Refining Artifacts Was No Easy Task

Chapter 37: Refining Artifacts Was No Easy Task

Along the way, Qu Yi talked while Luo Mu listened, quietly making his own plans. Before they knew it, the two had finally arrived outside Jinxiu City.

Standing atop the Flying Artifact, they could already see the city's magnificent walls in the distance.

"Let's go down. Cultivators aren't allowed to fly any farther ahead," Qu Yi said from behind Luo Mu.

"Of course." Luo Mu had been to Jinxiu City before and knew the rules. He nodded and guided the Flying Artifact down to the ground. After putting it away, he and Qu Yi walked side by side toward the city gates.

"Huh? Fellow Daoist Luo, what are you doing?" Qu Yi asked in surprise when Luo Mu took out a black mask and put it on.

The mask covered half of Luo Mu's face, so no matter which angle one looked at him from, only half his face was visible. It was the very mask Luo Mu had prepared back then to avoid the two cultivators who had taken an interest in him. He had worn it when he left Jinxiu City, and he hadn't expected to need it again on his return.

"There's someone in the city I don't want to see, so it's better if I wear this," Luo Mu replied coolly, his answer half true and half false.

Hearing the odd note in Luo Mu's voice, Qu Yi gave an awkward smile. He realized this must involve the other man's privacy, so he wisely didn't ask any more. To ease the awkwardness, Luo Mu's eyes shifted as he changed the subject.

"Fellow Daoist Luo, are you planning to register at Jinxiu Academy first, or take a stroll around the streets? You might even find some treasure."

"It's still early, so I'd better register at the Academy first. As for treasure hunting, I'll have plenty of time after I register. There's no need to rush." After thinking it over, Luo Mu decided to register first.

"Very well. The Academy is in the city center, and its grounds are vast and conspicuous. Once you reach the center, you'll have no trouble finding it." Qu Yi pointed into the city. Beyond the walls, they could just make out some towering buildings in the distance. That was the city center, and the buildings they could see housed Jinxiu Academy.

"From the sound of it, you're not planning to come with me to the Academy?" Luo Mu had assumed Qu Yi would accompany him to Jinxiu Academy. After all, Qu Yi was a student there, so returning to the Academy would have been only natural.

But from what Qu Yi had said, that clearly wasn't what he had in mind. Luo Mu looked at him in puzzlement. Seeing the excitement on Qu Yi's face and how eager he was to get going, Luo Mu understood at once.

Sure enough, Qu Yi's next words confirmed what Luo Mu had guessed.

"I'm going back right away to refine the Black Bear materials you gave me. Heh, don't laugh at me, but I'm crazy about refining artifacts. Whenever I get my hands on materials, I can barely wait to start working. This is the first time I've held back for so long." Qu Yi smiled awkwardly, then explained himself to Luo Mu.

Luo Mu couldn't hear the slightest hint of pretense in Qu Yi's words. They came straight from the heart. He didn't laugh at Qu Yi. With his passion for refining artifacts, if he had even a halfway decent talent for it, becoming a master artifact refiner was only a matter of time.

"Your love for refining artifacts is so strong. I'm sure you'll make a name for yourself one day!" Luo Mu said solemnly.

"Heh, then I'll take your word for it, Fellow Daoist Luo. If I really do become a master artifact refiner one day, I won't forget that you provided me with materials twice. Most importantly, I'll never forget that you saved my life!" Qu Yi smiled at first, but when he spoke of the life-saving favor, he looked just as solemn as Luo Mu.

It was clear that Qu Yi valued this debt of gratitude deeply!

"Become a master artifact refiner? Ha! That's the funniest joke I've heard all day!" Just as Qu Yi finished speaking, before Luo Mu could reply, a voice rang out behind them, dripping with mockery.

Luo Mu and Qu Yi were both startled!

Qu Yi's lack of reaction was understandable. With his strength at the second level of Qi Refining Stage, it was no surprise he hadn't sensed the person's approach. But Luo Mu was different. He was now at the peak of the sixth level of Qi Refining Stage, and his spiritual sense was far stronger than Qu Yi's. He was also cautious by nature, always keeping his spiritual sense extended to avoid being caught off guard by a sneak attack.

Yet someone had suddenly appeared behind him without his noticing. Luo Mu had been completely unaware until he heard the other person mocking Qu Yi!

Turning around, they saw a young man and woman standing before them. The woman was stunning, with skin as fair as snow and long black hair falling over her shoulders. She was a rare beauty. The man had rosy lips and pearly teeth, and was quite handsome. The two made a well-matched pair.

However, the woman looked at Luo Mu and Qu Yi with haughty amusement, while the man wore an expression of disdain.

Luo Mu's face was cold and gave nothing away, but inside he was on guard. The woman was only at the fifth level of Qi Refining Stage, so he didn't take her seriously. But judging from the spiritual energy radiating from the man, his cultivation was at least at the ninth level.

