Even today, she’s still so thin.
The little white fox, after all this fuss, also woke up.
It poked its head out from the seam of the coat, tilting its head to watch the farce unfold.
Suddenly, it stretched out its little paw and tugged the drooping black robe down a bit more, covering Zhiwei’s exposed bun securely.
The little fox was terribly afraid and felt more at ease the safer it was.
It certainly couldn’t roam outside openly!
"Brother Chen, it’s just that..." Hee Qi hesitated,
"What is it?"
"Ahem, it’s nothing really."
Hee Qi awkwardly turned his head away. This Brother Chen, his demeanor was just like the rumored rogue cultivators who abducted girls.
Speaking of which,
Wasn’t their master-disciple relationship supposed to be good?
Why did Zhiwei feel so embarrassed being held by his master then?
Hmm... Maybe it’s because she’s gotten older...
Meanwhile, Chen Ye couldn’t help but jostle his disciple a bit, feeling a bit sentimental. If only his disciple could stay small like this, carrying her would be so easy.
But alas, time waits for no one.
Sooner or later, his disciple would grow up... Lately, she’s been resisting him!
Darned disciple...
Even with such thoughts, he adjusted his posture to make Zhiwei more comfortable.
The little girl was curled up completely, even her breathing was light. Seeing this, she felt she couldn’t continue to oppose, so she used her elbows to prop against her master’s chest, keeping a distance.
...
Under Hee Qi’s guidance, the group passed through this ruin, twisting and turning along the way.
"Once you pass through these ruins, you’ll reach No Thought Valley," Hee Qi reminded in a low voice, "Remember, once in the valley, do not resort to violence lightly, and do not reveal any intent to kill."
Chen Ye nodded.
After bypassing the last broken wall, the scene before them opened up.
This place, called No Thought Valley, wasn’t actually a valley at all, but rather a relatively intact ancient architectural complex situated between two high mountains.
The plaza paved with bluestones, the pavilions with carved beams and painted rafters, though unable to hide the marks of time’s erosion, exuded a poignant desolation. But compared to the ruins outside that collapsed at the slightest touch, this place could already be considered a pure land.
In the outside world, cultivators were rare to come by, but as soon as Chen Ye stepped in, he spotted seven or eight cultivators.
Among them was a cultivator from the Ten Thousand Puppet Sect with a bronze skull hanging from his waist.
This person did not hide himself and swaggered across the plaza, studying the stone pillars.
However, he wasn’t the only one not in hiding.
Chen Ye glanced sideways and also spotted Jian Gu sitting quietly under an ancient pine.
He hadn’t seen this person on his way here, yet Jian Gu had apparently arrived at the Eighth Layer Heaven quite early.
"Tsk tsk... so many Foundation Establishment cultivators."
Chen Ye was ashamed.
One would think that after he reached Foundation Establishment, he’d discover how abundant Foundation Establishment cultivators were, like dogs ...
Yet here he was, just a small Qi Cultivation cultivator, encountering so many Foundation Establishment cultivators...
It truly troubled him.
"Haha, when I first arrived, I was as shocked as you, Brother Chen. However, since you’re preparing for Foundation Establishment, No Thought Valley is perfect for you."
Hee Qi was also somewhat nervous, speaking in a low voice,
"They are all Foundation Establishment cultivators, so the usually high-priced Foundation Establishment resources in the outside world are insignificant here in No Thought Valley... Moreover, in the ancestral grounds of the Spirit Fox, there are quite a few treasures covered in dust that are worth trying to find. It’s a pity, though, these treasures are too old and lack maintenance, eroded by the grand array. Most have almost turned into waste."
For Foundation Establishment resources, Chen Ye was already well-prepared.
Five major spiritual objects, Tao Stele comprehension, Foundation Establishment cultivation technique, all were fully prepared.
Now he only lacked a safe and stable environment to break through.
As for treasure hunting...
Chen Ye held little hope, sighing, "Sigh, never mind the passage of time, what good things could those foxes possibly find? Forget about treasure hunting."
"Indeed," Hee Qi nodded in agreement.
"Chirp chirp!"
The little white fox was very displeased, thumping its little paw indignantly against Chen Ye’s chest.
What do you mean by those foxes!
They are Spirit Foxes!
Chen Ye raised an eyebrow, "Could it be that even a little fox has some treasures?"
"Chirp!" The little white fox nodded vigorously, signaling for Chen Ye to look around.
Chen Ye’s eyes lit up.
He had guessed that this little fox knew where the treasures were!
