Cultivation: I can solidify equipment attributes

As dawn broke, footsteps echoed down the narrow slope south of the rocky platform.

The cultivator on night duty was the first to notice, placing his hand on his magic artifact and looking down.

A few breaths later, the figure of the newcomer emerged from the morning mist.

Qu Bo.

The people on the rock platform all looked over.

Li Yuan also opened his eyes.

Qu Bo's condition is not right.

His steps were still steady, but there was a tear in the robe on his right shoulder, and the edge was scorched, as if it had been burned by spiritual energy.

The cuff of his left sleeve was rolled up to his elbow, revealing a scabbed wound on his forearm. Dark red blood trickled down from the wound and then dried.

His breathing was also a bit lower than usual, fluctuating slightly from time to time, clearly not yet fully calmed down.

After the two stepped onto the rock platform, Qu Bo patted his storage bag, and a burlap sack suddenly appeared on the ground. The sack was not wrapped tightly, and a section of a boot was sticking out from underneath.

Dead body.

Several cultivators who were nearby changed their expressions and took a half step back.

Qu Bo ignored the gazes of others, first scanning the number of people on the rock platform, then carefully looking around the crowd before his eyes landed on Li Yuan.

After observing carefully for a couple of breaths, he nodded and gestured with his chin toward Li Yuan.

"come over."

Li Yuan stood up and walked over.

Qu Bo turned around and walked a few steps towards the edge of the rock platform, stopping only when he reached a spot a little distance away from the others.

The Wang family cultivator did not follow.

"There's something I need you to do."

Qu Bo's voice was low, hoarse and tired. He didn't beat around the bush and went straight to the point.

"Go to the market town of rogue cultivators and bring someone out."

Li Yuan did not respond immediately.

Qu Bo turned around and gestured with his chin toward the corpse. The Wang family cultivator understood and tore the burlap sack in half.

The corpse was a man in his thirties with an ordinary face, cheekbones that were neither high nor low, and a height similar to Li Yuan's, perhaps half an inch shorter.

He wore a dark gray short jacket, the style of which differed from the common monk's robes found in the market. A subtle, dark pattern was embroidered on the collar, sewn with dark silk thread, almost invisible unless one looked closely.

He wore a bronze token at his waist, one size smaller than the inspector's waist badge, with the character "Li" engraved on the front.

People from the Li family.

Qu Bo squatted down, reached out and took the short jacket off the corpse, casually cast a cleansing spell, then took the token from his waist, folded it together with the clothes, and placed it on a rock next to him.

"Put on your clothes and take your token."

Qu Bo then took out a palm-sized thin piece from his pocket. It was grayish-white and had a texture like some kind of animal hide. The edges were neatly cut, and the patterns on the front were intricate and complex.

"A disguise mask. It can be applied to the face and infused with spiritual energy to change one's appearance."

He placed the mask on top of his clothes as well.

"However, only the face can be changed, not the body shape. And it's not a real change; it's just that spiritual energy simulates a layer of illusion on the skin's surface, so the feel of it is different from a real face."

"If you are too close, the light is too bright, or the other person's cultivation level is much higher than yours, you may be able to see through their disguise."

Qu Bo gently tapped the token on the stone surface again.

"The code is: when will the east wind come? You answer after the Frost's Descent."

Li Yuan squatted down and first picked up the mask and examined it.

The animal hide is very thin, almost translucent, and the fine lines on the front are spirit patterns, which are carved with great precision.

Li Yuan poured a wisp of spiritual power into the mask, and a faint gray light immediately appeared on the surface of the mask. The spiritual patterns lit up for a moment and then dimmed.

The panel is not responding.

Cannot be equipped.

Li Yuan tried the mask on his face again. As soon as he poured spiritual energy into it, the contours of his cheeks and chin seemed to change—they felt rough to the touch, like there was a thin film between them, completely different from real skin.

Visually, the mask does change the face; the cheekbones appear lower and the nose bridge straighter.

Li Yuan took off the mask and put it back on the stone.

"Who to pick up?"

"A weapon refiner." Qu Bo leaned against the stone wall, lowering his voice even further.

"Use this outfit and token to enter the market for rogue cultivators, find him, give him the password, and bring him out. The other cultivators are responsible for providing support to the other rogue cultivators outside the market."

