Shui Miao’s mind quickly pieced things together and immediately saw through Jue Ying’s intentions.
From Hua Yuting’s memories, Jue Ying was an extremely proud and cold person who never spoke to any disciples within the sect. Hua Yuting had lived in the Jade Void Huafu for many years but had never exchanged a single word with Jue Ying.
Someone with such a personality—how could she possibly be willing to form a sworn brotherhood with just anyone?
This was clearly a trick to win favor.
Shui Miao inwardly sneered. He himself was an expert at manipulating people—how could he possibly be fooled by someone like Jue Ying?
“Well…”
Shui Miao hesitated slightly before saying, “Sister Jue Ying, this isn’t about respect or lack thereof. During my time in the Immortal Realm, I’ve offended quite a few immortals. I don’t want our sworn brotherhood to cause you trouble or make those immortals target you. So I’ll just call you sister, but let’s skip the brotherhood part. If you need to forge any immortal artifacts, just let me know, and I promise to do my best to craft them perfectly for you.”
Shui Miao’s words were tactfully phrased, maintaining distance without offending Jue Ying.
This kid still refuses?
In the Immortal Realm, even Immortal Emperors who wished to befriend me I barely acknowledged, yet now he hesitates to form a sworn brotherhood with me? Jue Ying looked at Shui Miao with surprise and growing interest. After a pause, she said, “It doesn’t matter. No matter who your enemies are, I will eliminate them for you.”
Was she bluffing? Shui Miao inwardly sneered and shook his head. “Sister, the more you care for me, the more I worry about dragging you into my troubles. Let’s drop this topic and talk about forging instead. What kind of immortal artifact do you need crafted?”
“Since that’s how you feel, fine…” Jue Ying sighed helplessly and gave Shui Miao a faint smile. “Then let’s talk about forging. But I’m not really interested in immortal artifacts—I want to create a Saintly Artifact or even a Supreme Treasure. Do you think you can handle that?”
“I’ve never even seen a Saintly Artifact, though I’ve heard a little about Supreme Treasures. I can handle top-tier immortal artifacts with some confidence, but for the others, I really can’t say. But if you have any formation blueprints, I might give it a try. However, considering how precious the materials are, maybe we should just forget it.” Shui Miao shrugged. He had no intention of making any deals with Jue Ying anyway. In the current situation, avoiding entanglements with powerful beings wasn’t a bad idea.
Jue Ying was also cautious and still suspicious of Shui Miao. Who in this world is so innocent? She nodded slightly, “Fine then. I’ll gather more materials first. So now, little brother, where do you plan to go?”
“Oh, I plan to take the forger’s exam at the Forging Bureau. First, I want to know exactly how skilled I am, and second, I’d like to obtain a forger’s certification, so I won’t have to wander around aimlessly anymore.” Shui Miao was cautious too, trying his best to appear like a poor, struggling forger.
“Not bad, ambitious,” Jue Ying nodded. “But the ninth heaven’s exam is too easy. Since you can already forge top-tier immortal artifacts, why not take the exam in the sixth heaven? I happen to have some connections with the examiner there, so I can get you in for the test without long waits.”
“This won’t be too much trouble for you, will it, sister?”
Shui Miao scratched his head, pretending to be embarrassed.
Seeing Shui Miao’s expression, Jue Ying suddenly felt he was genuinely simple-hearted.
“Stop being so polite. You’ve already called me sister, so helping you with something small is only natural. I’ll take you there right now. Later I have to return to investigate my junior brother’s murder. Let’s go!”
Shui Miao’s apparent innocence stirred Jue Ying’s protective instincts.
Shui Miao’s thoughts quickly turned, and he immediately saw through Jueying’s intentions.
In Hua Yuting’s memories, Jueying was an extremely proud and aloof person. She never spoke to the disciples within the sect, and even after many years at the Jade Void Mansion, Hua Yuting had never exchanged a single word with her.
How could someone with such a personality casually form a sworn sisterhood with others?
This was clearly a tactic to win people over.
Shui Miao sneered inwardly. He was an expert at winning hearts; how could he be fooled by Jueying?
“This…”
Shui Miao hesitated for a moment before saying, “Sister Jueying, it’s not a matter of whether you look down on me or not. I’ve been in the immortal realm for many years and have inevitably offended some immortals. I don’t want our sworn sisterhood to make you a target of their hatred. So, I’ll just call you sister, but let’s skip the formalities. If you need any immortal artifacts crafted, just let me know, and I’ll do my best to create something perfect for you.”
