“Do we have a grudge?” Nie Shiyun asked, seizing a gap in the confrontation.
“It’s just for your treasures! What other reason do we need!” a young man, looking quite impetuous, shouted indignantly.
Seeing his attitude, Nie Shiyun deliberately provoked him. “Since you were the ones to strike first, don’t blame me for being ruthless. I happen to be lacking a tiger skin to make a defensive artifact; I think that little fellow behind you would do nicely.”
“I—I’m not little!” the youth argued, summoning his courage. However, the thought of that cheerfully burning, wretched shroud nearly closing in on him several times—almost singeing his fur—made his voice lack confidence.
Both sides took this opportunity to rest briefly. After exchanging a wave of meaningless provocations, they immediately clashed again.
Amidst the flashes of blades and shadows of swords, Nie Shiyun continued to look for a chance to turn the situation around.
He noticed that the weapons used by the group were quite old. Recalling their earlier claim that they were here to rob him of artifacts rather than money, he pondered for a moment. Addressing the tiger demon who was clearly the leader, he said, “If you’re lacking artifacts, you’ve certainly picked the right person to rob. I happen to be an artifact refiner. Unfortunately, your timing is poor; I’ve just sold off the artifacts I had on me. Even if you defeat me, you won’t gain much.”
“You’re a refiner? Then what are you doing out here in the middle of nowhere?” The tiger demon paused, looking Nie Shiyun up and down with deep suspicion.
“I’m heading to Jiuyun City. I’m just collecting some materials along the way to refine new artifacts,” Nie Shiyun answered truthfully.
“Humans are truly full of lies. Refiners have sects and families to provide them with materials; this kind of gathering work is done by servants. I’ve never seen a refiner so miserable that they have to sleep in the wild!”
Nie Shiyun felt helpless. *Well, you’re looking at one now.*
Seeing that despite their suspicion, they wavered upon hearing he was a refiner and temporarily halted their assault, Nie Shiyun made a guess. He felt that perhaps this was also a way to make money.
“Fighting will only result in losses for both sides. Why don’t we sit down and talk? What kind of artifacts do you need?”
The other side was quite distrustful, yet couldn't help but retort, “So what if you know? Human refiners all ask for exorbitant prices! If we speak up, would you actually make them for us?”
“As long as it’s within my capability, I’ll charge eighty percent... no, seventy percent of the market price,” Nie Shiyun said, pressing his advantage as he saw them clearly wavering. “I cannot refine Immortal Tools yet. But if it is a Spiritual Tool, I guarantee success with a single set of materials. I won't waste a bit.”
The adult tiger demons were stunned. They looked at each other and immediately huddled together, whispering urgently.
Nie Shiyun thought to himself that it was the same everywhere; it was an industry standard for refiners to pocket one or two extra sets of materials. Perhaps the refiners in the Upper Realm were even more excessive, or perhaps they simply looked down on others, seeing these tiger demons as ignorant and thus demanding a "lion’s share" of payment.
Finally, the other side was convinced. They put away their weapons and sat down cautiously.
Nie Shiyun didn't hold a grudge over the previous fight. He levitated the oil lamp that had been knocked over and placed it properly, then sat down on a nearby stump.
Likely because of Nie Shiyun’s earlier threat to skin him for an artifact, the tiger youth was now trembling with fear upon hearing that the man truly was a refiner, hiding straight behind his elders.
Nie Shiyun scanned the row of cautious or fearful gazes opposite him, feeling a sense of bewilderment.
This setup looked less like they had teamed up to rob him and more like he was the one about to rob them.
“It seems you have a very poor impression of humans,” Nie Shiyun said with a smile.
“How could we not? Humans are habitual liars, they go back on their word, they take money and don't do the work...”
Clearly, these tiger demons harbored deep resentment, and they immediately began their critique.
“By the way, what proof do you have that you’re really a refiner? Can you swear to refine for us according to the terms you just mentioned?”
“No problem.” With a casual wave of his hand, Nie Shiyun summoned the Phoenix-patterned Bronze Cauldron that had been kept in his jade pendant space. It was a tool for refiners; anyone who knew the trade could tell at a glance that it bore the marks of many years of use.
