The Elixir is for You, The Poison is for Me

#242 - Absolutely not!

After hearing Lu Jing finish recounting the matter of [Xin Zi 337], Ye Gongmei finally sniffed up the last of her snot, and washed away the tear stains on her face with clear water, finally regaining some semblance of her former senior expert demeanor. ♦ ♦     ♦ ♦

Then, in a somewhat muffled voice, she said, "You want to find a Nie Tie? Hmm, that's not difficult. It likes to eat metal, especially rare metals. If there's none, fresh bamboo can also lure it..."

"My Zen staff is made of meteorite iron, which should be quite rare. Why hasn't it appeared?" Lu Jing frowned upon hearing this.

Moreover, according to Yang Tao, many students went mountain climbing, including quite a few from aristocratic families. Although some people's weapons were snatched away by that mountain spirit, most people still had theirs, and there were many famous items among them. Yet, no one encountered that panda.

"Oh, that's because that Nie Tie has an owner," Ye Gongmei said. "You said that little girl named Yan Yun ran into it; it was probably because that Nie Tie secretly sneaked out to play and she encountered it."

"That Nie Tie has an owner?" This news surprised Lu Jing greatly.

"Of course. The "Strange Object Records" state that the Nie Tie's feces can be used to forge weapons. In fact, some of the metal it eats is excreted, and in this process, the impurities are digested, leaving only the purest essence. It can be said to be a divine beast that every weapon refiner dreams of."

"Then, Senior Ye, do you know who the Nie Tie's owner is?" Lu Jing asked.

Ye Gongmei nodded, "I know. That fellow is called Chi. His master was from the same generation as me. Before he died, he not only passed on all of his weapon refining skills to Chi but also entrusted the Nie Tie to him.

"Afterward, he even came to find me, asking me how to make the Nie Tie excrete the hardest iron in the world."

"Did you tell him?"

"What?"

"How to make the Nie Tie excrete the hardest iron in the world."

Ye Gongmei raised her eyebrows. "My beast-controlling skills aren't omnipotent. I can only give him some guidance based on the beast's natural habits. I told him a few directions to try, but I don't really understand weapon refining.

"As for whether he has succeeded now, I don't know. Anyway, he hasn't come to find me since then."

Speaking of this, Ye Gongmei couldn't help but mutter, "Could it be that he saw me like this and didn't quite believe what I said?"

"No, I think it's probably because the path Senior Ye pointed out to him worked, so he didn't come to you for help again." Lu Jing first comforted Ye Gongmei, then asked, "Where should I go to find this Chi... Senior?"

"If I remember correctly, he mentioned to me that he lives in a cave on the west side of the Layered Forest, but that cave is not easy to find. It's located among cliffs, and it's difficult to reach without good lightness skills, and..."

Ye Gongmei revealed a hesitant look, which Lu Jing noticed, and he asked, "What is it?"

"That fellow is too obsessed with weapon refining and doesn't pay much attention to things outside of it. His personality is a bit eccentric, and since his master died, he's been living alone. Now... I'm afraid he's even harder to deal with."

"I know. The strange object under the Star Gazing Tower. That thing is quite interesting. Usually, it's in a statue state, and it only comes to life when it eats copper coins and a strange object approaches. Wait, why are you bringing up the Judge again? Does it have anything to do with Chi?" Ye Gongmei asked curiously.

"No, it's another matter. I want to know... if two strange objects approach the Judge at the same time after it eats a copper coin, how will the Judge react?" Lu Jing asked.

"That fellow is very lazy and greedy. If you give him one copper coin, he'll only help you judge one strange object. If there are two strange objects in front of him at the same time, he'll only pick one to judge."

Ye Gongmei's answer relieved Lu Jing. It seemed that the Pixiu had only misjudged Amu as a black cat.

Before Lu Jing could thank Ye Gongmei for her explanation, he heard her continue, "But you don't have to worry about it confusing the two strange objects. The Sitianjian has had many similar cases before.

"If there are multiple strange objects at the same time, the Judge will clearly point out which strange object it has judged with its tail after making a judgment. So, over the years, the Sitianjian hasn't made any mistakes in this regard. Eh, why has your face turned so strange again?"

Lu Jing recalled the situation at that time. He was sure that the Pixiu's tail didn't react at all and was basically hanging behind its butt the whole time.

Could it be that there really was something wrong with Amu's identity? But if it wasn't a strange object, then what was it?

Lu Jing felt completely confused. With a try-it-and-see attitude, he asked Ye Gongmei again, "Senior Ye, besides strange objects, is there anything else in this world that possesses special powers beyond common sense?"

"Absolutely impossible," Ye Gongmei said decisively.

However, Lu Jing then clearly saw a fleeting look of horror in her eyes. It was the first time Lu Jing had seen such an expression in Ye Gongmei's eyes.

Ye Gongmei then asked in a seemingly nonchalant tone, "What? Have you seen something like that?"

"No, I just had a whim when I was flipping through the "Strange Object Records." Lu Jing said.

He had a premonition that he was probably in for something big again. The horror in Ye Gongmei's eyes was clearly not his illusion, and for Amu's safety, Lu Jing decided to hide this matter for now until he figured out the situation.

Hearing Lu Jing say this, Ye Gongmei seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, then secretly glanced at Lu Jing, not seeing anything wrong on the latter's face, before exhorting again.

"Don't always think wildly when you have nothing to do. You might as well review what I taught you. Bring that black cat tomorrow, and I'll demonstrate the key to taming cats again."

"Alright, then I'll take my leave, Senior Ye," Lu Jing said with clasped fists.