Shui Miao spoke with great tact, maintaining a polite distance without offending Jueying.
This brat actually refused?
In the immortal realm, even the Immortal Emperor wanted to befriend me, but I didn’t care for them. And now, when I offer to form a sworn sisterhood, he’s not interested? Jueying looked at Shui Miao with some surprise, her interest in him growing. After a pause, she said, “It’s fine. No matter who your enemies are, I’ll help you eliminate them.”
Is she boasting? Shui Miao sneered inwardly and shook his head. “Sister, the more you care for me, the more I can’t burden you. Let’s not talk about this anymore. Let’s discuss crafting. What kind of immortal artifact do you need?”
“If that’s the case, then fine…” Jueying sighed helplessly and gave Shui Miao a faint smile. “Let’s talk about crafting. But I’m not really interested in immortal artifacts. I want to create a holy artifact or a supreme treasure. Do you think you can handle that?”
“I’ve never even seen a holy artifact, and I’ve only heard a little about supreme treasures. I might have some confidence in crafting top-tier immortal artifacts, but beyond that, I really can’t say. However, if you have any formation blueprints or something similar, I might be able to give it a try. But considering the precious materials involved, I think it’s better to forget about it.” Shui Miao shrugged, having no intention of making any deals with Jueying. In this situation, it was best not to provoke powerful figures.
Jueying was also cautious and still had doubts about Shui Miao. In this day and age, how could there be such a simple-minded immortal? She nodded, “Alright, I’ll gather more materials first. So, where are you planning to go now?”
“Oh, I’m planning to take the forging examination at the Forging Bureau. First, I want to know the extent of my crafting skills, and second, I want to get a forging certification so I won’t have to wander around aimlessly anymore.” Shui Miao was also cautious, trying to appear like a poor, struggling forger.
“Good, you have ambition.” Jueying nodded. “But the examination on the Ninth Heaven is too simple. Since you can already craft top-tier immortal artifacts, why not take the examination on the Sixth Heaven? I happen to have some connections with the examiner there, so I can arrange for you to take the test directly without having to wait for a long time.”
“Wouldn’t that be too much trouble for you, sister?”
Shui Miao scratched his head, pretending to be embarrassed.
Seeing Shui Miao like this, Jueying suddenly believed that he was indeed a very simple person.
“Alright, stop being so polite. Since you’ve called me sister, it’s only right that I help you with a small matter. I’ll take you there now. I still need to return soon to investigate the murder of my junior brother. Let’s go!”
Shui Miao’s display of simplicity had stirred Jueying’s sisterly affection.
She grabbed Shui Miao’s arm and, using only two teleportation talismans, they arrived directly at the entrance of the Forging Bureau on the Sixth Heaven.
“We’re here!”
Jueying smiled at Shui Miao and walked into the Forging Bureau. She directly asked the two young female attendants who came forward, “Is your Master Honglian here?”
“Yes, I’ll go find her right away.”
One of the young attendants quickly flew into the inner hall.
Shui Miao, meanwhile, was gaping in astonishment. He turned to Jueying and said incredulously, “Sister, what kind of talisman did you just use? How did we cross several heavens and arrive at such a distant place in an instant?!”
This time, Shui Miao wasn’t pretending to be surprised; he was genuinely shocked.
Seeing Shui Miao’s wide-eyed, naive expression, Jueying couldn’t help but laugh. “You don’t need to be so surprised. I used a Heaven-Stepping Talisman. It’s a very magical talisman, crafted by a powerful Immortal Emperor using imperial energy. It can memorize the unique aura of any location and instantly transport you there, no matter how far away it is. Of course, Heaven-Stepping Talismans are extremely valuable. Even the Immortal Emperor himself rarely uses them.”
As she spoke, Jueying handed a Heaven-Stepping Talisman to Shui Miao. “Here, sister will give you one. After your examination, activate it and think of the place we came from, and it will take you there. But remember, don’t let your thoughts wander. If you accidentally think of a place you shouldn’t go, it could take you there, and that would be troublesome.”
In fact, Jueying only had three Heaven-Stepping Talismans.
