Nan Zhi gave Qin Yue three days to consider.
She was in no hurry to leave the secret realm. Setting aside the abundant cultivation resources within it, just copying the teleportation formation on top of the altar would take at least a month.
It was unknown which great powerhouse had created this formation, but it was peerlessly exquisite and profoundly mysterious. With Nan Zhi's current cultivation, copying it for even a single cup of tea's time longer would leave her divine sense on the verge of collapsing.
“Miss, eat some fruit.”
Seeing Nan Zhi fly down from above, Hongluo ran over with a bowl of plump, bright red fruits, offering them with immense enthusiasm.
“That big dummy came by again just now to deliver Sun-Burning Stones and Metal Essence Mud. I traded them for pills according to the amounts you specified, and he gave me this huge bunch of fruits to eat. Miss, try one! Although they're a bit sour and astringent, they've been nourished by the secret realm's spiritual energy, so they have a bit of spiritual energy in them. They must be the spirit fruits mentioned in those storybooks!”
The big dummy Hongluo referred to was none other than Lyu Dongfang.
Over the past few days, Nan Zhi had focused entirely on copying the formation diagram, so she had left the trading of pills to Hongluo.
Although the little hedgehog was a bit timid, she was highly organized. Even though she could not understand a word the exploration team said, she managed to communicate through gestures.
Over the course of a few days, the Sun-Burning Stones on the shallow banks of the river near the camp had been completely cleaned out, and even a thick layer of the Metal Essence Mud on the surface had been scraped away.
Seeing how incredibly vibrant the fruits were, Nan Zhi guessed they would not taste very good. However, unwilling to disappoint the little hedgehog's kind intentions, she picked one and popped it into her mouth.
“Good Hongluo, go play somewhere else. I still have to work for a bit longer. Just remember not to eat too many, or your teeth will be set on edge and you won't be able to eat dinner tonight.”
“Okay!”
Hongluo replied crisply. Knowing that the secret realm was dangerous, she did not run off. Instead, she sat on the edge of the stone platform with her large bowl, using the red fruits to paint her lips for fun.
Only after turning around did Nan Zhi silently spit out the sour, bitter wild fruit. Beneath the altar, she spotted Liu Ruhe, followed by four young soldiers carrying sealed boxes. They seemed to have something to say to her.
From the looks of it, they had reached a decision.
Nan Zhi did not mind in the slightest. With a casual wave of her hand—
A wooden vine rose from the ground, wrapping around Liu Ruhe and the four soldiers. It lifted them over ten zhang into the air before setting them down steadily on the stone platform.
“Is this the power of a spell? It's truly magical.”
Liu Ruhe reluctantly patted the vine before gesturing for the men behind her to set down the sealed boxes.
“Ma Guniang, these... are the items we brought out from the stone room. There are thirty-one items in total. According to our agreed trade terms, you may select twenty-two of them.”
Nan Zhi swept her gaze over them and noted that the authorities had protected these items quite well.
Even when pursued by demon beasts and forced to blow up their escape route, they had not discarded these things.
Hongluo curiously leaned over, pointing at her bright red mouth as she asked if they wanted some fruit.
“Thank you, little girl, but you should keep those fruits for yourself. Our people chose to enter the secret realm to carry out scientific research and explore the mysteries of science. These things are naturally more important than our lives.”
Liu Ruhe politely declined Hongluo's offer, let out a bitter laugh, and took a step forward. “And please rest assured, this is indeed everything we retrieved from the secret chamber.”
Nan Zhi did not expose the word games she was playing.
But she had only ever been after that jade slip anyway. As for what the authorities had found outside the stone room, she could not care less.
Inside the sealed boxes, each item was preserved in a specially made airtight bag, and they all appeared to have been cleaned.
Thus, Nan Zhi easily recognized the functions of these items.
“This jade brush, this Purple Bamboo Dragon-Carved Brush Pot, this Golden Silk Agate Bone-Piercing Mirror, and this Eight-Treasure Necklace Shirt. This Bronze Soul-Chasing Bell is quite nice too; I'll take it.”
Nan Zhi's gaze swept casually across the sealed boxes as she pointed out the items she fancied. “Also this Bamboo Script Board... this green jade slip, and this copy of the Prototypes of Formations...”
With every item she pointed out, the expressions of Liu Ruhe and the four soldiers grew a fraction grimmer, as if she were carving flesh from their bones.
After careful consideration, Qin Yue had agreed to Nan Zhi's terms and had openly shared the map of the secret realm that they had risked their lives to chart.
The map drawn and measured by the government geologists accompanying the exploration team did not differ much from reality, which saved Nan Zhi a significant amount of time.
In the end, only nine items remained across the four sealed boxes:
A cloak as thin as a cicada's wing, nearly translucent and seemingly woven from insect wings; a pitch-black, completely lifeless piece of withered wood; a sheathless black dagger; a palm-sized, square Tiger-Head Jade Seal; and four ancient texts that required translation.
“This old woman is in a good mood today, so I will give you a few pointers. The first item is a cicada garment made from the wings of Resonating Cicadas. Wearing it allows one to conceal their figure.
“The second item is the root of a Moon Laurel. Although it looks completely devoid of life, if you nourish it carefully with rootless water, it might still survive.
“The third item is a fine magical treasure for killing, called the Shadow-Severing Blade. It wounds people invisibly, and can even strike from a thousand li away. For example...”
Nan Zhi picked up the dagger and slashed lightly toward Liu Ruhe's shadow. Liu Ruhe instinctively flinched to dodge, but halfway through, she forced herself to stop!
The next second, a deep, bone-deep wound appeared on her forearm, and bright red blood instantly jetted out!
“Professor Liu!”
“Professor Liu! Are you alright?!”
The others had not expected Nan Zhi to suddenly make a move and quickly shielded Liu Ruhe. The latter's face was pale as she weakly waved her hand:
“I'm fine, cough. Ma Guniang was merely demonstrating for us. This is truly a fine item. What is the underlying principle behind it? And why can it wound someone through their shadow? Ma Guniang is indeed remarkably knowledgeable to recognize all of these things.”
“You flatter me. You are the truly clever one. I actually intended to cut your shoulder just now, but who would have thought you would manage to dodge it.
“Of course, this old woman's eyes are sharp and clear. Under my nose, nothing filthy or foul can hope to escape.
“I heard that you were the first to discover these things, including that stone room?
“Then you had better be careful. Who knows if there was some filthy thing waiting in that stone room, looking to possess someone and launch a sneak attack through soul-snatching.”
Nan Zhi slowly withdrew the dagger and put it back, seemingly completely indifferent to the blood pouring from Liu Ruhe's forearm.
“Take care. Hongluo, see our guests out.”
“...Ma Guniang truly likes to joke. It was merely a coincidence that I dodged.”
The composure Liu Ruhe had maintained finally crumbled, her face turning ugly.
The other four were completely bewildered, not understanding why Ma Guniang had suddenly turned hostile. However, their wariness grew significantly, and they resolved to return and report this to Qin Yue immediately.
A coincidence?
Like hell she believed that.
Smiling, Nan Zhi picked up the jade slip and toyed with it in her palm, a trace of amusement glinting in her eyes.
Rate on N.U.
