Chapter 25: Monster Hunting and Treasure Hunting
While Wu Xingzhou was recuperating at Yang Jianshe's house, more than one person was concerned about his injuries. Whenever someone asked, he would give a wry smile and say that he had asked the wrong person for directions and they had led him to a wild boar's den.
Afraid of talking in his sleep, he kept telling himself that this was how he got his injury.
But in fact, he stumbled into a wild boar's den while exploring the mountains.
His ostensible purpose in coming to Qinglin Bay was to bring Shi Yuan back to the Wu family to acknowledge his ancestry, but before he set off, Wu Guanhai gave him a rough map and asked him to explore the mountain.
Wu Guanhai didn't specify what he was looking for, only saying that if the object was located on the map, he would definitely be able to recognize it.
As the only heir of the Wu family in this generation over the past decade, Wu Xingzhou naturally knew what he was looking for.
Apart from Wu Guanhai, who is in the military, the rest of the Wu family members are scattered across various industries and all over the world. Every quarter, the phone at the Wu family's old residence rings countless times.
On the surface, these are calls from relatives and friends scattered across the country to let each other know they are safe and to maintain relationships. In reality, at the end of each call, someone will always say, "Everything is as usual."
Wu Xingzhou, who was in his teens, thought that "as before" meant that everyone was doing well.
When Wu Xingzhou was in his twenties, whether he was on a business trip or traveling for personal reasons, he would call the old house before leaving each new place, and his last words would always be "Everything is as it was before".
By then he already knew that "as before" meant: not found.
What did you find?
Rare treasure!
The Wu family is searching for a rare treasure, but no one knows where it is or what it is.
It wasn't until Wu Guanhai's second wife tried every means to have a child that Wu Guanhai suddenly remembered that he and his ex-wife had a daughter.
However, that daughter was a soulless person.
In the years before he went astray, he had privately lamented more than once that even if Wu Yuan were an idiot, he could still hope for a miracle. But she was a soulless person. The Wu family's business was to predict people's fates and help them avoid misfortune. They knew better than anyone what a soulless person represented.
Therefore, while Shi Ling was wholeheartedly taking care of Shi Yuan and hoping for a miracle, Wu Guanhai had already given up on Shi Yuan.
For a considerable period of time after it was determined that Shi Yuan was a soulless person, the elders of the Wu family refused to see him.
It's not just disappointment and disgust.
There's a saying in the Feng Shui and metaphysics community that people in this field will experience subtle changes in their destiny at a certain point in their lives, and it's inevitable that they or their relatives will suffer from five deficiencies and three lacks.
Both the Shi and Wu families are involved in the field of feng shui and metaphysics. Although Shi Yuan's abnormality caused heartache for the elders of the Wu family, they also felt a sense of relief, especially since Wu Xingzhou had already shown talent in the field of fortune telling and metaphysics when he was young.
Therefore, the elders of the Wu family felt an unspeakable sense of guilt towards Shi Yuan. This guilt might deepen over time, evolving into deep affection, and they would provide a safety net for Shi Yuan's life.
But it's also possible that guilt will eventually turn into resentment that can't be expressed.
Because there are always many people who only know one side of the story who think that the Wu family lacked virtue or had done something heinous, which is why Shi Yuan is in that situation.
The key point is that Shi Ling never wanted to keep Shi Yuan at home. Instead, she was keen to let Shi Yuan experience the world and nature, hoping that one day a miracle would happen.
The Wu and Shi families actually faced a lot of criticism for a long time, but the elders of both families tacitly agreed not to let Shi Ling and Shi Yuan be affected.
As Shi Yuan's father, Wu Guanhai, who also shoulders the responsibilities of both families, bears greater pressure than others.
Fortunately, the Shi family imparted all their family's secret skills to him and even opened their library to him.
This appeased Wu Guanhai and his family, and the two families got along quite well, at least that's what Shi Ling thought at the time.
The balance was broken when Shi Yuan was nine years old. Shi Yuan's maternal grandfather felt that the time was right and decided to use the soul jade left by their ancestors to help Shi Yuan summon his soul.
