Jin You put the purchased Equinox Flower into the black jade bead, and brought up the matter of going to the Sword-Forgetting Pavilion with Yan Baichuan and the others, “The agreement for you to compete with Pei Wuji is still there, and Dichen is also with him, so we have to make a trip to the Sword-Forgetting Pavilion no matter what.”
The Sword-Forgetting Pavilion was located to the southwest of Yijin. Unlike Yijin’s flourish of flowers, the Sword-Forgetting Pavilion was situated atop Mount Cangheng, where the terrain was steep and perilous. The outer perimeter was a sword forest, inside of which lay broken swords and tattered cloth, being the burial ground of sword cultivators who had fallen in the past. Pei Wuji chose the sect in this kind of place, firstly to temper the character of the sect’s disciples, and secondly to hide for peace and quiet.
Although Pei Wuji possessed superb sword techniques, and his reputation and word of mouth in former days were both excellent, when he left the Shangyuan Sect it was somewhat unpleasant after all, and coupled with that hot potato Dichen, picking a slightly remote place also saved him from people with intentions coming to his door.
Besides this, there was another important matter.
“The Divine Weapons List?” Yan Baichuan recalled for a moment, remembering that those sects indeed seemed to have such a list, evaluating and selecting once every few years, where cultivators and weapons on the list all became famous far and wide, with many cultivators flocking to it. Originally, according to Yan Baichuan’s strength and the Dichen in his hand, he was qualified to be on the list, but Yan Baichuan’s style of doing things was far too wild and uninhibited, and he disliked those so-called righteous sects, so he had never participated.
Jin You nodded, “That is right, I heard another evaluation and selection is about to begin recently. Moreover, you are also very familiar with the location for this session, which is precisely the Sword-Forgetting Pavilion.”
Crossing his legs, Yan Baichuan grabbed a handful of his hair in annoyance, “Then aren’t all those old stinkpots there, not going, not going!”
Jin You did not want to go either, but this time there was no way to be willful, “Have you forgotten? Pei Wuji’s Sect Master Token is still with you. It is a small matter if you do not go, but aren’t you afraid Pei Wuji will throw down those sect masters and come out to search for you, at which time I am afraid everyone will know you have returned, making it even more troublesome.”
When Yan Baichuan accepted Pei Wuji’s Sect Master Token back then, he merely wanted it for convenience, so who could have expected it to coincide with this unlucky time! Yan Baichuan still wanted to struggle a bit, “It is fine if others do not recognize my appearance, but those sect masters shouted to chase and kill me back then, hating me to death, so even if I really go, it will be a situation of being recognized, so what do you plan to do?”
Rolling his eyes, Jin You looked at Lingyun on the side who was playing mute, “Isn’t there right here a Taoist Lingyun with superb magic who excels in transformation spells, able to transform even body shape and age, so changing just a face should not matter. I remember in the fishing competition the day before yesterday, someone didn’t even touch a fish’s tail, and made me pay five spirit stones for the registration fee for nothing?”
Sure enough, none of Jin You’s spirit stones or silver money was taken for free, as he had been waiting here for Lingyun long ago.
“Also, don’t blame me for not reminding you, cultivators are accustomed to judging people by appearance, so if you still carry that foolish appearance of being at anyone’s mercy, it will inevitably invite trouble.” Jin You had long found Lingyun’s fourteen- or fifteen-year-old maiden appearance eyesore. Not every cultivator in the cultivation world was a person harboring goodwill, let alone those ghosts and monsters, who liked picking ones with Lingyun’s appearance to strike at the most.
When in the mortal realm Jin You did not say anything, because even if there were some cultivators in mortal territory their strength would not be too high, but if still walking like this in the cultivation world, then that was foolishness.
Lingyun understood this point in her heart as well, brushing her right hand lightly across her face, as both her voice and appearance changed back to her original form.
Lingyun had sharp eyebrows and eyes, with valiant and heroic looks, her adult appearance emanating an aura that warned strangers not to approach, with even smiles no longer hanging on her face, which was her true appearance when Yan Baichuan and Jin You got to know her back then.
“Be careful, this is the first time the Divine Weapons List has opened after your death, and the location is still at the Sword-Forgetting Pavilion, do you know what this signifies.” Lingyun’s voice was clear and cold, as clearly besides wandering in mortal territory these years, she was also silently paying attention to some news in the cultivation world, so that even Jin You’s face carried a bit of surprise, “The first time it has opened?”
