The rogue cultivators participating in the auditions were all gathered at Pinyin Pavilion, leaving Lingtian City much emptier than before. The four members of Yunqing Pavilion descended the mountain and headed straight for the artifact shop the sisters had mentioned.
With no one else around on the road, the group finally learned through voice transmissions exactly how the artifact refining topic had been chosen for the exchange competition. It was quite simple: a few days ago, while chatting with Qi Miaohan, Qi Xuan’er had mentioned that her cultivation level was nothing special here. Most of the Yunqing Pavilion group were in the same boat, essentially just here to go through the motions. Though they accepted this, it was still somewhat demoralizing. Hearing this made Qi Miaohan feel bad for her sister. On a whim, she remembered that while Yunqing Pavilion might lag behind others in cultivation, they excelled at artifact refining. Thus, she had secretly tampered with the drawing of lots, thinking it would give her sister and her sect a chance to showcase their specialties—a win-win for everyone.
Nie Shiyun naturally felt this was a good outcome. However, once her meddling was discovered, Qi Miaohan would surely face a scolding upon her return. Then again, she was highly favored within Pinyin Pavilion, so her senior sisters likely wouldn't do anything too harsh to her.
"We’re here. This is the place."
Nie Shiyun looked up to see a fairly large consignment house in Lingtian City. Unlike the shops under Yunqing Pavilion or the small shop he had once run himself, this kind of establishment didn't take custom orders. Instead, the interior was divided into several sections to sell magic treasures, medicinal pills, talismans, and other items brought in by cultivators for consignment.
"I wonder if it’s still here... I saw it over this way last time. Ah, there it is."
Qi Miaohan led the way, weaving through rows of shelves that resembled bookcases. The items on each shelf were separated by transparent protective barriers and labeled with numbers. If a customer was interested, they only needed to inform a clerk to have the item brought out.
"It’s this hair crown. I noticed the belt and the hidden sleeve arrows next to it seem to be by the same artisan," Qi Miaohan said, pointing at the items on the shelf. She stepped back, gesturing for Nie Shiyun and Nie Xing’an to take a look.
"Such crude refining techniques," Nie Xing’an remarked, frowning.
Qi Xuan’er could naturally see this as well, which was why she had been so hesitant. "But aren't these saber-toothed tiger fangs and Purple Spider silk? In our Yunqing Pavilion, even the Vice Pavilion Master would be reluctant to use such high-quality materials. These pieces look like the maker didn't quite know what they were doing, yet the placement of the materials and spiritual treasures is extremely ingenious..."
Qi Miaohan nodded. "And they’re incredibly cheap."
Nie Xing’an checked the prices and agreed. Regardless of the artisan's skill level, the raw materials alone, even if refined haphazardly, should have commanded a much higher price. However, the appearance of these items was truly dreadful. They were clearly meant to be wearable accessories, yet they served no decorative purpose whatsoever. This was likely why they had remained unsold for so long.
Nie Shiyun’s gaze shifted between the various items.
Ingenious ideas, crude refining techniques, and top-tier materials unique to the demon race. Nie Shiyun felt a jolt of realization. He had been so muddled; he had thought about this before, but after arriving at Pinyin Pavilion, the chaos of Meiqiu’s hatching and the developments with Zhai Bairong had caused him to completely forget about the final "harem member" who was supposed to appear in the main plot.
In the original novel, when Duan Mingyu’s group was out shopping, they had casually bought a few things, one of which was an item made by this half-baked artisan. Duan Mingyu had found it novel and amusing, so he bought a waist pendant. Later, during the Great Cultivation Meet, he was stopped by a demihuman cultivator named Du Zhi, who joyfully claimed the item as his own creation. That was how they met.
"I’ll take all of these."
"Huh? I wanted you two to evaluate them so I could decide whether to buy them!" Qi Miaohan cried. "What are you playing at now?"
Nie Xing’an was also puzzled. In his view, while the materials were good, the failed refining technique made them a waste. For someone with Qi Miaohan’s background, there was no need to buy them. Nie Shiyun’s current skill in artifact refining far exceeded his own; he should understand this better than anyone.
