For some reason, Chen Shuangbai had a feeling.
The Fu Qianlan he met this time seemed a little different from the one he had met before.
But Chen Shuangbai couldn't quite say what was different.
"Qianlan, you're... at the middle stage of the Third Layer of Qi Refinement?"
Chen Shuangbai was somewhat taken aback.
A little over two months ago, Fu Qianlan had only just entered the Third Layer of Qi Refinement. Now that he saw her again, she had actually caught up to him-and even seemed a little ahead.
Fu Qianlan nodded slightly. "Senior Sister Yu has taken good care of me. With a few small fortuitous opportunities as well, I broke through without trouble."
"Congratulations, congratulations."
The two chatted briefly.
After learning that Chen Shuangbai had come to buy a Law Artifact with He Qi, Fu Qianlan pondered for a moment. Then she pointed to a shop to the east and said, "A-Bai, I noticed several Law Artifacts in that shop ahead shining with impressive spiritual light. You could take a look."
"Mm... all right."
Only when Fu Qianlan's graceful figure gradually disappeared into the crowd did Chen Shuangbai seem to come back to his senses.
"A-Bai..."
"She never used to call me that."
Chen Shuangbai glanced back at the shop behind him. Seeing that He Qi was still haggling with the shopkeeper, he was reassured and headed toward the shop Fu Qianlan had indicated.
Today was Cloud Peak Market's major market day, held once every half month. There was also a smaller market every five days, so the place was especially crowded.
Chen Shuangbai squeezed through the bustling crowd and arrived in front of the shop.
He looked up and saw three ink-black characters written across the top of the shop, their strokes dancing like dragons and snakes-
Black Jade Pavilion.
Chen Shuangbai thought the name had a rather elegant touch.
He composed himself and walked into the Black Jade Pavilion.
The shopkeeper was an old Daoist with a goatee. Judging by his Qi, he was roughly at the middle to late stages of Qi Refinement.
The shop was furnished in a simple, old-fashioned style, with landscape screens everywhere. Law Artifacts gleaming with spiritual light of every color were displayed along the walls and on the counter.
Sabers, spears, swords, halberds, bells, tripods, seals, mirrors... a bewildering variety, a complete selection.
"Junior Brother, is there a Law Artifact that catches your eye?"
After a conversation, the two exchanged names.
The shopkeeper's surname was Mo, and his given name was Xuan.
He was an outer disciple of the Jade Spring Sect. He said he had worked as a smith at the Hundred Crafts Hall for a time. After leaving, he had struck out on his own and opened this shop selling Law Treasures to outer disciples like Chen Shuangbai.
As for those inner disciples...
Mo Xuan said with a smile, "The Law Treasures and Law Artifacts used by inner disciples are mostly forged personally by the smiths within the Hundred Crafts Hall, tailored to each person's habits. Naturally, they wouldn't come to a little shop like mine."
Chen Shuangbai thought that made sense.
He quietly activated Spirit-Appraising Pupil and swept his gaze around. After a few glances, his eyes fell on a small, pale blue shield.
"Ripple Shield?"
The spiritual light of this Law Artifact was relatively striking.
Seeing Chen Shuangbai looking at it, Mo Xuan explained, "You have a keen eye, Junior Brother. This Ripple Shield was made primarily from submerged jade found beneath a century-old cold pool, fused with several precious materials such as star-patterned iron and red gold. A water-element formation was imbued into it, so it can gather water-element Spiritual Qi to aid cultivation while also providing defense."
Mo Xuan's explanation was clear and methodical, and Chen Shuangbai nodded repeatedly.
But he simply didn't buy it.
Because none of those things interested him.
Mo Xuan wasn't discouraged. Whenever Chen Shuangbai named a Law Artifact, he introduced it, showing no sign of embarrassment or irritation.
Until...
Chen Shuangbai spotted a sword.
The sword was about three feet long, its blade a deep blue with flashes of cold light. Several fine, dense lines ran near the guard, with cold air faintly seeping from them.
