Chapter 14: Weapon Crafting

“Don’t listen to what He Qi and the others say about auxiliary skills being ineffective or dangerous to use outside. Auxiliary skills are only slightly weaker than combat skills; aside from that, their strength is by no means inferior.” Helan thought He Qi was saying something in front of Ye Lu, so she rolled her eyes and continued. She was indeed qualified to say this, as her own talent was also in auxiliary skills—specifically, the high-level stone affinity.

Ye Lu didn’t know the details but had occasionally heard He Qi mention that Helan’s talent was quite rare. Not only could it be used for farming, but it could also strengthen oneself. Currently, she hoped to find some strange plants to expand this talent to the entire guard team.

After some thought, Ye Lu agreed. The guard team indeed had many valuable resources. Confident in his own strength, and knowing he needed to find weapons himself, he smiled and nodded. “Then I’ll trouble Aunt Lan.”

He hoped that when seeking out these strange plants, he could find those of a botanical nature so he’d have materials for weapons.

The lively youth stayed with the guard team, while Ye Lu returned to the caravan. He had only promised to visit the guard team occasionally; most of the time, he needed to remain with the caravan, as he didn’t trust the lone book scholar.

The lively youth seemed to completely let loose in the guard team.

At first, he appeared a bit out of place. In the days after returning home, he bore many wounds and blood—some his own, some from the strange creatures—which made Ye Lu and the book scholar frown. Yet, the lively youth remained indifferent, even excited.

That evening, not only did he eat more pancakes than usual, but also more dried meat.

Ye Lu and the book scholar watched him carefully, concerned by his unusual behavior, but he seemed unconcerned. After eating, he lay outside the carriage to keep watch and, before leaving, even reminded his two elder brothers seriously, “Remember to leave the door open for me!” Without waiting for their reply, he happily ran off, leaving Ye Lu and the book scholar exchanging glances.

Days passed like this.

Both Ye Lu and the book scholar frowned several times. Each time the lively youth returned, he looked more disheveled, yet his spirit grew better. He even managed to bring back pancakes, eating one after another. Seeing his increasingly gaunt figure, Ye Lu and the book scholar said nothing. After a few days, the book scholar made more pancakes—this time especially many—worried the lively youth might not have enough to eat.

One evening, as the caravan stopped to prepare rations for the coming days, the sky was pitch black with no stars, only a strange, dim yellowish moon. The air was scorching, unbearably hot. Ye Lu guarded the caravan while the book scholar cooked pancakes nearby.

The book scholar handled these trivial matters well, especially things he had to learn. He picked up new skills quickly—after just a few tries, his pancakes were excellent.

Just as Ye Lu and the book scholar pondered the food situation, the lively youth returned, unusually so. In one hand, he carried a bloody chunk of meat, bloodless but with some gray-black patches mixed in. In the other hand was a small, thin, bony skeleton emitting a faint eerie power.

Had he brought back prey?

Seeing the lively youth’s state, Ye Lu raised an eyebrow. This time, he looked the most battered yet was completely unbothered. His arm bore a deep gash revealing white bone, but he was lively and cheerful. Upon seeing the book scholar and Ye Lu, his face brightened instantly.

“Here!” The lively youth handed the eerie beast’s flesh to the book scholar. “It’s a bit tough, but full of eerie energy. The guard team was lucky this time. The meat needs to be stewed for longer.”

Afterward, he dragged the half skeleton and sat cross-legged beside Ye Lu.

Perhaps emboldened by the reward, the lively youth finally spoke about his experiences in the guard team. He said it wasn’t bad overall, but the rules were strict—many things were forbidden. At first, he found it frustrating and suffered a lot for not obeying.

Because he broke rules, the strange creatures often targeted him first. The key was those creatures weren’t edible. Only experienced members of the guard team could find beasts suitable for eating.

Having suffered many times, he quietly learned to behave.

Today was his first large-scale hunt. Because of his decent performance, the guard team leader Helan gave him a large piece of meat. Hearing he needed eerie bones for weapons, she also gave him a yellow-grade eerie skeleton.

He showed a hint of pride while speaking.

As mentioned, the lively youth was good-looking—even comparable to Ye Lu—so this childish expression suited him perfectly.

Ye Lu and the book scholar listened quietly. The book scholar didn’t know how to cook eerie beast meat, so he asked Aunt Huang, who lived near his home and often cooked in a pot. Upon seeing the meat, Aunt Huang understood immediately.

