Chapter 59
Translator: T_Fan
Lee Hyun placed a fuzzbee on his palm.
“You understand what I say pretty well, don’t you?”
Squeak.
“If I told you to bring me that stone, you wouldn’t go so far as to tear one out of the wall.”
The fuzzbee rubbed its antennae with its short forelegs.
Lee Hyun opened the chest of the Six-Armed Bone Puppet beside him.
Between its thick ribs were grooves for inserting spirit stones and a bone socket securing the soul stone. Around them, countless fine restrictions leading to every part of the body had been densely engraved.
There was more than enough room for a single fuzzbee.
Lee Hyun pointed inside with a finger.
“Want to go in?”
Bzz–
The fellow flew in beside the bone socket, circled around inside a few times, then wedged itself between two ribs.
A tuft of golden fur poked out slightly between the white bones.
“Isn’t it cramped?”
Squeak squeak.
The fuzzbee waved its antennae.
Lee Hyun looked back and forth between the soul stone and the fuzzbee.
First, he had to find a way to transmit the fuzzbee’s mental intent to the soul stone.
…
Fifteen days later.
Qingyu Ravine in the Danxiao Range.
Lee Hyun released the fuzzbees he had brought from the tunnel into the cave abode.
There were three Tier 2 fuzzbees and several Tier 1 fuzzbees. In one corner of the storeroom, he had also prepared a jar containing spirit insects for them to eat and a box of soil where they could roll around and rest.
Lee Hyun spread out the papers summarizing 《Introductory Guide to Soul Stone Inscription》 alongside Guo Zhenming’s cultivation annotations.
‘Let’s leave the part that moves the body as it is.’
He had considered modifying the skeleton to suit the fuzzbees’ bodies, but that would require completely reworking every restriction engraved into the joints. At his current level, where he could barely repair an existing puppet, it was too much to handle.
‘I can make one in whatever shape I want later. For now….’
Lee Hyun attached a small bone fragment beside the bone socket in the puppet’s chest.
Simply entering the puppet would not allow a fuzzbee to control it automatically, so he intended to first guide the fuzzbee into transmitting its mental intent to the soul stone while clinging to the bone fragment.
…
Three months later.
Hummm–
A faint green light appeared in the Six-Armed Bone Puppet’s eye sockets.
Inside its chest, a fuzzbee clung to the small bone fragment.
Lee Hyun withdrew the connection he had been using to control the puppet directly with his divine sense. Then, through the Spirit-Nurturing Seal, he sent his mental intent to the fuzzbee.
He was telling it to pick up the block of wood in front of it.
Crrrk.
The puppet moved one of its right arms.
Its fingers grasped at empty air in front of the block, then opened again. When it reached out a second time, the hand went too far and pushed the block aside.
Clatter.
The block rolled across the floor.
The bone puppet turned toward it.
Thud. Thud.
Its two legs moved one after the other.
The puppet stopped in front of the block and bent at the waist. This time, its fingers closed properly around the wood.
“Bring it here.”
The bone puppet turned around.
It held the block in one hand, while its other five arms swung somewhat awkwardly beside its body.
Thud. Thud.
When the puppet stopped in front of Lee Hyun, the hand holding the block slowly rose.
“Oh….”
Lee Hyun took the block.
“Well done.”
Squeak squeak!
Inside its chest, the fuzzbee fluttered its wings as though puffing itself up with pride.
This time, Lee Hyun pointed toward a stone bowl on the other side.
The puppet walked toward it.
He focused his divine sense and examined the flow of spiritual power inside the puppet. The restrictions that received commands from the soul stone drew power from the spirit stones and sent it into the joints and skeleton.
No matter how strong the fuzzbee was, he could not have it move the puppet through brute strength alone. That would amount to nothing more than wearing a heavy shell and throwing its bare body around inside it.
To draw out the puppet’s true power, its joints had to be driven by the power of the spirit stones embedded within it.
After the puppet brought back the stone bowl, Lee Hyun stopped it and removed the spirit stone from its chest.
Hummm–
The light in its eye sockets went out.
The fuzzbee moved around several times inside, but the bone puppet remained standing where it was.
A moment later, the golden tuft of fur flew out of its chest.
Squeak?
“It’s not broken.”
Lee Hyun showed it the spirit stone.
“It needs this to move.”
The fellow tapped the spirit stone with its foreleg.
Lee Hyun inserted the spirit stone again and sent the fuzzbee back inside. A moment later, the puppet moved its right arm once more.
