Embracing the Beauty

The forest was deathly quiet.

Chehou Yan froze.

Explode, why didn't it explode?

He had clearly sensed the jade slip right in front of him.

"Brother Chehou, what are you expecting?" Shen Yue looked over with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.

Had this been in the past, he might have truly been blown to bits just now.

But having mastered the Heavenly Cauldron Refining Technique, he had long since erased the restrictions hidden within the jade slip.

Black Longyu also looked at Chehou Yan in confusion, her ugly face twisted into a frown.

Chehou Yan gave a start, hurriedly reaching to the side to pluck two wildflowers, offering them obsequiously: "These would look absolutely stunning on you, my lady."

"What kind of wild weeds are worthy of this lady's peerless beauty?" Black Longyu slapped Chehou Yan across the head. "Get on with the real business!"

Chehou Yan saw stars, yet he still maintained an expression of utter infatuation.

"Fellow Daoist, you must be heading to the city to purchase spiritual resources, right?"

"Unfortunately, some time ago, the two Purple Mansion True Lords, Xuanyang and Yinsha, held a discourse in the Immortal City, causing it to close. There is no telling when it will reopen."

"But don't worry, Fellow Daoist. I know of a place guarded by several Foundation Establishment powerhouses, where spiritual resources and treasures are just as abundant."

Chehou Yan wore a look of sincerity, though his mind was already calculating.

Black Longyu had a younger sister, rumored to be hideously ugly but possessing immense talent, and was deeply favored by the Master of Black Soil Fortress.

Since I can't blow you to pieces, I'll make you marry an ugly woman—one even uglier than Black Longyu—to suffer day in and day out.

Not only would this satisfy my grudge, but it would also win me Black Longyu's favor.

Shen Yue fell silent for a moment.

He knew Chehou Yan definitely had ill intentions.

But he couldn't return empty-handed from this trip; this Chehou Yan seemed to be a lucky star, as every time they met, he gained something significant.

Since he could teleport back at any time, there was no harm in taking a look.

"I'll have to trouble Brother Chehou to lead the way."

Fallen Leaf Valley was a naturally formed basin, surrounded by mountains on all sides and shrouded in mist.

As soon as the three of them reached the valley entrance, a woman dressed in purple robes with a purple veil over her face came to greet them.

Black Longyu laughed heartily, grabbing the woman's hands and asking after her well-being, acting incredibly intimate.

Chehou Yan whispered from the side: "The greatest beauty of Black Soil Fortress, the Fortress Master's precious daughter, and the future heir to Black Soil Fortress. Well, Brother Shen, are you interested?"

Shen Yue looked at Black Longyu's protruding buckteeth, then at the woman hiding her face, fearing she was even more unsightly, so he didn't take the bait, merely saying:

"Let's enter the valley first. I'll treat Brother Chehou to a good drink."

"Fine."

The interior of the valley was a world of its own.

Spiritual trees lined the path, fallen leaves paved the ground like gold, and all manner of stalls were set up on both sides.

Spiritual talismans, pills, magical artifacts, and spiritual materials were everywhere, with the sounds of hawking and haggling rising one after another.

The four of them arrived at an inn, where spiritual wine and spiritual meat were laid out on the table.

"Let me introduce you, Brother Shen. My wife, you've already met. This is Miss Long Ying." Chehou Yan was impatient to play matchmaker.

"Good sister, we're all family here. Take off your veil and have a drink with Brother Shen." Black Longyu chimed in to assist.

Long Ying hesitated for a moment, then removed her veil and raised her wine cup: "Brother Shen, a toast to you."

Her willow-leaf brows and almond eyes were striking, her nose bridge delicate, her lips like vermilion, and her skin whiter than snow.

Her eyes were clear as crystal, and when she smiled, her gaze rippled with a refined, otherworldly grace.

How could this be an ugly woman?

She was clearly a peerless beauty of the highest order.

Seeing this face, Black Longyu secretly sneered.

