Chapter Eighty-Eight: Haughtiness Afterward

“Sir, you truly are full of surprises!”

Confronted by the skull, the shopkeeper was plainly nearing his limit as well. He could only brace it with both hands, yet when he looked at Hu San, his eyes showed caution and astonishment for the first time. Clearly, the strength Hu San displayed at such a young age had taken him by surprise. After all, he knew all too well how formidable the sword intent within that skull was.

Caught off guard, even a martial artist at the pinnacle of mastery would have to force down a heavy breath.

Yet this hunter-clad youth across from him had merely taken a deep breath, and that was enough to astonish the shopkeeper over Hu San’s skill and background.

Of course, considering his own task, the more important the witness to this matter, the better. So the shopkeeper went on to explain, “Indeed, this white-jade skull contains a strand of sword intent. If one meditates upon it regularly, and with the aid of the white-jade short blade and this jade token, it is entirely possible to restore that sword intent.”

“You are clearly no ordinary man yourself, so you naturally understand how terrifying the power of such a restored fragment of sword intent would be. Not to mention, this item is the key to finding the inheritance of that senior expert. That is why its value is naturally so high.”

Hu San let his gaze circle the three treasures a few times before finally shaking his head with a smile. “I may have a little wealth of my own, but I am not ignorant of my limits. Such priceless treasures are far beyond my means. Moreover, from the way you have described them, these three items are probably meant to be sold together, are they not? Surely the shopkeeper does not truly think so highly of me. If that is the case, I am afraid I can only disappoint you.”

“Heh, you speak true, Sir.”

The middle-aged shopkeeper stroked his short beard and replaced the lid of the box before answering, “To tell the truth, these three items form a set. In terms of value, they are simply not something money can buy. But the pavilion master has given an order: treasures are born of heaven and earth, and they belong to the virtuous. If fate binds you to these three items, then my Spirit Armory Pavilion can offer them to you free of charge.”

“I see that you are imposing and extraordinary, a true youth among heroes. That is why I wished to let you try your hand at these three items. If you fail, you may choose other treasures instead. But if you succeed, then these three items will be yours. In addition, my Spirit Armory Pavilion will present you with other treasures as a gift, provided that you accept the post of Outer Affairs Elder of our pavilion.”

“Oh? There is such a good thing? How is the trial to be conducted?”

Hu San pressed his lips together, his eyes shifting slightly. Suddenly, his chest warmed, and the refusal he had been about to voice was swallowed back down.

“It is simple. Sir need only hold the blade in your left hand, the pendant in your right, and gaze directly into the skull’s eyes. In about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, there will be a result. If you are indeed the one chosen by fate, it will naturally reveal itself.”

“Then I shall comply.”

Hu San took the jade blade and jade pendant with a flick of his wrist. In that instant, he felt the pores all over his body constrict. Then two streams of icy force surged from the blade and pendant and poured directly into his body. By then, the shopkeeper had already lifted the white-jade skull from the box and held it flat upon his palms, aligning its hollow eye sockets with Hu San’s gaze.

Not long after, wisps of white vapor began rising from the white-jade skull, flowing along Hu San’s line of sight and gradually entering his eyes. Even the tiny amount that leaked out froze the shopkeeper’s face a ghastly blue, while frost gathered thick upon his eyebrows.

As for the three burly men and the petty thief Xiao Xiang, who had originally stood nearby, they had long since been unable to endure the bitter cold and had withdrawn from the room. No one noticed that, at some point, a wisp of white vapor flashed suddenly within Xiao Xiang’s eyes and vanished in an instant. His whole body shuddered violently, and when he looked again at the blade, the pendant, and the skull, a trace of longing had appeared in his eyes.

As for Hu San: when the white vapor from the skull surged into his eyes and circulated through his meridians and throughout his body, the warmth in his chest gradually intensified. Little by little, all the white vapor that approached the central chest acupoint was drawn together by that heat.

The white vapor gathered more and more densely, while the warm current in Hu San’s chest grew increasingly fierce. When the vapor had accumulated to a certain extent, Hu San suddenly felt a sharp throbbing in his chest, and the entire mass of white vapor was instantly absorbed by the central chest acupoint.

Within his inner vision, the boundless purple space now held, besides the jade-green spring of water-element power, an additional mass of thick white clouds.

Yet the white clouds seemed incompatible with the spring, and the two remained in a state of absolute separation.

Thus, as the white vapor released from the skull’s eyes grew ever more abundant, Hu San’s body remained like an abyss without a bottom. No matter how much it released, none of it ever returned.

A quarter of an hour passed. The shopkeeper was astonished to discover that the chill emanating from the skull in his hands had not grown stronger; in fact, it seemed to have lessened a little. Meanwhile, the youth across from him still stood in the same posture. As for any change, beyond breathing a little more steadily, nothing at all had happened.

Seeing this, the shopkeeper paid it no mind. With a hearty laugh, he moved the skull aside and said, “It seems you are not fated to this item after all, Sir. Still, our shop has other treasures. If you are interested, why not take a look?”

