Chapter 18

Nie Donghai kept his word. In the following days, every few days, he would give Nie Tian some Fire Cloud Stones, allowing Nie Tian to absorb the fire power within using the beast bone. Nie Qian did the same. However, that piece of beast bone seemed like a bottomless pit. After absorbing the fire power from numerous Fire Cloud Stones, it still failed to condense that drop of blood. Later, Nie Tian gradually noticed that the Fire Cloud Stones his grandfather and aunt brought him were becoming fewer and fewer. Sometimes, when Nie Qian came, she would hurriedly throw two or three Fire Cloud Stones and leave with some unease, as if she was afraid Nie Tian would discover something. Nie Tian wasn't stupid; he had already noticed that the jewelry Nie Qian wore was disappearing one by one. Later, Nie Donghai no longer appeared. Only Nie Qian occasionally came over, leaving one or two Fire Cloud Stones, looking at the beast bone with hopeful eyes, then leaving with a gloomy expression. "I heard that yesterday, Aunt and the warehouse manager Nie Ping had a big argument. Aunt said Nie Ping was deliberately making things difficult for her. Her jewelry, which should have been worth three Fire Cloud Stones, only got her one." "The current head of the family is Second Uncle. Nie Ping only became the warehouse manager after Second Uncle took over. Nie Ping only listens to Second Uncle and won't care about Aunt at all." "I don't know what's going on, but Grandfather and Aunt seem to have exchanged all their valuable items for Fire Cloud Stones." "Yeah, Grandfather even exchanged the medicinal pills he used to heal his injuries for Fire Cloud Stones. I don't know what he's thinking." "Aunt is the same. She doesn't have any decent jewelry left on her." "..." Two young girls from the Nie family, whether intentionally or unintentionally, passed by Nie Tian's room, talking as they walked. Inside the room, Nie Tian heard their conversation clearly. Focused on cultivation, he was now troubled and his young face was clouded with a gloom that didn't belong to his age. "To get me Fire Cloud Stones, has my grandfather and aunt already reached the point of bankruptcy?" Thinking this, he couldn't help but take out the beast bone from his pocket. Looking at it again, he suddenly felt an intense dislike for it. "Xiao Tian." At this moment, Nie Qian's voice came from outside the room. She pushed the door open, her eyes filled with fatigue, as if these days had been very tiring for her. "Here." Coming to Nie Tian's side, she casually threw a Fire Cloud Stone next to him and looked at the beast bone with hopeful eyes, saying, "Quickly let the beast bone absorb the fire power within." "No need." Nie Tian shook his head. "From what I see, this beast bone is just a bottomless pit. No matter how many Fire Cloud Stones, it won't be filled." Nie Qian's face darkened, and she said angrily, "Are you just going to give up like this? Do you know what your grandfather has done to get you these Fire Cloud Stones?" "I know." Nie Tian's eyes were full of pain. "I also know that you have sold all your valuable jewelry at a low price to get me these Fire Cloud Stones." Nie Qian was stunned, then realized that her nephew was no longer a child and had probably already figured everything out from the clues. She pondered for a moment and gently consoled him, "Money is just an external thing. As long as you can reach the ninth level of Qi Cultivation by the age of fifteen and become a disciple of Lingyun Sect, our efforts will be rewarded." At this point, her expression turned gloomy, and she continued, "Your grandfather's injuries are hard to heal, and his cultivation path has reached its end." "As for me, I have always had poor cultivation talent. I am only at the initial stage of the Later Heaven realm, far inferior to your mother. If I could have reached the ninth level of Qi Cultivation by the age of fifteen and become a disciple of Lingyun Sect, even if our Nie family was weak, the Yun family would never dare to treat me like this!" "I don't want you to end up like me! You are eleven years old now, and you only have four years left. You must reach the ninth level of Qi Cultivation within four years!" "Your current realm is far behind, and that mysterious beast bone might be your only breakthrough!" "So, no matter what, you must continue to persist and see if the beast bone can bring you a miracle! You are the last hope for me and your grandfather. Don't act like a child and don't let us down!" Nie Qian said