Chapter 276 - 267: Chill

Chapter 276: Chapter 267: Chill

"I didn’t think much of it at the time, but I found that carrying it helped calm my nerves and sleep better. It put me at ease, so I’ve kept it with me ever since. You don’t think it’s actually something special, do you?"

"What kind of wood is this?"

"The old man who gave it to me said... I think he called it peachwood."

’Peachwood?’

Jiang Xu caressed the withered piece of wood in his hand, the Cangmu Skill within him stirring restlessly.

The Cangmu Skill wouldn’t react like this to ordinary peachwood.

Even the Thunderstruck Wood and Wood Essence he’d acquired previously hadn’t caused such a restless stir in his Cangmu Skill.

This piece of peachwood... was something special!

"Elder, do you happen to know where this peachwood came from?"

"Where it came from?" Elder Liu thought for a long moment before it dawned on him. "I remember now! The old man said it came from a place called Peach Blossom Valley!"

"Peach Blossom Valley?" Jiang Xu blurted out.

He’d just heard Master Fatty mention the place not too long ago.

It was supposedly one of the three great wonders of Greed Wolf Island.

It was only natural for there to be peachwood in Peach Blossom Valley.

But from what Master Fatty implied, Peach Blossom Valley was more of a red-light district. Why would such a peculiar object come from a place like that?

Jiang Xu closed his eyes and centered himself, his consciousness sinking into his body to observe the Cangmu Cultivation Seed hidden deep within his Dantian.

At this moment, it was as if it sensed an external summons, trembling faintly and revealing an immense craving for the piece of peachwood.

The craving was like that of a sapling desperate to root itself in the earth, to draw nutrients, to grow strong, and ultimately, to become a towering tree.

Jiang Xu could feel the seed of his Cangmu Skill pulsing faintly in his meridians. It was as if an invisible force was pulling at him, urging him to introduce the piece of peachwood into his body and let it merge with the Cultivation Seed.

He didn’t rush to let his Cangmu Skill absorb the withered wood. Instead, he pulled his focus away from the Cultivation Seed and concentrated on the object in his hand.

After a moment of thought, a blazing spark of light flashed at his fingertip. It was his Innate True Flame—pure and scorching hot.

He took a small piece of Refined Iron from the Storage Bag at his waist. It glinted with a cold, metallic luster. The iron was hard and contained a hint of spiritual energy, making it an excellent material for Artifact Refining.

Jiang Xu placed the Refined Iron over the True Flame in his palm. The flame enveloped the iron, its licks of fire dancing without cease.

He manipulated the flame’s temperature, ensuring it was hot enough to purge the impurities from the Refined Iron without melting it completely, thereby elevating its quality.

As the True Flame continued to burn, the impurities within the Refined Iron were gradually drawn out, until it became an exceptionally pure and resilient piece of Refining Material.

Jiang Xu took the now-purified piece of Refined Iron and merged it with the small, severely damaged Flying Knife he held in his other hand. The blade was almost unusable in its current state.

He channeled the Magical Power from his body, guiding the True Flame along his meridians and into the small knife, where it fused with the Refined Iron.

The True Flame blazed within the body of the blade. Under the intense heat, the Refined Iron gradually softened and spread, following the Flying Knife’s original form to meld with it and seal the cracks.

With each adjustment of his Magical Power, Jiang Xu gradually forged the Refined Iron into every minute point of damage on the small blade. The knife was soon completely renewed, its former decrepit state vanishing, replaced by a brand-new, sharp edge.

Injecting a final wisp of Magical Power, Jiang Xu extinguished the True Flame. The restored small knife now lay quietly in his palm.

Even though Jiang Xu wasn’t even a Tier One Lower Grade Artifact Refiner, his understanding of related principles allowed him to perform minor repairs on Tier One Lower Grade Magical Artifacts.

Jiang Xu tore up the useless old Talisman and tossed it aside. Then, he took out a few new Talismans from his Storage Bag and handed them to Elder Liu along with the small knife.

"Elder, your information was payment enough for my help. By rights, I shouldn’t take anything from you."

"However, I’ve taken a liking to this peachwood, so I’ll accept it. But I won’t take it for nothing. I’ve repaired your knife for you; it should be a little more effective than before."

"Also, your old Talisman was spent, so I’ve given you a few new ones. I’ve stored some of my Magical Power in them. If you need to use one, just drip a drop of your blood on it."

Elder Liu took the items with trembling hands. Something was clearly amiss; he looked utterly shocked and was muttering under his breath.

Jiang Xu frowned.

He heard Elder Liu muttering things like, "It’s a miracle!" and "So he’s an Immortal, too!"

"Elder, is there something you haven’t told me?" Jiang Xu asked, getting straight to the point.

Elder Liu still looked dazed.

"I just remembered something. When the old man gave me this piece of wood, he said that many years from then, it would bring me good fortune, and might even save my life... Could he have been talking about now?"

Jiang Xu swallowed hard.

"How many years ago did he make that prediction?"

"I can’t recall exactly. Perhaps forty, maybe fifty years ago."

’Holy shit!’

A chill ran down Jiang Xu’s spine.

Forty or fifty years...

The original owner of this body hadn’t even been born back then.

Even if you added his age from his previous life to the age of this body’s original owner, it still wouldn’t add up to fifty-something years.

’Someone actually predicted my existence forty or fifty years ago?’

’That’s insane!’

’No, wait!’

"Did that old man tell you where he came from?"

"..."

Elder Liu habitually rubbed his forehead with a large, rough hand. Hidden beneath that wrinkled skin were memories accumulated over a lifetime.

As one grows older, memory inevitably fades. This was especially true for events buried for decades, covered in a thick layer of dust from the passage of time. Brushing it away to see clearly once more was easier said than done.