Guarding the River of Time-Chapter 397 - 387: Reunion with an Old Acquaintance and the Artifact Spirit of the Reincarnation Stone Ring
Above the Long River, Su Mu inadvertently discovered that the Golden Nanmu Tree in front of his door also had a certain hatching effect on the Golden Crow Egg he obtained!
Although the effect couldn’t compare to the legendary Fusang Wood, it still had some effect.
So, Su Mu constructed a nest with leaves on the Phoebe Tree to incubate the Golden Crow Egg. Although the progress was slow, it was at least effective.
At this pace, it should take only a few months to successfully hatch the Golden Crow Egg.
The days continued in an orderly fashion, and the pace quickened as well, with more Favor Points earned each day.
Mainly because Su Mu "found another way," which was to allow the pollution source to contaminate the water, then at a certain level, he purified it, reaping the rewards.
In less than a month, Su Mu had already mastered the pollution and purification of eighteen tributaries, purifying them once every ten days. Each purification yielded at least three thousand Favor Points per tributary, totaling fifty-four thousand Favor Points.
Purifying three times a month, Su Mu’s monthly baseline income in Favor Points reached one hundred and fifty thousand plus.
Adding his miscellaneous earnings, about two hundred thousand Favor Points per month was easy, and if all used to enhance River Affinity, a two percent increase per month was achievable.
Currently, Su Mu’s River Affinity had reached seventy percent, just thirty percent more, that is, three million Favor Points.
In just fifteen months, less than a year and a half, he could completely refine this river!
Doing the math, Nannan was already eight and a half years old, and he had been trapped in this river for eight and a half years. Another year and a half, and it would be exactly ten years—finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel!
Reflecting on this, Su Mu wanted to borrow a movie line from his past life: "Do you know how I spent these ten years?"
.....
On this day, Su Mu was clearing a river inlet blocked by all kinds of trash, when a small wooden boat slowly sailed toward him.
An elder stood at the front of the boat, dressed in cloth attire, wearing a bamboo hat. As he approached, he waved his right hand toward Su Mu: "Fellow Daoist Su, Fellow Daoist Su."
Upon hearing this, Su Mu looked up and, seeing the elder in cloth clothes, recognized an old acquaintance and smiled: "Elder Ling."
Elder Ling was one of the few old friends Su Mu had. Ever since he risked coming to Su Mu’s aid previously, Su Mu felt grateful to him. Although he didn’t help much, his willingness to assist in such a dangerous situation was very rare.
So, for Elder Ling, Su Mu didn’t charge a crossing fee, waiving it each time.
After reaching Su Mu, Elder Ling was panting heavily, looking exhausted.
"What’s wrong? You look exhausted?"
Su Mu also put down his work and asked.
"Nothing, just a small issue."
"Brother Su, please handle the urgent matters at hand first."
Seeing Su Mu dealing with the "blockage" of this tributary, Elder Ling spoke, fearing to interrupt.
"Give me a few minutes."
Soon, with a few swift moves, Su Mu cleared the river situation, clapped his hands, and said: "Come to my place, have a cup of tea before you leave."
"Thank you for your kindness, Brother Su."
"Care to rest a few minutes aboard the boat, Brother Su? Would it delay your work?" Elder Ling asked tentatively.
"Not at all, there isn’t much to handle lately."
With that, Su Mu boarded Elder Ling’s small boat, and the two sat facing each other at a wooden table on the deck.
"Brother Ling, this boat has become much grander."
"Moreover, your vigor has also improved greatly, an enormous change indeed."
Su Mu surveyed Elder Ling’s small boat, its hull doubled in size compared to before. The key was the material used to build the wooden boat, which was very rare—a kind of wood very unfamiliar to Su Mu, likely a Supreme Treasure.
Moreover, although Elder Ling’s appearance hadn’t changed much, his aura had transformed. Previously, it was somewhat "scattershot" and "superficial," but now it was steady, with breathing very prolonged. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂
"Couldn’t hide from Brother Su’s eyes, indeed. Rather than a big change, it should be said this is the real me, the more complete me."
Regarding his aura change, Elder Ling didn’t elaborate, and Su Mu didn’t probe further, knowing it to be cultivation privacy—more questioning would be impolite.
...
After a few simple exchanges, Elder Ling, seeing the time was ripe, revealed his purpose for this visit.
"Brother Su, do you remember the Stone Ring I once gave you?"
Hearing this, Su Mu paused, and with a wave of his hand, a Stone Ring appeared in his palm.
This Stone Ring was something he got from Elder Ling before, proving very helpful to Su Mu when he advanced to Immortal King.
If not for this Stone Ring, he might still be stuck at the Celestial Immortal Perfection Realm.
"Since it is Brother Ling’s Magical Treasure, I should return it to its rightful owner."
With that, Su Mu handed the Stone Ring back to Elder Ling.
After all, the Stone Ring was no longer much help to him, so he might as well return it, treating it as repaying a favor.
"No, no!"
"Brother Su misunderstood my intentions, that wasn’t the purpose."
Seeing this, Elder Ling hastily waved his hand, pushing the Stone Ring back, saying: "I didn’t come to reclaim this Stone Ring."
"This ring, only in Brother Su’s hands, can it truly realize its value. Keeping it with me would be sheer waste."
"I came today to make this Stone Ring more complete."
"To restore it to its true form."
Elder Ling spoke every word deliberately.
Upon hearing this, Su Mu was taken aback, somewhat puzzled: "Its true form?"
"According to Brother Ling, this Stone Ring is actually incomplete?"
.....
"Yes, it is incomplete, imperfect."
"Because it’s incomplete, its true function hasn’t been revealed."
"It’s missing the most crucial piece, that is...."
At this point, Elder Ling paused: "Artifact Spirit."
"The ring lacks the essential Artifact Spirit."
"So, it is incomplete, defective. Brother Su, you understand that a Magical Treasure without its Artifact Spirit lacks its core essence."
After saying this,
Su Mu pondered for a moment before saying: "So, Brother Ling brought the ’Artifact Spirit’ this time?"
Upon hearing this, Elder Ling nodded.
His exhaustion was due to seeking this Artifact Spirit, traveling through countless times and spaces, but with his good relationship with Su Mu, he faced no difficulty, freely traversing the River of Time. Otherwise, finding the Artifact Spirit would be impossible.
......
"Yes, I have brought it."
With that, Elder Ling waved his hand.
