Chapter 45: Ice Silkworm Treasure Armor

"Give it to me..."

The young man surnamed Han reached out to take it, holding the pouch in his hand with his eyes slightly closed.

In that instant, Qin Sang suddenly felt an unusual fluctuation emanating from within the youth's body. This aura was very familiar—it contained both spiritual power and divine sense!

A flash of light flickered at the mouth of the pouch, and then a jade bottle appeared out of thin air, landing in the young man's hand.

Seeing this, Qin Sang's eyes went wide.

It really was a storage bag!

However, he fell into deep confusion. The young man's movements didn't seem particularly special; why couldn't he open the seven-colored brocade pouch himself?

Inside the jade bottle were several transparent medicinal pills.

The young man surnamed Han opened his eyes, looked at them, and said with a face full of relief, "Water Dew Pills... thank goodness! Thank goodness!"

As he spoke, he removed the lid of the jade bottle, poured all the pills out, and swallowed them.

The moment the jade bottle opened, a strange fragrance rushed into Qin Sang's nostrils. In that instant, Qin Sang felt refreshed, as if his entire body had become lighter.

After swallowing the Water Dew Pills, a flush of color suddenly rose to the young man's face, and his aura immediately became much more stable and heavy. He, who had previously been unable to move, actually managed to flip over and sit up.

A divine medicine of the immortals!

Qin Sang's eyes were wide, staring fixedly at the jade bottle and the storage bag, his heart itching with curiosity.

Seeing Qin Sang's expression, the young man let out a chuckle. "Stop looking. This is a mustard seed bag; it requires divine sense to open and the use of Object Manipulation Techniques to retrieve items. You are a mere mortal general; even if I were to give it to you, you wouldn't be able to use it."

The young man exhaled a breath of turbid air and stood up with difficulty. He surveyed his surroundings and suddenly said, "General Qin, I owe you my life, and I cannot let that debt go unpaid. Tell me, what do you want? Gold, silver, treasures, beautiful wives, or wealth and power—I can help you achieve any of it."

Hearing this, Qin Sang did not hesitate. With a *thud*, he knelt down. "Qin Sang wants nothing. I only ask that Immortal Master Han take me as a disciple and teach me the immortal arts!"

"Heh..."

The young man gave a light laugh, seemingly unsurprised. He glanced at Qin Sang and asked a strange question, "Since General Qin is heading north, is your lord the Prince of Dongyang?"

He even knew of the Prince of Dongyang?

Filled with doubt, Qin Sang replied that he was.

The young man nodded but said, "The path to immortality is not so easy, and not everyone can cultivate... Since you are a great general under the Prince of Dongyang, you and I shall likely meet again before long. Think it over carefully. Also..."

Without allowing Qin Sang to argue, the young man leaned down, flipped over the corpse, and stripped off a piece of clothing.

This garment shimmered with a faint icy blue light. It looked like an inner shirt, woven from individual transparent silk threads. It was extremely thin and appeared exceptionally soft in the young man's hands.

"You lead troops into battle; it is hard to guarantee you won't be injured by stray arrows. If an accident occurs, I would have to break my promise. This magical tool is an inner armor woven from ice silkworm silk. It is as light as nothing, and even a mortal can wear it for protection; ordinary blades and swords cannot pierce it. General Qin, think it over well. We shall meet again at our Holy Pilgrimage Mountain!"

Having said that, the young man threw out a streak of green light. His face instantly turned deathly pale, and he coughed violently several times.

An emerald-green gourd grew instantly in the wind. The young man seemed to become exceptionally weak; he shakily climbed onto the gourd and nodded to Qin Sang. The gourd then shot through the air, and in the blink of an eye, only a distant streak of green light could be seen, resembling a meteor.

Qin Sang gripped the Ice Silkworm Treasure Armor, his palms feeling a chill.

Watching the young man depart, Qin Sang's gaze shifted indecisively. It sounded as if the man's identity was closely related to the immortal masters who passed the imperial seal at Holy Pilgrimage Mountain.

He had intended to ask what Object Manipulation Technique was and why not everyone could cultivate, but he hadn't expected the youth to leave so decisively. He could only wait for another opportunity.

Qin Sang could also vaguely guess that the youth's haste to leave was likely to treat his injuries. Those Water Dew Pills had only temporarily suppressed his condition; his spiritual power was exhausted, and he had barely managed to command the gourd magical tool.

If he had insisted on attacking, it wouldn't have been difficult to kill him, but since things had come to this, there was no need for regret. Whether it was the Ice Silkworm Treasure Armor or the young man's promise, it was already a great harvest.

He had finally come into contact with a cultivator!

Amidst his joy, the only thing giving Qin Sang a headache was that this person seemed to be the type who could not tolerate even a grain of sand in his eye—encountering a demonic cultivator was enough to make him risk his life to eliminate the opponent.

After his thoughts swirled, Qin Sang stood in place for a while before regaining his composure and scanning his surroundings.

The event had happened so suddenly that Qin Sang had no time to disperse his soldiers. The scene that just unfolded had been witnessed by all of them. Now, the soldiers were all stealing glances at Qin Sang, their eyes filled with various meanings.

Qin Sang let out a cold snort and glared at them, causing the soldiers to lower their heads one after another.

"Everyone, return to camp and rest. Tomorrow morning, we continue clearing the path. Capturing Raven's Mouth will be a great achievement; this general will ensure you receive promotions and wealth. As for today's events, keep them buried in your hearts. Anyone who dares to leak a word will have their head cut off!"

"Understood!"

...

Returning to the camp, Qin Sang noticed as he walked that all the soldiers' gazes were somewhat strange. He sighed inwardly, knowing that with so many people, it was unrealistic to keep them silent.

Even those who had always stayed by his side, like Water Monkey and Wu Chuanzong, looked as if they wanted to speak but hesitated.

Qin Sang sat in his tent in deep thought for a while, then ordered Water Monkey to summon Zhang Wenkui, Wu Chuanzong, and the others into the tent.

"You have been by my side for many years; it is time for you to stand on your own," Qin Sang said bluntly. Seeing them exchange glances, not daring to speak, he gave a light laugh and softened his tone. "My ambition to seek immortality has never changed. I care nothing for the wealth and glory of the mortal realm; Old Zhou knows this well. If there were no opportunity, it would be one thing, but now that I have been fortunate enough to encounter an immortal fate, I absolutely will not give it up."

Zhou Ning, known as Water Monkey, nodded. When they first met Qin Sang, Bai Jianglan had already seen through his intentions; he hadn't expected that they remained unchanged.

Wu Chuanzong said excitedly, "Sir, did that Immortal Master promise to induct you?"

Qin Sang nodded. "In a sense. If I leave, and Brother Bai is unwilling to take on a key position, there will be no one to look after you in the future, and you will have to rely on yourselves. For this period, I will stay and try my best to pave the way for you. Once we take Raven's Mouth, the victory reports will emphasize your names. Combined with your previous military merits, it should help you secure decent positions. After I leave, whether you become marquises and ministers or fade into the masses will depend entirely on your own abilities."

Hearing this, the men were greatly moved. "Thank you for your care, General!"

After seeing the men out, Qin Sang closed the tent and took out the Ice Silkworm Treasure Armor.

Since the young man had called it a magical tool, Qin Sang applied the same method he used to control the Purple Soul Bell.

A moment later, the Ice Silkworm Treasure Armor automatically flew up from Qin Sang's palm. It grew larger and smaller in the void before finally fitting itself onto Qin Sang's body, subsequently vanishing from sight.

(End of Chapter)