Gu Ningyun understood his meaning. One plus one was greater than two. A matched set of magic tools would allow the five of them to exert power far exceeding their current capabilities.
Her divine sense swept into her storage space. “I might not have the other materials, but I can provide the thousand-year soul-nourishing wood.”
“No need. Two days ago, the masters of the four of us already consulted with your master.” Jiang Yao burst out laughing. “Actually, all five of us have divine sense magic tools that need to be refined. Out of the five seniors, our masters are the most proficient in artifact refining. So, the final decision was for your master to refine the divine sense magic tools for you, Wen Xuan, Jun Luo, and Mu Chenze, while my master refines mine and the entire set of Demon-Purifying Square Seals.”
Only after listening to Jiang Yao did Gu Ningyun find out. The night before last, the masters of Wen Xuan, Jun Luo, and Mu Chenze had already packed up their respective refining materials and magic tool requirements and handed them over to her master.
For the materials of the Demon-Purifying Square Seals, the Demon-Purifying Flower stems her master brought back from the demon race happened to be perfect. The remaining materials were provided by the other three peaks. Spirit-Attuning Peak and Artifact Peak only had to handle the refining.
“I've been assisting my master in the refining chamber this whole time,” Jiang Yao said, reaching up to rub the back of his neck.
“Not only that,” Mu Chenze added. “My master is currently researching the four arrays that match the Demon-Purifying Square Seals. Jun Luo and I are assisting him to see if there's anything that needs to be adjusted based on our individual situations. Once the two of us learn them, we'll teach you.”
The two of them already had a foundation in arrays, so they would learn faster. Since the five of them would be the ones using the arrays in the future, having them teach the others would make coordination much smoother.
Wen Xuan giggled. “The month before last, when Martial Aunt Yi Shu was refining Demon-Purifying Pills, I assisted in the alchemy chamber. Now, I know the pill recipe backward and forward, and I've simulated the actual refining process in my mind several times. Once my cultivation breaks through to the Golden Core stage, I can try to refine it myself.”
Gu Ningyun was stunned.
Without her knowing, her friends, her master, and her martial uncles had already done so much.
Yet, she only had to focus on her own things, wait for them to prepare everything, and reap the benefits.
“Why didn't anyone tell me about all of this beforehand?” she murmured. There were so many ancient books on the fifth floor of the library; how long must the four of them have spent searching through them?
“First, you were recovering from your injuries, and we wanted to do something for you. Second...” Wen Xuan looked at her speechlessly. “When you're engrossed in cultivation, you barely check your identity jade token. We can never find you anyway, so we figured we might as well not bother trying to contact you.”
Ah, well...
Gu Ningyun thought about how she had been running back and forth between the Array Hall and the Cloud Residence, sometimes staying in the Array Hall for several days straight. She fell silent.
As for them not consulting her and making the decision without her knowledge, only telling her today, she didn't mind at all.
For one, her master and friends definitely didn't want to disrupt her array studies.
Secondly, she had actually discussed the matter of the resentment with Wen Xuan and the others when they were at Mount Wuji. All five of them harbored lingering fears and worries about it.
This kind of hidden danger absolutely had to be eliminated. Even if they had consulted her, could she have disagreed? Or could she have searched the library again and found a better method?
Gu Ningyun was deeply moved.
She pondered for a moment, wondering what else she could do.
Whether it was refining pills, refining artifacts, or researching arrays, several of her martial uncles had enlisted their disciples or martial nephews to help.
Yet, her master was refining four divine sense magic tools all by himself without asking her for help.
As the old saying goes, "when there is work, the disciple should shoulder the labor." Hiss, her master was acting like a total workhorse!
Gu Ningyun took out her identity jade token and sent a message to her master.
“Master, I heard you are refining four divine sense magic tools. Let your disciple assist you.”
Even if she didn't know how to refine artifacts, she could still brew tea for her master and offer some moral support.
Her master replied instantly, “No matter. Your first senior brother returned two days ago after dealing with the counterfeit Spirit-Attuning Jade Tokens. He is currently helping me.”
“!”
So First Senior Brother was the true workhorse?
With the serious business discussed and three rounds of tea finished, a new batch of grilled meat was ready.
The sun sank behind the edge of the clouds, its last rays staining the plum forest a deep orange-red.
On the other side of the sky, the moon already hung in the air.
Mu Chenze washed and put away the tea set. “We have flowers, we have the moon... Hey, do you guys want to drink some wine?”
Wen Xuan's eyes instantly lit up. “You have some?”
“I don't, but...” He nudged Jun Luo's shoulder. “I remember when you first reached Foundation Establishment, you brewed a few jars of plum blossom wine. Is it ready to drink now?”
“Counting the days, it should be ready.”
At their age, the wine recipes they sought were mostly mild, requiring very little fermentation time.
Jun Luo dug up five jars on the spot, one for each of them.
The wine jars were as large as the pieces of thousand-year soul-nourishing wood Gu Ningyun had dug up for her master.
Gu Ningyun held the jar with both hands, her eyes sparkling.
Her master didn't allow her to drink, but she could sneak some, hehe.
The fragrance of the Crimson Plum of Frost-Bones had grown rich and mellow through brewing. With a single sip, the scent filled her mouth.
It had a slightly stronger alcohol kick than the Spirit-Heart Peach Blossom Wine, but it didn't burn her throat at all.
She took a bite of grilled meat, then a sip of spirit wine.
Before she knew it, the sun's afterglow had completely faded, and the moon hung high in the sky, exceptionally bright.
Gu Ningyun felt a bit tipsy.
Clutching the wine jar, she lay down on the snow, blinking her eyes as she watched the red plums sway under the starry sky.
On this snowy ground, the five of them lay in a circle with their feet pointing toward the stove and their heads facing outward.
The temperature in Frostfall was very low, but the night scenery of the plum forest was beautiful.
The five of them clutched their empty wine jars, lying amidst the floral fragrance. Not a single person spoke.
Silently, they savored this rare moment of peace and tranquility.
A gentle breeze blew, and dark red petals drifted down from the branches.
Jun Luo suddenly asked, “Ningyun, do you want to go see her?”
“Who?” Gu Ningyun's mind was hazy, and she didn't quite understand.
“That thief, that... evil cultivator.”
The plum forest after the wine was very quiet.
So quiet that Gu Ningyun couldn't even hear the breathing of those beside her.
The alcohol faded slightly.
No, it was because everyone around her had held their breath.
No wonder Chenze had suddenly suggested drinking.
She spoke, her tone highly rational. “Why go see her? It's a waste of time.”
“Go see what kind of end the person who hurt you has met. Go see that those people, those things, will never be your nightmare again.”
Nightmares from childhood always rooted themselves deeply, impossible to escape no matter how much one grew.
What time smoothed over was not the wound, but the memory.
The wound remained forever, influencing your decisions, your rationality, and your emotions in your subconscious.
What they wanted to do today was to completely tear this nightmare out of her heart.
So this was the real reason they had chosen to hold their gathering at Punishment Peak.
Rate on N.U.
