Chapter Six: The Sacrifice

Qin Feng stared intently at the world inside the box, pondering how to procure cultivation resources for the tiny people within.

"The cultivation resource that Uncle Tie provided looks somewhat like fragments of jade..." he mused. "I remember there's an heirloom jade stone at home—I'll give it a try and see what happens..."

As he gazed at the fine, crystalline sand that Uncle Tie had produced, the more he looked, the more it seemed like shards of jade. With a spirit of experimentation, Qin Feng fetched the family’s ancestral jade. The stone was pure white as snow, about the size of an infant’s palm, cool to the touch, and of excellent quality. It felt quite pleasant in his hand.

"Hopefully, after the box transforms the jade, it will have the desired effect..."

He took out a small knife and carefully scraped off some jade dust, scattering it in a remote corner of the box’s world. Instantly, mysterious patterns appeared on the surface of the box. The falling jade dust, enveloped by these enigmatic markings, gradually turned into fine spiritual sand—identical to the sand that Uncle Tie had offered.

"Wonderful! It’s working—the jade fragments I scraped off have truly turned into crystalline sand!" Qin Feng grinned. "Giving this piece of jade to those little people is akin to granting them a small mountain of cultivation resources!"

At this hour, night had already fallen inside the box, and all the little figures had returned to their homes to sleep. Qin Feng withdrew his gaze and left the study’s secret chamber.

"Next, I need to head out..." he murmured. "Buy some weapons and armor, have the blacksmith make me a small censer, and pick up some ceremonial incense from the Mountain God's temple... As for the jade, one piece should suffice for now..."

He mentally noted all the items he needed, then stepped out of the ancestral house, locking the door behind him, and made his way toward the blacksmith’s shop.

The blacksmith’s shop was some distance from Qin Feng’s ancestral home. After about a quarter-hour’s walk through the streets, Qin Feng arrived, slightly out of breath, and went straight inside.

The shop's interior was spacious, occupied by a burly, middle-aged man with a stubbly face.

"Ah, Constable Qin Feng! Come in, come in!" The blacksmith, Master Liu, recognized him—he was a frequent client, as the constabulary often required ironwork. Thus, he was familiar with most of the constables.

Seeing Qin Feng enter, Master Liu greeted him warmly, a broad smile on his face.

"Master Liu, do you have time to forge some weapons and armor for me?" Qin Feng asked with a smile.

"Oh? What kind of weapons and armor does Constable Qin need? Shields, or perhaps soft armor? Spears, or swords?" Master Liu inquired.

"Well..." Qin Feng considered for a moment. "Swords and soft armor, made small—give me two or three dozen pieces."

Master Liu’s breathing quickened at once. Two or three dozen weapons and suits of armor—this was a substantial commission!

"Alright! How small do you want the swords and soft armor?" Master Liu's eyes gleamed with anticipation.

"About the size of a fingernail..." Qin Feng ventured. "Is that possible?"

"Uh..." Master Liu was momentarily dumbfounded. Armor and weapons the size of a fingernail? What could those possibly be for—fighting ants?

"I'm sorry, Constable Qin, but your request is a bit too demanding. Weapons and armor that small are extremely difficult to forge," Master Liu said awkwardly. "At most, I can manage one or two pieces for you."

To tell the truth, Master Liu had never encountered such a request in his life. If not for his respect for the constabulary, he might not even have agreed. Producing one or two pieces was already a favor.

"Alright," Qin Feng replied, detecting Master Liu’s difficulty and feeling a twinge of regret. "One or two is fine."

Remembering that he also needed to buy incense to protect the little people, Qin Feng decided not to press for more weapons and armor.

"Also, could you forge a tiny censer, about the size of a fingernail as well?" Qin Feng added.

"Of course, Constable Qin. Come back in a bit and they’ll be ready," Master Liu agreed after a moment’s thought. "Two pieces of weapon and armor, and a small censer—that’ll be thirty copper coins in total."

"Deal," Qin Feng said, handing over the money before leaving the blacksmith’s shop.

He made his way to the Mountain God’s temple, where he purchased some ceremonial incense from the temple keeper. On his return, he collected the miniature weapons, armor, and censer from the blacksmith.

"Everything’s ready..." Qin Feng smiled and hurried home, heading straight to the secret chamber in his study. Once again, he gazed into the box’s world.

It was now daytime. The little people in the valley were busy constructing an altar, carving intricate and lifelike patterns into it.

"What are they doing?" Qin Feng wondered, curiosity evident on his face.

...

At that very moment in the box’s world, Ye Qingyu, along with Uncle Tie and the others, was working on building the sacrificial altar.

Earlier that morning, Uncle Tie had gathered everyone and explained that the altar needed to be perfected—they would offer tribute to the Celestial Exile of the Heavenly Way in gratitude for the blessings received.

The group naturally agreed, rolling up their sleeves and diligently setting to work on the altar.

"Uncle, do you think the Celestial Exile of the Heavenly Way will find our offerings acceptable?" a young disciple of the Profound Azure Palace asked anxiously as they worked, worried that their tributes might be deemed unworthy.

"Whether they are acceptable or not, it’s our sincerity that counts—we must show proper respect!" Uncle Tie replied firmly. "We cannot afford to slight the Celestial Exile of the Heavenly Way."

When the altar was complete, Uncle Tie looked to Ye Qingyu. "Qingyu, since you are the chosen of the Celestial Exile, you shall present the offering on our behalf."

Ye Qingyu nodded gently. Stepping before the altar, she placed upon it a roasted wild bear, several fragrant spiritual herbs, a weathered ancient tome, and some sparkling porcelain vessels.

She then began to chant softly, reciting the words of the ritual.

Soon, a faint glow emanated from the altar, enveloping the offerings.

"Is this a ceremony?" Qin Feng watched, rapt.

Before long, the light consumed the items atop the altar, and they vanished, slowly ascending into the air. Within the box’s mysterious, arcane patterns, all the offerings turned into motes of light, which then merged into Qin Feng’s body.

He stared, wide-eyed in astonishment.

Bathed in the nourishing glow, a surge of information flooded his mind, and a warm current flowed through his body, revitalizing his blood, meridians, bones, and organs.

"How comfortable..." Qin Feng’s whole body felt suffused with warmth; his blood circulated freely, his energy rising in waves.

"My injuries—they’re all healed!"

As his energy settled, Qin Feng’s eyes shone with amazement. He was brimming with vitality, clear-headed and refreshed.

He realized that all his internal injuries had been completely cured, and couldn’t help but feel elated.