Chapter 98: Geng Metal Sword Body

After instructing the Bee Queen to take good care of the pair of Celestial Zhe Wood Silkworms, Fang Qingyuan chose not to take her Flower Nectar this time. Instead, he rubbed her small belly, comforting her for a moment before leaving.

Only the surprised yet happy Bee Queen remained, rolling around on the spot with glee.

After leaving the Immortal Mansion Space, Fang Qingyuan began to ponder what he should do for the next three months.

The Celestial Zhe Wood Silkworms would only lay their eggs in three months, and that was when he would get busy.

The racing competition in Lechuan would continue until next year, and Fang Qingyuan had no plans to join in on the fun.

Three months wasn’t enough time for a trading run. Besides, his last expedition had taught him that while it was easy to buy spiritual materials and make a handsome profit, offloading the goods was another matter entirely.

It had taken him nearly a year to sell all his stock, and he’d only managed that by leveraging the aftermath of the second battle at Celestial Attraction Mountain.

’Should I form a merchant caravan? Working alone, relying solely on my own strength, the volume I can sell is too small. Any large-scale operation would easily attract unwanted attention.’

’Spirit Stones are great, but what I want is stability. It’s best to avoid taking risks. With the Immortal Mansion, there’s no need to gamble for paltry, short-term gains. I have to think long-term.’

’Everything I produce must be able to withstand the scrutiny of watchful eyes. Even if no one is paying attention right now, I can’t let my guard down.’

’My status as an Inner Sect Disciple of the Southern Border Beast Taming Sect isn’t a panacea. I must remember that.’

These thoughts flashed through Fang Qingyuan’s mind, and he sighed. ’I could clearly make a fortune smuggling with the Immortal Mansion, but circumstances force me to hold back.’

’If I were to run around selling goods in other Land Realms, I’d be better off staying put in the Southern Border where it’s safer.’

’The risks are high when you’re away from home. Cultivators in the Southern Border recognize me as a disciple of the Beast Taming Sect and wouldn’t dare to cross me. But if I go to someone else’s territory and carelessly reveal my wealth, I’d just be courting death.’

’In the Cultivation Realm, individuals possess immense personal power. A simple argument can get you killed. Many Cultivators die under mysterious circumstances. It’s truly a case of "a sharp weapon in hand gives rise to murderous intent."’

’Even if I do decide to become a traveling merchant, I’ll have to wait until my cultivation is higher. I’m not talking about Golden Core, but at least Middle to Late-stage Foundation Establishment. Otherwise, with my current Sixth-Layer Qi Refining cultivation, any small fry could devour me.’

Reflect on oneself thrice daily. Fang Qingyuan believed that people mature because they think and reflect. That was why he would occasionally pause to contemplate the path that lay ahead.

After a moment of thought, Fang Qingyuan decided not to stir things up. There wasn’t much time left before the New Year anyway. ’Anything that needs to be done can wait until after the holidays,’ he thought.

This thought put Fang Qingyuan’s mind at ease. He gave a carefree smile and decided to simply go back to his room to sleep.

....

In the dead of winter, gathering around a stove to drink a steaming bowl of eight-treasure congee is an absolute delight.

Qu Wei’s family was gathered together preparing their New Year’s Eve dinner. Life was much better for them this year than it had been in years past.

They brought out all the food and items they normally couldn’t bear to use. Everyone wore new clothes and looked especially vibrant.

Last year, Fang Qingyuan had permitted Qu Wei to keep a portion of the annual Qingfeng Silver Hero tea leaves harvest for themselves. The resulting income in Spirit Stones—though only a few hundred low-grade stones that had to be split among fifteen families—was enough for mortals to live a life of luxury.

The Qu and Liu families took the lion’s share of these Spirit Stones, as each had produced an Immortal Seedling with a Spirit Root. The other families didn’t dare to object; they could only watch with envy.

But Qu Wei didn’t squander his share of the Spirit Stones. He saved them, planning to leave them to his son, Qu Wujie.

Qu Wei understood that cultivation was an incredibly resource-intensive endeavor. His son’s aptitude wasn’t as good as the child from the Liu family, and as a mortal, Qu Wei knew he wouldn’t be able to help much in the future. As a father, this was the most he could do.

Qu Wei looked at the vacant-looking Little Qu Wujie, a smile touching his lips before his expression turned slightly sorrowful.

To him, his son was of course the best. But as Qu Wujie grew—he was now over two years old—he seemed dull and slow, lacking the liveliness and cheerfulness of other children his age.

Others told him that some children were late bloomers and would grow out of it, but Qu Wei had a feeling that wasn’t the case.

