Chapter Twenty-Five: The Glazed Needle

When Boss Li finally huffed and puffed his way back to the tent, he found only Yuan Sen inside.

"Where is everyone?" Li Chengzhu asked in surprise.

Yuan Sen opened his eyes, his whole demeanor one of utter defeat. Since losing his cultivation, even his face had become haggard and aged. He gasped for breath, and only after a moment did a trace of color return to his pallid cheeks. "They’ve gone to the front lines!"

Boss Li’s jaw nearly dropped to the ground. He stared in disbelief. "Are they insane? Do they all think they’ve lived too long? Can’t wait to meet their death?"

Yuan Sen let out a heavy sigh, struggling to move his stiff limbs, and only after a long while did he manage to shift a little. "The lord despises evil and always thinks of his subordinates. If not for that, how could he have won their loyalty? Ah!" Another deep sigh escaped him. "My life is worthless now. Even if I wanted to serve the lord again, I couldn’t."

Li Chengzhu muttered under his breath. Hadn’t Yuan Sen just said his old life was his? How had he changed his tune so quickly?

"Friend," Yuan Sen called softly, sounding every bit the dying old man. "Could I ask a favor of you?"

"Speak." Seeing Yuan Sen so wretched, Boss Li couldn’t help but feel pity.

With trembling hands, Yuan Sen removed the ring from his finger and handed it to Li Chengzhu. "Inside is a treasure called the Glazed Needle. It’s the Yuan family’s heirloom, made to pierce protective spiritual energy. Because of its value, the three of us have never used it, but now…ah."

Boss Li had already fished the Glazed Needle from the ring as Yuan Sen spoke. It looked much like an ordinary sewing needle—a common tool in a tailor’s shop, nothing remarkable. Still, small things can be deadly; such an unassuming weapon was perfect for breaking through an opponent’s defenses.

Yuan Sen struggled for breath before continuing, "I hope you’ll use this treasure on the battlefield, and kill a few more enemies on our behalf."

Seeing Yuan Sen’s anguish, Boss Li hurried to comfort him. "Don’t lose hope. You’ve only lost your cultivation. With renewed effort, there’s still a chance you’ll ascend to immortality."

A bitter smile creased Yuan Sen’s lips. "Start again? Easy to say. My meridians are destroyed. The fact that I can walk and breathe is already a miracle."

"No way to recover? With all the wondrous medicines in the Immortal Realm, isn’t it possible?" Li Chengzhu was puzzled. Such injuries would be a death sentence in the mortal world, but here, in the Immortal Realm, surely it wasn’t so severe? So his cultivation was lost and his meridians shattered, but it wasn’t as if he’d been turned to dust.

"There is a way!" A glimmer of hope flashed in Yuan Mu’s eyes, but it faded quickly. "But that particular item…ah, it’s easier said than done. Best not to talk about it."

Seeing Yuan Sen’s reluctance to go on, Li Chengzhu didn’t press further.

"Friend, I beg you, when you go to battle, take the Glazed Needle with you. Avenge me and my two fallen brothers!" Tears streamed down Yuan Sen’s wrinkled face as he pleaded.

"Very well," Li Chengzhu agreed after a moment’s hesitation.

Yuan Sen was overjoyed. "Thank you, friend! Let me teach you how to use it."

Every magical treasure came with fixed attack and defense methods, but flexibility was key. The method might be set, but the way it was used depended on the wielder. A clever person could even invent new techniques to wield a treasure.

Once he’d finished imparting the method, Yuan Sen seemed to lay down a heavy burden. "The ring and everything inside are yours. I can’t use them now, with my spiritual power gone. I can’t even open the ring."

Boss Li was reluctant. "No, you should keep it. You might need it again one day. I’ll only take the Glazed Needle." He forced the ring back into Yuan Sen’s hands.

Truth be told, Boss Li wasn’t interested in the ring anyway. Ever since acquiring the Blood Jade Ring, he’d lost all interest in other storage rings.

After comforting Yuan Sen for a while, Li Chengzhu left the tent.

This surprise attack had come so suddenly that he’d gone into battle without a decent weapon—waving a battered sword around among the angelic ranks, slashing at random but failing to take down a single enemy. It was humiliating, though at least he’d managed to kill a six-winged angel at the last moment. Otherwise, all his efforts would have been for nothing.

Now he needed to hurry and refine the immortal sword his beautiful martial aunt had given him, as well as the newly acquired Glazed Needle. Without merging them with his body, their power would be greatly diminished.

Outside Ye Zhiqiu’s command tent, he ran into Gu Linglong and the others as they emerged. Sensing the tension in the air, Boss Li wisely kept silent.

Xiao Ying brushed past him, shooting him a venomous glare. Her dainty foot came down hard on Li Chengzhu’s toes, grinding them mercilessly before she let go.

"What did I do to deserve this?" Li Chengzhu clutched his aching foot, grimacing in pain.

He grumbled for a while until Ye Zhiqiu’s voice called out from inside, "How long do you plan to linger out there? If you don’t come in, I’ll have to go out myself." Only then did Li Chengzhu regain his senses, lifting the curtain and stepping inside.

"Greetings, Commander," Boss Li said with impeccable courtesy.

"Excellent. The new always surpass the old in the Heavenly River. Each generation brings forth fresh talent," Commander Ye regarded him with a smile. "What brings you here? If you’re here to volunteer for combat, forget it—your companions were just here and returned empty-handed."

Boss Li curled his lip. Who in their right mind likes fighting? Just that bunch of fools.

"Commander, I have a request. May I borrow a secluded chamber for a few days? I wish to refine my flying sword and strengthen my hand against the enemy. As the leader of cultivators, granting me a chamber shouldn’t be a problem, should it?" Li Chengzhu blinked innocently.

Ye Zhiqiu was holding back his frustration. He’d been ready to refuse anything Li Chengzhu asked, but before he could get a word in, the boy’s flood of words had left him with nothing to say. No wonder the entire Illusory Sword Sect was so sly.

Putting on a smile, he replied, "Since you’re one of Chongzhen’s disciples, it’s no trouble." Then he raised an eyebrow. "Did your grandmaster give you some treasure?"

Huh? Only then did Li Chengzhu realize that his grandmaster had given him nothing but the Blood Jade Ring.

Damn, could disciples really inherit their masters’ stingy nature?

No wonder his master was so miserly! Boss Li fumed inwardly.