334: Chapter 334 Give Me the Gear

The old man slowly raised his head.

The swirling smoke from his pipe dispersed with the wind, revealing a wrinkled old face.

Chen You's gaze fell upon the old man's eyes, and he fell into a silence that lasted for five seconds.

It was a pair of pupils that leaned extremely close to the bridge of his nose, as if his left and right eyes were engaged in some kind of intense territorial dispute.

Cross-eyed.

And it was a top-tier case of being cross-eyed.

“Lu You, you're late.” Old Mo took another puff of his pipe and exhaled a crooked smoke ring, his voice raspy and carrying the world-weary air of someone who had seen through the vanity of life.

Chen You took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to draw his yuhuang sword.

“My surname is Chen.”

Old Mo waved his pitch-black pipe dismissively and said nonchalantly, “Don't worry about these mundane details, Chen Lu.”

“A name is but a code under the Laws of Heaven, just like the prosperity of this Cangxing City; in the end, it's all empty.”

“...”

Chen You decided not to argue with a cross-eyed NPC.

He clicked on his quest panel to confirm his progress and got straight to the point.

“Cut the crap. I'm looking for the Water of the Yellow Springs. The system prompt says you know where the entrance is.”

Hearing this, Old Mo stopped smoking.

He tapped his pipe against a nearby stone pillar, shaking off a shower of sparks.

Those cross-eyes tried hard to focus on Chen You's face, but clearly failed; his gaze drifted past Chen You's shoulder toward the empty street behind him.

“The Yellow Springs, huh...” Old Mo sighed, his tone becoming profound.

“That is a place forgotten by the living and spurned by the dead.”

“The entrance to the Yellow Springs is shrouded in the endless mist of the River Styx. Never mind a mere Qi Refining stage Cultivator like you, even if a god descended, they would lose their way in the mist and eventually turn into withered bones.”

Chen You remained expressionless. “And so? Since the quest guided me to find you, you must have a way. Stop being cryptic and just follow the procedure.”

“Young people are just so impatient.”

Old Mo shook his head, then reached his hand into his tattered gray robe, which smelled of aged sauerkraut.

He fumbled around in his bosom for a long time, his expression alternating between pain and distortion, as if he were engaged in some arduous struggle.

Chen You subconsciously took half a step back.

This old man isn't rolling a dirt pill, is he?

Finally, Old Mo's hand pulled out.

In his palm was a grayish-white oval object.

The surface was covered in suspicious dark brown spots, about the size of a duck egg, and it emitted a faint earthy smell.

“What is this?” Chen You frowned.

“The egg of a Netherworld Guide Beast.” Old Mo handed the egg over with a solemn expression.

“Only this strange creature, born at the boundary of life and death, can sniff out the correct direction of the Yellow Springs within the mist of the River Styx.”

“It is your only key to reaching the Yellow Springs.”

Chen You took the egg skeptically.

[Item: Unknown Stillborn (?)]

[Quality: None]

[Status: Life force extinguished, completely useless.]

Chen You's face darkened.

He held the egg up in front of Old Mo: “You call this a key? The system says it's stillborn! You're trying to fool me with a fossil?”

“Tsk, ignorant.” Old Mo snatched the egg back and cradled it carefully in his arms. “It's not dead, it's just sleeping.”

“It's called self-sealing, get it? To resist the erosion of time, it has completely internalized its life force. As long as you can hatch it, it can lead you to the Water of the Yellow Springs.”

Chen You rubbed his brow.

He roughly understood.

This was a classic MMO chain quest: find the NPC, get the key item, and then activate the item.

“Fine. How do I hatch it?” Chen You asked.

Old Mo's cross-eyes suddenly lit up.

He cleared his throat and adopted an extremely professional tone: “When it comes to hatching an egg, what is the most important thing?”

“Temperature! This Netherworld Guide Beast is Yin by nature; ordinary mortal fire cannot penetrate its shell at all.”

“One must use an item of extreme Yang, supplemented by gentle methods, to awaken the life force within.”

As he spoke, Old Mo reached behind his back again.

This time he pulled out a worn bronze brazier and a piece of glowing red charcoal that was still steaming.

“Look!” Old Mo held the charcoal high. “This is a scrap of 'Nine Yang Aloeswood'! Collected from the armpit of a Flame Demon Lord... ah, no, from the depths of a Flame Demon Lord's territory!”

“Just put it in the brazier and roast the egg on top for forty-nine minutes, and the life force will manifest itself!”

Chen You looked at the charcoal, which looked like a low-quality leftover from a BBQ stall, and sneered, “How much?”

“Straightforward!” Old Mo slapped his thigh. “Original price is nine hundred and ninety-eight gold coins, but since we're fated, I'll charge you one thousand gold coins!”

Chen You was stunned. “You sure know how to do business. The original price is nine-eighty, and you're charging me a thousand?”

Old Mo said righteously, “I've been waiting for you here in the wind and sun; shouldn't I charge a little service fee and compensation for mental distress?”

Chen You didn't feel like wasting words; with a flick of his wrist, a small bag of gold coins smashed directly into Old Mo's arms.

“Take the money.”

Old Mo scrambled to catch the money bag and opened it; a golden glow reflected off his wrinkled face.

He swallowed hard, immediately set up the brazier and charcoal, and steadily placed the grayish-white egg on top.

The temperature gradually rose, but the egg remained unresponsive, not even changing color.

Five minutes later.

Chen You crossed his arms. “And then?”

“Oh, the heat is a bit dry.” Old Mo rubbed his hands and produced a small porcelain bottle from his sleeve.

“Temperature alone isn't enough; this shell is too hard, it needs some lubrication.”

“This is 'Yellow Springs Jade Dew', an essence taken from the source of the River Styx. It can soften the shell and guide the Yang energy into the body.”

Chen You stared at the small porcelain bottle. “Name your price.”

“Two thousand gold coins!” Old Mo held up five fingers.

Chen You expressionlessly threw out two thousand gold coins.

Old Mo beamed as he uncorked the bottle and poured a few drops of murky green liquid onto the eggshell.

The liquid seeped in instantly, and a very faint red glow flashed on the surface of the shell before returning to silence once more.

“It's working!” Old Mo slapped his thigh as if he were looking at a peerless treasure.

“However, physical stimulation alone isn't enough. This Netherworld Guide Beast is a spirit beast; it needs prenatal education for the soul!”

He pulled out a tattered bone conch from his bosom.

“This is the 'God-Fiend Whisper Conch', which contains recordings of ancient experts chanting scriptures.”

“Let it listen for half an hour, and its intelligence after hatching will be greatly improved! Only one thousand gold coins!”

Chen You threw out one thousand gold coins.

Old Mo pressed the conch against the eggshell, and a harsh noise like nails scratching a blackboard came from the conch.

The corner of Chen You's eye twitched.

“Oh, the sound is too dry, it needs some visuals!” Old Mo became more and more excited as he spoke, as if a door to a new world had opened.

He nimbly pulled things out from various pockets, sleeves, and even his crotch.

“Deep Well Ice Spring Water, to neutralize the fire of the Nine Yang Wood and prevent it from being roasted! Two thousand gold coins!”

“Skull of an Undead High Priest, used to cover the top and gather Qi! Three thousand gold coins!”

“Fossilized dung of a Thousand-Year Earth Dragon, used to provide Earth power! Five thousand gold coins!”

“Original flavor of an Ancient Succubus... cough, wrong one, this is my personal item.”

Old Mo awkwardly stuffed a piece of lace fabric back into his bosom.