Where's my golden core? Did you think I removed a kidney stone?

Chapter 89 Crushing the Xuanjing Society!

In the desolate mountains, the night wind blows through the broken blades of grass.

Su Ye stood still, his chest rising and falling slowly, but his eyes shone with an astonishing light. After the breakthrough, he felt as if he had been cleansed and refreshed, his mind clear and his senses sharp, able to detect even the faint sound of insects fluttering their wings in the distant mountains and forests.

The peak heart rate was 1,440 beats per minute, which far exceeded the limits that ordinary life could withstand. In that instant, the heart pounded wildly, blood rushed through the body like a torrent, the spine trembled violently, and all the strength was compressed into a single finger, but what was thrown out was the devastating power of a mountain collapsing.

Su Ye looked down at his hands; his fingertips were still numb, the blood vessels under his skin were throbbing slightly, and the lingering heat from his heart was slowly receding along his arm.

"Thanks to the Dragon-Snake Spinal Replacement," Su Ye said softly.

If the Dragon-Snake Spinal Transformation hadn't tempered his spine to its current state, that strike would likely have caused his own body to collapse first. After developing this inch-force to the third stage, the power becomes incredibly ferocious, like twisting all the bones, muscles, blood, and heartbeat into a single string; when the string snaps, the joint breaks.

Su Ye exhaled a breath of white air, his face paler than before.

This blow gave him a sense of satisfaction, but it also pushed him to his limit.

He looked around and saw that the ground beneath his feet had collapsed, with a diameter of several meters. The soil was churning and cracks were spreading outward like a spider web. Light white cracks appeared on the trunks of several large trees, and leaves were shaken off and scattered on the gravel and soil.

The night was quiet, but the open space looked as if it had just been bombarded by heavy artillery.

Su Ye looked at his masterpiece and his lips twitched slightly. If he tried this at home, the entire residential building would probably collapse from the shock of his finger.

"This should be the strongest attack I can deliver right now."

He judged that the attack was strong enough and consumed excessive energy. He believed that if he were to use it in the future, it would be best to finish the game with one blow and use it as a trump card.

Su Ye stood in the mountains for a while longer, waiting for his heartbeat to gradually subside, before putting on his coat and heading down the mountain.

It was nearly midnight when I got home. A small light was on in the living room, and the city outside the window was still awake. Someone was smoking outside the convenience store downstairs, the red glow of the cigarette butt flickering in the night, and the occasional urgent beeping of an electric scooter could be heard in the distance.

Su Ye took a shower, changed into clean clothes, and lazily nestled into a chair.

Since he had nothing better to do, he opened his old, beat-up laptop, and the screen lit up.

pat!

My computer crashed with a blue screen.

Su Ye was speechless. This computer was garbage. He then raised his hand and slapped the keyboard.

Snapped.

The fan whirred, the screen flickered, and the restart screen popped up. Su Ye nodded in satisfaction. Sure enough, electronic devices shouldn't be spoiled; they need to be disciplined when necessary.

The computer booted up slowly, like an old comrade forced to go to work. Su Ye waited for a long time before opening the browser and entering the website address that Li Tong had sent him earlier.

This is a platform temporarily set up by domestic superhumans. The interface is very simple, even a bit like a forum from the last century, with a gray and white background, blue titles, and a densely packed list of posts. However, there are quite a few people online, and the refresh number in the upper right corner keeps jumping.

Su Ye glanced at it.

The top pinned post is very eye-catching; it's from the person who created the website: "[The website has only been open for seven days, yet the number of new registrations is reaching new highs every day. Is the world really changing so fast?]"

Su Ye clicked in, and the post didn't contain much nonsense, just a statistical chart.

On the first day, there were 70 people.

The next day, there were 151 people.

On the third day, there were 530 people.

On the fourth day, there were 1300 people.

Day 5, 2417 people.

On the sixth day, there were 4022 people.

On the seventh day, there were 6344 people.

