The Insect Cave
Xu Shulou and the other man went to thank Mr. Dan and wanted to pay for the consultation, but he refused to accept it: "If you two are willing, I actually have something to ask you for help."
"Are you going to leave my junior sister to you to help deal with those who come asking for medicine?" Xu Shulou warned.
"……no."
"Please speak, sir." Xu Shulou pretended that the previous conversation had never happened.
"The once-in-a-decade opening of the Ten Thousand Insect Cave is approaching. There is a giant multi-eyed spider in there, and I need its silk to make medicine," Mr. Dan said bluntly, "but I can't leave here, so I would like to ask you to help get it for me."
"No problem," Xu Shulou said, cupping his fists. "If you have any orders, I will obey them."
Mr. Dan looked at her and said, "But that doesn't include leaving your sister behind, right?"
“…”
"The Ten Thousand Insects Cave is a bit dangerous, so I didn't send you on this trip for nothing." Mr. Dan stopped joking with her and said seriously, "I'll give you a recipe for an elixir when you come back."
The two said goodbye to Mr. Dan and went to the lake to launch the boat they had taken from the robbers. Bai Roushuang was a little curious: "Senior Sister, what is the Ten Thousand Insects Cave?"
Xu Shulou looked far away: "It's a place I have been avoiding."
Bai Roushuang thought of the name of the Cave of Insects and immediately realized what was happening. She looked at her teasingly and said, "Senior Sister, are you afraid of insects?"
"I'm not afraid of insects," Xu Shulou sighed, "I'm afraid of that feeling...of looking into their countless pairs of eyes if I'm not careful."
"ah?"
"Some of the insects in the Ten Thousand Insect Cave are extremely huge, many times taller and larger than us," Xu Shulou thought for a moment, "Why don't you stay here? I'll go there by myself."
Bai Roushuang shook her head: "I'm not afraid of insects. I used to catch insects for fun when I was a kid in the village."
Xu Shulou explained: "I am not afraid of most of the insects in the mortal world. I have even petted a caterpillar, but those in the Cave of Ten Thousand Insects... are quite scary."
"I'm really not afraid," Bai Roushuang smiled, "Senior Sister, don't worry."
"Okay then." Xu Shulou nodded and began to use her spiritual power to drive the boat. At this time, she had not yet realized the meaning of Bai Roushuang's "I'm really not afraid". It was not until a few days later, when she faced her junior sister who asked her if she wanted to eat insect meat patties, that she finally understood.
———
On the way, the two passed by a city where cultivators opened shops, and Xu Shulou finally had time to buy the Qiankun Cave that she had always wanted after losing Xiaolou.
The Qiankun Cave Mansion launched by the Never-Sleeping City is a miniature courtyard that is easy to carry. When needed, it can be transformed into normal size by injecting spiritual power. Bai Roushuang was standing in the store at this time, holding one and examining it carefully. She saw a palm-sized magic weapon with clearly visible rockery, flowing water, pavilions and towers. She couldn't help but smack her mouth at its exquisiteness.
Seeing the expressions of the two, the shopkeeper thought there was a chance, so he introduced them carefully: "Don't be fooled by the imitations of Mustard Seed Cave and Sumeru Cave. Our Qiankun Cave is not only beautiful and comfortable, but also safe. Even if there are people inside, when the courtyard is miniaturized again, the people inside will be ejected first, and there will be no situation where people are trapped inside."
Seeing that his junior sister also liked it, Xu Shulou directly bought two courtyards from the shopkeeper. One was a Hui-style residence with green tiles, white walls and a deep courtyard, which was simple and elegant. The other was a Jiangnan-style courtyard with winding paths, surrounded by mountains and water, which was fresh and elegant.
Each of these Qiankun Cave Mansions costs three thousand top-grade spirit stones, which is extremely expensive. The shopkeeper was delighted to see Xu Shulou paying so happily, and began to recommend the new "Mirage" in the City That Never Sleeps to her.
Bai Roushuang looked at the big pearl that the shopkeeper held out and asked curiously, "But was it taken from a mirage?"
