Chapter 137: Sighing Over a Treasure

Chapter 137: Chapter 137: Sighing Over a Treasure

Chapter 137: Gazing at Treasure, Sighing in Vain

"I’m not that thirsty, so I didn’t drink much."

Gu Nuan Nuan smiled. Of course, she wasn’t going to admit that this wasn’t all the water she had. In her space, she had a large bowl of water, enough to refill these two gourds. That’s why when she saw Zhang Minzhen constantly drinking, she’d purposely left the water in this gourd untouched and secretly drank from her space instead.

"Master, Cao Cao found two He Shouwu plants nearby, about three hundred years old! They’re excellent for prolonging life." Cao Cao’s voice suddenly rang out.

"Where are they?"

He Shouwu can live for about a thousand years, and the older a wild one is, the more precious it becomes. ’To think there are three-hundred-year-old He Shouwu nearby! It would be great if I could dig them up for Grandpa and Grandma, right?’ This was like getting a pillow just as she was getting sleepy. Gu Nuan Nuan was instantly delighted and quickly asked for more details.

"They’re about a thousand meters from your current position, Master. You just need to walk straight ahead for a bit... yes, and then to the left..." Cao Cao started rattling off directions, trying to guide Gu Nuan Nuan step by step, but it didn’t notice her expression had completely fallen.

A thousand meters wasn’t too far, but the direction Cao Cao was pointing was clearly different from their destination. Without even asking, she knew her grandpa and mom wouldn’t let her go off in that direction alone. And if she asked them to come along, what reason or excuse could she possibly give? ’Tell them I somehow know there’s a treasure a thousand meters away?’

Gu Nuan Nuan sighed and stopped walking, feeling the disappointment of entering a mountain of treasures only to leave empty-handed.

"Master, why did you stop walking?" Cao Cao asked, confused.

"How am I supposed to get there? It’s so far away."

’A thousand meters is far?’ Cao Cao was dumbfounded. ’Is Master afraid it’s dangerous over there?’

Cao Cao thought it had figured out the truth and quickly reassured her, "Master, although you’ll need to cross a small stream, the path is really not dangerous. The stream is tiny—you can jump right over it."

"It has nothing to do with danger." Gu Nuan Nuan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry and had no choice but to explain the real reason. Cao Cao finally understood, then grew gloomy. "Master, can’t you just tell them the truth about your rebirth? That way, we won’t be held back if something like this happens again."

"Impossible. ’The Master does not speak of strange phenomena, feats of strength, disorder, or spiritual beings.’ They’d be terrified if I told them something like that. Even if they eventually came to accept it, who knows if they’d start feeling uneasy, thinking I’m not the same person I used to be? I can’t take that risk."

Gu Nuan Nuan rejected Cao Cao’s suggestion vehemently, a little agitated. That’s just how people are; caring too much can sometimes tie your own hands. Seeing that Cao Cao still seemed to only half-understand, she softened her tone and explained, "Even with the people you’re closest to, you don’t need to tell each other every single secret. Some things are best kept to yourself."

"Oh?"

Cao Cao was still a bit confused and even more frustrated. It was worried that if things stayed this way, its master probably wouldn’t be able to go all-out searching for the energy it needed for at least several years.

That meant that perhaps in a few decades, it would have to go into hibernation and would no longer be able to accompany its master. Even in its master’s next life, it had no idea when it would be able to wake up again...

Although the two had signed a Soul Contract, one of them had never done any Cultivation, and the other had not yet grown to a sufficient level of maturity.

Plus, they hadn’t spent much time truly communicating and getting to know each other, so they were far from the point where they could know each other’s thoughts with a single mental command.

Gu Nuan Nuan just felt that her little Plant Pet sometimes seemed to know everything, and at other times, it understood nothing at all. Seeing it respond, she just assumed it had understood her and didn’t think any more of it.

After resting enough, Zhang Dazhuang and Zhang Minzhen called for Gu Nuan Nuan to get back on the trail. Gu Nuan Nuan cast a longing glance toward the place with the three-hundred-year-old He Shouwu, secretly vowing to find a chance to get her hands on it as soon as possible. What if someone else got to it first? It was fine when she didn’t know about it, but now that she knew a treasure was there and couldn’t immediately claim it, the feeling was deeply unsettling.

"A rabbit! Master, there’s a rabbit eating grass not far ahead," Cao Cao suddenly called out after they had walked for about another half hour.

’So what if there’s a rabbit? It’s not like I can catch it,’ Gu Nuan Nuan replied lazily in her mind, her thoughts still on the He Shouwu.

"Master, quick! It’s in the patch of grass to your right! I’ve tripped it with some grass roots—" Cao Cao shouted excitedly.

"Huh? You have a cheating ability like this?" Gu Nuan Nuan’s spirits lifted, and she reacted instantly, pushing aside the waist-high weeds to her right. A plump, snow-white rabbit came into view.

Hearing the noise, the rabbit looked up. Its blood-red eyes widened when it saw a person, and it clearly froze for a second. Then, it panicked and tried to bolt, but its feet were tangled, causing it to stumble and fail to escape.

In its desperation, it thrashed and kicked its legs wildly, finally breaking free of the entanglement. Seeing it was about to get away, Gu Nuan Nuan grew anxious. With no time to think, only one thought filled her mind: ’Can’t let this free meal get away!’ She lunged forward with surprising speed and scooped the rabbit right into her arms.

It all happened in an instant. Zhang Dazhuang and Zhang Minzhen just stood there, stunned.

"Grandpa, quick, help me! It’s going to get away..." Gu Nuan Nuan knew her mom was afraid of touching furry, live animals and probably wouldn’t be much help right now, so she ignored her and called directly for her grandpa.

"Coming, coming!"

Zhang Dazhuang hurried over and grabbed the rabbit by its two hind legs, grinning broadly. "Nuannuan, how did you know there was a rabbit behind that patch of grass?"

"I saw a flash of white," Gu Nuan Nuan said, shamelessly taking the credit. Then she noticed the doubtful looks from her grandpa and mom.

Her eyes swept over the dense, impenetrable thicket of weeds she had pushed aside. She stuck out her tongue and gave a dry laugh. "Actually, I also heard the sound of the rabbit eating grass."

Zhang Dazhuang was clearly still skeptical of this explanation, but Zhang Minzhen had a moment of realization and quickly covered for her. "Dad, Nuannuan has had amazing eyesight since she was little. She has sharp eyes."

Then she laughed again. "And wasn’t that rabbit silly? It just sat there dumbfounded and let Nuannuan pounce on it."

"HAHAHA, it probably really was scared stiff."

Zhang Dazhuang’s suspicion about Gu Nuan Nuan only lingered in his mind for a moment before he dismissed it. Instead, his daughter’s last comment made him roar with laughter. "In any case, this trip wasn’t for nothing! No wild chicken soup, but rabbit meat is good too.

Our Nuannuan is really something. Hmm, a rabbit this fat ought to be roasted. When it’s cooked, we’ll save a leg to take back to your grandma, so she knows we weren’t just bragging."