Su Ye stared at the rows of numbers, his finger hovering over the touchpad. The growth was too rapid, and this was just a small platform within Jiangnan Province, lacking the ability to radiate across the country. Many truly capable people might not even speak here, yet the number of registered users had surged to this level in just seven days.

The extraordinary are emerging from the shadows; more and more people are seeing things in the fog, hearing sounds in the night, and their bodies are beginning to show abnormalities.

The replies below are quite varied.

"Last night I saw that the old locust tree downstairs in my building was breathing. Does anyone know why? Now I don't even dare to open the curtains."

"Brothers, my nails have hardened and can scratch tiles. Does that mean I've awakened?"

"My dad wants me to go to the hospital, my mom wants me to go to the temple, but I want to ask here first."

Su Ye chuckled. The fear was real, and so was the absurdity. This era was changing too fast; many people had nowhere to speak their minds, and no one dared to believe them. This little website just happened to become a temporary confessional.

He continued scrolling down, and found some posts asking for help. Some people said they always heard the sound of water at night and woke up with their sheets soaked but no illness. Others said their shadows had become longer and were half a beat slower under the light. Still others had already embarked on the path of the extraordinary and started to seriously talk about external breathing, signs of marrow cleansing, and spiritual perception. They didn't talk about it in great depth, but it was enough for many people who were just getting into the extraordinary.

Su Ye clicked on another post that was being highlighted.

[A mysterious lake reflected in the waters beneath Changbai Mountain: Could the true face of an ancient sage be about to reappear?]

The post included several photos: Changbai Mountain's Tianchi Lake was shrouded in mist, its surface as calm as a deep blue-green jade. But in the last photo, a huge shadow vaguely emerged from the depths of the lake. The shadow's outline was indistinct, resembling a person or some enormous creature lurking on the water's surface. The clouds hung low, and the snowline in the distance gleamed a cold white. The whole photo exuded an intense chill; even through the screen, one could almost smell the ice and the deep water.

Previously, Su Ye would likely have assumed these images were photoshopped, but now it's hard to say. He had indeed felt a chilling ancient aura in Yuheng Mountain. This land was so vast, and beneath its mountains, rivers, lakes, and seas lay many things left behind from bygone eras, which began to open their eyes in the darkness when the fog rolled in.

Su Ye closed the post and continued browsing.

Soon, his gaze fell upon a bounty.

[Location: Jiangcheng, shop 102 Baideng Street tragedy - large reward offered!]

A striking red "Reward" sign followed the title, and Su Ye raised an eyebrow and clicked on it.

The post was short, posted by an anonymous account, and in a cold tone.

"A reward of 200,000 NT dollars is offered for information leading to the arrest of the perpetrator in the tragic incident at shop 102 on Baideng Street. Further rewards will be given for any valid leads. If the perpetrator's identity is confirmed, additional rewards will be offered."

Below were a few blurry photos: old shops on Whitelight Street, broken counters, bloodstains on the walls, and the room he had once entered.

Su Ye stared at the screen, his expression gradually becoming strange.

A bounty on my head?

He leaned back in his chair and almost burst out laughing. The people in that room were preparing to strip He Qingqing of her ice-type kidney essence. Their methods were dirty and ruthless. Su Ye had dealt with that group of people and thought the matter was temporarily over. But three days ago, someone posted a bounty here.

Two hundred thousand.

Looking at the number, Su Ye's mind suddenly started working. Two hundred thousand was quite a lot; rather than letting someone else profit from it, he'd rather have it himself. He directly opened the anonymous account and sent a friend request with a simple message: "I have a lead."

After sending it, he waited for a while, but it didn't go through.

Su Ye wasn't in a hurry; he simply refreshed the page and continued reading the posts.

Soon he saw another post that had been marked as a featured post. This post was extremely popular, with the number of replies already scrolling through several pages. Su Ye hadn't noticed it before, but now he saw it again.

[The Azure Dragon will crush the Mysterious Scenery Society within seven days.]

Su Ye's eyes narrowed slightly.