After that, the elders of the two families split into two factions. The elders of the Shi family couldn't bear to see Shi Ling and her mother suffer for the rest of their lives, so they suggested that Shi Yuan take the Soul Jade as soon as possible and that the Wu family hold a soul-summoning ceremony on her birthday.
But the elders of the Wu family hesitated.
The Wu family also has a contemporary named Wu Xingzhou.
What if someone from the Wu family absolutely has to face the calamity of the Five Deficiencies and Three Shortcomings?
Shi Yuan is already in this state, so whether he can successfully summon the soul is still uncertain. But what if something unexpected happens, and that unexpected thing happens to Wu Xingzhou?
Not long after, Grandma Shiyuan had a minor accident and needed to rest in bed, so the matter had to be put on hold for the time being.
Shi Ling was too busy taking care of Shi Yuan to know any of this, but Wu Guanhai did.
Then Shi Ling discovered Wu Guanhai's infidelity, followed by divorce and leaving Beicheng.
As mentioned before, Shi Ling found the ancestral notes and the Soul Jade Pendant in the hidden compartment of the Buddhist shrine in the Shi family's old house.
What she didn't know was that the Shi family patriarch would occasionally have a sudden inspiration and write a few words in other books, which would then be copied together.
After the Shi family library was opened to Wu Guanhai, there was a period in which Wu Guanhai almost forgot to eat and sleep while reading there.
The elders of the Shi family thought he was studious, but in fact, he had accidentally seen the notes of the Shi family patriarch and developed a strong interest in the "extraordinary treasure" mentioned by the patriarch.
When Shi Yuan was nine years old, Wu Guanhai thought the treasure was the Soul Jade and tried to subtly inquire about it with Shi Yuan's maternal grandfather.
At that time, Grandpa Shiyuan trusted Wu Guanhai very much, saying that the rare treasure was truly the property of a celestial being, and could not be compared to the Soul Jade.
Wu Guanhai was so clever; he understood immediately. The Shi family must have a record of this extraordinary treasure, but unfortunately, he had never found it.
For more than a decade afterward, the rare treasure became an obsession for the Wu family.
Yes, Soul Jade is such a precious treasure, but Grandpa Shi said that compared to rare treasures, Soul Jade is nothing!
So when Wu Guanhai thought of the daughter who had been abandoned by the entire Wu family, he felt no maternal love or longing for his daughter. Instead, he suddenly realized that Shi Ling was the only heir of the Shi family, and Shi Yuan's maternal grandparents would surely have given instructions before they passed away.
He immediately sent people to investigate the whereabouts of Shi Ling and her daughter.
Upon learning that Shi Ling had gone straight to Qinglin Bay after leaving Beicheng and settled there, he naturally turned his attention to Qinglin Bay as well.
Wu Guanhai was indeed clever; he drew a simple map based on just a few words from an ancient book and his subordinates' description of Qinglin Bay.
He had a premonition that the extraordinary treasure the Wu family had been searching for for many years was in Qinglin Bay! And Shi Ling must know the inside story; at the very least, she must have taken away the manuscript of the Shi family's ancestor!
No one knows better than Wu Guanhai how important Shi Yuan is to Shi Ling. As long as Shi Yuan is in the Wu family, Shi Ling will present him with her handwritten notes with both hands.
Wu Guanhai originally planned to go to Qinglin Bay in person, but there was something going on at the military camp, and officers at the regimental level and above were not allowed to apply for leave.
Ten years ago, he could have simply taken off this military uniform, but not now. He had used countless favors and fulfilled numerous requests to get into the military.
Only with his special status as an active-duty military officer present would no one dare to touch the Wu family.
More than a decade ago, because of the strange treasure and the tense atmosphere in Beicheng, the Wu family members were scattered in various places.
At this moment, the only person who has the time and can be entrusted with this task is Wu Xingzhou.
Therefore, Wu Xingzhou's trip to Qinglin Bay took place, and he was rescued by Shi Yuan after being seriously injured.
Wu Xingzhou is still young, passionate, and has a moral bottom line. In addition, Shi Yuan saved his life, so he feels guilty when facing Shi Yuan and Shi Ling. Therefore, he often subconsciously protects Shi Yuan.
