Chapter 146: 離島

After half a year of exploration, Chen Mobai had surveyed the entire Azurelight Island. Three months prior, the Black Plague Birds that had been hovering outside the island migrated away after exhausting the food supply in the surrounding waters.

With no more concerns, Chen Mobai repeatedly scoured the crucial market areas and locations of the teleportation arrays. His most significant discovery was a storage pouch found somewhere within the ruins of the collapsed market. He didn't know which unlucky individual had left it; perhaps they had hidden it in a house, fearing it would draw attention if carried during a battle, never imagining that the entire Azurelight Island would fall.

However, Chen Mobai didn't know how to open it. He also dared not inquire about it with the Immortal Sect. So, he kept it with him, planning to figure it out later, perhaps after gaining an opportunity or joining the Divine Wood Sect.

Besides the unopened storage pouch, the other intact magical artifacts included a black iron staff, a curved blade, an axe, five crossbows, and sixteen bottles of pills. Chen Mobai collected the pills and stored them in his dugout. He handed the rest over to Wu Wan for appraisal, only to find that while the artifacts' materials held some value, their crafting techniques were remarkably crude, and they functioned like ordinary weapons, requiring only spiritual energy to be infused.

As these were bulky items, Chen Mobai was disinclined to carry them off Azurelight Island, so he simply sold all of them to Wu Wan. The total value amounted to 138,000 contribution points, which served as a reward for his half-year of hard work. Including the 200,000 points given by Shen Juanxiu and deducting his expenses for drawing talismans over the past six months, his account now held a total of 320,000 contribution points, a comfortable sum.

Unfortunately, he had been too busy scavenging on Azurelight Island and cultivating the Pure Yang Scripture over the past six months to fully dedicate himself to snatching the Three Foundation Establishment Treasures from the Immortal Sect network; otherwise, his assets could have doubled. Still, it was not bad; after all, if he had successfully acquired them repeatedly, it couldn't simply be attributed to good luck and might have attracted official attention.

In the past six months, Chen Mobai had searched the surface of Azurelight Island thoroughly, sensing that there might be more items underground, but he couldn't possibly overturn the entire island. Furthermore, the Divine Wood Sect was about to begin recruiting rogue cultivators, so he couldn't afford to waste any more time here. This was why he decided to leave.

Using a spirit tree, he fashioned a simple raft and, carrying the sixteen bottles of pills he had collected on the island, Chen Mobai departed from the desolate island that had given him many memories. He opened the Turtle Treasure, and the mostly blank map appeared before his eyes. After careful consideration, Chen Mobai decided to head first to the island where the Nanxi Market was located. He wondered what the situation there was like. Had it also been destroyed during the beast tide? If the teleportation array there had been destroyed, Chen Mobai would likely have to drift in the Cloud Dream Marsh for nearly a month before he could return to the mainland. Using the compass he had purchased beforehand from the Immortal Sect to determine his direction, and cross-referencing it with the map in the Turtle Treasure, Chen Mobai began his journey, drifting alone on his raft. The journey from Azurelight Island to that location would also take three days.

As dawn broke, he found a reef, went ashore, tied up his raft, and clicked "return to city."

After spending a quiet New Year with his mother, Tang Pancui, Chen Mobai then accompanied her to his aunt and uncle's house. While the elders played mahjong for entertainment, he took his younger sister, Wang Xinying, to see a blockbuster New Year film. It told the beautiful story of a young man who battled against heaven and earth, ultimately rescuing his wife, and growing old together. After watching it, Chen Mobai promptly forgot the plot, but Wang Xinying thoroughly enjoyed it, still talking about the protagonist's perseverance and loyalty to love as they left.

"By the way, Brother, what about that beautiful sister-in-law from last time? How come you didn't bring her home?" Wang Xinying asked. Her words left Chen Mobai momentarily unsure how to respond. "I told you, she's just a regular friend," he replied. "I understand..." Seeing his sister suppressing a laugh, Chen Mobai couldn't resist ruffling her twin-bun hairstyle vigorously. Amidst her startled cry, he burst into laughter and ran off. Amidst the siblings' joyful teasing, the New Year was filled with cheer.

However, Wang Xinying's words reminded Chen Mobai. He hadn't contacted Qing Nü in a long time. He wondered how she had been doing recently. Had the Clearfire Pills been successfully refined? And was Yang Jing's injury alright? The thought spurred him to act, and he immediately called her.

The next day, they met at the same grilled fish restaurant. "Here!" Qing Nü handed Chen Mobai a large bottle of pills. "What are these?" he asked. "Clearfire Pills," she replied. "You refined them successfully?"

"At first, I failed many times, even with the herb extraction," Qing Nü explained. "Then I asked Teacher Shang Qing for help. She arranged for an alchemist from the Treasure Vase Pharmacy to guide me for half a month, and she also rented me a Tier 2 low-grade alchemy cauldron. After wasting seven batches of raw materials, I finally succeeded once." Qing Nü counted on her fingers, recounting the difficulties of her alchemy. However, after successfully refining one batch of Clearfire Pills, the process became smooth sailing for her. All the Clearfire Pills she had successfully refined over the past six months were now here.

"Did you keep any for yourself?" Chen Mobai asked. He took the bottle, opened it, and counted with his spiritual sense; there were actually 24 pills. "No, we agreed from the start that all successful batches would be yours," Qing Nü replied, shaking her head. She was already very content with gaining proficiency in alchemy.

"After deducting the fees from the 300,000 contribution points earned from the bet, I bought 14 batches of Clearfire Pill raw materials. There's 12,000 contribution points left, I'll transfer them to you," Chen Mobai offered. "No need," Qing Nü said. "Didn't I mention before that I'd give you a small fee for your effort? Consider this your payment for refining the pills." Chen Mobai refused to accept the money. Previously, when Qing Nü's teacher was arrested and she lost her source of income, he had told her he would pay her for each batch of pills refined, as if sponsoring her tuition at the Gou Mang Dao Academy. "In that case, I won't stand on ceremony," Qing Nü said. Without hesitation, she accepted the money with a generous thank you.

"By the way, could you sell me one Clearfire Pill?" Qing Nü suddenly asked after the grilled fish arrived, surprising Chen Mobai. "You could have just given me one less; I wouldn't have known," Chen Mobai pointed out. "I'm not that kind of person," Qing Nü retorted, pouting slightly. Chen Mobai immediately apologized, then opened the bottle and poured out a pill for her. "I'm buying it for Yang Jing," she explained. "She practices a Twin-Mind Technique, and her spiritual sense has some issues." As she spoke, Qing Nü transferred 5,000 contribution points to Chen Mobai. He initially wanted to refuse, but Qing Nü insisted that he take the money. Seeing her persistence, Chen Mobai had no choice but to accept it.

"Oh, you've arrived already," Yan Bingxuan's voice came from behind them. Beside her, Mo Simin looked utterly shocked as she saw Chen Mobai and Qing Nü already seated. "You said you were having dinner with friends, and it was with these two?" Mo Simin asked her best friend, turning her head with a stiff expression. Yan Bingxuan nodded gently, then pulled her to sit down.