Chapter 222: Suspicious
Three days later, a new rumour began to circulate in the Great Artisan city.
According to the rumour, the young lady of the Duanmu family bought a stone in the family’s gambling hall.
The stone contained a peak-grade spirit stone.
After using the spirit stone, the young lady broke consequently broke through from the third level of the qi transformation realm to the first level of the origin tempering realm.
When they heard the rumour, Yu Nianzhen and Jiang Yue couldn’t believe it.
"Is there a mistake?" Yu Nianzhen asked.
Jiang Yue frowned and removed the treasure compass from around the neck.
He then removed some things from his storage ring and placed them on the table in front of them.
"Please identity the items on the table." He said.
Soon after, a child’s voice escaped from the treasure compass and resounded in the room.
"The first item is a low-level soul stone. Absorbing it can increase soul power." The voice said and Jiang Yue nodded.
"The second item is an hourglass with grains of the sand of time."
"The third item is a peak-grade spirit stone."
"The fourth..."
Jiang Yue stopped the treasure compass and looked at Yu Nianzhen.
"There is nothing wrong with the treasure compass." He said.
"If there is nothing wrong with the treasure compass, then there is something wrong with the stone." Yu Nianzhen said and frowned.
"The treasure compass saw a shield in the two-coloured stone. Was the stone secretly switched before it was cut?"
Yu Nianzhen frowned.
Other than the stone being switched, he couldn’t think of other possibilities.
However, it still didn’t make sense.
He couldn’t think of why the Jin family would switch a growth shield for a peak-grade spirit stone.
"The Jin family does many suspicious things." Jiang Yue said.
In the Thousand Herbs Garden, the Jin family had a way to collect the resentment left in the medicine field of the purple Crystal herb.
After this time, they couldn’t help but be wary.
"I suspect there is something wrong with the peak-grade spirit stone bought by Duanmu Qing. We should be careful about the Jin family." Yu Nianzhen said.
"Do you think there is something wrong with our stones?"
"The things we bought are the things we received. I don’t think there is anything wrong but we should let the treasure compass check them again."
"You are right."
After that, the two removed everything they got from the gambling stones and let the treasure compass check them again.
Fortunately, no problem was discovered and the two felt at ease.
They didn’t want to lose any of the things they got from the gambling hall.
After all, they were good things and most could only be encountered but not sought.
"I suddenly don’t dare to buy things from the Jin family." Jiang Yue said and sighed.
Yu Nianzhen was also unwilling and the two looked at the shopping list on the table.
"We can buy more talismans in the Ice Palace region. However, we still need to buy materials in the Great Artisan city." Yu Nianzhen said.
Since the Great Artisan city was a city of artisans, it had the best quality and variety of materials in the Cangxing world.
Before entering the Nine Treasures secret realm, Jiang Yue wanted to make sure he had enough formation materials.
Otherwise, it would be troublesome if they ran out of formations and materials in the Nine Treasures secret realm.
"I am a third-level formation master but I can only arrange a few third-level formations. I need an inheritance." Jiang Yue said and sighed.
"I have sent a message to master. He will redeem the formation maps of some third and fourth-level formations from the sect." Yu Nianzhen said.
"You really are the best to me." Jiang Yue said and hugged his husband.
"If I am not good to you, who should I be good to?" Yu Nianzhen said and his eyes softened.
"However, the maps he can redeem are for ordinary formations. Since you are not a formation disciple, it is impossible to get the complete formations inheritance of the Sea Cloud sect."
"I know." Jiang Yue said.
During their foray into the Lu family, he encountered many formations and learned many things.
Unfortunately, his basics were still lacking.
Ordinary formation maps were exactly what he needed. After studying the basics, he could try to derive more complex formations.
"Don’t worry. The Nine Treasures secret realm is a treasure trove. We should be able to gain more formation maps when we encounter enemy formation masters."
When he heard that, Jiang Yue couldn’t help laughing and his mood lightened.
