Meteorite Copper

"Is this your home?" Ye Yun looked at the exquisite two-story building on the street with disbelief. He really couldn't imagine that Gu Dahai, a local bully who roamed the countryside, would own such a delicate house in the bustling city.

Seeing Ye Yun's reaction, Gu Dahai quickly and cautiously explained, "This is my parents' family business. However, over the years, they couldn't stand the gossip and moved to a manor I bought for them outside the city. Only I live here now."

Ye Yun nodded and walked in through the main door.

Upon entering, Ye Yun discovered that Gu Dahai's home didn't contain any valuable items. The chairs were old, and much of the paint had peeled off. What surprised Ye Yun the most was that the house had a small courtyard. In the courtyard, there was a small pond with a few koi carp. Lotus flowers floated on the water's surface, and fruit trees were planted around the pond. Two of the trees were covered in unripe, green fruit, which looked quite pleasing.

"I didn't expect you to have such a view here. One truly can't judge a book by its cover!" Ye Yun couldn't help but exclaim as he looked at the scene in the courtyard.

Gu Dahai's face crumpled as he replied cautiously, "Great hero, this wasn't my doing. My father specially created this to please my mother. After my parents moved to the manor, I kept it as a memento, so I didn't change anything."

"Indeed, judging by the appearance, it doesn't look like something you would create," Ye Yun nodded and turned to walk into the house.

After a brief look around, Ye Yun lost interest in Gu Dahai's home and returned to the backyard. He stopped by the small pond and said without turning his head, "Alright, I've seen the place. Now, we should discuss business. Have you thought of how to compensate me for my losses?"

Gu Dahai knew the most crucial moment had arrived. This young nobleman, who looked harmless, was unlike anyone he had encountered before. Not only was he skilled in martial arts, but he was also unpredictable. He could beat you up without reason. Gu Dahai truly feared that what he had prepared might not satisfy this young master, leading to him being swiftly dispatched.

Gu Dahai gritted his teeth and said in a low voice, "Young master, please wait a moment. I'll retrieve it now." With that, Gu Dahai turned, lowered his head, lifted a bluestone at the entrance of the backyard, and reluctantly took out an oilcloth-wrapped package from underneath.

"Young master, this is a martial arts manual I stumbled upon. My current achievements are all thanks to it. Unfortunately, I am illiterate and dared not have it translated, otherwise, my achievements would surely be far greater."

"Oh?"

Ye Yun turned around with a look of surprise, gazing at the oilcloth package with interest.

Seeing this, Gu Dahai lowered his head and respectfully handed the oilcloth package to Ye Yun, his eyes filled with unwillingness. However, he also knew that Ye Yun's strength far surpassed his, and resistance was futile.

After opening the oilcloth package, a somewhat yellowed book appeared before Ye Yun. The cover was emblazoned with the three powerful characters "Thick Earth Art." However, after flipping through it, Ye Yun lost interest. This was a cultivation technique of the Earth attribute, but it could only be cultivated to the eighth level of Jade Purity. His current cultivation was already at the eighth level of Jade Purity, so this technique was beneath his notice.

Although he disdained this cultivation technique, it was an invaluable treasure to Gu Dahai. Fortunately, he hadn't had it translated, or his family would have been ruined long ago. After all, not every sect was the Qingyun Sect. This technique alone could establish a small sect. If it were revealed, Heyang City would likely erupt in a bloody storm.

After a casual flip through, Ye Yun casually tucked the manual into his robes. He had no intention of telling Gu Dahai the truth, lest Gu Dahai regret it to the point of suicide.

After putting away the manual, Ye Yun nodded at Gu Dahai and said, "I am very satisfied with this. The previous matter is now settled. Now, I have something I want to ask you, and you must answer truthfully."

"I will certainly report truthfully," Gu Dahai, having weathered his share of storms, quickly regained his composure.

Ye Yun organized his thoughts and said calmly, "It's like this, I want to know if there are any strange occurrences in Heyang City, and if there are any items with peculiar powers within the city. You are a Local Tyrant here, so you must know a lot of this information."

Gu Dahai was momentarily stunned that Ye Yun would ask such questions. However, he soon reasoned that peculiar individuals often had unusual hobbies and became enlightened. After some thought, he began to respectfully explain, "Regarding strange occurrences, Heyang City has quite a few, but most are baseless rumors, fabricated by those with ulterior motives to mislead people. The most outlandish story recently is the haunting of Old Master Liu's mansion in the east of the city." As he spoke, Gu Dahai couldn't help but swallow. Even a robust man like him harbored fear towards ghosts and spirits.

"It is said that three days ago, on a rainy night, the neighbors suddenly heard eerie screams coming from Old Master Liu's mansion. However, due to the heavy rain and the late hour, no one went to investigate. When the rain stopped the next morning, the neighbors saw that Old Master Liu's mansion was eerily silent. After discussing it, a few people ventured in together and pushed open the slightly ajar door. Only three of them came out. Two were driven mad by fear, and the other, after shouting 'Ghost!' outside the door, vomited blood and died on the spot, turning into pus and blood. Even the expert invited by the authorities dared not go deep inside, only circling near the entrance before retreating. In the end, they merely sealed off the mansion and hastily concluded the matter."

"Oh? Are there really ghosts?" Ye Yun was quite interested. He had never seen a ghost in his life. Although Tian Buyi and the others had seen them, they were mostly encountered from evil cultivators. They hadn't seen any wild ones because, in this world, the souls and spirits of the deceased quickly dissipated, making it difficult for them to form into ghosts, which are composed of souls and resentment. Most ghosts were artificially created.

"This... I do not know, young master," Gu Dahai said awkwardly.

Ye Yun nodded and said, "Mm, continue."

"Yes, young master," Gu Dahai nodded.

Gu Dahai had lost his train of thought when Ye Yun interrupted. After thinking for a moment, he continued, "Young master, I don't know of any more strange occurrences. As for items with strange abilities you mentioned, treasures like that are beyond the reach of minor figures like myself. However, I do know that Boss Chen of the Fierce Tiger Gang in the east of the city possesses a piece of Meteorite Copper. I learned of this by chance, and besides myself, no more than three people in Heyang City know about it."

"Meteorite Copper? That's a good thing. How did Boss Chen get it?" Ye Yun's interest was immediately piqued upon hearing "Meteorite Copper." One of his reasons for descending the mountain was to find rare heavenly materials to forge his own magic treasure, and Meteorite Copper was undoubtedly a good material.