"I find this refining style quite interesting and want to take them back to study," Nie Shiyun said to Qi Miaohan and Qi Xuan’er with a placating smile. "To you two, these are more for fun than utility anyway, so let me have them. I’ll refine some much better-looking things for you later, how about that?"
Qi Xuan’er had only come to accompany Qi Miaohan, so she immediately agreed. "It shall be as Shixiong says. We were just browsing anyway; there's no need to refine anything for me."
Qi Miaohan was full of doubts. She stared at the strange gadgets on the shelf but couldn't for the life of her see what was worth Nie Shiyun’s study. However, she wasn't one to obsess over it and generously let Nie Shiyun have them all.
Nie Shiyun noted the numbers and handed the items to the shopkeeper to be wrapped. Qi Miaohan found the process of wrapping a pile of items tedious, and since the purpose of their trip was fulfilled, she bid the two men farewell and dragged Qi Xuan’er off to shop elsewhere.
Nie Shiyun stepped up to the counter and tentatively asked the shopkeeper, "Excuse me, do you recall who put these items up for consignment?"
Consignment houses offered both anonymous and registered modes, with no difference in fees. Some artifact refiners or alchemists left their names and sects in hopes of attracting potential repeat customers. Of course, many preferred to keep their identities hidden.
The shopkeeper picked up a ledger and gave a long "Hmm," carefully cross-referencing the table before answering, "This artisan did leave a name—Du Zhi. However, he didn't leave a sect name or any other information."
"Are all the items he’s selling here?"
"That’s right."
The shopkeeper tallied the total and handed the bill to Nie Shiyun. For five or six items, the total was only a few thousand spiritual stones; they were indeed being sold for a pittance. Just as described in the original novel, this cultivator named Du Zhi was living in dire straits.
Nie Shiyun thought for a moment. Duan Mingyu was fated to have a chance encounter with this harem member at the Great Cultivation Meet, but he might not be so lucky. It was better to have a double insurance policy. Thus, he handed a Yunqing Pavilion token to the shopkeeper and requested that when Du Zhi came to collect his earnings, the token be given to him with a message: "There is a long-term position available with room and board included, plus artifact refining instruction. Please do us the honor of coming by for a look."
Passing messages through a consignment house was technically against the rules, but Nie Shiyun tactfully slipped a generous amount of spiritual stones as a "service fee" and asked the owner not to mention his words or actions to anyone else. The shopkeeper agreed with a beaming smile.
"Cousin, are you... looking to take an apprentice?" Nie Xing’an couldn't help but ask after they left the shop.
"You overstate my abilities; what level am I even at? I just feel that this person has no sect and might be a rogue cultivator who just arrived in the cultivation world. To be able to make such things despite being self-taught suggests significant potential. I thought it best to plan ahead for Yunqing Pavilion."
Nie Xing’an had initially thought the artisan was mediocre, but if the person had truly never received systematic training and had made those things entirely on their own, then they were indeed a diamond in the rough. Hearing Nie Shiyun being so considerate of their sect made him feel very gratified.
The two prepared to return to Pinyin Pavilion the way they came, discussing matters related to artifact refining as they walked. Although Nie Xing’an had a solid theoretical foundation and practiced techniques, he lacked Nie Shiyun’s flexibility, so he often sought his cousin's advice with an open mind.
They hadn't walked far when someone called out to them.
"Nie Shiyun!"
Nie Shiyun looked up and immediately regretted his choice of path. He should have taken the long way around.
He had run straight into Duan Mingyu’s group.
"Fellow Daoists, it has been many years," Nie Shiyun greeted them. He hadn't expected Duan Mingyu to be the first to call out to him; now he couldn't even pretend he hadn't seen them.
Xu Yehua’s expression was dark and unpredictable, likely because the warning he had just given Duan Mingyu had been treated as white noise. Up close, Xu Yehua’s face was even more somber, lacking his usual cavalier attitude. Although Nie Shiyun knew the man would never give him a friendly look, he felt this level of hostility was a bit excessive. However, he didn't let his suspicion show, merely returning a polite smile.