’Maybe next year, when Sect Leader Fang comes to collect the tea, I should ask him to take a look. Even if there really is a problem, the Sect Leader is an Immortal Master. He could surely cure him, right?’

Just as Qu Wei was lost in thought, the sound of a small bear cub whimpering came from the entrance.

Qu Wei started at the sound, but then he immediately realized what it was. ’Isn’t that the Sect Leader’s Spirit Beast?’

Without a second thought, Qu Wei quickly led his family out the door and into the courtyard.

As soon as they stepped outside, Qu Wei saw Fang Qingyuan standing in the courtyard. He was stroking a round, black-and-white bear cub with one hand and holding something in the other, examining it intently.

With a quick glance, Qu Wei recognized the object in Fang Qingyuan’s hand. It was his son’s toy—a small wooden sword whittled from a branch.

With no time to dwell on it, Qu Wei quickly led his family in a bow. Then, he heard Fang Qingyuan’s steady voice speak up:

"Old Qu, it’s New Year’s Eve and I have nowhere else to be. I hope you don’t mind if I join you for dinner?"

A sincere smile quickly spread across Qu Wei’s face as he replied happily:

"Sect Leader, it is our honor to have you join us for New Year’s Eve dinner. How could it possibly be an intrusion? I’m only afraid our simple fare won’t be to your taste."

Fang Qingyuan laughed heartily and stepped inside. He had been completely sincere about wanting to join them for New Year’s Eve dinner.

This year was different. Of his usual ’iron trio’ of dinner companions, Zhang Yuan had taken Yinbao to the racing competition. The main event was on Celestial Gate Mountain itself, and with races held daily—and the one in Lechuan being especially festive on New Year’s Eve—Zhang Yuan hadn’t come back.

As for Jiang Kui, her whereabouts were unknown. Fang Qingyuan hadn’t been able to contact her since the conflict at Celestial Attraction Mountain ended.

Fang Qingyuan had no desire to join the crowds at Celestial Gate Mountain, but he didn’t want to spend New Year’s Eve alone at home either. So, he had come over to the adjacent Qingfeng Mountain, planning to foster some goodwill with his tenants.

’Come to think of it, I’m not a very competent Sect Leader. I only see Qu Wei and the others once a year and usually pay them no mind, too busy with my own affairs.’

Qu Wei and the others were considerate and almost never bothered him. Qingfeng Mountain wasn’t far from his own small courtyard; it was a flight of less than fifteen minutes for Fang Qingyuan.

Inside, Fang Qingyuan took the seat of honor. He glanced around and saw that everyone was quite reserved, so he was the first to pick up his chopsticks.

After a somewhat subdued New Year’s Eve dinner, they retired to Qu Wei’s study. Jinbao lay drowsily at Fang Qingyuan’s feet while Fang Qingyuan himself held the small sword, studying it intently.

The wooden sword was very plain. It was made from an ordinary tea tree branch, and the craftsmanship was unremarkable. Yet on this toy-like object, Fang Qingyuan detected a trace of Sword Intent.

This piqued Fang Qingyuan’s interest. Qu Wei was only a mortal. Though he had practiced martial arts, he certainly didn’t possess a Divine Technique like Sword Intent.

Sword Intent belonged to the world of cultivation. Without a Spirit Root, one couldn’t channel the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi. Even with exceptional talent and unparalleled swordsmanship, one’s ability would remain at the level of pure technique. Qu Wei was incapable of imbuing a wooden sword with Sword Intent.

In the Qu Family, everyone besides Little Qu Wujie was an ordinary mortal. Although Qu Wujie was only a little over two years old and had yet to begin cultivating, he could sense the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi; the Spirit Root within him could commune with the world.

Therefore, after eliminating the impossible, Fang Qingyuan concluded that the Sword Intent on the wooden sword must be Little Qu Wujie’s handiwork.

A thought flashed through Fang Qingyuan’s mind. ’To be capable of something like this at such a young age... Little Qu Wujie’s constitution must be extraordinary.’

Fang Qingyuan wracked his brain, recalling the cultivation texts he had read, and finally found records of similar phenomena. Some Cultivators with special physiques were able to display immense Talent even as young children.

Grasping Sword Intent was nothing compared to some. There were tales of children who could summon phoenixes to pay homage or cause a hundred beasts to kneel in worship. More extreme examples told of those who could trigger natural disasters and tsunamis, wiping out an entire city’s population, leaving only themselves alive.

As for the ability to comprehend Sword Intent without a teacher, several physiques in the Cultivation Realm fit the bill: the [Sword Heart Illumination], the [Heart Sword Divine Union], the [Geng Metal Sword Body]...