Volume One: The Emperor’s Sword, Chapter Ninety-Two: Something Was Off

At the forge, Yun Que chose three flying swords of superior quality for himself.

Not to use, but to consume.

One superior-grade flying sword would feed the sword vein for ten days; three would last exactly one month.

A month was enough. They would serve as reserve provisions, to be used in case of unexpected need.

The annual contest for the Sword Child was nearly upon them, and by then there would naturally be plenty of flying swords to acquire.

Yun Que had no intention of wasting this once-a-year event.

After all, there were more than enough disciples in the Sword Palace who disliked him; he need not worry about lacking a pretext to stir up trouble.

Others competed for the Sword Child title, for reputation, for glory.

Yun Que competed for swords.

Everyone’s swords.

Shortly afterward, Si Ruonan returned. Her expression had already steadied, though she looked somewhat pale, as if her spiritual energy had been overdrawn and her mind and strength exhausted.

"Three superior-grade items, one middle-grade item, one lower-grade item—five in all. How many spirit stones?" Yun Que asked.

"In total, they are worth three hundred thirty spirit stones. Since you are a regular customer, I can give you a discount. Three hundred will do."

Si Ruonan glanced over the magical implements and named a relatively low price.

At this price, it would be difficult to buy even five magical items in the market district; it was an excellent bargain.

Yun Que did not pay at once. Instead, he took out the damaged middle-grade inner armor and asked, "Senior Si, could you take a look and see whether this can be repaired?"

Si Ruonan took it and examined it closely.

"The damage is rather severe. The middle-grade defensive inner armor refined by Hu Tieshan could withstand all middle-grade magical items, yet it was ruined to this extent. It must have been struck by a superior-grade, perhaps even top-grade, magical weapon. And that weapon was poisoned; traces remain in the damaged areas. If you want it repaired, the remaining poison on the armor must be removed first."

With that analysis, Si Ruonan had essentially reconstructed the entire fight between Yun Que and Xuan Wenyan.

Not only did she identify the superior-grade magical item Xuan Wenyan had used, she could even tell it was poisoned. Her eye for craftsmanship was remarkable.

"This armor was made with care, forged from thousand-year sea sand and reinforced with the core of hundred-year ironwood. It is quite valuable. The materials alone for the repair will cost nearly one hundred spirit stones."

Si Ruonan looked at Yun Que and said, "One hundred spirit stones. Come back tomorrow to collect it."

Yun Que agreed immediately and thanked her.

That price was already a steal.

Yun Que had been to the market district before and was no stranger to refinement materials. Thousand-year sea sand and hundred-year ironwood cores were indeed expensive; each would cost several dozen spirit stones.

In effect, Si Ruonan was charging only for the materials and repairing it for free.

From this, Yun Que became even more certain that this white-haired woman before him had an unusual connection with Hu Tieshan.

After all, there was no such thing as a free meal from the heavens. Since Si Ruonan was willing to help without payment, it must be out of regard for Hu Tieshan.

When he reached the second item, Yun Que asked, "Senior Si, do you have any magical item that can disguise one's appearance?"

Since he intended to gather a large number of flying swords during the Sword Child contest, he naturally needed to make preparations. Yun Que did not wish to carry the reputation of a highway-robbing fiend.

More importantly, any flying sword he seized could easily be demanded back by the elders of the other courts.

That would make all his effort pointless.

So he planned to change his appearance, rob flying swords for a living, and run as soon as he had them. No one would get them back from him.

After hearing this, Si Ruonan took down a thin, cicada-wing light mask from the highest shelf.

On the mask was a human face, its features vivid and lifelike, like those of a real person.

"This item is called Hundred Faces. It is refined from the wings of a Hundred-Visage Butterfly and can transform the wearer’s appearance. It may randomly become one of a hundred different faces, male or female, young or old. Each face lasts for one hour."

"The appearance conjured by Hundred Faces cannot be fixed, nor can it be changed at will. If you want to alter the current face, you must wait until the hour has passed."

"This magical item is of middle-grade. Because its production cost is high, it would never sell for less than one hundred spirit stones. However, Hundred Faces is somewhat impractical. A Qi Refinement cultivator cannot see through it, but before a Foundation Establishment cultivator it is as though nonexistent. It cannot block spiritual sense either. If you want it, you must accept its shortcomings."

The Hundred Faces mask was indeed expensive.