Is Canglong about to take action against the Xuanjing Society? The Xuanjing Society is a major scourge in Jiangnan Province, a true cancer on the supernatural. They use evil methods to ascend to the supernatural realm, observe external appearances, and harm the living. They were extremely rampant in the early stages of the Great Fog. Their main base is in Jiangnan City, with extensive branches and countless lives on their hands.

It seems that the Azure Dragon is finally about to make its move.

Su Ye clicked on the post, and the first page was almost entirely filled with enthusiastic replies.

"Holy crap, the Azure Dragon is mighty!"

"We're targeting the Xuanjing Society! This cruel and bloodthirsty organization should have been wiped out long ago!"

"Keep it up! Uproot it completely! If the Azure Dragon needs people, I'll volunteer!"

"Calm down, upstairs. In battles of the level of Azure Dragon and Mysterious Scenery, ordinary Outer Realm cultivators would most likely just be feeding the enemy's kills, leaving nothing but ashes. Listen to me, that's not a level of combat you can get involved in."

"It is estimated that those who can truly intervene must be at least orthodox practitioners of the Inner Realm, and must have undergone a marrow cleansing to possess exceptional combat power."

"Who cares? As long as we see the official stance, that's enough. Without rules, everyone will be dragged down by the shady business sooner or later. There are too many people doing things that can't be seen!"

"When the Azure Dragon appears, the world in Jiangnan will change."

Su Ye flipped through the pages, finding excitement, fear, and a long-suppressed sense of catharsis in the posts. The Xuanjing Society was too rampant; it was like a piece of rotten flesh growing in the early stages of the Great Fog, frantically devouring those who had just awakened, were helpless, and knew nothing of the extraordinary before order could catch up. The Azure Dragon's first sword strike in rebuilding order was perfectly suited to strike it on the head.

This is not just a crackdown; it's more like an official announcement to the entire Jiangnan supernatural community: there are rules now, and Jiangnan Province is under someone's control.

Su Ye looked at the reply on the screen, and the jumbled thoughts in his mind slowly subsided. He closed his laptop, and the room became quiet, with only the low hum of cars passing by outside the window.

Su Ye let out a long breath. Canglong's high-profile announcement of cracking down on the Xuanjing Society seemed to indicate they were serious this time, directly drawing their swords to intimidate others. He wondered if it would be successful. As for the bounty, Su Ye was now desperate for the poster to add him to the list. He glanced at his empty wallet and his pitiful phone balance. "Brother, I'm in a hurry."

The next morning, Su Ye opened his eyes.

A sliver of sunlight peeked through the curtains, and steam was already rising from the breakfast stalls downstairs. Someone rode past the entrance of the residential area on an electric scooter, the plastic bags hanging on the handlebars rattling. Su Ye had spent the night researching the bounty on White Lantern Street and the news of the Azure Dragon's siege of the Xuanjing Society, and had also spent a long time browsing the Extraordinary Person Forum. He hadn't slept very soundly, but fortunately, his physical recovery ability and mental strength were there, and after washing his face, his mind gradually cleared up.

When I arrived at the hospital, there weren't many people in the outpatient hall. The smell of disinfectant mixed with the aroma of hot soy milk. People were queuing up to ask for numbers in front of the nurses' station. In the distance, the elevator opened with a ding, and a group of doctors in white coats walked out of it, their steps hurried.

As soon as Su Ye entered the department, Wang Luo came over.

"Dr. Su, you're really famous now."

Su Ye glanced at him: "What's wrong?"

Wang Luo lowered his voice, his expression filled with excitement and pride, clearly happy for Su Ye: "This morning, an old man specifically asked the triage staff when registering for an appointment, saying he wanted to see that young, amazing doctor. The triage staff asked which one, and he said it was that genius doctor in our hospital. Your reputation is slowly building up; the number of patients at the outpatient clinic will only increase in the future."

Su Ye turned on his computer, a hint of helplessness in his expression: "Oh."

Wang Luo stared at him: "You just...?"

"So how should I reply?"

"At least say something humble."

