The Geared Immortal

The Jiao's: 7

/*unedited*/

An artifact, it is an item or a weapon that possesses hidden power or ability that would help the bearer or user as per his or her will. In the cultivation land, artifacts come from different kinds of objects and shapes. Some are ordinary-looking ones like a simple water gourd or a lamp, and others are grand and majestic like flying swords and large floating ships.

But these things have one thing in common, they all use Qi or the natural energy as a fuel to awaken their power or ability.

Since artifacts are very useful, not many cultivators can create one. It is known that even those who spend years as a craftsman can only make at most spirit level low-grade artifacts. Only if they could attain a higher cultivation realm, then they can make higher-level artifacts coupled with their hard effort.

Only with fortuitous encounter can one gain enough knowledge to craft higher level artifacts while being a low-level cultivator.

There was once a myth of a man who was able to attain the highest craftsmanship when it comes to an artifact. The man is called Senior Gubu.

But it was said that he was killed by a greedy minister of the emperor who was actually his friend. But when the emperor heard that the best craftsman of his empire was killed, he immediately executed that minister and helps nurture the family left by Gubu. And from then on, the empire uses the artifacts that the family of Gubu is making. That was until they found a new kind of artifact, something that they have never seen before which causes a huge ruckus in the empire.

Then many artifact craftsmen try to improve their craft, but still fall less.

Right now, Mingsha Wu is currently holding a simple-looking box with an exquisite silver pendant inside. The silver-like pendant is carved like a silver scaled small dragon. Its life-like appearance can make one appreciate the fine craftsmanship of the item.

But what dumbfounded Mingsha Wu is not the craftsmanship of the pendant or its material which is made from a very sturdy ore which is unknown to him; it is actually the effect he is currently feeling upon opening the box.

When he opens the hard paper box, he actually feels the Qi in his surrounding congealing towards the pendant. If he is not wrong, the pendant contains a powerful suction array that can absorb the Qi in his surroundings. This only means one thing, if he wore this, then it's like he is cultivating unceasingly even in his sleep. If this is right then it would hasten his cultivation speed for more than ten times. As he didn't need to concentrate just to feel the Qi and absorb them, because that process was bypassed by the pendant itself.

This sudden realization, made Mingsha Wu immediately closed the small box.

"This… this is a treasure! This is truly an amazing treasure." He muttered to himself.

Then he recalls how it was casually given to him by Shin Jiao as a goodwill gift. This made him change his opinion of the young man he thought to be a bully.

"I guess people can change… But how did he get this? And why gift it to me?" Mingsha Wu thought as he unconsciously walks towards a tavern.

He then rented a private room inside the tavern and once inside he carefully scrutinized the pendant. After a while, he reluctantly stopped as he could not seem to find where the array of the pendant is. As he gave up, he just decided to wear the pendant so as to test its function. And true to his own conjecture, the pendant truly absorbs the Qi in his surroundings automatically and then refines them before making his body absorb the Qi. This process actually gave him a cool and pleasant feeling.

With a satisfied look on his face, Mingsha Wu finished eating and went out of the tavern. He then noticed that the sun is already about to set on the horizon.

"Damn… did it take me a long time to study this thing? I need to ask, that young man on how he got this object." Mingsha Wu said as he walks towards the palace grounds.

Meanwhile, that day, Shin Jiao was able to sell four more artifact trinkets to four nobles. The price he set was a little bit exorbitant, but as soon as they saw the object they immediately grab it without any question and bought them.

Those people just wanted to stroll around and look at some exquisitely designed trinkets for their servants, but because of their goodwill towards their mortal servant got heavenly artifacts instead.

The four objects that Shin Jiao was able to sell was a pair of Yin and Yang earring, a jade-like bangle, a bronze bangle, and a silver dragon pendant (just like the one he gave to the prince). Each object has a different effect, the yin and yang earrings provide mental defense along with Qi elemental control and the jade-like and bronze bangles provide the user automatic absolute protection that would last for 30 minutes.

When those noble cultivators saw these artifacts, they became happy and asked if Shin Jiao would be selling more. And he just gave them an ambiguous reply, as he is just testing the waters first.

And so, at the end of that day, the small and simple trinket store earn more than 200,000 low-grade spirit stones, which made one of Shin Jiao's spatial pouches almost filled to the brim with spirit stones.

With a happy expression, Shin Jiao along with Aye Muyan who has already calmed down and the two maidservants happily walk home. They even forgot the trouble that had happened that morning. Even the storekeeper, who receives a bonus from Shin Jiao, came home happily.

"I need to get in touch with that craftsman. He would be of great help to me." Shin Jiao thought.

He didn't want to trap himself in carving and making trinkets. He wanted to gain more resources for his group's cultivation and for their travel back to the town of Dis.

Unknown to them, a group of people are currently tailing not too far behind them.

"Leader, when will we make out move?" one of the masked men asked.

"When they reached that dark alley, we can trap them there." The man they called their leader whispered.

"Mrs. Jiao dared offend the two brothers of the head. Though we are not to kill her, the master didn't say anything about those beside her right?" one of the men asked with a glint of ruthlessness in his eyes.

"I can see that those two girls are beautiful, we can play with those two to our heart's content right?"

"Kekeke… I'll get that young man beside Mrs. Jiao. I'm only here for blood. Kekeke…"

As the men in black robe followed Shin Jiao's group in silence, they began to make designs and plans on how to deal with their targets.

When Shin Jiao and the three women with him reached the dark alley, a man suddenly appears in front of him.

A long glistening sword is on his hand and a crooked smile is on his face.

"You! Why are you here?" Aye Muyan suddenly shouted while pointing at the man in front of them.

"Hehe… I'm just here to collect what you owe us, Mrs. Jiao. A command from the family head." the man said as he licks his lips while eyes the two servants standing beside Aye Muyan.

"With only you? Don't make me laugh. You're just a lowly dog of my… my husband." Aye Muyan said with a bitter expression on her face upon saying the word husband.

She truly resented that man, who had kicked her out of the family just because of a simple accident. She truly thinks that the man is really a coward.

"Haha…" the man laughed as he lifts his hand up.

Then more than 20 men appear around them in a flash.

"Now, this would be enough to take care of you lot right?" the man said in a mocking tone.

He can now notice the dispirited look on the eyes of the women. The two maidservants Shao-Shao and Tin-tin are shivering a little bit in fright. Though they are cultivators, yet their cultivation is too low as they didn't have time to cultivate.

The group of men slowly advances and led Shin Jiao and the three women towards the dark alley.

Shin Jiao is now in front of the three protecting them.

"Mrs. Jiao, don't blame us for being impolite. This was caused by you and so you have to pay for the consequences of your actions. You have defied and shamed our masters, so we should do the same to you, as commanded by the head… your husband." the leader of the group said with a grin.

When Si'en Jiao saw the pitiful appearance of his two brothers' he suddenly felt that he was disgraced. So he asked what had happened and the guards told him. When he heard that it was caused by his wife whom he had already kicked out, he was immediately angered.

"How dare she touch my brothers. She didn't know the virtue of a woman." Si'en Jiao shouted as a glint of ruthlessness appears on his eyes.

He had wanted to find an excuse for him to get rid of his main wife. Now that this had happened, then he might have a chance to do so.

With that, he commanded his men to go and punish her.

The group leader even remembers his master's ruthless and uncaring words.

"She's all yours."