Refining the Mountains and Rivers

Chapter 1619 – Unsatisfied

Chapter 1619 – Unsatisfied

The banquet at the Divine Stone Tribe proceeded smoothly. Tribe Leader Shi Gan and a few other elders were all present, showing their gratitude towards Marquis Chongwu who had come to help them. In short, many nice words were being exchanged, which made all the guests feel comfortable and at home. Everything was done appropriately.

Of course, the more important thing was that as soon as the banquet started, Tribe Leader Shi Gan gave Qin Yu the Perishing Star that he had taken out from a secret place in the camp. He then expressed his apologies again for making the marquis wait to get his compensation.

Qin Yu smiled and waved his hand, indicating that he did not mind waiting. He received the Perishing Star and took a glance at it before putting it away. It was a good treasure, and he could confirm this at the moment he received it. However, since Rourou wanted it for herself, there was no point for him to keep looking at it. Otherwise, the only person who would have to suffer was himself.

The Green Willow Tribe Leader accompanied Qin Yu to the banquet. It could be seen that he had a very good relationship with the Divine Stone Tribe Leader. They laughed with each other and scolded each other, but their energies ensured that the lively atmosphere was sustained.

This was a testament to their synergy.

The Divine Stone Tribe was extremely warm and Qin Yu had drunk quite a lot of wine. However, perhaps because he had been drinking a lot of the wine fruits from Rourou, his alcohol tolerance had been built up and he did not feel very drunk.

Of course, even if this was the case, he could not show it. Pretending to be drunk was also a skill. It could prevent one from getting into trouble and it could also save precious time.

There was another reason why he had to pretend he was drunk. Rourou did not attend the banquet. Although the distance between them was nothing to Rourou, Qin Yu felt it would be better if there was no distance between them at all…cough, after all, it was not safe for her to be alone!

Seeing that Marquis Chongwu was drunk, whether it was real or not, it meant that their goal had been achieved. Shi Gan had properly welcomed them into the tribe with the right amount of hospitality. So, together with the tribe elders, he ended the banquet with laughter and ordered some men to escort Marquis Chongwu back to his quarters to rest.

The Green Willow Tribe Leader informed Qin Yu that he wished to stay here to have some drinks with his old friend and catch up, and that Qin Yu could go back first.

When Qin Yu left, the tribe elders took turns to dismiss themselves. Shi Gan got up and said, “Let’s go to another place to continue drinking.”

The Green Willow Tribe Leader nodded, “Did you prepare any smoked fish?”

Shi Gan replied, “A few days ago, I guessed that you would come here too, so I specially ordered someone to prepare it in advance. Have a taste and see whether it’s to your liking.”

After a few moments, these two tribe leaders with a long and deep friendship that spanned over a thousand years went to sit at a corner courtyard in the Divine Stone Tribe camp.

There were only four dishes on the table. One was the smoked fish mentioned earlier, and the other three dishes were commonly seen vegetables. They were not exquisitely prepared and could not be compared with the wonderful delicacies that were prepared for the banquet just now.

The Green Willow Tribe Leader, however, smiled when he saw these dishes, “Not bad, old monkey. It’s been a few hundred years, but you still remember what I like.”

Shi Gan scoffed, “So you do remember that it’s been a few hundred years since you’ve sat down and had a meal with me.”

The Green Willow Tribe Leader looked slightly guilty as he sighed, cupping his hands, “You know what I’m like. It’s hard to lower my head in front of someone, but this is indeed my fault. I’ll drink as punishment.”

He poured some wine into the cup and drank it all in one gulp.

Opposite him, Shi Gan’s face softened considerably. He took up his wine cup and accompanied his friend in drinking, “I’ve heard from Third Stone how you helped my Divine Stone Tribe this time. Now, you can straighten your back in front of me.”

The Green Willow Tribe leader was radiant with delight, “Of course! Haha, I’m not trying to praise myself, but if it were not for my persuasiveness, would Marquis Chongwu even be here? Old monkey, you have to thank me properly.”

As the saying goes, ‘wine doesn’t make men drunk, men get themselves intoxicated’.

The matters that had been gnawing at the Green Willow Tribe Leader’s mind for many years had finally come undone. The Tribe Leader, who had been completely sober during the banquet, already felt a bit drunk after just drinking one cup of wine.

His eyes squinted as he laughed gleefully, not noticing that there was a hint of strangeness on Shi Gan’s face.

It was an expression that came and went quickly. Shi Gan raised his wine up, “Thank you, my old friend!”

After finishing those four dishes and a few jars of wine, the Green Willow Tribe Leader was extremely drunk. Not a single bit of the smoked fish was left behind. According to him, the taste had somewhat changed and was not the same as back then.

Shi Gan looked at the Green Willow Tribe Leader who was lying on the table asleep and said slowly, “Old friend, everything in this world changes.”

After ordering people to escort him back to his quarters to rest, Shi Gan stood in that small courtyard and looked at the bright moon above him. His back looked lonely.

……

Qin Yu, who had returned to his quarters, had waited for the Divine Stone Tribe members to leave before restoring a sober look in his eyes. He got up and went to knock on Rourou’s door.

“It’s not locked, come in.”

Qin Yu felt more relaxed when he heard the calm voice. He was truly a bit worried that something had happened without him knowing.

Inside the room, the candles were brightly lit. Whether it was his residence in the mine or Marquis Chongwu’s residence in the Imperial Capital, she did not seem to like darkness.

Rourou was drinking some tea. Qin Yu was not sure if it was the light in the room, or whether it was just a misperception, but he couldn't help but feel that Rourou’s profile looked incomparably gentle now.

“The Perishing Star is in my hands now, I came to give it to you. See if there’s anything wrong with it.”