The shopkeeper nodded, and smilingly invited the two to go to the rooftop together, where he gave them a demonstration. He held the lustrous pearl in his hand and injected a spiritual power into it. As the pearl shone brightly, a projection appeared in the sky, with carved beams and painted buildings, and winding corridors, like a mysterious and beautiful fairy palace, a mirage.
Bai Roushuang looked up at the beautiful scenery and said, "This doesn't look like a habitable building."
The shopkeeper smiled mysteriously: "You will know once you try it, young lady."
Bai Roushuang and Xu Shulou looked at each other, and flew to the side of the mirage together. They raised their hands and touched it lightly, and they could actually touch the entity. The two entered this "mirage" and saw everything from tables, chairs, and dressing tables to pens, ink, paper, and inkstones. They were all real objects that could be used. It was truly a masterpiece of nature.
The glazed tiles and flowing cloud patterns give the layout a lofty and elegant style. If the two courtyards just purchased are human courtyards, then the style of this "mirage" is the fairy palace.
Bai Roushuang couldn't help but sigh: "This Lord of Nevernight City is truly a business genius."
The shopkeeper carefully observed the expressions of the two people and asked carefully, "Miss, are you interested?"
"This mirage must be very expensive, right?"
"It costs 20,000 top-grade spirit stones." The shopkeeper answered truthfully.
"Twenty thousand?" This amount is more expensive than many high-quality magic weapons. If it were converted into silver, I wonder how many luxurious mansions I could buy in the human world.
The shopkeeper explained: "The cost is already high. From the time our city lord had the idea to the time he successfully made this thing, he spent millions of spirit stones. This mirage is extremely difficult to make, and the production is also small. We only have this one in our store now."
Xu Shulou didn't wait for him to continue, and immediately made the decision: "I want it."
This thing is too expensive, and it is rare for someone to buy it. The shopkeeper heard this and said enthusiastically, "Okay, young lady, please come this way. Let's sign a contract. If this mirage is damaged within two hundred years, you can come to us to repair it at any time."
"good."
Xu Shulou left with satisfaction, taking the Mirage and Qiankun Cave Mansion with him. With these two magical weapons, he would never lack a place to live even in the wilderness.
———
The origin of the Ten Thousand Insects Cave is recorded in the history books of the cultivation world. It is said that at that time, many giant insects were causing troubles in the world. They could not be killed, so they were eventually driven into a secret realm by several powerful people. However, these insects multiplied too much and too fast, so they had to be cleared every few years, otherwise they would break through the secret realm sooner or later, escape and endanger the people again. The powerful people at that time set a time limit of once every ten years for the secret realm to be opened.
There are many materials on these insects that can be used to make magic weapons or elixirs, so every time the secret realm is opened, many monks come to try their luck, which can also be regarded as a way to control the number of insects. Even if you can't reach the dangerous interior of the forest, you can usually get some gains by wandering around the periphery.
When Xu Shulou and the others arrived, there was still some time before the Ten Thousand Insects Cave was opened, and quite a few people had already gathered nearby in twos and threes, just like the Yuankong Secret Realm that Bai Roushuang had visited. There were already some vendors setting up stalls around, selling magic weapons, medicines for injuries, spiritual wine for replenishing spiritual power and the like.
She also saw vendors selling food, but the monks around her had no interest. They probably thought about what they would face after entering the Insect Cave and knew that it would be useless to eat now. They would probably vomit inside. Even her usually lazy senior sister stood in the distance, looking indifferent, as if she had lost interest in food.
It was not until the gate of the Cave of Ten Thousand Insects opened that Xu Shulou reluctantly moved.
Bai Roushuang saw what her senior sister was afraid of for the first time, so she laughed and said, "How about you close your eyes and I'll pull a rope and lead you?"
Xu Shulou actually thought seriously about the feasibility of this.
Before she could answer, the monk who heard this couldn't help but burst out laughing: "It's more terrifying if you can't see this kind of place, okay? You have to suspect that there are bugs approaching you quietly all the time."
