The intense battle with Dong Shu Ye previously made Lu Ye feel helpless. Faced with a high-rank cultivator, a low-rank cultivator could hardly survive. However, if he had a defensive artifact at that time, he wouldn’t have fallen into such a battered state. A defensive Spiritual Pattern was wonderful, but it consumed a lot of Spiritual Power.
This bell-shaped thing was undoubtedly a good defensive artifact, which was why he wanted to own it. Nevertheless, he tried to activate its power some time ago, but this thing wouldn’t accept a foreign Spiritual Power. Whenever he tried to infuse his Spiritual Power into it, his force seemed to be repulsed by something.
It was like trying to open a Storage Bag that didn’t belong to him, which was why he figured that this thing must have been locked.
He wouldn’t dare to keep trying blindly because when he was in Green Cloud Mountain in the past, he attempted to open a Storage Bag. In the end, he triggered its restriction and caused the bag to be destroyed. It didn’t matter that a low-rank cultivator’s bag was ruined, but it would be a shame if such a thing happened to this bell.
The old cultivator gave him a weird look and took the bell. After examining it, he passed it back to him. A puzzled Lu Ye gazed at him.
Following that, the old cultivator picked up a tea cup and took a sip before saying slowly, “Little friend, you’re a rogue cultivator, right?”
[How did he figure it out?] Lu Ye played along and replied, “Yes.”
The old cultivator nodded. “It’s difficult to be a rogue cultivator. Alright, seeing as you’re so generous, I’ll teach you something.” He pointed at the bell in Lu Ye’s hands. “An artifact is different from a Storage Bag. Every layer of restriction in an artifact is immensely important because it’ll affect the artifact’s quality. Hence, there normally isn’t any restriction that will cause the artifact to self-destruct as it will lower its power, especially if it’s a Low-Grade artifact. Although this artifact isn’t a Middle-Grade one, it’s already at the top of Low-Grade. The restrictions inside the artifact are only defensive. Do you understand what I mean?”
Upon pondering over what the elderly man said, Lu Ye finally figured out something. “Sir, you mean, there isn’t a Restraining Lock in it?”
Hearing that, Lu Ye was stunned as he had gotten it wrong from the beginning. After getting this bell, he only gave it a try and quit because he was worried that he would make the same mistake. Now, it seemed that he had actually given up too early.
The artifact originally belonged to the Young Master of Nine Star Clan and was nurtured using his Spiritual Power. Therefore, the restrictions inside it were left with his traces, which was why Lu Ye was unable to use it. However, if he could erase those traces and nurture them with his own Spiritual Power, he’d be able to own this artifact.
If the restriction inside an artifact was like a lock, the cultivator’s Spiritual Power was like a key. The Young Master of Nine Star Clan was dead, so the key was lost. Hence, Lu Ye had to make a new key for the artifact using his own Spiritual Power. That realization finally dawned upon him.
“Thanks, Sir.” Lu Ye rose from the chair and saluted him.
The old cultivator waved his hand and picked up his tea cup again.
After leaving Divine Trade Association, he took a peek inside the Storage Bag and found over 30 Spirit Restoring Pills, over 20 Spirit Stones, some bottles of pills he couldn’t recognise, and some other miscellaneous items like women’s clothes. These clothes were on the skimpy side. The tailors must have been economical with the fabrics. Lu Ye sighed and thought that the Young Master was such a playboy.
There were not many things inside the bag, but he hadn’t suffered a loss at the very least. Now, he only had 350 Restoring Pills. Unfortunately, he was left with the last six Yuan Metal ores, which made him feel dejected. Initially, he thought that these ores were enough to help him ascend to the Ninth-Order, but now it seemed that he was wrong.
After walking along the chaotic streets, he arrived at one corner of the city. In an instant, a shriek was heard coming from a short distance. Upon a glance, Lu Ye realized that a simple tent had been set up over there. There were several beds inside the tent. On one of the beds, the muscular Kong Niu was pinning down a male cultivator who was trying his hardest to struggle out of his grip. A scarf had been wrapped around Hua Ci’s head. Presently, she was rapidly slapping the man’s belly, and following every slap, the man would screech. From time to time, blood would spurt out from the man’s wound. His blood was of a dark color rather than red. It seemed that he had been poisoned.
This place was a fixed spot where Hua Ci would treat her patients in Tassel City. Many severely injured cultivators from Grand Sky Coalition would seek her treatments. Business seemed to be terrific for her on this day as there were several wounded people lying on the beds, awaiting her help. All of them appeared completely battered, which made one wonder what had happened to them.
Every time the male cultivator shrieked, he would also call out, “Oh, Mother!”
There was no doubt that Hua Ci was an excellent doctor, but undeniably, her way of treating her patients was brutal. Lu Ye could once again confirm that she was the kind of woman who said the softest words but made the most ruthless moves. Hearing the man’s cry, Lu Ye couldn’t help recalling the joke regarding medicine cultivators that Hua Ci had told him. It seemed that she wasn’t lying. Some people would really call her ‘Mother’.
“I told you to stop moving! Stop!” Kong Niu forcefully pinned the man down on the bed to make sure he couldn’t escape.
Tears and snot streamed down on the man’s face as he exclaimed, “Kill me! Kill me!” His wail horrified the onlookers. Anyone who had no idea what was going on would have thought that he was being tortured inhumanely upon hearing that.
A moment later, Hua Ci retracted her hands and caught a glimpse of Lu Ye, who was watching a good show on the side. Then, she directly said, “Hey, you. Come over and help.”
Lu Ye pointed at himself.
“Yes! You!” Hua Ci picked up a piece of cotton cloth and cleaned the blood on her hands.
A helpless Lu Ye walked over, then she picked up a bowl of green herbal juice and pointed at the man. “Feed him.”
After Lu Ye took the bowl, terrible memories from the past sprang into his mind. With his lips curving into a smile, he shuffled towards the man who was to be fed with this bowl of herbal juice.
Presently, Kong Niu was still pressing the man against the bed. When the man saw Lu Ye approaching him, he had a premonition all of a sudden, so he struggled even harder. “Release me! Release me!”
Lu Ye walked over and stood in front of the man before flashing a benevolent smile at him. “Hey man, it’s time to take your medicine.”
“I don’t want it!” The man felt terribly alarmed as he shook his head violently.
Lu Ye gave Kong Niu a hint with his gaze, upon which the latter clenched the man’s chin. Following that, Lu Ye directly poured the juice into his mouth.
“I… Gulp… Don’t… Gulp…”