"Come in."
At the gate of Zhongli Mansion, upon hearing these two words, Jing Hongchen straightened his appearance and stepped inside.
This was his second visit to Zhongli mansion, so he was familiar with the route and knew exactly where to go.
Upon arriving at the living room, Jing Hongchen first bowed to Zhongli and then said, "Jing apologizes for disturbing you again, Lord Martial God. Please forgive me!"
"Please have a seat, Mr. Jing," Zhongli replied calmly, waving his hand.
At that moment, a cup of tea appeared on the table beside Jing Hongchen.
Seeing this, Jing Hongchen seemed to recall something and quickly retrieved an item from his storage soul guide, placing it on the table.
"Lord Martial God, this is a renowned tea from the Star Luo Empire. Knowing that you enjoy tea, I took the liberty of bringing some for you. This trip was rather rushed, but next time I visit Liyue, I will bring you the finest tea from the Sun and Moon Empire..."
Jing Hongchen did not immediately state his purpose but instead presented a gift.
For a "God," the value of a gift may not matter as much as the thought behind it.
When he had gone to Star Luo City to purchase the Soul-Devouring Knife, he remembered Zhongli's fondness for tea.
Thus, he had specially bought the most expensive tea from the Star Luo Empire and brought it to Liyue.
Noticing this, Zhongli looked at Jing Hongchen with a hint of surprise.
Despite his busy schedule, Jing Hongchen still remembered to be courteous.
To become the head of Illustrious Virtue Hall, Jing Hongchen not only had to meet the requirements in terms of personal strength but also needed to be meticulous in his conduct.
"The hall master is very thoughtful," Zhongli said, bowing slightly to Jing Hongchen.
Seeing this, a flicker of joy passed through Jing Hongchen's eyes, but he quickly waved his hands, not daring to accept such a gesture from someone of Zhongli's stature.
"As long as you like it," he replied humbly.
After the brief exchange of pleasantries, Jing Hongchen took out the Soul-Devouring Knife.
The moment the knife was exposed to the air, tendrils of black mist began to seep out, as if some great evil were contained within it.
"Lord Martial God, this is the Soul-Devouring Carving Knife. The fierce and murderous aura it contains is so potent that even I find it somewhat overwhelming," Jing Hongchen said with a serious expression.
The Soul-Devouring Knife is highly effective in carving patterns, but not everyone can wield such a ferocious magical blade.
Even a Titled Douluo like Jing Hongchen felt uneasy holding the Soul-Devouring Knife, which speaks volumes about its power.
This is why, despite the Soul-Devouring Carving Knife being more powerful than many other knives on the list, it is only ranked ninety-ninth.
No one can truly master it!
"Please help me, Lord Martial God."
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhongli waved his hand and explained, "The Soul-Devouring Carving Knife is made from the Life Gold. This metal is a collection of countless life energies. It is more accurate to describe it as a crystallization of life energy rather than a mere metal."
After saying this, Zhongli waved his hand again, and a small piece of Life Gold, about the size of his little fingernail, appeared in his hand.
This piece of Life Gold was one he had prepared long ago, waiting for Jing Hongchen to return with the Soul-Devouring Carving Knife.
Even if Jing Hongchen had failed to bring back the Soul-Devouring Knife, this piece of Life Gold would have still been sent to the Sun and Moon Empire with him.
Zhongli gently tossed the small piece of Life Gold into Jing Hongchen's hand and continued, "This is the Life Gold. Simply place it between your eyebrows, and it will integrate into your body. Once successfully integrated, as long as your head remains intact, it will be difficult for you to die. Regenerating a broken limb will be even easier."
At this point, Zhongli paused, as if remembering something, and added, "Remember, you must not consume it directly!"
The Life Gold cannot be swallowed, or else you would become the next Golden Tortoise.
The Golden Tortoise possesses a vitality strong enough to absorb the Life Gold. Humans, even Titled Douluos, do not have such vitality.
Jing Hongchen looked at the green crystal in his hand, slightly stunned.
He felt as though he had seen this green crystal somewhere before.
Even though this green crystal had become smaller, its material...
As a ninth-level soul engineer, Jing Hongchen's memory and understanding of special metals were exceptional.
Seeing this, Zhongli did not hide anything and directly took out a larger piece of Life Gold, saying, "This piece of Life Gold in my hand was found among the gifts from the Crown Prince."
Jing Hongchen: There's something I don't know if I should say...
At this moment, Jing Hongchen felt as though something was stuck in his throat, like he was sitting on pins and needles, or as if a thorn were lodged in his back!
The items that could save Xu Tianran had been right in his warehouse, but he had given them away!
If Xu Tianran were to find out about this, he wondered what the prince would think...
After very respectfully storing the Life Gold in his storage soul guide, Jing Hongchen bowed to Zhongli and said, "Thank you, Lord Martial God. I will definitely inform the prince about the correct usage of the Life Gold."
"This journey will take several dozen days, and there are many matters piling up in the hall. I will not disturb you further today, Lord Martial God. Farewell!"
A complicated expression flashed across Jing Hongchen's eyes. This look was not directed at Zhongli but at the thought of Xu Tianran.
If something is destined to be yours, it will eventually come to you. If it is not meant to be yours, do not force it.
If it weren't for the guidance of the Martial God, Xu Tianran would likely never have discovered the correct use of the Life Gold in his entire lifetime.
This thing... was right there in his treasure vault all along!
Jing Hongchen didn't even glance at the Soul-Devouring Knife on the table, as if he had completely forgotten about it.
He had already obtained the Life Gold and found a way to save Xu Tianran. Was the Soul-Devouring Knife still important now?
Besides, what was wrong with asking the Martial God for help and offering the Soul-Devouring Carving Knife as a token of gratitude?
Some questions could be asked, while others were better left unspoken.
Since Zhongli had divided the Life Gold, it meant that this material was useful to him.
The fact that he was willing to carve out a small portion already spoke about his attitude.
Then again, the Soul-Devouring Carving Knife was right there at the Star Luo Auction House.
Why didn't Zhongli just go and retrieve it himself? It was only 100,000 gold soul coins, after all...
Some things were better not delved into too deeply.
Seeing that Jing Hongchen was about to leave, Zhongli did not try to stop him. Instead, he stood up and said, "Mr. Jing, since today is inconvenient, you should stay longer when you visit Liyue next time."
Although Jing Hongchen knew that Zhongli was merely being polite, he still felt an indescribable sense of validation upon hearing those words.
Zhongli was a god, while he was merely a human. Even though he had reached the level of a Titled Douluo and was a ninth-level soul engineer, he was still just a mortal.
For a god to extend such courtesy to a human, wasn't that a form of recognition in itself?
"If I come to Liyue again, I will definitely trouble you once more!" Jing Hongchen replied solemnly.
Suddenly, as if struck by a thought, Jing Hongchen's eyes lit up.
"Lord Martial God, I've noticed that the use of soul guides in Liyue seems... somewhat rudimentary."
Jing Hongchen chose his words carefully, phrasing it as "somewhat rudimentary" to avoid being too blunt.
In truth, Liyue's use of soul guides was far behind even the three major empires of Douluo.
But one couldn't say such things too directly, diplomacy required tact.
"Why not send someone to Illustrious Virtue Hall to learn how to craft and use soul guides properly?"
"Of course, if the residents of Liyue are unable to travel to the Sun-Moon Empire, Illustrious Virtue Hall Hall would be more than willing to send instructors to guide them here…"
###
You can check advanced chapters here -
patreon.com/Yui36