“That does it.”
This was already a sufficient result.
The fuzzbee decided where to go and what to pick up. The existing spell formula received its mental intent and handled the actual work of moving the legs and curling the fingers.
Still, the fuzzbee seemed to need time to adapt to the bone puppet’s unfamiliar body structure. Even now, whenever it picked something up, it used only the arm that was easiest for it to move.
‘I’ll think about combat later. I can’t accomplish everything overnight.’
Lee Hyun lightly patted the bone puppet’s shoulder.
“You ought to have a name too. How about Bonefuzz?”
Squeak.
It showed no sign of objection.
Lee Hyun took out a small wooden plaque and wrote on it in Hangul (Korean).
「Bonefuzz No. 1」
He tied the wooden plaque inside the bone puppet’s chest cover.
…
A few days later.
The cultivation chamber in Qingyu Ravine.
Lee Hyun held a small jade bottle upside down.
Tap. Tap.
Nothing fell into his palm. He had finished all the Spirit-Nourishing Pills.
Perhaps because he had taken them at sufficiently long intervals, there had been no particular side effects. At first, he had thought their effects were not especially impressive, but after fully refining them all, the difference was quite noticeable.
Even after the medicinal strength of the Spirit-Nourishing Pills had completely dispersed, sufficient rest restored his depleted divine sense to a slightly stronger state than before.
‘To think pills can permanently expand the foundation of one’s divine sense… The world of immortal cultivation truly is wondrous.’
Lee Hyun suddenly remembered the Poison-Warding Pill and reviewed the pill recipe he had examined some time ago.
It was a pill made by extracting the toxic qi from the Purple Poison Orchid, then adding several auxiliary medicinal ingredients to the refined Purple Venom Extract and Harmonizing their medicinal potency.
Back then, he had examined it merely because he wanted to know the uses of the spirit plants he was raising. Thinking about it now, it seemed worth taking himself.
The cultivators he had encountered in the Huatian Secret Realm had used a wide variety of methods. Some coated their magic tools with poison, while others released the yin poison of resentful spirits.
There was no guarantee he would always be able to block every form of toxic qi with the Qi Sphere Barrier or body-protecting spirit light.
‘Should I make some?’
But once he actually looked over the alchemy process, it began to seem rather troublesome.
He would have to purchase the required auxiliary medicinal ingredients and adjust the fire control and proportions to suit the medicinal potency of the Purple Poison Orchids he possessed.
Most importantly, there was no reason to use his long-aged Purple Poison Orchids right now.
‘The oldest Purple Poison Orchids I have are 466 years in medicine age… It would be such a waste to use them just to refine a Tier 2 pill. I have plenty of spirit stones anyway… Couldn’t I just buy Poison-Warding Pills?’
Being an alchemist did not mean he had to personally make every pill he consumed.
Lee Hyun did not always need fifty times as many pills as everyone else. Poison-Warding Pills had little to do with whether one’s dantian was confined to the lower dantian or spread throughout the entire body, so he only needed to take as many as anyone else.
…
Danxiao Immortal City.
Lee Hyun entered a hall that dealt in pills.
Jade bottles and medicine cases lined the shelves along the walls. A small wooden plaque bearing the pill’s name and grade hung in front of each compartment.
As he approached the counter, an early Foundation Establishment cultivator rose from his seat.
“What are you looking for?”
“I’d like to see Tier 2 Spirit-Nourishing Pills and Poison-Warding Pills.”
“We have Poison-Warding Pills. As for Spirit-Nourishing Pills… wait a moment.”
The cultivator searched the shelves in the back, then brought over two jade bottles and placed one pill from each onto a small jade tray.
The Spirit-Nourishing Pill was slightly paler than the ones Lee Hyun had taken before, perhaps because it had been refined using a different method. The Poison-Warding Pill was deep purple with a thin band of white markings around it.
Lee Hyun examined their medicinal fragrance and the flow of spiritual power within them.
The aura of the Spirit-Nourishing Pill was familiar. The Poison-Warding Pill also matched what he remembered from the pill recipe.
Lee Hyun asked to make sure.
“Is this Poison-Warding Pill taken before entering poisonous mist, or is it taken regularly to build resistance to poison?”
“It is taken regularly to increase one’s resistance to poison. However, you must not take too many at once. Fully refine the medicinal strength and leave enough time before taking the next one. I’ll include the consumption instructions in the bottle as well. Of course, taking a few does not mean you’ll become immune to every poison.”