But ultimately, he is a member of the Wu family.
Therefore, when he noticed the unusual activity in the deep mountains, he ran up the mountain without any hesitation, without warning Shi Ling who lived at the foot of the mountain.
Deep mountains, valleys
After playing for most of the night, both Shi Yuan's side and the Eagle Master's side were quite tired, not physically, but mentally.
Even Shi Yuan, the Ghost King's uncle, looked somewhat listless when he shot the Black Cloud Arrow.
However, a ceasefire is impossible between the two sides.
Shi Yuan refused because she strongly suspected that the empty spring mentioned in her ancestor's notes was located within the territory of the eagle master, which might be the reason why the eagle master had never moved.
As for Gu Linyuan and his group, Shi Yuan guessed that their goals aligned with hers, so they wouldn't retreat easily.
In addition, they are from the Seventh Division, and it is their duty to eliminate evil demons that have eaten people.
As for the eagle's owner, it sees them as intruders, yet it is guarding its treasure, and it will not retreat unless absolutely necessary.
So, let's keep playing.
They fought from the first light of dawn until the moon was high in the sky.
She didn't know how others were doing, but she was almost vomiting from fighting and her superpowers were almost exhausted.
She had experience fighting mutated plants for seven days and seven nights without sleep. There was no way to kill them; mutated plants were rooted in the soil and had a home-field advantage wherever they were. Unless you destroyed their roots, you simply couldn't kill them.
Mutant plants know the importance of their root systems better than humans do.
Humans can never imagine how imaginative mutant plants can be; they can transform their root systems into all sorts of shapes.
The only thing humans can be thankful for is that the mutated animals' root systems must be connected to their own.
Otherwise, all that hard work will be for nothing when the spring breeze blows!
Shi Yuan felt that demonic plants and mutated plants should have some commonalities, so when her side had people, and each of them was quite strong, she stopped attacking blindly and instead focused on finding the roots of the demonic plants.
To catch the thief, you must first catch the king. Destroy the roots of this demonic plant, and you'll have everything you need.
Unfortunately, Shi Yuan's idea was correct, and his method was also correct. In fact, this demonic plant may have suffered very little damage, so it didn't hide at all!
Wherever the roots of an ordinary plant are, that's where its roots will be; the target is very clear.
The demonic plant gets tired because Shi Yuan allows Gu Linyuan and the others to attack its root system whenever they have the chance.
Oh, by the way, Wu Xingzhou searched the mountain but found nothing except the noise. He was torn between immediately going to the train station to return to Beicheng and staying to see if the rare treasure had appeared. He chose to stay.
Of course, staying there was useless; without the eagle to guide him, he wouldn't be able to find the valley at all.
Well, even if he found the eagle, not that he looks down on Wu Xingzhou, the eagle in its weakened state could still kill Wu Xingzhou several times over.
In short, Wu Xingzhou won't affect Shi Yuan and the others' monster-hunting, but whether he'll annoy people later is anyone's guess.
After casting another rune array, Shi Yuan became somewhat dejected. She had been able to fight the mutated plant for seven days and seven nights while spending money on in-game purchases. She was an ability user, and once her abilities were used up, she became quite weak.
I don't know what the mechanism of Gu Linyuan and Feng Cheng's abilities is, but they seem to be in a similar state to Shi Yuan.
The only one still in high spirits was Huan Ni, as Gu Linfeng had returned to Gu Linyuan's side a long time ago to fight alongside him.
After spitting out a few more talismans, Huan Ni flapped her wings and returned to Shi Yuan's shoulder: "Shi Yuan, have you noticed that you've been throwing talismans less frequently?"
Shi Yuan: ...Thank you, but you don't need to say it!
"How about I spare you some talismans?" Before Shi Yuan could answer, Huan Ni said again, "Forget it, I'll do it. You should rest." Her tone rose at the end, clearly a subtle jab at Shi Yuan to make her feel good.
Shi Yuan remained silent, but managed to throw out another talisman array before it burned out.
It's no wonder that any place with land is the domain of the demonic plants. Since Shi Yuan's attacks weren't as strong, the demonic plants increased the frequency of their branch attacks.
