Chapter 232: Jade Talisman, Friendship, and Trust

The layout and scenery were basically the same as when he had left.

He first opened his Storage Bag and released the Fire Spirit Snake. After a simple feeding, he let it roam freely within the cave while he took out the Communication Jade.

“Chief Venerate Chen, I’ve returned,” Zhao Zuo said softly.

After barely two seconds, Chen Xiaorong’s cool voice came from the Communication Jade.

“I’ll come to your Cave Mansion now.”

“Alright.”

About ten minutes later, the gate to the Cave Mansion opened from within. Zhao Zuo rose and led Chen Xiaorong to the reception room, then began heating a kettle with Spiritual Charcoal to brew a simple pot of Cold Thorn tea.

After just a few days, Chen Xiaorong’s complexion had improved immensely; at the very least, the healthy color had returned to her cheeks. She wore a light blue Taoist Robe, her posture upright and imbued with an unearthly beauty. She looked like a fairy from the highest heavens, inspiring a reverence that would quell any profane thought.

Her black hair cascaded over her shoulders and back like a waterfall, softening her sharp disposition with a touch of gentleness. A light blue jade hairpin was tucked into her hair.

It was as if she had once again become the Chief Venerate Chen of old. Though she exuded no air of superiority, a natural chasm still separated her from common folk. They were only a meter apart, yet it felt as if they were separated by heaven and earth…

“These are your Magical Artifacts,” Chen Xiaorong said first.

What she handed him were the Soul-Shaking Bell and the Clear Heart Jade Pendant, both of which appeared completely intact.

“Then I’ll accept them.”

The items belonged to Zhao Zuo to begin with, so he accepted them without ceremony, naturally taking the Magical Artifacts and placing them in his Storage Bag.

“I guessed you wouldn’t accept that Jade Talisman. It seems I wasn’t wrong about you.”

Chen Xiaorong nonchalantly picked up the teapot and poured hot tea into both their cups. Her words carried a hint of joy, so subtle it was almost imperceptible. It was then Zhao Zuo realized that Chen Xiaorong wasn’t emotionless like Zhou Qingning; her emotions were simply very faint.

When she smiled, the corners of her mouth merely lifted into a slight curve, making her look even more beautiful.

Zhao Zuo’s heart skipped a beat, but he quickly reined it in with his powerful sense of reason.

‘Constant Sober, Constant Calm. Do not let the ten thousand things of the world stir your heart.’

The calm returned to Zhao Zuo’s eyes.

“I went to that city to repay a debt, not for some kind of benefit,” Zhao Zuo said.

“It was a token of gratitude from my master and Senior Brother Li. Even if you had accepted it, it would have made no difference. It would still have counted as repaying the debt for saving our lives.” Chen Xiaorong lifted the teacup to her lips and blew on it gently, her long lashes framing eyes of striking clarity as she stared into Zhao Zuo’s.

One of the abilities of the Sword Heart Clarity Body was that no one whose Cultivation was less than a full Great Realm above Chen Xiaorong’s could lie under her gaze. Because of this, she had witnessed the ugliness of human nature all too often.

“It’s not the same,” Zhao Zuo said, shaking his head.

“How is it not the same?” A hint of curiosity appeared in Chen Xiaorong’s eyes, but she was looking down to sip her tea, so Zhao Zuo couldn’t see them.

“To me, it’s not the same. Repaying a debt is just that—it’s not for personal gain or recognition,” Zhao Zuo said.

“Then what is it for?” Chen Xiaorong pressed, her tone slightly urgent.

“For peace of mind. For my conscience.”

“I knew I wasn’t mistaken. You and I are the same type of person. Your conscience seems to guide you to be true to yourself and not fail others, while mine drives me to seek true fairness in this world.” The joy in Chen Xiaorong’s voice was nearly impossible to conceal.

“True fairness?” Zhao Zuo asked, also a little curious.

“It means equality for all. It means Cultivators no longer being high and mighty. It means the life of a common Mortal being just as important as a Cultivator’s. It means a world without oppression and exploitation.” Chen Xiaorong’s eyes seemed to shine, and as she spoke of her ideal, her whole body seemed to radiate light.

