After the Immortal Disappeared

Hee Lingchuan actually picked out a few items in his shop, the first being a Flying Rope set. Although not as exquisite as the custom-made ones by Master Li Fubo, it was far better than the tattered rope he was currently using. The reinforced hook was plated with Refined Gold, and a non-slip soft rubber was added to the back, making it harder to detach after grabbing onto something and easier to retrieve.

Most importantly, it could be used in conjunction with a Sleeve Arrow Quiver. The tip could even be retracted and inserted directly into the quiver, making it compatible with various models.

He also bought a few Inspiration Maps.

This was an original creation from Spirit Island. It looked like an ordinary piece of parchment, but when unfolded, it revealed a detailed map of the Panlong Wasteland and its surrounding areas. You just had to mark a starting point and state your destination, and a dotted line would appear on the map, showing you the way.

Interestingly, the distance on the map would scale proportionally to how far you walked in the real world.

One map could be used seven times, with one use deducted upon reaching a destination, and the price was quite reasonable. However, it was also Spirit Island's best-selling product. After all, every shop needed a signature item to draw in customers.

After reading the description, Hee Lingchuan slapped his thigh and said, "Give me ten of them!"

'Isn't this just... Isn't this just...'

Bai Guo packed them up for him and said attentively, "Let me teach you how to use it."

"No need." Hee Lingchuan was amused. "I'm familiar with this. You don't have to teach me."

He had used them plenty in his other world.

The shop's inventory was extensive. Hee Lingchuan even restocked some consumables and placed an order for some Ghost Shadow Cicada Shells with the shopkeeper. He spent all the rent money he had just collected and even added a good deal more before he remembered he'd forgotten to ask what Sunx Fuling wanted to buy.

'Was he supposed to be paying for her shopping expenses?'

But she just smiled and said, "No need. They don't have what I like here."

Bai Guo, who was listening from the side, was unconvinced. "There's nothing I can't get my hands on! Just tell me what you want, and I'll find it."

"A book."

Sunx Fuling said, "I want a special set of notes from the Northern Demon Kingdom."

"Notes?" Bai Guo was taken aback. "What kind?"

"I've heard that Wuchen, a Monarch of the Northern Demon Kingdom, wrote down his life's insights into a set of notes called the *Record of God Worship*. He then had many copies made, which were collected by the upper-class nobles of the Beiga Kingdom. I'd very much like to get my hands on one to read."

Bai Guo said in surprise, "But the current Monarch of the Northern Demon Kingdom isn't named Wuchen."

"Indeed. That was over three hundred years ago."

"Well..." Bai Guo admitted defeat. "You're too much for me. I can't get it."

After leaving the shop and getting back on the donkey cart, Hee Lingchuan asked Sunx Fuling, "The shopkeeper thought you were giving him a hard time."

"He wasn't wrong." Sunx Fuling huffed. "His prices are outrageous. I don't like slick merchants like him."

'It's rare to see Miss Sunx get emotional.' Hee Lingchuan glanced back at the shop and suddenly remembered the old woman he had met the day he came to clean up the place.

He had forgotten her surname, only remembering that she was rail-thin but had a slightly bulging belly.

She had taken a jar from this very shop.

He even remembered the neighboring shopkeeper joking that the old woman looked like she was a few months pregnant.

"What's wrong?" Sunx Fuling asked, seeing him suddenly zone out.

"Nothing." The thought that had flashed through his mind was a bit crazy and not something to be shared.

The donkey cart made several more turns, passing the Military Merits Bureau.

"Hey," Sunx Fuling suddenly tugged on Hee Lingchuan's sleeve. "Didn't you feel there was something off about the Patrol Guard we met today? Why don't we take a trip to the Pengcheng Bureau and see if your new military merits have been recorded?"

"Good point. But aren't we going to the Divine Descent Platform...?"

"The Celestial Sacrifice won't start so soon."

"Alright." Hee Lingchuan hopped off the donkey cart, paid the fare, and walked into the Pengcheng Bureau with Sunx Fuling.

He was starting to think that this Miss Sunx was a bit overbearing, or perhaps just nonchalant about the Celestial Sacrifice Day.

The person on duty at the Pengcheng Bureau today was also an acquaintance of Hee Lingchuan's, Registrar Liu.

When Registrar Liu saw Sunx Fuling, he surprisingly greeted her first, "Well, hello, Miss Sunx!"

Sunx Fuling nodded at him. "Long time no see."

"Ah..." Registrar Liu paused. "Indeed."

"Two double-hours ago, I captured a man-eating monster in the city and asked Patrol Guard Liu Xinyi to bring it back for submission." After greeting Registrar Liu, Hee Lingchuan began his inquiry. "Could you please check for me?"

"Two double-hours ago?" Registrar Liu put down his brush and picked up a scroll from his desk, flipping through it.

A moment later, "Mm, here it is! 'One Jindu Ghost Child captured.'"

"Jindu Ghost Child?" Hee Lingchuan was stunned. "It's been officially identified?"

He was even more surprised that the military merit had actually been recorded under his name!

'So there was nothing strange about that Patrol Guard after all? He even came back on time to report. Did I misjudge him?'

"We've already investigated. This thing is the offspring of a Jindu Mother. Jindu Mothers can use surrogate wombs to give birth, which is why the Ghost Children have physical bodies and aren't afraid to move about during the day. They aren't ordinary Ghosts."

"Surrogate wombs?" Hee Lingchuan muttered. "So you're saying it uses a living person as the host mother?"

"The Ghost Child you handed in today was still covered in amniotic fluid, so the city has already begun a thorough investigation of all pregnant women." Registrar Liu turned the scroll around. "These are the military merits you've earned for capturing two Ghost Children. What would you like to exchange them for?"

