Volume 1 Volume 5 Chapter 154

Volume 5 Chapter 154: Preparation (Part 1)

Although Xu Qingfan appeared calm in front of Mr. Liu and Zhang Hualing, seemingly unaffected by their conversation, in reality, his mood was heavier and more oppressed than ever before.

Just as Mr. Liu commented after Xu Qingfan left, the brief chat lasted less than half an hour, but the scheming that Xu Qingfan had been involved in was far greater than all the events of the past hundred years combined.

To be honest, Xu Qingfan did not enjoy scheming, but he knew that once he reached this point, these matters were things he had to face. There was no escaping them, so he could only choose to confront them.

Among the three things that Mr. Liu instructed, the one that surprised Xu Qingfan the most was undoubtedly the last one, about Ting’er.

Did Ting’er’s feelings for him truly surpass the normal feelings between an uncle and his niece?

Xu Qingfan asked himself, but there was no answer.

When it came to it, Xu Qingfan’s life felt quite unsuccessful. After becoming an immortal, as long as his level increased quickly, the passage of time lost all meaning. Now, he had lived much longer than an ordinary person. His future life span would only get longer.

However, in Xu Qingfan’s life of over a hundred years, the only clear feelings he can remember are the bond between teacher and student, and the bond between friends and brothers. As for other feelings, such as family love, if he ignores Ting’er’s words, Xu Qingfan has long forgotten what that feeling was like. And as for love between a man and a woman, poor Xu Qingfan still doesn’t know what that is.

So Xu Qingfan feels confused and troubled. Over the years, has Ting’er’s behavior toward him truly been just the love between an uncle and his niece? When he thinks about how Ting’er seems to pay attention to him all the time, happy for his successes and worried about his troubles, it’s so clear and undeniable that it seems it’s more than just family love.

But if it’s not family love, then what is it? Romantic love? Not to mention that Xu Qingfan doesn’t know at all what romantic love feels like, just thinking about this possibility gives him an incredible feeling. He even thinks that this idea feels like an insult to Ting’er.

How could Ting’er have such feelings for him when they are blood relatives?

"Romantic love is one of the ways of Heaven. Even cultivators speak of Double Cultivation. You have been too strict with Ting’er. Having only interacted with you for so long, and given how complicated things are between you, over time, anything can change in subtle ways."

This was Mr. Liu’s advice to him. Upon reflection, it does seem to make some sense. Since childhood, the only boys Ting’er has been around, besides Xu Qingfan, are just Bai Yu, who is merely a child himself.

"Perhaps it’s time to let Ting’er experience more things?"

Xu Qingfan thought hesitantly. However, the thought of letting Ting’er face the strange and dangerous outside world and countless strangers made him uneasy. Even though the "outside world" just referred to beyond Xu Qingfan’s courtyard, and the "strangers" were the Righteous Alliance cultivators he often met over the years.

Yet, in Xu Qingfan’s eyes, Ting’er is just a little girl who needs care, just like he felt when he first met her.

Some things cannot be decided in just a moment. Xu Qingfan shook his head and left the courtyard with a bitter smile.

Since Xu Qingfan and Mr. Liu Zhang Hualing had made a plan together, there were still many things for Xu Qingfan to do.

※※※※

After leaving the group of courtyards where the sect leaders and masters stayed, Xu Qingfan did not return to his own place, but walked towards the foot of Jiuhua Mountain.

First, he looked at Little Black, who was still in a coma. He did not dare to take out the green skull for Little Black to absorb the death energy to speed up recovery, so he could only let it recover naturally. Fortunately, from every aspect, Little Black’s condition seemed stable; it was just a matter of time before it woke up and fully recovered. After taking care of it for a while, Xu Qingfan headed to another direction at the foot of the mountain.

Compared to the row of houses that cared for the injured, the houses in the other direction were much more chaotic. Arguments broke out occasionally, mixed with explosive sounds that caught attention.

The houses were arranged in several rows, forming circles. Although they looked messy, upon closer inspection, there was a pattern. Each house seemed to give off different Spirit Qi fluctuations, and each room had spirit light shining out.

These houses were arranged by the Righteous Alliance for those skilled in weapon refining. Over the years of fighting, many magical tools in the hands of cultivators had been damaged, and they were all sent here for repair.

It seemed that every skilled weapon refiner had a slightly crazy aura. The Old Beggar that Xu Qingfan knew was already quirky enough, but here, he seemed quite normal. Some sat on the ground with blank expressions, mumbling to themselves, while others danced and shouted loudly. Wearing strange and tattered clothes was very common, and the Old Beggar’s beggar outfit was actually standard here. Many more people gathered together, continuously arguing about how to refine certain materials, creating a noisy chaos.

