Chapter 179: Storage pendant
Two small hands cup the sparkling jade pendant as though presenting a treasure, a dazzling smile on that small face. Coupled with his large, shining eyes, the child is honestly too adorable.
As soon as his eyes fall on the jade pendant, Long Zhanye"s expression changes. Taking it from the child, he flips it over, fingertips running lightly over the smooth surface. He can feel a faint power emitting from it. This is no ordinary pendant, but one with a storage s.p.a.ce within.
No wonder this child would be chased all the way into the depths of the forest. What those men were anxious about wasn"t because of the pendant itself but rather, the items stored within.
Although he has been slumbering for however many years at the bottom of the lake, for Immortal cultivators, a day is the same as a millennium. Thus, the world outside shouldn"t have changed all that much.
"Achoo…!"
Before Long Zhanye can ponder more over his current situation, Huo Zaiyuan sneezes, small frame trembling from the cold. He curls further into the man"s embrace, seeking warmth.
Long Zhanye silently reprimands himself for being so lost in thought, not taking the child"s present condition into account. The temperature in this forest is constantly colder than anywhere else, and on top of that, it is now winter. This chill is the sort that penetrates the bone. Who knows how long little Yuan was running for, and his clothes have been torn by beasts. Before, he didn"t feel cold due to shock but now that he is calm against, his body is finally reacting to the weather.
Wrapping his fingers around the tattoo on the small wrist, silver light flickers, transporting the two of them away from the lake and depositing them in the interdimensional s.p.a.ce.
Even if Huo Zaiyuan"s soul has returned to his childhood body, his s.p.a.ce has clearly not been affected the slightest. It looks the same as it was before. Only, after the heaven-defying act of fusing his soul with his spiritual vessel, the nine peach trees in the array has combined into one huge plant.
Huo Zaiyuan gazes around the s.p.a.ce with great curiosity. Wide eyes roving over the beautiful and tranquil scenery, his mouth forms an "O", soft sounds of amazement falling from his lips. Staring at the cute expression, Long Zhanye can"t help kissing his cheek again.
Entering the bamboo house, Long Zhanye places the little one down on the bed. "Be good and sit here. I will boil some water for your bath, then treat your wounds."
Now that Huo Zaiyuan has returned to the young body of his original self, it would be best that the water used for bathing is drawn from the spring pool. However, recalling how the little one sneezed earlier, he is afraid the child will really fall ill if he bathes in cold water. In the end, Long Zhanye decides to boil ordinary water for a hot bath.
Currently, Huo Zaiyuan"s attention is utterly captivated by the pretty bamboo house he has never seen before. Letting Long Zhanye set him down on the bed, he busies himself with studying the interior, obviously unaware of anything else.
After Long Zhanye walks out of the house, he searches through the various goods stored around the s.p.a.ce for a while. It is here he discovers all the all the perishable food stored within (fruits, vegetables, meat and baked goods) has become rotten.
Although time within this s.p.a.ce flows slower than the outside world, there is also a very big difference in the flow of time within different realms. After crossing this s.p.a.ce in between, it is not surprising that all the stored food is now inedible. It is just as well that before their battle with the mountain demon, Huo Zaiyuan took out most of the food from their s.p.a.ce and gave it to his grandfather and friends. Therefore, Long Zhanye doesn"t hesitate to toss these spoilt items out of the s.p.a.ce. After clearing those, he digs out every tube of peach juice buried next to the house.
When he twists the lid of one tube open, the rich, fragrant smell os peach wafts through the air. In the aromatic scent, one can also make out the potent spiritual energy it contains.
Even if he has reverted back to a child, no other food is more suited for him than this peach juice.
Giving Huo Zaiyuan a full cup of peach juice, Long Zhanye heads out of the house once more to boil some water for a bath. Since the bottle of liquid gas is still half full and the stove is operational, he doesn"t hesitate to flick it on and use it.
"Wuwu…Master ah!!" Suddenly, a loud cry sounds and a blur of green pounces onto Long Zhanye"s back, sobbing its heart out.
"Where did you run off to? Get down, don"t pull my hair," Long Zhanye says mildly, hands not pausing in their movements. However, from the warmth in his eyes, one can tell he is also happy to see Lu Er.
"Lu Er is very happy to see you. Master, what about Master Yuan and Liu Ying? What happened? When I was in this s.p.a.ce, everything suddenly warped. All the trees and flowers withered, scaring me to death. I ran and hid in the cave…" Even recalling the event now, Lu Er feels a trace of fear. If he had been just one second later, he would have withered like the other plants.
