Chapter 200: Discovering an Array

Chapter 200: Chapter 200: Discovering an Array

"Master, are you okay?"

As she plummeted downwards, Gu Nuan Nuan had no time to answer Cao Cao. It wasn’t until she fell into the water with a SPLASH and flailed for a few moments that she felt well enough to reply to the frantic Cao Cao, who was about to jump out of its skin. "I think I’m fine. What’s the situation here? How far are we from the surface?"

"We’re about seven or eight meters from the surface. Sniffle... Master, it’s all my fault. I didn’t notice there was a hole here and let you fall," Cao Cao said, extremely remorseful.

"It’s not your fault. It was just an accident. Even though you can scout the surroundings, we weren’t walking anywhere particularly dangerous. I can’t expect you to be on high alert every single second, right?" Gu Nuan Nuan sent her consciousness into the space to pat Cao Cao before quickly withdrawing. "Sigh... Now that I’ve fallen down here, Grandpa and Uncle must be worried sick. Can you see what they’re doing? Also, what is this place? Is it dangerous?"

"Master, Grandpa and Uncle are tying a rope. It looks like one of them will be coming down soon. This place is pretty safe, no danger... huh?" After checking on Zhang Dazhuang and Zhang Wei Qiang, Cao Cao began to carefully observe the surroundings. As it did, it suddenly let out a cry of surprise.

"What is it?" Hearing Cao Cao’s cry, Gu Nuan Nuan knew it had found something and asked curiously, "Did you discover something new?"

"How strange. Master, I can actually feel the fluctuations of an Array in here," Cao Cao said uncertainly after carefully examining the area.

"An Array? An Array from the Cultivation World?" Gu Nuan Nuan’s eyes widened.

"Yes. It’s very faint, but it’s definitely there. It seems to be just a simple Concealing Array," Cao Cao said with certainty after checking one more time.

"A Concealing Array?" Gu Nuan Nuan’s heart skipped a beat. ’A Concealing Array... Why do I feel like I’ve stumbled upon something good again...’ But then she asked worriedly, "Cao Cao, do you know how to break Arrays?"

’I hope this isn’t a case of ’look but don’t touch.’ That would just be sad.’

"It’s here!" Without answering Gu Nuan Nuan, Cao Cao cried out excitedly again. "I’ve found it! The Array’s fluctuations are coming from about one or two meters up from here. Ah, Master, wait a moment. I’ll absorb the Spirit Stone used as the Array’s core first."

Gu Nuan Nuan broke into a nervous sweat. ’Don’t tell me Cao Cao’s method for breaking Arrays is this crude and simple,’ she mused. ’Just absorb all the Spiritual Energy and energy from the Array someone set up, and then it collapses on its own?’

At that moment, Gu Nuan Nuan didn’t realize she had hit the nail right on the head.

Cao Cao didn’t keep Gu Nuan Nuan waiting for long. It let out a comfortable sigh and remarked, "Although it’s just a low-grade spiritual stone, it’s been a long time since I’ve been able to absorb such pure Spiritual Energy so freely."

"Did you see what’s inside?" Worried that her grandfather and uncle could come down at any moment, Gu Nuan Nuan quickly interrupted it.

"It’s a cave, and there’s a smaller cave inside it. That one has an Array too, and this time, the core is a Mid Grade Spirit Stone." Cao Cao was ecstatic. ’Another Array means another Spirit Stone! I can’t take the Spirit Stone out of the Array, but I can directly absorb its Spiritual Energy!’ Its voice trembled with excitement, and it desperately wanted to start absorbing it right away. However, it calmed down in an instant. Absorbing a Mid Grade Spirit Stone would take much longer than a low-grade one, and it hadn’t forgotten that its master was still soaking in the water.

Cao Cao swallowed and sent a thick vine dangling down from the cave entrance. It then guided Gu Nuan Nuan, "Master, swim over to your right. Yes, grab this vine and climb up... This Array uses a Mid Grade Spirit Stone, so it’ll take me some time to absorb. I can start after you’ve climbed up, there’s still time."

The cave was too dark for Gu Nuan Nuan to see her surroundings. She could only follow Cao Cao’s directions, eventually groping around until she caught hold of a thick vine. Following Cao Cao’s advice, she wrapped the vine around her waist and began to climb the cave wall, using her hands and feet and relying entirely on her sense of touch. At first, she was clumsy and her feet slipped several times. Although the fall wasn’t far and the vine was secured around her waist, she couldn’t help but break out in a cold sweat each time she dangled in mid-air.

Watching from the side, Cao Cao shrieked repeatedly, seeming even more nervous than she was. It got to the point where Gu Nuan Nuan had to scold it and tell it to stop. Seeing Cao Cao twisting its two leaves together like twiddling fingers in the space, looking very wronged, Gu Nuan Nuan, who was already familiar with its body language, couldn’t help but laugh. "Stop yelling. Your screaming is making me jump, and you’re going to scare me into an accident when there isn’t one."

"Okay, Master, I’ll stop yelling." Cao Cao made a face-palming gesture with its leaves. It was all because it had seen how deftly Zhang Wei Qiang climbed the rock wall earlier, which gave it the mistaken impression that it was an incredibly easy task.

*Sniffle...*

Gu Nuan Nuan didn’t have time to worry about what Cao Cao was thinking. After falling a few times, she seemed to have gained some experience. Combined with being extra careful when she started climbing again, this time she managed to ascend more than a meter in one go without any trouble.

"Nuannuan—"

Just as Gu Nuan Nuan was feeling a little smug, her uncle’s anxious call came from above.

"Uncle! Uncle, I’m okay!" Gu Nuan Nuan quickly grabbed a protruding rock on the wall to steady herself and shouted back loudly.

Hearing Gu Nuan Nuan’s voice, the huge weight that had been hanging in Zhang Wei Qiang’s heart finally lifted. Somewhat relieved but still worried, he continued to shout, "Nuannuan, how are you now? Are you hurt?"

"No, Uncle! I fell into some water, but now I’m climbing up a vine. I think I can see a cave up here!" Gu Nuan Nuan yelled back at the top of her lungs. She freed one hand to rub her throat; her voice was already getting sore after just a couple of shouts.

"Nonsense! Why didn’t you just stay put? Do you think climbing a rock wall is that easy? What if you fall again?" The worry that had just left Zhang Wei Qiang came rushing back, and his voice was tinged with anger. ’This little girl is nothing but trouble.’

"It’s fine, I have a vine tied around my waist. It’s okay if I fall," Gu Nuan Nuan replied, sticking out her tongue.

"Stay where you are and wait for me." Zhang Wei Qiang said no more. After shouting a few words up to Zhang Dazhuang, he quickened his descent.

"Cao Cao, quick, check if Uncle’s rope is long enough! If not, extend it with a vine," Gu Nuan Nuan suddenly remembered and called out to Cao Cao.