“...”
Seeing no reaction from the other side, Nie Shiyun looked over. Was it possible that not a single one of them knew the trade?
He saw the tiger demons suddenly stand up and scramble back several paces, looking at the cauldron on the ground in terror, as if they were looking at a ticking time bomb.
“This is the cauldron I use for refining,” Nie Shiyun introduced hesitantly.
“This... this thing... why does it have the aura of the Divine Beast Clan!” the tiger demon stammered, pointing at the cauldron in shock.
“Hmm? Oh... right. When I was crafting this Phoenix-patterned Bronze Cauldron, I fused a Phoenix feather into it. I almost forgot about that.” Upon being reminded, Nie Shiyun remembered that when he made the cauldron, he had added a tail feather dropped by Xuan Yang to enhance the effectiveness of the phoenix patterns. Zhai Bairong also had a pill furnace with a feather fused into it, and his Gold-Purple Copper cauldron was the same as this one; they had been made as a pair.
“A Phoenix feather! You actually obtained a Phoenix feather! That’s not something an ordinary person can get!”
Since ancient times, Divine Beasts had stood at the apex of all monsters and demons. Feeling the aura of the Phoenix Clan now, even if it was just a tiny bit, the instincts hidden within their demon bloodlines made the tiger demons present feel terrified.
Just what was this human’s background?
“Ah, that... I once accidentally helped a member of the Phoenix Clan, and he gave it to me as a reward,” Nie Shiyun said, mixing truth with fiction.
The tiger demons were stunned. “What a massive debt of gratitude that must be!”
“A... life-saving debt?”
Nie Shiyun thought to himself that this description wasn't wrong. Not only had he fished Xuan Yang out of the water on a snowy day, but he had also let him eat for free for over a hundred years.
Having seen such an object, the tiger demons no longer dared to question whether Nie Shiyun was a refiner. Somewhat fearfully, they asked Nie Shiyun to put away the thing filled with Divine Beast aura before they sat back down properly.
Nie Shiyun put the cauldron away, making a mental note. The aura of a Phoenix could be sensed by the Demon Race in the Upper Realm; he should avoid taking this cauldron out in crowded places to prevent trouble. In truth, he still had two Phoenix feathers in his storage ring, which had been struck off by heavenly lightning when Xuan Yang advanced to the Nascent Soul stage. He had collected them back then. Since the quantity was limited and Xuan Yang was no longer as easy to fool as when he was little, Nie Shiyun had put them away, waiting for a necessary moment to use them. They had been gathering dust in his warehouse until now.
“Come, tell me about your situation.”
The tiger demons looked at each other, and the eldest among them took the lead to give a brief overview, allowing Nie Shiyun to get the general idea.
If the lower-level demon cultivators did not integrate into towns to do business, most of them, like this tiger tribe, stationed themselves on some mountain in the wild.
The main family of the tiger tribe in the middle layer lived comfortably, but they only provided subsidies every few years. In exchange, clansmen with good aptitude would be sent up, while the rest lived self-sufficiently in the lower layer. Food could be hunted, spiritual herbs could be gathered, and Immortal Crystals could be earned through the labor or hunting of the tribe's youth. However, the matter of artifacts was a constant struggle. The Demon Race often lacked the aptitude for artifact refining, while human refiners were aloof, looked down on them, and demanded exorbitant prices. The tiger tribe was hot-blooded and unwilling to endure such slights. Rather than being suckers who spent massive amounts of Immortal Crystals to wait in line for human refining, they found it more satisfying to simply rob people in the wild.
“How much can you actually get by robbing? The four of you struggled just to rob me today.” Nie Shiyun couldn't help but criticize their overly simplistic way of thinking. Being mocked like this, the tiger demons felt they were losing face. “Our tribe also has seniors at the Void Refinement stage! If one of them had acted, you certainly wouldn't have escaped today.”
Nie Shiyun thought to himself that with the help of the jade pendant space, as long as he wasn't killed instantly, he could find a way to escape.
