By the time the guild cultivator arrived with the materials, Nie Shiyun had already put on a front, stoking the furnace in the earth-fire room.
The earth-fire room was enclosed by four walls, with only a single oil lamp illuminating the interior. The already cramped space became sweltering the moment the furnace was lit. The guild cultivator, having only opened the door to deliver the items, already found it nearly unbearable. He shot a bewildered glance at Nie Shiyun, unable to fathom why or how the man could endure soaking in such a dark, tiny room day after day.
Once the door was shut and the restrictions were set, Nie Shiyun immediately entered the jade pendant space.
The moment he stepped inside, Nie Shiyun couldn't help but let out a long breath, fanning himself. The guild’s earth-fire rooms were indeed too small! The practice rooms provided by the Cloud-Clear Sect for their outer disciples were several times larger than that. However, considering the use was free and the guilds were invariably built in bustling towns, they likely didn't have the spare capital to occupy a massive plot of land.
Other guilds seemed to follow the same pattern. Nie Shiyun recalled the layout of the Celestial Weaver’s Guild; it was almost identical to the Crafter’s Guild. They were likely all built from the same template.
*It would be great if there’s news from the Weaver’s Guild by the time I finish this stint,* Nie Shiyun thought. He set the two Cloud-Smoke Fruits aside and, in a rare display of extravagance, pulled out several high-grade immortal crystals to assist him. He sat down, focusing his mind to break through his bottleneck.
Since advancing to the Void Refinement stage, the sensation of spiritual energy circulating through his body during cultivation was worlds apart from before. He wasn't sure if it was due to the change in environment or simply because he had lingered at the Soul Transformation stage for so long that his body found this leap-like improvement refreshing.
The spiritual energy completed a full circuit from head to toe. Just as it had for the past few months, it soon felt like hitting a bottle cap inside a sealed jar, leaving the energy to swirl aimlessly. Nie Shiyun knew the time had come. Without a hint of heartache, he consumed the Cloud-Smoke Fruits he had just purchased.
He usually utilized his fire spiritual root more often, but for a multi-rooted cultivator, the greatest taboo was focusing solely on a single element. It might be fine in the short term, but over time, it would trigger the "barrel effect"—the weakest spiritual root would secretly drag down the others. In severe cases, it could even lead to a chaotic imbalance of the various elements within the body, resulting in a deviation of true qi.
Nie Shiyun felt quite fortunate that he had cleansed his three spiritual roots into two upon arriving in this world. If not for that, he would have had to buy three portions of Cloud-Smoke Fruits whenever he used external items to break through.
After spending two months in the space, Nie Shiyun successfully broke through the bottleneck. Although his cultivation hadn't fully reached the late stage of Void Refinement yet, it was only a matter of time as long as he continued to cultivate steadily.
He didn't continue cultivating in one go. Instead, he paused to start the furnace and craft several magical treasures. There was no alarm clock in the jade pendant, nor could he see the sky outside. It wouldn't do to miss his delivery deadline because of cultivation.
Thus, just as the front desk cultivator checked the records and began to wonder for the umpteenth time if Nie Shiyun had suffocated in that tiny underground room, Nie Shiyun finally emerged, leisurely carrying the finished treasures.
As always, the quality was top-notch. The clerk looked them over repeatedly, feeling that Nie Shiyun appeared far too composed—crafting these things shouldn't have taken so many days.
*Maybe there really are eccentrics who just enjoy living in basements...*
The clerk scratched his head and handed Nie Shiyun his hard-earned reward. Among the cultivators who had witnessed how much Nie Shiyun liked to linger at the guild, there were all sorts of guesses, but not a single one considered "lack of money" as a reason. A Grade 2 Crafter was already at a decent level, essentially the backbone of the crafting industry.
Besides, how many people who studied crafting were actually short on cash?
Nie Shiyun glanced at the wooden board again. Unfortunately, he didn't find any new suitable commissions, so he couldn't extend his stay. He estimated that he had cleared out most of the tasks in this town and figured it was about time to head back to the first town and start the cycle over again.
