Chapter 29 Mutation Direction
Zhong Cai was caught in a dilemma, muttering, "How do you determine the grade of a mutated one?"
Wu Shaogan had not expected such an accident to happen.
According to the book, if everything goes smoothly, a level five Soul Essence Spiritual Heart could restore his aptitude to the top of the Yellow rank. However, the effects of the mutation are hard to predict; who knows if it's a benign mutation or something dangerous?
Zhong Cai ground her teeth.
Seeing his reaction, Wu Shaogan reassured him, "This is probably just a case of good things coming to those who wait." He couldn't help but chuckle as he spoke, "Well, you did manage to draw it eventually. It seems that your advice to pray and wish for it worked quite well."
Zhong Cai rolled her eyes at him: "Who am I worried about?"
Wu Shaogan said sincerely, "Seeing how worried you are for me, I can't be worried at all."
Zhong Cai: "..."
Wu Shaogan coughed lightly, not intending to truly anger Zhong Cai, and began to describe the sensation of the Soul Essence and Spiritual Heart.
"It feels cool and smooth to the touch, much like jade."
Zhong Cai leaned over irritably, flipped the book to the introduction page of "Soul Essence and Spiritual Heart," and carefully compared the contents.
The ordinary level 5 soul marrow and spirit heart are almost identical in shape and texture to this mutated one; the only difference is the color.
All the soul essences and spirits have a purple surface, which emits a soft, seven-colored light when flipped.
The higher the level of purple, the lighter it is, but the stronger the soft light will be.
At the same time, the texture will become softer.
—If it is a soul essence or spiritual heart that can restore a person's aptitude to the level of immortality, its color will be almost transparent.
When it is not turned, it looks like a still pool of water, but once you turn it, it becomes a burst of colorful light, as if it can flow between your fingers.
Wu Shaogan flipped his silver soul essence spiritual heart, which also shimmered with a seven-colored halo.
He then gently pressed his finger on the surface of the mutated soul essence.
At this moment, the spot that was lightly pressed was slightly dented, but it quickly returned to normal.
Zhong Cai looked at the mutated soul essence and spiritual heart, then at the images in the book.
"The effect after pressing is the same."
Wu Shaogan placed the Soul Essence and Spiritual Heart on the table beside him and discussed with Zhong Cai, "What should we do with it?"
Zhong Cai held the book for a moment, then hooked her arm around his neck, bumped heads with him, and said hesitantly, "Since there is such a thing as 'mutation,' it should have been mentioned when introducing 'ordinary,' but the 'ordinary' part didn't... Do you think the difference is too great, so it was deliberately recorded separately?"
Wu Shaogan paused for a moment: "That makes sense."
The two looked at each other, their gazes both falling on the book.
This time, instead of skimming, they carefully flipped through each page.
·
Following the section on Soul Essence and Spiritual Heart are over fifty pages of other types of rare and precious materials, most of which are related to "repair":
For example, there are several that can repair the soul, and three or four that can restore aptitude (but none of them are as gentle and stable as the Soul Essence and Spiritual Heart when used)...
For example, there are stories about limb regeneration, organ regeneration, correction of congenital defects, recovery from congenital abnormalities, and treatment of congenital diseases. On a certain page, a rare treasure caught Zhong Cai's attention.
Wu Shaogan noticed Zhong Cai's finger pause and looked over as well.
Rock-milk cicada.
This milky-white natural treasure, born naturally from special rocks, is only the size of a thumb and resembles a cicada, but it is not a real living creature.
Its greatest function is to ensure that the mother has sufficient innate fetal energy so that she can have a smooth delivery.
Zhong Cai pursed her lips.
Wu Shaogan knew that he was thinking of his mother.
Zhong Cai shook her head, indicating that she was fine.
·
Zhong Cai's biological mother, Sun Xi, suffered a difficult childbirth due to congenital deficiency of fetal energy.
This situation is very rare, and whether the fetal energy is sufficient at birth can only be known at the time of delivery, and it is impossible to detect it in advance.
Logically, the fetus in the womb should not be able to leave the mother's body due to this, but Zhong Cai was vaguely conscious at that time and had a strong will to live, so she instinctively exerted her strength and was able to be born.
Zhong Cai still has feelings for her biological mother. After all, her adoptive father may have only had a moment of pleasure, but her biological mother had to carry the pregnancy for quite some time, and the effort involved was completely different.
Since they had never spent time together, Zhong Cai only remembered the favor they had received, without any concrete impression of each other.