Seeing Nie Shiyun remain silent, the tiger demons immediately felt guilty. Not only had they attempted to rob a human carrying something as precious as a Phoenix feather, but more importantly, they hadn't even succeeded...
“This is a spiritual medicine formulated by our tribe. About before... we’re sorry.” The eldest man’s face flushed red; asking him to apologize to a human seemed to be a bit of a tall order.
Nie Shiyun waved his hand, indicating he didn't need it. “I’m not that petty. As I said before, I don’t have a family or sect behind me, and I don’t want to join them. My only goal right now is to earn some Immortal Crystals, then go to Jiuyun City to catch an immortal ship to the middle layer, and then go to the upper layer to find my Dao companion.”
The group opposite him was stunned. “You say your Dao companion is in the upper layer? Just how powerful of a person is that?”
Nie Shiyun felt they must have misunderstood something, but he didn't mind. He nodded along with their words, a smile spreading across his lips. “Yes, a very powerful person.”
The tiger demons looked at each other, becoming even more convinced that although Nie Shiyun currently had a low cultivation level and seemed short on money, he must be some great figure who had fallen on hard times and ended up here. Thinking this way, being able to get on a first-name basis with a great figure while they were down might just be the sign that their tribe's luck was turning!
“As I said just now, my name is Nie Shiyun. How should I address you?” Nie Shiyun introduced himself in a friendly manner.
“My name is Hong Lang. If you don’t mind, Fellow Daoist Nie can come to our tiger tribe’s territory to rest for the night. It’s a bit crude, but it’s not far from here...”
“That sounds good.” Nie Shiyun agreed immediately.
He saw that the change in the tiger demons' attitude didn't seem fake. Besides, he would deal with whatever came his way; having a place to sleep was better than camping in the wild.
Seeing that Nie Shiyun was truly as broad-minded as he claimed, the tiger demon named Hong Lang couldn't help but feel moved, thinking that humans could actually be such straightforward and good people, and that they had misunderstood before.
It was late. Since everything had been settled, the group didn't dawdle and quickly set off for the tiger tribe's territory.
Just as Hong Lang had said, the territory wasn't far, and they arrived in the time it took to drink a cup of tea. Moreover, it was much better than the primitive tribe Nie Shiyun had imagined; it wasn't much different from the treatment at an inn. He didn't know if Hong Lang had just been being modest earlier, or if he had assumed Nie Shiyun’s standards were extremely high...
After settling Nie Shiyun in, Hong Lang went to report to the tribal chief. He urged Nie Shiyun not to leave as soon as he woke up the next day, but to come and talk with their chief and elders about artifact refining.
Nie Shiyun agreed. As far as he knew, the Demon Race everywhere should loathe humans, but Hong Lang seemed quite convinced that he was an excellent refiner and would likely explain things clearly to his clansmen. When the time came, it would be up to them to weigh the pros and cons.
Nie Shiyun didn't waste the night. After entering the room, he went straight into his space. After a peaceful sleep, he cultivated for dozens of days and refined a low-grade Spiritual Tool. He had seen yesterday that some of those tiger demons used long swords while others used ropes; they all looked like things scavenged from others. Thus, he refined a battle axe, intending to give it to the tiger tribe the next day if he was asked to show some sincerity. This kind of weapon had immense killing power but required a cultivator with immense strength to swing it. Humans rarely used them, but they were very suitable for the tiger tribe.
Estimating that it was about daytime outside, Nie Shiyun finally emerged from the space.
Pushing open the door, he saw Hong Lang already waiting outside.
“Fellow Daoist Nie, did you rest well?” Hong Lang inquired.
“Quite well,” Nie Shiyun replied.
Looking at Nie Shiyun, Hong Lang felt an indescribable sensation, as if after just one night’s sleep, this man’s cultivation had improved significantly, and his state was even better than it had been before their fight yesterday!
“Please lead the way?” Nie Shiyun saw Hong Lang dazing off and thought he was afraid he might have run away, having come to wait early and thus not resting well.
Hong Lang finally snapped out of it and hurriedly walked ahead. “Ah, yes. This way.”
