133: Chapter 133 Preparations for Sword Forging

"Unless what?"

Chu Linger became bashful, stammering as she spoke, "To get Master to relent, I can only rely on my little Junior Brother."

"Little Junior Brother? Aren't you the youngest among the Immortal Master's high disciples?"

"I used to be, but ever since the last time Master brought that son of his over..."

Xu Changsheng quickly caught the implication: "Is it that one named Huang Shaotian?"

"Yes, I forgot to tell Master before, he is now Master's youngest disciple."

"Then what does it have to do with him?"

Chu Linger hesitated for a moment before finally recounting what happened in the main hall that day and the strange look Huang Shaotian had given her.

"You mean, he has those kinds of feelings for you?"

Chu Linger nodded somewhat uneasily.

Seeing this.

Xu Changsheng asked with a half-smile, "Then do you have feelings for him too?"

She hurriedly denied it: "No, although he looks fair and handsome, this Servant Girl guarantees she has no romantic thoughts toward him."

"Then what promise do you intend to give him to make him convince Yellow Ox?"

"Uh..."

He flicked her forehead with his finger: "You haven't even thought it through, yet you say you'll rely on him. How about I knock you unconscious and give you to him?"

Hearing this.

Chu Linger was pale with fright: "Don't, Master! This Servant Girl only wishes to serve Master in this life; my heart can never hold a second man."

"I was just saying it, no need to take it seriously."

Hearing that it was just a joke.

She let out a long sigh of relief. Although the boundary between the two was no longer as clear-cut as it was at the beginning, and they felt more like partners now.

Her life and death were still firmly held in Xu Changsheng's hands.

She looked affectionately at Xu Changsheng, her beautiful eyes filled with spring-like warmth: "Master, what this Servant Girl just said was the truth from her heart."

"Don't look at me like that!"

"Then how should I look at you?"

"Look at me however you like, just not like that."

"This Servant Girl likes looking at you like this."

"..."

Accidentally having the tables turned on him, Xu Changsheng coughed twice to ease the awkward atmosphere.

"So, have you thought about what reward to give that Huang Shaotian?"

"No."

"Then you..."

"Okay."

...

An hour later.

Chu Linger and Xu Changsheng arrived one after the other at the Earth Fire Caves of Yellow Ox Immortal City.

They walked straight to the deepest part.

There, they saw a middle-aged man with a full beard sitting with his legs crossed, holding a scandalous little book and reading it.

From time to time, he would show a lecherous smile.

Tap, tap, tap.

Footsteps came from the shadows.

He put down the picture book and looked up impatiently.

Seeing it was Chu Linger, his eyes lit up: "Fellow Daoist Chu, you've come again?"

He thought to himself why this Chu Linger came to see him every few days. Last time, the reason she gave was that she wanted to enter a Tier 3 Artifact Refining Earthfire Chamber, which was simply not allowed.

"Could it be that this girl likes me?"

Looking at the bright and moving Chu Linger, he stroked his beard, thinking of the plots in his books where young girls fell in love with older men.

However, in the next instant.

Chu Linger's voice came: "Fellow Daoist Zhang, I still want to enter the Tier 3 Earthfire Chamber."

Zhang Hu was instantly disappointed, his thick brows furrowing:

"Fairy Chu, I've told you, unless you have a handwritten order from Yellow Ox, this Hu fellow wouldn't dare let you in."

"Here."

Chu Linger threw over a paper scroll.

Zhang Hu unfurled it: "It really is a handwritten order from Yellow Ox! Fairy Chu actually got one."

"Hmph, what did you expect? Revered Master likes me the most."

"Please come in."

Zhang Hu led her to the Earthfire Chamber on the right in the deepest part.

The Earth Fire needed for Artifact Refining and Alchemy were slightly different; the former required fierce and explosive flames, while the latter required gentle and controllable ones.

Therefore, the Earthfire Chambers were also divided into two types.

Taking out a bunch of keys and preparing to open it, he suddenly saw Xu Changsheng standing behind Chu Linger and asked in confusion, "Fairy Chu, who is this Fellow Daoist?"

"An assistant, here to help this young lady carry Materials."

Hearing this.

Zhang Hu's eyes darted around, and he patted his chest: "Aiya, Fairy Chu, I could have done these things for you."

"Hehe, Fellow Daoist Zhang should waste less breath. If the time is delayed and Revered Master blames us, you won't be able to bear the responsibility."

"...Fine."

Zhang Hu's face darkened, and he glared fiercely at Xu Changsheng before opening the door to the Earthfire Chamber.

Chu Linger entered first.

Xu Changsheng ignored Zhang Hu's murderous gaze and walked calmly into the Earthfire Chamber.

The Earth Fire Caves were equipped with a complete Illusion-Breaking Formation to prevent those skilled in illusion techniques from entering to use the fire for free.

The risk of using his Mirror Flower Water Moon here was too great; if discovered, the losses would outweigh the gains.

Thud.

The door to the Earthfire Chamber was slammed shut.

Walking inside.

A blast of amazing heat hit them, and the protective spiritual light of both immediately lit up, insulating them from the heat.

Looking around.

The four walls were not smooth stone slabs but bore marks of chisels and axes, colored a deep purple-black.

In the center of the stone room was a half-person-high Earth Fire furnace pedestal, carved from a single piece of black jade, with white jade steps surrounding it.

He walked up.

The center of the pedestal was hollowed out, revealing a copper-coin-shaped grate fire vent, currently sealed by a cold iron shutter.

Xu Changsheng already knew how to use the Artifact Refining Room; one needed to activate the lever-like wooden handle on the side to open the shutter and release the Earth Fire.

Chu Linger was also entering a Tier 3 Earthfire Chamber for the first time, touching here and tapping there.

She slowly lowered her slender hands and turned back to look at Xu Changsheng.

The latter had just withdrawn his gaze from the bottom of the furnace and met her eyes: "What's wrong? Why are you looking at me?"

Chu Linger fidgeted, her index fingers touching: "Can Revered Master tell this Servant Girl the purpose of renting a Tier 3 Earthfire Chamber now?"

She was completely puzzled. Xu Changsheng was clearly a Tier 2 High-Grade Talisman Master; she had never heard of a Talisman Revered Master needing Earth Fire to craft Talismans.

But she had always been obedient to Xu Changsheng, and since he had been urging her, she had suppressed this doubt.

Now that she had completed the task given by her Revered Master, she could finally ask about the purpose of the Tier 3 Earthfire Chamber they had spent so much effort to rent.

"The purpose?"

Xu Changsheng for a moment thought he had misheard.

"What other purpose could there be? Of course, it's for Artifact Refining."

As everyone knew, an Artifact Refining Room must be used for Artifact Refining.

"But, but isn't Revered Master a Talisman Revered Master?"

"I am."

"This Servant Girl has never heard of any Talisman that requires Earth Fire to be crafted."

"But I'm not making Talismans. I said, I'm going to refine artifacts!"

With that said.

Xu Changsheng suddenly twisted the wooden handle on the side.

Scorching flames immediately shot out from the grate fire vent, and the surrounding heat intensified by several degrees.

He tapped his Storage Pouch and took out the Rock-Steady Fire-Stilling Furnace he had swiped from Duanyun Ridge, placing it onto the pedestal.

"It might be hard for you to believe, but I am indeed an Artifact Refiner, and a Quasi-Tier 3 Artifact Refiner at that."