The moon hung high overhead. Little Fox, dressed in red, held a small round fan as she reclined in a rocking chair and gazed quietly at it.
An assortment of snacks sat on the little table before her, while tea simmered in a red-clay stove. Kongzhu nibbled a candied fruit, followed it with a sip of fragrant tea, and narrowed her eyes now and then in contentment.
Life at Marquis Changxin's Residence was peaceful and pleasant. Little Fox felt calm and secure here. If only A-Che and that monkey weren't so noisy, everything would have been perfect.
Su Che stood in the courtyard, holding a long, dark sword. His eyes were fixed on what lay ahead.
In the middle of the courtyard stood a golden wooden stake roughly ten feet long and no thicker than a fist. It was remarkably straight, and Kongkong'er had driven half of it into the earth.
The grand elder of the Separation and Reunion Pavilion now crouched atop the stake like a monkey, cocking his head as he watched Su Che. His eyes darted about; there was no telling what scheme he had in mind.
"This is thunderstruck wood, a specialty of Skyfall Gorge in the Eastern Sea. Thunderstorms rage there every hour of the day. By rights, nothing living should survive, but the world has its strange ways. A certain tree thrives under those lightning strikes. Its wood is dense and excellent for crafting artifacts, though it wasn't especially sought after. Then the sword cultivators of the Eastern Sea found a new use for it, and its price shot straight up: they use it as a target."
Kongkong'er grinned. "Before Divine Communion, you can't even cut through its bark. At Reverted Elixir, you can barely cut into it. Only a Void Step sword cultivator