Within the Yue Mei Tribe.
Inside a large tent in the central area, Zhou Changqing retracted his Dou Qi. After inlaying a high-grade Tier Three Monster Core into the newly forged spear, he tossed it aside.
He sat cross-legged on a meditation mat on the ground, swallowed a Tier Three Qi Recovery Pill, and began to restore the Dou Qi he had expended during the refining process.
"Shh, shh, shh~"
Before long, the sound of something rustling against the ground could be heard. Ling Sha's figure slipped inside after lifting the tent flap. Seeing Zhou Changqing meditating, she remained silent, standing quietly in place with a smile in her eyes as she watched the young man.
"Hoo~"
Half an hour later, Zhou Changqing finally restored his Dou Qi to its peak state. He had sensed Ling Sha's presence the moment she entered but had chosen to ignore it. Turning to look at the woman who had abducted him three months ago, a flicker of an imperceptible, complex emotion crossed his eyes.
"Little Changqing, all recovered?" Ling Sha asked with a beaming smile, not noticing the subtle change in his expression.
Zhou Changqing gave a faint nod. "What do you want? Don't tell me you're here to rush me for the next delivery."
"You brat, what are you thinking? You've refined so many weapons for the tribe recently that I was worried you'd work yourself to death. How could I possibly come to rush you? The leader has granted your request for the materials you wanted. She sent me to take you to get them," Ling Sha said, feigning annoyance.
Over the past three months, the young man had forged nearly fifty Tier Three Magic Weapons for their tribe. Most were mid-grade, with a few being low-grade, and a handful of high-grade ones he had only managed to create after his recent breakthrough in refining. In addition, he had also produced several hundred Tier Two Magic Weapons and masterwork blades that could cut through iron.
Such an output was even greater than what a Tier Three Alchemist could produce in half a year. Yue Mei was exceptionally pleased, treating him like a precious treasure—the kind you'd be afraid to drop if you held it, or that would melt if you kept it in your mouth. She had even frequently sent Ling Sha to urge Zhou Changqing to take breaks.
Zhou Changqing rolled his eyes. He didn't believe for a second that she was being so kind. Only a fool would fall for that. It was less of a friendly reminder and more of a form of surveillance. If not for the fear that he might actually work himself to death, preventing him from refining more weapons or improving his skills to forge even higher-grade ones, that old hag Yue Mei would probably be exploiting him even more relentlessly.
Still, the old hag had kept her word. She had given him free rein over the tribe's entire supply of metal resources. These three months of constant refining had benefited him greatly, and his skills had advanced by leaps and bounds. He had already reached the level where he could forge Tier Four Magic Weapons and had even secretly crafted a complete set of low-grade Tier Four gear for himself.
However, Zhou Changqing was shrewd enough to keep this a secret. He concealed his Tier Four refining ability, pocketing the set of weapons for himself. On the surface, he only let on that his skills had progressed to high-grade Tier Three. Even so, Yue Mei was overjoyed. After all, such a rate of improvement was practically unprecedented, even among alchemists.
Though exasperated, hearing that his request had been approved lifted Zhou Changqing's spirits.
"Since Leader Yue Mei has agreed, let's go." He stood up, straightened his white robes, and walked outside.
The desert was scorchingly hot, with the sun beating down relentlessly year-round. The moment he stepped out of the tent, the searing sunlight fell upon him, making one feel unbearably hot. Fortunately, Zhou Changqing wore white robes instead of heat-absorbing black ones. Coupled with his powerful physique, he felt cool and refreshed rather than any discomfort from the heat.
Ling Sha followed him out of the tent, looking somewhat resentful as she led the way.
"You little bastard, you once promised to forge me a Tier Four Magic Weapon, but it turns out you didn't have the skill. And now you're putting on airs with me? I haven't even settled the score with you for that."
Hearing Ling Sha muttering in front of him, Zhou Changqing sneered. "You're lucky I haven't strung you up and whipped you. How dare you bring that up? A Tier Four Magic Weapon? I think you're only worthy of a Tier One common blade."
"The promise was that if you let me go, I'd make you a Tier Four Magic Weapon. You dragged me here as a prisoner, and you still expect me to fulfill it? Don't even mention that I can't forge one; even if I could, I wouldn't make it for you! Dream on."
Instead of getting angry at Zhou Changqing's sharp reply, Ling Sha laughed. "Hehehe~ I thought you'd come to terms with things after refining weapons so quietly these past few days. I didn't realize you were still holding a grudge. How about this? If your refining skills can advance to Tier Four, I'll let you do whatever you want with me, how does that sound?"
As she spoke, Ling Sha ran her small, fragrant tongue over her rosy lips in a seductive gesture.
"Get lost. I'm not interested in you. Just lead the way," Zhou Changqing said, not even sparing her a glance.
We're enemies! Don't even think about tricking me into slaving away for you! And I get to do whatever I want with you if I make a Tier Four weapon? What a beautiful dream you're having! Is that supposed to be a reward for me? I think it's a reward for you!
Amidst their bickering, they soon arrived at a location on the north side of the central area. Here stood a long, rectangular storehouse constructed from sand and mud solidified by some special means. At the front of the sand-colored building was a massive gate forged from Flame Sand Crystal. Two Snake-Person guards stood on either side of the entrance.
The auras of these two guards were formidable; both were mid-level Da Dou Shi. Using Da Dou Shi as gatekeepers was an unimaginable luxury in a place like Wu Tan City or Reservoir City. It was a clear testament to the immense importance of this place to the tribe.
Not far from the storehouse gate stood a muscular Snake-Person with a powerful, robust tail. His fierce expression made it clear he was not someone to be trifled with.
"Harkus?" Seeing the brawny Snake-Person, Ling Sha's brow furrowed, and her expression soured.
Zhou Changqing also saw the muscular Snake-Person. Noticing Ling Sha's reaction, he felt a surge of schadenfreude.
"Tsk, tsk, could this be one of Ling Sha's pursuers? This is going to be a good show~" To avoid getting caught in the crossfire, Zhou Changqing deliberately slowed his pace, putting some distance between himself and Ling Sha.
Ling Sha caught the gloating smile on Zhou Changqing's face out of the corner of her eye and paused for a moment. Her mind raced, and she quickly guessed what the little bastard was thinking. The realization made her feel both amused and annoyed. However, upon guessing Harkus's likely purpose for being there, her mood brightened.
Without any hesitation, Ling Sha quickened her pace and headed straight for the storehouse gate.
Zhou Changqing was taken aback, confused as to why she was advancing instead of retreating. Had he guessed wrong? Disappointed, he had no choice but to speed up and follow her.
The two soon approached the brawny Snake-Person. Seeing them, Harkus's eyes lit up.
"Greetings, Commander Ling Sha!" he said, first saluting Ling Sha before turning his gaze to Zhou Changqing behind her. His eyes were filled with an unmistakable look of disdain and resentment. "You must be that human brat Commander Ling Sha brought back."
"Stop! I have nothing to do with this old woman, so don't you dare pull that cliché 'hating the love rival' act on me! You've got the wrong person!" Zhou Changqing interjected, raising his hand to cut off whatever the man was about to say next.