Longevity Martial Arts: I have a Mysterious Water Snake Avatar-Chapter 178 - 171: Like Father and Daughter! The Essence of the Instrument!
Time flies like an arrow, the years pass like a gentle stream, and another year hastily slips away.
This year, Yue’er turned six. She could hold a bowl to eat rice and was beginning to remember things.
She had not seen her parents for more than three years, and doubts had begun to grow in her heart. She often pestered Hong Yuan, asking when her parents would return and when he would take her to Nanyang Government.
At this moment, in the courtyard, Hong Yuan’s Original Body stood under a tree, watching little Yue’er scurry up and down the firmiana tree like a little monkey.
"Little Uncle, tomorrow is Grandpa’s birthday. Surely, this time, my parents will come back, right? I can hardly remember their faces," Yue’er said. She sat on a thick branch, blinking her bright eyes as she asked Hong Yuan, her voice tinged with worry.
Senior Brother Mo Jiuyou and his wife...
Hearing Yue’er’s hopeful question once more, Hong Yuan maintained a composed expression and continued to deflect.
"Yiru should have told you that a war at the overlord level usually lasts for decades, if not centuries. It’s only been three years; it can’t be over that quickly," Hong Yuan said with a smile. "Besides, didn’t you just receive a letter and a rattle-drum toy from your parents a while ago? Don’t be anxious."
The letters and rattle-drum toys were fabrications by Hong Yuan and Zhu Wushang, intended to create a nurturing environment for Yue’er.
In a way, Hong Yuan was Yue’er’s guardian, like a surrogate father. He watched her grow, learn to read, and write...
He had been diligently fulfilling the last wish of Senior Brother Mo Jiuyou.
Those tens of millions of Energy Stones were merely a bonus; the primary reason for his actions was their deep brotherly bond. Yes, that was it!
"Alright..." Yue’er said, her tone somewhat dejected.
The firmiana tree was over six meters tall, and Yue’er was currently perched on a branch three meters from the ground.
Suddenly, she stopped swinging her little feet. "Little Uncle, catch me!" she shouted. Then, despite having no martial arts skills, she closed her eyes and let herself fall.
Hong Yuan pushed off with his feet, leaping effortlessly to catch Yue’er in his arms.
"HEEHEE." Yue’er slowly opened her eyes. She then firmly grabbed Hong Yuan’s collar with both hands, her laughter like wind chimes, which deepened the smile on Hong Yuan’s face.
"Let’s go see the Red Dragon Carp," Hong Yuan said warmly.
"Mhm!" Yue’er pressed her head tightly against Hong Yuan’s chest, utterly dependent on him.
Carrying Yue’er, Hong Yuan headed towards the White Frost Stone House. He nodded and greeted acquaintances they met along the way, the scene brimming with pastoral charm.
The Red Dragon Carp was that Luck Tao Variant Seed Red Dragon Carp, the same species of Demon Beast as Li Jianqiu.
However, it wasn’t as fortunate as Li Jianqiu. Living within the Five Major Continents, it was constrained by the will of heaven and earth, and had yet to develop Spiritual Wisdom. It remained an auspicious beast without true intellect, possessing only a hint of Spiritual Nature.
Soon, they arrived at the White Frost Stone House.
Master Lin Daoyan deftly took Yue’er from Hong Yuan’s arms and nuzzled his cheek against hers.
Yue’er struggled, not wanting to be pricked by his beard.
Master is becoming more and more like an old man; he’s already accepting his age... Hong Yuan sighed inwardly.
Over the past three years, his master had visibly aged a great deal. Previously, he had always presented a robust, clean-shaven image. In the last two years, however, he had begun to sport a salt-and-pepper beard and had delegated various tasks to his disciples.
「...」
「The following night.」
After concluding the arrangements for his master’s birthday feast, Hong Yuan returned to his courtyard. He closed the wooden door behind him and entered the Worm Refining room.
The Worm Refining room resembled a research laboratory, with several shelves holding jars and bottles bearing different labels: "White Ant Worm," "Cloud Sparrow Worm," "Golden Saw Centipede Worm..."