However, after formally meeting my aunt and hearing her recount some stories about my mother, I realized she was a woman of passionate emotions. If she were alive, she would likely have been a gentle and loving mother, out of place in a prominent family.
Naturally, Zhong Cai occasionally indulges in a bit of imagination.
·
Zhong Cai quickly consoled himself, saying, "It is a bit of a regret, but one's own imagination is the most perfect." He grinned, "Besides being a bit love-struck, my mother also cares a lot about my maternal grandfather and aunt. I'll remember this thing, and if my aunt wants to have a child in the future, I'll find it and give it to her. No matter what happens then, I can protect my mother's sister."
Wu Shaogan couldn't help but laugh: "Okay, I'll help you look for it then."
Zhong Cai added, "If she doesn't get married, I'll give her and my grandfather more pills. The stronger they are, the longer they'll live, which is also a way of showing my mother's love for her family."
Wu Shaogan has no relatives to take care of, but it's good that A Cai does.
So he still said, "I'll help you."
Zhong Cai said without any hesitation, "Of course you have to help me! From now on, you'll be in every plan I make, so don't even think about running away!"
A warm feeling welled up inside Wu Shaogan, and he smiled as he vowed, "I absolutely won't run away!"
Zhong Cai snorted at him: "That's more like it." He continued to turn the page, "You help me remember this, if I'm lucky enough to draw one when I draw a card, I have to keep it safe."
Wu Shaogan readily agreed, "Okay."
·
The records in "Records of Ancient Treasures" are indeed extremely detailed. When the book was getting thinner and thinner, with only 20% left, Zhong Cai and Wu Shaogan focused on the words "Special Chapter - Treasures of Growth".
Zhong Cai's eyes widened.
Wu Shaogan's pupils contracted.
The two of them reached out at the same time and turned the page almost simultaneously.
The first one isn't... the second one isn't...
By the sixth item, the image that came into view was a silvery-white, mutated soul essence and spirit heart.
Zhong Cai's heart pounded.
The growth of a mutated soul essence and spiritual heart... what kind of growth is it?
Wu Shaogan was also a little excited, and carefully looked at the entire page of small print.
The same applies to Zhong Cai.
·
The mutated Soul Essence Spirit Heart has changed from purple to silver, but apart from that, its characteristics are no different from those of an ordinary Soul Essence Spirit Heart.
The method of use is the same as that of ordinary soul essence and spiritual heart, but after combining it with the core of the divine soul and nurturing a new secret gate, it will seek out a companion treasure that can grow and be compatible with the cultivator.
Because the growth limit of the accompanying treasure is not fixed, the soul will be damaged during the process of nurturing the secret gate. Therefore, cultivators must not only ensure the absolute integrity of their soul when integrating it into the soul marrow and spiritual heart, but also continuously replenish their soul power in the following period of time.
The higher the growth potential of the companion treasure, the greater the consumption during the nurturing of the "gate" and the more it needs to be replenished.
If the replenishment is insufficient, the secret gate is very likely to fail to open, and in that case, the matching companion treasure will be unable to be summoned, and the soul will also be damaged.
After that, if a cultivator wants to restore their aptitude, they need to repair their soul and find a new soul essence and spiritual heart.
Note: There are three most common ways to replenish losses.
Firstly, supplements such as pills.
For example, Soul Nourishing Pill, Soul Replenishing Pill, Soul Enriching Pill, Soul Nurturing Pill...
Because when the soul essence and spiritual heart are integrated into the divine soul, the divine soul is easily shaken and rejects impurities, so only first-grade top-quality pills can be taken.
Secondly, precious medicinal herbs are added.
For example, Soul-Nourishing Grass, Moon Spirit Flower, and Flowing Moon Elixir...
Only pure, untainted juices can be consumed. Yin-type precious medicines must be combined with similar yang-type precious medicines to achieve yin-yang balance before they can be taken.
Thirdly, ordinary soul essence and spiritual heart.
Based on the mutated Soul Essence Spiritual Heart, continue to integrate Soul Essence Spiritual Heart as nourishment—even if the integrated Soul Essence Spiritual Heart is of a higher level ordinary Soul Essence Spiritual Heart, the initial grade of the accompanying treasure will match that of the mutated Soul Essence Spiritual Heart.
It can also be used as an adjunct to top-grade pills or rare medicines.
Elixirs and precious medicines should not be taken together.
Further note: After summoning a companion treasure, the treasure's growth requires a large amount of upgrade materials, which the cultivator must find on their own.