As he spoke, he took the treasure out and put it in front of Rourou.

In the room, there was instantly endless starlight that fell like spring rain. It splashed outwards from the Perishing Star, filling the room with a mysterious and wondrous beauty.

Even though the Perishing Star was only the size of an infant’s fist, its whole body was black and looked unassuming in the day, but in the night, it gave birth to such bright stars.

Rourou looked at it and nodded, “There’s no problem with it. The Divine Stone Tribe do not have the methods to do anything to this Perishing Star anyway.”

After thinking about it for a while, she said, “This Perishing Star is very precious, at least to me. Since I have managed to get it for myself, it will be beneficial for you too. So, because of this treasure, today, I will wipe out all the old debts that you owe me.”

Wiping out all the old debts was something that was supposed to make Qin Yu happy. However, for some reason, he felt slightly uneasy in his heart instead.

Taking a deep breath, he stared at Rourou, “Tell me honestly, did a big problem really occur? Even if you think that I shouldn’t be worried about you, you should still understand that I still really need your help, so if something has happened to you, you should let me know.”

Rourou shook her head, “Finally, you said something sincere. However, I’ve already told you about the situation previously…at least for now, there is no problem.”

She waved her hand to chase him away, “The Perishing Star is very useful to me. I am going to eat it right now. You should leave quickly; don’t waste my time.”

Qin Yu took a deep breath and said, “I’m going to stand guard at the door, if not, I won’t be able to rest assured.” He did not wait for Rourou to reject him as he turned to leave, “You’re right, my current cultivation realm is really weak from your point of view. However, no one can beat my vigilance and alertness. Don’t you dare chase me away! Even if you do, I won’t go!”

Bang!

The door slammed shut.

Detecting Qin Yu’s aura outside the door, Rourou’s lips twitched. She took the Perishing Star from the table. The moment it touched her hands, starlight exploded from it.

There was a sticky and viscous substance like a flame that had condensed. It continued to burn and the black body quickly dissipated, releasing clusters of starlight.

Rourou swallowed it in one gulp, burped, and then she patted her belly. Her eyes were filled with satisfaction.

The power that this Perishing Star held was far stronger than what she imagined. After completely refining it in her body, she could show her true abilities in a fixed radius.

Qin Yu was still outside her door, but Rourou could not be bothered with him. She walked to the bedside, lay down on it, and then closed her eyes and fell asleep. For some existences, sleep was the best kind of cultivation, and this was something that made people extremely envious of them.

……

The Divine Stone Tribe Forbidden Land was a place that Shi Gan created in his early years. It contained their most important tribal treasures, and other than him, there were only two or three other elders who had access to it.

After sending away the drunk Green Willow Tribe Leader, he sat alone to admire the moon for a long period of time. Suddenly, he seemed to have thought of something in his heart as he walked alone into the Forbidden Land.

The Forbidden Land was actually just a huge cave that led to the Divine Stone Tribe’s totem. It was very spacious inside, like a whole underground world on its own.

Pieces of natural and unique crystals had formed on the stone walls. They shone brightly in the darkness and they were incredibly colorful and radiant. However, today, perhaps it was a misperception, but there was a hint of gloominess beneath this colorful light.

“She has already eaten the Perishing Star and is currently refining it.”

Shi Gan slowly opened his mouth to speak. It had been a few hundred years since the Divine Stone Tribe had gotten the Perishing Star, and after trying everything they could for a hundred years, this was the only thing they could do.

Originally, it was something that caused them a lot of sourness in their hearts. But today, it was the most important thing they could have done.

Without getting any reaction, Shi Gan did not really care either. It was as if he had come here just to mumble this sentence to himself.

He turned around to leave, and Shi Gan’s figure disappeared at the exit of the cave.

……

“I’m really curious now, what exactly are you?” Under the broad, black robes, a woman’s soft voice could be heard. Her eyes were full of curiosity as she looked over.

Wearing a white robe, there was a handsome young man who looked like an immortal. When he heard those words, he rolled his eyes and said, “We agreed to work together, but just this one time. Don’t try to find out about my origins.”

Under the black robes, a light laughter rang out, “Of course. Whatever you say goes.”

She got up. “Then I’m going to go and meet them now.”

The white-robed young man nodded his head nonchalantly, but after the woman in the black robe turned around and had walked a few steps away, he suddenly added, “There are some things that I have to remind you about. Do not think about anything or say anything, otherwise, it is very likely that she will find out. If that happens, all of you will have to die and it will be a tragic death.”

The woman in the black robe froze for a while before nodding and quickly left.

The white-robed young man fell onto the bed on his back. Underneath the covers, he turned continuously, wrapping himself in many layers. “I’m scared, so scared! I must be going crazy to join forces with these idiots and go against that person.”

“But I can’t not go crazy. After so many years, I finally made it and managed to see this world. If I don’t defeat the Great Shaman, how am I supposed to live a carefree life and travel to the ends of this world?”

The white-robed man was firmly cocooned in the blankets and only his head was outside. He panted and mumbled to himself, “If I die, then I die! I still have to try, otherwise, I will feel unsatisfied!”

……

The whole night passed by peacefully.

Qin Yu, who was outside Rourou’s door, had his eyes wide open. He did not cultivate, but because of his anxious spirits, he did feel slightly tired mentally.

However, there was a flash in his eyes.

Using his divine sense, he detected that Rourou was still asleep. This made Qin Yu feel like his eyelids were getting heavier.

For something to force Rourou to fall asleep to refine it, the Perishing Star must also be powerful enough to have taken a toll on her body.

As for why she was so impatient to refine it…of course it was because she was not a hundred percent sure that it would work.