Su Ye thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "It's mainly because Professor Zhou teaches so well. Let's take it slow. Too many people will only make things more chaotic. It's better to do it this way, where we can have a salary and a pretty relaxed life."

Wang Luo slapped his thigh: "Look, what you said is really annoying. You seem humble, but you're actually being arrogant."

"Luxury?"

"Jiahao, doesn't the genius Su surf the internet?"

Although Su Ye didn't say anything, he was secretly quite pleased. His recent consultations had been very effective. After all, his solid foundational knowledge, coupled with his mental scanning abilities that were more precise than hospital equipment, allowed him to quickly identify the root causes of these patients' illnesses. Jiangcheng wasn't a large city, and word spread quickly. Now, many people knew that Jiangcheng had produced a genius doctor. While not a cure-all, his skills were certainly more affordable than those of chief physicians. After all, Jiangcheng was small and had limited medical resources; truly capable doctors were extremely difficult to get an appointment with.

The outpatient clinic had a smooth day, although there were definitely more people registering. While seeing patients, Su Ye completely suppressed the fatigue from studying fortune telling the previous night.

As evening approached, the workday ended with the ringing of the bell.

Su Ye changed out of his white coat and glanced at the date on his phone.

Wednesday is the day Whitelight Street is open.

There was still a message from He Qingqing on her phone that afternoon: "White Lantern Street should be open tonight, right? I want to go and see it, but I'm too scared to go alone. Mr. Su, would you like to come along?" It was accompanied by a hurried emoji.

Su Ye stared at the words, his fingertips pausing. He and He Qingqing had been in occasional contact these past two days, mostly chatting. He Qingqing's recovery was faster than he had expected, and her progress in cultivating the Ice-type Kidney Water was also very noticeable. She could feel her body changing every day—the icy mist surrounding her, the chill in her fingertips—and her understanding of the extraordinary was gradually increasing. Now she had her own understanding of the extraordinary and a deeper knowledge of White Lantern Street.

This is an entity that can circulate extraordinary resources.

She was probably close to undergoing marrow cleansing, so she decided to search for a water-based spiritual energy within White Lantern Street to see if she could truly enter the marrow cleansing stage. He Qingqing was now just like Su Ye had been back then, incredibly curious about the extraordinary.

Su Ye replied: "7:30 pm, old bus stop."

He Qingqing quickly replied with an "okay," feeling a surge of excitement. She was still somewhat afraid of White Lantern Street, but with Su Ye going with her, she had nothing to fear. The sense of security Mr. Su provided was undeniable.

At 7:30, there were hardly any people at the old bus stop outside Baideng Street.

The bus stop sign was peeling, the route map was covered in a layer of dust, and the puddles on the roadside reflected the dim sunlight, like a piece of glass that had been trampled on. In the distance, the shutter door of a convenience store was half-closed, and the television inside was still broadcasting the evening news, the anchor's voice coming through the metal door, intermittent and broken.

He Qingqing stood beside the bus stop sign, wearing a light-colored coat, holding a cup of milk tea in her hand. The straw was already inserted, but she hadn't taken a sip. She looked like a young girl who had just come out of school or a shopping mall, and standing in front of that dimly lit street corner, she seemed out of place in this dilapidated scene.

Su Ye walked over, and He Qingqing immediately looked up.

"Mr. Su."

Su Ye glanced at the milk tea in her hand: "What do you mean?"

He Qingqing was a little embarrassed. She looked down and saw that she had brought milk tea with her, but her hands were clenched so tightly that the milk tea was almost overflowing. "I was a little nervous, so I bought some milk tea to drink, hehe."

"Sugar can definitely make you feel better, drink it."

Upon hearing this, He Qingqing took a deep breath, the cool, sweet taste filling her mouth, and her shoulders finally relaxed a little.

It's exactly eight o'clock.

The street with white lights is on.

