Chapter 142: Chapter 142

Zhao Letian had long known about the financial difficulties of the Star Sea Five Tigers' family, with their father bedridden all this time. Now that he had come to War King City, it was natural for him to show concern and offer his help if needed.

"Thank you, Young Master, for your concern."

After hearing this, the Star Sea Five Tigers felt extremely grateful and bowed in unison, expressing their thanks. A master like Zhao Letian, treating his followers like brothers and caring for them, was not entirely unheard of, but exceedingly rare. They felt very fortunate to be followers of Zhao Letian.

"Alright, there's no need for such formalities among us. Come on, I'll take you there," Zhao Letian said with a shake of his head and a smile, flipping his hand and bringing out the Cloud Piercing Boat, which floated in front of everyone and rapidly grew in size.

"A Nine-Star Lower Grade Spiritual Artifact?"

Apart from Liu Wei and Luo Yao, everyone else was shocked. A Nine-Star Lower Grade Spiritual Artifact was immensely precious, not something people of their cultivation level could possess. That Zhao Letian could produce a Nine-Star Lower Grade Spiritual Artifact was indeed astonishing.

"Young Master, such a precious Spiritual Artifact, and you just take it out like that? Aren't you afraid others will covet it?" said Qin Hai, his voice tense with a hint of envy. Even he, the top talent of Dawan City, didn't possess a Nine-Star Lower Grade Spiritual Artifact.

At the same time, Jiang Fan and Jiang Xuemei also envied Zhao Letian, who had an unexpectedly impressive family wealth.

"Don't worry, don't forget, this is War King City. There are people stronger than us everywhere, and even Sect Martial Realm experts, who were once a rarity, can now be seen everywhere. A Nine-Star Lower Grade Spiritual Artifact doesn't stand out here," replied Zhao Letian with an indifferent smile, not minding it at all.

"Eh, that's also true." Qin Hai was taken aback, then chuckled wryly. Zhao Letian was right—this was the incredibly prosperous King City, not the small and rural place they came from. What they previously considered priceless treasures or highly skilled experts had now become mundane and insignificant here.

Then, everyone hopped onto the Cloud Piercing Boat, soared into the sky, and turned into a streak of green light, flying straight to a certain part of War King City under the guidance of the Star Sea Five Tigers.

Although the area of War King City was vast and boundless, every inch of land in the city was incredibly precious. It was extremely difficult for ordinary Martial Artists to own a place of residence within the city, even in the most remote areas.

The Star Sea Five Tigers' family, given their circumstances, should not have been able to have a place in the city at all. Fortunately, an ancestor of theirs, who was a strong cultivator, had purchased a perpetual property within the city. Although the area was small and its location remote, it was enough for their family to live.

However, although they could live in War King City permanently, they had to pay a sizable amount of Primordial Stones each year, which was a heavy burden for them.

After flying for half an hour, Zhao Letian and the others finally located the home of the Star Sea Five Tigers, which was indeed in a remote location, far from their barracks.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!..." Pl%e#a!s.e- re%ad% th-is# c+h$apte!r on its or#ig!in&a.l p&l+at*form—&*.

Before entering the courtyard, they could all hear a sound of metal striking from inside, their eyes revealing a curiosity, wondering what was happening inside.

"Mother, we're back, and we've brought guests today."

The burly Martial Artist pushed open the yard gate, called out with a smile, and led everyone straight in.

"Ah? Big Tiger, you child, how could you bring guests home without telling mother in advance? How can I meet people looking ?"

In the yard, a woman in a grey long skirt, with her sleeves rolled up, was wielding a hammer, forging metal at a smelting platform next to a furnace. Her hair disheveled, her face weathered and worn, making her seem quite old. However, from her delicate features, one could tell that she must have been a beautiful woman before. Seeing Zhao Letian and the others come in, she quickly put down her hammer and somewhat frantically tried to tidy up her appearance.

"Mother, it's fine, they're all our friends," the second Tiger said nonchalantly. The personalities of the five brothers were all very straightforward, and they didn't care about such trifles.

"The second Tiger is right, Auntie, we're as close as brothers, no need to be so formal," said Zhao Letian with a faint smile, his heart silently lamenting that Big Tiger's mother must have shattered her heart for their family; otherwise, she wouldn't look so old.

It should be noted that Martial Artists have long lifespans and robust health, aging very slowly. The mother of the Starry Sea Five Tigers, being at the Middle Stage True Martial Realm, could live at least three hundred years. Even if one could tell she was a middle-aged woman from her temperament, her appearance should not be so aged. Clearly, she was worn out by life.

"Mother, this is the person we follow, Young Master Letian. We have mentioned him to you before. It's thanks to his help that we were able to break through to the True Martial Realm smoothly," Big Tiger glanced at Zhao Letian and introduced him to his mother.

"So you are Young Master Letian. On behalf of these five unruly boys, I want to thank you," the mother of the Starry Sea Five Tigers took a good look at Zhao Letian and then bowed in gratitude.

Before, she had been worried that her sons, following someone else and depending on others, might suffer grievances. Now it seemed that Zhao Letian was modest and polite, apparently an easy person to get along with, which allowed her to breathe a sigh of relief.

"Auntie, there's no need for formalities; it was my duty," Zhao Letian said with a shake of the head and a smile.

After that, Big Tiger introduced the other people to his mother.

"Alright, Big Tiger, don't keep everyone standing outside; go sit in the house. After I deal with these Artifact Refining materials, I'll go make some delicious food for you all," said the mother of the Starry Sea Five Tigers with a smile.

"Artifact Refining materials? Auntie, could it be that you're an Artifact Refiner?" Zhao Letian, eyeing the pile of materials next to the furnace, asked curiously.

Artifact Refiners, like Alchemists and Array Masters, are esteemed professions. Even a first-grade Artifact Refiner holds a status not to be underestimated. If the mother of the Starry Sea Five Tigers were an Artifact Refiner, then their family should be quite wealthy; it shouldn't be this difficult for them.

"Master jests. I don't know anything about the Artifact Refining Technique. I'm merely refining these materials to earn some Primordial Stones. However, their father could forge some one or two-star low-grade Spiritual Artifacts; I learned this method of refining materials from him. We used to live quite comfortably by helping others with Artifact Refining, but ever since he fell ill, most of our income was cut off, and life has gotten tough. By the way, speaking of all this, I must thank you for the several dozen Primordial Stones you allowed Big Tiger to bring back last time. They really helped our family quite a bit. Thank you, Master," the mother of the Starry Sea Five Tigers replied.

"Uncle is an Artifact Refiner? Then why haven't Big Tiger and the others learned the Path of Artifact Refining?" Zhao Letian looked at the Starry Sea Five Tigers in surprise, having never heard them mention this before.