Chapter 92: Chapter 91: Meeting Hu Ming Again

The next day, Lu Zhao left Guiyun Residence at the crack of dawn. He first went to the Spirit Puppet Tower to find Lin Yuanshan. Just as he had heard, the large Demon Hunting Team Lin Yuanshan worked with didn’t specialize in areas where Turtle-type Demon Beasts congregated. They had very few Tier One Middle-Grade turtle corpses in stock and could only promise to do their best to provide one every two or three months. This amount was a drop in the bucket and nowhere near enough for Lu Zhao’s needs.

Lu Zhao didn’t stay long. His target was clear: Hu Ming.

Half a year ago, when the idea of refining a Water Spirit Turtle Puppet first came to him, he had thought of this old acquaintance who had traveled with him to Bixia Marketplace.

He recalled Hu Ming saying he was going to the "Sinking Sand Marsh," one of the famous perilous lands where Turtle-type Demon Beasts thrived.

When Lu Zhao had paid him a visit half a year ago, Hu Ming hadn’t recognized him at first. It was only after some explanation and a mention of old stories from their time on the road together that Hu Ming realized who he was.

He remembered Hu Ming joking that Lu Zhao had fooled him for years and that he owed him three cups of wine as a penalty. Of course, it was all in jest.

However, when Hu Ming learned the purpose of Lu Zhao’s visit, he said he hadn’t been to the Sinking Sand Marsh yet but was indeed planning to go, preparing to set out in a month.

Finally, he slapped his chest and promised that the next time he returned from the Sinking Sand Marsh, he would definitely have enough turtle corpses saved for Lu Zhao, telling him to come back in half a year.

「Now, the half-year mark had arrived.」

Lu Zhao followed the familiar path to the small courtyard in Black Stone Lane and raised his hand to knock on the wooden door.

CREAK. The door opened. It was Lin Yao who answered. He hadn’t seen her in several years, and the immaturity in her features had been replaced by a gentle competence. Her Cultivation had also advanced to the Qi Cultivation Sixth Layer.

"Mr. Lu?" Seeing Lu Zhao, Lin Yao’s slightly weary eyes lit up with a flash of pleasant surprise. She quickly stepped aside to let him in, the few pieces of coarse cloth clothing drying in the courtyard swaying gently with her movement. "Please, come in. Brother Hu just stepped out to discuss the details of the next hunt with the team, but he said you’d definitely be coming these next few days and specifically told me to wait at home for you. He was keeping track of the time; he should be back soon."

Lu Zhao smiled and nodded. "Thank you for having me." He followed Lin Yao into the small, cramped but tidy courtyard. The main room wasn’t large and its furnishings were simple, with a square table, its corners worn smooth, and a few benches taking up most of the space.

Lin Yao quickly served a steaming cup of tea, its light green liquid sending up wisps of steam from the white porcelain cup. The two exchanged a few pleasantries across the table amidst the swirling fragrance of the tea.

Sure enough, not a quarter of an hour after they had sat down, the sound of hurried, familiar footsteps came from the stone-paved path outside the courtyard, followed by Hu Ming’s voice. "HAHAHA, Brother Lu! I figured you’d be here by now!" Before his voice had even faded, he strode in, looking travel-worn but full of energy, his face beaming with unconcealable joy.

Lu Zhao rose to greet him, smiling. "Seeing you so cheerful, Brother Hu, I imagine your trip to the Sinking Sand Marsh was quite fruitful?"

"Hehe, it went well, all things considered!" Hu Ming rubbed his hands together, not hiding his smugness in the slightest. "The brothers all pulled together, so the trip wasn’t for nothing. We even dealt with a few blind fools who tried to rob us along the way." His tone shifted as he looked at Lu Zhao. "Brother Lu, you’re here for the turtle corpses, right? Don’t worry, I’ve had them ready for you for a while! I knew you’d need them. For the past six months in the Sinking Sand Marsh, anytime we came across a decent Turtle Demon, the brothers didn’t let it go. We saved them all for you!"