If the materials are insufficient or the fusion of materials fails, the cultivator's aptitude will be affected accordingly, depending on the requirements of the treasure.
[More details] omitted.
·
After reading it, Zhong Cai jumped up, extremely excited!
"Old Wu! This thing is even better than the regular one! It's practically tailor-made for you!"
Wu Shaogan was also shocked.
Once his soul is fully healed, this thing can be used immediately! Not only will it not delay his cultivation and improvement time, but it will also not limit his aptitude to a certain upper limit.
After jumping around a few times, Zhong Cai sat down next to Wu Shaogan again, his whole body filled with undisguised joy—how much regret he felt when he pulled a level 5 character in a single draw, now he was a hundred times happier!
You should know that the highest-level soul essence and spiritual heart that can be obtained from the Purple Flame Pool can only restore Wu Shaogan's aptitude to the top of the Profound Rank. Naturally, he can grow even better!
Wu Shaogan was so happy that he couldn't help but hug Zhong Cai tightly.
Zhong Cai returned the hug with a big embrace, expressing their overwhelming joy.
·
Once they had both calmed down, they sat down side by side again.
Zhong Cai exhaled and said, "I also have other formulas for nourishing the soul, but the only one I have is the Soul Nourishing Pill. The others are in the common formulas."
Wu Shaogan suppressed his surging emotions and listened with a smile.
Zhong Cai continued, "Since those formulas are common and their uses are similar to those of the Soul Nourishing Pill, there's no need to learn them for now. Anyway, taking top-grade Soul Nourishing Pills won't cause any drug resistance, and I'm most familiar with them, so I might as well make more for you. Right now you only need one pill per hour, but that might not be the case when they're integrated into the mutated soul marrow and spiritual heart, so you need to stock up on enough."
Wu Shaogan listened to Zhong Cai's rambling on about making plans for him, his expression softening.
Zhong Cai said casually, "Let's prepare Soul Nourishing Pills first, which will also allow us to collect more Pill Essence. Maybe we'll even get lucky and draw some ordinary Soul Marrow and Spiritual Heart? We can do both at the same time to fatten you up!"
Wu Shaogan chuckled: "Alright, I'll wait for you to fatten me up."
Zhong Cai was in high spirits, but suddenly became humble again.
"It's also because my strength is not enough, otherwise I could directly refine a level two Soul Nourishing Pill, and you wouldn't have to spend so much time slowly repairing your soul. A few pills would have been enough."
Seeing Zhong Cai's slightly deliberate look, Wu Shaogan smiled, pressed down on his head, and rubbed it hard a few times.
“There’s nothing wrong with not being strong enough.” He used a little force, watching Zhong Cai struggle in his palm, and praised, “You’re the best!”
Zhong Cai: "..."
Just praise them, there's no need to physically express it!
·
In fact, there was another reason why Zhong Cai insisted on giving Wu Shaogan the top-grade Soul Nourishing Pill—Wu Shaogan should have actually taken the second-grade Soul Nourishing Pill.
After reaching the peak of the Palace Opening Realm, the moment a cultivator begins to absorb the Heavenly Soul with their Life Soul as the core, they officially enter the Enlightenment Realm. Since Wu Shaogan's Life Soul and Heavenly Soul were separated, he naturally fell in realm.
Wu Shaogan's original Dao Palace is still there and won't suddenly shrink back, so he is still at the peak of the Opening Palace stage.
The first-grade Soul Nourishing Pill is not quite the right treatment, but the top-grade pill has no impurities, is very pure in medicinal power, and its medicinal properties are not weak.
With ample nourishment and a longer period of time, Wu Shaogan's spirit can be fully restored.
·
Zhong Cai said happily, "Once you successfully summon your companion treasure, I'll stock up on Qi-replenishing pills for you. Then you can draw upon the Qi of heaven and earth yourself while using the pills to replenish it. Like I said, even if the level is a bit low, as long as there are enough of them, I can definitely replenish it for you!"
"Then you can recover to the peak of the Palace Opening Realm as quickly as possible, and since you'll have experience from that, you can quickly advance to the Enlightenment Realm, and your strength will be fully restored!" He was so happy at this point that he seemed to be glowing all over. "Then, you can take me flying again—"
Wu Shaogan leaned against the stone seat, smiling as he looked at Zhong Cai.
"Didn't we agree that I would use Little Green Feather to carry you flying?"
