The Ancestor nodded knowingly.

This child was indeed particularly concerned about her injury.

“It’s fine that you know. During my defense against the beast tide, I fought a fierce battle with that Golden Core stage Cold Flame Beast and was subsequently poisoned by its fire.

As for the Herb of Dual Ice and Fire, it does indeed grow near the nest of the Cold Flame Beast.

It’s because of this herb that the Cold Flame Beast possesses such extreme attributes of heat and cold.”

Qin Ruqing clenched her fist. “I see. Ancestor, isn’t this perfect? Once I become stronger in the future, I’ll retrieve the herb for you and incidentally kill that Cold Flame Beast to avenge you!”

The Ancestor found these words comforting, but he replied, “You might not be able to avenge me. The Cold Flame Beast that injured me has already been killed by the Celestial Chief of Celestial Bureau in Southern Domain.

The Cold Flame Beast in the primitive jungle is another one.”

It was the mate of the original Cold Flame Beast.

Of course, such a statement was not voiced to Qin Ruqing, this child.

“Oh, I see.” Qin Ruqing said, “That’s fine too. In any case, I will definitely fetch the Herb of Dual Ice and Fire for you, Ancestor. It’s just that you might have to wait another ten or eight years.”

Qin Ruqing looked cheerful, and with her smiling face, she was quite endearing.

Ten or eight years?

It was just to reassure the Ancestor and show her determination.

The Ancestor naturally understood that Qin Ruqing was trying to appease her, but he went along with her words, “Ten or eight years? If you really achieve the Golden Core in ten or eight years, I would have died immediately, and I could peacefully take the road to the underworld.”

“Pah pah pah…” Qin Ruqing was displeased. “Stop talking about dying, Ancestor. Can’t you be a bit more careful with your words?”

The Ancestor looked at Qin Ruqing with gentle eyes.

She had no children of her own, and most of the Qin family treated her with respect and awe as their Ancestor but lacked closeness.

Until now, only this child had the closest bond with her.

After a moment of thought, something appeared in the Ancestor’s hand.

“Your talent is outstanding, and you are exceptionally clever. The only drawback is that your temperament is somewhat impulsive and restless. In the future, this item may save you from disaster.”

The Ancestor’s meaning was simple: You’re good in every way, talented and with a good character, but a bit reckless at times.

I’m not worried about your cultivation, but I’m concerned about if you brought calamity upon yourself due to your impetuosity.

Therefore, I’m giving you this life-saving item.”

Qin Ruqing shifted uncomfortably.

The Ancestor’s words were praising her, yet also seemed to hint at her being too impulsive (“I’m not!”).

Clearing her throat, she forced herself to focus on the purple square talisman in the patriarch’s hand.

“Is this a talisman?” Qin Ruqing asked curiously.

“It contains my techniques, representing the full strength attack of a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator,” the Ancestor replied casually, as if a talisman sealing such power was nothing extraordinary.

Qin Ruqing wasn’t foolish.

In Nanling County, reaching Foundation Establishment meant one could become the Ancestor of a family.

With this talisman, Qin Ruqing could practically stride through Nanling.

Qin Ruqing’s heart raced with excitement, but she knew her limits.

The Ancestor’s injury wasn’t fully healed, and sealing such a technique now might exhaust him too much.

With this in mind, Qin Ruqing quickly shook her head. “Ancestor, this is too precious. I can’t accept it.”

Raising an eyebrow, the Ancestor teased, “Your parents say you have thick skin. Looks like it’s true. Why the hesitation today?”

Qin Ruqing grimaced.

Thick-skinned…

Oh, so you also think I’m thick-skinned, Ancestor.

Skipping over this topic, Qin Ruqing composed herself and tried to explain why she couldn’t accept it.

However, the Ancestor seemed to understand what she wanted to say and cut her off:

“I give you this not only because I favor you, but also because you are crucial to the Qin family. Do you know why, despite your exceptional talent, the Qin family has never boasted about your genius to the outside world?”

Qin Ruqing vaguely understood the Ancestor’s meaning and felt a twinge of joy.

Yet she replied seriously, “Tall trees catch much wind. The family does this to protect me.”

The Ancestor nodded. “It seems you understand. The family would rather forgo fame than jeopardize your safety. To put it bluntly, if I were to fall in the future, the burden of restoring the Qin family to prominence in the Eastern Region would fall on you. Understand?”

After listening, Qin Ruqing fell silent for a moment, then solemnly stood up, bowed deeply to the Ancestor, and only then accepted the talisman, saying earnestly, “I understand, Ancestor.”

The Ancestor nodded in satisfaction.

However, Qin Ruqing couldn’t stay serious for long.

She blinked at the Ancestor and grinned, “But Ancestor, you won’t fall. With me around, I’ll heal your injury and lead the Qin family back to the Eastern Region!”

