Chapter 114

Chapter 114

Initially, they had planned to wait for three days, but they ended up lingering in Gusha City for nearly half a month.

Since they weren't in a hurry to leave, Ning Yuzhou decided to rent an alchemy room within the city.

"What spiritual artifact are you planning to refine?" Wen Qiao asked in surprise as she fed the two Yellow Crystal Ants.

Seeing that she was completely unaware of what he intended, Ning Yuzhou couldn't help but chuckle. "You forgot that during our battle with the bandits at Blackrock Gorge, your Stone Golden Python Whip was destroyed? Now that we have the time, I'll forge a new one for you."

Wen Qiao was momentarily taken aback before she recalled the incident.

At that time, fueled by anger, she had unleashed her potential and brutally beat up the bandit who had destroyed her Stone Golden Python Whip, throwing him out of the cave.

Wen Qiao felt somewhat downcast. After all, it was the first spiritual artifact her husband had forged for her, and she cherished it dearly.

Noticing her disappointment, Ning Yuzhou gently stroked her head, his voice softening. "It's alright. Out with the old, in with the new. Besides, I also felt that the whip's grade was a bit low. This time, let's see if I can forge a whip of the Earth-grade quality."

Under his soothing touch, Wen Qiao quickly cast aside her gloom and looked at him curiously. "You can already refine Earth-grade spiritual artifacts?"

"For now, I can't, but with some effort, I should be able to manage," Ning Yuzhou didn't want to make any definitive claims.

Wen Qiao responded with a simple 'oh' and decided to accompany him to the alchemy room.

Being in the Shifting Desert, danger lurked everywhere. She wouldn't feel at ease unless she stayed close to him.

Thus, she put the two Yellow Crystal Ants in her pocket, picked up Wen Tutu, and followed him out of their quarters.

Ning Yuzhou glanced at the two Yellow Crystal Ants, whose golden tendrils were exploring from the pouch hanging at her waist, and a smile played on his lips.

In the eyes of the world, he appeared warm, amiable, and easy to get along with, while A Shuo seemed indifferent and aloof, not someone people would readily approach.

But in reality, he was the one who was hard to get along with, harboring malice within. His A Shuo, however, was a kind-hearted person who held goodwill towards the world. Perhaps due to her frail health since childhood, she understood the value of life and treated all living beings with great patience and kindness without being overly sentimental.

Just like when they took Wen Tutu away from the Scaled Platform Hunting Valley, it was A Shuo who had been taking care of it, teaching it about the cultivation world, guiding its actions, and preventing it from attacking people just because it was a mutated demon beast.

Now, with the two Yellow Crystal Ants they kept, it was also A Shuo who remembered to feed them every day...

Ning Yuzhou merely kept them, doing little else. If not for Wen Qiao taking over, these two demon beasts wouldn't have lived as well as they did.

**

The two rented an alchemy room within the city.

Everything in the cultivation city of the Shifting Desert was expensive – the entrance fee, the lodging fee, and now, the price for renting an alchemy room was even more exorbitant. The daily rental fee was one hundred spirit stones. Ning Yuzhou decided to rent it for five days first; if that wasn't enough, he could extend the lease later.

The alchemy room wasn't large, but after checking it out, Ning Yuzhou was extremely satisfied with the earth fire inside.

"This is earth fire infused with solar energy," Ning Yuzhou explained to Wen Qiao. "Since this place is located in the desert, the sands of the Shifting Desert absorb the solar energy from the sky continuously as they move, converting it into earth fire. This makes the earth fire contain solar energy. Although the amount of solar energy isn't much, it can enhance the quality of spiritual artifacts when used for refining. With the enhancement of solar energy from the earth fire, it seems that I should be able to barely forge an Earth-grade spiritual artifact."

After hearing this, Wen Qiao became very interested in the earth fire and moved closer to observe it.

Wen Tutu, being as curious as ever, clung to her shoulder and leaned in as well.

The earth fire was a blazing orange-red color. Upon careful inspection, one could detect the traces of solar energy within, making it something one dared not touch lightly.

Even Wen Qiao, who knew little about fire, could sense that the quality of this earth fire was quite good. It was no wonder that the alchemy rooms in this city were so expensive to rent despite that, yet there were still many alchemists willing to come here to use them.

She had heard that many alchemists even came specifically to the desert to obtain high-quality earth fire for refining purposes.

The human and rabbit were engrossed in studying the earth fire when suddenly, the flames surged upward, nearly scorching them. Startled, both of them jumped back, their hair standing on end.

"Sssss!!" Wen Tutu snarled fiercely at the earth fire.

Ning Yuzhou: "...Such a stupid rabbit!"

Then, Ning Yuzhou took out the materials he had prepared for refining, including a segment of the Stone Golden Python Vine.

The Stone Golden Python Vine in the spatial realm had grown continuously under Wen Qiao's occasional infusion of spirit energy. Its main vines, after countless cycles of growth and sedimentation, resembled coiled metal dragons. Its quality and hardness had undergone a qualitative leap.

