“There is something else about this secret realm that doesn’t seem quite right to me,” said Yun Jiuge to the twins. “Both of you should make the most of this time to cultivate as much as you can. If you have the chance, buy some good quality Spiritual Bones to prepare for the mission. I will ask Little Fatty about this secret realm.”
After Yun Jiuge heard Liu Mei’er’s words, she started to take the secret realm seriously.
“Alright,” replied Liu Mei’er, nodding worriedly.
Yun Jiuge had a thousand-year-old Corpse to protect her, so her life was not in danger. However, the thousand-year-old Corpse only cared about his own Master and ignored the Liu sisters completely. They would not be able to depend on him.
It seemed that the twins still needed to convince Senior Su to look after them. They could go to him for help in times of need.
Yun Jiuge could guess Liu Mei’er’s thoughts, so she warned her, “You can’t judge a book by its cover. Su Junqing is not who you think he is. I suggest that you keep your distance from him. If you interact with him too closely, you’ll be playing with fire.”
“I know,” said Liu Mei’er with a nod.
Ever since Su Junqing had expressed his interest in them, the Liu Sisters had dug up information about his past and character. They knew that he was the kind of man who relied on favors from women to advance his career. Since he’d approached them, it was inevitable that he wanted something from them.
“Very well. You should head back now and start cultivating!” Yun Jiuge said.
After Yun Jiuge saw off Liu Mei’er, she wanted to meet Little Fatty and find out more about this secret realm. However, Zi Shang stopped her.
“We still have three months before our expedition to the secret realm,” he said. “At that time, even if you don’t ask Little Fatty, he will take the initiative and sell the information to you. Since we are not pressed for time, the most important thing that you should do now is think of a way to improve your strength.” To Zi Shang, this kind of small secret realm was nothing.
“You’re right,” Yun Jiuge replied. She also realized that she was slightly anxious.
Every time she encountered matters relating to Su Junqing, she lost control quickly. It was not a good sign.
However, this was definitely a golden opportunity for her. She must not miss it.
Yun Jiuge started to evaluate her fighting capability.
At this point, her Secondary Disciples’ Yin Skill level was at the third level of the Qi Refining Stage and could control four White Bone Spurs.
Her Ten-thousand Beast Technique was at the first level. Even if she could harden her skin, it would only defend her from ordinary blades and would not be of much use in a real fight.
As for her Spiritual Weapons, the Yin Corpse Sect had provided them with the White Bone Spur and Corpse Controlling Bell.
She also had that Wicked Blade that she’d stolen from the Bloodthirsty Patriarch.
Since her Lightning Snake Magical Whip was hibernating, she would not use it unless it was an emergency.
She could only use the White Bone Flame to produce pills, while the White Bone Monkey was only capable of devouring Yin Qi.
The Treasure-hunting Scorpion was limited to searching for valuables, Pipi Jam was sleeping, and her pink Mother Legendary Venomous Insect had not yet hatched.
After ruminating on her fighting capability, she discovered that she did not possess even one powerful Spiritual Weapon.
“Do you think that I should create a set of White Bone Spurs for myself?” Yun Jiuge asked Zi Shang.
Before Secondary Disciples obtained their own Life’s Origin Yin Corpses, they used the White Bone Spurs as their Spiritual Weapons.
If they could get their hands on high-quality Spiritual Bones and use them to forge the White Bone Spurs, the damage from their attacks would be quite formidable.
It was said that Elder Qiu Sen’s Magic Treasure consisted of White Bone Spurs that had been forged from the bones of Bloodthirsty Bats. There were twenty-seven Bone Spurs in one set. It was extremely powerful.
“If you find some Spiritual Bones, then bring them to me. I will help you to smith the White Bone Spurs.” Yun Jiuge was quite good at producing pills but terrible at forging weapons, especially when she had to inscribe runes on them.
“Alright.” Yun Jiuge had been waiting for Zi Shang to offer his help. She patted her bag and called to the Treasure-hunting Scorpion in a serious voice, “Treasure-hunting Scorpion, come out.”
The bag rustled as the Treasure-hunting Scorpion climbed out. It raised its head, stuck its chest out, and waved its pincers. It asked Yun Jiuge in a booming voice, “Mistress, how may I help you?”
“I want you to go outside and search for white bones that contain a good amount of Spiritual Energy,” Yun Jiuge replied. She had full confidence in the Treasure-hunting scorpion.
If the scoprion could uncover something similar to the Xuan Yin White Bone Monkey, that would be even better.
