Ink Jade Marrow

Luo Mu pondered and decided that Qu Yi was right; sooner or later, he would need to prepare a flying magical artifact for himself. However, with all his spirit stones totaling only a little over two hundred, he felt a deep, visceral hesitation at the thought of shelling out half of his entire fortune at once.

Because he was a penny-pincher.

"Fellow Daoist Luo Mu! Do not hesitate any longer! I can tell from your expression that you can certainly afford a flying artifact; you are simply struggling with whether or not you should buy it. Do not dither! If we are late, that abundance of Ink Crow Grass might fall into someone else's pockets!" Qu Yi urged, his face full of anxiety.

Under Qu Yi's prodding, Luo Mu's expression shifted repeatedly until, finally, he gritted his teeth and revealed a look of grim determination. "Fine! I will purchase a flying artifact. Let us just hope that the Ink Crow Grass has not yet been discovered by other cultivators!"

Even as he made this decision with a resolute face, Luo Mu's heart was bleeding.

Half a day later, outside Jinxiu City, amidst the surprised and envious gazes of other cultivators, a giant sword with a unique design rose shakily into the air. Standing upon the blade were two youths, both brimming with excitement.

These two were, of course, Luo Mu and Qu Yi.

After walking out of the artifact shop, all that remained of Luo Mu's worldly wealth was one hundred and eight low-grade spirit stones. Yet, his storage bag now contained a long sword specifically designed for flight.

Since cultivators were forbidden from flying within the city, the two had walked to the city gates before Luo Mu retrieved the expensive sword from his storage bag. He clumsily controlled the blade to hover at his heels, and the two hopped onto it with faces full of exhilaration.

The principles of controlling a flying artifact were the same as any other, and Luo Mu had long since committed them to memory. Although he was wobbly and far from proficient at first—nearly sending both himself and Qu Yi tumbling from the sky—he managed to gain control of the giant sword after a short period of adjustment. For a time, the two flew back and forth across the sky, mountains beneath their feet and clouds that had once been out of reach now within arm's length, leaving them both feeling thoroughly thrilled.

The ecstatic Luo Mu had even forgotten about the spirit stones he had spent to acquire the artifact!

"Fellow Daoist Qu Yi, where exactly is the location you mentioned?" Once the initial excitement faded, Luo Mu's face returned to its usual calm. Standing on the giant sword against the howling wind, he spoke to Qu Yi behind him.

At this moment, both had released their spiritual energy to form protective barriers, wrapping their bodies within them so that the gale had no effect. Qu Yi's barrier was white, like that of most cultivators, but Luo Mu's was a pale green, which couldn't help but make Qu Yi click his tongue in wonder.

However, Qu Yi was a sensible man and did not pry. The world of cultivation was vast and full of wonders; the pale green color was likely due to the cultivation technique Luo Mu practiced. After a brief moment of curiosity, Qu Yi let it go and instead looked down, searching for the general direction where he had previously discovered the Ink Crow Grass.

On the ground, Qu Yi could find his way, but once in the air, he had to be careful to identify the landmarks, fearing he might take a wrong turn and make a fool of himself in front of Luo Mu.

A moment later, Qu Yi pointed in a direction and said to Luo Mu, "Go straight ahead for a hundred miles; there is a large canyon there. That is our destination!"

Having recognized the path, Qu Yi spoke with absolute certainty. Hearing such a confident reply, Luo Mu nodded and steered the giant sword in the direction Qu Yi indicated.

There were no delays along the way, and since the giant sword's flight speed was quite decent, the two arrived at their destination a hundred miles away in just a short while. Just as Qu Yi had said, a massive canyon appeared in their line of sight.

"That's right! This is the place!" Qu Yi said, his face full of joy.

A hint of delight flashed across Luo Mu's face as well, though he quickly masked it. Before he actually obtained the Ink Crow Grass, he felt it best not to show too much desire for it, lest Qu Yi grow greedy and try to gouge him. After all, he had only known the man for a night, and Luo Mu dared not assume he was a paragon of virtue.

In Luo Mu's view, there were perhaps very few truly upright people in this world. Whether the Qu Yi before him was one of them, Luo Mu dared not conclude, but his internal vigilance remained undiminished.

"Do you see that steep cliff ahead? The Ink Crow Grass grows right on the sheer rock face." At that moment, Qu Yi spoke up loudly, as if afraid Luo Mu might not hear him.

Following the direction of Qu Yi's finger, Luo Mu saw a steep cliff. He did not hesitate, controlling the giant sword to fly rapidly toward the rock face. The sword turned into a streak of light, and in the blink of an eye, they reached the base of the cliff.

The towering cliff was incredibly steep, with various unknown weeds and wildflowers growing sparsely upon it. Near the bottom of the cliff, Luo Mu indeed discovered the presence of the Ink Crow Grass.

