A cauldron that can automatically concoct pills as long as it’s provided with the Holy Spirit Fire—Shui Miao had never heard of such a thing in his life.
If such a treasure really existed, naturally Shui Miao would want to claim it for himself.
“This incense burner is a top-grade treasure in the Netherworld,” the old man Guigu said excitedly. “I only found out about it the last time I went to Huangquan Mountain and heard my grandfather mention it. My grandfather’s name is Guigu Faman; he’s originally a ghost physician and currently works as a medicine collector under Master Huangquan on Huangquan Mountain. Did you know? Master Huangquan himself was once merely a little ghost collecting herbs. He accidentally entered a treasure vault, obtained the Jiuding Incense Burner, and refined supreme-grade pills, which enabled him to rapidly advance in cultivation and eventually establish himself on Huangquan Mountain, becoming Master Huangquan. Now he has over a million disciples, his power is so immense that he can rival even the gods of the Netherworld.”
The old man Guigu spoke with great enthusiasm.
Huangquan Master was actually the master of his older brother Zhang Yuan? Shui Miao’s heart stirred. He wondered whether Zhang Yuan had truly been killed by the ghost soldiers. He coldly addressed the old man Guigu, “You’re practically trying to get me killed! You dare to plot against Master Huangquan? Don’t you fear that your grandfather and his people will be destroyed along with you?”
Although the Jiuding Incense Burner was indeed a great treasure, Shui Miao had enough self-awareness not to be as presumptuous as the old man Guigu. In other words, Shui Miao simply didn’t want to die.
It was easy to imagine that Master Huangquan possessed such a treasure as the Jiuding Incense Burner, and if even the old man Guigu knew about it, how could it possibly remain a secret from others? In this vast world, there were countless experts. If others couldn’t obtain it, how could he, just a minor cultivator, hope to possess it? Wasn’t that exactly the definition of overestimating one’s abilities?
Therefore, Shui Miao showed no trace of greed.
Unexpectedly, instead of showing restraint, the old man Guigu casually laughed and said, “Great Immortal, you don’t know the inside scoop. Master Huangquan is arrogant and recently challenged a god of the Netherworld. He was nearly beaten to the point of soul annihilation. Now he’s secluded in Huangquan Mountain recovering. At the same time, all the pills on Huangquan Mountain were stolen by a mysterious thief. Now Master Huangquan is secretly sending people everywhere to buy herbs at high prices, so he definitely hasn’t fully recovered yet. I believe that if you gather some friends, you could definitely replace Master Huangquan.”
No wonder the old man Guigu was so excited about acquiring some herbs—it was because of the high prices being offered.
Master Huangquan being severely injured was indeed a rare opportunity.
Moreover, since Master Huangquan could use the Jiuding Pill Cauldron to refine pills, that proved he had an ample supply of Holy Spirit Fire.
Since he so desperately needed herbs, Shui Miao could perhaps exchange some herbs for Holy Spirit Fire.
Still, Shui Miao had doubts about the authenticity of this information. “Hmph! Your inside information is full of holes. How could such a mysterious thief, who could have taken the valuable Jiuding Cauldron, instead only steal the pills? Is that thief an idiot who doesn’t even recognize valuable treasures?”
“No, no, Great Immortal, you don’t understand,” the old man Guigu waved his hands repeatedly. “A foolish thief would steal both the pills and the cauldron. A clever thief, however, would avoid touching the cauldron because he knows Master Huangquan must recover his cultivation by purchasing a large quantity of herbs and refining new pills. Then, he can wait for the new pills to be made before striking again, making a fortune. After all, his strength is above Master Huangquan’s, so he’s in no hurry to go after the Jiuding Incense Burner.”
“Ah!”
Shui Miao suddenly sighed and shook his head coldly at the old man Guigu. “Doctor Guigu, I think you’ve been blinded by lust. Since that mysterious thief is so powerful, you still want me to go after the Jiuding Cauldron? My strength is far inferior to Master Huangquan’s, yet you want me to compete with this mysterious thief for treasures. I really suspect now whether you’re trying to harm me or if you’ve simply lost your mind.”
“Uh… well…”
The old man Guigu suddenly realized his mistake. He had only considered Master Huangquan’s injury and overlooked the existence of the mysterious thief.
Upon hearing Shui Miao’s words, the old man Guigu was startled, fearing another knife attack, and quickly admitted that he had indeed lost his senses.
After asking nearly everything he wanted to know, Shui Miao simply waved his sleeve and turned to leave.
On the way, Bai Feng, the fox demoness Qi Mei, the black serpent demon, and Jin Chanzi approached.
It turned out that the old man Guigu had instructed them to clear away nearby ghosts so Shui Miao could perform the Yin-Yang union. Shui Miao told everyone that the old man Guigu was nothing but a fraud without real abilities. Everyone listened silently, secretly thinking that Shui Miao was just embarrassed and making up stories to cover up the Yin-Yang union incident.