“I will start right away,” answered the Treasure-hunting Scorpion. It jumped out of Yun Jiuge’s Magical Bottomless Bag, and its fat body landed on the ground with a thump, forming a small pit.
This little creature was leading a fulfilling life. It was growing heavier by the day. At first, it had been as small as a palm. Then, it had experienced a growth spurt and doubled in size. Its speed when it burrowed into the ground was becoming faster.
“Please be careful,” Yun Jiuge advised.
After all, they were in the Yin Corpse Sect’s territory. If something happened to the Treasure-hunting Scorpion, it would be difficult for her to resolve the problem.
“Don’t worry, I will be vigilant,” responded the Treasure-hunting Scorpion. It was perfectly content with its current living situation. It did not want to serve another master at all. Most of the time, it was with its wife. It would never wander off without Yun Jiuge’s command.
The Treasure-hunting Scorpion looked left and right to determine its destination. After that, it turned into yellow light and burrowed underground.
“Chieftain Zi Shang, let me make some tea for you,” said Yun Jiuge to Zi Shang in a subordinate manner.
If she wanted to destroy Su Junqing, Zi Shang would be her trump card. Therefore, she needed to please him.
Zi Shang was delighted with Yun Jiuge’s behavior.
He reclined on the chair and cracked his neck. He muttered, “My shoulders felt stiff.”
“Are they stiff? Let me give you a massage,” Yun Jiuge said then walked to Zi Shang and started kneading his shoulders. She even asked him in an extremely breathy voice, “Chieftain Zi Shang, am I applying suitable pressure?”
“It’s acceptable,” Zi Shang replied. He felt like dozing off. However, his moist red lips curved slightly.
Yun Jiuge still needed to put in more effort.
Just then, a yellow light shone up from the ground. The Treasure-hunting Scorpion had returned.
“How are you so fast?” Yun Jiuge demanded. She’d thought that the Treasure-hunting Scorpion would need at least half a day to complete its task. After all, the Yin Corpse Sect’s territory covered a three-mile radius. She’d never expected the scorpion to come back after she had just spoken to Zi Shang for a little while.
“I found the Spiritual Bones. They are not far from here,” said the Treasure-hunting Scorpion eagerly.
“Not far from here?” Yun Jiuge was quite surprised. If the spot was close, it must be on the Number Two Peak. It shocked her that the Treasure-hunting Scorpion had found great Spiritual Bones so nearby.
“Let’s have a look,” Zi Shang said as he stood up.
“Let’s go!” Yun Jiuge commanded. She was also quite curious about the proximity of the Spiritual Bones.
In the end, the Treasure-hunting Scorpion led them through many twists and turns before arriving at a mall. There, the Number Two Peak’s disciples traded in secret.
Yun Jiuge heard of this mall before. Many Secondary Disciples sold their goods illegally after obtaining valuable items. This was because, if they circulated costly items with the Sect, the Contribution Points awarded to them would be proportionally less than the actual value of the items. The Yin Corpse Sect knew about the mall but chose to overlook it.
The reason why Yun Jiuge had dispatched the Treasure-hunting Scorpion was so that she could gather Spiritual Bones for free. If she had to pay for the Spiritual Bones, it would be like asking her to slice her flesh off for them!
“Let’s walk around. If we find some suitable Spiritual Bones, then we should buy them,” Zi Shang said. He found the mall to be quite interesting.
“Alright. We will shop around!” Yun Jiuge’s heart ached at the thought of her wallet.
This mall was quite large. Small stalls were selling their wares in designated areas. Most of the goods for sale were things that were rather useful for a Secondary Disciple.
There were secondhand Yin Qi Bottles, a variety of Spiritual Bones, and different kinds of lesser Yin-type items.
After one lap strolling around the mall, Ye Jiuge did not discover anything worthy of interest.
The Spiritual Bones with a slightly better quality were selling for one hundred Contribution Points. She might as well as find them at the mass grave herself.
While Ye Jiuge was walking, she heard a familiar voice behind her. “Senior Yun Jiu, what are you doing here?”
She turned around and saw Little Fatty Jin Lin.
“Why do I bump into you everywhere?” Yun Jiuge asked rhetorically. She admired Little Fatty for his willpower. He’d still managed to reach the second level of the Qi Refining stage in his cultivation despite toadying everyone for personal gain every single day.
“One of my jobs includes managing the mall. Senior Yun Jiu, if there is anything that you want to buy, please feel free to ask me directly. I won’t charge a fee for this information,” explained Little Fatty with a grin.