At that moment, the moon was high in the sky, and its light shone straight into the valley, illuminating the demonic plant.
Perhaps it was because her superpowers were almost exhausted and she was hallucinating, but Shi Yuan saw countless moon-white light spots rise from the ground and enter the demon plant's body after the moonlight shone on it.
Soon, Shi Yuan realized that this was not an illusion, because the demonic plant's attacks were clearly stronger than before.
Gu Linyuan and Feng Cheng clearly sensed the abnormality of the demonic plant, and a fleeting look of surprise crossed their faces.
So only Shi Yuan remained listless, while Gu Linyuan and Feng Cheng grew stronger with each challenge, and they fiercely fought against the demonic plants again.
Shi Yuan admired this; as expected of someone from the Seventh Division, their strength and stamina were unmatched by ordinary people.
Of course, Shi Yuan didn't underestimate herself, because if she could afford to spend money, she would definitely be fighting right now.
However, Shi Yuan has truly overdrawn his resources.
Just as she was thinking of getting some high-end stuff from Huan Ni to absorb and then returning it to her later when she found something just as good, Huan Ni flew back on her own initiative.
very good!
The right time, the right place, and the right people!
Shi Yuan paused for a moment, about to speak, when Huan Ni the dog sneaked close to Shi Yuan's ear and whispered, "Shi Yuan, I have a bold idea."
"Wh-what?" Shi Yuan, who was thinking about how to get high-end goods from Huan Ni, suddenly lost her composure.
Huan Ni lowered her voice even further: "Have you forgotten the scene of the blood oath ceremony?"
She used her wings to pry Shi Yuan's head toward the demonic plants on the battlefield: "Look, those moon-white specks of light, don't they look familiar?"
"No, right?" Shi Yuan answered uncertainly.
Actually, they are somewhat similar. These moon-white specks are somewhat similar to the red and green specks that disappeared into her brow that day, but the colors are completely different!
"Never mind the color!" Huan Ni was so anxious that she almost forced Shi Yuan to admit that it was the same thing!
"I have a suggestion." Before Huan Ni could speak, Shi Yuan said, "Okay, I got it, I'll do it!"
"Huh?" Huan Ni was dumbfounded. "No, I haven't said it yet. Why don't I say it first, just in case we think differently!"
Shi Yuan shook her head, indicating to Huan Ni that there was no need to say anything and there was no need to waste time. It seemed that Gu Linyuan and her Ghost King uncle were also nearing their end.
Indeed, their energy diminishes with each use, while the demonic plant replenishes a great deal with each use. This disparity has already put the two in grave danger.
Compared to Shi Yuan and the other two, who each possessed unique abilities, Sheng Yunhua was simply more accurate with her shots. However, she had already run out of bullets and was now being protected by Hei Yun, anxiously watching the battlefield.
In this situation, barring any unforeseen circumstances, there is only one option: to temporarily leave the valley.
Anyway, according to the eagle, its owner would never move its nest, even if it meant death.
After leaving the valley, they rested and prepared before fighting the demonic plants again.
But while they were resting, the demonic plants were also resting.
As Shi Yuan watched the ever-rising moon-white light spots and the increasingly energetic demonic plants, she thought that the demonic plants must be recovering much faster than them. In fact, if the moon-white light spots continued to appear, the demonic plants' strength would soon see a qualitative improvement.
We finally beat the demonic plant half to death!
Who would be willing to accept that?
Anyway, Shi Yuan was unwilling to accept it!
If you don't kill the mutated plant outright, you'll just have to wait for it to grow at a speed that's unimaginable to humans!
Therefore, Shi Yuan said to Gu Linyuan and Feng Cheng almost without thinking, "Cover me!" After saying that, she quickly ran towards the demon plant.
Gu Linyuan and Feng Cheng did not betray her trust. Even though they were at their last gasp, they still protected Shi Yuan tightly. Gu Linfeng even transformed into peach petals to surround her and block the attacks that Gu Linyuan and Feng Cheng could not block.
Strangely enough, it was their first time fighting side by side, yet they completely trusted each other, and Shi Yuan even entrusted his life to them.