What "peerless beauty"? There wasn't even a single natural blemish on her face, and those white, clean teeth were simply preposterous.

Nothing like her own thick lips and black teeth, which perfectly matched the aesthetic of Black Soil Fortress.

Therefore, she was the true peerless beauty, the darling of the fortress.

Thinking of this, she looked at Chehou Yan with secret smugness: You're getting a bargain, kid.

But at this moment, Chehou Yan was staring at Long Ying, unable to tear his eyes away.

What the hell... they call this the ugliest woman in Black Soil Fortress?

Looking at Black Longyu's face again...

He couldn't help but recall when he was captured by Black Soil Fortress. The Fortress Master had told him there were two daughters and he could live if he married one, but before he could even make a choice, he had been forcibly dragged into a room by Black Longyu...

Damn heavens, if you want me dead, just say so; don't toy with me like this!

Chehou Yan ground his back teeth until they nearly shattered.

"Please." Shen Yue was also somewhat surprised; this woman was far from ugly, possessing instead a beautiful face.

Are they really sisters with that buck-toothed woman?

"Where are you from, Brother Shen?" Long Ying's voice was crisp and clear.

"Just a wandering cultivator."

"You don't look like a wandering cultivator, Brother Shen." Long Ying's smile became even more captivating.

Chehou Yan couldn't watch anymore: "Brother Shen, didn't you come to buy treasures? The market will be closing soon, you should hurry."

He absolutely could not let his enemy win the beauty's heart!

He racked his brains.

Got it! A bait-and-switch, using a wife to borrow a life!

"Right, Sister Ying, you're familiar with Fallen Leaf Valley, why don't you take Brother Shen around?"

Black Longyu was playing matchmaker; as long as Long Ying got involved with some wild cultivator, then Black Soil Fortress would be hers!

"This isn't appropriate..." Chehou Yan's face turned green with rage.

Black Longyu shot him a look, and he obediently lowered his head.

"I'll go myself, there's no need to trouble Miss Long Ying." Shen Yue cupped his hands in a salute.

The more beautiful a woman, the more dangerous she was; naturally, he wouldn't let anyone follow him.

Long Ying smiled faintly and produced a sound-transmission talisman: "If you need anything, Brother Shen, just find me."

"Very well."

Shen Yue walked out of the inn and headed toward the market.

He had brought five portions of [Star Flow Sand], two portions of [Fire Flowing Sand], and over a dozen spirit artifacts to see if he could sell them off, then purchase two powerful techniques and pills for breaking through his cultivation bottleneck.

Ancient Wei cultivation methods were profound, but also troublesome.

From the early stage to the middle, and middle to late, pills were required to break through the barriers.

Arriving at the market, Shen Yue first wandered around the stalls, asking at several locations to get a feel for the market.

Although Fallen Leaf Valley wasn't as grand as an Immortal City, there were many cultivators passing through, and the prices were actually more flexible than in the city.

[Star Flow Sand] went for sixteen spirit stones per portion, one higher than in the Immortal City; after selling all five, he had eighty spirit stones in hand.

But what truly surprised Shen Yue were the dozen or so spirit artifacts he had refined himself.

"Although this Emerald Ring is a low-grade artifact, the refining technique is quite good, carrying the style of the Chehou Family in Linjiang Immortal City. I'll buy it for thirty."

Before the words had even faded, another old man stepped up: "I'll offer thirty-five."

In Chusheng Market, a low-grade spirit artifact usually went for around twenty spirit stones, with high-quality ones selling for twenty-five.

Thirty-five was already a premium price.

Following that, Shen Yue sold two more spirit artifacts, fetching thirty and thirty-eight stones respectively.

Adding the proceeds from the Star Flow Sand and his existing savings, the number of spirit stones he held was nearing two hundred.

Shen Yue felt a surge of satisfaction: "If I sell all these dozen spirit artifacts, I'll have another three to five hundred spirit stones in my pocket!"