The Ancestor chuckled, a mix of amusement and complexity in her smile.

It sounded like childish talk, yet somehow, a part of her burden had truly been passed on.

She sighed. “Then I’ll wait for that day.”

Back in her courtyard that evening, Qin Ruqing immediately summoned her system.

“System, are there Herb of Dual Ice and Fire and Heart of Frigid Ice available in the market?”

The system didn’t reply immediately, seeming to search.

Qin Ruqing couldn’t help but feel anxious.

After a while, the system responded: [Only Heart of Frigid Ice detected.]

A hint of disappointment flickered in Qin Ruqing’s heart.

If obtaining both rare spiritual items was already so difficult, the best-case scenario would have been if both were available in the system’s market.

The only thing Qin Ruqing needed to worry about now was whether she had enough points. That was much simpler.

But now, the mall only had the Hear of Frigid Ice.

This meant she would have to figure out how to retrieve the Dual Ice-Fire Yin Grass, guarded by a Golden Core Stage monster, on her own.

Qin Ruqing quickly cheered up. It wasn’t so bad.

Having even one item was already pretty good.

She asked, “System, how many points do I need to exchange for the Heart of Frigid Ice?”

【3000.】

Qin Ruqing: “…”

She highly doubted this sneaky system calculated how many points were in her wallet and then set the price.

She had saved up points until today, completing many tasks, and all she had amassed was barely three thousand points.

The last time she spent a significant amount of points was when the system tricked her into exchanging for a high-quality cultivation secret technique.

But back then, the system had a request for her (to sell copyrights) and gave her a thirty percent discount.

After that, she discovered a stalactite spirit cave for the family, improved the formula for the Revitalization Qi Pill, and designed a marketing plan for the family, accumulating a lot of points.

In a way, she felt like a little rich woman.

Now, when she wanted to buy something from the mall, the darn system immediately asked for three thousand points.

Wasn’t it just staring at her purse and demand the exact same amount?!

Qin Ruqing said cautiously, “System, are you playing tricks on me here? I have over three thousand four hundred points, and you ask me for three thousand? I don’t believe it!”

The system was straightforward, switching to the mall interface and displaying that the Heart of Frigid Ice indeed required three thousand points.

But Qin Ruqing didn’t believe this stuff at all.

This interface thing was just something the system could change at will.

Qin Ruqing straightened her neck, closed her eyes slightly, and spoke quickly, “How about you give me a discount!”

Maybe the system had been exploited by Qin Ruqing too many times, so it developed a rebellious streak.

It immediately closed the interface, turned off the screen, looking like it didn’t care whether she bought it or not.

Feeling a bit embarrassed, Qin Ruqing said, “Hey, I’m just negotiating with you. If it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work. I didn’t say I won’t buy it.” Her voice got quieter towards the end.

It seemed that the system needed to be pampered more recently.

Let’s not trick it into giving a discount this time.

Qin Ruqing gritted her teeth with heartache and said, “System, help me exchange for the Heart of Frigid Ice.”

【Confirm spending 3000 points to exchange for the Heart of Frigid Ice?】

Wait a minute, Qin Ruqing suddenly remembered something. “System, the Heart of Frigid Ice exchanged is not for personal use. It will be materialized through a rationalization process, right?”

【Yes. Items exchanged from the mall for non-host personal use need to be rationalized.】

Qin Ruqing asked cautiously, “Can we agree in advance where you will materialize it?”

After finally exchanging for the Heart of Frigid Ice, if it materialized in a remote place, where could she go to retrieve it?

【The rationalization process is random. The system cannot control or predict it.】

“Then, can you…”

Before Qin Ruqing finished speaking, the system’s interface flashed with two bright red words: 【No way!】

Tsk, I haven’t said it yet, and I knew what I was going to say?

However, Qin Ruqing also sensed that the system was in no mood to negotiate this time.

She said, “Forget it, just exchange it directly for me.”

【 Heart of Frigid Ice exchanged. Materialized in the Secret Realm. Please go to the Recurrence Secret Realm to retrieve it, Host.】

Qin Ruqing frowned.

Materialized in the Secret Realm? “System, where is the Secret Realm?”

The Secret Realm was so vast. Did she have to search bit by bit?

【That’s up to the Host.】

Qin Ruqing choked for a moment, then her face twisted in a grimace.

Okay, it’s payback for exploiting me last time, right? Next time, I’ll exploit you even harder!

Qin Ruqing didn’t bother arguing with the system.

The problem now was to hurry up and find the Heart of Frigid Ice in the Secret Realm.

She only hoped the darn system would be a bit human and let the Item fall into the Qin family’s territory in the Secret Realm.

If it fell into the Zhang family’s developed area… that would be tricky.