Storage Bag

Though Zhou Qiankun made it sound easy, Zhou Changwang knew all too well how perilous it had been.

With the slightest misstep, his father could have died in that wolf den.

Even if he had escaped by luck, his scent would inevitably have remained in the nest. When that happened, it was still uncertain whom the Icefire Two-Headed Wolf would track down first.

"That was why we encountered the Icefire Two-Headed Wolf on the way.

"And because I left both Zhang Fenghua's scent and mine in its den, it gave up on Zhao Heng and the others and came straight after us."

At this point, Zhou Qiankun paused before continuing, "Still, Zhang Fenghua's methods truly were extraordinary. He had countless trump cards and had even mastered a Talisman Formation Method. He actually managed to severely wound that Icefire Two-Headed Wolf.

"However, the Icefire Two-Headed Wolf was, after all, one of the strongest among mid-grade demon beasts. Its strength was a notch higher. In the end, it used an Icefire Combined Strike to utterly shatter his Talisman Formation Method, then escaped after only a few bounds.

"And when the Icefire Two-Headed Wolf escaped, I struck at once and ambushed Zhang Fenghua, who was already a spent arrow.

"Though I succeeded, his counterattack before death still left me gravely wounded and at death's door.

"Then, afraid that Zhao Heng and the others would return to search for us and discover something amiss, I forced myself to hide.

"While recovering from my injuries, I also went to great lengths to evade the other demon beasts... Only last night did I return near Phoenix-Cry Cove Market. I hid in an underground burrow for the night, then entered the outskirts of the market early this morning and came back here..."

Listening to his father's account, Zhou Changwang's emotions were indescribably complicated.

He had never imagined that his father had shouldered so much.

He had needed to avenge his mother, while also staying by his side and protecting him as he grew.

Step by step, his father had paved the way for him—learning spirit plant cultivation techniques, spending Spirit Stones to rent three mu of Spirit Fields, helping him become a spirit farmer so that he could have a steady livelihood and support himself in the world of cultivation...

Even after discovering his enemy, his father had never considered letting him know. He had merely endured in silence, drawing closer to his enemy step by step before personally cutting him down.

Perhaps it was precisely because his great vengeance had finally been avenged that he seemed to have laid down the obsession he had carried for so many years, opening his heart to his son.

But if he had failed this time, or died in the wilderness...

Then he would likely have kept all of this as a secret, buried deep in his heart, until it vanished into the river of time with his death.

He would rather suffer through it himself than let his son bear even the slightest share of it.

Zhou Changwang fell silent.

Before this, he had not known what love was.

Whether in his previous life or this one, he had only experienced his parents' kindness toward him and had never thought of repaying them.

Only now did he understand.

Love might not be grand, but it ran unfathomably deep.

"Oh, right.

"This is what I found on Zhang Fenghua.

"It's for cultivators like you. Only cultivators can open it. I have no use for it, so I'm giving it to you.

"There was originally a Dharma Artifact as well, but it was destroyed by that Icefire Two-Headed Wolf during the battle."

Zhou Qiankun spoke again.

Before he had even finished speaking, he casually tossed a black cloth pouch before Zhou Changwang.

"What's this?"

Zhou Changwang fixed his eyes on it, then abruptly rose to his feet, his voice lifting. "A Storage Bag?

"This is a Storage Bag?"

"That's right.

"It's a Storage Bag.

"There should be some things inside as well. They're all for cultivators. I can neither take them out nor use them, so they're all yours."

Zhou Qiankun said with a smile.

"This..."

Zhou Changwang silently accepted the Storage Bag. He simply could not refuse it.

This was a Storage Bag.

It was a treasure countless low-level cultivators dreamed of. Every single one cost at least a thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones.

Yet he had obtained one so easily.

He caressed the Storage Bag with such fondness that he could hardly put it down.

Its surface was smooth as silk, as though it had been sewn from the finest silk cloth. Yet it differed from ordinary silk, clearly made from a more advanced material.

It was feather-light in his hand, making it impossible to sense that it might contain anything inside.

With a flicker of his mind, he hurriedly extended his consciousness toward the Storage Bag. At once, he felt a special force rebound his consciousness away.

He knew this was the Storage Bag's unique rune-based defensive measure. Only after completely wearing away and erasing the spiritual power imprint left by its previous owner could he control and use it freely.

Judging from the strength of the imprint within this Storage Bag, he estimated that it would take one or two hours to wear it away.

Thus, he could only carefully put it away and keep it close against his body.

"But Changwang, remember this: wealth must not be displayed.

"You must absolutely, absolutely never reveal this Storage Bag under ordinary circumstances.

"Otherwise, it could bring about a deadly calamity."

Zhou Qiankun then warned him.

"I know."

No one understood the importance of keeping a low profile better than he did.

If anyone learned that he possessed a Storage Bag, they would likely go mad at once and make him their foremost target for robbery and murder.

A cultivator at Qi Refining, Third Layer could not withstand the secret scrutiny of so many rogue cultivators.

"Tell me about yourself.

"What's going on with this Spirit Hound?"

At last, Zhou Qiankun could not help asking Zhou Changwang.

If he remembered correctly, he had not left behind any Spirit Stones when he departed.

But look at Zhou Changwang now.

Not only was he raising a Spirit Hound, but when Zhou Qiankun lifted the bowl before him and looked at the plump grains in the porridge, which exuded a rich fragrance, his stomach churned.

Spirit Rice porridge.

When had their family become so extravagant that they could eat Spirit Rice porridge?

Most importantly, he saw that even the Spirit Hound's bowl contained half a ladleful... If not for the sake of face, he would have wanted to pour the porridge back out of the dog's bowl.

Woof! Woof!

The Little Spirit Hound had no idea of the sinister intentions of this person it was meeting for the first time, who actually wanted to snatch food from a dog.

Seeing him stare at it, it gave two affectionate barks and wagged its tail wildly. From its master's attitude, it had already understood that this was someone it could be close to.

Only when it saw that he had no reaction did it begin lapping at the Spirit Rice porridge.

"A while ago, there was an insect plague in the Spirit Fields.

"I happen to know the Geng Metal Finger, and I've gotten fairly good at it by now.

"I helped Old Xu and Xu Zhong in the neighboring Spirit Fields get rid of the pests and earned a little Spirit Stone from it."

Zhou Changwang explained with a smile.

"But that's still too much.

"I took a look at the rice jar just now. There are nearly fifty jin of Spirit Rice inside, and it's even Crescent Rice..."

Zhou Qiankun said in disbelief.

"And there's something else. A few days ago, I encountered rogue cultivators."

Zhou Changwang then spoke softly.

"What?"

Zhou Qiankun slammed his palm onto the table and immediately rose to his feet.

Bang!

With a thunderous crack, a palm print half an inch deep appeared on the wooden table.

However, after that strike, Zhou Qiankun's face instantly turned pale. As his blood surged, a thread of blood seeped from his mouth.

Even now, his injuries had not fully healed.

The moment he became agitated, they flared up at once.