Hee Lingchuan took a look. The rewards were plentiful, likely because he had unintentionally completed a bounty. The crucial part was that his nearly depleted military merits had been replenished significantly.

"I'll exchange them for a Cultivation Technique." He thought for a moment. "I want a Divine Technique this time." He decided against a Martial Art for now. He had yet to fully master the Wave Slash Blade and the Swallow Returning Body Technique. Trying to learn too much at once was a good way to master nothing.

Divine Techniques, on the other hand, had a wider range of applications. Used as support in combat, they could be a stroke of genius.

Registrar Liu immediately pulled out a list for him to choose from.

"This Mirror Image Technique is good." The Divine Technique that caught Hee Lingchuan's eye could create mirror images of himself. Each image possessed twenty percent of the original's combat power, lasted for four breaths, and would disappear if heavily injured or if it moved more than two hundred feet away from the original.

Of course, the number of images, their attack power, and their duration would all increase with mastery. At the highest level of proficiency, one could summon up to four images simultaneously.

Using this skill was like having a group of lackeys following behind you with weapons, ready to attack whoever you pointed at.

Of course, it could only be used for combat.

At the very least, it could compensate for his lack of area-of-effect skills.

He looked at two other Divine Techniques and was tempted by them as well. Unfortunately, his military merits were limited, so he couldn't get them all at once.

Seeing him hesitating, Sunx Fuling asked, "What is your greatest weakness in combat?"

"My weakness?" Hee Lingchuan had actually been pondering the same question. "You're right. I should address my weakness first." Other Divine Techniques, however good, were just icing on the cake. Shoring up his weak points was the true path to survival.

He immediately pointed to a Divine Technique on the list. "I want this one."

Registrar Liu glanced at it and kindly reminded him, "This one is expensive."

"I know." 'Money is just a thing,' he thought. If he could trade it for his life, he would do so without hesitation.

So, Registrar Liu went to the storeroom, retrieved the Secret Technique scroll, and slapped it on the table. "Congratulations on acquiring the Bankrupting Golden Armor Man. No more than five people in all of Panlong City have learned this Spell."

Even Sunx Fuling gasped. "You'll have to work hard to save money now."

The Secret Technique scroll Hee Lingchuan exchanged for was less a Divine Technique and more of a blueprint, because the cover read:

Golden Armor Copper Man.

It was the Secret Art for refining Golden Armor Copper Men.

He had seen Dong Rui command Ghost Apes and Werewolves, throwing government soldiers into chaos. He had also seen Zhao Pan's subordinates use Grass Head Talismans to summon Cyan Turban Warriors. He knew full well how useful such helpers were. Not only could they deal damage in a fight, but they were also excellent for hauling supplies and scouting ahead on adventures.

The copper skin of a Golden Armor Copper Man was definitely much thicker than that of a Cyan Turban Warrior. It could surely take a blade for its master in a critical moment, making it an excellent item for both offense and defense.

Wu Shaoyi also had a Golden Armor Copper Man. He didn't know how to make it himself; the treasure had been a gift from Hong Xiangqian and had played a huge role in the battle at Xianling Village.

But the quality of that one was rather ordinary.

After experiencing several battles, Hee Lingchuan deeply felt that his greatest weakness was his lack of defense. While this could be partially compensated for with various Defensive Spiritual Artifacts, he needed a way to turn a passive situation into an active one. The Golden Armor Copper Man was a perfect fit.

If there was danger, it would take the lead. If there were flying arrows, it would take the hits. If there was a tiger blocking the path, it could charge forward and unload damage right in its face.

You would refine it first and store it away. In battle, you could just throw it out, perfunctorily recite a Summoning Mantra, and it would transform from a half-palm-sized doll into an Armored Warrior over ten feet tall.

However, it was not easy to control. It required the master's divided attention at all times, or it wouldn't be able to take a single step.

This was different from the Mirror Image Technique, whose summoned images could move freely after receiving a command.

The more Copper Men summoned, the more the difficulty of controlling them increased exponentially. This was especially true on a rapidly changing battlefield, where the master could easily become flustered.

It was said that a grandmaster could summon six Copper Men at once, which was considered near the limit.

Furthermore, the Golden Armor Copper Man could be upgraded. A Copper Man could be promoted to a Guardian, and a Guardian could be advanced to a Copper General, with each level bringing a huge enhancement. The complete Secret Art had long been lost within the Yuan Realm; even if Hong Xiangqian could create a Golden Armor Copper Man, he could forget about the subsequent upgrades.

Registrar Liu didn't deny the advantages of the Golden Armor Copper Man; he just said that very few people in Panlong City refined them. The reason was very simple: it burned through money.

Among the twenty-one materials required to make a Golden Armor Copper Man, seven were extremely valuable. Not to mention others, Hee Lingchuan was certainly very familiar with an old acquaintance: Zhu Gold.

In order to properly cultivate his Floating Life Blade, he had nearly bankrupted himself. He had Sunx Fuping's inheritance to thank; otherwise, where would he have gotten hundreds of thousands of silver?

This time, making the Golden Armor Copper Man also required Zhu Gold. Although the amount needed for each statue was small and couldn't compare to a money pit like the Floating Life Blade, in a place like Panlong City, Zhu Gold had a price but no market. Even if you had the money, there was nowhere to buy it.

Not to mention, the cost of each upgrade would increase by two orders of magnitude, making it a veritable bottomless pit.

On top of that, its exchange price in military merits was also very high, offering almost no value for the cost. What kind of idiot would trade for this?

Oh, and I forgot to mention, the Golden Armor Copper Man is powered by Profound Crystals.

But none of the above was a problem for Hee Lingchuan... right?