This is certainly not the time to delve into the reasons.
Shi Yuan had fought against mutated plants that were even more powerful and had a better appearance than this demonic plant, so when he sat next to the mutated plant and competed with it for the moonlight, he wasn't actually that afraid.
It was only during the later review that it was discovered that when she shouted "Cover me," she had already regarded Gu Linyuan and Feng Cheng as comrades-in-arms.
She knew that her comrades would not easily abandon each other.
Shi Yuan used the last bit of his special ability to bring out the pattern on his forehead.
Things went very smoothly. The moment the pattern appeared on her forehead, moon-white light spots rushed into her forehead.
Shi Yuan didn't know what changes the moonlight had caused within her body, but she could clearly feel her depleted supernatural power being gradually filled, then filled again, and then breaking through.
The overwhelming sense of familiarity made Shi Yuan feel as if she were holding several kilograms of gold in her hands.
Then, Shi Yuan's hand reached out and grabbed the demonic plant, clinging tightly to its body.
Do you know the Star Absorbing Technique?
If the demonic plant could speak, it would probably be cursing Shi Yuan for being more like a monster than it, because Shi Yuan is stealing the moon-white light spots from the demonic plant's body at a frenzied pace.
That's not enough!
After all the moonlight spots were absorbed by Shi Yuan, her hand was still tightly attached to the demon plant.
The energy from the demonic plant was almost poured into Shi Yuan's forehead.
At some point, Gu Linyuan and Feng Cheng stopped fighting and stayed by Shi Yuan's side.
When Shi Yuan regained consciousness, the morning star shone brightly in the sky, and it was almost dawn.
She withdrew her hand, exhaled a breath of stale air, and turned her face, almost pressing it against the limp, limp plant.
"Ew~" Shi Yuan moved to the side; this demonic plant was really ugly.
Demonic Plant: ...***&@#%！ ！ ！
Shi Yuan didn't receive the signal from the demonic plant and continued to complain.
Huan Ni fluttered her wings and circled above Shi Yuan's head, excitedly asking her, "How is it? How is it? Don't you feel like you have inexhaustible energy?"
"Is it possible to kill this monster with a single punch?"
"Oh, I'm so impatient! Just tell me already!"
Shi Yuan chuckled, noticing that Gu Linyuan, Feng Cheng, and Sheng Yunhua were also looking at her curiously. She shook her head and said, "It's not that exaggerated. It's true that my strength has been restored."
She wasn't lying, but she vaguely felt that the energy she absorbed should be far greater than the energy used to restore and break through her superpowers, but she couldn't say where that energy went.
Of course, it's even harder to explain.
"We're exhausted after fighting for so long," Sheng Yunhua said with a smile. "Let's hurry up and dig up the demonic plant and check the surrounding area." Her eagerness was barely concealed. "It's a deal! If there's any treasure, whoever finds it keeps it!"
They were on the same side when they were fighting to the death with the demonic plant, but now they're competitors when it comes to the treasure hunt.
Fortunately, they were paired up, which was fair.
Shi Yuan quickly stood up and worked together with Gu Linyuan and the others to dig out the demonic plant.
Good heavens, the roots of this demonic plant are thicker than its body, and its long rootstock seems to extend to who knows where.
The more they dug, the more silent everyone became.
This is even more tiring than fighting demonic plants! The key is that when fighting demonic plants, you're holding your breath, it's either you or me, but digging out demonic roots is endless. What kind of mess is this?!
Finally, Shi Yuan really didn't want to dig anymore. She raised her right index and middle fingers and drew some moon-white light from her forehead into the demon plant's body. She said with a stern face, "Pull up your roots yourself, or you'll be sucked dry!"
"hurry up!"
The demonic plant clearly understood human speech. After trembling for a while, its long, long roots, which had almost covered the entire mountaintop, were gradually retracted.
If Shi Yuan and the others hadn't fought so fiercely with the demonic plant that they were almost dragged into its mouth and eaten, they would have almost felt sorry for the demonic plant.
But those of them, who were also digging up demon roots until they were about to vomit, could only give Shi Yuan a thumbs up.