The cultivator returned the Poison-Warding Pill to its jade bottle.
“If you keep taking the same pill, there may come a point when it no longer produces much change. Once that happens, there’s no need to insist on taking the same amount.”
“Is it similar with Spirit-Nourishing Pills?”
“It depends on how well fellow Daoist refines them, but once you develop a tolerance to their medicinal potency, it becomes difficult to see the same improvement as at first. Even so, they’re still highly valued by those who constantly push their divine sense to the limit.”
Lee Hyun nodded.
“Three of each, please.”
“The Spirit-Nourishing Pills are nine mid-grade spirit stones, and the Poison-Warding Pills are three.”
…
Next, Lee Hyun visited the Inner Pavilion of the Scripture Pavilion.
Since he had already taken the Spirit-Nourishing Pills, this time he intended to look for an inheritance on training and controlling divine sense.
The strength of divine sense ultimately depended on how thoroughly one had tempered the primordial spirit, so what Lee Hyun sought was effectively a primordial-spirit cultivation art.
Lee Hyun’s gaze stopped on one jade slip in the list of inheritances.
《Spirit-Refining Essentials》.
It was an inheritance dealing with methods for stabilizing divine sense, dividing it for simultaneous use, and gathering it again after depletion.
From the description, it contained no methods for directly attacking another’s primordial spirit. Instead, with long practice, it would reduce interference when divine sense was split into several streams and make it easier to maintain intense concentration on a single point.
Its contents were useful for alchemists, puppet masters, and cultivators who used multiple magic tools at once.
Lee Hyun handed his identity token to the disciple in charge and paid 120 contribution points, then examined the inheritance inside the inheritance chamber.
…
A few days later, Qingyu Ravine.
“Training the primordial spirit really isn’t easy.”
With an aching pressure between his brows, Lee Hyun put down the jade slip and steadied his breathing.
“I might as well clear my head by testing a Poison-Warding Pill.”
Lee Hyun took out a Poison-Warding Pill and swallowed it. As the purple pill slid down his throat, a bitter taste lingered on the tip of his tongue.
Following the consumption instructions, he circulated the medicinal strength, then took out his ledger and briefly recorded the date he had taken it and the changes he felt.
He decided to take the Spirit-Nourishing Pill on another day, since mixing their medicinal strength might cause problems.
…
After that, several new things became part of Lee Hyun’s daily routine.
Whenever he returned from completing the sect’s regular alchemy duties, he cultivated the Primordial One-Qi Art. When his divine sense had enough room to spare, he practiced the Spirit-Refining Essentials, and at sufficiently long intervals he took either a Spirit-Nourishing Pill or a Poison-Warding Pill.
He also continued having the fuzzbees control Bonefuzz.
All three of them greatly enjoyed moving the puppet. The fellows gradually became more skilled at controlling Bonefuzz No. 1.
One day, Lee Hyun came out after finishing his cultivation and found a strange figure standing in the middle of the dim cave abode in Qingyu Ravine.
“You startled me… What is that?”
Looking more closely, he saw that Bonefuzz No. 1 was holding a small water bowl.
A sound came from inside its chest.
Squeak squeak.
Lee Hyun filled the bowl with the Spirit Rain Art.
Bonefuzz then set the bowl down on the floor and stopped. A moment later, the fuzzbee emerged from its chest and drank the water.
“You could’ve just asked. Why scare me with Bonefuzz?”
Squeak.
…
Once every six months, Lee Hyun also visited Tunnel No. 3.
After filling the water tanks, he inspected the water supply pipes and drainage channels, the soil in the spirit fields, and the condition of the Lesser Yang Stones.
Fortunately, both the Fire-Heart Orchids and Jade-Condensing Grass were growing well.
He went around the other spirit fields as well, recording their medicine ages.
He also brought Bonefuzz No. 1, which had completed its tests in Qingyu Ravine, back to the tunnel several times.
Whenever a Tier 2 fuzzbee controlled Bonefuzz No. 1, the Tier 1 fuzzbees would land on the puppet’s head and shoulders.
Then, whenever the Tier 2 fuzzbee emerged from Bonefuzz No. 1, the other fuzzbees crowded around it. The fellow that had just come out strutted about with its antennae held stiffly upright, as though being hailed as a hero.
