Chapter 171: Second Spiritual Artifact

He Lingchuan casually took the broken saber and performed an identical action, moving two *chi* further back from the wooden board.

With a crisp snap, the wooden board cleanly broke into two halves. The saber's energy preceded its blade.

Li Fubo couldn't help but be moved. "A good saber! Though the blade is broken, its core spirit remains, and it's awake!"

Maotao interjected, "Does a saber's core have a state of being awake or asleep?"

"Of course it does. After a magic artifact breaks, even if its core spirit can be preserved, it usually falls into a deep slumber. Young Master He's saber is interesting, yes, very interesting!"

He Lingchuan only cared about one thing: "Can it be repaired? The saber's core must be preserved."

"This saber has already reached the level of a spirit artifact, and its nature is tenacious; though broken, it persists. It would truly be a waste to remelt it."

He Lingchuan was slightly stunned. The broken saber was already a spirit artifact? Before he left Blackwater City, the smithy workers hadn't said that. Only a couple of months had passed, and the broken saber had actually upgraded? Strange.

Li Fubo gently stroked the saber's spine, clearly captivated. "If you want to preserve the saber's core and fully repair it, conventional methods won't work. Hmm, we could try the 'saber-planting' method."

Maotao couldn't help but interject, "Can sabers be planted too?" He had heard of planting vegetables and trees, but never a saber.

"Normally, when a blade breaks, it's broken and can only be melted down and recast. But if it develops a spirit, then we must find another way. After all, it's truly rare and difficult to find a metal or stone that develops a spirit," Li Fubo said, stroking his beard. "A gecko's tail can regrow after being severed. A broken blade might not be unable to regenerate, but the conditions are quite strict."

As long as it could be repaired, that was good. Songyang House would probably demand an exorbitant price. He Lingchuan secretly let out a breath. "Master Li, name your price."

The broken saber Zhong Shengguang gave him already had many unusual properties, even as a defective item. He wondered what would happen if the saber were fully repaired.

"I don't set the price for this! At most, I'll charge for my labor." Li Fubo repeatedly waved his hands. "The 'saber-planting' method is extremely obscure. It absolutely requires Wujin."

Sure enough, Wujin was indispensable in the end. He Lingchuan chuckled. "Your esteemed establishment is a top-tier firm in the capital. Surely you don't lack this small amount of material?"

Steward Zhao couldn't help but say, "Young Master He, the amount of Wujin in existence is even scarcer than extraterrestrial meteorite iron. Our shop only has two pieces. The entire city of Shihuan hasn't acquired any new Wujin in almost three years."

Li Fubo added, "Even in its place of origin, Mount Wu, Wujin is not readily available. It doesn't even have a mineral vein. Instead, it's a transformation of gold essence that has gained sentience. This stuff runs wild across the mountains, hiding whenever it sees people; catching it basically relies on pure luck."

"So, what's this 'luck-based' price?" He Lingchuan naturally understood the principle of valuable goods being rare. In truth, he felt a bit uneasy. His current funds could let him swagger around Blackwater City, but in Shihuan, where dignitaries and magnates gathered, he probably...

"Last year, the Hengshui Firm next door sold a piece of Wujin. Its volume was only half of our current stock. It was priced at fifteen pieces of top-grade profound crystal, totaling six catties."

Both He Lingchuan and Maotao were startled upon hearing the words "top-grade profound crystal." After the Emperor's Dew descended upon the earth, a small portion would penetrate underground and transform into profound crystals. Their efficacy and properties changed greatly, but they became the best source for cultivators to replenish their true energy. Their grades were categorized into three tiers—upper, middle, and lower—based on their color, with each tier further divided into three ranks.

These top-grade profound crystals were beyond the reach of ordinary cultivators, even on their tiptoes. He Lingchuan was well aware of the price of profound crystals; he himself only carried one piece of a mid-tier, low-rank crystal. And for this stuff to be sold by the catty was outrageous!

