Chapter 74: The Water-Repelling Pearl

As time slipped by, an entire hour passed quietly. Jiang Yan remained wholly focused, channeling spiritual energy to heat the large cauldron. Demons on the street came and went, wave after wave, yet their fascination with Jiang Yan’s alchemical process never waned.

“Look, he’s been at it for so long and still hasn’t succeeded,” a rabbit demon remarked in idle conversation.

“You think a Water-Avoidance Pearl is so easy to make? It’s only been an hour,” a dog demon retorted dismissively.

The chatter on the street, however, did not disturb Jiang Yan. He continued with unwavering concentration, his hands never ceasing in their work. Nearby, the old tiger demon woman watched him with keen eyes. Seeing Jiang Yan’s serious, focused profile, she nodded in satisfaction, a glimmer of approval flickering in her gaze.

Another half hour passed. At last, Jiang Yan gently set the cauldron down onto the table and carefully lifted the lid.

A beam of light streaked from the cauldron like a meteor across the night sky. All eyes turned toward it, only to see the cauldron filled with glimmering, crystalline Water-Avoidance Pearls.

The little dwarf dragon stretched its neck curiously, craning toward the edge of the cauldron to count the pearls inside. “One, two, three, four, five, six…”

Its voice grew ever more excited until it reached sixty, at which point it halted its counting.

Bai Tao, his companions, and the surrounding crowd of demons were all stunned. Jiang Yan had actually succeeded in refining sixty Water-Avoidance Pearls in one attempt!

The tiger demon woman reached out and picked up one of the pearls, examining it closely. A trace of joy flickered in her eyes. “This is actually a high-grade Water-Avoidance Pearl! Wearing it, one can breathe underwater for six full hours!”

Her words left the crowd in an even greater state of shock. Sixty pearls were already unbelievable—yet all of them were high-grade!

“Excellent, excellent, excellent!” the old tiger demon woman exclaimed in praise. “Young man, it seems I truly did not misjudge you! Consider those immortal herbs my gift to you. Just give me ten of these Water-Avoidance Pearls.”

“Grandmother, thank you so much!” Jiang Yan replied gratefully. “Please, choose them yourself.”

From the wide sleeve of her robe, the tiger demon woman slowly produced a delicate porcelain vial. Tears glimmered in her eyes, her hands trembling slightly as she carefully selected ten flawless pearls and placed them gently within the bottle.

In a hoarse voice, she said, “Young man, in truth, I should be the one thanking you. At last, I have the confidence to search for my old husband again.”

Bai Tao, ever warm-hearted, sensed something amiss in her words and quickly asked, “Grandmother, did your husband encounter some kind of trouble?”

The old tiger demon woman gently wiped away a tear and began, “Over ten years ago, my husband heard that there were supreme immortal herbs hidden beneath that mysterious sea. Eagerly, he set out to find them. But he never returned—he vanished without a trace.

“Few among our demon kind can make Water-Avoidance Pearls, and with my limited spirit stones, I couldn’t afford high-grade ones. The best we could make ourselves only allowed for three hours of underwater breathing…”

It became clear that over the years, the tiger demon woman had not neglected the search, but the vastness of the sea and the limited duration of the pearls meant her search range was extremely narrow.

Upon learning her husband had been missing for over a decade, all present felt there was little hope—his remains had likely already been devoured by sea beasts. It was already a miracle that the tiger demon woman had ventured so many times into the domain of the sea and returned unharmed.

To the land-dwelling demons, that sea was a place of unknown perils. Even with Water-Avoidance Pearls, none dared enter lightly.

Jiang Yan spoke in a calm, steady voice: “Grandmother, the secret realm we seek lies within that very sea. Could you describe your husband to us? If we encounter him, we will bring him back safely.”

Bai Tao immediately echoed, “That’s right, Grandmother, don’t worry. If we find any trace of your husband, we’ll spare no effort to bring him back to you.”

A look of gratitude flickered in the old tiger demon woman’s eyes as she gazed at Jiang Yan and Bai Tao. With gentle warmth, she replied, “You are both good-hearted children. Let me thank you in advance. In truth, my old husband is human, just like you—he was once a cultivator…”

She slowly recounted how she met her husband and the deep bond between them.

Her husband’s name was Li Zhuang, a wandering rogue cultivator who, gravely wounded and near death, accidentally stumbled into demon territory. It was there that the tiger demon woman, out searching for immortal herbs, saved him. Through mutual care and companionship, human and demon came to understand and love one another, finally choosing to be together.

But just as she finished her story, a series of urgent, shrill bells suddenly rang out.

Immediately, the market’s vendors began hurriedly packing up their stalls, rushing home with anxious haste. Shops on either side of the street slammed their doors shut, while the demons wandering the street all dashed home with alarmed expressions.

Jiang Yan and his friends witnessed the scene, their faces filled with confusion.

The old tiger demon woman, fumbling as she gathered her things, spoke urgently to Jiang Yan and the others: “Quick, go hide in the Osmanthus Pavilion. Remember, do not come out before dawn!”

With those words, she hurried off toward her own home.

Jiang Yan’s group decided to heed her warning and made their way to the Osmanthus Pavilion. When they arrived, they found the innkeeper already closing the door halfway.

Jiang Yan quickly lifted the curtain. “Innkeeper, we need a room!”

“Come in, quickly!” the innkeeper replied urgently. “Any later and it’ll be too late.”

They ducked inside, squeezing through the door just as the innkeeper slammed it shut behind them with a sigh of relief.

“Well, what a coincidence, everyone! We meet again!” A familiar female voice drifted through the air. Turning toward it, they saw Fox Third Lady, dressed in a flowing red gown, approaching gracefully.

Bai Tao, curious, greeted her, “Ah, Fox Third Lady, fancy running into you here. Are you also staying at the inn?”

The innkeeper chimed in at just the right moment, “Honored guests, this lady is the owner of the Osmanthus Pavilion.”

Bai Tao could only give an awkward chuckle. “Heh, my apologies—I didn’t realize you were the proprietor.”

Fox Third Lady, seeing time was short, dispensed with pleasantries. “How many rooms do you require? One room is two hundred mid-grade spirit stones a night, maximum four to a room.”

“Four rooms,” Bai Tao replied promptly, producing eight hundred mid-grade spirit stones and handing them to the innkeeper.