On a small hill not far from the village, Ling Tian stood with his hands behind his back, looking every bit like a seasoned master. He was starting to get hooked on pretending to be one.
"Chirp, chirp!" Humei laughed so hard she kept squeaking. She even clutched her belly and rolled around on the ground.
"Hahaha! I'm dying!" At last, Ling Tian couldn't hold it in any longer. Clutching his stomach, he started laughing too.
"If Father finds out about this, I can't imagine how much he'll laugh at me." After laughing for a while, Ling Tian finally stopped and muttered to himself.
Humei leaped onto Ling Tian's shoulder. The amusement in her eyes hadn't faded; there were even tears in them. She had clearly laughed so hard that she'd started crying. At Ling Tian's words, Humei nodded in agreement, her fox eyes blinking as she imagined Lingyun's reaction when he found out.
"So the children were using slingshots to shoot birds. But they're far too weak. Even if they hit one, it wouldn't do much." Ling Tian pondered. From the children, he'd learned that their "weapons" were slingshots.
As he spoke, he picked up a pebble and weighed it in his hand. It felt far too light.
Whoosh!
Ling Tian suddenly hurled it. The pebble shot toward a shrub as thick as a bowl, as fast as lightning. It moved so quickly that friction with the air produced a sharp whistle.
Thwack!
The pebble struck the trunk dead-on and punched straight through it with a thud. The little tree swayed a few times, then snapped and fell. The pebble, however, had crumbled to dust.
"Wow, I didn't know I could throw so hard!" Ling Tian exclaimed. He'd never tested his strength before. Without realizing it, he'd grown incredibly strong.
"If a little pebble can do that, what about an iron bead?" Ling Tian quickly thought.
"If Father forges a few Mysterious Iron Beads for me, they'll probably be even more powerful. But he's likely busy, so I shouldn't bother him over such a small thing." Ling Tian muttered to himself.
Ling Tian knew his father could forge weapons, and he'd quickly started thinking about asking him. But he soon dismissed the idea. His father had been holed up in his bedroom for days, never coming out, and Ling Tian had no idea what he was doing. He was probably tinkering with something strange again.
"But how do I get some iron beads? I can't forge weapons yet." Ling Tian fretted, muttering to himself.
"Chirp, chirp!" Hearing Ling Tian's muttering, Humei suddenly chirped a few times, then looked east, her face full of anticipation.
"There's a Qingyun Town to the east, and a blacksmith there can make iron beads?" Ling Tian asked in surprise. But seeing Humei's eager expression, he wanted to go see the town for himself. He'd often heard his parents talk about how bustling and prosperous it was, but he'd never had the chance to visit. This was a rare opportunity, and he wanted to seize it.
Humei chirped a few times and nodded firmly.
"Then let's go take a look. I've never been there either." Ling Tian's face brimmed with anticipation. He glanced at his mother, then set off at a run toward the east.
On the way, Humei told Ling Tian all sorts of amusing stories about the town and its snacks. The more she told him, the more he looked forward to Qingyun Town, and he unconsciously quickened his pace.
Before long, they reached a vast plain, where Ling Tian could make out a town in the distance. Gradually, the clamor of people swelled around them, and the streets filled with bustling crowds.
"So this is a town! There are so many people." Ling Tian finally entered. Shouts from vendors and haggling filled the air. The sights dazzled him, and he hardly knew where to look.
Humei was no different. Her fox eyes swept around without pause, and she looked so delighted that she wished she had several more pairs of eyes.
"Mother, where can we find a blacksmith?" Ling Tian finally managed to gather his wits. Seeing Humei looking as if she'd lost her soul, he couldn't help but smile wryly.
Only after Ling Tian called to her again did Humei come back to herself. She lowered her head sheepishly, making Ling Tian feel awkward too. Fortunately, she told him how to find a blacksmith.
"Look for the hottest place, with the loudest sounds and the constant clang of hammering?" Ling Tian repeated Humei's tip over and over. But with so many people in town and the noise of the crowds everywhere, how could he pick out the sound of a blacksmith's hammer?
"Ugh, how am I supposed to hear that?" After listening for a while, Ling Tian sighed in frustration. Humei watched him, a mischievous glint flashing in her eyes.
"Good grief, Mother, you're teasing me too?" Ling Tian suddenly realized that he had spiritual sense. If he released it, he could find anything—why bother listening? Seeing Humei's mischievous smile, he couldn't help thinking that she'd picked up bad habits from his father.
With that, Ling Tian released his spiritual sense and searched carefully. After several days of practice and getting used to it, his spiritual sense could now cover nearly a hundred meters, and scan more than a thousand meters in a straight line. He soon found a place where the furnace roared and several bare-chested men were hammering away at something.
"That must be the blacksmith's shop," Ling Tian murmured, then headed in that direction.
"Uncle, could you make me some iron beads?" A moment later, he arrived at the blacksmith's shop and spoke to a middle-aged man who was clearly the owner.
"Of course, young man. How many do you want, how big should they be, and do you have any special requirements?" The blacksmith was surprised to see such a handsome young man dressed in fine clothes, but he still dutifully asked Ling Tian a few professional questions.
"Uncle, nothing special. The more, the better. About this big." Ling Tian gestured, indicating they should be about the size of a cat's eye.
"Oh, I see. When would you like to pick them up, young man?" Hearing that he wanted as many as possible, the old man figured it was a big order and was delighted. He hurriedly asked.
"Tomorrow. I'll come back at this time tomorrow. Here, this is a deposit." Ling Tian thought for a moment. He could still make it back to Qingyou Peak during the night two days from now, so he wouldn't be late getting to Qingyun Peak the next day.
