Ink Jade Marrow

Luo Mu thought it over and decided Qu Yi was right. Sooner or later, he would have to get himself a Flying Artifact. The trouble was, all the spirit stones Luo Mu had put together amounted to only a little over two hundred. The thought of handing over half of them at once to buy a Flying Artifact left him genuinely hesitant.

After all, he was a penny-pincher.

"Fellow Daoist Luo Mu! Don't hesitate any longer! From the look on your face, I can tell you can definitely afford a Flying Artifact. You just can't decide whether you should buy one or not. Don't hesitate any longer. If we're too late, all that Ink Crow Grass might end up in someone else's hands!" Qu Yi urged him anxiously.

As Qu Yi pressed him, Luo Mu's expression shifted several times. At last, he gritted his teeth and steeled himself. "All right! I'll buy a Flying Artifact. I only hope those Ink Crow Grass haven't been discovered by other cultivators yet!"

Though his face was resolute as he made up his mind, Luo Mu's heart was bleeding!

Half a day later, outside Jinxiu City, under the astonished and envious gazes of the other cultivators, a uniquely shaped Giant Sword rose unsteadily into the air. Two excited young men stood atop it.

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

By the time Luo Mu walked out of an artifact shop, all he had left of his entire fortune was a hundred and eight Low-grade Spirit Stones. But inside his Storage Bag, he now had a long sword made specifically for flying.

Since cultivators were forbidden to fly within the city, the two of them walked to the city gate. Only then did Luo Mu take the expensive sword out of his Storage Bag. He clumsily controlled it until it hovered in front of his feet, and the two of them jumped aboard, excitement written all over their faces.

Controlling a Flying Artifact worked on the same principle as controlling other artifacts, and Luo Mu had long since committed the method to memory. Still, at first he struggled to steer the Giant Sword, lurching from side to side and nearly sending himself and Qu Yi tumbling out of the sky.

After a short while of adjustment, however, Luo Mu managed to control the sword properly. For a time, he and Qu Yi flew back and forth through the sky, with the mountains beneath their feet and the white clouds they had once only looked up at now close enough to touch. The two of them whooped with delight.

Luo Mu was so thrilled that he had even forgotten how many spirit stones he had spent on the Flying Artifact!

"Fellow Daoist Qu Yi, where is the place you mentioned?" Once his excitement had ebbed, Luo Mu's expression returned to its usual calm. Standing atop the Giant Sword and facing the wind rushing toward him, he called out to Qu Yi behind him.

By then, both of them had released their spiritual power to form protective shields around themselves, leaving them completely unaffected by the wind. Qu Yi's shield was white, like those of most cultivators, while Luo Mu's was pale green. This left Qu Yi clicking his tongue in wonder.

But Qu Yi knew better than to ask too many questions. The cultivation world was vast, and full of wonders. The pale green color of Luo Mu's shield was most likely due to the cultivation method he practiced. Qu Yi was only mildly curious, then put it out of his mind and looked around, searching for the general location where he had found the Ink Crow Grass last time.

On the ground, Qu Yi could find his way. Up in the sky, though, he had to take a good look around, afraid of going the wrong way and making a fool of himself in front of Luo Mu.

A moment later, Qu Yi pointed in a direction. "Go straight ahead for a hundred miles. There's a large canyon there. That's our destination!"

Qu Yi sounded utterly certain now that he had found the way. Hearing his confidence, Luo Mu nodded and steered the Giant Sword in the direction Qu Yi had indicated.

They didn't stop along the way, and the Giant Sword's flying speed was indeed impressive. In barely any time at all, they had covered a hundred miles. Just as Qu Yi had said, a vast canyon appeared in their sight.

"That's it! This is the place!" Qu Yi cried, overjoyed.

A trace of delight flashed across Luo Mu's face as well, but he quickly hid it. Until he had the Ink Crow Grass in hand, it was better not to show how much he wanted it. Otherwise, Qu Yi might grow greedy and jack up the price. After all, they had only known each other for one night. Luo Mu couldn't be sure Qu Yi was a man of unimpeachable integrity.

As far as Luo Mu was concerned, there were probably very few truly upright people in this world. He couldn't say whether Qu Yi was one of them, so he kept his guard up.

"See that steep cliff up ahead? The Ink Crow Grass grows on the sheer rock face!" Qu Yi shouted again, as though afraid Luo Mu might not hear him.

Following Qu Yi's pointing finger, Luo Mu saw a steep cliff ahead. He wasted no time, steering the Giant Sword toward the rock face at full speed. The sword shot forward like a streak of light, and in the blink of an eye, it had reached the base of the cliff.

The towering cliff face was incredibly steep. Scattered tufts of unknown grass and wildflowers grew across it. Near the bottom, Luo Mu spotted the Ink Crow Grass.