About seven or eight days had passed in the outside world. The year-end festivities had concluded; Nie Shiyun had unknowingly spent the New Year in the earth-fire room. This past year had brought earth-shattering changes for him, yet he hadn't expected it to end on such a mundane note.
With a helpless smile, Nie Shiyun was about to leave the town when he heard a group of cultivators walking from the opposite direction, chattering excitedly.
"That’s a Grade 4 Celestial Weaver..."
"Madam Shang finally came out of seclusion a few years ago, and her cultivation has reached the Great Ascension stage. I thought her weaving would take a back seat, but I didn't expect her to reach Grade 4 so quickly!"
"I heard the Shang family ancestor wanted her and her Dao companion to move to the main family in the Upper Layer a long time ago, but she refused... I bet she’ll definitely go now, right?"
"Then we’d better hurry while she’s still in town and commission a couple of feather robes... The clothes she weaves aren't just practical; they're much more beautiful than what those male cultivators make! The last time I managed to get a slot was over three hundred years ago. I usually don't even dare to wear that outfit out..."
Nie Shiyun pricked up his ears and listened for a while, gaining a general understanding of the situation. It seemed a senior cultivator from a prominent family had just passed the Grade 4 Celestial Weaver exam at the guild.
Grade 5—the Heaven Grade—practitioners in any profession were as rare as phoenix feathers or unicorn horns. Many were elusive powerhouses. Within the scope of what ordinary cultivators in the Middle Layer knew, Grade 4 was already an exceptionally high level. This prominent family was likely based in this very city, which was why the cultivators were so familiar with this senior and discussed her with such relish.
Nie Shiyun couldn't help but feel a bit curious and decided to go see what the fuss was about.
When he arrived at the Celestial Weaver’s Guild a few streets away, the entrance was crowded with cultivators, mostly young and beautiful women.
"Why is Senior still at the front desk?"
"She already accepted the Grade 4 token; everything should be finished by now."
"The outer robe she’s wearing today must be handmade too. You can tell at a glance it’s different from the ready-made ones sold in the city..."
The crowd whispered amongst themselves. They didn't dare step forward to disturb her, hoping only to offer their congratulations when Madam Shang came out and see if there was a chance to strike up a conversation. Unlike many cultivators from great families who treated their juniors like air, Madam Shang was very approachable. If one was lucky enough to chat with her, it wasn't unheard of for her to agree to make a garment for a junior.
From a distance, Nie Shiyun saw Madam Shang. Although she was a senior, she still looked quite young. She wasn't dressed extravagantly, and her entire being exuded a gentle aura.
However, she seemed to be urgently asking the clerk something, and the clerk looked troubled.
Nie Shiyun had seen enough of the excitement and didn't particularly care about what happened next. He thought about checking on his own commission before leaving town. If it seemed hopeless, he might apply to transfer the request to another guild.
As he passed the front desk, Nie Shiyun caught the faint sound of an urgent, lowered inquiry.
"When did this appear? What kind of cultivator commissioned this?"
"Madam, it’s not appropriate for us to disclose such information..."
Nie Shiyun raised an eyebrow. Perhaps he had stumbled upon an unusual situation today.
Madam Shang’s willow-like brows furrowed slightly. "Then I’ll take it. Quick, let me see the item."
The clerk said hesitantly, "Having you do this is truly using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. And even if you finish it, we won't reveal the client's information..."
"...I understand. Just do as I say. Take me to the spinning room and let me see the item." Madam Shang’s tone remained urgent, yet even so, she did not seem rude.
Nie Shiyun glanced over and walked to the wooden board to look for his commission.
Perhaps because it was the new year, there were more commissions than last time. Nie Shiyun searched for a long while but simply couldn't find his wooden plaque.
*Eh? Did someone take it in the last few days?*
Nie Shiyun quickly checked the communication stone belonging to the Weaver’s Guild inside his storage ring. There was no reaction; it lay there quietly. He then remembered that the stone wouldn't react just because someone took the job; it would only notify him once the item was finished.
