Chapter 368: Mysterious Hairpin

Gao Yuyao was taking the initiative to ask him for a favor, but Song Qingming felt somewhat puzzled.

Logically speaking, this Fairy Gao's cultivation base was already a notch higher than his, and she was a disciple of a major sect like the Xiaoyao Sect. Finding a cultivator of the same tier to help should not be a difficult task within the sect; there was no need to come to Song Qingming, a Foundation Establishment cultivator from a small family.

Precisely because of this, although Song Qingming considered her an acquaintance, he didn't dare to agree easily.

Gao Yuyao naturally saw Song Qingming's concerns. Seeing that there was no one around, she said directly:

"Fellow Daoist Song, don't be anxious. Let me start from the beginning!"

"A few months ago, when I was performing a mission outside with several fellow sect members, I was strolling in a market and bought a hairpin magic tool from a rogue cultivator. At the time, I just thought it looked quite nice and didn't discover any other abnormalities."

"Unexpectedly, after returning to the sect, a senior sister who had a good relationship with me saw this item and discovered that this magic tool was very special; a part of it actually contained the extremely rare Spirit-Suppressing Sand."

"Spirit-Suppressing Sand—could it be that kind of mineral that has the effect of shielding a cultivator's spiritual sense?" Hearing Gao Yuyao mention Spirit-Suppressing Sand, a hint of surprise slowly appeared on Song Qingming's face.

Spirit-Suppressing Sand was generally a mineral used by high-tier cultivators to refine storage magic tools. If it were in the past, Song Qingming might not have known much about it, but ever since he obtained that jade pendant space magic tool from Wang Sihai in Black Stone Valley a year ago.

In order to find a way to open it as soon as possible, Song Qingming had flipped through quite a few classics on this aspect in his spare time. He knew that many high-tier cultivators liked to incorporate this mineral when refining their own space storage magic tools, as this could increase the effect of shielding others' spiritual sense, preventing cultivators with higher cultivation bases than themselves from easily seeing the location of their storage magic tools.

If the hairpin Gao Yuyao bought really contained Spirit-Suppressing Sand, did that mean it was also a space storage magic tool? Thinking of this, Song Qingming naturally showed a hint of shock.

This Gao Yuyao was truly a person of excellent luck; she could obtain a space magic tool by buying something casually in the market. In comparison, the jade pendant he obtained after a fierce battle with that demonic head Xiao Huang in Black Stone Valley had been hard-won at the cost of his life.

"I didn't expect Fellow Daoist Song to also know the use of Spirit-Suppressing Sand. Could it be that you have also seen this kind of thing?" Gao Yuyao was somewhat surprised to hear Song Qingming so knowledgeable about Spirit-Suppressing Sand.

Song Qingming hurriedly shook his head with a smile: "In my spare time from cultivation, I quite like reading various classics of the cultivation world. It just so happened that I saw it in a classic recording various minerals; I haven't actually seen this kind of mineral."

"Spirit-Suppressing Sand is generally used on storage magic tools. Could this hairpin also be a space magic tool? I didn't expect you to have such a strange encounter, obtaining such a heavy treasure left behind by a Core Formation cultivator. It truly makes me quite envious."

"Fellow Daoist Song, to tell the truth, this item is not a true space storage magic tool, but a somewhat defective semi-finished product. Aside from having the effect of isolating a cultivator's spiritual sense so it's not easily seen by others, it is no different from the storage bags used by us low-tier cultivators." After Gao Yuyao finished speaking, she took a somewhat ancient-looking silver hairpin from her waist and placed it in front of Song Qingming.

Song Qingming took the mysterious hairpin and looked at it. On the surface, he didn't see anything abnormal. It wasn't until he used the spiritual sense in his body to try to attach it to the hairpin that he discovered that when his spiritual sense just touched the pearl flower on the hairpin, it clearly penetrated through. Only then did he discover the abnormality of this magic tool.

