Chapter 23: Come, Curse Him With Me!

“Senior Brother, how much is this item?” Zhou Qing asked the vendor.

The Jin Leizong man immediately launched into an enthusiastic pitch: “Junior Brother, sharp eyes! This item was dug up from an ancient tomb—it’s a fine burial artifact, imbued with special spiritual energy. Alas, I’m not the chosen one, unable to fathom its secrets.”

Zhou Qing examined it closely—it was just an ordinary clay jar, except for a thin dusting of deceptive Spirit Moth Powder applied with exquisite skill. Did he really think I was some uneducated junior disciple?

The Jin Leizong man continued: “If you like it, eighteen lower-grade spirit stones, just to mark my opening day with good fortune.”

Zhou Qing crouched down, picked up a rotting bone beside him, and rubbed it against the jar.

The Jin Leizong man’s expression subtly changed.

The onlookers leaned in curiously, but Zhou Qing immediately blocked them.

Then he smiled at the vendor: “Senior Brother, the item’s good, but it’s still too expensive. Add this bone, and ten spirit stones—how about it?”

Zhou Qing placed the bone inside the jar as he negotiated.

As the saying goes, don’t strike a smiling face—the Jin Leizong man was certain Zhou Qing had uncovered the jar’s secret, yet he hadn’t exposed him.

He must want that bone. Could he really plan to use it for bathing?

The rotten bone had been picked up casually on the way to Taiqingmen—it held no special value—and the jar itself cost less than one spirit stone.

This was already a massive profit.

Soon, the Jin Leizong man gritted his teeth and said: “Fine. Since you truly want it, I’ll sell it sincerely—consider it my opening day’s luck.”

“Thank you, Senior Brother!” Zhou Qing swiftly pulled out ten spirit stones and handed them over.

The man smiled too: “Thank you as well!”

The two exchanged a knowing glance, words unnecessary.

【Heart Mirror Points +3】

As soon as the transaction completed, the system’s chime sounded.

Immediately, the annotation above Second Uncle’s head changed from 【Fun Little Kid】 to 【Listen-to-Advice Little Kid】.

Zhou Qing chuckled.

I didn’t listen to you—I was going to buy this anyway.

But I might as well ask while I’m at it.

As he walked, Zhou Qing asked curiously: “Third Senior Brother, with your vast experience, is there something special about this bone?”

Second Uncle waved his hand, took the bone, and with a light tug, snapped it in half.

“Discard the rotten part—this section’s usable. If I’m not mistaken, this is a fragment of a fully matured Crimson Flame Dragon Lion’s bone,” Second Uncle said.

Zhou Qing’s face filled with confusion.

Second Uncle explained: “A fully matured Crimson Flame Dragon Lion has at least a Nascent Soul cultivation base. Its body contains a trace of dragon vein. You’ve cultivated the Silver Dragon Hand, right? When you bathe, channel this technique—it’ll greatly accelerate your progress.”

Zhou Qing’s eyes lit up with ecstatic joy.

Who knew it could work this way?

“What, you still plan to follow the slow, conventional path with that technique? You’d be waiting till the Year of the Monkey! A little thought reveals the world’s full of synergies—shortcuts abound,” Second Uncle lectured.

Zhou Qing nodded vigorously, now suspecting Second Uncle himself had cultivated the Silver Dragon Hand—and reached its peak.

“Zhou Junior Brother, you’re here so early!”

Soon, Shi Zhen turned from a stall and spotted Zhou Qing, walking over with a smile to greet him.

“Greetings, Senior Sister Shi!”

Zhou Qing bowed—unexpectedly, Second Uncle bowed too, earning Zhou Qing’s silent admiration.

You’re playing the part to perfection—you’ve truly become this character.

So adaptable!

“Senior Sister and Third Senior Brother arrived early—any luck today?” Zhou Qing asked.

Shi Zhen shook her head slightly: “The real treasures usually appear in the final days. Everything here now is trivial—don’t rush your purchases, or you’ll be fooled.”

After a brief chat, Shi Zhen went off to explore elsewhere.

At this point, Second Uncle couldn’t help himself: “I’m curious—how come she still invited you to dinner at the Jade Banquet Hall after you nearly spied on her bathing?”

Zhou Qing stared at him, indignant: “I didn’t spy on her bathing—I was framed by a treacherous old lecher! But Senior Sister Shi understands me—she knows a pure-hearted soul like me would never do such a lewd thing.”

“So she treated me to dinner to comfort my wounded spirit.”

Second Uncle: “...”

“Third Senior Brother, isn’t that old geezer shameless?” Zhou Qing stared fixedly at Second Uncle.

Second Uncle coughed awkwardly, then adopted the same indignant expression: “I, Yan Xiao Hu, despise people like him—but could he have meant well, even if he messed up?”

Zhou Qing’s face turned solemn: “I never watch women bathe. I have no interest in women. His rumors about my preferences are outright slander.”

“Even if I did have that habit, why ruin another girl’s reputation to repay a debt? There are many ways to repay—give me more spirit stones, or a high-grade scripture, for instance.”

“Enough about that old man—I get angry just thinking of him. Are you even my Third Senior Brother?”

Second Uncle looked at Zhou Qing strangely, then slapped his chest: “Of course I am!”

“Since you’re the Third Senior Brother who loves me most, I’m furious right now—help me curse that old bastard, let me vent!” Zhou Qing said.

Second Uncle’s face twitched.

He glanced around: “So many people here—cursing openly would make Taiqingmen look foolish.”

“True. There’s a quiet alley over there—let’s go curse that old fool properly.”

Zhou Qing pointed to a nearby alley.

【Heart Mirror Points +5】

Zhou Qing watched Second Uncle hesitate, his head annotation now changed to 【Petty】—and for the first time, he felt utterly at peace.

“Come on, come on! Knowing you as I do, you’ll curse brilliantly—I love hearing you swear!”

Zhou Qing eagerly grabbed Second Uncle’s arm and pulled him toward the alley, when Second Uncle suddenly froze.

“Fourth, I’ve got an urgent matter—I’ll go first. You browse on your own—we’ll curse him properly when we get back!”

Before Zhou Qing could react, Second Uncle vanished into the crowd.

Zhou Qing’s angry expression slowly melted into a smile.

“Perfect!!!”

…………

Taiqingmen, Shen Yue Peak!

Li Hanshan and He Han were scanning the area, searching for something.

“You two, come here—have you seen your Lu Yaoyao Senior Sister?”

Li Hanshan called out loudly to five laborers nearby who were sweeping.

The five dropped their brooms and hurried over to bow: “Greetings, Senior Brothers. We saw Lu Senior Sister near the Reception Hall earlier—don’t know if she’s still there.”

The two hurried toward the Reception Hall.

(End of Chapter)