Page 44

Xu Ye rolled his eyes and cast a disdainful glance at him. "Are you stupid? Isn't tomorrow the full-month celebration for the child of Senior Sister and me? Wait, where is my daughter?"

As he spoke, he looked down at his right arm, cradling it with great joy, and happily kissed his own elbow. "Good girl, good girl, give Daddy a hug!"

Outside the Profound Mirror, a certain elder of the Wanjian Sect spat out a mouthful of water.

Ning Ning.

Zou Wu had heard this name before.

A genius with a natural Sword Bone, she had not only gained the favor of the Jiangxing Elder of the Xuanxu Sword Sect but had also been taken in as a personal disciple by Tian Xianzi the moment she entered the sect, her cultivation progressing by leaps and bounds.

She appeared gentle and well-behaved, and having restrained her sword aura earlier, it was easy for others to mistake her for an ordinary cultivator who had just broken through to the Golden Core Realm. But unexpectedly—

Zou Wu gritted his teeth in secret.

He was currently at the Golden Core Third Layer, which should be roughly on par with her, but if they were to actually fight, he would likely be the one at a disadvantage—not to mention she had two other sword cultivators by her side.

—Although, the only reason those two had heads might just be to make themselves look a little taller.

"So it is Junior Sister Ning Ning."

Zou Wu smiled broadly, his expression changing in an instant. If he were in the twenty-first century, he might have become a world-renowned master of Sichuan opera face-changing. "I have long heard of your extraordinary talent, Junior Sister. Truly, it is an honor. Very well, what is meant to be will be, and what is not meant to be should not be forced. Although this Heaven Heart Grass has been snatched away by you, it is still a fitting destination for it."

He really acted the part to the end, deliberately using the word "snatched."

He Zhizhou's temper flared instantly. He curled his lips into a cold, mocking smile. "Yo, still putting on that innocent, white lotus act? May I ask how old you are, little brother? Have you ever attended school? What kind of medicine are you taking? Why is your brain so muddled?"

Zou Wu: "You...!"

"You what, you?"

He Zhizhou didn't give him a chance to speak at all. Whether it was the effect of the poisonous mushrooms or just his natural disposition, his mouth didn't stop running.

"I've never seen someone with skin as thick as a city wall. I'm standing eight yards away, and your face is still hitting me. If you ask me, it's a real pity you didn't become a chef, seeing as you're so good at passing the buck. If you keep spouting nonsense, this Xianjun will have Cuizui smash your fruit!"

Not to mention Zou Wu, even Xu Ye, who was standing to the side, was stunned into silence.

The toxicity of the mushrooms rampaged through his brain, causing him to raise his hands high and shout, "Long live the Xianjun! May the Xianjun live for ten thousand years!"

He Zhizhou waved a hand grandly. "No need for formalities, Eunuch Xu. Take your daughter and withdraw."

Xu Ye: "As you command—!"

Only after saying it did he realize something was wrong.

With this broken body of his... how did he manage to have a daughter with Senior Sister?

Oh, heavens!

Xu Ye fell to his knees and let out a long howl toward the sky, clutching his right arm as he wailed, "Senior Sister! How many more surprises do you have that I don't know about?!"

He Zhizhou let out a long sigh to hide his tears and began to recite in a slow, broadcast-announcer voice: "Electric and incredible, like a miracle, flashing through your life. Different from any meaning, it is the green light, so unique."

...Regardless, the drama of these two had finally converged.

While there was chaos on their end, to Zou Wu's surprise, Ning Ning, who was at the center of the incident, didn't show much change in expression. She even looked at him and smiled gently.

"Senior Brother Zou, hearing you say that makes me feel a bit guilty."

She seemed somewhat shy, lowering her head and pursing her lips into a smile. "Although I cannot give you the Heaven Heart Grass... I found a treasure in the cave earlier called the Jinyu Furnace. I wonder if you have heard of it?"

Jinyu Furnace?

Zou Wu shook his head.

"The Human-Faced Scorpion in the cave told me that this cauldron balances yin and yang and is the pinnacle of craftsmanship. Created by an ancient immortal, it can duplicate spirit plants of Rare Grade and below. Although it cannot duplicate the Heaven Heart Grass, if you have other precious spirit plants, you are welcome to come find me."

Ning Ning spoke flawlessly, but Zou Wu remained skeptical. "Is there really such a good thing in this world?"

"The Jinyu Furnace takes time to duplicate spirit plants. If it is a Rare Grade, it takes about one to two hours; but if it's just common flowers and grass—"

As she spoke, she took a palm-sized golden cauldron from her bundle, bent down to pick a flower, placed a Chaoyang Flower into the furnace, and whispered a mantra.

Zou Wu watched with wide-eyed curiosity, not daring to even breathe loudly. Before long, he saw Ning Ning reach into the furnace and actually pull out two Chaoyang Flowers.

Zou Wu was shocked. "This...!"

"What benefit would I gain if I were to deceive you, Senior Brother? Not only would I get no reward, but I would also have to provide my own spirit plants. That wouldn't be very cost-effective, would it?"

Ning Ning hugged the furnace tightly to her chest, avoiding Zou Wu's hand as he tried to touch it. "I'll tell you in advance, Senior Brother Zou: don't get any ideas. The Jinyu Furnace has a unique activation mantra; no one knows it but me."

Although Zou Wu was greedy, he wasn't a fool. If he gave her precious spirit plants directly and she ran off with the treasure without a word, he wouldn't even have a place to cry.

The scene before him only dispelled half of his doubts. After a moment of thought, he pulled a few Zhuohuo Sunflowers from his pocket. "My things are all at the camp; this is all I have on me."

Spirit plants are divided into Mortal Grade, Earth Grade, Heaven Grade, Rare Grade, and Saint Grade. The Heaven Heart Grass belongs to the world-rare Saint Grade, while the Zhuohuo Sunflower is Heaven Grade—a middle-of-the-road quality, perfect for testing.

"Heaven Grade takes longer to refine, so please be patient, Senior Brother."

Ning Ning took them from him. "I still need to look after these two friends of mine. Why don't you come back here to find me in an hour?"

This was a clear order to leave. Although Zou Wu was still half-doubting, even if he were being scammed, losing a few Heaven Grade spirit plants wouldn't be too much of a loss.

If this were true...

Then he would be making a fortune.

"I know! This is an investment scam!"

Watching the young man's aura disappear without a trace, He Zhizhou finally couldn't help but laugh out loud. "It's that thing—luring him in with small profits first, then waiting for him to be convinced and increase his investment, before disappearing with both the person and the money, right?"