After using his spiritual sense to probe into it, Song Qingming discovered that it was indeed as Gao Yuyao said: this mysterious hairpin only had a small storage space at the pearl flower position, and the space inside was not as large as the space storage magic tools recorded in books; it was estimated to be only slightly larger than the storage bags used by Foundation Establishment cultivators like them.

Such a semi-finished storage magic tool, although it could be exchanged for a few hundred spirit stones in the market, was far from the value of a true space storage magic tool. After returning the item to Gao Yuyao, Song Qingming's heart seemed to balance out a bit.

"As Fellow Daoist Song has seen, when we opened this item at the time, because it had been placed for a long time, aside from a few cultivation classics, everything else was useless."

"However, besides that, we unexpectedly discovered a few letters left by the original owner in the hairpin, and only then did we know some information about her."

"The owner of this hairpin was originally the Daoist partner of a Core Formation cultivator, and this item was precisely gifted to her by her husband. The letters, besides recording some past events between the two of them, also recorded the location of the cave dwelling where they lived."

"Fellow Daoist, could it be that you want me to help you go find this cave dwelling together?"

Having heard this far, Song Qingming gradually reacted to the purpose of Gao Yuyao coming to him for help this time.

Gao Yuyao nodded calmly: "That's right! It is indeed so. I have already agreed with that senior sister who discovered the secret of the hairpin to go find this cave dwelling together in a month. However, this is, after all, a Core Formation cultivator's cave dwelling; our strength alone is truly not enough. So we agreed that each of us could invite one cultivator of the same tier to accompany us. This is the purpose of my coming to find you, Fellow Daoist."

"Of course, although this matter was initiated by me, I naturally wouldn't dare to let you make the trip in vain, Fellow Daoist. If you are willing to help, after entering the senior's cave dwelling, the spirit items obtained will naturally be shared with you. I don't know if Fellow Daoist Song is interested in helping with this favor."

After pondering for a moment, Song Qingming asked again: "Fairy Gao, I have one more thing I don't understand. If you only need one cultivator of the same tier to accompany you, wouldn't it be easier to find one within the Xiaoyao Sect? Why would you go far to find me to help with this favor?"

Hearing this, Gao Yuyao's expression changed slightly, and she replied with a helpless tone: "Fellow Daoist Song should also know that the sect elders suddenly issued a strict order a year ago, no longer allowing sect cultivators to go deep into the Fuyun Mountain Range and become enemies with the demon race."

"Could it be that this cave dwelling is in the Fuyun Mountain Range?"

After Song Qingming returned from Black Stone Valley, although he hadn't left Qinghe County much, he knew some things about what was happening outside, so he naturally heard about this order issued by the Xiaoyao Sect to its disciples.

Gao Yuyao gave a bitter smile: "Fellow Daoist Song guessed right! This cave dwelling is indeed located in the Fuyun Mountain Range. Speaking of which, this matter is truly a coincidence. When I obtained this hairpin, it just so happened that some changes occurred in the Fuyun Mountain Range, and the sect strictly ordered all disciples not to go deep into the Fuyun Mountain Range again. Precisely because of this, Yuyao truly found it difficult to trouble other fellow sect members, which is why I came to find you, Fellow Daoist Song."

"This! Could it be that Fellow Daoist Yubai won't work?"

"Alas! That senior sister of mine is also a cautious person. She is afraid that this trip deep into the Fuyun Mountain Range will encounter some dangers and insists that the companion must be a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator. But there are not many late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators I know outside the sect, and after thinking about it, the only one I can trust is you, Fellow Daoist Song!"

Although it seemed there was nothing wrong with what Gao Yuyao said, Song Qingming knew in his heart that besides these reasons, another point might be that by asking an outsider like him who had no background to help, the price Gao Yuyao would need to pay would certainly be much lower than finding those experts within the Xiaoyao Sect.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 369 =====