Chapter 44: Lack of Money

The cabin was dim, with doors and windows tightly shut.

Li Weiyi poured all his coins onto the table, including those he'd collected from Xing Wanxing, Fang Tong, and Yan Qingqing's bodies. They clattered into a small pile, which he carefully counted twice.

"Eighty-two Spring Coins, one hundred eighty-seven silver coins, and eighty copper coins."

One Spring Coin was equivalent to one hundred silver coins, or ten thousand copper coins. Li Weiyi already had some understanding of this world's purchasing power. For example, a journey from Yaoguan to Jiuli City took nine to ten days by boat, costing eight silver coins per person. Zhao Meng was an exception, paying sixty-four silver coins.

Shipping the stone coffin incurred an additional sixteen silver coins.

Daily food expenses were also a significant cost. Fortunately, when Zhao Meng left the bronze warship, he had packed many bottles and jars of Golden Crow Blood and Black Dragon Blood for consumption; otherwise, he alone could have eaten enough for dozens of people.

However, Li Weiyi was also consuming Golden Crow Blood and Black Dragon Blood, which would surely run out soon.

Li Weiyi had asked Zhao Zhizhu about the price of houses in Jiuli City and was startled. Even a small courtyard outside the city, capable of housing five or six people, would cost tens of thousands of silver coins if it was in a good location near the main city. A less desirable, more remote location would still cost nearly ten thousand silver coins.

At most, all his current money combined was just enough to buy such a small residence.

Larger homes, or those within the city limits, were completely out of the question.

Of course, he also possessed several magical artifacts and the Alien Coffin he had salvaged, all of which could fetch a considerable price. This was why he dared to consider temporarily settling in Jiuli City.

"Selling the Alien Coffin privately carries risks; I'll have to wait. I could sell a magical artifact first, but as an outsider cultivator with no backing from beyond the Spring Realm, would that be too conspicuous and bring trouble?" Li Weiyi muttered to himself.

The partial corpse in the stone coffin said, "You could ask Li Ling. She's the Underworld Lamp Guide and the granddaughter of the Cangli Tribe's patriarch."

Li Weiyi had already recounted all the details of the situation to everyone, which naturally provoked some bewildered laughter. Everyone agreed there was only one unreasonable point: why would Li Ling approach him? With so many magical artifacts, if they couldn't sway her, what else could she possibly want?

The Senior Ancestral Tablet told Li Weiyi that since Li Ling was an Underworld Lamp Guide, she might have awakened "Perceptive Wisdom." Awakening "Perceptive Wisdom" meant she had triumphed in the guide competition and become a priestess successor.

An Underworld Lamp Guide could predict the general fortune or misfortune of an event and find the correct path in the Spirit Mist Domain. An Underworld Lamp Guide who had awakened "Perceptive Wisdom" also possessed a unique minor ability: once she truly fell in love with a man, she could locate him through her senses, regardless of the distance.

The Senior Ancestral Tablet felt this was the only reasonable explanation; otherwise, all of Li Ling's actions would be too peculiar.

Li Weiyi never dared to be narcissistic or arrogant, nor did he believe he possessed such charm. However, what was vexing was that Li Ling showed no malice, made no aggressive moves, and instead became increasingly sincere.

He simply wanted to clarify their boundaries as soon as possible... Asking her to help sell a magical artifact would only create another bond, wouldn't it?

"Clang! Clang!" The sound of a camel bell rang in Li Weiyi's mind. Immediately, a rush of chaotic thoughts and negative emotions surged forth, seemingly wanting to devour him. He quickly performed the Jade Void Breathing Technique, and it took him a quarter of an hour for his thoughts to calm and the bell sound in his mind to dissipate.

Ever since he had rung the Evil Camel Bell in the Blood Sea Coffin Dock, summoning a giant camel bell and killing Fang Tong, the sound of the camel bell would occasionally appear in his mind, as if some connection had been established.

"It rang again?" said the partial corpse in the stone coffin. Li Weiyi nodded, "It's becoming more frequent and the impact is greater... Is there really no way to resolve it?"

The partial corpse in the stone coffin replied, "Yu Tuonan was no ordinary individual; even in the Demon Kingdom's Free Capital back then, only Yu Baxian could suppress him. The Evil Camel Bell's reputation is even more formidable; it once caused a living realm to descend into chaos, leading to immense bloodshed. It's safe to say that all the magical artifacts you possess combined are not even half as powerful as the Evil Camel Bell."

"For you, if the Evil Camel Bell is used well, it will be an extremely powerful trump card. Right now, you can only summon a three to four-meter-tall camel, but in the future, it might become a camel caravan, and the camels themselves might transform into Dragon-Headed Tuo Camels."

"However, if you cannot control it and your mind and consciousness are maliciously influenced, the consequences could be severe, potentially leading you to fall into the demonic path."

"It likely voluntarily recognized you as its master when you activated your spiritual energy and shook it. However, such powerful demonic artifacts often devour their masters. As it continuously absorbs evil thoughts from the world, its soul energy will rapidly recover and grow stronger. You must become stronger than it, or else it will control you."

"If you could enlist a thought master of the Jiuli Tribe's priest level, they might be able to destroy its soul energy at this stage and eliminate the hidden danger. Once it reaches a certain level of strength, destroying it will become as difficult as ascending to heaven."

Discarding it now was clearly too late.

The Senior Ancestral Tablet said, "Your breathing technique is powerful, but you're only resisting. You need to cultivate spiritual light as quickly as possible; spiritual light can suppress the souls of magical artifacts. Then, you will be able to control it, rather than it continuously influencing you."

"Additionally, by opening the fifth Spring in the central back region, a martial artist can gain a certain ability to resist and tame soul thoughts," added the partial corpse in the stone coffin.