Steward Zhao continued, "As you know, profound crystals of this grade are usually not priced in gold or silver. If we absolutely had to convert it, the current market price would be approximately twenty thousand taels per catty."

One hundred twenty thousand taels! The price to buy a piece of Wujin actually started at one hundred twenty thousand taels! Maotao struggled to keep his expression neutral, but his nostrils flared, and his breathing became heavy.

How big a pile would one hundred twenty thousand taels of silver make if stacked together? He had robbed along Red Cliff Road for years. The entire bandit group collected protection money, and after deducting various expenses, their real earnings over fifteen years were, at most, a quarter of that sum.

He Lingchuan stroked his chin, remarkably calm. "This is truly... so damn expensive!" Even if he was a "rich young master," his monthly allowance was only two or three hundred taels. Where would he get one hundred twenty thousand taels from? "It's not cheap, indeed."

Money that could let one lord it over a lifetime in the countryside was barely enough to buy a piece of metal to repair a saber in the imperial capital. It seemed if he wanted to walk the path of cultivation smoothly, he would have to find other ways to earn money.

Steward Zhao nodded in agreement. "Indeed, maintaining spirit artifacts is truly not cheap. However, as good as this saber is, it is broken, which makes it inconvenient in combat. Young Master He might consider finding another suitable weapon; our shop has many options here."

He Lingchuan was dumbfounded, somewhere between laughter and tears. Should he scold him for looking down on him, or thank him for his thoughtfulness? He rolled his eyes. "Are you so sure that I, Young Master, can't afford Wujin?"

Steward Zhao had seen too many pretentious rich scions. He offered a polite smile and waved his hand. "This item is indeed too expensive. Speaking commercially, I, your humble servant, also hope to save Young Master some costs." *If you have the money, just show it; why waste words?*

He Lingchuan tapped his fingers on the table, seemingly deep in thought. Then he asked Master craftsman Li Fubo, "How much Wujin will it take to repair my broken saber?"

Li Fubo lowered his head, calculating mentally. After a while, he said, "A piece slightly smaller than the one sold by Hengshui Firm would be sufficient."

*That would still be over ninety or a hundred thousand, wouldn't it? Even selling Young Master He a few times wouldn't make up that amount.* But he wasn't flustered; he turned to Steward Zhao and asked, "Do you also accept spirit artifacts here?"

Steward Zhao was taken aback. "You have *another* spirit artifact?"

Below divine artifacts are spirit artifacts. In this world, divine artifacts simply cannot exist. Thus, spirit artifacts rank among the very top. Even if their quality is slightly inferior, major auction houses would fiercely compete for them. In the imperial capital of Dayuan, along with Shihuan City's auction houses, only one new spirit artifact appeared in the past year. But this little upstart claimed he not only had one, but two?

*Were they intact? Were they usable?* Of course, the well-trained Steward Zhao wouldn't voice these thoughts aloud. He merely smiled, his face round like a full moon. "May I ask you to take it out for a look?"

He Lingchuan took out the Purple Gold Pestle from his storage ring and placed it on the table with a thud. "Master Li, have a look."

This precious pestle was purplish-gold in color. Its surface was covered with engraved runes. The top was carved with a monstrous beast, with a wide nose, large mouth, bulging eyes, and a bearded jaw. At its feet, it stood on four pulling rings, and the end of the pestle tapered to a sharp point like an awl.

Master Li let out a sound of surprise. He picked it up with both hands for a closer look; his nose was almost touching the pestle. He couldn't help but exclaim "Ah!" again. "Young Master He, where did you obtain this treasure?"

He Lingchuan leaned back. "First, tell me if it counts as a spirit artifact, and how much it's worth." The Purple Gold Pestle had been gathering dust in his storage ring for months; it could finally be of some use.

Steward Zhao also stared fixedly at the precious pestle. His eyes widened and rounded, and he stammered, "This, this couldn't be... Am I seeing this correctly?!"

