Cao Yan's Weapon!

Turning his head to see Ye Feng practically itching to go, Li Guanqi couldn't help but chuckle. "All right, this is for you. Go wander around as you please." Inside the storage bag Li Guanqi handed Ye Feng, there was a whole ten thousand spirit stones! Ye Feng was startled when he opened the bag and blurted out, "Boss... isn't this a bit..." *Cough cough.* "How much did you give Big Head?" Seeing Li Guanqi hold up three fingers, Ye Feng broke into a grin so wide his mouth couldn't close. Tucking the storage bag away, he stood up and sent a voice transmission: *Boss, I'm heading out too!* Watching Ye Feng sprint off, the old man froze on the spot, pointing in the direction he had vanished, and stammered, "Little friend, you... Li Sangou... isn't he..." Li Guanqi waved a hand with a smile and spun pure nonsense: "It comes and goes. He's just having a lucid moment." The two exchanged a look, and the old man couldn't help muttering, "Little fox." Li Guanqi chuckled softly. "Right back at you." Watching the pair's retreating backs, Li Guanqi smiled faintly. Counting what he had before, he now held over seventy thousand spirit stones. The ten thousand spirit stones he had allocated to Ye Feng earlier were also left in his safekeeping. In Ye Feng's own words, he was too big of a spender to hold onto wealth. Earlier, they had looted nearly thirty thousand low-grade spirit stones from the corpses of the Dark Blood Alliance, and found some more in their lair. The rest had come from selling goods today. It had to be said that his earlier display of the sword control technique had served as a warning to the shipyard's scoundrels. Otherwise, as an unfamiliar face, he would surely have suffered some losses. Between Ye Feng and Cao Yan, Li Guanqi made no secret of his favoritism. After all, Ye Feng had been with him the longest and they had crossed paths often in the sect; he was a reliable companion. Cao Yan might be a peerless genius, but to be a brother to Li Guanqi, talent alone was not enough. Only when they had braved life and death together might he treat them as true equals. Whether to spare Ye Feng's self-esteem or to test Cao Yan's character, for now, at least, he could not balance the water equally. The sun dipped low in the west, yet the crowd in the streets gradually swelled. Few items remained on Li Guanqi's stall, and quite a few people had gathered around the old man's stall as well. Only, those people were all being hoodwinked and dazed by the old man's smooth talk. Even so, there were discerning buyers who took an interest in the goods on Li Guanqi's stall. Meanwhile, Ye Feng caught up with Cao Yan. After all, Cao Yan was still rather frail, and he worried something might happen. The two stopped and started, managing to buy quite a few items. Most of them, however, were universally valued natural spirit herbs, along with materials needed for crafting talismans. None of these things were cheap. Looking at the talisman-crafting brush and materials in his hands, which cost nearly two thousand low-grade spirit stones, Cao Yan felt reluctant to spend that much for a moment. Yet while he hesitated, Ye Feng snatched the items, looked at the burly vendor, and spoke up: "Eighteen hundred. I'll pay right now." The man didn't hesitate either, laughing heartily and calling it a deal, whereupon Ye Feng paid the spirit stones. Cao Yan didn't even have time to object. Once Ye Feng shoved the items into his hands, Cao Yan said rather sheepishly, "This talisman brush is a rather decent magic treasure made from the fur of a Rank Two demonic beast, the Azure Wolf." Ye Feng slung an arm around his shoulders and laughed. "Relax! It's just a few spirit stones. Won't you make it back in the blink of an eye later on? Besides, if the Boss knew you were skimping on things you actually need, he'd definitely be unhappy. And anyway... knowing the Boss, once he hands us spirit stones, he wouldn't care even if we blew them all on wine and debauchery. So just buy whatever you need with an easy mind. Consider this a gift from me." Cao Yan looked up at him, an unnamable light shimmering in his eyes as a long-lost warmth enveloped his cold heart. Yet the warmer it felt, the heavier the mental weight on him became. Still, he said nothing, keeping his thoughts tucked deep inside. Cao Yan took a deep breath and said in a resolute voice, "Don't worry, Second Brother. I will definitely earn it back!" Ye Feng was completely won over by each repeated "Second Brother." With a sweeping wave of his hand, he declared, "Just for that 'Second Brother'! Buy whatever you want! My treat!" Cao Yan grinned, and the two walked further in. Soon, Cao Yan abruptly turned around! Ye Feng paused, startled. "What's wrong?" A flash of delight crossed Cao Yan's eyes as he sent a voice transmission: *Second Brother, let's go check over there!* The two quickened their pace toward another street. There were relatively fewer pedestrians here, but several street vendors had also laid out their wares. As if knowing his destination all along, Cao Yan walked briskly up to the stall of a black-robed person. Laid out on the black-robed vendor's stall were several weapons and magic treasures. Furthermore, every weapon and magic treasure here possessed a grade; none were mortal-grade items. Sabers, swords, seals, and spirit banners—though few in number, all exuded rich spiritual aura. Ye Feng squatted down with keen interest and asked, "Can I handle them?" From beneath the black robe came a rather deep voice: "Feel free." Ye Feng reached out and picked up a longsword. Channeling his primal energy into it, the blade let out a crisp *clink*. "Tsk-tsk, a fine sword. Low-grade spirit tool. Pity it doesn't suit me." Putting the longsword down, Ye Feng noticed Cao Yan staring fixedly at a weapon beside it. Ye Feng swallowed hard. He looked at the weapon on the ground, then back at the gentle, cultured, and shy Cao Yan. He couldn't resist asking, "Big Head, don't tell me you fancy that thing?" Yet Cao Yan simply grinned, looked up at the stall vendor, and asked, "How much for these gauntlet bracers?" Indeed, what surprised Ye Feng was a pair of fiery red gauntlet bracers resting on the ground! The knuckles of the gauntlets were shaped like roaring tiger heads, extending up ferocious, intimidating forearm guards. Dark red patterns shimmered across the gauntlets, giving off a faint, fluctuating aura of fire. The man beneath the robe was clearly surprised as well. He had never expected someone who looked like a frail scholar to take an interest in gear made purely for martial cultivators. In the cultivation world, spirit cultivators who fought with gauntlets could be counted on one hand; it was an extremely niche choice. The vendor was quite straightforward and said plainly, "I'm only setting up stall here for today. I leave the shipyard tonight. These bracers came from an ancient ruin." Hearing this, Ye Feng couldn't help muttering, "Every stall vendor really knows how to spin a tale." The man took no offense at the remark and continued, "Though these bracers are ancient, they can still be considered a rare magic treasure!" Hearing that, Ye Feng practically jumped up in indignation. Pointing at the bracers on the ground, he said, "Fellow Daoist, isn't that being a bit dishonest? Unless I've gone blind, the patterns on these bracers are inscribed formations, and they're completely worn down! Even if it used to be a magic treasure, it certainly can't be counted as one anymore, can it? Sure, the materials are somewhat rare, but calling it a spirit tool at best is already generous."