Transporting The Demonic Tree

“I don’t know its name, but it was a large lizard that ran on two legs. It also released freezing air from its claws.”

“There’s no mistake. It’s a demonic beast called an Ice Dragon. Did you bring back its claws?”

“Yes. Do you think I can make jewel cores from these?”

“I think you can, but are you planning to make another jewel-core weapon?”

“No, I intend to make a different treasure tool.”

My words seemed to interest Elder Min.

“What kind of object are you considering?”

“I’m thinking of a treasure tool that makes ice.”

“Ice? That sounds useful.”

“I think it would be convenient for cooling water, wine, and food ingredients.”

“That’s true. But I’m not sure about cooling water. They say cold water is bad for the body.”

What Elder Min said was not wrong. Drinking cold water constricted the blood vessels and lowered the heart rate, while also making fat more likely to solidify. It was bad for the body, but cold water tasted delicious during a hot summer. When I explained that to Elder Min, she laughed.

“I see. It may be bad for the body, but it sounds delicious.”

“Come to think of it, I once heard that Immortals no longer feel heat or cold and don’t shed a single drop of sweat even during a hot summer. Is that true?”

“Once you become an Immortal and gain complete control over your body, you can do such things. However, I doubt it is good for the body.”

For an ageless and immortal being, being slightly unhealthy probably did not matter.

“Understood.”

“Oh, right. Your alchemy furnace is complete, so come and collect it tomorrow.”

“Thank you. I can’t come tomorrow, but I’ll collect it the day after.”

I went to the storage shed, treated the Ice Dragon hide, and then headed to the dining hall.

“Senior Brother Kou, over here.”

After receiving my meal, I headed toward Seiran’s voice. The seven members of the Old Refinement Fellowship whom I was instructing had gathered around a table and were eating together.

“Where did you go so early today?”

Shunlin asked.

“I went to the Demonic Tree Forest. I was hunting a demonic tree.”

“To such a dangerous place? Did you manage to defeat one?”

Haoxuen asked with wide eyes.

“I defeated one, but it was too large to carry. That’s why I have a request for everyone.”

Yingjie nodded as though he understood.

“You want us to help transport the demonic tree, right? Of course we’ll help.”

Everyone else also agreed.

The following morning, all of us headed into the demon realm.

“It’s unusual to enter the demon realm with such a large group, isn’t it?”

When I said that, Meimei nodded.

“The last time for me was when I went with an instructor to test the new disciples’ abilities.”

Nothing like that had happened while I was an outer disciple. Well, it did not matter. We would enjoy the trip. The Fang Rabbits and Piercing Wolves we encountered along the way were each killed in a single strike by Meimei, Hongfa, or Shunlin. It seemed Fang Rabbits and Piercing Wolves were already treated as small fry.

“Are we hunting a demonic tree today?”

Meimei asked.

“No. The demonic tree I defeated yesterday was enormous. It was so large that even with this many people, we’ll only just manage to carry it.”

“How large was it?”

“About seven times as tall as you, Meimei.”

“Seven times… You defeated a demonic beast that large? As expected of Senior Brother Kou.”

Hongfa praised me admiringly. Being complimented by such a cute girl made me happy.

We arrived around noon at the place where I had left the demonic tree. Yesterday, I had used Lightness Skill and reached the Demonic Tree Forest quickly, but today, with Shunlin and the others present, we walked normally, so it took longer.

“I’m sure it was around here.”

“Senior Brother Kou, there it is.”

Seiran, who had the sharpest eyes, called out. The demonic tree I had felled lay a short distance before the Demonic Tree Forest.

“It certainly is large. How are we going to transport it?”

Xiaotan asked.

“We’ll dismantle it and divide the pieces among everyone. Your reward will be its branches. Since it’s demonic wood, qi flows through it well. It’s perfect for practicing broadsword techniques.”

We dismantled the demonic tree and obtained nine branches suitable for broadsword practice. We cut the remaining sections into portable sizes, and each person carried a portion on their back as we began returning to Gyorei Cave.

Haoxuen looked toward me.

“Senior Brother Kou, what are you going to use this demonic tree for?”

“It will serve as material for treasure tools. Many different things can be made from it.”

I gave a vague answer to avoid the subject, but it was true that many kinds of treasure tools could be made from it. Besides paper for talisman arts, it could also be used for the long shaft of a treasured spear or as material for a shield.

I would use it to make paper for talisman arts this time, but I still lacked other materials. I would also need to practice making paper. Papermaking was one of the techniques involved in treasure-tool crafting. It was a method for making high-grade paper known as Tao-grade paper rather than ordinary paper, and manuals stored in the library were made from Tao-grade paper.

Paper used for talisman arts was also called “talisman paper,” but Gyorei Cave contained no record of how to make it. There were probably no Taoist practitioners in Gyorei Cave who used talisman arts.

I stored the demonic wood in the warehouse at the Old Immortal Cave. Since it looked no different from firewood, no one would steal it. We went to the bathing area, washed away the dirt and sweat, and then headed to the dining hall.

Shunlin and the others appeared tired, so we dispersed immediately after finishing our meal. After returning to my room, I considered what to do next. I wanted to begin making talisman paper immediately, but I first needed to become capable of producing Tao-grade paper.

Since it was summer, sleeping comfortably was difficult. At that moment, I remembered how cool the Ice Dragon hide had felt. An idea occurred to me that I might be able to make something like a cooling mat or cooling mattress pad. Therefore, I decided to take the salted Ice Dragon hide into town and have it tanned.