Zhong Cai scoffed, glanced sideways at Wu Shaogan, and said, "Xiao Qingyu is Xiao Qingyu. It's a different feeling for you two to carry me while flying. Can't I reminisce about the happy times we had before?"
Wu Shaogan chuckled and pleaded, "Fine, why not? Once I recover, you can make me fly however you want. If you don't want Xiao Qingyu to carry you, I can carry you on my back the whole time."
Zhong Cai laughed: "You said it yourself."
Wu Shaogan assured him, "What I said, I will never change."
Zhong Cai beamed with joy, becoming even happier.
Dawn is truly just around the corner.
No matter how open-minded the two were before, Wu Shaogan would inevitably feel a little resentful about his own abilities, and Zhong Cai would inevitably pay attention to Wu Shaogan's emotions, with a hint of worry.
Only now have the two of them truly felt at peace.
·
Zhong Cai took out a box and carefully put the mutated soul essence spirit heart inside.
"How long do you think it will take for your soul to recover?"
Wu Shaogan calculated the time, then swallowed a Soul Nourishing Pill before saying, "About forty or fifty days."
Zhong Cai carefully placed the box in a corner of the stone seat and sighed, "I think this mutated soul essence is of very good quality. When you summon your companion treasure, it should be the best among the top-tier yellow-grade treasures. But even so, your cultivation will probably be much slower than before..."
Wu Shao chuckled dryly, "Then I'll have the same aptitude as you, and we can cultivate together."
Zhong Cai smiled broadly: "That's true."
Wu Shaogan added, "You mentioned before that your altar might grow larger as your strength increases and you invest more spiritual energy, so it can also grow."
Zhong Cai nodded and said, "We're the same in this respect."
Wu Shaogan thought so too. He leaned closer to Zhong Cai and said, "Back then, my talent was too conspicuous, so it's not surprising that I was targeted. The higher the talent, the harder it is to hide. From the very beginning, the strange phenomenon had already spread far and wide."
Zhong Cai agreed: "There's no way around it, there will be anomalies above the Earth grade." He said with a smile, "Although growth-type companion treasures are a bit troublesome to accumulate resources and consume a lot, they can be kept quiet and won't be attacked if they show up."
Wu Shaogan laughed as well: "So I think it's actually better now."
·
After talking for a while, the two felt completely at ease.
Zhong Cai laughed and said, "I still have more than two thousand Dan Yun left, and my luck is good right now, let's continue drawing cards."
Wu Shaogan naturally supported him.
So Zhong Cai continued the sacrifice, feeling very lighthearted.
It doesn't matter what I draw now, since I don't have any urgent needs anyway.
It would be great if we could get ordinary soul essence and spirit heart, but it's not a big problem if we can't.
At most, you can use more pills when nurturing the secret gate. If the required symbiotic treasure is really in high demand, you can just eat them by the handful instead of one pill at a time.
Anyway, he can afford it!
I'll send the Azure Sky Puppet to buy Soul-Nourishing Grass later. If they run out nearby, they'll go to farther places and scavenge as much as possible...
·
The first thing to do was the Azure Flame Pool Ten-Hit Combo, twice.
The first time, Zhong Cai opened the car himself; the second time, Zhong Cai had Wu Shaogan open it.
As the golden light swirled and flashed, smoke billowed out...
Numerous resources appeared one after another, which the two of them could freely choose from.
There are a total of twenty items, including seven mysterious pearls.
There are two rare medicinal plants that guarantee a minimum of 10 consecutive drops: the level 4 rare medicinal plants, Hibiscus rosa-sinensis and Golden Sunflower.
There are four level-two resources: one Savage Beast Core, one Rare Beast Egg, one Talisman, and one Humanoid Puppet.
There are five level-three resources: a cultivation manual, a secret technique, a refining material, a rare herb, and an animal hide.
There are two level-four resources: one rare and precious material and one cultivation technique.
·
Wu Shao chuckled dryly and asked, "Another ten-pull of White Flame Pool?"
Zhong Cai nodded and said, "We should start saving up some low-level resources now. Let's just use up all the pill essence."
The remaining 789 Dan Yun can be used for seven consecutive White Flame Pool attacks.
Zhong Cai unhesitatingly threw herself into the Seven Hundred Dan Yun.
The White Flame Pool frantically spewed out seals, hovering in front with a "whoosh" sound, appearing as a blinding white expanse.
Zhong Cai took forty and gave Wu Shaogan thirty.
The two were both inspired.
The white seals sprayed out in a neat row, hanging in mid-air.