Sometimes, after controlling Bonefuzz No. 1, the Tier 2 fuzzbee would touch antennae with one of the Tier 1 fuzzbees surrounding it, then the two would quietly disappear together into some secluded crack in the tunnel!
Once, when Lee Hyun tried to follow them, the fuzzbee in front turned back.
Squeak squeak!
The fellow shoved Lee Hyun’s finger away with its forelegs while beating its wings fiercely.
“You don’t want me to follow?”
Squeak!
When Lee Hyun stopped, the fellow turned around and followed the other fuzzbee into the tunnel again.
Lee Hyun still had no idea how the fuzzbees reproduced.
The fellows did not gather nectar from flowers, nor did they seem to have a queen. In the first place, “fuzzbee” was merely a name Lee Hyun had given them based on their appearance.
…
In the sixth year since Bonefuzz No. 1’s first test.
A small banquet was held at Yanxia Peak.
It was a celebration for Eldest Senior Brother Tao Wenqian, who had been allotted a Golden Core Condensing Pill.
He had already reached Foundation Establishment Great Perfection four years earlier. Since then, he had continued performing regular alchemy duties and outside missions to accumulate the remaining contributions he needed, and at last he had earned the opportunity to attempt Core Formation.
Each stone table was set with spirit fruit, spirit wine, spirit vegetables, spirit meat, and other delicacies, while Yue Wugou had brought a larger wine bottle than usual. Tan Yunsheng sat in the seat of honor, watching his disciples.
“Eldest Senior Brother, today of all days, you have to accept a drink.”
Tao Wenqian smiled and held out his cup.
Across from him, Lee Hyun raised his teacup as well.
“Congratulations, Eldest Senior Brother.”
“Thank you.”
The Golden Core Condensing Pill.
It was a Tier 3 pill consumed by Foundation Establishment cultivators to form a golden core.
Lee Hyun still did not understand the profound principles behind Core Formation, but he did know that attempting it without the aid of a pill was a desperate gamble with only the slimmest chance of survival.
“How many Golden Core Condensing Pills did our sect refine this time?”
When Fang Jiyun asked, Tao Wenqian answered.
“Four. It’s been twenty-seven years since the last batch was refined.”
“Did it take that long to gather the ingredients?”
“I heard one of the main ingredients was nearly impossible to obtain. Several Elders of the Inner Alchemy Court took part in this refinement.”
Fang Jiyun set down his wine cup.
“One of those precious pills went to our Eldest Senior Brother, so today we ought to celebrate to our hearts’ content.”
Lee Hyun nodded.
Tao Wenqian had said that receiving this pill had consumed most of the contributions he had accumulated over more than a century. Even after gathering enough contributions and being deemed qualified, one still had to wait if the pill storehouse had none in stock.
Tao Wenqian set down his cup.
“For the time being, I intend to reduce my alchemy duties and outside work.”
He looked toward Tan Yunsheng. Once Tan Yunsheng nodded, Tao Wenqian continued.
“After I finish making a few preparations, I intend to enter secluded cultivation.”
Mei Sujun asked,
“Are you planning to enter soon?”
“I should hand over the work I’m responsible for first.”
Tao Wenqian looked at Fang Jiyun and Lee Hyun in turn.
“I’m thinking of asking Junior Brother Fang to take care of the communal Alchemy Hall. Junior Brother Li may find his workload increasing a little as well.”
Yue Wugou said,
“We can divide the remaining work among ourselves. Eldest Senior Brother, you should focus solely on Core Formation.”
Tao Wenqian smiled.
With his wood-fire dual spiritual root, he was considered quite talented even among Tan Yunsheng’s disciples. The true essence he had accumulated over many years was abundant, and even after reaching Great Perfection, he had spent several more years stabilizing his realm.
Now that he had obtained a Golden Core Condensing Pill as well, it was only natural that his fellow disciples had high hopes for him.
…
Three months later.
Tao Wenqian entered secluded cultivation.
The assignment roster at the communal Alchemy Hall changed, and his duties were divided among several junior brothers.
Lee Hyun also received slightly more work inspecting and processing medicinal ingredients.
At first, whenever a question arose, he would instinctively look for Tao Wenqian. Then he would remember that his Eldest Senior Brother was in secluded cultivation and go to Fang Jiyun or another Senior Brother instead.
The seat where Tao Wenqian had always sat in the Lecture Hall remained empty.
…
One day in the year after he entered secluded cultivation.
Spiritual qi began gathering over a valley west of Yanxia Peak.
That was where Tao Wenqian’s cave abode lay.
