Upon hearing this, Chen Ye suddenly realized.
It seems that the Hundred Herbs Pill Scripture and the Hundred Herbs Cauldron both originate from the so-called Hundred Herbs Valley.
And Li Guangzong, by some unknown means, managed to find this Hundred Herbs Cauldron...
But these things are no longer important; both treasures have now fallen into Chen Ye’s hands.
Master Gu twiddled his beard, his cloudy old eyes sizing up the Hundred Herbs Cauldron repeatedly, only after a long while did he speak:
"Although this cauldron is a damaged Second Tier Magical Treasure, its material is the superior Cyan Yang Warm Jade, and the Fire Gathering and Condensing Pill runes etched on its body are secret transmissions of the Hundred Herbs Valley, exceptionally rare. If it could be repaired, its value... would be immeasurable.
"May I ask, Master Gu, what materials and costs are needed to repair this cauldron?" Chen Ye hastily inquired.
Master Gu shook his head, sighing: "Repairing a Second Tier Magical Treasure would require at least the work of a Second Tier Artifact Refiner, but... although this cauldron is damaged, its core array is still relatively intact and can be used to refine First Tier Pills, the effect far surpasses that of a Tier One Upper Grade Pill Furnace. Besides, if you can find Cyan Yang Warm Jade, I can repair it for you."
Cyan Yang Warm Jade?
Moreover, from the tone of this Master Gu, his craftsmanship seemed to rival that of a Second Tier Artifact Refiner?
Chen Ye was delighted at the prospect of repair, but such a rare item like Cyan Yang Warm Jade was not something that could be found overnight.
He carefully stored away the Hundred Herbs Cauldron, then took down the dull black Iron Sword from behind him and handed it over.
"Master Gu, I have one more favor to ask. This sword is an old possession of mine, which I had someone recast, adding some Sinking Gold, increasing its weight to a hundred pounds. Unfortunately, it was damaged during a recent fight with someone. I hope you can repair it and... add more weight to it."
Master Gu, who was already intrigued by the Hundred Herbs Cauldron, now showed a hint of impatience on his face when he saw Chen Ye bring out a seemingly ordinary broken Iron Sword.
But when he took the Iron Sword, his hand felt its weight, and as his eyes swept over the sword’s body, that impatience turned into a bit of surprise.
"Hmm? It has some interesting features."
He lightly rubbed his fingertip over the chipped tip of the sword and flicked at the cracks on the sword’s ridge, which emitted a deep, dull sound.
"Ping Zhuo’s boy’s craftsmanship is still somewhat reckless. Although this Sinking Gold is good stuff, his smelting technique is incorrect, and it hasn’t perfectly fused with the Profound Iron of the sword’s body, which is why the Iron Sword has so many hidden damages. Hmph, useless thing..."
He could tell at a glance that this sword was crafted by Ping Zhuo, as well as the reason for its damage.
However, when Master Gu spoke of Ping Zhuo, his tone was slightly melancholic.
Chen Ye also felt sorrow and explained for Ping Zhuo: "It’s not Taoist Friend Ping’s fault... Back then, in the middle of crafting, Taoist Friend Ping was ambushed. After that, it was the disciples of the Spirit Treasure Pavilion who continued the forging."
"I see... that brat Ping, it’s better he’s dead, saves him pining after my daughter."
Master Gu sighed, suddenly looked up at Chen Ye, sizing him up and immediately noticed that his physical body was full of vitality and his foundation solid, then thought to himself,
"Out of respect for an old friend, I’ll forge this Iron Sword for you... a hundred and twenty Spirit Stones."
A hundred and twenty Spirit Stones could buy a Tier One Upper Grade Magical Artifact!
Hee Qi quickly signaled with his eyes to Chen Ye to agree.
After killing Li Guangzong, Chen Ye was not short of Spirit Stones at all, and he immediately took out a hundred and twenty Spirit Stones, placing them on the table.
