Shen Wan's worries were beyond Yu Ci's knowledge. At this moment, he was holding up the red-skinned gourd, turning it over and over as he carefully observed the patterns showing through its surface.
This was a picture formed by the interwoven natural grain of the gourd and the talismanic patterns produced through refinement and ritual tempering. It was exceptionally beautiful.
The gourd's appearance could easily mislead people into thinking it was light and handy.
In truth, it was extremely heavy in the hand, weighing a full thirty jin. Layers of chill seeped from it, as though it had been cast from pig iron—and solid at that. That was the second misconception.
The shell of the red-skinned gourd was very thin, and its interior was hollow. It felt so heavy partly because of the black sand stored within, and partly because of the gourd's own talismanic refinement.
Yu Ci pulled out the stopper and glanced inside. Then he covered the mouth with his hand and gave it a shake. A soft rustling sounded from within, and along with that sound came the sensation he had already detected earlier, now clearer than ever.
Wonderful!
A smile appeared on Yu Ci's face.
Beside him, Xu Bo and Huo Lian both wore curious yet intent expressions, their eyes fixed on the red-skinned gourd. No matter what, this was a distinctive magical artifact—the sort that connoisseurs found irresistible.
Yu Ci swept his gaze over their faces. "You two, have a look."
As he spoke, he handed the gourd to Xu Bo. Xu Bo and Huo Lian immediately knocked their heads together, yet neither noticed. They passed the gourd between their four hands, instantly slipping into their element, completely unaware that Yu Ci had turned over his palm and quietly collected a handful of sand-like fragments.