Infinite Professions from a Pearl Collector

’Money sure goes fast.’

Chen Ye sighed to himself as he browsed the Magical Artifact Area and the Material Area again.

After being tempered by the Sword Nurturing Technique, his Jingzhe Saber now possessed a trace of Spiritual Energy, its quality far surpassing that of ordinary Mortal Iron Weapons.

But ultimately, its materials were limited. To improve it further, he would need to add some precious materials and have it reforged.

Chen Ye had his eye on a piece of Profound Yin Iron. This type of ore was naturally imbued with Yin Cold Power, making it a good match for his Sword Qi’s attribute.

If he could have it integrated into the Jingzhe Saber, it would definitely take the blade’s power to a whole new level.

But a small piece of the stuff cost eight hundred taels of silver.

Chen Ye hesitated for a long time before ultimately giving up on the idea.

’He didn’t have enough money.’

He needed to keep the rest of his money in reserve; he couldn’t spend it all.

Besides, he currently had no way of finding a skilled Artifact Refiner to reforge the blade for him.

"Forget it. I’ll worry about it later."

Chen Ye sighed and left the pavilion.

After that one shopping trip, out of his over three thousand eight hundred taels of silver, only a few hundred taels remained.

Although it pained him to spend the money, looking at the new Cultivation Technique and Elixir Pills in his Storage Pouch made him feel a sense of security.

’Wealth is fleeting. Only one’s own strength is truly reliable.’

When he returned to the inn, Su Yuan was already awake. She was sitting at the table, idly swinging her legs out of boredom.

Her eyes lit up when she saw Chen Ye return.

"Chen Ye, where did you go? I thought you’d abandoned me and run off on your own!" she said with a pout, a hint of displeasure in her voice.

"I had some things to take care of," Chen Ye replied flatly, handing her a candied hawthorn skewer.

"Hm?" Su Yuan looked at him, confused.

"I saw them for sale on my way back, so I picked one up for you. Consider it a parting gift," Chen Ye said.

"A parting gift?" Su Yuan froze. "You’re leaving?"

"Yes." Chen Ye nodded. "Qingzhou City is no place to linger. I plan to leave today."

"So soon?" Surprise and reluctance were written all over Su Yuan’s round face.

She had always known Chen Ye wouldn’t stay in Qingzhou City forever. She also knew their little ad hoc team would have to disband sooner or later. But she never expected it to happen so suddenly.

"All good things must come to an end," Chen Ye said, his tone calm. "We were never walking the same path to begin with. We met by chance, and now it’s time to go our separate ways."

Su Yuan lowered her head, clutching the candied hawthorn skewer. Her heart ached.

These past few days running the stall with Chen Ye and Yun Heqing had been busy, but she had felt happy and fulfilled.

𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

The feeling of selling things through her own efforts, watching the silver pour into her pockets, was something she had never experienced in the Gu Saint Sect.

"Then... where are you going?" Su Yuan asked quietly, her voice holding a hint of barely concealed hope.

"I haven’t decided yet. I’ll probably just wander for a while," Chen Ye replied, shaking his head.

’He truly hadn’t decided on his next destination.’

’He couldn’t return to Yu Huo County for the time being. The place was too small, and he would be too obvious a target.’

’He planned to find a remote town to settle down in, master the basics of his newly purchased Star River Qi Refining Technique, and then push through to the Sea Condensation Realm in one go.’

’Once he was strong enough, he could think about other things.’

Hearing this, the light in Su Yuan’s eyes dimmed, and she let out a quiet sound of understanding.

"Oh."

Looking at her dejected expression, Chen Ye felt a rare, strange stirring in his heart.

’To be honest, after spending these past few days together, his opinion of the girl from the Gu Saint Sect had improved considerably.’

’Su Yuan could be bratty and willful at times, and her actions were a bit eccentric, but her nature wasn’t fundamentally bad.’

’She was like a blank slate. Because she had grown up in the Gu Saint Sect—an environment where the weak were prey for the strong and people were treacherous—she had developed a habit of protecting herself with a thorny exterior.’

’In reality, more than anything, she craved the acceptance and companionship of others.’

’He could see that much from her subtle reliance on him.’

"Alright, stop looking so glum." Chen Ye sighed and tapped the table. "The Martial World is vast. We’ll meet again someday. Who knows, maybe we’ll run into each other somewhere else."

It was just a casual attempt at consolation.

The world was vast and filled with countless Cultivators. A parting today could very well be a parting forever.

Su Yuan looked up. "Then... if I want to find you later, where should I look?"

Chen Ye thought for a moment before saying, "Barring any unforeseen circumstances, I should make a trip back to Yu Huo County every year around the Qingming Festival."

’After all, that was where he had been reborn; he had a special attachment to that small county. Besides, Cong Bo of the Demon Slayer Department had recognized his potential and given him a chance. Out of both sentiment and duty, he ought to go back and visit.’

At these words, Su Yuan’s eyes suddenly lit up.

"Okay! I’ll remember that! Yu Huo County, right? When I want to come see you, I’ll go there to find you!" A smile returned to Su Yuan’s face. She then pulled a small, exquisite sachet from her robes and handed it to Chen Ye.

The sachet was pale green, embroidered with a lifelike butterfly in silver thread, and it emanated a faint, refreshing fragrance.

"This is for you," Su Yuan said.

"It’s a specialty from my hometown, made from many kinds of herbs. Wearing it not only repels insects but can also ward off common miasmas and evil spirits. It should be useful to you."

Chen Ye accepted the sachet. It felt warm and smooth in his hand. As the clean fragrance reached his nose, it instantly cleared his mind.

"Thank you." Chen Ye tied the sachet to his belt.

"I’ll be going then."

’Partings were always sad. The longer he dragged it out, the more difficult it would become.’

So Chen Ye picked up his long saber, shouldered his simple pack, and left without another word.

Watching his retreating back, Su Yuan suddenly understood the meaning of the saying about the children of the Martial World growing old within it.

She sighed and took a bite of the candied hawthorn skewer. The treat that was usually so sweet now tasted unbearably sour.