Li Yuan stared at the Li family attire and mask on the stone, remaining silent for a moment.

"Why me?"

Qu Bo glanced at him.

"You're the perfect fit here."

He gestured with his chin toward the corpse.

"His build is similar to yours, so you won't look out of place wearing his clothes."

"Secondly, this contact's cultivation level is around the sixth level of Qi Refining, and you are also at the sixth level of Qi Refining now, so your auras are similar. The other party won't be suspicious immediately upon meeting you."

Qu Bo paused for a moment.

"And even if something goes wrong, it won't be a big problem. The other side won't dare to do anything to you, and it'll be easy for you to escape. To put it bluntly, it's just a test. If it works out, great; if it doesn't, you won't end up in serious trouble."

Li Yuan didn't respond, and asked a second question.

"What happened last night?"

Qu Bo tapped his fingers lightly on his knee twice, thought for a moment, and then, without trying to hide it, said.

"I felt something was wrong on the way here."

His gaze swept over the endless low hills below the rock platform.

"I felt something was wrong on the way here."

His gaze swept over the endless low hills below the rock platform.

"I had my doubts before I set off, so I deliberately rested in the same place for several days along the way and didn't rush to move forward."

Qu Bo tucked the scabbed wound on his arm into his sleeve.

"We finally got here."

"Yesterday, I led my men to circle around to the south and found traces in a ditch about three miles west of our previous camp. Someone had been there; the footprints and residual spiritual energy on the ground were very fresh."

"Then I waited all night until the person finally appeared."

Qu Bo raised his chin at the corpse.

"Four of them, all in the mid-to-late stages of Qi Refining. After the initial exchange, I killed two, one escaped, and captured one alive. In the end, they couldn't hold on and died."

Qu Bo made no attempt to hide anything, taking something out of his sleeve and placing it on the stone.

It was a fist-sized bronze disc, its surface densely engraved with spirit patterns, with a small dark green stone embedded in the center. The workmanship was not refined; the engravings of the spirit patterns varied in depth, as if it had been rushed out.

"After being infused with spiritual power, it emits a special spiritual energy fluctuation that can drive away low-grade first-order demonic beasts." Qu Bo pointed at the dark green stone with his fingertip.

"It has little effect on mid-grade and above first rank, it can only catch up to low-grade first rank, and you have to add some pills or powders beforehand to lower the monster's intelligence."

Li Yuan glanced at the bronze plate, then at the corpse dressed in Li family clothes.

The frenzied ferocity of those low-grade first-tier demonic beasts charging over last night now has an explanation.

Forced to rush in one direction by the driving magic weapon, no wonder it didn't avoid people, no wonder it kept crawling forward even after being slashed.

Li Yuan remained silent for a few moments before asking his third question.

"Who is that weapon refiner?"

"A skilled weapon-refining master." Qu Bo looked at him, his tone calm but serious.

"He used to stay in the market town of rogue cultivators, doing some crafting work for various parties. But in recent years, he has mainly worked for the Li family. According to intelligence, those beast-taming magical artifacts may have been crafted by him."

Qu Bo continued.

"We have intelligence agents in the Sanxiu Market. The latest news they sent back is that the Li family plans to send someone to pick up this weapon refiner."

"This is most likely what the corpse was originally supposed to do."

Qu Bo tapped the token on the stone surface with his finger.

"I intercepted their men. The contact code, clothes, and token are all here. Put on this outfit and go in, then use the code to bring them out."

"Once we get hold of him, we'll ask him whatever we can. This weapon refiner knows a lot."

Qu Bo turned his gaze away from the token and looked at Li Yuan.

Li Yuan looked down at the set of things on the stone surface.

The dark gray short jacket was neatly folded, with the token resting on it, its bronze surface reflecting the morning light. Beside it was a thin disguise mask.

The mission itself wasn't too dangerous, but it wasn't without risk either.

If you sneak in disguised, things could get complicated if the code is wrong, your mask is exposed, or there are other people from the Li family in the market.

Although Qu Bo said that it would be best if it could be successful, it wouldn't matter if it couldn't.

But it seems like there's no way to refuse this.

Li Yuan reached out and gathered the clothes, token, and mask from the stone surface together, then put them into his pocket.

"OK."