As he spoke, he handed the man a fairly large silver ingot. On the way, Humei had explained that one had to pay for things. Fortunately, his Storage Ring held plenty of ordinary items like this.
"Young man, this—this is far too much." The blacksmith had never seen such a large silver ingot before, and his eyes filled with delight. But he showed no greed and spoke honestly.
Ling Tian didn't know how much it would cost to make the beads, and had no idea the ingot was more than enough to cover the whole order. But seeing that the blacksmith showed no greed, he was quite pleased. He didn't take the money back, but said, "It's fine, Uncle. Keep it. Please put your heart into it over the next few days, and make as many as you can."
"Well, all right. This old man will accept it, shameless as I may be. I'll certainly do my utmost for you, young man." The blacksmith was overjoyed. He'd earned so much money at once that he could buy plenty of delicious food and daily necessities for his wife and children.
"Then I'll leave it to you, Uncle. I'll come back tomorrow to pick them up. If there's nothing else, I'll be on my way." Ling Tian finished speaking, cupped his fists in farewell, and left.
"Take care, young man!" the blacksmith hurriedly replied. Then he told his workers to stop what they were doing and focus all their efforts on making iron beads for Ling Tian.
After leaving, Ling Tian wandered around town at leisure. Everything seemed new to him, and he looked this way and that. Before he knew it, night had fallen. With Humei guiding him, he found the best inn and checked in; he wasn't short of money. Then he ordered the best dishes at the inn's restaurant. He'd never eaten food so fragrant and delicious on Qingyou Peak, so he dug in with gusto.
After eating and drinking his fill, Ling Tian went to the bed and sat cross-legged. He immersed his mind in the jade slip and continued studying formations.
Once Ling Tian entered meditation, Humei frowned slightly, silently chiding him for having no wariness toward strangers. She casually set up a few restrictions, then gazed at Ling Tian with concern. She thought that if she had the chance, she'd tell him about the treachery of the Cultivation World and how he needed to stay alert at all times.
Time flew by while cultivating. Before they knew it, the whole night had passed. The next morning, Ling Tian stretched his somewhat stiff limbs, washed up, and went downstairs for breakfast. He only ate a few bites, since his mother had told him there were plenty of delicious snacks in town. He wanted to save room for them.
After breakfast, Ling Tian took Humei out to shop like mad. Whenever he saw something he liked, he bought it. He had a Storage Ring, so he didn't need to carry anything himself. The vendors weren't surprised when Ling Tian waved a hand and the goods vanished; after all, they were at the foot of Qingyun Mountain, where plenty of Qingyun Mountain disciples came to shop. They were used to it.
Really, it was Ling Tian's ignorance that was to blame—he had no sense of caution. Humei had scolded him more than once for it, and every time he'd sincerely admitted his mistake. But now the whole town probably knew about his Storage Ring. There wasn't much point in hiding it anymore, so he stopped trying to be discreet.
"Candied hawthorns for sale! Sour and sweet—kids won't cry after eating them, and adults will look beautiful..." Just then, a vendor's call rang out, drawing Ling Tian's attention. The moment he heard the words "won't cry," his feet seemed rooted to the spot. He thought of those two sorrowful, lovely faces in his heart. Then, as a smile came to him, his expression brightened.
"Boss, three skewers—no, ten skewers of candied hawthorns! Two to eat now, and wrap up the rest." Ling Tian called out to the vendor.
"Coming right up! Here you go, young man." The vendor was delighted and hurriedly handed Ling Tian two skewers, then wrapped up the rest in oiled paper.
Ling Tian took the two skewers. He handed one to Humei and kept the other for himself. Humei eating snacks didn't cause any commotion. Qingyun Mountain disciples had probably brought their pets out before, and to ordinary people, "Immortal Beasts" could do anything. There was nothing strange about one being able to eat.
Humei held the candied hawthorn with both paws and ate with relish, her eyes narrowed in delight. She didn't even care that some syrup had stuck to her fur. She clearly loved candied hawthorns. Seeing her, Ling Tian took a small bite too and was soon won over by the sweet-and-sour flavor. He didn't eat much more tidily than Humei.
"Here you go, young man. I've wrapped them up for you." Seeing that Ling Tian liked his candied hawthorns made the vendor happy too. He finished wrapping them and handed the package to Ling Tian.
"Mmph, all right. Here's your money." Ling Tian's mouth was still full of candied hawthorn. He hurriedly took the package and tossed it into his Storage Ring. Food inside the ring stayed fresh, something he'd discovered long ago. Then he paid the vendor and continued strolling around, munching on his candied hawthorn.
Before they knew it, the man and fox had wandered around for a whole day. That day, Ling Tian learned what it meant to shop like mad. Humei enthusiastically wanted everything she saw. By the end, Ling Tian was so tired he was dragging his feet. If even someone with his physical strength couldn't take it, just how long had they been wandering? Still, Ling Tian was happy too. They'd bought plenty and eaten plenty, stopping only when both Humei's belly and his own were round and they couldn't eat another bite.
When Ling Tian returned to the inn, he skipped dinner and went straight to his room to rest. After stretching, he felt some of his weariness fade. He took out the jade slip and continued studying formations, while Humei relived the thrill of shopping.
The next day, Ling Tian let out a satisfied sigh. It seemed he'd gained quite a lot.
"I can finally manage to set up a few formations, more or less. But I can't test them here. I'd better wait until we get back." Ling Tian muttered to himself.
"Chirp, chirp!" When Ling Tian got up, Humei leaped onto his shoulder and chirped nonstop, looking eager to get going.
"Again?" Ling Tian's voice rose several notes. His face darkened, and he rolled his eyes. But seeing how reluctant his mother was to call it quits, he had no choice but to set off on another tragic shopping trip.
And so they wandered around for a long while again.
Before you continue