But if that was the case, it meant someone had accepted it! Nie Shiyun’s spirits instantly lifted. That would mean a return of tens of thousands of immortal crystals, recovering half of the savings he had blown at the winter market in one go. This was truly a great start to the new year.
He had originally planned to buy some essential pills and talismans today and hit the road, but now he would have to stay a few more days. He pondered whether to wander around the town or spend some money on a cultivation room or an inn.
His gaze shifted back to the front desk. The clerk and Madam Shang had vanished at some point. The women gathered outside seemed surprised that Madam Shang would accept a commission directly at the guild after her exam—that was usually something only rogue cultivators did! Cultivators from great families usually just waited for people to come to their door. Besides, weren't they right there? They had been waiting expectantly at the door for so long; if they had known, they would have posted their commissions on the wall yesterday...
Nie Shiyun stood at the front desk, waiting for the clerk to return. Although he wasn't sure if it was against the rules, he was curious about how much longer he might have to wait so he could plan his itinerary for the next few days.
After a while, the clerk finally returned from the back, drenched in sweat, looking as though he had been put through the wringer.
"How may I help you?" When facing Nie Shiyun, the man quickly resumed his professional smile.
"I commissioned the repair of a celestial robe a while ago. This is the voucher I was given," Nie Shiyun said, pushing the engraved badge toward the clerk. "I checked the wall just now and saw my plaque was gone. Has someone accepted the commission? I’m planning to leave soon, so to avoid wasting time, I wanted to ask roughly how long it will take to get the item."
"That depends on the individual weaver. It’s hard for us to speculate... but since it’s been taken, it shouldn't take very long. Let me check for you." The clerk took the badge, which bore a string of numbers corresponding to the records.
"Much obliged," Nie Shiyun smiled.
The clerk flipped through a ledger, checking carefully. From Nie Shiyun’s angle, the pages were obscured by the edge of the counter. This level of privacy protection was expected, so Nie Shiyun didn't try to peek, standing patiently.
The clerk looked for a moment, his brow furrowing slightly. He flipped back a page and examined it closely. Nie Shiyun watched his expression out of the corner of his eye and saw a flash of disbelief cross the man's face for an instant.
"Ah, so it’s this one. I remember now," the clerk said, forcing another smile. "I don't have an exact timeframe, but someone has indeed taken it. It shouldn't take many days."
These platitudes were as good as saying nothing. Nie Shiyun’s lip twitched. "I see. Thank you."
The clerk hesitated, then asked as if in passing, "Fellow Daoist, is this celestial robe being repaired for your Dao companion?"
Nie Shiyun thought for a moment and replied, "It was something I obtained by chance a long time ago. It’s of no use to me. My pockets have been a bit light lately, so I wanted to repair it and sell it to resolve my immediate needs."
"I see. Then please don't worry. Just come back once you receive our notification," the clerk cleared his throat and emphasized.
Nie Shiyun nodded in agreement.
Since the conversation had reached this point, Nie Shiyun couldn't ask anything more. He turned and left the guild. The women at the door were hesitating between staying and leaving, looking at each other in confusion.
Once he was a distance away from the noisy crowd, Nie Shiyun finally had the chance to think things through.
What caused that flash of shock on the clerk's face? When he first handed over the materials and the robe, everything had been perfectly normal. But when he came to inquire again, the guild staff showed such a reaction.
Although he couldn't see the contents of the ledger, he could tell from the clerk's eyes that his gaze had lingered on the lower part of the page when he froze, indicating the record was quite new.
And speaking of "new"... there had just been that scene in the guild that he hadn't quite understood. Madam Shang, a newly promoted Grade 4 Weaver, had accepted a commission that didn't match her level and was insistently asking for information about the client.
Nie Shiyun rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
*Could it really be such a coincidence?*
***
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Transmigrated into a Total Shou Novel as a Cannon Fodder, but Ended Up 1v1-ing the Male Lead | Chapter 166 | The Weaver's Curiosity | Novela.app | Novela.app