Dozens of envelopes were shaken together, releasing thick smoke, dozens of pieces of gold, and a large amount of first-level resources.
Again, layers of golden light spun around... and a large number of level-two resources appeared.
Then there's the guaranteed minimum, and the glittering gold...
The final result is—
Thirty-one gold coins, fifteen first-level resources, thirteen second-level resources, and eleven third-level resources (including seven guaranteed rare medicines).
·
I've almost used up all my Dan Yun, so there's no point in doing a single pull from the White Flame Pool anymore.
Zhong Cai and Wu Shaogan sat together and began to take stock of all the resources.
Wu Shaogan said, "There are quite a few that would be suitable for Xihu."
Zhong Cai nodded: "I was thinking of giving you a secret technique, saying that you obtained it before."
Wu Shaogan raised an eyebrow, acknowledging the matter.
"The secret techniques you've drawn range from Tier 1 to Tier 4. Which one would you like to choose?"
Zhong Cai thought for a moment and said, "Third tier, I guess. We'll talk about higher tiers later."
Wu Shaogan: "Alright."
·
Despite Zhong Cai's ability to obtain cultivation techniques and secret skills from altars at will, and the fact that Zhong Cai's altar, Wu Shaogan, and Wu Dongxiao all have corresponding inheritances accompanying the treasures, these are actually quite rare.
In this world, cultivators rely almost entirely on their companion treasures for cultivation. However, 99% of these companion treasures do not actually come with a complete inheritance, or even anything at all.
·
Every cultivator, upon birth, forms a contract with heaven and earth, allowing them to possess a compatible companion treasure.
Some of these accompanying treasures were formed naturally by heaven and earth, some were created by humans but are now ownerless, and some are lingering in the world without dissipating, and so on.
Naturally formed treasures and rare gems, such as rare materials and precious artifacts; man-made treasures, such as mystical artifacts; and those that linger in the world without dissipating, such as the persistent souls of humans (primordial souls) and the souls of rare beasts...
Natural treasures and rare gems usually come with instructions on how to use and cultivate them; rare beast souls are mostly accompanied by introductions and methods on how to coordinate actions with the beast soul. If they already possess intelligence, they can also bring a great deal of the knowledge they possess, and may even come with multiple inheritances.
A soul clinging to its obsession possesses sentience. Although it may lose some memories after death, much of it remains. Cultivators are almost as if they have a teacher by their side, able to directly receive the other's teachings—that is, the cultivator is highly likely to acquire as much as the soul knows.
However, these companion treasures are far less frequent than mystical artifacts, especially human souls and beast souls, which are the fewest in number.
·
For a mystical artifact to be passed down, it must have a long history and have been associated with an extremely powerful cultivator.
Those inheritances might be things a cultivator used to attach themselves to a mystical artifact in order to find a suitable successor; or the artifact might have been imbued with the aura of a cultivator over many years, nurturing its spiritual light and actively inscribing parts of the inheritance; or the artifact might have existed for so long that certain rhythms resonated with heaven and earth, naturally forming some compatible inheritances over time...
Therefore, low-grade Xuan weapons almost never come with any inheritance; mid-to-high-grade Huang weapons may come with only a few moves; Xuan weapons may have some inheritance, such as incomplete sword moves, half a manual, or other incomplete inheritances; only when they reach the Earth grade do the chances of a complete inheritance increase, but there are still situations where there is a manual without moves, or a secret technique without a manual.
At the Heavenly Grade and Immortal Grade levels, most of them have inheritances.
However, cultivators with such talent are all extremely gifted. The inheritance they receive may be excellent, but it may not be a perfect match. After reaching a certain level, most of them have higher requirements for themselves and will choose to create their own cultivation methods.
·
Three common qigong methods circulate on the mainland: "The Qi Absorption Technique", "The Natural Classic", and "The Qi Swallowing Method".
They are all cultivation techniques for the Heavenly Guidance Realm, and at most can lead to the peak of the Heavenly Guidance Realm.
Its advantage is that it is peaceful and easy to practice. If you want to switch to other cultivation methods later, you can easily switch without any conflict.
Therefore, most independent practitioners and those from small, unaffiliated families will practice these three techniques. If they become successful in the future, they will try to find a way to switch to a more suitable cultivation method.
In aristocratic families like the Zhong and Wu families, the large number of members naturally leads to a greater number of families that can pass on their traditions.
