approvingly and stroked his chin, which had no beard to begin with.

"Little Xue, do you want to watch Big Sister make a Soul Tool?"

Shen Nuonuo put an arm around Qian Renxue's shoulders, looking every bit like a big sister.

Hehehe, this mission shouldn't be difficult. With Qingluan Douluo's personality, he should be interested in Soul Tools.

"Huh?"

"Huh?"

Neither Qingluan Douluo nor Qian Renxue understood.

Hadn't the methods for making Soul Tools been lost long ago?

Soul Tools could practically be described as antiques. How they came into being and how they were made had long since been lost.

"Ahem, not the kind you're imagining, but something similar. I can make a little attempt at crafting one."

Shen Nuonuo saw the two of them staring at her in unison.

She remembered that in Peerless Tang Sect, it had taken Huo Yuhao seven months to become a Rank One Soul Engineer and half a year to become a Rank Two Soul Engineer.

That was not only because of his tremendous talent with Soul Tools, but also because his martial soul was the Spirit Eyes and Sky Dream Ice Silkworm had granted him four incredibly powerful soul skills.

Otherwise, Grilled Fish might well have been held back by Shrek Academy. Every time Grilled Fish trained in the martial soul department, he had to run a hundred laps or so at the drop of a hat. What kind of concept was that?

Assuming one lap took two minutes, one hundred laps would take more than three hours. Perfectly good cultivation time was wasted just like that.

It was not that running was useless, but that they should not spend so much time doing that sort of thing.

Learning to make Soul Tools was not so simple, but she was not making combat Soul Tools. She was only making ordinary daily-use Soul Tools, which did not require carving complicated formation inscriptions.

"Then what kind is it?"

Qingluan Douluo stared at Shen Nuonuo without blinking, feeling an urge to jump into action.

Shen Nuonuo went to the cabinet for paper and a pen, preparing to draw out the blueprint provided by the system. "Fifth Grandfather, Little Xue, I'll draw it for you to see."

A quarter of an hour later, Shen Nuonuo had finished most of the drawing. She had even thoughtfully written down the production process, afraid they would not understand it.

"What is this square-shaped thing? A Soul Tool this large would be inconvenient for storing things."

Qingluan Douluo naturally assumed it was a storage-type Soul Tool.

Shen Nuonuo shook her head. "This is called a Soul Tool Refrigerator. It is used to store things, but not just any random stuff."

"For example?" Qingluan Douluo raised a brow.

"Let me give an example. Doesn't Little Xue like candied hawthorns? But those can't be kept overnight. They turn sour and stink by the next day. But with this refrigerator, you can chill the candied hawthorns, and they'll still be edible the next day."

Shen Nuonuo gave a simple example.

"Nuonuo, how do you know how to make this refrigerator? I remember that the methods for making Soul Tools have long been lost."

Guangling looked confused.

Shen Nuonuo fell silent. She could not exactly tell Qingluan Douluo that this was something that would not exist until ten or twenty thousand years later!

"Alright, Nuonuo, I was joking. This is your own fortunate opportunity." Qingluan Douluo sighed softly but did not force her to explain its origin.

Shen Nuonuo let out a breath of relief. "Fifth Grandfather, I need some metal materials. Can you help me find them?"

"Of course!" Qingluan Douluo readily agreed. With his status, what could he not obtain?

Shen Nuonuo immediately wrote down the basic materials, metals, and gemstones she needed on a sheet of paper and handed it to Qingluan Douluo.

Seeing the page filled with densely packed writing, Qingluan Douluo's face twitched. "Are you sure this thing needs so much?"

"Hehe."

Shen Nuonuo scratched her head. Making just one Soul Tool Refrigerator naturally would not require so much, but she needed to prepare for making other Soul Tools in the future!

"Fine. Give this old man half a month, and I'll gather everything for you."

Qingluan Douluo noticed that some of the metals were relatively rare. Spirit City might not have them, and he would need to search elsewhere.

"Alright."

Shen Nuonuo was not disappointed to hear that it would take half a month. After all, she did not know how to do anything yet, so she should take this time to learn quickly!

"Fine, then this old man will be going. Nuonuo, Little Xue, we'll meet again in half a month."

Qingluan Douluo waved and vanished.

"Little Xue~" Shen Nuonuo smiled as she took five hardcover books from the system inventory and looked at Qian Renxue.

What was the best way to shake off sad feelings?

Of course, studying!