Designing Earrings

"Should I buy something for Min'er? She'll probably test for great talent tomorrow and be valued by the Qingyun Sect. This is cause for celebration, so I should buy her something." Ling Tian suddenly remembered his appointment at Qingyun Peak tomorrow.

"But what should I buy? I've never bought anything before, let alone for a girl." Ling Tian's face flushed, but then he became confused.

"Um, Mother, I want to celebrate for a girl. What should I buy?" Ling Tian's face flushed slightly as he asked Humei.

"Hehe, Tian'er is growing up." At that moment, a sentence suddenly appeared in Ling Tian's mind, spoken in a very sweet female voice.

"Huh? Who's talking? Is, is it Mother?" Ling Tian's heart jolted, and he looked at Humei uncertainly, as his mother had never spoken to him like this before.

"Of course, it's me, silly Tian'er. Your Spiritual Sense has formed, so you can communicate with your divine sense now." Humei's voice, tinged with a hint of playful blame, came from Ling Tian's mind.

"Then why have you never spoken to me with your Spiritual Sense before?" Ling Tian asked in surprise.

"It's because you're slow! I thought you'd realize it after your Spiritual Sense formed, but you never used your divine sense to communicate with me. Mother was so sad, boo hoo." She even pretended to cry.

"Uh, I've always heard you speak like this, so I got used to it and forgot." Ling Tian stood dumbfounded, scratching his head sheepishly. After a moment, he recovered and said, "But this is much more convenient, communicating with divine sense, hehe."

"Are you trying to butter up your little girlfriend? Tsk tsk, so young, but quite cunning." Humei didn't dwell on the matter for long and turned to tease Ling Tian.

"No, no, I just want to congratulate her." Ling Tian's face turned red as he hurriedly explained.

"Oh, look at you trying to hide your true feelings. Fine, I'll take you to buy something for her." Seeing Ling Tian's face getting redder, Humei stopped teasing him.

"Okay, thank you, Mother. Mother, you're so kind." Ling Tian pouted playfully.

"Alright, alright, let's go." Humei's eyes were filled with affection as she urged Ling Tian on. Then they arrived at a jewelry store.

Upon entering the store and seeing the dazzling array of jewelry, Ling Tian looked at this and touched that. Everything was beautiful and exquisite, and he didn't know which one to choose.

"Mother, there are so many, which one should I buy?" Ling Tian was overwhelmed, but thankfully Humei was by his side. He quickly used his divine sense to ask his mother.

"Alas, no, these are all too ordinary." Humei said to Ling Tian with great disappointment.

"These aren't good enough? They all look quite pretty!" Ling Tian was full of surprise when he heard his mother say that.

"Cultivators don't care about such mundane items. Let's have the boss custom-make one. You happen to have some good gems in your Storage Ring," Humei explained.

"Oh, then what should we make?" Ling Tian asked.

"A pair of earrings, perhaps. You have two nice 'Green Jade Stones', which can condense Spiritual Energy and stabilize the mind, calming it and helping to resist the invasion of inner demons. This will naturally lead to twice the results with half the effort in cultivation. Plus, those two are identical, making them perfect for earrings." Humei analyzed and explained, then sent some earring designs to Ling Tian via divine sense.

"Okay, but I think making them into butterfly shapes would be even better. Hua Min'er is at Qingdie Peak, with butterflies everywhere. It would be a perfect match for her." Ling Tian offered some suggestions.

"Hmm, not bad, not bad. Little fellow, you've got a sharp mind. But we need to add this and this, and this design to make them light and graceful." Humei couldn't help but praise him, then perfected Ling Tian's idea.

After a brief exchange with Humei, Ling Tian finalized the design.

"Okay, let's do it this way." Ling Tian finally made the decision.

Although it seemed like a long conversation, Ling Tian and Humei communicated via divine sense. While it felt like a long time to them, in the outside world, only an instant had passed.

"Young man, have you found anything you like? What would you like?" At this moment, the shop owner, seeing Ling Tian's extraordinary demeanor, politely greeted him.

"I was wondering if you could custom-make something?" Ling Tian asked.

"Of course, we can. What would you like to custom-make, and what style?" The boss didn't waste any words and asked directly.

Ling Tian took out two crystal-clear green stones and some strange metal, handing them to the boss. He said he wanted to inlay these two stones and then described the final design they had discussed with Humei. The boss listened carefully, occasionally jotting down notes.

"Boss, when will it be ready? I need it urgently. This is for the craftsmanship." After a moment, their conversation ended. Ling Tian took out a large silver ingot and handed it to the boss.

"If you're in a hurry, young man, I'll start making it right away. It should be ready by this afternoon." The boss took the silver ingot, overjoyed, but quickly composed himself.

"This afternoon? Well, I guess that's the only way. Let's do it this afternoon then." Ling Tian thought for a moment. If it was this afternoon, he'd probably be heading back late and would have to travel at night. But that was no big deal. With that thought, Ling Tian agreed.

"Please make yourself at home, young man. I need to get to work." The boss began his work. He had never seen such beautiful stones before and knew he had to treat them with care. Moreover, for any jewelry craftsman, creating a masterpiece from his hands was a dream come true.

"Then I won't disturb you, boss. I'll take my leave now." Ling Tian said and left the jewelry store, heading to the blacksmith's shop. Their agreed-upon time had arrived.