Xu Shulou could only regretfully admit that this man was right, and he strode into the Cave of Ten Thousand Insects with his head held high.
There were many monks who entered the door together. They looked at each other and encouraged each other. Some of them even moved towards Xu Shulou and the other person, thinking that they could use them to cleanse their eyes after being shocked by the strange appearance of the insects.
There was a male cultivator who had probably been here many times and had gained experience. He walked straight towards the towering trees around him, stopped in front of them and observed them carefully for a while, then stopped in front of the third tree and said, "There must be bugs inside."
He took out an axe-shaped magic weapon, infused it with spiritual power, swung his arms and chopped the giant tree with all his strength. With this axe, the tree fell down, and at the moment it fell, something densely poured out from the broken end.
It turned out that the giant tree was only intact on the outside, but had long been hollowed out inside.
"It's the larvae of the borer!" someone shouted.
The big man who was chopping trees was quick-eyed and quick-handed. He killed many larvae with his axe. These insects could be ground into medicine, and he was the one who discovered them, so it was not convenient for others to snatch them from him.
"What are those black and white things mixed in with the pile of insects?" a newcomer asked curiously.
"They are insect eggs and feces." A kind-hearted person answered him.
"..." Bai Roushuang looked at her senior sister with concern, who looked unhappy.
"Everyone, be careful. If you are not strong enough, don't try to imitate this hero," the kind-hearted person reminded. "Although these larvae are still small, if they crawl over a person in groups and enter through the ears, nose and mouth, the person's internal organs will be eaten in an instant."
Xu Shulou whimpered and buried his face in his junior sister's shoulder. He looked so weak that he couldn't take care of himself.
If Bai Roushuang had not discussed the issue of the Cave of Ten Thousand Insects with her senior sister in advance and knew that she was afraid of the insects here, she would have almost thought that the "weak and cowardly" pill had delayed its effect.
Others couldn't help but look over and said to Bai Roushuang, "This place is very dangerous. Why did you bring a burden in here?"
"Are you talking to me?" Bai Roushuang had a strange look on her face. In the past, she had always been a "burden" to her senior sister, but now this feeling was so new.
"Of course it's directed at you," others advised, "If you are not strong enough, send her out as soon as possible to avoid being a burden to others."
Bai Roushuang quickly retorted: "My senior sister is very powerful!"
Xu Shulou not only did not refute with her, but also patted her on the shoulder: "Junior sister, I will rely on you this time."
Senior Sister needs her protection! Bai Roushuang suddenly felt a great passion in her heart: "Okay, I will do my best!"
Seeing that she was stubborn, others shook their heads and walked away.
Xu Shulou took out the "Mirage" bead he had just bought from the Qiankun bracelet and stuffed it into his junior sister's pocket: "Your idea of using a leash inspired me. I read the instruction manual. When the bead moves, the mirage on it will also move with it. I will stay on it. If anything happens, call me in time."
Is this still possible? But it is definitely better than using a rope to tie up Senior Sister. Bai Roushuang took the beads in a daze.
Xu Shulou instructed with a little concern: "If I don't respond to you in time, you can withdraw the spiritual power in this bead, make the mirage disappear, and let me fall down directly to join the battle."
Bai Roushuang wiped the cold sweat off her forehead. Her senior sister was so cruel to her.
After walking with Mirage for a while, Bai Roushuang began to find it fun again. In the Cave of Insects, she could fight as hard as she could to improve her strength. If she encountered a giant insect that she could not defeat, she could summon her senior sister at any time.
It's like carrying a combat pet with you.
She cast a levitation spell on the bead so that it always floated steadily beside her.
So on this day, the monks who entered the Cave of Ten Thousand Insects were fortunate enough to witness a wonderful sight.
Everyone looked at the "Fairy Palace" in the air, then looked at Bai Roushuang who was laughing foolishly on the ground, and they were all speechless for a moment.
Your senior sister is treating you like a laborer, what are you still laughing at?
When they inquired about the price of this magic weapon, everyone could only gasp and sigh - first, it was great to have money; second, it was great to have a silly junior sister to spoil you.
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