Shui Miao didn’t want to dwell on the issue and quickly changed the subject, asking about what had happened after he fell unconscious.
During these seven days, many things had occurred.
Firstly, Baiyang had been eliminated. Lao Cai and the other ghost soldiers had jointly reported Baiyang’s evil deeds, and the Netherworld decided not to pursue Shui Miao. Lao Cai was appointed as the new Chenghuang (City God). With Lao Cai’s full efforts, the turmoil surrounding Baiyang City God had been resolved.
In addition, the new City God Lao Cai planned to invite Shui Miao to be the local Yang Investigator, responsible for monitoring evil ghosts in the area, with five ghost soldiers and ten ghost horses assigned to him.
Also, Zhang Yuan and his men had indeed been eliminated by the ghost soldiers, who confiscated a large amount of ghost currency found in Zhang Yuan’s yin palace.
Besides these ghost-related matters, Shui Miao’s parents and relatives had returned two days ago, and everyone was now living their lives well. However, only Chen Meiling knew about Shui Miao’s coma.
It was Chen Meiling who had offered one million to the hospital to find a way to wake Shui Miao up.
After understanding the general situation, Shui Miao invited Bai Feng, the fox demoness Qi Mei, and Jin Chanzi into the Shengyuan Ring for cultivation. As for the black serpent demon, Shui Miao knew his nature was sinister and didn’t want him to know too much about his affairs. Thus, Shui Miao turned to the black serpent demon and said, “Xiao Hei, you have high cultivation, sharp mind, strong adaptability, and can move stealthily and unpredictably. Please help me scout the route to Huangquan Mountain. Observe the situation and learn all about Master Huangquan. If you encounter Master Huangquan, introduce yourself as a liaison. I have a batch of herbs I’d like to exchange with him for Holy Spirit Fire.”
Everyone could enter the Shengyuan Ring except him. The black serpent demon initially felt a bit resentful, but upon hearing Shui Miao’s praising words, he immediately felt delighted. Upon hearing Shui Miao’s plan to exchange herbs for Holy Spirit Fire, he eagerly clasped his fists and said, “Master, rest assured! This mission is on me. I’ll definitely get it done.”
“Good! Oh, and when you get there, secretly look for a medicine collector named Guigu Faman. There might be unexpected gains.” Shui Miao couldn’t directly express his intentions, so he hinted subtly.
The black serpent demon sensed an undertone in Shui Miao’s words, “Master, why secretly? Could it be that you want to…”
“Shh!” Shui Miao quickly interrupted him, lowering his voice. “Some things shouldn’t be spoken of. You can just guess. Be careful yourself, no need to rush back. The more detailed the investigation, the better. We don’t have many herbs to exchange but want to obtain a lot of Holy Spirit Fire. We must use our wits.”
“I understand!”
Upon hearing this, the black serpent demon immediately grasped the meaning. He felt that Shui Miao and he were of the same mind—both had the desire to seize treasures by force. He excitedly clasped his fists, “Master, take care! I’ll leave immediately!”
“Remember! Be extremely cautious!”
Shui Miao pretended to be reluctant, but inwardly he was indifferent.
Feeling he had found a wise master, the black serpent demon rushed off to Huangquan Mountain with great enthusiasm.
※※※
The night was still deep, and under the moonlight, Shui Miao walked alone, using Hun Ling Zhi to heal his soul injuries. To his great surprise, the Hun Ling Zhi was extremely effective. Just one leaf, used for only a few minutes, completely healed his soul. He hadn’t expected such powerful effects, and he began to regret giving too much of it to the old man Guigu.
What was given was given—could he take it back?
Besides, the old man had given him an important clue to obtain Holy Spirit Fire.
“I really am too stingy and petty!” Shui Miao thought with a faint smile, then took out his phone and dialed Chen Meiling.
At this time, Chen Meiling wasn’t asleep. She was working overtime with Chen Xiang. They had been away for several days, and there were many things at the company needing urgent attention, including many accounts needing verification.
Chen Xiang brought over some coffee. Chen Meiling put down her pen, removed her glasses, and rubbed her dry, sore eyes. Just as she picked up the cup to drink the coffee, her phone suddenly rang.
“Who is it?”
Seeing it was an out-of-town number, Chen Meiling thought it must be a wrong call, so she casually answered and turned on speakerphone.
“Sis, where are you? Have you slept? It’s me, Shui Miao. I’m fine now. I’m coming to find you.”
Shui Miao’s voice came through the phone.
“Ah! It’s Brother Shui Miao!”
Chen Xiang immediately became excited.
Chen Meiling also perked up and quickly grabbed the phone. “I’m not sleeping. Where are you? Chen Xiang and I will pick you up right away!”
“Okay… great…”
A wave of warmth surged in Shui Miao’s heart. It felt so good to have family around!
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