A checkmark beside a label indicated that Hong Yuan had successfully refined that Worm and had completely mastered its refinement process.
Below the shelves, various research tools were laid out: petri dishes, glass rods, beakers, and so on.
CLATTER. CLATTER.
Hong Yuan’s gaze shifted towards the sound. A Power Tao Incarnation, clad in a white lab coat, was adding spiritual wood to a fire, extracting the essences of various weapons.
Humans have blood essence, Demon Beasts have spirit cores. And even supposedly inanimate Instruments possess a similar core essence. This essence is vital to every Instrument; without it, the item would lose its specific function as an Instrument.
Gazing at the dense cluster of purple light in the stone pot, Hong Yuan’s brow furrowed slightly.
Fourth-rank, this isn’t enough. All the Instruments Nine Nether gave me have already had their essences extracted. I can’t possibly use such a meager amount of Instrument essence to condense a Sword Tao Incarnation.
Hong Yuan pondered for a long time, a pained expression eventually crossing his face.
Money earned in Lu City should be spent in Lu City. As long as it doesn’t exceed five million Energy Stones, I’ll buy a fifth-rank Instrument.
The Power Tao Incarnation was condensed from his Original Body’s blood essence, possessing his various traits and essentially being another version of him. He used it to handle compulsory tasks, enabling him to lay low within the Sect.
Hong Yuan was determined not to deploy the Power Tao Incarnation; it was too risky. Avenging his senior brother was important, but his own safety was paramount.
In this situation, condensing an Incarnation devoid of his Original Body’s traits to avenge his senior brother would be ideal.
My Soul Tao attainment is remarkable now, and I’ve also acquired Wisdom Tao Worms. I can definitely create a second Incarnation.
Besides, this Incarnation technique is similar to paper effigy techniques and puppetry, so I can proceed with confidence.
Fifth-rank sword essence... With frequent wars up ahead, valuable items always surface at auctions. It seems I must visit the Skyhawk Auction.
I hope the price doesn’t exceed five million Energy Stones. SIGH.
A gleam of determination flashed in Hong Yuan’s eyes, his thoughts crystal clear. Yet, the thought of the exorbitant price of fifth-rank Instruments made him sigh softly.
Five million Energy Stones was an immense sum!
An ordinary family in Phoenix River Town would spend, at most, twenty Energy Stones a year. This was because Phoenix River Town, being close to the Phoenix Creek Sect, had high living costs.
To put it into perspective, Hong Yuan’s Original Body currently earned nearly seven thousand Energy Stones a month, totaling about eighty-five thousand Energy Stones a year. Without spending a single coin, Hong Yuan would have to work for nearly sixty years to save that much.
His Senior Brother Mo Jiuyou had spent his life aggressively accumulating wealth through off-sect assignments, ultimately dying for it, and had earned no more than twenty-five million Energy Stones. Even accounting for any overlooked assets, his total wealth wouldn’t have exceeded forty million Energy Stones.
Five million Energy Stones is a lot, but to reliably help avenge Nine Nether, it’s worth it. Hong Yuan steeled his resolve, no longer wavering.
Perhaps a fifth-rank forging master like Master Lin Daoyan could easily earn that much by creating a single fifth-rank Instrument. Although such a forging master might only "open for business" once every three years, that single transaction could sustain them for three years due to their stable profits!
With this in mind, Hong Yuan looked at his Skills and Arts proficiency panel.
[Culinary (Level 3, 13%), Painting (Level 3, 3%), Forging (Level 2, 89%)]
Gazing at the proficiency levels of these three Skills and Arts, Hong Yuan’s expression grew thoughtful. Eventually, his gaze settled on Painting and Forging.
Although there are no banknotes for me to fully leverage my skills, perhaps I could act as an Instrument counterfeiter for a while?
Hong Yuan pondered briefly, then buried the thought deep in his heart. Unless absolutely necessary, it’s better to stick to the righteous path and be more prudent. I should just focus on becoming a proper Forging Master.