What he did not know was that within that brief quarter hour, Hu San had already drawn away nearly thirty percent of the icy sword intent’s source from inside the skull. If a little more time had passed, the skull might well have been rendered completely废

Hu San naturally understood his own condition. Though he still did not know how to use the white mist, he knew it was probably the greatest secret hidden within the skull. Since he had absorbed a portion of it, he certainly did not want the shopkeeper to discover anything. So he immediately released the blade and pendant, put on a bitter smile, and sighed, “It seems I have no such blessing.”

“I wonder what other treasures your establishment has?”

“As for other treasures, our shop does have some, though they cannot compare with those three items. If Sir is interested, this old man can have some brought out for your inspection. What kind of weapons are you looking for?”

After the matter was concluded, the shopkeeper had his men put away the three boxes. When he faced Hu San again, his expression had become quite calm. Clearly, Hu San had lost whatever special value he had possessed and could now only be treated as an ordinary customer. Still, because Hu San had previously shown such extraordinary ability, the shopkeeper did not dare slight him.

Each of them was thinking their own thoughts, and neither noticed the dirty little child standing behind Hu San as he looked at those three boxes, longing in his eyes and hesitation on his face.

The poor boy named Xiao Xiang trembled slightly, watching the three boxes grow farther and farther away. His lips kept quivering up and down, as though he very much wanted to say something.

The child had entered the world early and could understand nearly all of the conversation between the shopkeeper and Hu San. He naturally knew this was his own chance. Yet he seemed to have certain misgivings. After hesitating for a while, he could only shut his eyes tightly, turn his gaze away, and press that trace of longing deep into his heart.

“Might the shop have a suitable longbow and arrows? On the journey here to Heaven Net, my bow and arrows have worn down badly, and I wanted to see whether there is anything fit for use.”

Hu San had long since anticipated the shopkeeper’s reaction, and he paid no mind to the indifference now shown to him.

“Bow and arrows? Heh, Sir has indeed come to the right place. In my Spirit Armory Pavilion, we may not have everything else, but as for bows and arrows, we have as many as you could want, and every sort you could name. Not only that, but even the king among military bows, the Eight-Ox Bow, is kept here ready at all times. As for arrows, we have not only ordinary standard arrows, but also sharp arrows forged from pure iron, with powerful armor-piercing effect, and concealment arrows made of ivy, which fly soundlessly and are exceedingly difficult to guard against. There are also all manner of accompanying poisons. So long as Sir has sufficient money, just name whatever you desire.”

Hearing this, the middle-aged shopkeeper seemed suddenly energized. He personally led Hu San out of the room, drew aside a jade curtain, and brought him to the place where bows and arrows were specially stored, introducing each item one by one.

“Eight-Ox Bow!”

Following the shopkeeper’s introduction, Hu San’s gaze naturally fell upon a magnificent great bow in the center of the display, guarded as though by the stars around the moon.

Judging by the bowstring, its material was indeed similar to that of the Nine-Ox Bow, though it was a size smaller. Having already used the Nine-Ox Bow, Hu San naturally did not hold the Eight-Ox Bow in very high regard.

“Sir, what do you think of these bows and arrows?”

The middle-aged shopkeeper stroked his beard and gazed at the Eight-Ox Bow with a somewhat intoxicated expression.

“Very fine indeed. It is only that I wonder whether you have any even more marvelous great bow? I often hear that there is a bow known as the Nine-Ox Bow in the army. Does your shop have one in stock? Or perhaps something even better?”

Hu San gave a slight nod.

“The Nine-Ox Bow? Ha ha, Sir must be joking. As its name implies, the Nine-Ox Bow requires the strength of nine oxen to draw. Even a master at the pinnacle of skill can only pull it a few times at best. Who in the world could use it freely? Our shop did once have a Nine-Ox Bow, but since no one ever asked for it, the pavilion master took it back. As for a great bow surpassing the Nine-Ox Bow, forgive this old man’s shallow knowledge, but I have never even heard of such a thing. If Sir has heard anything of the sort, I would be grateful if you would tell me plainly.”

“Since even you have never heard of it, how could I possibly have? I was only speaking idly just now. Please do not take it to heart. In that case, why not let us look at the long arrows instead?”

Hu San was not surprised by the answer. The Nine-Ox Bow seemed to be the limit of the mortal world. Anything beyond that should belong to the methods of those who cultivated immortality.

Though this Spirit Armory Pavilion was vast in scale, it would still be an exaggeration to say it had any real connection to the immortal sects.

“Please come this way, Sir.”

The shopkeeper led the way, and the group passed through a corridor lined with great bows, arriving at the place where arrows were displayed. Looking up, one saw all kinds of bows and arrows slanting into walls made of soft jade. As the people walked, the soft jade trembled with ripples, and the arrow shafts swayed with them, as though they had just been released from their strings. Unknowingly, a murderous aura seeped out, giving one the chilling sensation of standing amid ten thousand arrows.

Hu San followed the shopkeeper’s guidance and looked along the wall in turn. This time, he truly broadened his horizons. Before he knew it, he had already reached the end.