Master Gu glanced at them, then nodded approvingly, motioning for them to leave.
After leaving the Blacksmith Shop, Hee Qi explained, "This Master Gu has exquisite craftsmanship, comparable to a Second Tier Artifact Refiner, maybe he could forge this Iron Sword to the Top Grade status! A hundred and twenty Spirit Stones is worth it..."
Second Tier Magical Treasures can easily cost several hundred to over a thousand Spirit Stones.
While Tier One Upper Grade Magical Artifacts cost just a hundred Spirit Stones.
There is a huge price gap between the two.
But a Top-grade Magical Artifact perfectly fills this price gap.
The so-called Top Grade refers to a masterpiece in Tier One Magical Artifacts, excelling in material, crafting technique, or internal power. Different Top-grade Magical Artifacts vary greatly in price depending on their function and rarity.
But undoubtedly, for cultivators in the Qi Cultivation Stage, Tier One Top-grade Magical Artifacts suit their cultivation level and are usually easier to control than Second Tier Magical Treasures which require large spiritual power and divine sense.
Chen Ye nodded silently.
If it could be refined to the Top Grade, that would be ideal; if not, it wouldn’t matter much.
No matter how it ends up, it’s still much better than using it as a mere iron stick.
"If this Master Gu proves reliable... maybe I can entrust the Puppet Core to him for refining as well?"
Chen Ye pondered this, but the Puppet Core involved the death of a Foundation Establishment True Man from the Ten Thousand Puppet Sect, revealing it carried more risk than the Hundred Herbs Cauldron.
For the moment, he was hesitant and decided to wait and see, first observing Master Gu’s craftsmanship and character.
After parting with Hee Qi, Chen Ye did not immediately return to the Herb Pavilion.
He wandered alone through the Market at Moon Rhinoceros Lake, watching the bustling, diverse expressions of the cultivators, while contemplating another matter.
Today, as he thoroughly went through Li Guangzong’s Storage Bag, apart from those Spirit Stones, Pills and the Hundred Herbs Pill Scripture, he unexpectedly discovered in an inconspicuous corner a pitch-black Token engraved with the characters "Emotion Crossing."
The material of that Token was neither metal nor jade, icy cold to the touch, with a lingering faint yet extremely sinister aura, evidently a Demon Path item.
"Emotion Crossing Sect..." Chen Ye rubbed the Token, his eyes narrowing thoughtfully, "It seems Li Guangzong was indeed connected to the Emotion Crossing Sect... That bastard had some skills, being involved with both the Medicine King Valley and the Emotion Crossing Sect. I wonder how that missing Female Demon Cultivator is connected to him?"
He put the Token back into the Storage Bag, deciding to inform Bai Susu directly about it in due time.
This wasn’t something he needed to worry about.
By the time he returned to the Herb Pavilion’s Medicinal Garden, it was already afternoon.
As he stepped into the courtyard, he saw a small golden figure pacing back and forth in the Medicinal Garden at the back of the Herb Pavilion with its hands behind its back, muttering as if it were a little adult.
"This Concentrating Heart Grass is not old enough, insufficiently seasoned, of little use... This vine is growing well, but it’s not purple enough, should be culled! And this... never mind, it’s unsightly, uproot it all together!"
She spoke as she pointed at the Spiritual Medicines with her small hand, her expression focused, assuming the air of an experienced Spirit Plant Master.
Behind her, Qing Jun and Zhiwei each held a small medicinal hoe, busily... digging up herbal plants?
"What are you doing?!" Chen Ye’s sight went dark, nearly losing his breath.
This was the Herb Pavilion’s Medicinal Garden!
Though these Spiritual Medicines were not of high grade, they were all nurtured with great care by himself, each of significant value!
And why did Bai Susu’s words sound so familiar?
Is she going to gift him Spirit Plants again...?
The problem is this is the Herb Pavilion’s Medicinal Garden, not Bai Susu’s Baiqi Garden!
Chen Ye, enraged!