This section of the Stone Golden Python Vine was cut from the main trunk, thick and sturdy, its outer skin shimmering with a faint dark gold. From a distance, it looked like naturally formed precious metal.

Ning Yuzhou lifted it up. It was heavy not only to the touch but also in terms of the metallic power it contained. Indeed, this segment of the Stone Golden Python Vine could already be considered on par with metal in terms of properties.

After some thought, Ning Yuzhou also took out the piece of Luminous Gold Odd Rock he had obtained from trading in the treasure peak of the Crimson Sky Sect. He carefully sliced off a small piece with spirit energy, intending to incorporate it into the Stone Golden Python Whip to increase its flexibility and versatility, thus making it more durable.

Ning Yuzhou soon began the process of forging.

Wen Qiao stood by his side watching. Since she couldn't assist, she didn't disturb him. Instead, she focused on feeding the three demon beasts and simultaneously comprehending the third form of the Celestial Body Fist.

***

Five days later, Wen Qiao received a new Stone Golden Python Whip.

This Stone Golden Python Whip had barely reached the Earth-grade quality, becoming a Lower Earth-grade spiritual artifact. Although it was only of lower grade, being an Earth-grade spiritual artifact meant that it was incomparable to one of the Profound-grade, which was one level below.

Ning Yuzhou handed her the whip, looking somewhat weary. "It's still early. You can go outside the city to test the whip."

Wen Qiao happily agreed at first, then looked at him. "Shouldn't you go back and rest a bit?"

Ning Yuzhou shook his head, still composed. "No, while forging the Stone Golden Python Whip this time, I gained some inspiration. I want to forge a longbow for you."

"A bow?" Wen Qiao was momentarily stunned.

"Yes, the Celestial Body Fist is suitable for close combat, but the Stone Golden Python Whip doesn't have strong offensive capabilities compared to other sharp weapons. A bow and arrow have a long range and are suitable for long-range attacks, making them powerful tools for distant combat." Ning Yuzhou explained, having considered everything for her so that she could brutally beat up bandits in close combat and kill enemies from afar.

It could be said that Ning Yuzhou had thought through everything very meticulously for her, even more so than he did for himself.

Wen Qiao stared at him, momentarily at a loss for words.

Not until the man, as he always did, reached out to stroke her head and looked at her tenderly with his lowered eyes, did she choke up slightly, murmuring, "Husband, you're so good to me..."

"You're my wife; who else would I be good to?" Ning Yuzhou caressed the back of her head, kissed her forehead, and smiled.

Wen Qiao gazed at him in a daze, a certain thought involuntarily surfacing in her mind.

If someone else became his wife, would he also be very, very kind to that person?

By the time she realized it, she had already asked the question.

Then she saw the man before her seem to freeze, his warm eyes quickly flickering with a few traces of shadowy light. She heard him say softly, "How could that be possible? I'm not overflowing with love. If not for..."

If not for that specific person, how could he possibly be good to her?

Both fell silent for a moment, then tacitly ended the topic.

Wen Qiao weighed her whip in her hand and said happily, "I'll go out of the city with Wen Tuto to test the whip. You rest for a bit, don't overwork yourself."

Ning Yuzhou responded with a smile.

After leaving the alchemy room, Wen Qiao renewed the rental for five more days before leaving the city.

There were many cultivators leaving the city, all of whom made their living in the shifting desert. They would hunt some of the beasts in the desert or search for spirit herbs that grew there, selling them to caravans or shops in the city to earn essence crystals and spirit stones.

Wen Qiao tested her whip in the nearby desert outside the city.

The long whip was like a spirit snake, endlessly changing, stirring up a sea of sand and transforming into sheets of golden sand curtains. Wherever the spirit snake went, it took those sheets of sand curtains with it, as if the sand curtains were controlled by that whip.

Wen Tuto and the two yellow crystal ants squatted on the side watching, stuffing food into their mouths while they watched, quite busy.

The results of testing the whip were unexpectedly good. A grade Earth spirit treasure was indeed much better than a grade Profound one.

After testing the whip, Wen Qiao refined her whip technique, spending most of the day doing so. It wasn't until the sun was about to set that she returned to the city with the three beasts.

Back at the alchemy room, seeing Ning Yuzhou still busy, Wen Qiao sat beside him and took out a few ant-fragrant leaves to feed the two yellow crystal ants.

When Ning Yuzhou finished his work, he turned to ask, "Achu, how's the new whip?"

"It's very good," Wen Qiao praised without hesitation, flashing him a cheerful smile. "Husband, this stone golden python whip is much better than the previous one. If I fought those bandits again this time, I could definitely make them scream."

A smile passed through Ning Yuzhou's eyes. "I'm glad you like it. When my alchemy skills improve in the future, I'll refine an even better one for you."

Wen Qiao hummed in agreement, believing that he could definitely do it.

