Chapter Thirty-Nine: Encountering a Swindler Once More

After being injured last time, Dao Sansheng no longer dared to recklessly probe his divine sense into the gourd; he could only watch anxiously from the outside, worrying over whether that fellow had escaped or not. Suddenly, a beam of black light shot out from within the gourd, piercing Dao Sansheng’s finger. Startled, he shuddered—this gourd had gained sentience and even launched a sneak attack! Dao Sansheng fled in terror, running out of the house into the night.

The earlier commotion, coupled with Dao Sansheng's panicked dash outside, had already alerted Chao Xiong, who was approaching. Dao Sansheng, with matters weighing on his mind, tried to compose himself and returned to the house, feigning calm.

As he withdrew his hand, a drop of blood from his pierced finger fell onto the gourd, staining a small patch red. In a flash of black light, the blood vanished without a trace, as if it had never been there.

Upon reentering the house, Dao Sansheng sensed a new connection between himself and the gourd—a strange, indescribable feeling reminiscent of the bond he'd formed with Fat Chirp when they contracted. Just as he was puzzling over this, a familiar voice emerged in his sea of consciousness. Instantly, he recognized it as the skull—how had this fellow returned? Dao Sansheng was both surprised and delighted.

"Master, I’ve just formed a new contract with you. This gourd is an innate spiritual treasure, born of natural evolution, and possesses the power of ordinary magic tools and ancient treasures."

"Moreover, its abilities can be nurtured and grown indefinitely. It’s already beyond the categories of regular magical implements, spiritual tools, ancient treasures, or magic treasures—it is a naturally-born spirit treasure that can grow. With your cultivation, it may one day become a celestial artifact."

Dao Sansheng still couldn’t quite grasp what the fellow was saying and cut in directly.

"Enough with the nonsense. Just tell me—what can this spirit treasure do right now?"

Seeing that his introduction only annoyed Dao Sansheng, the skull gave up and got straight to the point.

"Right now, this spirit treasure has the powers of a high-grade magical artifact. It contains three types of flames and two types of baleful auras. It can capture enemies or attack them directly with its baleful energy."

"The two types of baleful energy inside are earth fiend and moon fiend. The earth fiend was absorbed naturally from the gourd’s environment, and the moon fiend was taken in during your recent refining process. When combined and released by surprise, if inhaled by an enemy, these energies can invade their body, causing unconsciousness or disrupting their spiritual power."

"It can also directly refine ghostly entities. When you go to Kunling County this time, you’ll find it quite useful. Isn’t it fate? I thought I’d have to go through much trouble, but this time, it should be easy."

At this, Dao Sansheng’s interest was piqued. The troublesome issue of the ice corpse, which had been his greatest obstacle, now seemed resolved.

Since the gourd was now ready, he ought to give it a name. Fire Fiend Gourd—it was simple and direct.

"That’s enough of the introduction. Return to my sea of consciousness!"

"I’ve been refined into the gourd as its spirit now; I can’t return. Master, forgive me—I should have told you earlier."

The more Dao Sansheng listened, the more irritated he became. Clearly, this fellow had planned it all along and tricked him. Still, since he hadn’t suffered any real loss, he decided to let it go.

"Alright, alright, I don’t blame you. We’ve had a long day. Tomorrow, we’ll leave the sect for Kunling County. Prepare yourself—we’ll deal with that ice corpse together. If we succeed, we’ll share the spoils; if I die, you won’t survive either. Even as a tool spirit, I’ll drag your soul out and refine it."

The skull shivered at this, feeling a chill throughout his being. How devious! He had truly misjudged his master—once a proud Golden Core cultivator, now forced to serve as a tool spirit, and still not at peace.

Dawn approached, the eastern sky whitening. Dao Sansheng had barely rested, yet it was time to set out. The plan that had been delayed for several days was now to be enacted.

He first went to report to the sect, then prepared to descend the mountain. Walking the familiar path to the Hall of External Affairs, he hadn’t yet reached the entrance when he spotted Dong Fei, who had just arrived for work and was ambling toward the hall.

Dong Fei seemed in good spirits, but upon seeing Dao Sansheng, his expression soured as if he’d swallowed a fly. He raised his head, pretending not to notice, and strode toward the main entrance.

As Dong Fei opened the doors, Dao Sansheng followed him inside. Dong Fei could no longer hold back his frustration. This fellow had just extorted him not long ago—did he think the sect belonged to him, that Dong Fei was here to collect protection fees?

"Senior Brother Dong, I’m here for some paperwork. I’m heading to Kunling County for an assignment to slay the ice corpse. Can I process the formalities now?"

At the mention of the ice corpse, Dong Fei’s frosty expression immediately melted, and he became animated, enthusiastically taking Dao Sansheng’s token and helping him with the procedures.

On his way out of the hall, Dao Sansheng found Dong Fei seeing him off with great warmth.

"Be careful on the road, Senior Brother. Come back soon and safe travels!"

Dao Sansheng couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off about Dong Fei, though he couldn’t say what.

Now it was time to descend the mountain and deliver the refined ores to the sect’s artifact workshop in the town below. That batch of ore was a mere trifle for Dao Sansheng; he’d already finished refining it in the days he’d spent watching the skull refine the gourd.

Familiar with the route, Dao Sansheng quickly passed through the mountain gate. The gatekeepers had changed; he didn’t recognize any of the new disciples and made his way straight to the market.

The marketplace was as lively as ever. As he entered, he soon noticed a street vendor hawking his wares. Dao Sansheng, out of habit, scanned the area with his cultivator’s detection mirror.

To his surprise, he recognized the peddler—he was the same swindler who had been selling fake goods at the market gate last time. Now, his cultivation was only at the second level of the Qi Refining stage, and he was eloquently recounting the origins of his goods.

He spun a fantastic tale: apprenticed to a master who was greedy and addicted to gambling, who once killed a spirit beast for wine money, only for the disciple to find a fourth-grade spirit herb guarded by said beast—an essential ingredient for high-grade Foundation Establishment pills. If not for fear of his master discovering it, he’d have kept it for himself. So, taking advantage of his master’s drunkenness, he snuck out to sell it, but only had two hours before he had to return. He spoke with such conviction that it seemed almost true.

Dao Sansheng lingered on the edge of the crowd, listening with interest. He’d planned to visit the sect’s artifact shop, but with time to spare, he decided to enjoy the spectacle. He was also curious about this fellow—sometimes Foundation Establishment, sometimes Qi Refining—how did his cultivation shift so mysteriously?

The man was indeed skilled; in no time, several people approached to ask questions. The higher the price he quoted, the more curious the crowd became. Soon, an elderly man of the Foundation Establishment stage squeezed his way through the onlookers.