One by one, white lights began to illuminate the street from the corner into the depths, their pale glow like a row of paper lanterns lit in the darkness. The street gradually came alive. A man in a black robe emerged from the corner of the wall, and secondhand stalls were set up one by one. An old man selling medicinal herbs placed his wooden boxes at his feet, while a masked vendor carried an empty iron cage, from which the sound of claws scraping against the metal could be heard.

He Qingqing subconsciously took half a step closer to Su Ye.

Su Ye looked at both sides of the street, which was noticeably tighter than the last time he visited White Lantern Street. The stall owners spoke in low voices, and many of their goods were covered with black cloth after being displayed. When someone mentioned Azure Dragon, the person next to them immediately made a shushing gesture.

"Things are getting tense lately."

"The Xuanjing Society is about to start fighting, so don't take on any jobs randomly. Be more alert. I'm worried that Canglong will also see us as a thorn in his side and attack us as well. Baideng Street is not like the Xuanjing Society. We small merchants and vendors are just a disorganized bunch."

"I suspect that the entire 102 area was slaughtered by Canglong. The person behind 102 actually dared to put a bounty on their head. They must have a death wish."

These whispers reached Su Ye's ears, making him chuckle. However, Su Ye could also see the pressure that Canglong's recent high-profile crackdown on Xuanjing Society had put on these people, making them less likely to act too arrogantly.

Su Ye's heart stirred slightly, and he led He Qingqing toward shop number 102. From a distance, shop number 102 looked deserted, with the door half-collapsed, the windows sealed with wooden strips, and dark red marks remaining on the wall. The white light shone on the broken glass, giving off a dry and cold glow.

Su Ye didn't get too close, spreading his mental energy to lightly scan the surroundings. Soon, his eyes flickered slightly. Several auras were hidden near number 102. Some people were hiding behind second-floor windows, some were squatting at the alley entrance, and some were pretending to be stall owners, fiddling with a few pieces of scrap metal, but their attention was always on the shop entrance. None of these could escape Su Ye's mental energy.

"It's quite lively."

He Qingqing asked softly, "What's wrong?"

After pondering for a while, Su Ye told He Qingqing the whole story: "Someone has put a reward on the real culprit of the No. 102 tragedy. People around here are probably looking for clues to get the reward. Now the area around No. 102 is full of people. It's like a modern-day detective drama."

He Qingqing's eyes widened: "A bounty?"

"Hmm, two hundred thousand."

"So what are they offering a bounty for—"

He Qingqing almost dropped the milk tea in her hand. She immediately knew the answer in her mind. Wasn't everyone in the 102 shop taken care of by Mr. Su? So Mr. Su still dared to take her back to the crime scene in 102 for a stroll. He really had a big heart.

"I added the poster as a friend, but unfortunately he hasn't accepted yet."

He Qingqing was silent for two seconds, then suddenly felt like laughing. She realized that Mr. Su probably really wanted to keep the money for himself.

Just then, a stall owner selling used umbrellas nearby suddenly looked up. The face was hidden under the brim of a hat. There were seven or eight old umbrellas on the stall, their surfaces faded, and one umbrella had a blackened red rope wrapped around its ribs. "You two also want to know about number 102? It's said that the owner behind number 102 is furious and wants to find out who committed the 102 massacre. I have some information, firsthand information."

Su Ye looked over, and the stall owner smiled, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth: "Go ask at the Ghost Scale Shop, that place specializes in weighing scales, and the prices are fair."

Su Ye raised an eyebrow: "You know any clues about the real culprit?"

The stall owner folded up an old umbrella and said slowly, "While White Lantern Street sells all sorts of valuable and extraordinary items, sometimes some information is even more precious."

Su Ye and He Qingqing exchanged a glance. Su Ye, now intrigued, couldn't help but smile.

"Let's go, see how reasonable the price is."

The Ghost Scale Shop is located in the middle of White Lantern Street. The shop is very narrow, with an old scale hanging at the entrance. The weight is black, and there are a few cracked copper coins in the scale pan. When the wind blows, the copper coins collide with each other and make a soft tinkling sound.

