Chapter Sixty-Three: He Is a Professional

Shen Wan crouched in the corner, holding his nose and whimpering softly, while Wu Xi stood nearby, feeling somewhat awkward.

He glanced sideways—this fellow was simply too handsome. He himself might have stood a chance in comparison, but now, with his face marred and his looks diminished, he was overwhelmed with jealousy. Jealousy, jealousy, jealousy.

Shen Wan pouted, turned his head away again, and resumed his sobbing.

Wu Xi had no idea how to comfort this young uncle. He had already apologized, but why was this man so delicate? It was just a bit of a nosebleed.

He glanced at the bulging cloth bundle behind Shen Wan, not knowing what was inside, then his eyes landed on the lotus pedestal in the darkness, and suddenly he brightened.

“This is…”

He hurried over and carried the lotus pedestal from the shadows, examining it carefully. Instantly, his heart leapt.

“The Nine Heavens Spirit-Nurturing Platform?!”

Wu Xi’s heart pounded wildly. He had read about this artifact in ancient texts; if he remembered correctly, it was already at the Spirit Movement level, once fought over by countless alchemists of the Soul Formation realm.

He turned it over, checking again—there was no doubt, it truly was the Nine Heavens Spirit-Nurturing Platform.

“You’re looking at it so closely—is this thing worth a lot?” Shen Wan stood up and, seeing Wu Xi’s actions and expression, guessed that the lotus pedestal was indeed something valuable.

Wu Xi’s attention was all on the platform. Only when his uncle asked did he come back to himself.

“Uncle, did you find this?”

Shen Wan lazily rubbed his nose and replied, “Oh, there’s a secret room in there. Looked like it hadn’t been lived in for years, so I just grabbed whatever random stuff was inside. No idea if any of it is worth anything.”

He pointed at the cloth bundle on the ground.

Wu Xi swallowed hard, thinking, “Random stuff? Just grabbed whatever? You can just casually pick up a Spirit Movement level treasure? What kind of luck is this?!”

He followed Shen Wan’s gesture and looked at the bulging cloth bundle on the ground, his throat moving again. He didn’t dare imagine what other heaven-defying items might be in there.

“Do you have any spare storage bags? Let’s pack all this up and, when we get back, see how many spirit stones it’ll fetch.”

Shen Wan didn’t care much about these things. He couldn’t use them anyway, so those he could share, he would, and those he could sell, he’d exchange for spirit stones—after all, there was someone at home waiting to be fed.

Thinking of the big dumpling at home, Shen Wan felt as though he were raising a gold-eating beast.

Wu Xi hurriedly agreed, took out a storage artifact, and packed both the Nine Heavens Spirit-Nurturing Platform and the large cloth bundle away.

After finishing, he seemed to realize something and finally looked at Shen Wan with a puzzled expression.

“Uncle, shouldn’t you be with Master? How did you end up here?”

“Ahem!”

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Upon hearing this, Shen Wan quickly faked a cough and smacked his lips before saying, “Well… Senior Brother told me to come in. He said it would be a pity to miss out on such a good opportunity for training.”

He made up a story on the spot, shifting the blame directly onto Wei Zhen.

Seeing Wu Xi’s half-skeptical look, Shen Wan didn’t bother to explain further. Believe it or not, ask your master if you care so much.

Wu Xi mused, watching Shen Wan’s expressions, immediately understanding his young uncle was bluffing. Of course, he didn’t expose him, nodding along in agreement.

“You came in through here? Is there a way out?”

Afraid the boy would press further, Shen Wan quickly changed the subject, pointing toward where Wu Xi had appeared.

Wu Xi nodded again. “Yes, Uncle. I followed a black-banded snake in here. These tunnels are dense, but there is a way out.”

“Black-banded snake? What’s that?” Shen Wan muttered, but decided it wasn’t important. Right now, leaving was all that mattered.

He had spent long enough in this cave and wanted nothing more than to get out.