A superior-grade flying sword cost around one hundred spirit stones; a single mask like this also cost one hundred, so few Qi Refinement cultivators would buy it.

Its use was simply too limited.

Besides disguising oneself while committing wrongdoing, it had little practical purpose. Not only could it not maintain a fixed appearance, it could not block spiritual sense; when facing a Foundation Establishment cultivator, it was effectively useless.

Others might find it of no use, but for Yun Que it was perfectly suited.

The Sword Child contest was made up entirely of Qi Refinement sword disciples, along with some sword servants without cultivation. The Foundation Establishment senior brothers and senior sisters from each court were not allowed to participate.

As for what he looked like, that mattered little. So long as it was not his own face.

"I’ll take it."

Yun Que made the decision at once and tried it on.

It required only a trace of spiritual energy to activate. In an instant, his face changed into that of a broad-browed, big-eyed, rough-hewn man, utterly unlike his original appearance.

Yun Que was very satisfied.

The Hundred Faces mask was indeed an essential tool for sword snatching and treasure plundering.

After calculating the bill, everything came to exactly five hundred spirit stones.

Just as he was about to pay, a thought stirred in Yun Que’s mind.

He took out a small pouch from his storage ring. Inside were strange silver-white grains of sand. These were the spoils he had taken after counterattacking the two blood barbarians who had tried to rob and kill him in the market district.

"Senior Si is widely learned. Do you recognize this item?"

Yun Que had never been able to figure out what this small pouch of silver sand actually was, so he seized the chance to ask. Si Ruonan was a craftsman; she should know materials of all kinds very well.

"This is... ash crystal!"

Si Ruonan only glanced once before her expression changed. She snatched it over to examine it carefully, her eyes unable to hide their delight.

"What is ash crystal?" Yun Que asked curiously.

"The wood heart of a thousand-year-old locust tree can, with very low odds, condense into sand-like crystals. They are silver-white and extremely rare soul-seizing objects, useful for setting up soul-seizing formations." Si Ruonan explained almost reflexively.

"Something like soul stones?" Yun Que asked.

Xue Ziyi had used soul stones as the formation core to lay down a soul-sealing array and imprison the ghost face, which was why Yun Que asked after hearing of a soul-seizing formation.

Si Ruonan shook her head, staring at the ash crystal without blinking.

"Entirely different. Soul stones can nourish souls and seal them, allowing one to set up soul-sealing formations to imprison yin spirits and ghostly entities. They can also be forged into soul-type flying swords, within which the souls of various demonic beasts may be sealed to increase their power. Compared with other kinds of flying swords, they have a unique advantage."

"The chief use of ash crystal is to seize or control souls. Magical items made from this material possess a terrifying, heart-striking effect that is hard to guard against. Though not as costly as soul stones, they are still extremely rare."

After explaining the difference between the two materials, Si Ruonan closed the pouch containing the ash crystal and said, "These ash crystals weigh about one jin. They can be counted as three hundred spirit stones. If you agree, you only need to pay two hundred more."

Yun Que naturally agreed.

He had no use for the ash crystal anyway, and since it was something taken from the barbarian race, he cheerfully handed over two hundred spirit stones and completed the transaction.

During the exchange, Yun Que saw Luo Xiaoyu staring foolishly toward the doorway, grinning.

When he turned to look, the entrance was empty, with nothing there at all.

"I’m a little tired. You two should go."

Si Ruonan suddenly ushered them out. Her expression had grown somewhat anxious.

Yun Que left the small courtyard with Luo Xiaoyu.

Having obtained the inner armor and flying swords, Luo Xiaoyu was overjoyed. She bounced along the road, happy as a child.

By the end of this trip, she had acquired a lower-grade defensive inner armor, a handy middle-grade flying sword, and two lower-grade daggers.

For a cultivator at only the first level of Qi Refinement, such equipment was certainly considered lavish.

"Just now, when we were in the room, why were you grinning foolishly at the doorway?"

Thinking of Luo Xiaoyu’s odd behavior earlier, Yun Que asked casually.

"I was greeting him!" Luo Xiaoyu replied honestly.

"Greeting him? Greeting who?"

Yun Que found it strange.

"A little kid. His face was all dark, and he was lying at the doorway watching us, so I smiled at him. What’s wrong, Senior Brother Yun? Is something not right?"

At that, Yun Que immediately stopped walking.

Not merely not right.

It was very wrong indeed!