Wielding a Brick to Venture into the Immortal Realm

Chapter 25: Jade Ring

Two people sneakily left the Biluogong Palace. Li Kewei, riding her sword, brought Zhuge Liang to the outskirts of the immortal island. Just as she had said, there were disciples guarding the island's exterior. The two hid in the distance, quietly observing. After two full hours, the current group of disciples finally left, clearly to change shifts.

The two managed to leave the immortal island successfully. Li Kewei, still on her sword, carried Zhuge Liang out of the sea area, and the immortal island of the Yaohai Sect gradually became a small green dot behind them. Zhuge Liang let out a wild roar towards the sky, having been cooped up in the Yaohai Sect for almost a year; finally, he could enjoy a day of freedom. Gazing at the vast and boundless sea and the azure sky, Zhuge Liang felt utterly at ease, as if the sea was vast enough for fish to leap and the sky high enough for birds to fly.

"Junior brother, where shall we go?" Li Kewei asked, looking back.

"To a nearby city. It's been a long time since I've been out; I want to have a good look around," Zhuge Liang replied cheerfully, his mood lifted.

"I really have no experience with the outside world. My father sent me to the Yaohai Sect when I was eight, and I've never been out to explore," Li Kewei said, a hint of regret in her voice.

"Father..." Zhuge Liang was startled. It seemed this girl's background was quite extraordinary to use the term "father." Suddenly, he remembered that the royal family of the Tianyuan Dynasty was also named Li.

"Could this girl be related to the royal family of Tianyuan Dynasty?" Zhuge Liang wondered in surprise.

Chaohai City, a small town situated on the edge of the sea, was bustling despite its size. Due to its coastal location, the town boasted abundant seafood, and even the air carried a faint scent of the sea.

The streets were alive with the sounds of vendors calling out their wares. Zhuge Liang smiled knowingly; compared to the monotonous life of the immortal world, the mortal world had much more fun.

Li Kewei was fascinated by all kinds of food, buying everything she saw with curiosity. Fortunately, she had prepared some mundane silver coins before sneaking out. They enjoyed sampling local delicacies, finding it quite delightful.

"Junior brother, come here," Li Kewei suddenly called Zhuge Liang over as she dragged him away from where he was observing street performers.

"What's up?" Zhuge Liang asked, puzzled. This girl was so curious about everything that even street performers caught her attention.

"There are some valuable items for sale!" Li Kewei said excitedly, pulling Zhuge Liang to a crowded area.

They squeezed through the crowd and saw an eccentric old man with a gaunt face, surrounded by numerous items: jars, bottles, and even jade pendants and amulets, all covered in some mud.

"An antique dealer? These items look like they were dug up from somewhere," Zhuge Liang thought, suspecting the old man might be a tomb raider.

Li Kewei whispered, "There are a few things here that are not simple. Look at that jade pendant; although it's damaged, it still has true essence flowing through it, likely a broken magical artifact."

"Broken artifacts aren't worth much; they're useless!" Zhuge Liang scoffed.

"Not necessarily. Look at that jade ring!" Li Kewei said quietly. Zhuge Liang followed her gaze and saw a plain, ancient jade ring lying amidst the dirt.

Zhuge Liang, a Qi Refining stage disciple, could not sense the ring's special attributes.

Li Kewei explained, "The true essence in this jade ring is quite strong. It likely contains some kind of restriction set by a cultivator."

"You mean there's something inside the jade ring?" Zhuge Liang's interest was piqued.

Li Kewei nodded, saying, "Some cultivators like to inscribe their techniques or spells onto jade talismans or pendants and set restrictions. I think this ring probably holds some techniques or spells."

At that moment, the eccentric old man glanced at Li Kewei and Zhuge Liang, saying, "What can I get for you two? Everything here is a treasure, old and new!"

"Hahaha, old man, your things are just broken junk. What's so valuable about them?" a person nearby laughed.

"Exactly. Look at that green porcelain bottle; it's already cracked. Even as an antique, it's worth little."

"There's also this sword, but it's already broken and useless."

The onlookers around the stall were bustling, pointing and discussing.

The peculiar old man snorted, "You're all just mortals with no insight. Let me tell you, among these items are even celestial treasures."

"Come on, are you really trying to sell celestial treasures here? Even if they were celestial treasures, how would they end up in your hands?" The man who had mocked earlier laughed.

Zhuge Liang stepped forward and asked, "Old man, where did these items come from? Why do you claim they are celestial treasures?"

The old man smiled, "Young man, I guarantee with my life that these are definitely celestial treasures. I traveled the world and once came across an ancient tomb in Chu Prefecture. This tomb turned out to be the resting place of a cultivator, filled with celestial treasures. Many cultivator sects came to fight over them, but after they left, I found these items in the tomb. Anything buried with a cultivator must be a celestial treasure."

"Hahaha, old man, stop joking!" the previous speaker laughed, "So these are just the leftover scraps of cultivators. If they were real celestial treasures, they would have been taken by the celestial beings from the holy lands long ago!"

"Hmph!" The old man glared at him and stopped speaking.

Zhuge Liang picked up a primitive jade ring and examined it, laughing, "Just an ordinary piece of jade? Nothing special at all. Real celestial treasures are always glowing with celestial light."

"Exactly." The earlier man said, "I've seen celestial beings from the holy lands flying through the air, with their swords glowing with celestial light. These scraps of copper and iron are worthless compared to them."

The old man was left speechless.

Zhuge Liang smiled, "Since you've traveled so far, I'll reluctantly buy a few items..."

He selected a few items from the stall, including the jade ring, and said, "These items are somewhat intact. I'll take these. How much do you want?"

Seeing someone willing to buy his items, the old man's face lit up with a smile, "Although these are remnants, they are from a cultivator's tomb and are unusual. I'll sell these to you for... fifty taels of silver!"

"Clang!"

Zhuge Liang's face darkened, and he threw the items back, saying, "I was willing to buy these just to help you out, but fifty taels for these scraps of copper and iron? You must be joking!"

Zhuge Liang then turned to leave with Li Kewai.

"Exactly, worthless scraps of iron and copper. They're not worth even five taels!" The earlier man mocked.

"Little brother, please wait!" The old man quickly called out to Zhuge Liang, "Then what price do you think is fair?"

Zhuge Liang turned around and said, "The man earlier said they aren't worth even five taels, but I'm a kind person. I'll offer you five taels."

"Five..." The old man's face showed an expression of crisis, "Little brother, reducing from fifty taels to five taels..."

"If that doesn't work, then forget it!" Zhuge Liang said curtly and turned to leave.

"Could you increase it a bit?" The old man suddenly asked.

"Seven taels!" Zhuge Liang replied.

"Nine taels?" The old man suggested.

"Eight taels! This is my final offer. Honestly, these things aren't even worth five taels. I'm buying them because I see you've been traveling in hardship." Zhuge Liang said, his tone unfriendly.