“That ideal… it’s an incredibly difficult path to follow.”

In the Cultivation Realm, Chen Xiaorong’s philosophy was indeed seen as heretical. The powerful of this world almost universally disregarded the lives of the weak.

Cultivators were even less likely to concern themselves with fairness toward ordinary Mortals. In the eyes of many, they and Mortals were no longer the same species.

“I know it’s difficult, and that it’s tantamount to making an enemy of the entire Cultivation Realm,” Chen Xiaorong said.

‘If you understand that, why would you still make it your core belief?’

Zhao Zuo wanted to ask, but he held his tongue. He hadn’t known Chen Xiaorong for long. If not for the fact that she owed him her life, they couldn’t even be considered friends.

“You must be wondering why I think this way.”

Chen Xiaorong drained her teacup. This was a secret known to no one, but since she already considered Zhao Zuo a kindred spirit, there was no longer a need to conceal it.

“Because when I was a child, my family was too poor to support me. My parents decided to sell me for some silver coins to buy grain for the winter. The one who bought me was a wandering hero from the Jianghu. His ideal was to topple the high-and-mighty Cultivators, to bring them down to the mortal world so that no one would have to live under their yoke.”

Chen Xiaorong didn’t say what ultimately became of the man, but Zhao Zuo could read between the lines. He must have died, perishing on the path to achieving his ideal.

“So, his ideal became your core belief?” Zhao Zuo asked.

“That’s right. I want to fulfill his ideal for him, to create a nation that is as fair as possible,” Chen Xiaorong said, pouring herself more tea. Her tone was utterly sincere.

“That’s a very difficult thing to do,” Zhao Zuo said.

“I know. That’s why I must strive for it. But unfortunately… I’m already crippled.”

Chen Xiaorong looked to be in good shape now. The Meridians in her body were mostly healed, but her shattered Heaven and Earth Bridge was irreparable. This meant she could never reach the Foundation Establishment Realm again in this life.

“Is there no way at all?” Zhao Zuo asked.

“If my Lifebound Sword could be repaired, there might be a small chance…” Chen Xiaorong waved her hand, retrieving the longsword Suwen from her Storage Bag. Its blade resembled a beautiful piece of jade with a pure white edge—the very image of flawless white jade—yet the edge also possessed a metallic quality.

“This sword was originally part of the Moyun Treasure Vault’s collection. The first time I saw it, I felt a connection to it. A pity…”

Now, however, the Spiritual Light of this Upper Grade Magical Artifact was dim. Both sides of its blade were covered in a web of fine cracks, and it exuded no sense of sharpness whatsoever.

Zhao Zuo stared at the pure white blade. With the power of his Golden Finger, upgrading and repairing this sword would not be difficult. He was, however, contemplating whether helping Chen Xiaorong was worth the effort.

After a few seconds, he made a somewhat risky decision.

“I can try to fix this sword, but I’ll need twenty thousand Spirit Stones.”

Chen Xiaorong looked up at Zhao Zuo, her face a picture of disbelief. She could sense he was lying, but her surprise was a pleasant one. The first part of his statement was true, but the second part was false.

‘He really can fix it, but he doesn’t need the Spirit Stones.’

“Are you willing to trust me?” Zhao Zuo asked Chen Xiaorong.

“I trust you.”

Chen Xiaorong’s reply was firm. Before this, even the Chief Venerate of the Earth Fire Hall, a man with two hundred years of experience in Artifact Refining, had declared the sword irreparable. Even the brilliant Li Ge, who was already capable of refining Magical Treasures, had no confidence he could fix it. Yet the man before her… could!

She didn’t just trust Zhao Zuo; she trusted her Sword Heart Clarity Body, which had never been mistaken.

“Here are twenty thousand Spirit Stones. I’ll entrust Suwen to you.”

With a slight wave of her hand, a pile of Spirit Stones appeared on the ground nearby. She solemnly handed Suwen to Zhao Zuo without a moment’s hesitation.

“I have two conditions. First, you cannot come to check on the process while I’m repairing it.”

“Fine. I agree.”

“Second, you cannot tell anyone else about this.”

“No problem.”

With this back-and-forth, the initial foundations of their friendship were laid.