He took the storage bag Wu Xi handed back and fastened it to his waist. Freed from the burden of the large bundle and the lotus pedestal, and now knowing the direction of the exit, Shen Wan felt suddenly light-hearted.

He motioned for his nephew to lead the way, and the two of them, hands to their waists, plunged deeper into the cave.

Meanwhile, Gu Zhiping and Yun Yi once again slid down the earth tunnel into the Golden Mulberry Grove.

Without hesitation, they hurried to the cliff’s edge, feeling along until they found the invisible stone steps from memory.

Sure enough, they still couldn’t see the steps, but even without Shen Wan’s guidance, they cautiously retraced their earlier route and managed to reach the hidden platform on the other side.

They passed through the stone gate and returned to the old man’s cave.

With the Frost Divine Tree gone, the cave was as dark as ink. Both of them spread their spiritual sense to cover the space.

There was no trace of Shen Wan, not a single hint of his presence remained, apart from the transmission platform.

“Could Brother Shen have been sent somewhere else?” Gu Zhiping stepped up to the platform, suspecting there was a problem with it, but after careful inspection, found nothing unusual.

Yun Yi frowned slightly. Just as she glanced up, she noticed a faint light at the very back of the cave.

Earlier, the blood-eyed stone in the corner had been hidden by the rock wall, so no one had noticed it. Now that the door was open, the lamp on the cave wall glowed clearly.

She tugged Gu Zhiping’s sleeve, signaling him to follow.

Gu Zhiping saw the light too, and his heart thumped hard. He wasn’t entirely sure of his guess yet, but he followed Yun Yi to the stone door where the lamp burned.

“This…”

Staring at the man-made corridor, Gu Zhiping felt his suspicions drawing closer to the truth.

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Yun Yi was thoughtful as well.

“The height of this passage clearly wasn’t made by the Titan clan. Could there be others living here?”

They exchanged a glance. Gu Zhiping took the lead, Yun Yi close behind, and they entered the tunnel together.

Following the path Shen Wan had taken earlier, they finally entered the hidden chamber.

Gu Zhiping’s heartbeat quickened. To find such a hidden room—it had to be the tomb of an immortal! Wasn’t fortune close at hand?

A greedy smile appeared on his lips as he quickened his pace, searching the chamber thoroughly.

From the inner chamber to the outer room, from the bedroom to the garden, even the empty wooden racks behind the reservoir.

Gu Zhiping stood rooted, incredulous.

“Damn, it’s been looted! Not even a house move is this thorough—they didn’t leave a single thing!”

Thinking back to Shen Wan emptying the treasury at the Virtuous Treasure Pavilion in a flash, Gu Zhiping buried his face in his hands, wailing inside, “I almost forgot—this guy’s a professional!”

Dejected and on the verge of tears, he stared at the empty shelves, growing more and more regretful that he had stepped onto that transmission platform first.

Yun Yi, however, had different thoughts.

She examined the hidden chamber carefully. Though the furnishings resembled those of humans, it was clear this dwelling was not meant for them.

She walked into the courtyard, and upon seeing the strange plants, a bold guess formed in her mind.

She wasn’t sure yet. Spreading her spiritual sense once more, she finally noticed the mound where Shen Wan had buried the old man.

“Benefactor? …Grave…”

“What atrocious handwriting,” Yun Yi chuckled softly, guessing this must be Shen Wan’s work.

She probed the mound with her spiritual sense, but as soon as she touched the wooden box containing the corpse beneath, a formless power shattered her consciousness.

Her mind rang, and she staggered back several steps, blood trickling from her lips.

She stared in shock at the undisturbed mound, her heart full of dread.

“This backlash… could it be…”

Information flashed through her mind like lightning, recalling the ancient tomes she had read. At last, Yun Yi’s pupils widened, her heartbeat accelerating.

“This is… an Ancient Earth Demon!”

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