Ice Crystal Patterns

"In the end, it is just a material," Jiang Yifan said, his fingertips rubbing the five crystals he had kept. His gaze fell upon Suisui, a rare flash of interest flickering in his eyes. "Besides, a bone spirit that can grow has far more research value than a dead object."

Suisui was dazed, its ethereal fire freezing in place. It looked at the crystals, then at Jiang Yifan, and finally turned to Li Nanzhu. Its bone claws rubbed together nervously, as if asking: 'Can I really take them?'

Before Li Nanzhu could respond, Feng Weilan had already walked over.

"Give it mine as well." He poured all his crystals in front of Suisui, keeping only two as a token gesture.

"Sixth Senior Brother!" Li Nanzhu's voice cracked with urgency. "You guys are making me feel..."

"Don't be so quick to refuse," Feng Qingping cut in with a gentle smile. "Just treat it as a way to satisfy our curiosity. These mysterious crystals that can cause a bone spirit to change are indeed worth studying deeply."

As she spoke, she also kept only five crystals and piled the rest in front of Suisui. "Here, Little Suisui. These are for you. When I do my array research later, you'll have to help me."

Suisui was completely bewildered, its ethereal fire flickering erratically. It turned to Li Nanzhu in a panic, its bone claws lightly tugging at her hem as if seeking instructions.

Li Nanzhu's eyes grew slightly warm.

She knew these crystals were equally precious to her senior brothers and sister. Jiang Yifan's research required top-tier materials, Feng Weilan's blade needed special ores for tempering, and Feng Qingping's array disks were bottomless pits for resources...

"...When we return to the sect, I'll refine more pills and work harder on my talismans," she said, her voice tight. "Even though it won't match the value of these crystals..."

"Give it a rest," Feng Qingping said, flicking her forehead. "If you really want to repay us, just let this little guy eat more so we can observe its changes."

Suisui seemed to understand the meaning behind her words. Its ethereal fire suddenly brightened. It clumsily nuzzled the palms of the three people one by one, then suddenly snapped to attention with a 'clack,' pressing its bone claws together in front of its forehead—it was actually imitating a human salute.

After finishing this, it carefully picked up the crystals Jiang Yifan had given, stuffing them into its chest cavity one by one. With each one absorbed, the ice-blue luster on its bones grew stronger, and the density of its bone structure seemed to be quietly improving.

When it began to eat the portion from Feng Weilan, Suisui's bones let out a faint crackling sound, like the sound of ice layers splitting. Those ice crystal patterns appeared more and more frequently, but they were quickly absorbed every time.

By the time all of Feng Qingping's crystals were finished, Suisui suddenly shuddered and exhaled a large cloud of ice mist. This mist condensed into countless tiny ice crystals that lingered in the air for three full breaths before dissipating. It was clearly more solid than the previous ice mist.

"The duration of the ice mist has lengthened," Jiang Yifan noted as he took out a jade slip to record. "The concentration has also increased."

Feng Qingping observed Suisui's bones carefully. "The bone density seems to have increased, and the joint connections are more flexible."

Li Nanzhu noticed that every movement Suisui made was now smoother than before, and the sound of its bones clacking was crisper.

Even more obvious was the cold qi it naturally emitted, which was much denser than before, forming a faint ring of ice mist around its body.

"Thank you, Senior Brother and Sister," Li Nanzhu said sincerely. At the same time, she gently pressed Suisui's skull to make it salute as well. Suisui obediently bent over, its bone claws clumsily imitating a bow, which made Feng Qingping laugh out after all.

Jiang Yifan put away his jade slip, a rare smile appearing on his face. "It was worth it."

Half a day passed, and the changes in Suisui gradually stabilized. The ice-blue luster on its bones no longer flickered; instead, it condensed into a warm, jade-like luster. Its movements were also more flexible and light than before.

While Li Nanzhu regulated her breath, she observed Suisui's state.

The little skeleton seemed to find its own changes quite novel, occasionally looking down at its bone claws or twisting its joints to make crisp clacking sounds.

"It seems these crystals are indeed beneficial to it." Feng Weilan sheathed his blade, his tone carrying a hint of satisfaction. "Though the change isn't drastic, its basic attributes have improved significantly."

Feng Qingping was poking Suisui's ribs with her fingertip, trying to study the ice crystal patterns on its bones. "These patterns appear quickly and disappear just as fast, as if they're being absorbed by something..."

Suisui, being tickled by her poking, gave a jump of its ethereal fire. Its body abruptly disassembled, and it didn't reassemble until it had scurried behind Li Nanzhu. It poked only half its skull out, its ethereal fire staring warily at Feng Qingping.

It understood the meaning in Feng Qingping's words and knew that the Life-Giving Creation Pearl in its head had to be kept absolutely secret. It was afraid its secret would be exposed and implicate Li Nanzhu.

"Oh? You've grown a temper, haven't you?" Feng Qingping arched an eyebrow. "Back at the sect, you used to let me pet you."

Li Nanzhu chuckled, having guessed Suisui's thoughts. She gently rubbed its skull and shifted the topic inconspicuously. "It is indeed a bit more lively than before."

Jiang Yifan, who had been regulating his breath with closed eyes, suddenly opened them, his brow furrowing. "Someone is approaching."

The other three immediately became alert. Feng Weilan's hand already rested on his hilt, Feng Qingping's fingers quietly brushed the array disk at her waist, and Li Nanzhu instinctively shielded Suisui behind her.

"How far?" Feng Weilan asked in a low voice.

"Ten miles away." Jiang Yifan retracted his divine sense, his tone grave. "Their cultivation is not low—at least the late Golden Core stage, perhaps even Nascent Soul."

Feng Qingping's face changed slightly. "Could it be the evil cultivators returning?"

Just as Li Nanzhu was about to speak, the communication jade slip at her waist suddenly glowed with a faint light. She took it out to look; it was a message from Rong Yuying—

'Little Zhu'er, are you well? My sect's elders are coming along with people from the Sword Heart Sect to wipe out the evil cultivators.'

She breathed a sigh of relief and looked up. "It's Senior Sister Rong and the others."

Feng Qingping raised an eyebrow. "Didn't they leave?"

"This is a major matter, after all. They had to report to their sects. However, I didn't expect them to return so soon."

"That works out; it saves us the trouble of going back to find Master to communicate with them." Jiang Yifan felt somewhat relieved.

"But the people from the Sword Heart Sect are coming too, which surely includes those direct disciples." Li Nanzhu frowned in thought. After all, for a major event like this, Cang Dongqing, the heroine of the original text, would certainly not miss it, which meant her senior brothers must have followed as well.

The thought of potentially facing Cang Dongqing again gave Li Nanzhu a headache.

Feng Weilan took his hand off his blade, but his expression remained wary. "The fact that they found this place so suddenly might not be a good thing."

"We need to clean this place up." Li Nanzhu lowered her voice, her gaze sweeping over the mess of excavation marks on the ground. "If they find these blue crystals..."

The expressions of the four suddenly tightened.

The value of these rare crystals went without saying. If outsiders found out, it would likely trigger unnecessary conflict.

Almost at the same instant, the four of them acted in unison!