Shocking the Nine Heavens With My Sword
Chapter 283 - 271 Heavenly Mysterious Spirit Crystal (2/3)

Chapter 283: Chapter 271 Heavenly Mysterious Spirit Crystal (2/3)

"Not bad, kid, you’ve tricked another beauty!" the Old Swindler looked Ying Mengfan up and down, and soon shook his head, "Too bad, not very bright!"

Zhou Heng was moved and said, "Senior, is there a cure?"

Although the old man looked like a swindler, the Void Shattering Talisman he had given before was indeed immensely powerful, having saved him from danger several times. Calling him senior was definitely deserved.

"It’s a heart wound, this old man is helpless!" the Old Swindler shook his head, but immediately glared and said, "You rascal, don’t change the subject, where are my ten million Upper Grade Spirit Stones?"

Zhou Heng’s expression darkened, "Last time, didn’t you say ten million Lower Grade Spirit Stones? Besides, that was you forcing a deal, I never agreed!"

It wasn’t that he wanted to deny the debt, but this old man, just like Black Donkey, gave off an urge to be beaten upon sight.

"Ah, such a young lad and already not bright!" the Old Swindler shook his head, seemingly pitying Zhou Heng.

This old guy really deserved a beating!

Zhou Heng grinned, but firstly, he couldn’t bring himself to strike at his benefactor, and secondly, he didn’t know the depths of the old man’s capabilities. As far as he was concerned, the old man was very likely a hidden expert, and if it really came to blows, he wasn’t sure he could win.

"Put it on my tab!" Zhou Heng cheekily said.

"You rascal, how could you be even more shameless than me?" the Old Swindler complained anxiously.

This was admitting to being shameless!

This type of top-quality person could indeed spar with Black Donkey. Zhou Heng spoke nonsense, as after many encounters with Black Donkey, his verbal skills were quite polished, adeptly playing coy.

"Hm?" the Old Swindler suddenly froze and took a couple of strong sniffs, "Kid, you have a treasure on you!"

Treasure?

Zhou Heng was stunned for a moment; he had numerous treasures on him: Black Sword, Nine Mystic Trial Tower, and a piece of Immortal Material whose use he couldn’t yet fathom. Could the old swindler smell them? He should swap places with Black Donkey!

"Old man, you’ve got quite the nose there!" Zhou Heng teased, and with him, serious was not an option for the old man and Black Donkey.

"Serious!" The Old Swindler’s face grew solemn, "Do you have a transparent crystal with lots of edges, maybe the size of a soybean or as small as a little finger?"

The Old Swindler spoke of the Immortal Material!

Zhou Heng hesitated only for a moment before taking out the crystal stone he kept with him, which he examined in his spare time but could never figure out.

His level wasn’t high enough, absolutely not qualified to use an Immortal Object of this caliber!

"Indeed it is!" The Old Swindler’s eyes lit up, and he snatched the crystal stone, raising it midair and inspecting it from all angles, his wrinkled face blossoming into a grin.

"Old man, what exactly is this?" Zhou Heng asked curiously.

"Heavenly Mysterious Spirit Crystal!" the Old Swindler responded, not taking his eyes off the crystal stone.

"What’s it for?" Zhou Heng pressed.

"You’re too low-level, it’s of no use to you!" the Old Swindler finally looked away, his face filled with contentment, resembling a drunk reveling in a bottle of fine wine.

"Hey, hey, hey, don’t tell me you don’t know either?" Zhou Heng pushed.

"Would I not know?" the Old Swindler jumped up, but immediately deflated and sighed heavily, "I indeed don’t know!"

"Then how did you know it was something good? And how did you find it?" Zhou Heng asked puzzlingly, as this simply didn’t add up.

The Old Swindler paused for a moment and said, "Collecting Heavenly Mysterious Spirit Crystals is this old man’s mission!"

Acting under orders?

Zhou Heng frowned, this Old Swindler was as unreliable as Black Donkey, but judging by his estimate, the old man’s strength had to be formidable since he couldn’t make out the depths of the old man.

If the latter also didn’t own something like a Stealth Talisman, then this Old Swindler must certainly possess overwhelming strength, beyond his capability to speculate.

"Old man, what exactly is your cultivation level?" Zhou Heng couldn’t help asking.

"You rascal, why bother with others’ affairs so much? Focus on your cultivation; one day you’ll reach... Ah, you’ll always be just a tad below my level!" the Old Swindler boasted shamelessly.

This old guy, why does he have to be as tight-lipped as Black Donkey at crucial moments!

"Kid, consider this Heavenly Mysterious Spirit Crystal as ten million Spirit Stones, and we’ll call it even!" the Old Swindler changed the topic.

"Sure!" Zhou Heng nodded indifferently.

"You rascal, you really agreed?" It was the Old Swindler’s turn to be surprised.

"No harm done, then give it back to me!" Zhou Heng reached out his hand.

"Pah, pah, pah, once it’s in my pocket, there’s no such thing as taking it back out!" the Old Swindler hastily pocketed the Heavenly Mysterious Spirit Crystal, then grudgingly said, "Kid, this thing is extremely precious!"

"No kidding, I can tell by your expression!" Zhou Heng shrugged.