Luo Mu's heart leaped with joy; he had not expected the Ink Crow Grass to remain undiscovered and unpicked by other cultivators. Filled with excitement, he controlled the giant sword to descend slowly, drawing closer to the spot where the grass grew.

"Look! Did I not tell you? This is all genuine Ink Crow Grass! I didn't let you make this trip for nothing, did I, Fellow Daoist Luo Mu?" Seeing that the grass was still there, Qu Yi's face relaxed as he let out a long breath, speaking to Luo Mu with a self-satisfied air.

Qu Yi clearly remembered the promise he had made to Luo Mu the previous night: if there were no news of the Ink Crow Grass, he would leave his life in Luo Mu's hands. If the grass had not been found, Qu Yi did not believe Luo Mu would have let it slide; even if he didn't take his life out of gratitude for the successful forging of his artifact, Qu Yi believed Luo Mu would certainly have harbored a grudge.

Now, seeing the stalks of Ink Crow Grass still growing on the cliff, Qu Yi finally felt relieved.

"I must thank you for this, Fellow Daoist Qu Yi. Such a large amount of Ink Crow Grass is truly beyond my expectations!" After counting carefully and finding thirty-eight stalks, Luo Mu was ecstatic and offered a sincere expression of gratitude to the now-relieved Qu Yi.

Qu Yi smiled faintly and accepted the thanks. Luo Mu did not dawdle; he nodded to Qu Yi and maneuvered the flying sword closer to the cliff to make it easier to harvest the herbs.

Looking at the steep cliff, Luo Mu felt a jolt of surprise. Although this spot was near the bottom, the height was still not something a mortal could climb, primarily because the cliff face was far too steep and smooth.

It was no wonder Qu Yi had been unable to pick all the Ink Crow Grass that day; without a flying artifact, he truly had no way to reach them. This had ultimately worked to Luo Mu's benefit today.

While his mind wandered, his hands remained steady. One by one, the stalks of Ink Crow Grass were plucked and stored in the pouch at his waist.

When the final stalk was harvested, Luo Mu felt immense joy and patted his storage bag with great satisfaction.

"Since you have finished harvesting the Ink Crow Grass, Fellow Daoist Luo Mu, my promise has been fulfilled. Please, I must trouble you to let me down. I have urgent matters to attend to and must take my leave!" No sooner had he finished collecting the herbs than Qu Yi spoke up from behind him.

"Very well! I shall set you down at once!"

After landing, Luo Mu did not attempt to persuade him to stay, nor did he offer to give him a ride with the flying artifact. He simply offered a few more words of thanks and watched as Qu Yi departed. Only when Qu Yi's silhouette had vanished from sight did Luo Mu turn his gaze back to the cliff.

It was the exact spot where he had just harvested the Ink Crow Grass!

Looking at the cliff face, which appeared no different from any other part of the rock, Luo Mu wore a thoughtful expression.

He reached his right hand toward the storage bag at his waist, retrieved the manual for the Insect Control Technique, and began flipping through it rapidly.

A moment later, his movements ceased, and a look of wild joy appeared on his face!

Ink Crow Grass was not only a top-tier grade-one poisonous herb, but it was also the favorite food of a creature known as the 'Five-Armor Beetle.' What caught Luo Mu's attention was not the monster itself, but rather why so much Ink Crow Grass would grow in this specific location!

As it happened, the manual mentioned the Ink Crow Grass when introducing the Five-Armor Beetle!

According to the text, wherever large quantities of Ink Crow Grass grew, there was bound to be Ink Jade Marrow. This was the source of Luo Mu's sudden delight!

The Ink Crow Grass here had been lush and showed no signs of having been chewed by any insects before his arrival, which led Luo Mu to conclude that there were no Five-Armor Beetles present. While this patch could not be called a massive quantity, the number was certainly significant—when combined with the thirteen stalks Qu Yi had picked previously, there were fifty-one in total, which was no small amount.

As for whether there was actually Ink Jade Marrow here, Luo Mu could not be certain; he would only know once he searched.

Putting away the manual, Luo Mu stepped onto the giant sword and returned to the spot where he had harvested the herbs. He narrowed his eyes, his expression solemn, and began to examine the area with great care.

A moment later, he produced his Poison Fang and began to gently tap the cliff face, listening intently to the sounds it produced. Judging by the serious look on his face, however, he had yet to discover anything.

Luo Mu did not give up. Instead, he moved to a different spot and began tapping carefully around the area.

Heaven does not disappoint those who persevere. After a thorough search that lasted the time it takes to eat a meal, Luo Mu finally discovered that the sound produced by this particular section of the cliff was different from the others.

Seeing this, a hint of joy finally broke through his solemn expression.