Century-old peach wood

After what happened that night, Chen Miao spent the entire night thinking before finally deciding how to use his six qian of yin virtue.

He spent two qian on century-old peach wood and another two on eight Incense Sticks, leaving the remaining two untouched.

The century-old peach wood he received came in a generous portion!

It was a full meter long, as thick as his forearm, and perfectly straight!

After obtaining the century-old peach wood, Chen Miao looked into how Peach Wood Swords were made.

Only after doing some research did he discover that Peach Wood Swords came in different sizes.

Peach Wood Swords used to protect homes were around sixty to eighty centimeters long, ritual Peach Wood Swords were around fifty centimeters, and there was also a portable variety just twenty centimeters long.

Chen Miao eventually settled on the latter two.

Both sizes were convenient to carry, and if he actually made them, that single piece of wood could yield three swords!

One ritual sword and two portable swords!

Once he had decided, Chen Miao took the wood out early that morning and found an old carpenter at the address his Elder Uncle had given him.

When Chen Miao brought out the century-old peach wood, the look in the old carpenter's eyes made him uncomfortable.

Then, after hearing that it would take at least three days to make the Peach Wood Swords, Chen Miao took his wood and left, ignoring the man's offers of a discount.

Only then did Chen Miao realize something: both the Jiangzhen Incense and the century-old peach wood were exceptionally rare treasures.

There was no telling whether other people might harbor ulterior motives after seeing them.

The Peach Wood Sword was a matter of life and death to Chen Miao, so he had no qualms about assuming the worst of others.

There was only one way to prevent that problem: do it himself.

It was only a Peach Wood Sword. Even if he couldn't make a particularly good one, Chen Miao felt he could at least make a rough blank.

There were online content creators covering just about everything these days. A quick search gave Chen Miao the complete process.

Chen Miao didn't expect to find instructions for making a genuine ritual Peach Wood Sword online, so he only planned to make the Peach Wood Sword Blank and rely on the century-old peach wood's inherent effects to protect himself.

Once he obtained a genuine method for making a Peach Wood Sword, he could finish it properly.

After that, Chen Miao went straight to a general store and bought all the tools he might need to make the Peach Wood Swords.

Compared with the past, modern tools had advanced considerably.

Saws that once required both hands now came in one-handed electric versions. As long as he wasn't hopeless with his hands, following the video step by step should produce decent results.

Besides, Chen Miao had "Iceheart"!

By the time he returned to the funeral home, it was already ten thirty in the morning.

As soon as he arrived, Chen Miao was told something.

The younger twin's body had been brought back, and her family had changed the memorial service back to its original time.

The twins' memorial service would be held at two that afternoon.

Chen Miao's first reaction was to open Notes on Achieving Divinity in the Mortal World, but nothing had appeared in it.

For anyone else, Chen Miao would have warned them that an afternoon cremation was a bad idea. But for the twins, he wouldn't have minded cremating them immediately!

He then visited the cold storage room and opened the compartment containing the newly returned Li Shirui. Again, nothing happened.

That left him relieved, but also a little puzzled.

He had assumed Li Shirui's return was the Triangle Eyes man's backup plan, since Chen Miao had thwarted his actions the previous night.

Yet nothing had happened so far, which was rather strange.

Once the memorial service ended that afternoon, the twins would be cremated.

Chen Miao didn't believe the man could still cause trouble once they had been reduced to ashes.

If he could, he might as well have used the ashes in the columbarium to stir up trouble!

So, had he given up?

Chen Miao couldn't figure it out.

Since he didn't know what the man was planning, he would stick to his own course and respond as things developed.

As long as he could arm himself, he could handle whatever the man threw at him!

He checked the time. Eleven o'clock.

There were still three hours until the twins' memorial service at two.

After some thought, Chen Miao decided to make a small Peach Wood Sword Blank first. He could tuck it straight into his pocket and have something ready if an emergency arose.

Although Chen Miao was confident in his practical skills, he still found a few pieces of wood to practice on first.

That took another hour and a half.

Chen Miao grabbed a quick lunch, then began working on the Century-Old Peach Wood Sword.

He divided the meter-long piece of peach wood into three sections, in a ratio of two to one to one.

After cutting off a twenty-five-centimeter section, Chen Miao began shaping it.

He had to admit that, although the Iceheart state was unobtrusive, it helped him no less than the Six Jiangzhen Secrets.

Whether he was reading, analyzing a situation, or making a Peach Wood Sword as he was now.

His efficiency and the quality of his work in the Iceheart State were leagues beyond what he could achieve in his ordinary state!

There was a saying: people became a force to reckon with once they got serious.

And the Iceheart state essentially made him get serious!

An hour later.

Before Chen Miao lay a twenty-centimeter portable Peach Wood Sword Blank and five small wooden plaques, each five centimeters long and wide and half a centimeter thick.

These Small Wooden Plaques were blanks for Peachwood Talismans. When he had time, Chen Miao would try making one or two, then test whether they worked the next time he encountered something supernatural.

He also collected the scraps left over from making the Peach Wood Sword Blank.

Whether they were useful or not, he would keep them for now.

To Chen Miao's surprise, the Peach Wood Sword Blank, the Small Wooden Plaques, and even the pile of scraps could all be stored in his inventory.

[One century-old Peach Wood Sword Blank][Five century-old peachwood plaques][One handful of century-old peachwood scraps][One section of century-old peachwood]

It seemed that anything exchanged through the book could be stored in his inventory, regardless of what it became—even rubbish.

That was good news for Chen Miao.

He checked the time again.

It was already one thirty in the afternoon.

The memorial service would begin in another half hour.

Chen Miao tidied up, changed his clothes, and printed out the eulogy and his hosting script before opening the book for another look.

Nothing had happened.

Even so, he kept the book with him.

Soon, Chen Miao arrived at the Main Farewell Hall.

Although the memorial service wouldn't begin for another half hour, quite a few of the twins' relatives had already arrived.

By comparison, Old Wang's service in the Main Farewell Hall had seemed rather "meager."

Chen Miao swept his gaze over the crowd but didn't see Triangle Eyes.

He did, however, spot the old man who had been with Triangle Eyes.

After asking around, he learned that the old man was the twins' grandfather, which gave Chen Miao even more questions.

Chen Miao didn't approach him to ask about Triangle Eyes. Who knew whether they were working together?

For now, Chen Miao was still operating unseen. Asking directly would be tantamount to exposing himself.

But Chen Miao didn't need to ask the twins' grandfather anyway. After learning that Li Shirui had been brought to cold storage, he had questioned the hearse drivers.

From them, Chen Miao learned that Li Shirui had been collected from a shop in the northern part of the city called Sever Yin and Yang. They had also seen a man called Triangle Eyes during the pickup.

With that, Chen Miao had the man's basic information, apart from his name.

A little casual inquiry later would be enough to find out what he was called.

So Chen Miao made no unnecessary moves this time.

Time slipped by.

The memorial service began.

"Would all guests please turn off their phones and remain silent."

Funeral music began to play. Chen Miao glanced at the book he had left open on the table. Seeing nothing unusual, he settled his mind and began conducting the service.

Although the twins had nearly killed him, that hadn't been their own intention.

At this moment, to Chen Miao, the twins were simply the deceased.

The dead deserved respect!

"The cherry blossoms drifted away on the wind before they could fully bloom; the stars still shone, yet vanished behind the clouds."

"Today, with boundless grief, we bid farewell to Li Shilei and Li Shirui."

"They were as pure as morning dew, as brilliant as summer flowers!"

"Their youth was frozen in its finest years, yet their warm smiles will remain forever in the hearts of everyone who loved them!"