Finally, Gu Linyuan and Feng Cheng made their move at the same time. Gu Linyuan used peach leaves to tightly bind the demonic plant that had taken the initiative to coil its roots, while Feng Cheng wrapped the demonic plant with black clouds, making it impossible for it to escape to heaven or earth!
Next up is the treasure hunt, and of course finding He Tian is also very important, so let's do it together. Anyway, it's a thorough search.
Huan Ni loves treasure hunting the most. First, she circled around the valley, and then swooped down and went straight into the cave where the demon plant roots were located.
Shi Yuan grabbed Huan Ni's tail feathers and pulled her out: "Be careful, what if there's some danger inside?"
"Oh!" Huan Ni obediently perched on Shi Yuan's shoulder and asked her, "Shall we go down?"
While Huan Ni was circling in the sky, they were searching in the valley. They hadn't finished searching and hadn't found the treasure yet, but there was good news: they found He Tian, who had fainted in a corner.
This person is quite something. He covered himself in mud and disguised himself as a plant, hiding there motionless and evading the search of the demonic plant.
The good news is that the person is still alive; the bad news is that the person is barely clinging to life.
Gu Linyuan was the director of the Seventh Division, so of course he had to step up at this time. Thus, Gu Linfeng reluctantly but carefully carried He Tian to the hospital.
There was a seventh patient in the hospital, and He Tian was able to receive timely treatment.
Gu Linyuan's treasure hunting team is now one person short, but that doesn't stop them from continuing their thorough search.
When Gu Linfeng hurried back to the valley, everyone had just finished searching the valley and were preparing to drill underground to find the location of the demonic root system.
The treasure hunting team was reunited, and everyone went down to the ground together.
As we all know, the place where the taproot of a plant is located is definitely the place with the most nutrients in the soil.
So naturally, everyone initially looked underground where the main root was located.
"This is like digging an underground palace! It's so winding and twisting. Do the demonic plants spend all their time studying the meandering of their root systems?" Huan Ni exclaimed, her voice faintly echoing, but no one paid any attention.
She continued, "Hey, look, the main root seems to be branching out!"
Everyone looked in the direction Huanni had indicated, and sure enough, there were three passages ahead, clearly indicating that the main root had split into three branches of roughly the same size.
“This is clearly a greedy demonic plant, wanting to absorb more energy,” Huan Ni said. “The treasure should be around here.” After saying that, she covered her mouth with her wings and looked at Shi Yuan somewhat embarrassedly.
Shi Yuan chuckled. Even if Huan Ni didn't say anything, everyone could tell. She gently smoothed Huan Ni's feathers reassuringly.
Now it's time to part ways and go our separate ways to find our own treasures.
Of course, everyone could search one root hole at a time together, but clearly none of them had that idea.
Given Gu Linyuan's selfless contribution, Shi Yuan and the others unanimously decided to let Gu Linyuan choose first.
Whether Gu Linyuan was moved or not is unknown, but his expression was somewhat helpless. In the end, he chose the Demon Root Cave in the very center.
Considering Gu Linyuan and Gu Linfeng's peach tree attributes, Shi Yuan felt that there was a high possibility that the demon root cave in the middle contained treasures.
But it's hard to say.
Everyone has a chance.
Sheng Yunhua was an elder and had always taken good care of Shi Yuan. Shi Yuan insisted that they choose first. Sheng Yunhua looked grateful. Feng Cheng looked at Shi Yuan with the affection of an elder looking at a junior. He put his arm around Sheng Yunhua and chose the Demon Root Cave on the right.
Shi Yuan and Huan Ni entered the leftmost hole.
Huan Ni was puzzled: "I saw you looking for treasures with great enthusiasm before, running all over the mountains and fields. Why are you letting them choose first now?"
"Aren't you afraid they'll find the treasure?"
Shi Yuan shook his head: "I'm not afraid. They are all comrades who fought side by side. When they find the treasure, let them broaden my horizons. They will definitely be willing."
When the time comes, I'll invite Shi Ling to watch it together; that would be a way of giving an account to our ancestors.
After all, his ancestor had said from the beginning that he had no affinity with the treasures here.
