Li Yuan left the city and went to the Zhenwei House behind the First Gate, ordering the dumplings he often ordered last year when he was with Xiaozhao.
He ordered ten baskets...
And ate in silence.
Even a blind person could see that he wasn’t eating dumplings, but mories.
But no one disturbed him because everyone knew... Master Li’s daughter was dead.
That lively and lovely little girl was no more.
After finishing the dumplings, Li Yuan went to the Famous Restaurant, ordered a Spring Dream Brew, added a Heart-Burning Flower, and got thoroughly drunk.
Those monitoring from afar dared not interfere with Master Li’s life. Cui Huayin and Yaojue were cultivating, so no one could co to find him either.
...
A few days later.
Li Yuan regained his composure.
He returned to the Vine Pavilion.
This ti, the guard at the Vine Pavilion had changed from an old man to a young girl in yellow.
Upon seeing Li Yuan, the girl in yellow stood up and greeted him calmly, "Xiang Qingyu from the Xiang Family, greeting Master Li."
"Where is Old Xiang?" Li Yuan asked casually.
Xiang Qingyu replied, "Elder Xiang has gone on a journey."
"A journey?"
"Yes, his life is approaching its end, so he wants to see the world before he dies."
"But the outside world is so chaotic..."
"It’s his decision."
"Understood."
Li Yuan acknowledged and then went back to reading books.
Ti passed in the blink of an eye.
One day, Xiang Qingyu suddenly said, "Master Li, it’s useless."
"What’s useless?" Li Yuan was sowhat curious.
Xiang Qingyu raised her head, her eyes shimring with a perceptive light.
"I’ve noticed Master Li has been reading those books on breaking realms and essays, but no matter how much you read, it cannot change reality.
Just like Elder Xiang, who stayed here for a long ti, read a lot of books, yet couldn’t change his lifespan...
The Sixth Grade can extend life by two hundred years, and that’s the limit; if the road ahead is cut off, it cannot be extended."
Li Yuan asked in surprise, "Miss Xiang, have you never gone out for training?"
Xiang Qingyu was stunned for a mont and said, "I just broke into the Sixth Grade, and should have gone out for training, but it was too chaotic outside, so I didn’t go... the family let take over Elder Xiang’s position to guard the pavilion and read books. Why?"
She was full of confusion, not understanding why Li Yuan wanted to talk to her about this.
Li Yuan said, "Nothing."
With that, he continued to read.
...
The next ti...
Evening.
When Li Yuan returned to the Jing Family, he saw a carriage parked by the roadside.
Upon his appearance, the curtain of the carriage was lifted, and he saw an Elder from the Xiang Family leading Xiang Qingyu hurriedly towards him. Upon arrival, the Elder repeatedly apologized, saying things like "Qingyu is not sensible enough."
anwhile, Xiang Qingyu had red eyes, bowing incessantly towards Li Yuan, continuously saying she was sorry.
Li Yuan only then knew that after eting the Xiang Family people, Xiang Qingyu recounted the event, prompting the Xiang Family to imdiately bring her to apologize.
Li Yuan hadn’t taken it to heart; he waved his hand and laughed, "Elder, don’t scare your own juniors. I find Miss Xiang quite good; in the past few days, when I couldn’t find certain books, Miss Xiang even proactively helped search.
Besides, I’ve even partnered up with your Xiang Family Patriarch when going out, how could I be mad at a child?"
He used to collaborate with many from the Divine Wood Hall during missions, like when besieging the Flower Demon.
After saying this, Li Yuan invited the two into the Jing Family and then gave Xiang Qingyu a top-grade long sword for females of the Sixth Grade.
He noticed that Xiang Qingyu used a sword.
A Sixth Grade long sword wasn’t a common item; it was rather rare, considering that aside from Li Yuan, Master Gong wouldn’t easily make a move, and other blacksmiths would need sheer luck to forge a top-grade Sixth Grade weapon...
In an instant, Xiang Qingyu was moved to tears. She was the eldest young lady of the younger generation of the Xiang Family, and her grandfather was the Patriarch. It was due to this relationship that she could guard the Vine Pavilion and speak to Li Yuan as she did.
Yet even so, she didn’t have a top-grade Sixth Grade weapon; such weapons were in the hands of the Sixth Grade powerhouses within the family.
Now, she had actually received one.
"Thank you, Master Li, thank you, thank you..." Xiang Qingyu was ward.
She thought she would have to lower her head and admit her mistake today, then face Master Li’s cold ridicule while still smiling and apologizing, but the result was this...
