Feng Shui Chapter 168: Firestone Pendant

Li Yuzhou immediately exclaimed with delight, “What? You actually used all the potions I gave you? Tell me quickly, how well did they work?”

Chen Xiao briefly explained how he’d used the potent itching agent to deal with a horde of Black Tailed Bat Monkeys in the White Spirit Fruit Forest, and how he’d later used the strong stench-inducing potion to counter a venomous viper.

Hearing that his creations had proven so useful, Li Yuzhou was thrilled. At the same time, he couldn’t help but marvel at how many life-threatening encounters Chen Xiao had experienced in such a short period.

Chen Xiao then asked Li Yuzhou what had brought him here. Li Yuzhou replied, “I’m originally from the Heavenly Realm region of Taishen. I only went to Gengsheng because there was a specific herb I needed that only grows there. Also, costs are lower in Gengsheng, so whenever I’m conducting research, I’ll go and stay there for a while.”

Chen Xiao finally understood.

After chatting a bit more, Li Yuzhou heard that Chen Xiao had a batch of Icefiber Grass he was planning to sell and quickly asked, “Brother Xiao, would you be willing to sell me some of that Icefiber Grass? I need it for a new potion formula.”

Chen Xiao nodded without hesitation. “Of course.”

“That’s great!” Li Yuzhou rubbed his hands together in excitement.

Just then, a clerk who had stepped away earlier came rushing back and was clearly annoyed. “Immortal Master Li, you can’t just cut in like that right in front of me!” The clerk obviously knew Li Yuzhou, who lived on Yingxian Island and was a well-known alchemist.

The shopkeeper, however, was much calmer. He simply smiled and asked Chen Xiao, “Honored guest, do you still plan to sell some of your Icefiber Grass to our store?”

Chen Xiao asked Li Yuzhou how much he needed. It turned out he only wanted about ten jin, so Chen Xiao sold the rest of the batch to the Zhen Cao Hall without issue.

This batch was of excellent quality, some of the stalks were even considered top grade, so they fetched over four hundred spirit pearls in total. As they left Zhen Cao Hall, Tong Nuonuo seemed a bit disappointed by the price. “Icefiber Grass is such a rare herb, and it’s still not as valuable as White Spirit Fruit?”

Tang Ru rolled her eyes at him. “Be grateful! Think about how much White Spirit Fruit we picked compared to how much Icefiber Grass we have.” After all, clearing out an entire grove of mature White Spirit Fruit was a once-in-a-century opportunity.

Chen Xiao sold his share to Li Yuzhou at the same price Zhen Cao Hall had paid, saving him a fortune. Li Yuzhou was overjoyed and could barely contain his excitement. He immediately ran home to start preparing his new batch of potions.

“Brother Xiao, I’ll see you back here in ten days at noon. I’ll bring the potions you requested then!” he shouted as he left.

Chen Xiao called after him, “If you come up with any new powerful potions, bring those too!”

Li Yuzhou waved in response from a distance.

Chen Xiao split the four hundred spirit pearls into four portions. Tong Nuonuo and Tang Ru each received their share and carefully put it away.

“All right, business is done. Time to enjoy ourselves a bit. Nuonuo, got any suggestions on where to go next?” asked Chen Xiao.

Tong Nuonuo thought for a moment. “There are five major shops on Yingxian Island. Wanjin Pavilion and Qianxiu Workshop are both closed right now. We’ve already been to Zhen Cao Hall, so that leaves Drunken Immortal Tavern and the Sword Studio.”

“What do those two sell? Don’t tell me one actually sells wine and the other sells swords?” Chen Xiao asked.

Tang Ru shook her head. “Of course not. Drunken Immortal Tavern offers spirit-rich food and wine, while Sword Studio, despite the name, specializes in forging items, including weapons, magical equipment, and accessories.”

“Accessories?” Chen Xiao’s eyes lit up. “Let’s check out the Sword Studio then.”

Tong Nuonuo looked surprised. “I thought for sure you’d go to Drunken Immortal Tavern first.”

Chen Xiao coughed awkwardly. “Well… I still have some Firestone Ore on hand. You collected quite a bit, but since you don’t need it and I don’t have any use for it either, we might as well sell it to Sword Studio.”

He didn’t dare admit that he was actually saving Drunken Immortal Tavern for a private outing with his older brother. If Tong Nuonuo found out he was being ditched like that, he’d probably be furious. Chen Xiao felt a twinge of guilt at the thought, but quickly brushed it off. No one else knew what he was planning, so why feel guilty?

Tang Ru had no objections, and although Tong Nuonuo usually had no love for item forgers, even he had to admit that their creations were useful. His master had once taken him to Sword Studio, though he wasn’t much help with directions. So Chen Xiao asked around as they went, and half an hour later, they finally reached the right area.

The place was hard to miss. A haze of mist-like smoke filled the air, residue from ore refining, and the workshops behind Sword Studio were protected by a barrier, keeping the smoke from spreading too far.

If Zhen Cao Hall resembled a botanical garden, then Sword Studio was more like a metallic fantasy forge. Giant smelting furnaces lined the path at intervals, and bizarrely shaped metal sculptures of unknown materials were on display everywhere.

Chen Xiao looked around in amazement, while Tong Nuonuo snorted and muttered under his breath, “What’s so impressive? All flash and no substance.”

Chen Xiao glanced at him, both amused and exasperated, then quickly wiped the look of wonder off his own face.

