In a room of the Daoist temple, Xiang Yu lay on a bed, his upper body covered in wounds.
"Daoist Priest, I've already pawned the tiger-shaped pendant to you. You must save Brother Yu," Yi Xiaochuan said with a worried expression. To save Xiang Yu, he had pawned the pendant that was as important to him as his own life.
"Rest assured," Cao Yi replied as he walked to the bedside, opening his gourd to pour some jade resin into Xiang Yu's mouth.
To restore vitality and heal wounds, nothing surpassed jade resin infused with spiritual energy.
"Cough, cough…" Xiang Yu coughed involuntarily.
"Brother Yu!" Yi Xiaochuan called out anxiously.
"Be quiet, or go outside," Cao Yi reprimanded. Having an unstable factor nearby was the worst during healing.
Yi Xiaochuan immediately fell silent.
Cao Yi waited a moment and saw that Xiang Yu's face had reddened, realizing he couldn't fully absorb the jade resin's energy. Placing his hand on Xiang Yu's lower dantian, he directed energy into him, guiding the jade resin to circulate properly. After a while, the jade resin's energy was spent, and Xiang Yu's complexion improved significantly.
Noticing the positive effect, Cao Yi used some more jade resin, this time focusing on the surface of the skin, causing the small wounds to heal.
Jade resin was precious, and after two uses, Cao Yi switched to healing talismans, which were significantly less effective. He used a dozen talismans, but they couldn't compare to the effects of just one use of jade resin.
After two hours of work, Xiang Yu showed considerable improvement, though he was still covered in healing talismans.
"Alright, just sleep for a bit, and you'll be fine," Cao Yi said, putting the used items back into the gourd.
"Thank you, Daoist Priest. Without you, I wouldn't know how to explain to my master…" Yi Xiaochuan expressed his gratitude profusely.
"Mm. If there's nothing else, just stay here and watch over him," Cao Yi replied as he left the room.
Back in the shrine, he took out the tiger-shaped pendant that Yi Xiaochuan had pawned. It was entirely black, smooth on the surface, and expertly crafted.
"System, does this mean I've obtained half of the time-space treasure box with this tiger-shaped pendant?" Cao Yi asked in his mind.
The system remained silent once again.
Feeling bored, Cao Yi stored the pendant back into the gourd.
After a while, he took out dozens of valuable top-grade jade pieces from the gourd, smashing each one. If modern jade enthusiasts saw this, they'd surely be furious.
"This batch of jade resin isn't much," Cao Yi said, slightly disappointed, as he picked up a piece of jade and began to refine it.
Refining was time-consuming; before he knew it, it was already late afternoon. The ground was littered with beautiful pieces of jade, but most were in small, shattered states.
"Brother Yu, you're awake! That's great!" Yi Xiaochuan's voice came.
He woke up!
Cao Yi, just finishing his meditation, stood up to check.
In the room where Xiang Yu lay, he was getting up with Yi Xiaochuan's support.
"I'm fine. I don't need help," Xiang Yu insisted.
"Just be careful then," Yi Xiaochuan stepped aside.
Xiang Yu took a few steps on his own. If it weren't for the visible scars on his body, anyone would think he was perfectly fine.
"Daoist Priest's medicine really works… oh, Daoist Priest, you're here!" Yi Xiaochuan suddenly noticed Cao Yi had arrived.
"I've been here for a while. You seem to have recovered well," Cao Yi said with a smile.
"Thank you, sir," Xiang Yu bowed in gratitude.
This whole mess was his fault. The hermit had selflessly saved him without holding a grudge, displaying remarkable righteousness.
"Just be well. In the future, don't recklessly destroy others' gardens," Cao Yi reminded him, recalling how the peach garden had been left in tatters. If it weren't for the tiger-shaped pendant, he might not have saved him.
Xiang Yu looked apologetic, a stark contrast to his earlier frenzy battling Ye Lvzhi.
As if remembering something, Xiang Yu told Yi Xiaochuan, "Bring it in."
Yi Xiaochuan replied, "Oh," and walked outside.
What could it be this time? Cao Yi wondered, imagining treasures like pearls from the East Sea or South Sea.
"Sir, have you heard of the jade disc?" Xiang Yu suddenly asked.
Cao Yi nodded.
Before coming here, he had indeed researched it. The jade disc was a flat, round jade artifact with a hole in the center, one of the traditional jade ceremonial items, and also part of the "Six Auspicious Items."
In the "Records of the Grand Historian," it often appeared as a gift from the feudal lords, with the last mention during the Banquet at Hongmen.
"I've brought two pairs of family heirloom jade discs as a gift for you, sir," Xiang Yu said, his confidence barely concealed despite his polite tone.
Jade discs were indeed precious worldwide. However, encountering Cao Yi, the jade destroyer, would prove troublesome.
Now, the shrine floor was littered with top-grade jade that had been smashed to bits.
"Brother Yu," Yi Xiaochuan entered, carrying a wooden box.
"Hurry, open it for the sir to see," Xiang Yu urged, eager to showcase his "sincerity."
Yi Xiaochuan opened the box, revealing a pair of exquisite jade discs resting inside.
"Good jade," Cao Yi said succinctly.
When it came to quality, more than half of the smashed jade pieces earlier couldn't compare to this pair of jade discs.
"This jade…" Xiang Yu thought Cao Yi didn't appreciate the jade's rarity, so he took time to explain its significance.
"I'm very satisfied," Cao Yi interrupted, not wanting to hear more from Xiang Yu.
Suddenly, a dog's barking echoed.
What now?
Cao Yi rushed out of the room, realizing the noise was coming from the shrine. Entering, he found Howlingsky coughing, as if something was lodged in his throat.
"What are you eating?" Cao Yi exclaimed, grabbing Howlingsky and patting his neck and back.
A small piece of jade flew out of Howlingsky's mouth.
"I understand now, you were eating leftover jade resin," Cao Yi realized.
"This is—"
"Oh my!" came the voices of Xiang Yu and Yi Xiaochuan.
Cao Yi turned to see their astonished faces, knowing instantly that they were shocked by the mess of shattered jade he had caused.
"Imperial yellow jade, emperor green, top-grade red jade; even the worst is superior. How could all of this have been smashed?" Yi Xiaochuan exclaimed, his face a mix of astonishment and heartbreak.
Having studied jade for a while, he knew just how precious these items were.
Meanwhile, Xiang Yu gazed at the pile of broken beautiful jade, his thoughts racing: how embarrassing it was to flaunt jade discs in front of someone who treated jade as worthless, and how long could the family heirloom jade discs last in the hands of this Daoist Priest?