Through Spirit-Appraising Pupil, the sword shone with pure, rich ice-blue spiritual light. At its core was something like a spring, flowing gently.
"Cold Spring..."
Seeing Chen Shuangbai's gaze fixed on the sword, Mo Xuan thought the sale was as good as settled.
He had seen many fellow disciples who couldn't tear their eyes away when they found a Law Artifact they liked, and most of them had ended up buying it.
"The sword is named Cold Spring. Its main material is century-old cold jade from Sunken Jade Pool, supplemented with several precious water-element materials. It was forged over seven times seven, or forty-nine days. The blade has an inherent chilling effect; in battle, it can release cold air to slow an opponent, and it can also increase the power of water- and ice-element techniques."
"This is a mid-grade Law Artifact."
Chen Shuangbai was genuinely tempted.
He had two reasons.
The first...
Naturally, it looked cool!
The second was that he really did need an offensive Law Artifact.
This Cold Spring Sword felt far more familiar and suited to him than the Ripple Shield.
Most importantly...
The [Dao Fruit] in his sea of consciousness seemed to stir.
"Senior Brother Mo, how much is this sword?"
Chen Shuangbai asked directly.
Mo Xuan held up his fingers and slowly said, "Three hundred low-grade Spirit Stones, or the equivalent in Merit Points or materials."
Three hundred Spirit Stones?
Chen Shuangbai sucked in a cold breath inwardly.
For him as he was now, that was no small sum.
Fortunately, though...
His Merit Points seemed to be nearly enough.
If I borrow some from He Qi, that should be enough.
But...
Was it necessary?
That was what Chen Shuangbai wondered.
He currently had only three Law Techniques: Spirit-Appraising Pupil, Cold Spring Guidance, and Obscuring Mist Method.
His means of attacking head-on and his killing power were indeed lacking.
If he had a Law sword like this one, with its own chilling effect...
And then there was the stirring of the [Dao Fruit].
"I'll buy it."
Hearing this, Mo Xuan smiled, his aged face creasing like tree bark.
"Junior Brother, you're generous."
A short while later.
Chen Shuangbai and He Qi walked out of the Black Jade Pavilion together.
At the shop entrance.
Mo Xuan saw the two off with a smile.
He Qi was fiddling with the Wave-Breaking Saber in his hand, but when he looked at the Cold Spring Sword hanging at Chen Shuangbai's waist, its cold light gleaming, he couldn't help pursing his lips.
"I lost out."
Chen Shuangbai was startled.
Mistakenly thinking there was something wrong with the quality of He Qi's Wave-Breaking Saber and the shopkeeper had cheated him, he immediately moved to go back and argue with him.
But He Qi's next words made Chen Shuangbai roll his eyes at him.
"My saber doesn't look as cool as your sword!"
"I lost out!"
Chen Shuangbai: ...
Do you even hear what you're saying?!
There was nothing to be done.
He Qi was a rich young master to begin with. After joining the Jade Spring Sect, his talent had proved fairly good, and the sect was reasonably fair. He hadn't suffered much for it, and his disposition was rather innocent and kind.
Chen Shuangbai tried comforting him with a few words, and the boy took a liking to the Wave-Breaking Saber again.
Chen Shuangbai: ...
He really is easy to placate.
After leaving Cloud Peak Market, the two did not part ways.
He Qi had also rented a cave abode on Lesser Yang Peak, not too far from Chen Shuangbai's.
As they walked, He Qi led Chen Shuangbai to the cave abode where the Scripture Pavilion Hall was located.
Controlling a Law Treasure required a specialized artifact-control technique.
As a major sect of the Jing Kingdom, the Jade Spring Sect naturally had an artifact-control technique of its own, created by its elders for its disciples.
The same two senior brothers as before were guarding the cave abode.
The two approached and handed over their disciple jade tokens. After the tokens were checked, they were allowed inside the cave abode.
"Remember, don't do anything against the rules."
The horse-faced senior brother gave them that stern warning.