Yan Baichuan had been dead for almost twenty years, so how could the Divine Weapons List have opened only now?
Lingyun shook her head, stating her guess, “The losses in the Battle of Mount Huancang were heavy, so I guess these sects probably needed to rest and nurture. It is just that why it was chosen at this current point in time, even I am not clear about this.”
Yan Baichuan let out a sneer, his tone making no secret of his disdain toward the sects, “For what else, mostly unable to restrain their ambitions.”
Jin You thought of how battered the few of them were when facing the severe ghosts at Mount Lanfen, and if facing Yan’e with that kind of appearance in the future, he feared there would be no chance of winning. The cultivators registering for the Divine Weapons List were powerful in strength, which was currently suitable for the few of them to temper themselves. Thinking up to this, Jin You’s gaze swept across the faces of the few people, finally stopping on Ying Chuang.
Curiously, Ying Chuang lowered his head to look at himself, not knowing why Jin You was looking at him with such a gaze, “What is wrong with me?”
Jin You took out his folding fan thoughtfully to play with in his hand, finally tapping Ying Chuang’s hands with the fan handle, “Participating in the Divine Weapons List has a default condition, which is that contestants must register holding a weapon, and it cannot be changed during the competition, so I am thinking what weapon is suitable for you.”
Ying Chuang said unconvinced, “I don’t need any human weapons! This is my best weapon!” Having spoken, Ying Chuang revealed his sharp claws, only to be tapped on the forehead by Jin You again, “Be louder so everyone knows you are a wolf, pull your claws back, and listen to me speak.”
“Oh.” Ying Chuang pulled back his claws aggrievedly, looking at Jin You without understanding.
Jin You nudged Yan Baichuan with his elbow, “You have seen many weapons, what do you say about claws?”
Not many among cultivators used claws, mostly still dominated by swords and blades, though claws were indeed suitable for Ying Chuang. Yan Baichuan took out his Qiankun bag and placed it on the table, proposing, “Count you kid lucky, as when Jin You and I were saved, these belongings were still there. Inside there is a piece of Xunwind Spirit Crystal, which if added during artifact refining, coupled with your original speed, should truly make you swift as the wind.”
Lingyun took out that piece of Xunwind Spirit Crystal from Yan Baichuan’s Qiankun bag, which was emerald green throughout, with luminous green spiritual light flashing inside the spirit crystal, where whether from appearance or spiritual energy it could be called top-grade in quality, so Yan Baichuan indeed had quite a few good things in hand.
Lingyun was not a person who kept secrets to herself either, taking charge to agree to another material for refining the artifact, “Although this piece of Xunwind Spirit Crystal is good, it can only serve as an auxiliary during artifact refining. I will provide the main material, so Brother Ying Chuang just wait for the finished product.”
Having resolved Ying Chuang’s matter, Lingyun casually pinched up a piece of mung bean lily cake from the plate, asking Jin You, “His is settled, what do you think should be done about your weapon?”
Regarding Jin You’s weapon, he had ideas in his heart long ago, unfolding his fan toward the three of them, “Isn’t this right here. My power originates from ghost power, which is different from you, and over a long time it will inevitably be perceived by those cultivators, so it is more worthwhile to exit early.”
Even so, isn’t this fan a bit too perfunctory?
Jin You read the meaning in Lingyun’s eyes, saying only, “My weapon is not something that can be brought out in a place where cultivators gather like that. What is more, my cultivation method is different from yours, so there is no need to spend extra mind on the Divine Weapons List.”
Yan Baichuan heard a bit of implication from Jin You’s words, approaching to inquire, “Tell me about it?”
Jin You kept them in suspense, “Not right now, this is my secret weapon.”
There was still a period of time before the official opening of the Divine Weapons List, and Lingyun took advantage of this time to refine the weapon needed by Ying Chuang, keeping to her room all day and not seeing a soul. Ying Chuang also revealed a rare childish nature, running to squat at Lingyun’s door every day after practicing his moves, waiting for her to come out of the room with his new weapon.
Jin You, on the other hand, returned inside the blood jade bead around Yan Baichuan’s neck, not knowing what he was busy with inside, which Yan Baichuan guessed should be that secret weapon he spoke of. Having no restriction from Jin You, Yan Baichuan took the moneybag to buy some wine to drink every day, feeling self-satisfied at first, but beginning to feel bored by the third day.