Then Ning Yuzhou spent several more days refining a longbow, a grade Earth lower-rank spirit treasure.

The bow arms were also made from stone golden python vines, presenting a stone-gold color that shimmered with metallic luster in the sunlight.

This longbow was refined based on Wen Qiao's body measurements, looking exquisitely delicate. An ordinary person couldn't easily draw the bowstring, as Ning Yuzhou not only drew some talisman formations on the bow arms but also used the tendons of a level nine sea beast to make the bowstring.

Those level nine sea beast tendons were also obtained from the Treasure Peak of Scarlet Cloud Sect.

This longbow came with ten arrows made from stone golden python vines.

The arrowheads were sharp and cold, the arrow shafts polished to extreme smoothness, also engraved with talisman formations. The fletching was made from the white feathers of flying cranes, light and beautiful.

Wen Qiao played with it fondly for a while, her eyes sparkling as she said in pleasant surprise, "Husband, this bow is really good; I like it."

Seeing her like it, Ning Yuzhou was happy inside, feeling that the fatigue of the past dozen days didn't matter. He laughed and said, "Then give it a name."

Wen Qiao thought for a moment and said, "Let's call it the Blazing Sun Bow. It has the power of the sun."

Because it was refined using the grade Earth fire containing solar power, during the refining process, Ning Yuzhou guided the solar power of the Earth fire into the bow and arrows, increasing its quality. It actually contained traces of solar power, which elevated its quality to grade Earth.

Ning Yuzhou thought it was good; his Achu could finally come up with a decent name.

So the name of the bow and arrows was decided.

The two then left the alchemy room, resting in the city for two days before leaving Shagu City.

As the morning sun rose, a camel beast ran slowly across the empty desert.

Two people sat on the back of the camel beast, draped in cloaks. One tall and one short, it was clear that they were a man and a woman.

Wen Qiao sat in front, her waist straight.

Ning Yuzhou sat behind her, his arms around her waist, leaning most of his weight on the person in front of him. Fortunately, Wen Qiao was strong enough to bear it.

Wen Qiao lowered her head to check the map Qin Shixun had given them and pointed in a direction. "We need to go this way. By evening, we should encounter the cave along the way."

Ning Yuzhou glanced at it, confirmed that the direction was correct, and responded with a smile.

The camel beast galloped across the desert on its four spindly legs.

In the evening, they arrived at the cave marked on the map.

This cluster of caves was small, with only seven or eight caves, each shallow. When they pulled the camel beast into the cave, it nearly filled the entire cave.

So Ning Yuzhou let the camel beast stay in one cave, and they rested in another.

As darkness descended and the wind and sand raged, the cave was filled with the aroma of food.

With no outsiders around, Ning Yuzhou resumed his usual routine of brewing medicinal porridge for Wen Qiao to adjust her body.

Since the medicinal porridge contained diluted ten-thousand-year-old spirit milk, Wen Qiao still insisted that they share it.

After drinking the medicinal porridge, she checked her body's condition and told Ning Yuzhou, "Husband, I feel like my meridians have become stronger and can store more essence spirit force."

"Is that so? Let me take a look."

Wen Qiao obediently extended her hand to him. Ning Yuzhou held her wrist gently, infusing his primordial spirit power into her body at an exceptionally slow pace, tracing through her meridians to examine their condition.

After the primordial spirit power traveled through her meridians, a look of satisfaction appeared on Ning Yuzhou's face. "Indeed, they are much stronger than before. At this rate of treatment, I estimate it should be cured in about fifty years."

Fifty years may sound long, but for cultivators, it really isn't, merely the time it takes for those ancient ancestors to seclude themselves in cultivation.

The next day, the sandstorm subsided, and the sun began to rise. They continued on their journey.

The location of the abandoned Yellow Sand City, where Senior Brother Chen found the stone, was rather remote. It was sheer coincidence that Senior Brother Chen ended up there.

According to Senior Brother Chen, at that time, he and a group of fellow disciples from Heavenly Artifact Peak entered the drifting desert. Their purpose was to use the earthfire, rich in solar energy, in the cultivation cities within the desert to forge artifacts. So, everyone came over.

In order to select high-quality earthfire, they even specially visited several cultivation cities. Unexpectedly, due to lack of preparation and unfamiliarity with the drifting desert, they got lost in the drifting desert, deviating from the correct path. Fortunately, their luck was good, and before nightfall, they entered an abandoned Yellow Sand City, thus avoiding death in the drifting desert.

That abandoned Yellow Sand City was once also a cultivation city. The reason it was later abandoned is unknown to them, and due to the passage of time, there was no way to investigate further.

Riding a single camel beast, the two headed toward their destination.

As they went further, five days later, they had already deviated from the route on the map provided by the merchant caravan.

The map drawn by the merchant caravan was a safe route they used when traveling in the desert, clearly marking which cultivation cities and resting rock caves were along the way. But if they deviated from the route indicated on the map, there would be no more markers, and they could only proceed by their own means from then on.