Just as Nie Shiyun took the Willow Sword from his storage ring and placed it on the table, Zhai Bairong simultaneously placed something on the counter.
"Is it already repaired?"
"What is this?"
The two spoke at the same time, then looked at each other and couldn't help but laugh.
"You go first," Zhai Bairong said with a nod.
"It’s not repaired yet, but I did find a good material that can substitute for the Thousand-Year Willow Wood." Nie Shiyun pushed the Ink Crystal to the side and explained the details to Zhai Bairong.
"And the price?"
"The cracks aren't severe, so it won't take a whole Ink Crystal. I’ll charge you thirty thousand for the materials. However... I remember back in the Misty Secret Realm, you gave me a few thousand extra spirit stones that weren't used. Including the labor fee, let’s call it twenty-six thousand spirit stones in total."
Zhai Bairong paused, looking a bit sheepish. "That money from back then... don't count it." The other two companions hadn't known the rules, and Nie Shiyun had originally taken a loss by providing his own materials. If Nie Shiyun’s current attitude hadn't been so open and candid, Zhai Bairong might have thought he was intentionally bringing up old scores.
"In that case, give me some extra pills instead," Nie Shiyun said, not standing on ceremony. He had just noticed the small, narrow-necked porcelain bottles on the table. It hadn't registered at first, but after a moment’s thought, he realized these were the pills Zhai Bairong had mentioned wanting to sell in his shop.
"That works. These were refined a while ago and have been sitting for a few days; you can put them up for sale first. If you want to take any yourself, let me know, and I will refine some fresh ones."
The efficacy of a pill reached its peak within the first day of refinement. Afterward, as time passed, the potency would gradually decline until it hit a certain baseline. It wouldn't spoil even after thousands of years, but unless they had no choice, which cultivator wouldn't prefer a pill with better efficacy?
"I don't have any particular needs right now. Just give me whatever you think is fair." *Anyway, once they go into the Chaos Space's stomach, the effect is the same,* Nie Shiyun thought.
However, mentioning refining them fresh made him curious. "It’s best to refine pills in an alchemy room, isn't it? Have you found a place to stay?" Although alchemists, like artifact refiners, had portable equipment that allowed them to work anywhere they could set up a fire, it was never as convenient as a dedicated workshop.
"Yes, there are alchemy rooms for rent in the center of Flower City." Zhai Bairong nodded. His mind had been in a state of turmoil over the past few days, so he had simply rented a room and spent several days refining pills without stepping foot outside.
Nie Shiyun nodded; he hadn't looked into that himself. He scooped up the porcelain bottles without checking them, only asking Zhai Bairong for the names, effects, and prices before putting them away.
Zhai Bairong then took out another thirty-six thousand spirit stones from his storage ring.
Nie Shiyun noticed the amount was off. After a quick count, he realized, "I almost forgot about that. I’m surprised you still remember that I spent ten thousand at the restaurant."
Zhai Bairong quickly explained, "I truly couldn't remember it clearly. I just had a vague impression that something like that happened, so I went back to the restaurant to ask the manager. Perhaps it’s rare to have a guest who drinks away ten thousand spirit stones, because he remembered it very clearly..."
The more he hurried to explain, the more it felt like he was digging a hole for himself. Finally, unable to continue, he ended the topic abruptly.
"Now it’s turned into you treating me, and I haven't spent a cent. I feel quite bad about it," Nie Shiyun sighed.
Zhai Bairong shot him a glance. "Oh? I certainly can't tell."
With that joke, the tension between them eased once more.
Nie Shiyun watched Zhai Bairong’s reaction, finding it somewhat fascinating. Whenever he mentioned the events of that night, the other man would always change the subject or remain silent. But as for how angry he actually was, it didn't seem like much.
"Actually, you didn't need to pay this back. Couldn't you have just treated me next time?" Nie Shiyun smiled.
"...That won't be necessary," Zhai Bairong replied softly after a moment's hesitation.