Master Pot, Senior Ancestral Tablet, and Senior Coffin were clearly much weaker than Zen Sea Viewing Mist and Yu Tuonan. After all, the latter two could already manifest physical forms and move freely.

"Knock, knock." A knock sounded at the door.

"Brother Xie, the Fourth Young Miss has woken up," Zhao Zhizhu's voice came from outside.

After putting all his coins away, Li Weiyi opened the door and stepped out, smiling. "Elder Zhao, please don't call me Brother Xie anymore. We're among friends; there's no need for secrets. My real name is Li Weiyi. You can call me Weiyi, or Brother Li, either is fine."

Li Weiyi's hearing was incredibly sharp, so he had long been aware of Li Ling's little actions. He had a very good impression of Zhao Zhizhu, who, out of gratitude, chose to conceal the matter of the magical artifact from the young patriarch and Li Ling. In this world, being able to clearly distinguish between kindness and grievance was extremely rare.

Zhao Zhizhu naturally feigned surprise and played along for a moment, then said, "Alright, I'll call you Brother Li, but don't call me Elder Zhao anymore; just 'Old Zhao' is fine. Haha!" In his heart, he approved of Li Weiyi even more.

He understood why Li Weiyi concealed his real name; after all, one should be extremely cautious when their cultivation level is low. If Li Weiyi had become arrogant and boastful after helping the Cangli Tribe, believing himself to be an extraordinary figure, Zhao Zhizhu would have repaid the favor quickly and then distanced himself.

The two walked along the corridor outside the cabin. Li Weiyi asked, "Old Zhao, you mentioned earlier that you re-cultivated to the Second Spring. Can a shattered Spring Eye truly be reformed?"

The smile faded from Zhao Zhizhu's face, and he said bitterly, "Reforming a shattered Spring is extremely difficult and requires immense perseverance. After so many years, I've only managed to reform two Springs. Unless one can find the most top-tier magical artifacts, whose power might allow for rapid reformation." "But such artifacts..."

"Let's put it this way: our entire Jiuli Tribe only has that legendary lost magical artifact with such an ability. Otherwise, the tribe would have helped me restore my cultivation back then... Sigh..."

Zhao Zhizhu sighed heavily, a tightness in his chest. Falling from his peak to the dust, enduring countless humiliations, mockery, and insults, his heart had originally been tempered into tranquility. Yet, today, Li Ling and Li Weiyi had stirred up those painful memories. He, too, had once enjoyed boundless glory and been admired by thousands.

Unwilling to discuss the matter further, he said, "We've arrived!"

Li Weiyi secretly wondered if he should try to help Zhao Zhizhu once he had opened the fifth Spring in his central region or cultivated spiritual light, enabling him to control the Evil Camel Bell. This thought merely flashed through his mind. Exposing a magical artifact of that caliber was no small matter; he had to think twice before acting.

Li Ling possessed a half-immortal body; her skin was as delicate and fair as jade-white wax, and her long hair, like black silk, cascaded down both sides of her face. Illuminated by the setting sun outside the door, her facial contours were clearly defined, and her profile was flawlessly perfect.

"Didn't you always want to draw a clear line between us? Why did you save me? Wouldn't this just blur the lines again?" she asked.

Li Weiyi pulled over a stool and sat down. "I think anyone would have helped in that situation. It was just a natural thing to do."

Li Ling said, "Is that so? I remember Fang Tong was still alive when I was severely injured and unconscious. To save me, you had to deal with him first, and that wasn't 'just a natural thing to do.' Such a great favor and kindness — how could I not repay it?"

Fearing she might offer herself in marriage again, and with Zhao Zhizhu still nearby, Li Weiyi quickly said, "Alright, then give me money!"

Li Ling frowned. "Are you really that short on money?"

"Going to Jiuli City means spending money everywhere. Although I have some savings, I can't just sit back and watch them dwindle, can I? It just so happens you want to repay me." Li Weiyi believed that no matter how much Li Ling gave, he fully deserved it.

Li Ling stopped mentioning repayment and asked, "Did Fang Tong escape?"

Li Weiyi thought for a moment. "He escaped very quickly."

"Did you cut off the heads of the other two?" She was very concerned about this.

"No, that would be too cruel." Li Weiyi knew what she wanted. He took out the Snow Wolf King tooth necklace and said, "I think this will be enough as proof!"

Li Ling reached for it. Li Weiyi pulled it back, staring into her eyes. "I am very short on money."

"What do you need so much money for?" Li Ling asked.

Li Weiyi replied, "Buying a residence in Jiuli City is a huge expense, and I don't have enough money."

"With this necklace, I can apply to the tribe for a large residence for you," Li Ling said.

Li Weiyi shook his head. "I don't want to establish too deep a connection with your Cangli Tribe or Jiuli Tribe. If the Earth Wolf King's army investigates, they'll trace it back to me. You must tell everyone that you obtained this wolf tooth yourself. You just need to give me money!"

"Alright, I agree," Li Ling said, flashing a charming smile. "Your consideration is correct! Jiuli City is indeed a money pit; no amount of money is too much to spend there. And martial arts cultivation, breaking through a single realm can cost ten thousand silver coins."

She reached for the wolf tooth necklace, but Li Weiyi pulled his hand back again. "I also need to see Cai Yutong and Qi Shanshan; they are my companions."

Li Ling's eyes narrowed slightly. "Alright, I'll arrange it."

"You need to know that by bargaining with you, I am actually trying to trust you. There's only this one chance!" Li Weiyi said.

Li Ling replied, "I know! If anything goes wrong, forget about being friends in the future; we might only be enemies."