The shopkeeper was a thin old man, and behind the counter sat an old woman, who was bending over and sewing shoe soles. The needle and thread went in and out at a pace that was uncomfortable to watch.

The old man looked up at Su Ye: "Ask about number 102?"

Su Ye nodded: "Any leads on the real culprit?"

The old man held up three fingers: "Thirty thousand."

Su Ye's lips twitched slightly: "Thirty thousand? You really have a lead?"

The old man smiled without saying a word, taking out a folded piece of paper from the drawer. On it was written a name and an address: "The owner of number 102 has offered a 200,000 reward. You can spend 30,000 to get some clues, investigate further, and perhaps resell it for a profit of 170,000. It's a good deal. That's 200,000! In Jiangcheng, that's no small sum. You can buy a lot of good things here on White Lantern Street, can't you? 30,000—you won't lose out. Young people should have a bit of a gambler's spirit—"

The two old men tried to coax Su Ye, seemingly wanting to break down his defenses. However, Su Ye suddenly chuckled and then turned and left with He Qingqing.

Behind them, the old man and woman exchanged a glance, and the old woman whispered, "Let's find someone else to sell to. This person has a brain and won't be easily fooled—there are plenty of fools these days."

The two continued walking deeper into White Lantern Street.

The further in she went, the fewer street stalls there were, and the damper the walls became. The white lights shining in the puddles looked like eyes without pupils. Occasionally, low laughter drifted from afar, the sound seeming to come from another street through the cracks in the walls. He Qingqing's breathing became shorter, but her steps did not stop.

White Lantern Street truly came alive, with stalls springing up one after another. A middle-aged woman was selling strings of grayish-white bells, saying that hanging them behind doors would allow one to hear spirits approaching. Next to her, a young man displayed several cracked stones, from which tiny red lights could be faintly seen moving. And there was an old man wearing a straw hat, with several transparent little fish in a wooden basin, their bodies shrouded in a faint mist.

None of the items are extravagant, yet they all possess a certain extraordinary quality, like tender shoots just emerging from ordinary life in this era, not yet towering, strange trees.

He Qingqing stopped in front of a stall. The stall owner was a girl with freckles on her face. In front of her was a black cloth with a few plant remains, a small, cracked stone, and a palm-sized lotus leaf on it. The edges of the lotus leaf were white, and a very faint chill flowed through its veins. As soon as He Qingqing approached, a thin layer of icy mist appeared on her fingertips.

She looked at Su Ye, who reached out and used his spiritual power to scan the lotus leaf. It was a water-type spiritual energy, and it was cold. The power in this lotus leaf was very compatible with He Qingqing's ice-type kidney water. The energy was clean and without impurities. If she absorbed it well, she would probably not be far from undergoing a marrow cleansing.

Su Ye said, "We can buy it."

He Qingqing's eyes lit up. Having gained Su Ye's approval, she was determined to get this.

"How much?"

The stall owner held up two fingers: "Thirteen thousand."

"So expensive—" There was only a wisp of spiritual energy within this lotus leaf, and the price still made He Qingqing grit her teeth. Su Ye simply turned his back. "Damn it, you want 13,000 for such a tiny bit of spiritual energy? That gold-type spiritual energy I managed to snag last time was truly a bargain—"

He Qingqing hesitated for a moment, then immediately paid. Her family wasn't particularly wealthy, but since she had come to White Lantern Street, she had definitely come prepared. She put the lotus leaf into the small box, feeling a little lighter.

So rich?

Su Ye felt a pang of envy; he couldn't even come up with 13,000 right now. No way, he had to get his hands on that 200,000!

However, he also felt a bit emotional. At this stage, Liu Xiao had already completed a marrow cleansing, Li Tong had also stepped into the threshold of transcendence, and now He Qingqing was almost there as well. All the people he had come into contact with were being pushed forward and transformed by this era.