Although Nie Shiyun wanted to ask more about Zhai Bairong’s recent situation, he feared touching upon the matter of his heart demon and causing a counterproductive effect. Furthermore, customers were beginning to trickle into the shop. Though they seemed to be just browsing, a place with outsiders was not suitable for conversation. Nie Shiyun estimated the time needed for the work and told Zhai Bairong to return in five days for the Willow Sword. The two then took their leave of each other.
Nie Shiyun was fairly confident about repairing the Willow Sword, but he placed great importance on this task, so he prepared to close the shop for two days. The following day, he went to his small kitchen and made some preserved plum candies. He tossed them to the group of kids who had come to play, telling them not to disturb him for the next few days, and then shut the shop.
Entering the refining room, Nie Shiyun sat down and focused his mind.
The slender Willow Sword lay on the workbench. Although there were several cracks on the blade, it did not stop the sword from emitting waves of spiritual energy. However, it was no longer as abundant as when it was intact. If left any longer, its quality would drop by at least one grade.
Nie Shiyun placed his stock of Ink Crystal to the side, carefully measuring the depth and length of the cracks. Once Ink Crystal melted, there was only one chance for it to solidify. If the amount was too small and failed to fill the blade perfectly in one go, the refinement effect would be greatly diminished. If there was too much... it would be a waste.
Nie Shiyun checked with extreme care, patiently measuring the cracks on the blade. Suddenly, he paused, looking thoughtful as if he had realized something.
"This is..."
He stopped his inspection and stood up abruptly. He pulled a book on arrays from his storage ring, flipping through pages as fast as the wind before locking his gaze on a specific page.
As an artifact refiner, he was already capable of refining almost all levels of Grade Two spiritual tools, but as an array master, he was still just starting out—likely only slightly better than a beginner. However, at this moment, he saw patterns in the texture of the cracks on the blade that happened to resemble an array.
This was truly a massive coincidence. Nie Shiyun compared them carefully; they were only off by a few lines. If he manually hammered the blade to create cracks of similar depth—as long as he ensured the blade didn't break—and then immediately filled them with Ink Crystal to activate the array's effect...
As far as Nie Shiyun knew, no artifact refiner would ever perform an act of breaking something further during a repair to seek an upgrade. This operation was complex and incredibly bold. Having never tried it before, Nie Shiyun could only say he had a sixty percent chance of success.
If the refinement succeeded, the item belonged to Zhai Bairong. If it failed, he would have to pay compensation. By any logic, he shouldn't take the risk. But at this moment, a sudden inspiration struck. As an artifact refiner, Nie Shiyun was deeply moved. After considering it over and over, he decided to follow his heart and take the gamble.
Nie Shiyun had been involved with artifact refining since he arrived in the cultivation world. Although it was a skill inherited from the original owner's family, he happened to love the craft himself. He had spent far more time than others studying it within the Chaos Space, and over the past six months, he had accumulated all sorts of practical experience by taking on every commission that came his way. Although he lacked absolute certainty, once he started the furnace and felt the familiar temperature of the flames, his mind gradually calmed.
Picking up the carving knife and hammer, Nie Shiyun did not hesitate. He positioned them over the part of the blade that could form the array, let out a soft breath, and struck without even a furrow of his brow.
It worked.
The moment the tip of the carving knife collided with the blade, Nie Shiyun felt a weight lift from his heart. Looking down, he saw that the cracks were perfect, exactly where he had planned, yet they hadn't caused the already weakened blade to shatter.
Next was the Ink Crystal. Taking slightly more than his estimated amount, Nie Shiyun began the day-long process of melting it down.
Artifact refining was not just a technical skill; it also required high levels of mental concentration over long periods. When dealing with difficult materials, staying in the refining room for days and nights was common.
Perhaps Nie Shiyun didn't notice it himself, but he had long since become single-minded, with nothing but the small world before him remaining in his eyes. This state of Samadhi was a mental state that many rising artifact refiners sought for decades or even centuries without ever grasping.
