Chapter 203: Too Clever for One’s Own Good

Chapter 203: Chapter 203: Too Clever for One’s Own Good

Jade Scrolls required Divine Sense to be read. Since Gu Nuan Nuan had never practiced Cultivation, she naturally couldn’t view it. However, it was just as well to have Cao Cao read it and relay the information.

In the Jade Scroll, Cao Cao’s previous master said he came from a Great Sect on a Middle-level Cultivation Planet. While traveling through interstellar space, he was ambushed and robbed. In the ensuing battle, his Star Map, Star Disc, and all his High-Level Magic Treasures were destroyed. He barely managed to escape with his life using a Secret Technique, but was severely injured and lost his way, ultimately ending up stranded on this nameless Mortal World planet devoid of Spiritual Energy.

He hoped that if a fellow Daoist discovered his Heritage Mansion, they could take the opportunity to return his legacy to his sect’s home planet. Then, they would only need to activate the Sound Transmission Jade Talisman, and sect elders and fellow disciples would naturally make contact and offer a hefty reward. If the person who found it was willing, it might even be possible for them to join his sect—

Cao Cao said that the greatest desire of a Loose Cultivator in the Cultivation World was the chance to join a Great Sect, so this offer was truly enough to make one’s heart pound.

Looking at the man’s storage ring and storage bags, the ring was a decent five hundred cubic meters, while the two bags were each two hundred cubic meters.

The sizes were passable, but as for the contents, aside from a Sound Transmission Jade Talisman and a Sect Disciple Jade Token to prove his identity, everything else was either worthless daily necessities or a few common, run-of-the-mill Cultivation Method Jade Scrolls. Even the Magic Treasures were either damaged or low-level. And the elixirs were, without exception, all low-level elixirs...

Oh, and besides all that, one of the storage bags was filled with a pile of sand and gravel.

Gu Nuan Nuan didn’t bother with a detailed inspection. After a quick glance, she thought for a moment, moved everything from the storage ring into one of the storage bags, and then tossed the empty ring directly into Cao Cao’s Companion Space for safekeeping. In the end, only the two storage bags remained on the table.

"Master, he... he’s a liar! He wasn’t a disciple from some Great Sect at all, he’s a Loose Cultivator! On the way to Blue Water Star, we weren’t robbed in the slightest. On the contrary, he was the one who ambushed and killed someone else..." Cao Cao couldn’t help but rant after relaying the contents of the Jade Scroll. "There must be a conspiracy behind what he wrote. Most likely, this is all a trap! He planned to use this Sect Disciple Jade Token from the person he killed as a contingency. If his possession attempt failed, he’d make sure whoever came after him would be screwed, too. It’s a classic case of borrowing a sword to kill another!"

Gu Nuan Nuan: "..."

She had actually encountered such a profoundly scheming Cultivator.

After a moment of thought, it dawned on her. "You’re right. Even setting up an Array around this Heritage Mansion that only a Cultivator could find was likely part of his plan. He knew the chances of an ordinary person on Blue Water Star reaching Foundation Establishment were minuscule. Even if they did, it would be even harder to continue their Cultivation. Someone at the Foundation Establishment Stage probably can’t travel through interstellar space, right? So he was hoping for another Cultivator to arrive, not some mortal who might not even have a Spirit Root and be unable to practice Cultivation. If he possessed someone like that, he’d only gain a few extra decades of life, which would be pointless. That’s why he was willing to wait for however long it took."

’The waters of the Cultivation World run so deep,’ Gu Nuan Nuan sighed. ’Who says all Cultivators are simple-minded people focused only on pursuing the Great Dao, unwilling to bother with such mentally exhausting schemes?’

"Master is right. You need to be at least at the Golden Core Stage to be capable of interstellar travel," Cao Cao readily agreed.

"Then let’s search quickly. His real treasures must be hidden here somewhere. That’s where the truly good stuff will be. And by the way, considering how cunning he was, don’t just check the spots with Arrays. You need to carefully search the places without them, too."

"Okay, Master, just a minute. This place isn’t very big, so it’ll be quick." With that, Cao Cao began to search meticulously. In the end, it found a storage ring wrapped in beast hide, tucked away in an inconspicuous crevice of the cave. In addition, it discovered a small Concealing Array in a very hidden and unexpected spot, inside of which was another storage bag.

Tsk, tsk.

Gu Nuan Nuan was thoroughly impressed now and couldn’t help but chuckle. "He was really too clever for his own good. The way he hid things, it’s most likely that an average Cultivator would find the storage bag in the Concealing Array and, nine times out of ten, stop looking. They’d completely miss the real treasure."

"And what’s more, whoever finds this Heritage Mansion will, nine times out of ten, fall for the trap and actually believe he’s a Great Sect disciple. The moment they show up at that sect’s doorstep, their life will be in grave danger." If Cao Cao had a body, the first thing it would want to do right now would be to pat its chest. ’My poor heart is just pounding! Thank goodness I happened to go into an upgrade because of that bag of Spirit Stones. Otherwise, following such an unfathomably scheming master, I might have been coaxed into signing a Soul Contract with him!’

SOB SOB SOB—

Cao Cao whimpered in relief. "Master, I’m so glad he’s dead! If he had managed to trick me, my fate would have been absolutely tragic."

"Mhm, you’re right. Being as adorably naive as you are, you’d probably be the type to still help count the money after being sold," Gu Nuan Nuan agreed, smiling cheerfully as she looked at the storage ring and storage bag before her.

’Sob, Master is so mean for saying that.’

Cao Cao fell silent, trying to convey its displeasure through silence. But it had no facial expressions, so Gu Nuan Nuan was completely oblivious to its anger. And even if she had noticed, she probably would have just laughed. Instead, she just cheerfully called out to Cao Cao, "Quick, let’s see what’s in here!"

"Wow, we’re rich—"

Cao Cao’s anger faded as quickly as it had come. At Gu Nuan Nuan’s summons, it shamelessly bobbed its main stem and eagerly went to inspect the contents of the storage ring and bag. The moment it looked, the delight in its voice was impossible to hide. "Master, this is the real treasure! Look, the storage ring even has top-quality Spirit Stones! With these, not only can I upgrade, but you can reach Foundation Establishment too! It’s a shame, though, that the Spiritual Energy on Blue Water Star is so thin. Even if you reach Foundation Establishment, you’ll have no hope of advancing further."

"If that’s the case, then why waste the effort to reach Foundation Establishment? Wouldn’t it be better for me to just not practice Cultivation and save the Spirit Stones for your upgrade?"

Gu Nuan Nuan shook her head, sounding uninterested. Her spiritual power followed, probing into the storage ring and storage bag, and she was instantly stunned as well. The contents of the storage bag were one thing—the good items were limited, but the bag itself was a respectable five hundred cubic meters. The storage ring, however, was on another level entirely. First off, its space was immense, over a thousand cubic meters, and it was packed to the brim with items.