Su Ye continued walking, his gaze sweeping over each stall. He had his own purpose in coming to White Lantern Street. Destiny analysis was too profound; it was difficult to extract its true essence in a short time. He had already completed his three marrow cleansings, but the next step remained shrouded in mist. He needed new stimulation, a new direction. The path of destiny was currently blocked, but breathing techniques might be possible. If he absorbed enough spiritual energy from heaven and earth, using quantitative change to drive qualitative change, his inner fire might strengthen first. The fire-based spiritual energy stimulating his heart might allow him to forge a new path.

Therefore, Su Ye focused his attention on breathing techniques.

After searching around, Su Ye couldn't find anything suitable. Some of the things that were considered "hot" were either too mixed with spiritual energy or contained obvious toxicity, so it was hard to say how effective they would be in stimulating the heart, and the side effects would likely be very irritating.

When he reached the entrance of an alley, Su Ye stopped and suddenly sighed.

"What am I even looking for?"

He Qingqing looked at him with suspicion.

The next moment, Su Ye's mental energy silently spread out. White Lantern Street transformed in his mind; the streets, alleys, stalls, vendors, goods, lights, puddles—every detail was swept over by his mental energy. Every item on the stalls seemed to be examined inch by inch before his very eyes. He Qingqing felt a slight tremor in the air around her; the originally cold and chaotic white lights seemed to have been flattened for a moment by Su Ye's mental energy.

Su Ye opened his eyes quickly.

"Found it."

On a corner of Baideng Street, there is a stove in front of a small stall that almost no one passes by.

The stove was only the size of a palm, and its entire body was gray and black. There were mottled marks on the surface from being burned. There was no flame at the stove opening, but a very faint heat swirled inside, as if a spark was still hidden under the ashes.

Su Ye led He Qingqing over, where the stall owner sat in the shadows. He was completely shrouded in a black robe, his exposed hands dry and withered like old tree bark, his fingers long and thin. His aura was deep and still, making Su Ye slightly wary. There were indeed some extraordinary figures in White Lantern Street. In this world, everyone evolves together; there are countless rare exceptions, countless variables possessing great fortune.

However, Su Ye's attention quickly returned to the furnace. The fire elemental energy was very pure. It was as if an old fire was sealed inside the furnace. The temperature was not intense, making it perfect for nourishing the heart fire.

Su Ye asked, "How much is this?"

The man in black robes raised his head, a strange light flashing in his cloudy eyes: "Fifty-three thousand."

Su Ye's expression froze for a moment. He was almost choked to death by the stall owner's price of 53,000. To be honest, 53,000 was not expensive for a Lingji of this quality. In fact, he thought the price was very cheap. But the problem was that even if it was cheap, Su Ye couldn't afford it now.

Su Ye glanced at He Qingqing, who quickly turned her head away. "Brother, don't look at me! I'm just a weak girl, how could I possibly come up with so much money?"

Su Ye looked at the furnace, then at the man in black robes. The fact that extraordinary cultivation required a lot of money became incredibly real at that moment.

The black-robed man's lips twitched as he looked Su Ye up and down. Then, he sighed, suddenly reached out, and pushed the stove in front of him.

"Alright, you and I are destined to meet, so I'll give you this stove."

"ah?"

Su Ye was taken aback, and He Qingqing was also stunned.

送？

The man in the black robe slowly stood up. His body beneath the robe was extremely thin, as if a gust of wind could blow him away: "Consider it an investment in you."

.

His voice was hoarse but calm: "The world is changing drastically, and no one can predict where things will lead in the future. Having more friends means having more options. Young man, you're doing very well. In this area around here, you've already reached the top."

After doing all this, he simply packed up his stall and stopped setting it up, as if he had been waiting for Su Ye there. He turned and walked deeper into White Lantern Street, the white lanterns casting a mysterious glow on his back.

Su Ye stood there, holding the small stove in his hand. The stove was slightly warm, and a wisp of fire seeped into his body along his palm. The thin flame deep in his heart even jumped slightly.

Su Ye watched the black-robed man's retreating figure, his gaze slowly deepening.

investment?

This was the first time he had seen something outside his control within Jiangcheng.

An unprecedented sense of crisis arose spontaneously.