"Old Qin, what is this?" Zhang Er Gou asked, his hands trembling and his voice tense.
This was a treasure that had sold for fifty million low-grade spirit stones.
Now it was in his hands, and Zhang Er Gou looked at Old Qin with disbelief.
Zi Lin and the chubby bear Xiong Bao also stared at Old Qin blankly.
They kept glancing back at the Divine Wood Melody in Zhang Er Gou's hand, as if to confirm if it was real.
"Haha, Er Gou, don't have any psychological burden. I bought the Divine Wood Melody with the intention of giving it to you," Old Qin said with a hearty laugh.
"I heard you few youngsters discussing this Divine Wood Melody at the Black Xuan Pavilion auction house. As an exchange for our deal, I bought it."
Old Qin said casually, as if he were just buying a small gift.
"But Old Qin, this is too valuable!" Zhang Er Gou understood the principle of not accepting favors without reason. Since Old Qin was giving him such a precious treasure, his request must not be simple. If he accepted the Divine Wood Melody now, he would have to agree to any unreasonable request Old Qin made later. This was not what Zhang Er Gou wanted. Although the Divine Wood Melody was valuable, it was still an external possession. Old Qin's request clearly had something to do with the spiritual fire within him. For a moment, Zhang Er Gou was in turmoil.
"Little friend Er Gou, don't worry. What I seek is indeed related to the celestial fire in your body," Old Qin continued, as if he had seen through Zhang Er Gou's dilemma.
"I want to borrow your celestial fire for a use." Old Qin became exceptionally serious.
"What do you mean, Old Qin?" Zhang Er Gou looked up, staring at Old Qin with confusion.
Old Qin did not answer. Instead, he rolled up his sleeves.
"What is this?" Zhang Er Gou asked, looking at the black miasma coiling around Old Qin's arm.
"This is demonic energy!" A flicker of pain crossed Old Qin's face, but he quickly concealed it.
"Demonic energy?"
"Precisely," Old Qin nodded. "This demonic energy was not originally in my body. I accidentally let it in during an outing for experience. Then it hid within me. For some years, I didn't notice anything unusual. However, every time I broke through a realm, I was disturbed by inner demons. I thought it was due to my weak will. It was only after I broke through to the Nascent Soul stage that this thing was forced out of its hiding place and attached itself to my arm. I tried every method, consulted many high-level alchemists, but no one could get rid of it. Just when I had lost hope and decided to ignore it, a sixth-grade alchemist told me that he had read in an ancient text that celestial fire could cleanse demonic energy from the body."
Old Qin sighed. Zhang Er Gou, Zi Lin, and Xiong Bao listened intently as Old Qin recounted his story.
"But finding celestial fire is extremely difficult. It's something only immortals possess." A hint of melancholy flashed in Old Qin's eyes. He had spent his life in pursuit of celestial fire.
"Just when I thought celestial fire only existed in legends and was about to give up, I came to this black market. Perhaps this Black Xuan Pavilion had news of celestial fire. I never expected to meet you." Old Qin looked at Zhang Er Gou with burning eyes. When a person has experienced hope, disappointment, despair, and then is given hope again, the excitement is indescribable. If not for his profound cultivation and composed demeanor, Old Qin would have already expressed his joy outwardly.
"What do I need to do?" Having heard Old Qin's words, even though he didn't know if they were true, Zhang Er Gou chose to believe him. A great figure in the Nascent Soul stage wouldn't have the time to spin tales to trick them.
"Little friend, you agree to help me?" Now it was Old Qin's turn to be shocked, his beard trembling with excitement.
"Old Qin, you trust me so much, and you so casually gave me this precious Divine Wood Melody. If I refuse, it would be unreasonable," Zhang Er Gou said, scratching his head with a determined expression.
"Haha, little friend Er Gou, you truly grow on me. Since that's the case, I won't be pretentious either." Old Qin laughed heartily.
"Actually, using celestial fire to cleanse this demonic energy is simple. You just need to bake it with celestial fire."
"That simple?" Zhang Er Gou hadn't expected it to be so easy. He had been worried about how much he would have to sacrifice.
"Come, little friend Er Gou, unleash your celestial fire and try baking it. You'll know then." Old Qin was also a little uncertain, as this was something he had heard from the sixth-grade alchemist. As he spoke, Old Qin raised his arm, revealing a section of his limb covered in dense black miasma.
Zhang Er Gou did not dare to delay. He immediately extended his palm and touched Old Qin's arm. With a thought, his spiritual fire flowed from his palm into Old Qin's arm, transforming into small wisps of flame that began to envelop the black miasma patterns.
"It's working!" As the spiritual fire touched his arm, Old Qin felt a change. His arm burned, and the demonic energy clearly felt threatened, struggling to escape the spiritual fire's embrace. However, the spiritual fire seemed to have eyes, enveloping the demonic energy wherever it tried to flee. Eventually, the spiritual fire managed to trap the demonic energy. The demonic energy writhed violently on Old Qin's arm, as if encountering its natural enemy. Seeing this, Old Qin endured the pain, trying his best not to disturb Zhang Er Gou.
About an hour later, Zhang Er Gou was covered in sweat. It was clear he had exerted himself significantly during this hour. The spiritual fire continued to burn and bake Old Qin's arm, but the demonic energy had been in Old Qin's body for a very long time. After the initial panic, the deeply rooted demonic energy began to contend with the spiritual fire. As a result, after an hour, less than a tenth of the demonic energy patterns on Old Qin's arm had dissipated. Gradually, Zhang Er Gou felt himself weakening. He quickly stuffed a handful of Qi Condensing Pills into his mouth, and torrents of spiritual energy entered his body, replenishing his consumption.
Three hours later, Zhang Er Gou finally exhausted his energy, and the spiritual fire retreated back into his body.
"Old Qin, it seems I cannot completely remove this demonic energy for you today," Zhang Er Gou said weakly, looking at Old Qin with a hint of shame.
"Silly child, what are you saying? To have achieved such results, I am already immensely grateful. How could I expect it to be removed completely in one go?" Old Qin gently stroked Zhang Er Gou's head with affection. Instantly, Zhang Er Gou felt a surge of pure, potent essence flowing into his body.
"Old Qin, you?" Zhang Er Gou looked up at Old Qin.
"Since this demonic energy cannot be cleaned up quickly, I have a humble request. I hope Er Gou can agree to it." Old Qin smiled slightly, not answering Zhang Er Gou's question.
"Please, Old Qin, tell me."
"I plan to accompany you three youngsters for a while. What do you say?"
"Ah! This!" Zhang Er Gou quickly looked at Zi Lin for guidance.