Fighting with that wolf cub Ying Chuang was not interesting either, and squabbling could not go past a few sentences, being far inferior to drinking wine.
The result was beyond expectation, as the first to reveal himself was not Lingyun, who had made all kinds of promises that it would be done very soon, but a exhausted yet bright-eyed Jin You, except this light vanished abruptly upon seeing the wine flask in Yan Baichuan’s hand, turning into rage, “The moneybag I gave you, you took it all to buy wine to drink?”
Quick with his hands and eyes, Yan Baichuan hid the wine flask behind his back, letting out two embarrassed laughs, “Not at all. By the way, what have you been busy with these days, that even I cannot be told?”
Jin You let out a cold snort, snatching the wine flask behind his back, pushing off with his toes to go onto the roof, taking a sip toward the moon, savoring it carefully, “Xuandong grass and Chunshan yuntai, you certainly know how to savor.”
Yan Baichuan followed behind Jin You, perceiving that he seemed to have something heavy on his mind, reaching out his hand to take the wine flask back, “Wine is not meant to be drunk like you do, drinking solemn wine makes one drunk easiest. What is on your mind?”
Jin You gave him a sidelong glance, turning his head away, “Bought with my money, can’t I even taste two sips?” Although speaking so with his mouth, Jin You truly did not go touch that wine bottle again.
Yan Baichuan placed that flask just now by his side, digging out another bottle from his Qiankun bag to hand to him, “Don’t glare at me, there truly are only these two bottles.”
Jin You opened the small pink wine bottle, smelling the scent of peach blossoms and pear blossoms, raising an eyebrow, “This is?”
“Double Flower Brew, brewed by me.” After Yan Baichuan finished speaking, he looked at him drink it with expectation, an unexpected look showing in Jin You’s eyes, “It is surprisingly not bad.”
Holding the wine bottle in his hand, a rare bit of loss showed on Jin You’s usually arrogant face, “Last time at Mount Lanfen, I dragged our feet a bit too much, even making you consume ghost power to heal my injuries. If we encounter Yan’e, not to mention being unable to help, maybe I will even cause you all to lose focus for my sake, so I must become stronger as well. Moreover, for this trip to the Sword-Forgetting Pavilion, there are too many variables, and I always feel a bit uneasy in my heart.”
Yan Baichuan had not expected he was thinking about these things, stretching his waist to fall straight backward, holding his head with both hands as a pillow, his tone carrying his usual indifference, “Who said you dragged our feet? Wasn’t that county annal found by you, which was a huge help.”
Jin You stole a careful glance at him, learning from him to lie down, asking in a low voice, “Truly, not comforting me?”
Gazing at the sky full of stars, Yan Baichuan knew not what he was thinking, answering as a matter of course upon hearing this, “Of course it is true. I haven’t read books, nor do I recognize many big words, so even if you put that thing before my eyes, to me it is no different from toilet paper in a latrine.”
Jin You pushed him with disgust, “Can’t you be a bit more refined?”
Yan Baichuan smiled with closed eyes, and when opening them again, a bit of relief showed in his eyes, “My master said so about me in the past as well. I said those hypocrites were refined, but not a single one caught his eye. So what if refined, and so what if vulgar. Chen Zheng was refined, transforming into a ghost without a single dirty word when cursing people, yet in the end he did not see through matters of life and death as clearly as I did.”
Jin You let out a sigh, admitting in his heart that Yan Baichuan was right.
Yan Baichuan used the roof as a pillow, yet the words spoken were heroically grand beyond measure, “Fighting with humans, fighting with ghosts, I have lost my life but never accepted fate. In life I wanted to be a hero, and in death even as a ghost I want to be the chief. Who among people in the world was not born with two eyes and one mouth, so what to fear, moving forward is right.”
Having spoken, Yan Baichuan sat up, holding the wine flask and drinking it all in one gulp, “Care not whether it is the Divine Weapons List or the Divine Artifacts List, isn’t there me around, don’t be afraid.”
Jin You quietly tightened his fingers, and only after a moment passed did he let out a soft “mm” as an agreement, standing up to pick up the Double Flower Brew brewed by Yan Baichuan and putting it away, “Having spent so much silver money, this bottle is confiscated.” Having spoken, as if fearing Yan Baichuan would chase over, he flashed back into the blood jade bead to rest.
Yan Baichuan looked at this bottle of wine before his eyes with a helpless laugh, muttering softly to himself, “It was originally brewed for you anyway.”