The entire Ronghua Mountain seems to have only the area where the alchemists live that can compare to it.

Xu Qingfan came this time to find Old Beggar. He arrived within the boundaries of "Ronghua Mountain" and among the many skilled craftsmen, he was only familiar with Old Beggar.

It seems Old Beggar holds a high position among the skilled craftsmen, as his home is in the deepest part, making it quieter compared to others.

After avoiding a few stumbling craftsmen who seemed to be arguing with each other, Xu Qingfan skillfully stepped into Old Beggar’s yard.

Inside the yard, there were still several furnaces used for crafting, and Old Beggar along with a few other beggars were intensely watching the flames under the furnace, their hands making gestures to control the subtle changes in the furnace’s formations.

The other beggars, according to Old Beggar’s assessment, were "only a little less skilled than me," meaning they were nearly as good as Old Beggar at crafting and usually gathered together.

Over the years, Xu Qingfan has also gained some knowledge about crafting. Watching the flickering light of the furnace, he knew that this crafting session was nearly finished, but he wasn’t in a hurry; he just stood there quietly waiting.

About an hour later, this crafting session finally came to an end, producing a set of seven flying swords, which were surprisingly high-grade items.

After several battles with Southern Wasteland demon beasts, countless bones were collected. Although most of the bodies were unusable after being blasted by magical attacks, many precious materials were still gathered. Old Beggar and the others were quite busy, continuously crafting high-level magical items to prepare for the future battles.

After successfully making the magical tool, Old Beggar wiped the sweat from his forehead. When he looked up, he saw Xu Qingfan standing at the gate with a smile on his face, and his expression instantly showed great joy, though it was not because he liked Xu Qingfan so much.

"Taoist Friend Xu, do you have any good materials to give me for forging?"

Old Beggar’s smile even had a hint of flattery.

"No…"

Before Xu Qingfan could finish speaking, Old Beggar’s expression changed. He asked coldly, "Then why are you here?"

Xu Qingfan gave a faint, bitter smile. The Old Beggar truly had not changed at all, viewing forging as life itself and valuing precious materials above all else, while Xu Qingfan felt quite insignificant in comparison.

However, in this situation, Old Beggar’s attitude remained the same throughout, which made Xu Qingfan feel comfortable.

After his bitter smile, Xu Qingfan asked, "I just want to know when the materials I gave you before will be forged into the magical tool and returned to me?"

The materials Xu Qingfan collected in North Iceland had already been given to Old Beggar earlier to help forge into a magical tool.

The Old Beggar impatiently said, "Those materials are so precious. How could they be refined so easily in such a short time? Each of those materials requires at least several months to refine. I have been very busy these past few days, and I do not want to be distracted while refining those materials into magical items. So, I have only done a little processing and have not had time to complete the refining."

Xu Qingfan asked, "Can we postpone other matters for now? I urgently need those magical items. I will explain everything to Venerable Xuan Jian."

Venerable Xuan Jian is the one in charge of refining magical items and medicine in the Righteous Alliance.

The Old Beggar saw that Xu Qingfan’s face was serious, and the coldness on his face gradually faded away. He finally nodded in agreement and promised to invite a few other skilled refiners to help, which would not only make the refining of the magical items more skillful but also faster.

However, Xu Qingfan could tell from the glimmer in the Old Beggar’s eyes that the reason he was willing to let other refiners join in was probably because he lacked the confidence to complete the task on his own.

After thanking the Old Beggar a few times, Xu Qingfan originally wanted to chat with him about old times, but the Old Beggar sent him away, saying he was in the way.

Shaking his head, Xu Qingfan walked toward the building where the alchemy was done. After settling the Watchman, just like the Old Beggar, he then returned to his own quarters.

Once back in his own courtyard, Xu Qingfan did not pause at all and called his three disciples to him.

Looking at his three disciples, Xu Qingfan felt a sense of relief. No matter what, he was satisfied with them. Ting’er was exceptional, and Zhang Ningmei had completely mastered her extraordinary strong consciousness. She had made some progress with the "God Destruction Technique" and could now directly use her consciousness to attack. Her cultivation level had reached the late stage of the Lingji Stage. Even Bai Yu, who had once worried Xu Qingfan, had been quite well-behaved during this time. His cultivation level was even stronger than Zhang Ningmei’s, and he had been the most diligent of the three, which surprised Xu Qingfan at first.

Maybe it was the impact of Mr. Liu’s words, but Xu Qingfan always felt that Ting’er’s gaze held too much meaning.

Pushing down the strange feeling in his heart, Xu Qingfan waved his right sleeve and took out the three "Immortal Ascending Pills," handing them to the three disciples.