Shi Yuan then spoke a very honest truth: "As long as the one who gets the treasure is not a member of the Wu family, I can basically accept it."
Huan Ni muttered softly, "If you don't want it, you can give it to me! I love collecting treasures!"
Shi Yuan patted Huan Ni's head and said with a smile, "So, let's search carefully. Maybe we'll be the ones who find the treasure in the end."
Huan Ni was immediately appeased upon hearing this. She was the most experienced when it came to treasure hunting, and often, who would get the treasure was decided from the very beginning!
With that thought in mind, Huan Ni stopped nagging and focused on finding the treasure with Shi Yuan.
Unbeknownst to Shi Yuan, the other two treasure-hunting duos in the Demon Root Cave were also having a conversation.
Gu Linfeng cannot speak, but he and Gu Linyuan are twins, and due to some special experiences, they have become symbiotic. Therefore, they have their own way of communicating.
"Brother, do you think we can find that treasure?" Gu Linfeng's tone was filled with a cautious anticipation. "I don't want to be a peach blossom branch anymore."
Gu Linyuan was much more relaxed than him, his tone carrying a clear smile: "Do you know why our treasure hunt isn't about you fighting and grabbing, but rather about you being polite and yielding to each other?"
"Huh?" Gu Linfeng was a little confused. "Wasn't it because we gave He Tian a ride?"
Gu Linyuan chuckled: "That's just polite talk. When it comes to fighting for treasures, there's no such thing as martial ethics."
"Then?" This question was a bit profound, so Gu Linfeng gave up thinking about it.
Gu Linyuan patted Gu Linfeng reassuringly: "As long as we find and activate that treasure, our goal will be achieved. It doesn't matter who owns it."
Fengcheng and Sheng Yunhua were also having a similar conversation, only with a touch more tenderness and reluctance.
Shi Yuan and Huan Ni were the most relaxed among them.
"Hey, do you think Wu Xingzhou would regret coming back to Beicheng if he knew we were so close to the treasure?" Huan Ni's tone was full of schadenfreude.
"Even if he's in the valley, he won't get any of the rare treasures!" Shi Yuan said this with absolute certainty. With her around, she wouldn't let the Wu family have whatever they wanted!
She already disliked the Wu family, and after learning about the past between the Shi and Wu families, all she felt towards them was disgust.
"Exactly!" Huan Ni and Shi Yuan exclaimed in unison, "There isn't a single good person in the Wu family!"
"If Shi Ling hadn't made the decisive decision to leave Beicheng back then, I don't know if she and her daughter would still be alive today."
“Yes.” Shi Yuan nodded.
Since Shi Ling wouldn't leave, the Wu family hatched a plan to seize the treasure. They believed that if they could take Shi Yuan away, they could control Shi Ling.
Huan Ni exclaimed, "I simply can't imagine! If things had gone this way, what would you and Shi Ling be like now!"
Yes, so why should we forgive and forget?
Not a trace can be erased!
The man and the bird chatted and laughed occasionally, gradually venturing deeper into the Demon Root Cave.
Shi Yuan crossed her arms and rubbed them up and down, unsure of what she was saying. "Why do I feel colder and colder? Is it just my imagination?"
Huan Ni shook her feathers: "It doesn't seem so, I feel cold too." Her tone was a little puzzled, "That's strange, even though I'm weak now, I'm immune to heat and cold, so why do I feel cold?"
After she finished speaking, she exchanged a glance with him, their eyes filled with joy, and she couldn't help but say, "Could it be?"
Shi Yuan's eyes gleamed in the darkness of the Demon Root Cave: "Let's hurry!"
"rush!"
Shi Yuan and his group were so engrossed in their treasure hunt that they forgot all about it, while Wu Xingzhou wandered around the mountain for a very, very long time, so long that he missed his train, so long that there was no more movement in the deep mountains. He finally resigned himself to his fate and returned empty-handed once again.
Wu Xingzhou looked up at the full moon in the sky, sighed softly, and prepared to go down the mountain to buy a new train ticket to head north.
Then he realized he was lost!
It should be noted that after it was confirmed that Shi Yuan was a soulless person, all the resources of the Wu family were poured into him. Wu Guanhai was not a good father, but he was a good second uncle. He also passed on all the secret techniques he learned from the Shi family to Wu Xingzhou.