“Oh, it’s a Kui beast,” said the cheerful, robust middle-aged woman. “The meat’s a bit like wolf meat—strong flavor but not very tasty. Because of their large size and strong eerie power, the guard team rarely lets them go. Looks like little Xi is doing well in the guard team. This meat is valuable; the guard team wouldn’t share meat without contributions.”

“It’s easy to cook, too.”

“Cut it into pieces, pan-fry in a dry pot to render the fat, then discard the fat—the oil isn’t good for the eerie power and we can’t eat it. After that, add water and stew it thoroughly. Oh, and remember to add plenty of cornelian cherry.”

As Aunt Huang instructed the book scholar on cooking the meat, Ye Lu recalled that during their escape, they had brought cornelian cherry in their luggage.

He stood up, rummaged through the carriage, and finally found some. Getting out, he handed it to the book scholar.

By the time other families had started dinner, theirs finally began.

Sure enough, the lively youth was right—the meat’s flavor was mediocre, but the eerie energy was strong. Just the residual energy inside could be felt.

Three grown men ate quickly; after devouring most of the Kui beast meat, much still remained. The book scholar considered making jerky. As long as no fat was included and with extra cornelian cherry added—of which they had plenty from the escape—it would be fine.

The book scholar had already awakened a cultivation technique, though it was weak. It was wind-based, called the “Mocking Wind Chanting Moon Method.” When he first mentioned it, Ye Lu teased him, saying it truly matched a scholar’s technique. After experimenting, the book scholar found it only slightly enhanced his wind control and senses, with no other effects.

“...” He had accepted that his talent wasn’t strong, especially compared to his two brothers’ extraordinary gifts. His mindset was good.

Instinctively, the book scholar wondered if he could use wind control to speed up making the jerky.

Without hesitation, he began cooking. In the remaining time, he thoroughly cooked the meat, strung pieces on a cord, and hung them in the carriage’s ventilation area. Occasionally, he used wind control to blow moisture out of the jerky. Ye Lu adapted well to this.

The lively youth remained cheerful, probably glad to have some physical activity. Every day, he was in a great mood. The only problem was his constant tinkering with the skeleton—still covered in blood and flesh—which Ye Lu found disgusting. He told him to go outside and work on it, placing leaves underneath to avoid blood attracting strange creatures, threatening to plant him in the fields if he caused trouble.

The lively youth and the book scholar busied themselves at a short distance from each other.

Surprisingly, the skeleton truly yielded something after his efforts.

The blood and flesh were completely gone, replaced by pure white bone. Using some unknown method, the lively youth had ground the skeleton smooth. The broadest section was cut into thin bone shards, resembling dominoes.

Both sides of the bone shards were delicately carved with faint dark patterns, almost invisible at first glance. Within the eerie energy, a trace of blood aura was contained, fitting perfectly with the lively youth’s character.

Ye Lu studied the bone shards and found they held hidden potential. When combined, these shards could form another type of weapon, though Ye Lu couldn’t tell what kind.

The lively youth smiled, holding one shard between slender fingers, flipping it deftly. “Not bad. The weapon isn’t as good as the one from the Star Network, but better than having none.”

The book scholar looked back from outside, raising an eyebrow as he recognized the weapon the lively youth commonly used.

He glanced at Ye Lu afterward.

Ye Lu looked at him, puzzled.

The book scholar hesitated, then, though still wary of angering the Dao Master, honestly voiced his concern: “Master, your weapon…”

He didn’t finish the sentence, leaving the rest unspoken but implied with his gaze.

Ye Lu understood. The book scholar worried about his safety. The bloodline of the Mount Tai Divine Son was special and powerful, but crucially required a specialized weapon. The only consolation was that Ye Lu could make the weapon himself, with no extraordinary material demands.

Recognizing the materials usually meant knowing what kind of ritual weapon could be crafted—a natural instinct of the Mount Tai Divine Son.

“Don’t worry. Once this period passes...” Ye Lu reassured the book scholar, placing his safety foremost in his mind, especially during such unusual times.

The book scholar understood Ye Lu’s thoughts. Though he still felt unsafe, he was willing to wait and not waste time on his weapon. The lively youth was too restless.

After a long silence, the book scholar didn’t press further, knowing Ye Lu’s resolve was firm.

Indeed, Ye Lu’s judgment proved correct.

In the following days, the entire caravan and village failed to find any water source.

With so many days passing, the water jars were already running low. Some who had stored less began rationing strictly. Most people avoided drinking much water unless absolutely necessary, yet the oppressive heat remained terrifying.