"Have you gotten a taste of robbery?" He asked.
"It can’t be helped. Our world is like this after all."
In the following weeks, Yu Nianzhen and Jiang Yue visited hundreds of shops in the Great Artisan city.
They purchased materials for third-level, fourth-level, and even fifth-level formations.
Although they didn’t know if Jiang Yue could become a fifth-level formation master when in the Nine Treasures Secret realm, it was best to be ready.
When their temporary permit expired, Yu Nianzhen and Jiang Yue left the city.
At the same time, Mo Tianxing, Duanmu Qing, and their party also left the city.
Unlike Jiang Yue and Yu Nianzhen, MoTianxing’s party was more conspicuous.
Their cavalry comprised fifty carriages, three flying beasts, and ten land beasts.
"Should we follow them?" Jiang Yue wondered.
Yu Nianzhen frowned and didn’t speak for a moment.
If they followed the calvary, they could avoid robbers and deal with demonic beasts’ attacks more easily.
However, there was no free lunch in the world.
The other party would definitely not allow random people to take advantage of them.
More importantly, Yu Nianzhen was worried about the large size of the calvary.
Although it had been many years, he still remembered how their group was attacked by the Death Flower Ascension Front while travelling to the Sea Cloud sect.
From that experience, he didn’t like travelling in large groups.
"We don’t need to travel with them." He said and explained his reasons to Jiang Yue.
"You are right. It’s better to travel alone."
After deciding, the two urged the bullock to gallop past the calvary.
When they were far enough, they settled back into their old routine.
Jiang Yue played the pipa, Yu Nianzhen listed and days passed peacefully.
When they were not travelling, they double cultivated in the ancient mansion, polished their cultivation realm, and practised their different arts.
In this way, two months passed in the blink of an eye.
On this day, the bullock stopped at the bottom of a small hill. The hill was covered in dry grass and had a few trees for cover.
"Let’s set up here." Jiang Yue said.
"Mmmh." Yu Nianzhen agreed.
On ordinary days, they wouldn’t stop or set up so early.
However, today was not an ordinary day.
After six months of waiting, it was finally the day before the Cangxing ranking. For this, Jiang Yue and Yu Nianzhen decided to rest early so that they could prepare.
In the hours before the ranking began, the two wanted to rest their bodies, condition their minds, and adjust their qi.
In this way, they would be in the most perfect condition to take the test.
"I am a little excited." Jiang Yue said as he released the ancient palace.
"You have been saying that for the past six months." Yu Nianzhen said with a smile in his eyes.
"Aren’t you excited to see where you rank among other qi transformation realm cultivators in the Cangxing world?"
When Yu Nianzhen heard that, his eyes narrowed and his right hand clenched in a fist.
His and Jiang Yue’s cultivation time was short and couldn’t compare to most other cultivators of the same level.
However, he was confident.
Their qi cultivation was extremely deep and both had spent more than seven years training their arts.
At the same level, no one could overcome Jiang Yue’s illusions. Even origin-tempering realm cultivators below the seventh level would have a difficult time escaping.
As for him, his sword skills had already been practised to a very deep level before leaving the Black Wind Abyss.
After comprehending a little of the broken slab, they cut from the gambling stone, his sword skills had improved again.
Although he hadn’t tested himself, he knew his swordsmanship was at least three points better than before.
"Do you want to make a bet?" Jiang Yue asked when Yu Nianzhen didn’t answer his previous question.
"What kind of bet?"
"I want to bet on our rankings." Jiang Yue said and his lips curled in a mischievous smile.
"Okay."
"Okay? Don’t you want to know what the bet is?"
"It doesn’t matter as long as you are happy."
"You are so boring." Jiang Yue complained but his eyes were filled with happiness.
Yu Nianzen pulled the person into his arms and kissed the top of his head.
"It’s okay to be a boring person as long as I can make you happy." He muttered.