These talismans were crafted by the Golden Pool Immortal Emperor, who pursued Jueying, using his imperial energy and then gifted to her. Each talisman was worth the equivalent of ten top-tier immortal artifacts.
Yes, ten.
One Heaven-Stepping Talisman could be exchanged for ten top-tier immortal artifacts, and even then, they were hard to come by.
Now, Jueying had given one to Shui Miao, and she would have to fly back to the Ninth Heaven herself.
“This is incredible!”
Shui Miao was once again amazed. To express his sincerity, he decided to compliment Jueying. “Sister, you’re so good to me. In my heart, you’re like a goddess! If I didn’t have so many enemies, I would really, really want to be your sworn brother. Sister, I promise you, one day I will craft the most beautiful holy artifact and give it to you.”
It’s said that women love to hear sweet words, and Shui Miao thought Jueying would be no exception.
“The most beautiful holy artifact?” Jueying was puzzled. “Why the most beautiful?”
Shui Miao shamelessly replied, “Because you are the most beautiful, so the holy artifact you use must also be the most beautiful!”
Even Shui Miao felt a bit insincere with this flattery.
However, Jueying finally laughed happily. “Brother, you really know how to joke…”
“Well, there aren’t many men in this world who can make my sister Jueying laugh!”
At that moment, a female immortal dressed in a red official robe flew out.
Shui Miao turned to look and was instantly stunned. This Honglian… she looked exactly like Lin Qing’er!
“We’re here!”
Jue Ying smiled slightly at Shui Miao and walked into the Forging Bureau. She directly asked two young female apprentices who came to greet them, “Is your Master Hong Lian available?”
“She is. I’ll go get her right away.”
One of the young female apprentices quickly flew into the inner quarters.
Shui Miao, wide-eyed with astonishment, turned to Jue Ying and said, “Sister, what talismans did you just use? How did we cross several heavens and travel such a distance in an instant!?”
This time, Shui Miao wasn’t pretending to be surprised—he was genuinely amazed.
Seeing Shui Miao’s wide-eyed, naive expression, Jue Ying couldn’t help but laugh. “You really don’t need to be so shocked. What I used were Dun Tian Fu talismans. These are very special. Created by Immortal Emperors using their imperial energy, they can memorize unique energies of different locations and instantly transport you there, no matter how far away. Of course, these Dun Tian Fu talismans are extremely valuable. Even Immortal Emperors themselves rarely use them.”
As she spoke, Jue Ying placed one Dun Tian Fu talisman into Shui Miao’s hand. “Here, take this from your sister. After you finish your exam, activate it and think of the place we came from, and it will take you back there instantly. But remember, don’t let your mind wander. If you accidentally think of somewhere dangerous, it might take you there, and that would be problematic.”
In truth, Jue Ying only had three Dun Tian Fu talismans.
These talismans were crafted by Jin Chi, an Immortal Emperor who had pursued her, using his imperial energy. Each was worth as much as ten top-tier immortal artifacts.
That’s right—ten top-tier immortal artifacts.
One Dun Tian Fu talisman could be exchanged for ten top-tier immortal artifacts, and even then, they were practically priceless.
Now Jue Ying had given one of these talismans to Shui Miao, and she herself would have to fly slowly to the ninth heaven.
“So amazing!”
Shui Miao was shocked again. To show his sincerity, he decided to flatter Jue Ying a bit more. “Sister, you’re just too good to me. In my heart, you’re like a goddess! If it weren’t for all the enemies I’ve made, I would really, really want to be your real little brother. Sister, I promise you, one day I will forge the most beautiful Saintly Artifact for you.”
They say women like to hear nice things, and Shui Miao figured Jue Ying should be no exception.
“The most beautiful Saintly Artifact?” Jue Ying looked puzzled. “Why the most beautiful?”
Shui Miao replied shamelessly, “Because you are the most beautiful, so the Saintly Artifact you use must also be the most beautiful!”
He felt his flattery was almost too exaggerated, even to himself.
But this time, Jue Ying finally smiled happily. “Little brother, you really know how to flatter…”
“My, my, there aren’t many men in this world who can make my dear Jue Ying sister laugh!”
At that moment, a female immortal dressed in red official robes flew out.
Shui Miao turned his head and was instantly stunned. This Hong Lian looked almost exactly like Lin Qing’er!
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