The group followed Xiao Liao back to the strange room on the second floor.
Xiao Liao pointed at a red-brick wall and said gravely, "Sister Ying, Captain Cao, Brother Yang, it's right here. There's definitely more space behind it."
Cao Xianming, Yang Yong, and Wang Ying's curiosity instantly peaked. Their gazes all locked onto the wall as they waited for Xiao Liao to open the secret room.
But Xiao Liao felt and patted all over the wall, spending ages at it without finding a single mechanism!
Wang Ying grew impatient and said coldly, "Move!"
Xiao Liao promptly stepped aside. With a swish, a keen flash of blade light swept past, cleaving a large hole straight through the thick red-brick wall!
Cao Xianming instantly rushed forward, afraid that the things inside would be damaged, shouting, "Wait, wait! Don't ruin the good stuff!"
When he leaned toward the opening and looked inside, his gaze froze.
Inside was a small compartment less than a meter wide. Bundles of cash filled half the space, stacked in neat rows.
Before the apocalypse, this would definitely have been a fortune.
But.
Now, cash was nothing but wastepaper, without the slightest purchasing power.
The other half of the compartment, however, was piled with all kinds of fine cigarettes, fine liquor, and premium tea!
Cao Xianming was a tea lover to begin with. The sight of those sealed packages of tea instantly made his eyes light up.
Yang Yong loved liquor. He stared at the bottles of Feitian Moutai, his heart burning with eagerness.
Only Wang Ying showed no interest whatsoever. She glanced inside, then turned and left.
Cao Xianming turned toward Xiao Liao and slung an arm around his shoulders, grinning from ear to ear.
"Xiao Liao, you've got some skills! What did you study? How did you figure out there was a secret room here?"
Overwhelmed by the unexpected attention, Xiao Liao went stiff.
To the survivors, Transcendents were beings akin to celestials.
And Cao Xianming was the convoy's most mysterious captain. The others' strength was visible and tangible, but Cao Xianming was different. His combat power was not among the best, yet he was the brain of the entire convoy. In ordinary people's eyes, he was comparable to a god.
"C-Captain, I study architecture. I'm still in my second year of university," Xiao Liao stammered.
"Oh? So you're a top student!"
Cao Xianming had a silver tongue. He poured out compliments as though they cost nothing, praising Xiao Liao until his cheeks flushed red.
Only then did he change tack and reveal his real purpose.
"According to our rules, since you discovered the secret room, you have absolute say over how its contents are distributed. How about I trade you five packets of instant noodles for that tea?"
Xiao Liao was just about to speak when Cao Xianming, assuming he disagreed, launched into a ramble.
"Five packets of instant noodles is quite a lot. You know how hard supplies are to find these days. Trading them for this much tea, you wouldn't be losing out at all..."
Before he could finish, Xiao Liao's timid voice reached him. "C-Captain, I didn't say I disagreed."
Cao Xianming stopped short, his face reddening slightly. But his embarrassment lasted only a moment before he happily ducked into the compartment and carried out all the tea.
Yang Yong followed his example, trading half a catty of cured sausage for all the fine liquor.
In the end, only the bundles of cash and a pile of cigarettes remained in the compartment, with no one showing any interest.
Cigarettes seemed useless to nonsmokers, but to smokers, they were hard currency in the apocalypse, even more sought-after than food.
Before long, Xiao Ma, the convoy's assistant, traded various supplies to Xiao Liao for all the cigarettes.
In barely a dozen minutes, Xiao Liao went from an ordinary survivor to the wealthiest person in the convoy!
The men downstairs waiting for their meal heard the news.
Every one of them beat his chest and stamped his feet, bitterly regretting it.
They immediately copied Xiao Liao, searching all over the building and tapping on walls. But even after combing through every corner, they never found another secret room.
After this little interlude, the convoy served its meal. Everyone ate and drank their fill and could finally get some proper rest.
Night fell, and the Blood Moon hung high in the sky.
Yang Yong immediately rushed to the top floor with the One-Yang God-Sealing Banner and began absorbing Blood Moon Energy like mad.
The fighting in the Small World had long since drained every last bit of energy from the One-Yang God-Sealing Banner.
Without the support of his magical treasures, he felt no sense of security at all.
He planned to stay on the top floor tonight rather than go back down.
After all, his cultivation was only at Qi Induction. Far too weak!
Without his two magical treasures, he was nothing.
Once, the Blood Moon had represented endless misfortune and Eerie.
But.
Now, the more Yang Yong looked at the Blood Moon, the more familiar and welcoming it seemed.
Under the Blood Moon's light, the One-Yang God-Sealing Banner devoured energy at a frenzied pace.
Even the Red-Clothed Female Ghost, who was on the verge of dissipating, was forcibly summoned.
Yang Yong ordered the Red-Clothed Female Ghost to stand guard beside him as he cultivated.
There was one question.
He still did not know the Red-Clothed Female Ghost's level, much less how the Eerie of this apocalypse were classified by level.
Unfortunately, the Red-Clothed Female Ghost's intelligence had already been erased, making normal communication impossible.
What a loss!
Tonight's watch schedule had Yang Yong taking the first half of the night and Wang Ying taking the second.
Zheng Xiaofeng still had not recovered. He would probably need to rest for a while before regaining his combat strength.
During those days in the Small World.
Yang Yong had been so busy running for his life that he had never had a chance to reflect on the cultivation method he had memorized. Now that he finally had time, he sat cross-legged, ready to formally begin Qi Induction.
Beneath the Blood Moon, Yang Yong focused his mind and calmed himself, guiding Blood Moon Energy into his body.
He knew better than anyone that Blood Moon Energy was exceedingly violent by nature. Without a corresponding cultivation method, anyone who rashly absorbed it would only have their mind eroded by the energy and ultimately go mad.
This knowledge had been purchased through countless bloody lessons over the three months of the apocalypse.
Strangely, however, that violence had no effect on him whatsoever.
In his perception, the frenzied Blood Moon Energy became like children beaten into submission the moment it touched his flesh, utterly obedient and going wherever he directed it.
As the One-Yang God-Sealing Banner continued absorbing Blood Moon Energy, the originally impure energy within Yang Yong's body also grew increasingly pure.
He controlled this pure energy, slowly directing it toward the aperture on his finger.
According to the cultivation method.
The first step was Qi Induction, and the second was opening the apertures.
This was supposed to be a slow, painstaking process in which only perseverance brought results.
But.
This was the apocalypse. How could he have time to cultivate slowly?
Today, he would force open his first aperture!
In his perception, that aperture on his arm was like a river blocked by a massive boulder. When energy surged toward it, a powerful resistance stopped it dead.
Yang Yong had no teacher and had never learned any methods for opening apertures. His only option was to muster all his energy and force his way through!
Soon, the meager energy in his body was completely exhausted. Yang Yong simply gripped the One-Yang God-Sealing Banner and drew directly on the magical treasure's energy to continue battering the aperture!
Piercing pain struck.
His arm swelled as though it would burst, the sensation like a dull knife slicing through flesh.
He clenched his teeth, cold sweat streaming down his body, yet refused to ease up in the slightest.
Somewhere in the unseen, a voice seemed to remind him that if he gave up, the difficulty would double the next time he tried to break through the aperture.
Before you continue