noffsinger Chapter 39, 5 miles away, Zhangdao Mirage
Chapter 39, 5 miles away, Zhangdao Mirage
The person in charge of guarding the treasure vault was the fifth elder of the Gong family. He had a kind face, but upon hearing this, a hint of helplessness appeared in his eyes.
"Young friend Chen, you may not know this, but although a first-order spirit fire is not of a high level, it is still a kind of spiritual treasure of heaven and earth, which is rare and hard to come by. Not to mention the Gong family, even those families with a history of three or four hundred years may not be able to have one."
Hmm... This is going to be difficult.
Chen Ye frowned.
If we hadn't gotten that second-tier demon core, that would have been fine, but now that we have, we can't just leave it there and look at it, can we?
Moreover, as cultivation level continues to improve, the probability of encountering other second-tier demonic beasts will increase significantly, and sooner or later, one will have to use spiritual fire.
Chen Ye was considering not only the present, but also the future.
"But..."
Unexpectedly, the Fifth Elder changed the subject and said, "I do know someone who might have information about the spirit fire."
"Who is it?" The unexpected turn of events made Chen Ye's eyes light up.
"Tao Hua'an," said the Fifth Elder.
Tao Hua'an was a master alchemist served by the Gong family. Although he was also considered an outsider, he was completely different from Chen Ye, who was also an outsider.
Simply put, they come with their own technology.
Most alchemists are not skilled in combat, so the Gong family provides Tao Hua'an with security. In return, while Tao Hua'an uses the Gong family's resources to study alchemy, he also refines pills for the Gong family, creating a mutually beneficial relationship.
"Thank you for informing me, Elder." These words flashed through Chen Ye's mind, and he quickly bowed to the Fifth Elder.
Both alchemy and weapon crafting inevitably involve dealing with fire, so it's perfectly normal for Tao Hua'an to know about spiritual fire.
"It's alright."
The Fifth Elder waved his hand with a smile. It was only because it was Chen Ye; if it were someone else with a different surname, he really wouldn't have said much.
"However, if you want to visit Tao Cheng'an, you'd better go to Yingxianlou in the market town at the foot of the mountain first and buy two jugs of their specialty, 'Lingfeng Brew.' That old man loves wine; after a couple of ounces, he'll tell you anything."
"Thank you so much, senior!"
Chen Ye left the Gong family treasury with gratitude, never expecting that the Fifth Elder would not only tell him who knew about the spirit fire, but also reveal that person's hobbies and temperament.
The Fifth Elder of the Gong family is indeed a good person!
Subsequently, Chen Ye arrived at the market town at the foot of the mountain without stopping.
Although Jinwu Island is the main island of the Gong family, there are thousands of independent cultivators on the island in addition to the Gong family members.
With so many cultivators gathered together, various needs naturally arose. Coupled with trade and commerce, the Gong family established Yuntongfang at the foot of the mountain in their clan's territory after occupying Jinwu Island.
After a century of development, Yuntongfang has taken shape. Upon entering the market, one can see shops lining both sides of the street, selling all kinds of elixirs, magical artifacts, and cultivation items.
Chen Ye arrived at Yingxianlou, a bustling area of the market, and spent fifty spirit stones to buy two jars of thirty-year-old spirit bee wine.
"I must say, this spirit wine smells quite nice."
Chen Ye opened the stopper and took a sniff. It did indeed have the unique sweet smell of honey. However, he didn't drink alcohol, and this was a gift, so there was no need for him to taste it first.
After placing the two jugs of spirit wine into his storage bag, Chen Ye immediately set off for Tao Hua'an's villa.
As one of the few alchemists in the Gong family, Tao Hua'an's villa was much larger than Chen Ye's. In order to use the earth fire to refine pills, the villa was located in the heart of Yuntong Mountain and was heavily guarded.
Chen Ye showed his identity token several times before finally arriving at Tao Hua'an's villa.
The villa did not activate any protective magic array. Chen Ye went straight up and knocked on the door. After a short while, a little girl of about ten years old pushed the door open and came out.
"Who are you? Who are you looking for?" the little girl asked in a clear, bright voice, blinking her eyes.
"I am Chen Ye, a member of a different clan, and I have come to pay my respects to Master Tao Dan." As Chen Ye spoke, he took out some spirit wine from his storage bag to show that he had not come empty-handed.
"Oh! So you're Chen Ye!" the little girl exclaimed in surprise.
"What? Do we know each other?" Chen Ye was taken aback, and after taking a closer look at the little girl, he found that she did look somewhat familiar.
"I don't know you, but my sister has mentioned you!"
The little girl shook her head, and perhaps for that reason, she led Chen Ye directly into the other courtyard.
"My sister said you have amazing combat power, and you can kill more than a dozen cultivators of the same level in one go. She even introduced you to a girl from her clan, but unfortunately you didn't like her." The little girl said incessantly.
Upon hearing this, Chen Ye immediately understood that the girl's older sister was probably Gong Yuechan!
However, Chen Ye had been a member of the Gong family for some years, yet he had never heard of Gong Yuechan having a younger sister.
Could it be that she possesses a talent for alchemy and is being secretly protected by her family?
The little girl led Chen Ye directly to the main hall, left him with the words "Wait here," and then skipped off to find her master.
Before long, an elderly man with white hair, wearing a bright red Taoist robe, a bulbous nose, and a body resembling an alchemy furnace, strode in.
He walked along, still grumbling impatiently.
"So annoying! Don't you know how much I hate being disturbed when I'm refining pills?"
Before he could finish speaking, he seemed to smell something, his steps faltered, and his bright red, bulbous nose twitched.
"This is... Spirit Bee Brew!"
Upon smelling the wine, Tao Hua'an's impatience vanished instantly. In fact, he was even more intoxicated than the Fifth Elder had described, having not even taken a sip of the wine yet.
"Speak, what kind of pill do you want to refine?" Tao Hua'an waved his hand, thinking that Chen Ye had come to ask him to refine pills.
Chen Ye quickly cupped his hands in greeting.
"Junior Chen Ye, I apologize for disturbing you, senior, not for alchemy, but to inquire about the whereabouts of the spirit fire..."
"Spiritual fire?" Tao Hua'an's nose twitched, and his gaze unconsciously fell on the two jugs of spiritual wine that Chen Ye had placed on the table.
When he needed a favor, Chen Ye naturally had to make a proper gesture. He pushed the spirit wine in front of Tao Hua'an and said respectfully.
"These are two jugs of thirty-year-old Lingfeng wine that I specially purchased from Yingxianlou. I hope you will accept them, senior."
Thirty-year-old Lingfeng wine...
Tao Hua'an raised an eyebrow, immediately sensing Chen Ye's overwhelming sincerity. He hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"Although I do not have any spirit fire, I do have a spirit fire talisman. Considering the two pots... cough cough, considering the Gong family's reputation, I will give you this spirit fire talisman."
As he spoke, he took out a vermilion talisman from his storage bag and slapped it down in front of Chen Ye.
Spirit Fire Talisman?
Chen Ye examined the talisman. It was the first time he had ever heard that spiritual fire could exist in a talisman. However, a single talisman might not contain much spiritual fire. What if it ran out of fire after being melted down halfway through?
Chen Ye continued to ask.
"Senior, where did you obtain this spirit fire talisman?"
At this moment, Tao Hua'an couldn't wait to take a sip of spirit bee wine. His face was flushed, and he said without thinking.
"I bought this three years ago in the market on Qianzhang Island, five thousand miles away. That market is a great place; they sell everything. But if you want to go, I suggest you wait at least half a year... hiccup..."