Some techniques with strong universal applicability are handed over by the clansmen to the family in exchange for certain rewards, which also replenishes the family's inventory of techniques.
This is not only beneficial to them, but it also gives their children and descendants the opportunity to choose a suitable cultivation method from the inventory and practice it directly when they do not have a suitable cultivation method, saving them a lot of time.
In addition, the opportunities gained by the clansmen from their adventures can also replenish their inventory and bring them even more benefits.
Similarly, many sects recruit cultivators to their sects in order to absorb their inheritance and experience, compile numerous inheritance systems, and then use these systems to attract more cultivators to join.
At the same time, cultivators with good comprehension and powerful individuals often create their own techniques and secret skills through interaction with their companion treasures. After verification, these techniques can still become the foundation of various families and sects.
However, sects often put various tests on their disciples, and some large sects have high thresholds. As a result, the disciples they recruit are less of the mixed quality found in family circles, and they are more likely to create their own cultivation techniques and secret manuals.
For this reason, many family members with good aptitude will try to join a powerful sect. This not only weakens the family's control over them but also allows them to access more diverse resources, which is more beneficial to them.
Even extremely ancient and long-standing families, with no shortage of heritage, will still send some members to join other forces to continue expanding their network and accumulating more resources.
·
Zhong Cai's maternal grandfather, Sun Hu, was a rogue cultivator who initially practiced general cultivation techniques.
However, he was lucky and unexpectedly obtained a third-tier cultivation technique during his training. This allowed him to open the palace at a young age and start from scratch to accumulate some wealth.
Now that Zhong Cai has given him a third-tier secret technique, it will greatly enhance his combat power.
·
After returning to the inn, Sun Liu reunited with her companions.
The group dispersed to different medicine shops to inquire, but their dejected expressions revealed that they had come up empty-handed and had not been able to buy any suitable medicines.
Li Zheng, a middle-aged man at the peak of the Heavenly Guidance realm who had come specifically for this purpose, stroked his short beard and spoke regretfully:
"This stuff is damn hard to buy. I've run around until my legs are practically broken, and every time I ask, it's sold out, the last one has just been bought, or it's already been reserved, and even a high price won't work because I have to keep my promise... Can't there be more alchemists in this world?"
The other hunters also complained:
"Alchemists are so rare!"
"Isn't that right? Don't be fooled by the fact that there are several alchemy sects around here. I've inquired, and each sect only has a few dozen alchemists at the very least, and a few thousand at most. Even if those alchemists refine pills day and night, can they produce several thousand or tens of thousands of the same kind of pill every month? But there are seven or eight level-five cities around us, as well as dozens of counties and countless towns!"
"Look at the alchemy skills of most of them, ten thousand or so is considered a lot!"
"Our Xiaolin Town alone has seven or eight hundred thousand people! Any level five city has at least thirty million people! Even if you divide it up, the city would still be far from enough to fill the rest of the population!"
"If alchemists weren't so rare, I'd suspect those shops were deliberately refusing to sell to us; they just look down on us independent cultivators!"
"To be honest, they might not really think much of it."
"I've heard that the pills produced by alchemists' factions aren't sold in quantities they actually produce. At least half of them are collected by family circles and other sects. It's considered good if even 20% actually make it out..."
All these chattering voices were expressions of dissatisfaction and resentment.
·
Sun Liu used to worry about not being able to buy elixirs, just like his companions.
But things are different now. As she listened to these complaints, her fingers unconsciously slipped into her sleeve and touched the small bottle containing the top-grade Qi-replenishing pills. Surprisingly, she felt quite pleased.
Several hunters noticed that Sun Liu's expression was different from usual, and they gradually fell silent.
Someone asked, "Young Commander, did you manage to buy some pills on this trip?"
The experienced Li Zheng knew the purpose of Sun Liu's departure. He wondered to himself, "Could it be that Liu's journey was successful, and Xi's child has recognized her?" Heh! Most likely!
Li Zheng was very happy for Sun Liu, and also happy for his old brother—if he could recognize his aunt, he could naturally recognize his maternal grandfather.
Thinking of this, Li Zheng was no longer angry about not being able to buy the pills.
It's normal to not be able to buy them anyway.
Then, Li Zheng thought about how to smooth things over.
Sun Liu laughed and said, "I didn't manage to buy the pills, but I did find another way."
Li Zheng was taken aback.
Sun Liu said mysteriously, "I need to discuss the specifics with my father first, and then I'll tell everyone when I have the results."