Upon arriving at the blacksmith's shop, the blacksmith uncle was still forging Iron Beads. Seeing Ling Tian approach, he stopped his work and hurried to greet him, saying, "Young man, you're here."

"Yes. Uncle, how many have you made?" Ling Tian asked with concern. This was going to be one of his major trump cards in the future, so the more, the better.

"I'm ashamed to say, but despite working day and night, we've only managed to make about two thousand. Are you satisfied, young man? If not, I can refund your money." The blacksmith uncle said apologetically. For a silver ingot, crafting only these Iron Beads meant he had lost quite a bit of money for Ling Tian.

"Over two thousand!? That many? That's enough, it's enough! The rest of the money can be for you to buy some wine." Ling Tian had expected to get a few hundred at most. He never imagined he'd get several times that amount. He figured the blacksmith uncle must not have rested for the past two days.

"Hehe, I'm glad you're satisfied, young man. Here are the beads. Alas, I'm old and useless. I can't stay up late anymore. I'm exhausted after just two days and a night. I'm going to rest now. Please make yourself at home." With that, he handed Ling Tian a large bag filled with round Iron Beads the size of cat's eyes. He yawned, looking very tired, and went to rest behind the blacksmith's shop after handing the bag to Ling Tian.

Ling Tian took the bag and casually weighed an Iron Bead. He felt very satisfied and then tossed it into his Storage Ring. Seeing the blacksmith uncle resting wearily, he felt grateful for a moment before turning and leaving. He then returned to the hotel to wait for his earrings to be finished so he could go back.

Time always seemed to pass slowly when one was waiting.

Ling Tian ordered some food at the hotel and began to eat slowly. It felt like a long time had passed, but when he looked at the sky, only fifteen minutes had gone by.

"Tian'er, eat something and relax. You seem anxious." Humei's voice echoed in Ling Tian's consciousness, with a hint of amusement and a bit of scolding.

"Mother, do you think earrings are a good gift for a girl?" Ling Tian asked his mother again, feeling uneasy.

"Hehe, Tian'er, you've asked that dozens of times. If you're not tired of it, I am. I've already told you that with my personal design, no one will dislike it." Humei was helpless; she had heard Ling Tian ask that question so many times her ears were ringing.

"Hehe, sorry, Mother. I'm just worried, you know. It's my first time giving a girl a gift." Ling Tian chuckled sheepishly.

Humei simply rolled her eyes at him and ignored him. Ling Tian could only continue to fidget restlessly on his own.

And so, as Ling Tian waited anxiously, the afternoon arrived. He hurriedly stood up, called out to Humei, and rushed out the door towards the jewelry store.

"Tian'er, slow down, slow down. It's only just afternoon. Why are you in such a hurry?" Humei chided Ling Tian slightly.

Ling Tian's face flushed red, but he still made an excuse: "Mother, I'm afraid it will be too late later, and we won't be able to get back to Qingyou Peak when it gets dark. That way, we'll have to camp out again."

Humei rolled her eyes. How could she not know Ling Tian was making excuses? He had the little house magical treasure, so why would he be afraid of camping out? However, she didn't call him out on it and followed Ling Tian into the accessories shop.

"Boss, are the earrings I ordered ready?" Ling Tian couldn't help but ask as soon as he entered the shop.

"Shh, young man, keep your voice down. Master is rushing to finish them for you. They'll be ready in a little while. Please rest over there for now." A person who looked like an apprentice hurried forward, signaling Ling Tian to be quiet, then pointing to the inner room, indicating that the boss was busy working diligently inside and shouldn't be disturbed.

Ling Tian nodded somewhat sheepishly and then walked to the side to rest.

This time, Ling Tian felt as if time was crawling forward like a snail. He was getting anxious waiting. However, the sounds of hammering and banging from the inner room hadn't stopped, so Ling Tian knew there was no use in rushing.

If one knew how to refine artifacts, it wouldn't take so long. With Alchemy Fire, what metal can't be dissolved? With a bit of mental control, you can manipulate the molten metal into any shape you desire, making it much less troublesome. Humei's voice appeared in Ling Tian's mind.

"Can artifact refining be used to make small accessories like these?" Ling Tian asked in surprise.

"Of course. Weapons, musical instruments, wine vessels, all sorts of things. Alchemy Fire can melt not only metal but also jade and even wood, and then with a thought, you can shape it into whatever you want," Humei patiently explained to Ling Tian, seeming to help him pass the time.

"That's amazing! It seems I'll have to study artifact refining books properly in the future. I only glanced at the books Father gave me and lost interest. I didn't realize artifact refining was so fun." Lingyun's books for Ling Tian also contained information on artifact refining, but Ling Tian, having no interest, had only skimmed through them.

"Your father is right. Every path has its own way. Once you delve deeper, you'll discover its uniqueness. You must never underestimate any skill in the future. Besides, cultivators have long lives. If you don't learn more things to enjoy and pass the time, life will feel dull and tasteless," Humei patiently admonished Ling Tian, sounding as if she were bidding farewell to a traveler, which made Ling Tian feel a bit strange.

"Tian'er will always be by Father and Mother's side in the future, and I can learn from you both properly." Although Ling Tian felt his mother was acting strangely, he didn't pay it much mind, thinking it was just a mother's love for her child.

Sigh, we wish we could stay with you forever, but we... Humei thought to herself, but these thoughts were not heard by Ling Tian.