As he spoke, he untied a bulging, specially made Beast Hide Bag from his waist that gave off a faint, metallic and earthy smell. With a WHOOSH, he emptied it onto the open floor in the middle of the room. Eight corpses of Turtle-type Demon Beasts, all different shapes and sizes, appeared before them. All of them radiated a dense Demon Qi and Earth and Water Attribute Spiritual Power.

Some had Turtle Shells as thick as rock and covered in spikes; others were relatively flat, with strange, water-like patterns on their shells. What they had in common was that their shells were intact and their Demon Qi had not dissipated. They were clearly all carefully selected, promptly processed, High-Grade materials.

"Tier One Middle-Grade, eight of them in total!" Hu Ming pointed at the corpses on the ground, his voice booming with pride. "As we agreed, market price, fifty Spirit Stones each. That’s four hundred Spirit Stones in total! Brother Lu, care to inspect the goods?"

Lu Zhao’s gaze was like a precision instrument, sweeping quickly but carefully over each corpse—the hardness and luster of the shells, the integrity of the Bone Claws, the concentration of Spiritual Power in the blood... A glint of satisfaction flashed in his eyes.

The price was indeed fair, even a little cheaper than buying them piecemeal on the Marketplace’s Black Market. Hu Ming was clearly doing him a favor for old times’ sake. He nodded and, without wasting words, took out four hundred Lower Grade Spirit Stones from his Storage Bag and handed them to Hu Ming. "Brother Hu, you’re a straightforward man to do business with, and the price is fair. I trust you. Here are the Spirit Stones. Please take them."

Hu Ming took the Spirit Stones, weighed them in his hand, and grinned. "Excellent! Doing business with you is always hassle-free, Brother Lu!" He put the Spirit Stones away and enthusiastically gestured for Lu Zhao to sit down again. "Come, come, Brother Lu, since you’re here, don’t be in a rush to leave. We haven’t seen each other in ages, let’s have a good chat. Ayao, go get some more wine and dishes!"

Seeing Hu Ming in such high spirits, Lu Zhao smiled and sat back down. As they drank, Hu Ming became a chatterbox, talking nonstop about his thrilling experiences leading his team on hunts in places like the Sinking Sand Marsh over the past two years. He spoke of strange encounters and the various battles of wits and courage against other Demon Hunting Teams and Tribulation Cultivators.

He told his stories with great animation, his words filled with the bravado and camaraderie of a man who lived a dangerous life. Lu Zhao listened quietly, occasionally interjecting with a question or sharing a few details about his own mundane daily life of Puppet Refining and cultivating in Bixia Marketplace. More than an hour of casual conversation passed quickly in the relaxed atmosphere.

Seeing that a good deal of time had passed, Lu Zhao got up to take his leave. Hu Ming didn’t try to make him stay, and he and Lin Yao walked him to the courtyard gate.

"Brother Lu, if you have more good business like this in the future, remember to look for me, Old Hu!" Hu Ming slapped his chest, making a promise.

"I will," Lu Zhao said, cupping his hands. "Brother Hu, Fellow Daoist Lin, take care."

"Take care!"

After leaving Black Stone Lane, Lu Zhao went straight back to Guiyun Residence. He spent over ten days carefully processing the eight precious turtle corpses, sorting and storing the parts. The Turtle Shells, turtle bones, the Essence Blood containing Demon Power, and even some special organs all needed to be properly preserved for use in refining the Water Spirit Turtle Puppet.

After finishing all this, Lu Zhao walked to the entrance of his cave residence, took out a long-prepared wooden token, and solemnly hung it up. On the wooden token were just two powerful words: Closed Cultivation.

For the next few years, aside from necessary trips to replenish his Pills, purchase Puppet Materials, and sell some of his finished Puppets for Spirit Stones, he would not take a single step out of Guiyun Residence. All his energy would be poured into his cultivation and the difficult but crucial task of refining the Water Spirit Turtle Puppet.

The stone gate of the cave residence slowly closed, shutting out the light from the outside world, as well as its disturbances. Inside the stone chamber, all that remained was Lu Zhao’s gaze, as calm as still water, and the pile of materials that symbolized both challenge and hope. The path to refining the Water Spirit Turtle Puppet had officially begun.

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