She wouldn't tell anyone else that her nephew was a pill refiner. Even if the news spread from the Wu or Zhong families later, she would find an excuse to distance herself from it.
After all, who could have known that a young man who had only recently discovered the secret treasure and was not even twenty years old would have such high talent?
If it weren't for her nephew, even if she had seen those pills, she might not have believed it!
·
The hunting party members cheered, but they all followed the rules and didn't ask any further questions.
Li Zheng, however, secretly asked Sun Liu when no one else was paying attention.
"Little Liu, didn't you go to see your nephew?"
Sun Liu whispered, "Yes, everything went smoothly. I came out early and had some unexpected encounters."
Li Zheng nodded and said with satisfaction, "That's good."
·
The members of the West Tiger Hunting Group did not linger in Fengyun City and soon headed towards Xiaolin Town.
Sun Liu had a lot to say to her godfather. After tying up the horned tiger, she strode towards Sun Hu's residence.
Sun Hu was still recovering when he saw Sun Liu walk in. He smiled and asked, "You're back? Did you buy the elixir?"
Sun Liu sat down on the stool by the bed and said decisively, "I couldn't buy the pills. But that wasn't my main reason for going there; I went to see Cai'er."
Sun Hu was taken aback.
Sun Liu spoke quickly and frankly: "Cai'er sent me a letter a month ago, asking me to meet her, so I set a time with her..."
There's so much to say about this trip.
Sun Hu was somewhat bewildered, and his expression changed constantly as Sun Liu recounted the story.
After Sun Liu finished speaking quickly, she took out the small bottle and pushed it to Sun Hu.
"This is a gift from Cai'er."
Sun Hu accepted it blankly.
Sun Liu said, "Cai'er said he will come to visit you."
Sun Hu gripped the small bottle tightly, not even bothering to see what kind of pills were inside, and asked hesitantly, "When...when will Cai'er come?"
Sun Liu said softly, "He said he'd come over in a few days after settling his family affairs. Maybe he's already on his way?"
Sun Hu's eyes stung with tears.
Sun Liu smiled and said, "Father, before he comes, we should have a good discussion about what Cai'er asked us to do. In the future, we should develop Xihu well and be a good helper for Cai'er."
Sun Hu nodded heavily.
The father and daughter had a tacit understanding: they would discuss it, but they would not reveal the pills they brought back for the time being.
After Zhong Cai had come and gone, and some time had passed, Sun Liu would have to pretend to go out and make arrangements before he could announce some news within the hunting group.
In this way, even if Zhong Caidan's identity is exposed later, it can be concealed.
·
Zhong Cai and Wu Shaogan finished organizing the resources and were quite satisfied with their results.
After some careful selection, the two chose some first and second-level resources in addition to the secret technique book.
Zhong Cai planned to stay a few more days at the West Tiger Hunting Group this time. After discussing it with Wu Shaogan, she asked Qiao Hong to cancel the lease on the courtyard. When they left, they took everyone with them.
While checking his luggage, Zhong Cai said, "Although I originally only planned to come out and have some fun for a while, now that I think about it, it doesn't seem like there's any real need to go back to the Wu family..." He raised an eyebrow, "Why don't we just stay out here? Going back would be troublesome, with people coming and going all the time, and we wouldn't be able to hide anything from them."
Wu Shaogan didn't have any objections.
He used to travel and gain experience frequently, rarely spending much of the year at the Wu family's house. It was also more convenient to spend time with Zhong Cai when they were away.
Zhong Cai continued, "You'll need to try to recover your aptitude in a month or two. Your strength will skyrocket then. If you're still in the Wu family, wouldn't it be easy to expose yourself? It's better to recover outside. Once we find a way to get something that can conceal your Enlightenment Realm strength, we can occasionally go back to the Wu family to visit."
Wu Shaogan agreed; he shared the same idea.
Zhong Cai sighed, "If I had known, I wouldn't have gone back so often this time. I should have brought Zhong Da with me."
Wu Shaogan said, "Once we've settled in, have Xiang Lin go and bring Zhong Da over."
Zhong Cai nodded and said, "That's feasible."
Although Xiang Lin, as a bodyguard, should protect Wu Shaogan closely, the two already have the Azure Sky Puppet by their side. During Xiang Lin's absence, the puppet should not be sent out to do anything.
Moreover, the newly drawn puppet also possesses the strength of the Palace-Opening Realm and can temporarily replace Xiang Lin.