firmly. Nie Tian remained silent, listening attentively. When Nie Qian finished speaking, he nodded, "I understand. I won't let you down." Saying this, he placed the Fire Cloud Stone on the beast bone again. In just a few breaths, the Fire Cloud Stone was completely drained of its fire power and turned into shattered pieces. Perhaps the fire power provided by a single Fire Cloud Stone was too scarce, as the fire light points inside the beast bone showed no signs of gathering. Nie Tian and Nie Qian, who had been staring at the beast bone, watched it become dull in a short time, their faces filled with disappointment. "Don't be discouraged. I'll think of another way." Nie Qian tried to hide her endless disappointment, saying, "I'll go to the mine tomorrow. There are many unmined Fire Cloud Stones there. If I spend more time, I can definitely bring back more Fire Cloud Stones for you!" "I'll go with you!" Nie Tian stood up suddenly. "No!" Nie Qian was anxious. "The mine is dangerous because of frequent collapses due to the large-scale mining of Fire Cloud Stones. You absolutely cannot go!" "I think even a few dozen Fire Cloud Stones might not be enough to fill this beast bone. Only if I go and use the beast bone to absorb the fire power from the unmined Fire Cloud Stones in the mine might it be satisfied and truly condense that drop of blood." Nie Tian said with certainty. "Directly absorb the fire power from the unmined stones with the beast bone?" Nie Qian had a sudden realization. She also thought that Nie Tian's suggestion made sense. The numerous unmined Fire Cloud Stones in the mine were not easy to extract. Even if she went, she couldn't extract a large amount of Fire Cloud Stones in a short time. Moreover, the Fire Cloud Stones extracted had to be counted and recorded when leaving the mine, with part going to Lingyun Sect and part to the Nie family's warehouse. Only about twenty percent would end up in her hands. She calculated that it might take her half a year in the mine to get dozens of Fire Cloud Stones. Nie Tian was already eleven years old and was now most lacking in time. "Let me go. I can't just sit at home and do nothing." Nie Tian pleaded bitterly. "I also need to work hard for myself. Going to the mine can be a form of training for me." Nie Qian pondered for a moment and finally nodded lightly, "Remember, from the moment we leave Heiyun City, you must listen to me and absolutely not act rashly!" "Of course! Of course!" Nie Tian hurriedly said. Recently, he had been confined to the Nie family compound and hadn't stepped out of the gate, feeling very stifled. The unfamiliar faces lingering around the Nie family compound had long disappeared, and he was eager to go out and move around. "I'll take you out of the city early tomorrow morning!" Nie Qian said. "Thank you, Aunt!" Nie Tian said happily. The next day, before dawn, Nie Tian was waiting at the door, and Nie Qian arrived as promised. As the sky began to lighten, the two quietly left Heiyun City and headed towards Lingyun Mountain. Yun Family. Yuan Qiuying was accompanying Yun Song for breakfast when a person quietly arrived and whispered, "Mistress, Nie Qian and that boy named Nie Tian left Heiyun City early this morning and are heading towards Lingyun Mountain." "The turtle finally came out of its shell!" Yuan Qiuying's spirits lifted, and she said viciously, "That bitch and that bastard child without a father or mother, I'll see how they can escape from my hands this time!" She had never given up on her revenge against Nie Qian and Nie Tian. Although she had quietly withdrawn the guest experts from the Nie family compound, she had been secretly watching the city gates of Heiyun City. She knew that Nie Qian and Nie Tian would eventually come out. "Ha, they dare to leave Heiyun City? This is truly heaven's will. I still have some reservations about acting within the city, but outside the city, they won't be able to return alive!" Yuan Qiuying said viciously. "That bitch must have gone to the Nie family mine on Lingyun Mountain! Don't alarm them. Don't act on the way to the mine; Nie Qian will be very cautious. Wait near the mine on Lingyun Mountain and attack them on their way back to the city!" "Understood, Mistress. I guarantee they won't return to Heiyun City alive!" "Good, do it cleanly. After the deed is done, make those people leave Heiyun City and never return, so Lingyun Sect won't find any evidence to come after us." "Understood." ... PS: Sorry, I went out to eat tonight and uploaded late. Apologies.