After returning to the sect, Jian Xiaolou spent a full week recuperating before her body recovered to a normal state.
Having walked through the gates of hell, she was more deeply aware of the harshness of the cultivation world.
For someone like her, a disciple from a powerless and insignificant family, simply avoiding an untimely death was already a challenge.
During those seven days, she consumed a fasting pill and remained in meditation to heal her injuries, completely ignoring Zhan Tianxiang. She didn't even question why he had disguised himself as a woman to deceive her and treated him as if he didn't exist.
Zhan Tianxiang, on the other hand, couldn't hold back and tried to explain. He claimed to be from a very remote branch of the Zhan family.
"You know, the Fire Refining Sect is supported by the Li family, and they've never accepted disciples from the other three major clans. Even requesting their services or repairs costs us several times more. My family is poor, so I had no choice…"
"Are you stupid, or do you think I'm stupid?"
Jian Xiaolou originally didn't want to engage with him, but hearing this, she couldn't help but get angry.
"Even though I'm from a minor family and lack knowledge, I've been studying the art of crafting for half a year. Just the battle armor you wore against the fox demon must have been forged with tens of thousands of soul crystals. One soul crystal is worth three mid-grade spirit stones. Do you know how much that is?"
Zhan Tianxiang was momentarily stunned, unconsciously calculating the value of his battle armor.
"Oh, that was something I accidentally picked up…"
"Oh? Then go pick up another one for me!" Jian Xiaolou slammed the table in anger.
"Zhan, you should at least have a shred of dignity! No one forced you to explain, but don't insult my intelligence. This is just bullying!"
"I didn't mean to…"
"I mean, I…"
Zhan Tianxiang, bad at lying and overwhelmed, bit the bullet and said, "It wasn't intentional. Telling you won't do you any good. All I can say is that I came to Fuguang City to kill someone. I have no ill intentions toward the Fire Refining Sect or you."
Jian Xiaolou instinctively asked, "Are you planning to kill Li Jianzhao?"
Zhan Tianxiang was taken aback. "How did you know?"
Jian Xiaolou composed herself. "Just a random guess."
She recalled Xiao Hei's mentions of the "Young Master" and the "plan." The "Young Master" likely referred to Zhan Tianming, the eldest son of the Zhan family and one of the Four Lords of the Eastern Immortal Continent. As for the "plan," it was probably to assassinate Li Jianzhao, who had been relegated to guarding the celestial sundial in Fuguang City.
Jian Xiaolou had heard Long Legs mention that Li Jianzhao, despite being twenty-three, was still at the ninth stage of Qi Refining. The Li family valued him because he possessed a rare Innate Purity Heavenly Spirit Body, which allowed him to progress slowly without active cultivation—a rarity in millennia.
He should have been an extraordinary figure, but he squandered his talent, indulging in frivolities for twenty years.
Zhan Tianxiang sighed. "Being born into a prominent family isn't necessarily better than being from a small one. From birth, we are divided into two camps based on our aptitude. Those with exceptional talent, like my elder brother and my uncle's two sons, are trained openly to compete with the other three families. The less talented ones, like me, are cultivated in secret to handle the family's dirty and covert affairs."
Jian Xiaolou quietly fed a spirit fruit to a bird, her expression tinged with melancholy.
Zhan Tianxiang continued, "Living in the shadows has its own sorrows, but life in the spotlight isn't easy either. The Heavenly Alliance's competitions, both overt and covert, bring immense pressure. The greatest danger comes from assassination attempts by rival families. On the surface, Li Jianzhao appears to be an unambitious scoundrel, but with his unique physique, it's hard to believe his behavior isn't a survival strategy…"
"You're free to complain, and I'll listen and forget."
The struggles among the elite families were far removed from Jian Xiaolou's world. Remembering she hadn't completed her sect tasks for the week, she grabbed her toolkit and headed out. After a few steps, she turned back, stared into Zhan Tianxiang's eyes, and said, "However, sending someone as dumb as you on such a mission is a bit ridiculous, isn't it?"
With that, she left.
Zhan Tianxiang was left speechless, caught between laughter and frustration.
Revealing those secrets to her was undoubtedly a mistake, but he still did it. Jian Xiaolou was special to him—not romantically, but as his first true friend. They had been inseparable for half a year, and he trusted her.
But Zhan Tianxiang also understood that he might have lost his only friend.
On her way to the Refining Pavilion, Jian Xiaolou thought about her situation. Her current abode was no longer suitable, and she needed to distance herself from Long Legs to avoid unnecessary trouble.
It wasn't about being practical; she simply couldn't afford to get entangled in the power struggles of the Four Great Families. Her goals were clear: to diligently practice artifact refinement, advance to the inner sect, join the Heavenly Alliance, uncover her brother's death, and secure a place for her family in White Cloud City.
When she arrived at the Refining Pavilion, she was surprised to see Manager Liu Yi, who had previously given her the cold shoulder, rushing out to greet her.
"Congratulations, Senior Sister Jian! Such great news!"
His two lackeys also chimed in obsequiously, "Oh, Senior Sister Jian, you've truly made us proud!"
Jian Xiaolou looked at him warily. "What are you scheming now?"
Wiping the sweat off his forehead, Liu Yi stammered, "Why would you say that…"
"Are you Jian Xiaolou?" A cold voice interrupted. A woman in her twenties, dressed in red, stepped forward. She was at the early Foundation Establishment stage, with an oval face, willow-leaf eyebrows, and a few freckles on her nose.
"Come with me," the woman said curtly.
Jian Xiaolou was puzzled. "Where are we going?"
Liu Yi hastily explained, "Senior Sister Jian, this is Senior Sister Jin He, the furnace keeper at Senior Brother Yue's abode. Senior Brother Yue recently used the refined iron essence you crafted and was impressed. He has promoted you to be a furnace keeper in his domain."
Jian Xiaolou was stunned but quickly overjoyed. "Senior Brother Yue?"
Among the many Senior Brother Yues in the Fire Refining Sect, the only one with a Foundation Establishment cultivator as a furnace keeper was Yue Ze, a late Foundation Establishment cultivator and a Four-Star Artifact Refiner on the verge of becoming a Five-Star Refiner—a prodigy in the craft.
Jin He's expression softened slightly at Jian Xiaolou's admiration. "Let's go."
Yue Ze's abode, located on Tianbao Peak, was the private cultivation site of Elder Xianzhen, the head of the Heavenly Armament Pavilion. As Elder Xianzhen's direct disciple, Yue Ze's cave mansion occupied half the mountain.
Inside, Yue Ze's calm voice instructed, "Come in."
Jian Xiaolou hesitated momentarily before stepping into a room filled with exquisite artifact refinement tools and treasures, her awe growing. Little did she know her journey as Yue Ze's furnace keeper would soon embroil her in events far beyond artifact crafting.