Luo Mu wasn't afraid of someone at the ninth level; he just found him troublesome. By his own estimate, he stood a chance against this man. But if the other had a powerful artifact, it was hard to say who would win.

Seeing that the pair had come looking for trouble, Luo Mu prepared himself in secret. If they made the first move, he wouldn't mind teaching them a lesson.

"So it's Senior Li Hu and Senior Sister Lu Xue. I spoke too boldly and made a fool of myself in front of you both," Qu Yi said. His expression changed at first, but he quickly regained his composure and spoke without fawning or defiance.

Seeing how well Qu Yi kept his temper, Luo Mu raised an eyebrow and thought more highly of him.

"Hmph. You can't even afford artifact-refining materials, yet you talk about becoming a master artifact refiner. That's a real pipe dream. Wake up, Junior. Refining artifacts is a profession that burns through spirit stones. Which master artifact refiner didn't make it by piling up spirit stones? If you don't have the money, don't go pretending you can refine artifacts. You're just making a fool of yourself!" The man snorted and spoke with cutting contempt.

As for Luo Mu, the man and woman gave him only a cursory glance, then ignored him. The man regarded him as nothing more than an ordinary cultivator at the sixth level of Qi Refining Stage and paid him no mind. Aside from Luo Mu's conspicuous mask, neither of them saw anything special about him.

"Thank you for the reminder, Senior," Qu Yi replied coolly. But Luo Mu noticed his fists were clenched tight.

Qu Yi's reaction made the man frown slightly. He had meant to provoke him with his words, hoping Qu Yi would lose his temper and attack him. Then he would have had a good excuse to teach the boy a lesson. But Qu Yi's response had clearly disappointed him.

After snorting again, the man glared at Qu Yi with disdain, then put an arm around the woman's slender waist and swaggered away. Once again, the two of them ignored Luo Mu.

"Do you know those two?" Luo Mu asked after watching them walk away. He had hated arrogant people ever since he was young, so he naturally had no good impression of them.

"Hmph! Of course I know them. They're just a couple of useless bullies who throw their weight around on the strength of their family backgrounds," Qu Yi said angrily, giving a cold snort only after they had gone some distance.

"The man's name is Li Hu, and he's from the Li Family. The woman's name is Lu Xue, and she's from the Lu Family," Qu Yi added before Luo Mu could reply.

"The Li Family and the Lu Family..." Luo Mu raised an eyebrow, surprised that they came from such powerful families.

The two had been wearing the same Jinxiu Academy uniforms as Qu Yi, so their clothes hadn't told Luo Mu anything. But the man had spoken with such a domineering air that Luo Mu had guessed he was the young master of some powerful family. He hadn't expected them to come from the Li Family and the Lu Family.

"That Li Hu spoke so aggressively. Did you do something to offend him?" Luo Mu asked Qu Yi calmly, suppressing his surprise.

At the mention of it, the anger vanished from Qu Yi's face, replaced by helplessness.

"Alas... it was all because of artifact refining. Back then, to improve my skills, I went around offering to refine artifacts for people for free. Just like when you saw me a year ago, I set up a stall in the night market to attract customers. The night market was crowded, and low-level cultivators went there in droves. That was where I met Li Hu."

"Li Hu brought out quite a lot of artifact-refining materials, and their quality was pretty good. He asked me to refine a mid-grade artifact for him. I was stunned to see so many precious materials. Since he wasn't very old, I guessed he must be from some powerful family. How else could he have gotten his hands on so many materials? At first, I wanted to refuse him, but I couldn't bear to let all those materials slip through my fingers, so I agreed." Qu Yi's voice was full of helplessness.

"Refuse him? Why?" Luo Mu asked, puzzled.

"People from powerful families are usually hard to deal with. If my attempt had succeeded, everyone would have been happy. But back then, my success rate at refining mid-grade artifacts was even lower than it is now. If I failed and wasted his materials, he definitely wouldn't have let me off lightly!" Qu Yi explained.

Luo Mu nodded to show he understood.

"So you agreed?" Judging by Qu Yi's expression, Luo Mu could already guess what had happened next.

"That's right. I agreed, but I also told him that my chances of successfully refining a mid-grade artifact were low. He didn't care at all and told me to just focus on the work. But I never expected it to go so badly. Maybe I was too nervous, or maybe I was simply bad at refining. I used up all the materials and didn't manage to make even one mid-grade artifact for him. In a fit of rage, he smashed my stall and drove me out of the night market. Ever since then, whenever I go back to set up my stall, cultivators somehow chase me away. If I had to guess, they must be acting on Li Hu's orders."

Qu Yi looked despondent. It seemed he really hadn't had an easy time of it over the past year.