Rong Lü, as always, wore a face like a corpse. Nie Shiyun treated him as if he had already attained nirvana and didn't bother sparing him a second glance.
As his smiling gaze swept across them, it met Zhai Bairong’s. For a moment, Zhai Bairong looked somewhat awkward. Though he appeared normal to others, a careful observer would notice that he had taken a very slight step away from Duan Mingyu, subconsciously creating some distance.
Duan Mingyu, naturally, didn't notice, as he had already run up to Nie Shiyun.
"Are you also here to see the sights in town?"
"I was just accompanying my junior sister and a friend to the consignment house. We’re heading back now."
"I see..." Duan Mingyu sighed softly. "I was also thinking of going to the consignment house to look at artifacts. But our group doesn't know much about artifact refining; we’re all laymen."
Nie Shiyun wondered why the boy was chatting with him and gave a perfunctory, "Ah, is that so."
Duan Mingyu remembered something, his eyes sparkling as he made an enthusiastic suggestion. "If Fellow Daoist Nie is free later, why don't you join us for a stroll?"
Seeing him so proactively and warmly inviting him, Nie Shiyun was bewildered. Could it be that because he had just intercepted Duan Mingyu’s new harem member, the blind Heavenly Dao was now trying to use him as a replacement to "settle the debt"?
"Although we know little of artifact refining, we are very knowledgeable about medicinal pills and formations, and I know a bit about talismans as well. This way, we can help each other out." Duan Mingyu smiled slightly, his eyes brimming with charm. If Nie Shiyun were still the original owner of this body, or just any ordinary male passerby, he would have surely agreed without a second thought.
"There’s no need for that. What you may not know is that I have also studied formations... Oh, and coincidentally, I know someone who is very knowledgeable about medicinal pills. Through their influence, I’ve picked up a fair bit myself. It seems there isn't much we can help each other with." As Nie Shiyun spoke, he glanced at Zhai Bairong, only to see the man raise a hand to cover a light cough. Nie Shiyun smiled and looked away.
Nie Shiyun’s tone was cold. To the others, it sounded like he was showing off and provoking them, making their glares even unfriendlier.
"I’ve grown to prefer peace and quiet over the years. I’m really not used to such a... grand, star-studded entourage. If you don't believe me, ask my cousin. Even at Pinyin Pavilion, I’ve specifically moved away from the Yunqing Pavilion group to live alone."
Nie Xing’an sensed his cousin’s impatience with Duan Mingyu and immediately nodded in agreement.
"But you..." Duan Mingyu had initiated the invitation to someone who had once pursued him; he never imagined he would be rejected so bluntly in the middle of the street. His voice was full of disbelief.
Nie Shiyun didn't want to continue the entanglement, and he certainly didn't want Duan Mingyu to start crying in front of him—that would make things troublesome. Thus, he bid them a decisive farewell. "I have matters to attend to, so I shall take my leave."
Without waiting for Duan Mingyu to react, Nie Shiyun took off like he had grease on his boots, disappearing in a flash without looking back.
Duan Mingyu felt incredibly wronged. When he snapped out of it, he realized that some passing cultivators were casting curious glances their way. The thought that he had graciously offered an invitation in public only to be completely humiliated made his face turn beet red with frustration.
After such an episode, Duan Mingyu lost all interest in visiting the consignment house and pouted gloomily. Xu Yehua failed to notice Duan Mingyu’s displeasure in time, his expression still dark as he stared in the direction Nie Shiyun had vanished. Zhai Bairong noticed Xu Yehua’s abnormal behavior and watched him closely, noting the reaction. He then began to ponder Nie Shiyun’s mention of "living alone away from the sect." He felt the other man had said it specifically for him to hear, and as he thought about it, his mind began to wander.
In the end, only Rong Lü stepped forward to coax Duan Mingyu. He wasn't good at comforting people, so he simply led the way to a spirit food shop to buy snacks and sweets. The group bought some of Duan Mingyu’s favorite things, but the atmosphere for sightseeing was gone. With their own separate thoughts, they all headed back.