However, he didn't rush to sell them all, instead stepping into the "Spirit Treasure Pavilion."

The shopkeeper was a middle-aged man with a small mustache. Seeing Shen Yue enter, he immediately greeted him with a smile: "What would you like to buy, Fellow Daoist? Techniques, spells, pills—this shop has everything."

"Let me see some spells."

"You've come at the right time, Fellow Daoist. Our shop just received a top-tier spell." The shopkeeper took a dark green jade slip from the shelf.

"This [Profound Yin Spirit-Absorbing Art] can draw upon the Yinsha energy between heaven and earth for one's own use. Once cultivated to a high level, you can absorb a person's spiritual power with a wave of your hand. It is incredibly domineering."

Shen Yue felt tempted; this spell would perfectly compensate for his lack of variety in combat.

"Don't listen to his nonsense, Brother Shen."

Long Ying happened to be passing by and, seeing this scene, hurried in to warn him.

"This [Profound Yin Spirit-Absorbing Art] looks good, but it is actually a method of using humans as pills."

The shopkeeper gave a dry laugh, retracted the jade slip, and brought out another one that glowed with a golden light:

"Fellow Daoist, look at this [Heavenly Stellar Soul-Refining Technique]. This is a divine art for tempering the soul. Once mastered, your divine sense will increase significantly, allowing you to perceive every movement within dozens of miles, and it is completely free of hidden dangers."

"This technique is a branch of Yinsha True Lord's Three Thousand Derived Divine Soldiers." Long Ying interrupted with a smile, "Yinsha True Lord used a secret method to scatter three thousand jade slips; whoever cultivates them becomes a Derived Divine Soldier."

The cultivation methods of Ancient Wei were truly treacherous, riddled with traps at every turn.

Shen Yue cupped his hands toward Long Ying: "Many thanks for the reminder."

The first golden page of the [Nine Heavens Profound Mirror] could not only permanently stabilize cultivation progress but also discern the authenticity of techniques; fake techniques could not be recorded onto the golden page.

Therefore, he wasn't actually worried about cultivating the wrong technique, but trial and error would waste both time and spirit stones.

"If Brother Shen wants to buy spells, you can take a look at that shop across the way." Long Ying pointed across the street and smiled slyly, "The owner there is honest, and his goods are quite good."

"Fellow Daoist, don't leave yet!" The shopkeeper grew anxious and hurriedly handed over two golden books, "These two are guaranteed quality, fair prices for all, take a look, Fellow Daoist!"

Shen Yue took them and flipped through the pages.

One was titled [Earth Origin Sand Condensing Art], an earth-attribute spell that drew upon the energy of earth veins to condense sand, serving both offense and defense; it was highly compatible with his [Star Sand Return-to-Store Technique].

The other was the wood-attribute [Azure Wood Vitality Guide], which was useless to him.

"For both, how many spirit stones?"

"Fellow Daoist has a sharp eye; both are only one hundred spirit stones."

"Thirty." Long Ying slashed right at the jugular.

The shopkeeper gritted his teeth: "Fifty, no lower."

"Twenty-five." Shen Yue made a move to leave.

"Consider it a gift to you, Fellow Daoist!"

Still a profit.

Shen Yue took the techniques, walked out the door, and offered a salute: "Many thanks, Miss Long Ying."

Long Ying smiled: "This place is a mix of dragons and snakes; spiritual treasures and techniques vary in quality, and there are many hidden traps. What else does Brother Shen want to buy? Let me see if I can help you."

"I... smell a different kind of fluctuation on you."

At this moment, an old woman dressed in withered grass clothes suddenly stopped in front of Shen Yue.

She was hunched over with messy white hair, the wrinkles on her face resembling a dried-up riverbed, and her nose sniffed the air.

"Very vigorous, very intense... like the heat of fire."

Shen Yue's pupils constricted.

There was no fire energy in this place.

The fire energy on his body came from the Refining Lake of another realm!