They were all disciples of the Artifact Sect, and close to the capital. How could they not know of such a famous treasure? He didn't care about losing composure. He eagerly said to Li Fubo, "Master Li, please examine it, examine it!" Then he said to He Lingchuan, "Young Master, please forgive us, we need to authenticate it."

"No problem, examine it as much as you like." "True gold fears no fire."

Next, Li Fubo took out an unknown liquid and dripped it onto the pestle. The runes on it immediately detached from the pestle's body and flew out, slowly revolving around the precious pestle. Li Fubo watched without blinking. After quite a while, he said, "It's the Xiaoshan Demon-Subduing Incantation, no doubt about it."

Then he quickly walked to the inner hall and produced a finger-sized piece of metal. He brought it close to the beast head on the pestle. The beast head, which had originally been motionless with its eyes closed, suddenly opened its eyes and swallowed the piece of metal in one gulp.

"Why go through all this trouble? And waste a piece of fine gold." He Lingchuan extended his broken saber. He tapped the beast head three times with a *dang-dang-dang* sound. "Hey, wake up, give us a song."

The monstrous beast already disliked him. Now it grew even angrier. It roared three times at him, its sound as mighty as an ox's, shaking dust from the beams.

Steward Zhao and Li Fubo, however, couldn't stop smiling. "It truly is a Chaofeng beast! And it truly is Grand Tutor Sun's Purple Gold Pestle!"

"This is Chaofeng?" It wasn't He Lingchuan's fault for not recognizing it clearly. Of the dragon's nine sons, except for the one that carries steles, all the others look quite similar.

"It is said that a wisp of Chaofeng's divine soul was added during the forging of this Purple Gold Pestle," Li Fubo exclaimed in admiration. "Even if we wanted to forge such a treasure today, we wouldn't be able to find such a precious beast soul."

Steward Zhao couldn't help but ask again, "May I ask, Young Master He, the origin of this supreme treasure?"

The more valuable a treasure, the more important it is to ascertain its origin. Songyang House is a renowned sect in artifact crafting; they cannot openly accept stolen goods.

"This is our Young Master's war trophy!" Maotao chimed in at the right moment, looking triumphant. "That old scoundrel Sun Fuping was defeated by our Lord He, Young Master He!"

The three people opposite were all moved. Steward Zhao blurted out, "So, Lord He is from Qiansong Commandery, from Qiansong Commandery..."

The matter of former Imperial Tutor Sun Fuping being defeated and losing his weapon in the Coiling Dragon Desert had already spread throughout the capital several months ago. Shihuan City, as one of the auxiliary capitals, naturally would not have missed this news.

"Formerly the Prefect of Qiansong Commandery, Lord He is now the Governor of Xia Province."

Steward Zhao's attitude toward He Lingchuan immediately changed. Not only did his smile become more attentive, but he also bowed even lower. "For such a supreme treasure, your humble servant cannot make a decision; I need to report to my superiors. Young Master He, could you please wait for a moment?"

He Lingchuan waved his hand. "As quickly as possible." *It seems promising.*

Steward Zhao immediately led Li Fubo to the back. A young attendant, who had been left behind, stepped forward and replaced the two distinguished guests' tea with fresh, hot cups.

Steward Zhao and Li Fubo went directly through the back hall, exited through a small back door of Songyang House, passed through two small alleys, and entered a large mansion.

The mansion's area was equivalent to half of Songyang House. But unlike the bustling activity there, this huge mansion had only about ten servants, all of whom moved about softly and quietly.

The winter plums were in full bloom, and the snow on the path had been swept clean. On leafless branches hung golden trays containing millet and pine nuts for winter sparrows and squirrels. Steward Zhao passed a glass conservatory. From a distance, he could see exotic flowers and rare plants competing in splendor inside, seemingly unaffected by the seasons.