...
...
The next day.
Li Yuan entered the Vine Pavilion again, and Xiang Qingyu warmly stood up to help him find a large pile of books related to breaking realms, and then she proactively said, "Master Li, actually, outside the Vine Pavilion, there’s also an old building containing a heap of broken and incomplete books.
Those books are too damaged and incomplete, so they couldn’t be sent here, but I always feel there must be sothing valuable in those books.
Would you like to take a look? Maybe you’ll find what you’re looking for?"
Li Yuan was stunned for a mont.
The return ca so quickly?
He had spent months with the previous Old Xiang, asking if there were other collections, but Old Xiang never ntioned this.
But now...
"Will this have any impact on you?" Li Yuan asked.
Xiang Qingyu snorted softly, her eldest young lady’s temper flaring, "An old building, a pile of old books, what impact would there be?"
Li Yuan said, "Then... shall we take a look?"
Xiang Qingyu, treating Li Yuan as her own, said cheerfully, "Alright, Brother Li."
Li Yuan was sowhat speechless at this girl’s carefree nature but wasn’t rigid and smiled, "Is it really okay for you to call Brother Li?"
Seeing him still smiling, Xiang Qingyu said, "Master Li is so young, calling you ’brother’ seems more fitting."
Li Yuan understood.
This girl thought he was troubled by his lifespan and so was pursuing breakthrough thods—after all, Elder Xiang probably acted similarly before. Hence, she expressed goodwill in her way.
"Call whatever you like."
"Alright, Brother Li."
The awkward noble girl turning into a teammate felt quite nice.
While talking, Xiang Qingyu pulled out a large key from a chanism, hung it on her waist, and led the way out, leaping lightly with Li Yuan through the Vine Sea, soon parting vines to stop at a very hidden tree hole.
Xiang Qingyu used the key to open the tree hole, releasing a long-sealed scent.
The young lady of the Xiang Family fanned her nose, stuck out her tongue, and said, "Master Li, quickly get inside and close the door, don’t let anyone see..."
She handed the large key to Li Yuan, saying, "Rember to lock the door when you leave later."
Li Yuan was already captivated by the old books before him, with an urge to read. He said, "Thank you, Miss Xiang."
"I should thank you," Xiang Qingyu said.
With that, she casually tossed the key to Li Yuan, turned, and ran off.
Li Yuan withdrew his gaze, shut the door.
Sunlight pierced through the vines, casting narrow beams through the crystal glass.
Li Yuan brushed off the dust on the bookshelf, sweeping a glance over it.
These old books were indeed worn out; so had only half pages, so texts were incomprehensible, and so had words entirely blurred due to poor preservation.
He started flipping through them one by one.
But the chance of finding sothing worthwhile was low, as the docunts abandoned here had likely been selected.
...
...
A few days later.
Li Yuan found half a leather book under these broken, old books.
The text on the book was nearly blurred.
Li Yuan looked at it for a while before he vaguely understood what kind of book it was.
It turned out to be a book on Weapon Forgers, but it was a Demon Book.
Because the views on it were extrely radical, and its heritage differed from the yin-yang theories of the Heavenly Sll and asuring Land.
Simply put, this Weapon Forger’s heritage was nad Life Devourer.
The principle of Life Devourer was to use the Weapon Forger’s lifespan to cast weapons, thereby endowing the forged weapons with so terrifying power.
This line of heritage, besides the technique, had an heirloom hamr passed down through generations.
The principle of this hamr was unknown, but it could drain lifespan and then rge into a Spiritual Artifact, giving the artifact extraordinary characteristics.
Li Yuan quickly searched and was thrilled to discover a black hamr under the table corner.
He compared it and found this hamr was indeed the heirloom hamr ntioned in the Life Devourer Demon Book.
He grabbed the hamr...
Suddenly, a new piece of information appeared in the Equipnt Bar: Ghost Hamr.
’Turns out it’s an Evil Ghost Tool, no wonder it can devour life.
Just... it’s probably a thousand, maybe several thousand years old Evil Ghost Tool, right?’
Since it was a tool, Li Yuan wasn’t too worried; after all, if sothing could beco a tool, it was generally not too dangerous.
"Perhaps I should give it a try."
Li Yuan looked at the half Life Devourer Demon Book.
Granted, he couldn’t practice it fully, but once he started, he could perfect it.
Moreover, being a Weapon Forger master himself, he could try to complete it if he encountered sothing puzzling.
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