Lee Hyun noticed it while leaving the communal Alchemy Hall and looked in that direction.
The thin mist drifting along the mountainside was slowly changing direction. Even the spiritual qi scattered in the distance was being drawn toward the same place.
“He’s begun.”
Fang Jiyun murmured beside him.
…
The following day, near sunset.
The energy gathered above the cave abode suddenly shook violently.
The inward flow reversed in an instant and scattered in every direction.
The formation surrounding the mountainside flared brightly.
A moment later, even that light faded away.
By the time Lee Hyun arrived at Yanxia Peak, the other fellow disciples were gathering one by one.
Not long afterward, Tan Yunsheng returned.
Fang Jiyun approached with a pale face.
“Master. Eldest Senior Brother….”
Tan Yunsheng wore a bitter expression.
“Wenqian is gone. His true essence reversed, tearing through his dantian and meridians, and the shock reached his sea of consciousness. He couldn’t stop his primordial spirit from dispersing.”
…
Even after they saw Tao Wenqian off, time did not stop on Yanxia Peak.
Fang Jiyun distributed medicinal ingredients, and the disciples entered their respective alchemy chambers.
The lectures, which had been suspended for several days, resumed as well.
Tan Yunsheng sat in his usual place and examined the pills his disciples had made.
…
The years continued to pass.
A new disciple joined Yanxia Peak.
His surname was Liu, and his given name was Zhengyuan. He was a cultivator who had performed alchemy in the Outer Alchemy Court before successfully reaching Foundation Establishment, and he looked to be around forty.
On his first day, it was Lee Hyun who took him to the communal Alchemy Hall.
“For the time being, process the medicinal ingredients beside me.”
“Yes, Senior Brother Li.”
…
As the years passed and the effects of the Spirit-Nourishing Pills gradually weakened compared with the beginning, Lee Hyun increased the intervals between doses.
He continued practicing the Spirit-Refining Essentials and making sure to rest sufficiently. The rate at which the strength of his divine sense increased had slowed, but his skill in controlling it was still gradually improving.
Regularly taking Poison-Warding Pills had also borne fruit. When processing toxic medicinal ingredients, his qi and blood now rarely became disturbed even without using the Detoxification Art.
***
It had been twelve years since the fuzzbees first succeeded in controlling the Six-Armed Bone Puppet.
The cultivation chamber in Qingyu Ravine.
Hummmmm–
Spiritual qi gathered by the Qi-Gathering Formation seeped into Lee Hyun’s body as he lay there.
Then, at a certain moment.
Thump.
The hem of Lee Hyun’s long robe lifted slightly.
At the same time, the surrounding spiritual qi surged into him all at once.
“I did it!”
He had reached Foundation Establishment Stage 3.
Lee Hyun examined his body inwardly for a moment.
The rest of his body was still at the beginning of Qi Refining Stage 9.
Lee Hyun sat up, took out a wooden board, and changed the writing on its surface.
【Age: 1,464 years】
【Realm: Foundation Establishment Stage 3 (lower dantian)】
【Spiritual Power: 1,396 → 1,420】
Lee Hyun returned the wooden board to his storage pouch and took a spirit fruit from his fruit pouch.
It was a perfectly ripe Stone Honey Peach.
When he bit into it, cool, sweet juice spread through his mouth.
Lee Hyun ate the fruit and lay back down on the floor.
…
Five days later.
When Lee Hyun arrived at the communal Alchemy Hall, Liu Zhengyuan rose from his seat.
“Senior Brother Li.”
“You’re here.”
Even after finishing his greeting, Liu Zhengyuan continued looking at Lee Hyun for a moment.
“Could it be that your realm….”
“I’ve reached Stage 3.”
“Congratulations!”
Fang Jiyun, who had been examining medicinal ingredients inside, looked up as well.
His divine sense lightly swept over Lee Hyun’s aura.
“So you really did. When did you break through?”
“Five days ago.”
“Have you stabilized your realm properly?”
“Yes.”
Fang Jiyun nodded.
“Congratulations. Leave today’s work to Junior Brother Liu and come with me for a while.”
Lee Hyun blinked.
“Where are we going?”
“Master is asking for you. It has nothing to do with your breakthrough. He was planning to summon you today anyway.”
Lee Hyun briefly explained to Liu Zhengyuan the order in which today’s medicinal ingredients should be processed, then followed Fang Jiyun out.
…
Yanxia Peak.