Wu Xingzhou was already of superior talent, and with so many resources accumulated over the years, his strength was already among the best of his peers.
He never imagined that one day he would get lost.
wrong!
Wu Xingzhou looked at the full moon that was gradually being obscured by dark clouds, and then looked towards the deep mountains. Perhaps, a rare treasure was about to appear!
Suddenly, he stopped looking for a way down the mountain and instead changed direction, heading deeper into the forest. Perhaps he was the chosen one that the treasure was waiting for!
Wu Family of Beicheng
Wu Guanhai pushed open the door. This was the first time he had returned home since Xie Minyin became known as a vicious stepmother.
Hearing the noise, Xie Minyin came downstairs, her face full of cautious flattery: "Guanhai, you're back. I'll go buy groceries now."
"No need, I have a meeting at the barracks, I'll come back to change my clothes."
"I'll run you a bath and get your clothes ready!" Before Wu Guanhai could refuse, Xie Minyin ran back upstairs.
Wu Guanhai naturally did not refuse, but not refusing does not mean forgiving.
Xie Minyin tried to start a few conversations, but Wu Guanhai didn't respond. Finally, she put on a sexy lace nightgown and went into the bathroom, saying she was going to give Wu Guanhai a back rub.
Although she felt uneasy, the memory of how beautiful she looked wearing this nightgown before gave her a boost of confidence.
But she was met with Wu Guanhai's disdainful look and almost harsh comment: "How old are you?"
"Look at what you're wearing! You're the commander's wife! I don't expect you to be modest and dignified, but at least don't dress like this and make a fool of yourself!"
"go out!"
Xie Minyin covered her lips, her sobs broken and pitiful. But just as Wu Guanhai said, she was middle-aged. With the same clothes and actions, Wu Guanhai from more than ten years ago would have been pleased, whether he was sincere or not.
But now, all he sees is disgust, especially after Xie Minyin took the herbal soup her mother prepared to improve her health, which caused spots to appear on her face and a persistent, unpleasant medicinal smell on her body, making Wu Guanhai even more averse to her closeness.
Watching Wu Guanhai's resolute departure, Xie Minyin finally couldn't hold back her tears.
"Shi Ling, you've won!" Xie Minyin's voice was desperate and frantic.
It can only be said that there is always something hateful about a pitiful person. Wu Guanhai's disgust was written all over his face, but Xie Minyin still hated Shi Ling.
Shi Ling sneezed in Qinglin Bay, and Shi Ming immediately took the fish from her hand and told her to go and rest.
"I'm fine." Shi Ling chuckled, took the fish pieces back, rubbed them with salt, and hung them on the drying rack. "There's a technique to pickling fish; you can't do it."
Shi Ming scratched his head and chuckled, "I really don't know how to cook, but I'm good at killing fish and cleaning them well."
“Yes, you’re capable,” Shi Ling casually agreed, then asked with a smile, “I heard you’ve been helping a female educated youth with chores these past few days, you two…”
"No, no!" Shi Ming quickly clarified, "She gave me money, that's why I helped her with the work." Is he the kind of person who would offer help voluntarily? No.
"Autumn is almost here, so I bought you a jar of hand cream. Apply it to your hands often to prevent them from cracking when it gets cold."
Shi Ling wiped her hands clean and took the face cream, asking curiously, "You know about this too?"
“I asked her,” Shi Ming replied matter-of-factly. “When that female educated youth gave me the money, I asked her, and she said this hand cream was very good.”
Shi Ling accepted the money and didn't say anything to stop Shi Ming from spending it recklessly. Anyway, she had money, and if Shi Ming ran out of money, she would just help him out.
After drying the fish, she washed her hands and applied face cream. Earlier, Shi Ming had gone up the mountain to cut bamboo and made a recliner, so she sat on the recliner and closed her eyes for a nap.
She never imagined that one day she could live such a fulfilling and leisurely life.
Deep in the mountains, the Demon Root Cave
Shi Yuan pointed to a flower in surprise: "The Three-Life Flower!"
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