A magical journey of a sharp-tongued woman and a goofy man

Jiang Ye paced around the mine like an ant on a hot pan.

"How strange! There should have been one more! Where did it go?" He scratched his head, as anxious as a monkey.

Ye Shuli looked around and calmly analyzed the situation.

"Don't panic, think again, is there something we've overlooked?" She stroked her chin, her mind racing.

This last spirit crystal was hidden really well, like playing hide-and-seek.

"Could it be... that I'm stuck in some corner of the mine?" Jiang Ye slapped his forehead and began frantically moving the rubble in the mine, dust flying everywhere and making him cough.

"Cough cough cough... It must be nearby! Li'er, come and help!" He called to Ye Shuli while coughing.

Ye Shuli sighed and rubbed her forehead in exasperation.

"Can you calm down? What's the point of running around like a headless fly?" Although she complained, she still went over and helped him search.

"This spirit crystal is a treasure. I'd be heartbroken if I lost it!" Jiang Ye looked pained, as if he had lost not just the spirit crystal, but his very lifeblood.

Looking at his exaggerated behavior, Ye Shuli couldn't help but complain, "Is it really that serious? Anyone who didn't know better would think you'd lost millions of taels of silver!"

“Millions of taels of silver are nothing compared to the value of this spirit crystal!” Jiang Ye said earnestly. “This is a treasure that can enhance cultivation and lead you to the pinnacle of life!”

Ye Shuli was amused by him, and suddenly a brilliant idea flashed in her mind.

"Wait! Do you remember the place that guardian beast used to protect?"

"A guardian beast?" Jiang Ye was taken aback, then suddenly realized, "Oh right! How could I forget about that! That little guy treasures things very much; there might be some other treasures hidden where it's hiding!"

The two immediately rushed back to the place where they had encountered the guardian beast and began a thorough search.

Sure enough, in a hidden corner, they found shimmering spirit crystals—not just one, but several!

"Holy crap! We're rich!" Jiang Ye shouted excitedly, hugging Ye Shuli tightly. "Li'er, you're my lucky star! Now we not only have a hundred, but we also have some left over!"

Ye Shuli was a little dazed by his hug, but her mood improved as a result.

She gently pushed Jiang Ye away and said calmly, "Basic stuff, don't be silly."

Jiang Ye chuckled and scratched his head, then began collecting spirit crystals.

One hundred, one hundred and one, one hundred and two...

"Li'er, we've struck it rich! Now we can..."

Before Jiang Ye could finish speaking, he suddenly felt a chill run down his spine, and the hair on his body stood on end.

He turned around abruptly and saw the guardian beast that they had lured away earlier glaring at them angrily, its small body radiating a chilling energy fluctuation.

"Holy crap! Why is this little guy back?!" Jiang Ye exclaimed, instinctively shielding Ye Shuli behind him.

Upon seeing them collect the spirit crystals, the guardian beast flew into a rage, letting out a sharp cry and transforming into a bolt of lightning as it pounced on them.

"Li'er, step back! I'll deal with it!" Jiang Ye gathered his spiritual power in his palm and met the guardian beast's attack.

"Little one, don't blame your brother for being impolite! You delivered yourself to my doorstep!"

Although the guardian beasts are small in size, their strength should not be underestimated.

Its furious attacks poured down like a storm, and Jiang Ye was momentarily overwhelmed, retreating repeatedly.

"Wow! Is this kid on performance-enhancing drugs? He's so fierce!" Jiang Ye muttered as he dodged, but dared not let his guard down for a second.

He used all his skills to engage in a fierce battle with the guardian beast.

Inside the mine, the roar of colliding spiritual energy was deafening, with flying rocks and billowing dust.

Despite Jiang Ye's best efforts, the guardian beast, enraged, attacked even more fiercely and at an astonishing speed.

Jiang Ye gradually felt his strength waning, and injuries began to appear on his body.

"Damn it! This little thing is really troublesome!" Jiang Ye gritted his teeth, inwardly cursing.

Just then, he saw Ye Shuli take a strange object out of her storage bag, which was shimmering with an odd light...

"Jiang Ye, catch!" Ye Shuli shouted.

"What is this thing?" Jiang Ye took the object, looking puzzled.

Ye Shuli threw Jiang Ye a strange contraption made of special metals and spirit stones, with some odd lines wrapped around it.

"What... is this?" Jiang Ye looked at it over and over, completely bewildered.

"Stop talking nonsense, do as I say!" Ye Shuli had no time to explain and quickly instructed Jiang Ye to inject spiritual power into it.

Although Jiang Ye didn't understand why, he still did as instructed.

As spiritual energy was injected, the strange thing began to hum and emit a peculiar fluctuation.

This fluctuation seemed to have a great effect on the guardian beast. Its originally swift attack suddenly stopped, its small body swayed, and it let out a painful howl.

"Now! Go!" Ye Shuli gave the order.

Jiang Ye seized the opportunity, unleashing all the remaining spiritual power within his body, and slammed a punch hard into the guardian beast.

The guardian beast let out a miserable cry, was knocked away, crashed into the mine wall, and then turned into a streak of light and fled.

"Phew... finally done!" Jiang Ye breathed a sigh of relief and plopped down on the ground, feeling completely drained.

"Get up quickly! Stop dawdling!" Ye Shuli urged. "Grab the spirit crystals, let's go!"

The two quickly collected one hundred spirit crystals and left the spirit mine.

As soon as they emerged from the mine, the surrounding cultivators immediately swarmed around them, their eyes filled with envy and jealousy.

"One hundred spirit crystals! They actually collected them all!"

"This is such incredible luck!"

"Tsk tsk tsk, this is really enviable..."

Ye Shuli and Jiang Ye exchanged a glance and smiled at each other. Jiang Ye looked at Ye Shuli, his eyes filled with...

Jiang Ye looked at Ye Shuli with eyes full of admiration and love.

"Li'er, you're amazing! What kind of magical artifact is that? It's so powerful!" He put his arm around Ye Shuli's shoulder, acting like they were best buddies. "Let's go on adventures together and travel the world together, okay?"

Ye Shuli felt a little uncomfortable at his sudden enthusiasm. She subtly dodged his arm and said calmly, "Basic stuff, don't be silly. But you're pretty good too, you didn't let me down at the crucial moment." Although she complained, a warm feeling welled up inside her.

"Hehe, of course! Don't you know who I am!" Jiang Ye proudly raised his chin. "Follow Sister Li'er, and you'll live the high life!"

"Stop being so cheeky!" Ye Shuli rolled her eyes at him. "Hurry up and pack your things, let's go back to the valley."

The two returned to the small valley with one hundred spirit crystals, ready to begin their cultivation.

Jiang Ye couldn't wait to take out the spirit crystal, preparing to absorb the spiritual power, but was stopped by Ye Shuli.

"Wait! You want to absorb it directly?" Ye Shuli looked at her like she was an idiot. "Aren't you afraid of exploding and dying?"

Jiang Ye scratched his head and chuckled, "Isn't it because you're here? Sister Li'er, you definitely have a way, right?"

Ye Shuli sighed helplessly and took out an exquisite jade box from her storage bag.

"This is a spirit-gathering array that I refined before. It can help you absorb the energy of the spirit crystal better."

Jiang Ye took the jade box and carefully opened it. Inside, there were intricate patterns and a faint spiritual aura emanating from it.

He asked curiously, "Sister Li'er, you can also forge weapons? That's amazing!"

"I know a little, I know a little." Ye Shuli waved her hand and began to set up the spirit-gathering array.