"Little Yuan is in the house. The s.p.a.ce warped and the flow of time within accelerated for a moment because we entered a rift between worlds, returning to the Immortal Realm. You can come out with us later, since we have returned to this world and our original bodies. Liu Ying…I don"t know what happened to him. Seeing as little Yuan and I are fine, he should just be hidden somewhere." Once the water boils, Long Zhanye scoops up some water from the spring pool and adds it into the pot.
Although all the other crops and trees withered, the bamboo, gra.s.s and peach tree are an exception, for they possess spiritual energy, and are originally of this world. Rather than wither away, the bamboos seem to have grown thicker and more solid.
"I also hope he is fine." Lu Er"s eyes darken as he thinks about Liu Ying.
Although the sword spirit"s character is not good, arrogant, sharp-tongued, and always like to bully him, but without him here…wuwu…when will he return ah?
Long Zhanye completely ignores Lu Er"s troubled expression and low mumblings, for right now, the only concern in his heart is Huo Zaiyuan"s physical condition. After adjusting the water to the ideal temperature, he heads to the house and carries the child out.
Lu Er"s eyes widen as his gaze falls on the child in Long Zhanye"s arms, screeching in alarm, "Ah - Master! Where did you find this child? I know, you went behind Master Yuan"s back to find a woman and had a child with her!"
Faced with the tree spirit"s unjust accusations, Long Zhanye"s temper explodes. "Scram!"
Poor Lu Er is unceremoniously kicked out of the s.p.a.ce.
Huo Zaiyuan is very obedient as a child, not making a fuss all throughout the bathing process. Hence, even with no experience in taking care of a kid, Long Zhanye easily pa.s.ses this obstacle.
During the apocalypse, Huo Zaiyuan always threw everything scavenged from shopping malls into the s.p.a.ce. However, they sold what they didn"t need in the marketplace immediately after returning to the safe zone. Had he known there will be a day like today, he will not let Huo Zaiyuan sell all the children"s clothes.
With no other choice, Long Zhanye can only pick the smallest pair of pants there is amongst the pile of clothes as well as Huo Zaiyuan"s favourite knitted, woollen sweater. This will have to do for now. Once they exit the s.p.a.ce, he will need to buy some children"s clothes.
Little Huo Zaiyuan doesn"t mind the too-big sweater, for this is the first time he has worn such pretty and warm clothes. Lifted up in Long Zhanye"s arm again, his little hands clutch the front of his black robes tightly.
"Zhanye…Zhanye…"
"Un, I"m here." Kissing his cheek, Long Zhanye carries him to the low table, placing the child on the ground beside him before taking out the jade pendant.
Little Yuan"s eyes light up, reaching for the pendant he recognises very clearly.
Seeing his actions, Long Zhanye immediately wills everything within out before handing the empty storage pendant to the child. Then, he turns to inspect the pile of items that appeared on the table"s surface.
A hundred low-quality spiritual stones, ten mid-quality spiritual stones as well as more than a few bottles and jars of various pills. The majority of them are Blood-enhancement pills and Spiritual Replenishment pills. There is also a cured piece of beast hide. Finally, at the top of the pile is a recipe for Immortality pills as well as a letter.
Long Zhanye doesn"t hesitate in breaking the seal of that letter. Scanning through its contents, he eventually lets out a cold scoff.
"Bunch of idiots."
"Zhanye." Huo Zaiyuan raises his head to stare at him with big eyes, apparently having heard him scoff.
"It"s nothing. We"ve got money now. Where does little Yuan want to go?" Waving his hands to burn the letter, Long Zhanye leans down to kiss his brow.
In this realm, only the common folks use copper coins, silver, and such inferior currencies. Cultivators, on the other hand, use spiritual stones as currency. Just one low-quality spiritual stone is worth a thousand pieces of gold.
"Grandfather is sick. Want to find a doctor for grandfather…" Wringing the jade pendant in both hands, antic.i.p.ation surface in Huo Zaiyuan"s watery eyes.
"All right, we will first find a doctor for grandfather. However, we cannot use that pendant as a means of payment." Long Zhanye places a single low-quality spiritual stone on the child"s palm. "We just need to give the doctor this."
The owner of this jade pendant is a disciple of the Jade Core sect. The men who chased this kid into the Evil Dragon Mountain are certainly dead now, torn apart by the wild beasts. If they rashly exchanged this pendant for services, it will definitely draw the attention of members of the Jade Core sect and bring them unwanted trouble.
Although he is no afraid of a direct confrontation with the Jade Core sect, right now, he has someone to protect.
He doesn"t wish a repeat of what happened the last time…
(Translator"s notes: From here on, chapters will come slowly. I will definitely finish it, but for those who are on NU, the ending is spoilt there. As previously mentioned, my motivation for this novel has drained, but I have come too far to drop it now. So if you are still reading this novel, please bear with me ^-^ )