"Let's go."

Yoko, already in the car, urged as she tapped the steering wheel.

Cao Yi withdrew his gaze, opened the door, and got in. With the sound of the engine starting, the car drove away from the Taj Mahal Pierre Hotel, which loomed in the night.

Despite Yoko's rebellious demeanor, she drove steadily, ignoring provocations from street racers along the way.

"Daoist Priest, the purple dragon king you bought is called jadeite in China, right?" Yoko suddenly asked.

Cao Yi glanced at the password box at his feet (which Christie's had provided for the safety of the auction items) and nodded, "That's right."

"I didn't expect Daoist Priest to have a collection of jadeite. You must be an expert in this area," Yoko remarked, picturing Cao Yi as a gem collector.

In her eyes, Cao Yi wasn't wealthy enough to casually spend millions on something that couldn't be eaten or lived in.

"Not really," Cao Yi denied. Although he had read some novels about jadeite, he, like most people, only had a vague concept of it. He knew it was hard jade, different from traditional soft jade, but lacked knowledge about the specifics like pits, types, colors, and various categories like "bean type," "water type," and "glass type."

Yoko looked puzzled but didn't press further; she wasn't one to ask too many questions.

Before long, the car left Manhattan, a place of immense financial wealth, under the night sky. Passing by a large supermarket, Cao Yi decided to buy some mineral water, canned food, sausages, biscuits, and bread, which would serve as Howlingsky's rations during his time back in China.

By the time they reached the Daoist temple, it was already past ten in the evening. Yoko helped Cao Yi unload the groceries before leaving.

Cao Yi took out his keys, opened the Daoist temple's large door, and called, "Howlingsky!"

There was no response; the entire temple was eerily quiet. What if a thief had taken him away? Cao Yi felt a tightness in his chest. He had developed some affection for the lazy, indifferent dog after months of living together.

The main hall was empty. No restroom. Howlingsky was a dog that didn't eat excrement. No storage room. No room for Daoist supplies. His own room was also empty. There was only one place left.

Cao Yi went to his master's room, pushed the door open, and picked up the flashlight on the table. What he saw made him facepalm.

Howlingsky was sprawled on the bed, looking like a human, with his black and white fur head hanging off the side, a drool string stretching from his mouth. Despite the noise he had made, this lazy creature was still sleeping soundly.

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"Cough cough..." Cao Yi pretended to cough loudly.

Howlingsky opened one eye, glanced at his new master, then turned over and resumed sleeping.

Cao Yi was speechless. "So you're not getting up, huh?"

Leaving the room, he returned with several large bags and took out a pack of sausages, peeling it open and waving it in front of Howlingsky's nose. The unique aroma wafted through the air.

In a matter of seconds, the dog seemed to spring to life, rolling over but not getting up. His long-standing laziness had stripped him of a dog's agility. After another roll, he managed to get up, albeit awkwardly.

He opened his mouth and took a big bite out of half a sausage, gulping it down ravenously.

"I really don't know what use this lazy bum is. A thief could just walk right out with a smile," Cao Yi grumbled as he opened several bags of bread and tossed them onto the floor before walking away.

Back in his room, Cao Yi opened the safe, took out the box containing the purple dragon king, and opened it. The dazzling purple color filled his vision, and the flashlight's beam illuminated it with a mysterious, otherworldly deep purple glow.

If a young woman were here, she might scream.

Cao Yi held it up, a look of fascination on his face. Beautiful jade appeals not only to women but also to men.

"What a pity to shatter jadeite worth millions of dollars like this," he murmured, a hint of reluctance in his eyes.

"Ding! Detecting that the host has acquired the purple dragon king. Steps to extract the jade essence from the purple dragon king are as follows…"

A message flooded into Cao Yi's mind, and he realized this essence was different from traditional jade essence; it was a type of vital substance hidden within some jade. Normally solid and indistinguishable from jade, it would reveal itself when touched by the spiritual energy of blood.

After admiring the captivating purple dragon king for a moment, Cao Yi gritted his teeth, put it down, and fetched a sewing needle. He pricked the tip of his left index finger and squeezed, letting a drop of bright red blood fall onto the purple dragon king.

One second, two seconds—nothing happened. Just as Cao Yi was starting to feel puzzled, the purple dragon king shuddered, and the jade inside began to melt.

"Here we go," he thought, squeezing out another drop of blood.

The melting speed of the jade accelerated, and the reflected purple light grew even more breathtaking. After ten drops, a fist-sized pool of liquid appeared within the purple dragon king.

Cao Yi sighed, gently placed the purple dragon king into a basin, raised his palm, and struck down with force.

Thanks to his enhanced strength from the Golden Elixir, the already fragile purple dragon king shattered into seven or eight striking pieces, releasing a faint purple jade essence that covered the bottom of the basin.

Cao Yi took a deep breath, feeling a heavy, cold spiritual energy enter his nostrils, which made him slightly dizzy.

"So this is earth-type, yin-type spiritual energy; it really is extraordinary," he thought, shaking his head. He gathered the purple dragon king's fragments, found a bottle, and poured the jade essence into it.

Looking at the essence, which only filled a quarter of the bottle, Cao Yi frowned. This amount wouldn't last long.

Just then, a growl echoed in his stomach. He hadn't eaten all night.

Cao Yi grabbed two bags of bread and a bottle of mineral water from the food bags for dinner.

A wave of dizziness hit him suddenly.

He yawned and climbed into bed, and just like that, the first long day of his journey came to an end.

The next day, Cao Yi got up, had breakfast, and began preparing for his departure.

He unpacked the bread, sausages, and biscuits, pouring the mineral water into several bowls. He packed the first volume of talismans, the bottle of jade essence, talismans, brush, yellow paper, and vermilion in a canvas bag adorned with the yin-yang symbol.

Around nine in the morning, Mark drove to the Daoist temple.

"Let's go," Cao Yi said as he climbed into the car and shut the door.

With the sound of the engine roaring to life, the car left the Daoist temple, hidden in the woods.