Tang Ru, on the other hand, didn’t bother hiding his admiration. “No wonder forgers are one of the most prominent professions in Heavenly Realm. You can see the depth of their craft just from this Sword Studio.”

Chen Xiao nodded silently. Just from the furnaces alone, it was clear they were from different eras and had seen real use, not just decorative displays.

Tong Nuonuo pouted but didn’t say anything more. He simply picked up his pace, prompting Chen Xiao and Tang Ru to chase after him before they lost sight of him entirely.

In front of the Wanjin Pavilion stood a tall three-story building, each floor dedicated to a different category of magical artifacts. The first floor specialized in battle gear, the second in accessories, and the third in weapons.

Tang Ru had a hefty sum of money on her and was planning to pick out a new set of battle attire. Though Tong Nuonuo and Brother Chen Xiao don't have any needs themselves, they accompanied her with gentlemanly grace.

But as the minutes dragged on, Chen Xiao couldn’t help but smile wryly. Across past and present lives, it seemed that women were universally gifted at spending endless time comparing and choosing. Tang Ru mixed and matched individual pieces, constantly trying them on in front of the dressing mirror on the first floor, turning this way and that, and always insisting on asking for their opinions.

Nearly forty-five minutes passed like this, and Chen Xiao finally surrendered. He said to the still-energetic Tang Ru, “I’m going to check out the upper floors. Let Nuonuo keep you company.”

Tang Ru glanced at Tong Nuonuo, who was dozing off on a chair, and seemed a little displeased. She gave a nod. “Go on then. I’ll make sure Nuonuo behaves.”

Chen Xiao gave a dry laugh and didn’t say more. He quickly got up and followed a waiting attendant toward the staircase.

Once he reached the second floor, the number of people thinned out considerably. In the world of cultivation, battle gear was essential, but aside from martial cultivators, most practitioners didn’t choose weapon-type artifacts. As for accessories, some had offensive functions, others defensive, but they were expensive luxuries beyond the reach of ordinary cultivators.

Everyone browsing the second floor was either wealthy or powerful. Chen Xiao had barely stepped off the stairs when a graceful and attractive female attendant approached him. She gave a polite bow and said, “Greetings, Immortal Master. I’m Xiaoman, at your service.” Her voice was calm and gentle, her demeanor poised. “May I ask what you're looking for today?”

Chen Xiao was quite pleased with her professionalism. “I’m looking for something to give as a gift. Do you have accessories suitable for men?”

Xiaoman made a graceful gesture inviting him to walk with her. As they walked, she spoke softly, “Accessories suitable for male cultivators fall into several main categories: hair ornaments, earrings, necklaces, collar pins, chest clasps, wristbands, rings, waist pendants, nose rings, nipple rings, and navel rings...” Her voice was not loud, but clear and fluid, listing the items as if reciting from memory.

Chen Xiao was stunned. He genuinely hadn’t known that men could wear so many types of accessories. Hair ornaments, necklaces, and collar pins were understandable, but nose rings? Nipple rings? Navel rings? That was way too extreme!

Once again, Chen Xiao felt like his worldview was being shattered.

“Uh… let’s skip anything that gets worn on the body. Just the normal kinds are fine." he said stiffly, cutting off Xiaoman’s attempt to expand his knowledge.

Xiaoman nodded obediently and smiled. “Understood, sir. Please come this way.”

The second floor offered one-on-one service. Xiaoman led him to a vacant seat, then left briefly, returning with a tray in her hands.

Chen Xiao took one look and relaxed. Nothing extreme here, just hair ornaments, earrings, necklaces, and the like.

“May I try them on?” he asked.

“Please, feel free." Xiaoman replied with a gesture.

Chen Xiao scanned the items on the tray and picked up a pair of accessories about the size of coins, connected by a chain. “What are these?”

“That is a pair of chest clasps." Xiaoman answered gently.

Chen Xiao turned them over in his hand, guessing they were similar to brooches. He looked up at her. “How are they worn?”

Xiaoman pointed to her chest. “Male cultivators usually wear a long robe underneath and a flowing overcoat on top. Chest clasps are used to fasten the outer garment so it doesn’t get blown open by the wind or swing too much during movement.”

At once, Chen Xiao thought of Xi Yunqing’s preferred style, an elegant long robe beneath, topped with a billowing outer coat. Perfect. He immediately decided to buy a pair of chest clasps for his senior brother.

“I’ll take these. Bring me a few more styles, high functionality, with strong attributes. Preferably gold or fire-based.”

Xiaoman bowed slightly and picked up the tray. “Do you have a price range in mind, sir?”

“Only the finest." Chen Xiao said.

She couldn’t help but smile. “Understood. Please wait a moment.”

Soon, Xiaoman returned with over a dozen pairs of chest clasps in various colors and designs. Each was crafted from high-quality materials, embedded with enchantments, and even sealed with powerful spells.

One pair immediately caught Chen Xiao’s eye. At the center was a gemstone, dark as obsidian and cut with dazzling brilliance like a gem from his previous life. It was encircled with silver-gray metal filigree, and the hanging chain was strung with tiny stones resembling black obsidian.

Xiaoman informed him that this pair was one of Wanjin Pavilion’s top-tier magical artifacts, ideal for fire-element cultivators. Not only could it boost recovery and offensive speed for fire-based true essence, but the gemstone, called Firestone, was also sealed with a high-level attack spell. Each clasp contained three charges, allowing for six uses in total.