Tan Yunsheng was sitting at a stone table beneath a pine tree.
Two jade slips and several letters were spread across the table. Beside them sat a small wooden box containing dried roots and fragments of leaves.
Fang Jiyun cupped his hands.
“Master. I’ve brought Junior Brother Li.”
Tan Yunsheng’s gaze rested on Lee Hyun for a moment.
“Dongsan, you’ve reached Stage 3. Congratulations.”
“Thank you, Master.”
Tan Yunsheng gestured toward the opposite side.
“Sit.”
Once the two had taken their seats, Tan Yunsheng picked up one of the letters spread before him.
“A letter arrived requesting that the Inner Alchemy Court appraise and purchase a collection of goods.”
He slid the letter toward Fang Jiyun.
“It seems a sect is trying to clear out an old medicinal storehouse along with some of its inheritances. Judging from the list, some items can be put to use immediately, but quite a few have names and descriptions that do not match.”
Fang Jiyun unfolded the letter.
Tan Yunsheng looked toward Lee Hyun.
“I intend to send Jiyun to inspect the goods in person. You will accompany him and assist with sorting and inspection.”
“What kind of goods are they?”
“Most are spirit plants and medicinal ingredients that have been stored for a long time. They say some of the mother plants are still alive. They also intend to dispose of fragments of pill recipes and detoxification methods.”
Tan Yunsheng opened the wooden box.
Inside were two dried leaves and a piece of root.
“These are samples they sent in advance. They weren’t stored very well, but some medicinal potency remains. They also claim that some of the actual goods include Tier 3 spirit plants, so that part will need to be verified.”
Lee Hyun examined the contents of the box.
The leaves were so old that their original color was difficult to discern.
He extended a little divine sense toward them, then looked at Tan Yunsheng.
“If they’re Tier 3 spirit plants, I don’t think we’re skilled enough to appraise them properly.”
“Do not handle such things carelessly. Record their condition and seals instead. If they can be transported, bring them back intact. I will perform the final appraisal.”
“Understood.”
“There are three things you need to examine. Whether the ledgers match the actual goods, how much medicinal potency remains, and whether there is a way to transport the living spirit plants safely to our sect. Do not simply take the other cultivators’ written claims at face value when deciding their worth.”
While reading the letter, Fang Jiyun asked,
“Are we intending to purchase the inheritances as well?”
“If there is anything useful.”
Tan Yunsheng picked up another sheet of paper.
“However, they have placed rather high prices even on inheritances they no longer use. They claim those prices are based on records from previous generations, but we’ll have to see the actual contents before we know their worth.”
Lee Hyun listened quietly.
Having to travel outside was somewhat troublesome, but the opportunity to personally see new spirit plants and inheritances was not unwelcome.
“Which sect is it?”
“Qinghe Valley in the Great Yan Kingdom.”
‘Huh?’
It had been a long time since Lee Hyun had even heard the name Qinghe Valley.
Tan Yunsheng continued.
“It was once a fairly renowned sect in the northwest, but the quality of its spirit vein began declining several hundred years ago. I hear it has been a long time since they last produced a Golden Core cultivator.”
Fang Jiyun looked down at the letter.
“Is that why they’re selling their medicinal ingredients and inheritances?”
“That does not seem to be the only reason. It appears they have also suffered losses in trade recently.”
Tan Yunsheng picked up another letter.
“Reports say demon beasts have been appearing more frequently along the coast southwest of Qinghe Valley over the past several years. Merchant groups that traded with Qinghe Valley have also lost ships, and some routes have reduced the number of sailings.”
Fang Jiyun asked,
“Has anyone discovered why the demon beasts suddenly increased?”
“Not yet. There are claims that creatures normally seen only far out at sea have begun appearing near the coast, but there aren’t enough reports to draw any firm conclusions.”
Tan Yunsheng pushed the letter aside.
“Learn the details of Qinghe Valley’s circumstances once you arrive. The terms of the transaction will differ depending on whether they urgently need spirit stones right now or whether they can no longer maintain their medicinal storehouse and are clearing it out.”
“Understood.”
Tan Yunsheng handed Lee Hyun one of the jade slips on the table.
“This is the list they sent us. Read through it before you leave. If there are any names you don’t understand, ask me.”
Lee Hyun accepted the jade slip.
“When are we leaving?”
“I’m thinking in about fifteen days. Until then, finish arranging your current duties and make your preparations.”
“Yes, Master.”
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