Zhong Cai continued, "Those two maids in the courtyard... although they are good at doing odd jobs, they cannot be entrusted with important matters. Keeping them around is not very useful, and if we leave them in the courtyard, I'm afraid your niece will still be watching them."
Wu Shao chuckled and suggested, "Let Xiang Lin come along too. Anyway, they're all bound by contract, so we don't need them anymore. You can leave them with Xi Hu and let them take care of chores for Grandpa and Aunt."
Zhong Cai tilted his head and thought for a moment, "That works too." Then he smiled and added, "If they take a liking to someone from Xihu, then it's up to them whether they get married or not."
"As for Zhou Lin and Dong Jin, they were both brought from the Zhong family. They are not very strong, and their abilities overlap with those of Qiao Hong and Bi Cen... Let them stay with Grandpa. They can marry whomever they want."
Wu Shaogan smiled.
—For the two of them, the only people they were truly willing to keep and could trust were Xiang Lin and Zhong Da. The others were all of average talent and ability. In comparison, the newly arrived Qiao Hong and Bi Cen were quick-witted and capable, so they were kept on for a while.
·
Zhong Cai pondered for a moment, then said with a hint of regret, "To avoid trouble, we'll have to leave after staying in Xihu for a few days. We can't choose Xiaolin Town as our next stop either."
Wu Shaogan nodded: "Have you found a place you like?"
Zhong Cai shook her head: "No. But there's no rush. Let's ask Grandpa for a map later. The West Tiger Hunting Group travels all over the country, they must have a map. We can study it slowly while looking at the map."
Wu Shaogan: "Okay."
·
After everything was ready, Zhong Cai and Wu Shaogan boarded the carriage.
The group traveled lightly and leisurely towards Xiaolin Town.
The journey was smooth and without any major setbacks.
Four days later, we arrived safely in Xiaolin Town.
·
Outside the town, Zhong Cai opened the car window.
It's quite lively, with many people coming and going.
At this moment, Zhong Cai was more eager to go to the West Tiger's camp. Since he was going to stay there for a while anyway, he wasn't in a hurry to observe the surrounding situation.
So he glanced at it and prepared to close the car window.
It was during that glance that Zhong Cai inadvertently caught sight of a figure, causing her to immediately stop moving.
Wu Shaogan noticed his reaction and leaned over to look outside as well.
It turned out that outside a tavern not far away, several hunters were drinking and glancing at the passing carriages.
This wouldn't have been a problem in itself, but Sun Liu was among them.
Wu Shaogan raised an eyebrow and said, "Your aunt."
Zhong Cai also noticed that the other person was no longer dressed in a gentle manner, but looked like an ordinary hunter.
Her act of staying here speaks volumes about her purpose.
Wu Shao chuckled dryly, "She's probably here to pick you up."
Zhong Cai sighed softly, "I don't know how long we've been waiting."
The two didn't say anything more.
Wu Shaogan knocked on the carriage door and rushed to Xiang Lin, giving him a few instructions.
Xiang Lin drove to the side of the road, jumped out, and opened the car door.
The place where we stopped was very close to the tavern.
The hunters over there naturally noticed what was happening and looked over.
Sun Liu's gaze fell on Xiang Lin.
She recognized him; this was the same person who had driven her nephew when he left last time.
The next moment, Sun Liu immediately stood up and walked over eagerly.
A young man's fair and handsome face appeared in front of the wide-open car door, waving energetically.
Zhong Cai didn't rush to get out of the car, but gave Sun Liu a bright smile: "Auntie! I'm here!"
Sun Liu quickly stopped, looked Zhong Cai up and down, and said, "You must be tired from your journey."
Zhong Cai waved her hand: "What's so hard about it? Aunt, come on up, let's go together."
Sun Liu nodded and said to his companions, "Could you show me the way?"
The other hunters laughed: "Don't worry, we'll take your mount back with us too."
Without further hesitation, Sun Liu jumped directly onto Zhong Cai's carriage.
Among the hunters, some were the first to rush back and report the news.
·
Inside the carriage, Sun Liu saw Wu Shaogan leaning against the window.
He came too... Yes, he was going to come along.
Wu Shaogan nodded to Sun Liu and greeted her with a smile, "Aunt."
Sun Liu took a deep breath and nodded amicably.
Zhong Cai sat down next to Wu Shaogan, also with a smile on her face.
"How many days has Auntie been waiting?"
"Not long after, just today..."
·
The carriage was getting closer and closer to the West Tiger's camp.
At the entrance of the camp, a tall, elderly man was already waiting.
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