"Hehe, you’re being so generous, young man, it makes me feel a little embarrassed!" Old Swindler fumbled and dug around on his person as if he were searching for something.

Zhou Heng couldn’t help but shudder and said, "Old man, you’re not thinking of conjuring up a mud bath, are you?"

"Found it!" Old Swindler grinned, pulling his hand out with a colorful wooden box in it. "I’ve never liked owing favors. Although you have no idea about the value of the Heavenly Mysterious Spirit Crystal, I could have taken advantage of that, but my upright nature just wouldn’t allow it!"

He sang his own praises, infuriating Zhou Heng so much that his face turned green. Even though Zhou Heng didn’t know the uses of the Heavenly Mysterious Spirit Crystals, he absolutely understood they were Immortal Objects and could activate the Black Sword, something truly remarkable!

Old Swindler handed the wooden box to Zhou Heng.

"Old man, this isn’t a bunch of useless junk, is it?" Zhou Heng opened the box to find twelve doll figures inside, no more than half a foot tall each, varying in shape and including both male and female figures.

These weren’t human statues but rather a bit of a mix and match, like with wings, tails, dragon-headed human bodies—peculiar and imaginative from the craftsmen.

"Pick one!" Old Swindler said.

Zhou Heng nearly spat blood; these were just dolls, not treasures, and he was only willing to give one away. This old man and Black Donkey were both stingy to an excessive degree!

No, he was still more generous than the Black Donkey. If it were that crafty donkey, it would have taken the Heavenly Mysterious Spirit Crystal and run off without a trace the moment it had the chance. Getting a treasure from that donkey would be as difficult as reaching the heavens!

Seeing these children’s toys, Ying Mengfan immediately became interested, picking and choosing in the box, grabbing one figurine and then another, each one too precious to put down, which made her giggle repeatedly.

"Choose one you like!" Zhou Heng said with a smile.

"I want two!" Ying Mengfan bargained.

"They’re only willing to give one!" Although Zhou Heng was speaking to Ying Mengfan, his glance was directed at Old Swindler.

"No, I want two!" Ying Mengfan held a doll in each hand, hiding them at her ample chest, shaking her beautiful head persistently.

"One!" Old Swindler was quite firm as well.

After much negotiation and seeing that Old Swindler wouldn’t budge, Zhou Heng could only persuade Ying Mengfan to let go of one doll and put it back into the box.

"Young man, this is not a toy!" Old Swindler said seriously, "If you ever encounter unsolvable danger, consider crushing the doll. It might just provide unexpected help! But, only do this as a last resort!"

"I’ve got other matters to attend to. Kid, if fate wills it, we’ll meet again!" The old man grabbed the wooden box and ran off as if his butt was on fire, zipping away quickly and disappearing in an instant.

Could these dolls actually be treasures?

Ying Mengfan had the typical whims of a child; although she initially adored the doll, she quickly got bored with it and tossed it aside.

Zhou Heng picked it up, seeing that Ying Mengfan had left a female doll. Although very small, its features were meticulously carved, so you could clearly make out the facial features, finely detailed, and even bearing a strong allure.

Moreover, there were two indistinct shadows on its back, like two leaves. Zhou Heng casually touched them, only to discover an unusual fluctuation within the doll, almost as if it had a life of its own!

How bizarre!

Zhou Heng tossed the doll into the Nine Mystic Trial Tower, thinking perhaps the Old Swindler was right, and this thing might actually be useful if real trouble arose.

"I’m hungry!" Ying Mengfan shook his arm from the side.

Zhou Heng smiled and nodded. If it weren’t for her inability to grow up, a deficiency in itself, maintaining such a carefree spirit was not such a bad thing.

After entering the Nine Mystic Trial Tower and having a meal together, Zhou Heng and Ying Mengfan continued on their way. The little girl was now clinging to Zhou Heng constantly.

Death Forest was even larger than the entire Bright Moon Country. Although the peripheral area was not particularly perilous, it was not to be taken lightly, so their pace was not fast.

After several days, the two arrived at a dark canyon.

It wasn’t necessary to take this path, but bypassing the towering mountains on either side would have taken at least an extra week, so Zhou Heng decided to go through the canyon.

This canyon was called "Rolling Stone Canyon." Most of the time it was safe, but sometimes it could become a deadly trap that swallowed everything. As to why this was so, what dangers lay inside, hardly anyone had ever come into Death Forest, so naturally, no one knew.

Zhou Heng was able to save time on the detour because he had Swift Cloud Radiant Step and the Nine Mystic Trial Tower at his disposal.

The dim canyon was eerily quiet, with even slightly heavier footsteps echoing back, causing a disturbance. Although Ying Mengfan had the Cultivation Level of Mountains and Rivers Realm, her child-like nature lacked such awareness, resulting in loud, clapping footsteps.

Boom!

A heavy muffled sound came from afar, as if responding.

Finding it amusing, Ying Mengfan stomped her foot hard, boom, the sound echoing continuously in the canyon.

Boom, another step echoed in the distance, this time much closer.

Zhou Heng’s expression turned serious, and he stopped Ying Mengfan.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

A huge figure emerged from the thick fog, holding a long spear, with blood-red fierce glints in its eyes.

(To be continued. If you like this work, please visit qidian.com to vote for it and support the author. Mobile users, please go to m.qidian.com to read.)