Luo Mu was delighted. He hadn't expected the Ink Crow Grass to remain undiscovered and unpicked by other cultivators. His heart pounding with excitement, he guided the Giant Sword slowly downward, edging toward the spot where the Ink Crow Grass grew.

"See? I didn't lie to you, did I? This is all genuine Ink Crow Grass! I didn't make you come all this way for nothing, Fellow Daoist Luo Mu!" Seeing that all the Ink Crow Grass was still there, Qu Yi relaxed and let out a long breath. Then he looked at Luo Mu smugly.

Qu Yi remembered clearly the promise he had made Luo Mu the night before: if he couldn't provide any news about the Ink Crow Grass, Luo Mu could do whatever he wanted with his life. If they failed to find any, Qu Yi didn't believe Luo Mu would simply let it go. Even if Luo Mu spared his life because he had successfully refined an artifact for him, Qu Yi believed Luo Mu would still hold it against him.

Now that he saw the Ink Crow Grass still growing on the cliff, one plant after another, Qu Yi finally breathed easy.

"I really have to thank you for this, Fellow Daoist Qu Yi. I never expected there to be so much Ink Crow Grass here!" After carefully counting the plants, Luo Mu found a total of thirty-eight. His heart leaped with joy, and he sincerely thanked Qu Yi, who had only just let out a sigh of relief.

Qu Yi smiled faintly and accepted Luo Mu's thanks. Luo Mu didn't dawdle. He nodded to Qu Yi, then eased the Flying Sword closer to the cliff so he could pick the Ink Crow Grass.

Looking at the sheer cliff, Luo Mu was startled. Even though they were already near its base, it was still too high for an ordinary person to climb. The main problem was how steep and smooth the rock face was.

No wonder Qu Yi hadn't been able to pick all the Ink Crow Grass that day. Without a Flying Artifact, he truly couldn't have gathered it. That had left it here for Luo Mu to find today.

Whatever he was thinking, Luo Mu's hands didn't hesitate. He plucked the Ink Crow Grass one plant at a time and stowed each one in the Storage Bag at his waist.

When he had plucked the last plant, Luo Mu was delighted. He patted his Storage Bag with great satisfaction.

"Now that Fellow Daoist Luo Mu has finished picking the Ink Crow Grass, I've fulfilled my promise. Please let me down now. I have urgent business to attend to, so I must be off," Qu Yi said from behind him as soon as the grass had been collected.

"All right! I'll let you down now, Fellow Daoist!"

After landing, Luo Mu didn't ask Qu Yi to stay, nor did he offer to give him a lift on the Flying Artifact. He simply offered another string of thanks, then watched Qu Yi leave. Only after Qu Yi's figure had disappeared from sight did Luo Mu turn his gaze back to the cliff.

That was the spot where Luo Mu had just picked the Ink Crow Grass!

The cliff where he had picked the plants looked no different from the rest of the rock face. There was not the slightest unusual mark, yet Luo Mu wore a thoughtful expression.

He reached for the Storage Bag at his waist. The Insect Control Technique manual appeared in his hand, and he quickly flipped through it.

A moment later, Luo Mu stopped turning the pages. His face lit up with delight!

Ink Crow Grass was not only a highly poisonous, top-grade first-tier poison herb; it was also the favorite food of a creature called the Five-Armor Beetle. But Luo Mu wasn't interested in the Five-Armor Beetle itself. What caught his attention was why so much Ink Crow Grass grew here.

As it happened, the Insect Control Technique mentioned Ink Crow Grass in its section on the Five-Armor Beetle!

According to the manual, wherever large quantities of Ink Crow Grass grew, Ink Jade Marrow was sure to be found. That was why Luo Mu was so delighted!

Before Luo Mu arrived, the Ink Crow Grass here had been growing in lush abundance, with no sign that any insects had bitten it. From that, Luo Mu could tell there were no Five-Armor Beetles here. The amount of Ink Crow Grass didn't quite count as a large quantity, but there was still plenty. Adding the thirteen plants Qu Yi had picked earlier, there were fifty-one in all—a considerable number.

As for whether there was Ink Jade Marrow here, Luo Mu couldn't be certain. He would only know after searching.

Putting away the Insect Control Technique, Luo Mu stood on the Giant Sword and returned to the place where he had picked the Ink Crow Grass. He narrowed his eyes, wearing a grave expression, and began to examine the area carefully.

A moment later, Poison Fang appeared in Luo Mu's hands. He gently tapped it against the cliff and listened closely to the sound the rock made. But from the solemn look on his face, it was clear that he hadn't found anything.

Luo Mu didn't give up. Instead, he moved to another spot and began tapping carefully around the area.

Heaven helps those who help themselves. After searching carefully for the better part of a meal, Luo Mu finally found a patch of cliff that made a different sound from the rest.

At this, a hint of delight finally appeared on Luo Mu's stern face.