The moment the Ink Crystal began to turn from a solid into a viscous liquid, Nie Shiyun placed the sword on a convenient rack, propping it up at an angle. Then, with a steady hand, he poured the Ink Crystal—which had turned to liquid just a second prior—into the cracks. The black liquid flowed down as thin as a silk thread, filling the gaps in just three seconds. Nie Shiyun immediately leveled the blade, and the instant he set it down, the Ink Crystal solidified.
The blade was now seamless. The array for storing spiritual energy activated on its own. The Willow Sword, which should have suffered irreparable damage due to the loss of spiritual energy during this period, had actually jumped up a grade.
Nie Shiyun emerged from his meditative state and carefully examined the result of his labor. At the same time, he felt his artifact refining skills leap forward significantly thanks to this experience.
This...
He wondered how Zhai Bairong would react when he saw it. He would probably be shocked, wouldn't he?
Nie Shiyun thought.
Also, he should probably charge more for this.
After leaving the refining room, Nie Shiyun finally felt a wave of exhaustion, a sense of depletion as if his spiritual energy had run dry. He knew it was caused by the excessive mental energy he had poured into the refinement, but given the results and the experience gained, he felt it was well worth it.
Checking the time, it was already the evening of the second day since he had entered the room. Nie Shiyun immediately went into the Chaos Space to meditate and recover his spiritual energy. When he had recovered about seventy to eighty percent, he came out and went into his bedroom, deciding to have a very ritualistic sleep.
When the five-day appointment arrived, Zhai Bairong appeared exactly on time.
Nie Shiyun had known that the man was very punctual and kept his word, but only after experiencing it personally did he feel that dealing with such a person—whether socially or in business—was truly excellent.
"The front of the shop isn't a place for a long talk. Follow me to the refining room."
Nie Shiyun lifted the counter partition and signaled for Zhai Bairong to enter.
"Is it convenient?"
"There's nothing inconvenient about it," Nie Shiyun said nonchalantly.
A refining room was considered a private space for an artifact refiner, and outsiders rarely entered. For instance, in the Cloud Clear Sect, inner disciples each had their own room, differing only in quality and size. Nie Li’s private refining room was protected by layer upon layer of restrictions; he usually taught Nie Shiyun and his junior sister in the public refining hall.
Since Nie Shiyun didn't mind, Zhai Bairong naturally stopped being polite. He was also quite interested in an artifact refiner's workshop, so he followed Nie Shiyun into the backyard.
Nie Shiyun pushed the door open and walked straight to the workbench. Everyone has a bit of a desire to show off, and he was no different. Although he had produced something of an unimaginable level, writing home to report it would be a bit too much. There was only one person before him to whom he could give a proper explanation, and that was Zhai Bairong.
Zhai Bairong stepped into the refining room behind him and pulled the door shut. Whether he was speaking to Nie Shiyun or the room itself, he said politely, "Then, excuse the intrusion."
Nie Shiyun couldn't help but laugh. He suddenly remembered that on the morning Zhai Bairong had hurriedly fled, he hadn't forgotten to say "excuse the intrusion" then either. For some reason, Nie Shiyun felt a slight itch in his heart.
He wondered if Zhai Bairong himself had ever noticed this little habit.
Zhai Bairong didn't know what Nie Shiyun was thinking. Seeing him laugh, he asked in confusion, "What is it?"
"It's nothing."
Zhai Bairong didn't believe him, but his intuition told him it was definitely not something he wanted to know, so he didn't press further.
***
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 渡夜费 | overnight stay fee | A cheeky reference to their night together. |
| 欲速则不达 | haste makes waste | A common idiom. |
| 入定 | Samadhi / meditative state | A state of deep concentration in cultivation. |
| 刻刀 | carving knife | A tool used in artifact refining or engraving. |
| 云清阁 | Cloud Clear Sect | The sect Nie Shiyun belongs to. |
| 聂黎 | Nie Li | Nie Shiyun's father/master. |