Under the little white fox’s guidance, the group moved to the high tower on the east side of No Thought Valley.
The tower was built with stacked stone tablets, preserved relatively well.
The little white fox sensed no outsiders here, and leapt down from Zhiwei’s arms, strutting confidently towards the depths of the tower, its white tail held high.
Hee Qi was overjoyed: "Brother Chen, you’re in luck! This type of Spirit Beast is the most intelligent, sure to find precious treasures!"
However, as the little white fox delved deeper, his expression gradually changed.
There were indeed many items here, but most were just scraps of copper and iron—broken flying swords, damaged magical artifacts, and unrecognizable metal lumps.
"Master, these magical artifacts seem to have been forcibly stripped of their spiritual essence."
With the task at hand, Zhiwei could not afford to be awkward, secretly perceiving.
She realized these items might have been extraordinary once, but later someone extracted their essence, rendering them useless.
Chen Ye nodded, suspecting that these magical artifacts were left over from when the White Fox tribe cultivators were harmed years ago.
This meant that when that person came to Songyang Cave Heaven, they had ulterior motives...
"Why extract the essence from magical artifacts? Could it be similar to the Songyang Sect extracting cultivators’ cultivation?" Chen Ye pondered silently.
Could it be that a thousand years ago, the Songyang Sect wanted to achieve some goal using the cultivation of numerous cultivators?
And failed due to various reasons.
This cultivator, knowing these secrets, intends to continue the unfinished work of the Songyang Sect?
The little white fox, excitedly rummaging through the pile of junk, soon brought back a rusted iron box, presenting it like a treasure.
"Chirp chirp!" It placed the iron box at Chen Ye’s feet, proudly raising its little head.
This box could store beautiful gems!
Chen Ye: "..."
He should not have expected a little fox’s idea of a treasure to align with a cultivator’s.
Chen Ye turned it over and looked—it was just an ordinary iron box, though it was intricately beautiful, engraved with complex patterns.
Well, well.
For the sake of this little creature leading the way...
He sighed and reluctantly picked up the iron box, which was now just occupying space without much use.
"Alright, we found the treasure. Time to get down to business."
The three people and one fox blended once again into the temporary market of No Thought Valley.
Compared to when they first arrived, four or five more people were visibly present.
"Perhaps... Luo Heng is among these black-robed cultivators."
Chen Ye, without revealing his thoughts, glanced around and then began examining the resources in front of various cultivators.
"Oh, is that the beast core of a Second Tier Demon Beast, Three-Eyed Wind Wolf?"
"There’s even a Blood Bodhi over there, though it’s still quite young..."
Needless to say, each of these was a valuable Second Tier resource in the outside world.
Several treasures tempted Chen Ye, but most sellers preferred to exchange resources instead of Spirit Stones.
Chen Ye did have an extra Second Tier Gold Series spiritual object, but he intended to use it to reforge his Iron Sword, so he decided against trading it.
In addition, many people had strange objects at their stands, which as Hee Qi mentioned earlier, were relics from the ancestral ground of the White Fox.
These relics differed from the junk in the tower, as they retained some spiritual essence, although their uses and functions were not yet known.
While Chen Ye observed silently, the little white fox nestled against him started gently scratching his chest with its small paw.
"Hmm?"
Chen Ye was intrigued, and following the little white fox’s hint, he looked over.
In the distance, on a silent black-robed cultivator’s stand, lay a palm-sized fragment of a turtle shell.
"Tsk... should I trust this little white fox or not..."
Chen Ye gritted his teeth and decided to give the little fox another chance.
He approached the stall and examined the turtle shell fragment.
"Friend," Chen Ye lowered his voice to sound hoarse, "how would you like to trade this item?"
The vendor lazily lifted his eyelids, listlessly responding, "No Spirit Stones, I want a bottle of Frost Condensing Pill... to heal my Dantian’s hidden injury."
Hidden injury in the Dantian?
It so happened that Wei Shu’s Storage Ring contained Frost Condensing Pills, one of the few Second Tier pills he had.
Chen Ye’s heart was stirred, just as he was about to speak.
"I’ll take that Earth Element fragment. Name your price."
A cold, hard voice suddenly sounded from behind him.
This person was dressed in an elegant purple robe embroidered with cloud patterns, with a handsome and dignified face.
Behind him stood a bodyguard clad in black armor, exuding a stable aura.
The bodyguard was fully armored, and upon observing his cultivation, was surprisingly at the Foundation Establishment Third Layer!
Seeing the newcomer, the vendor trembled all over, quickly standing to bow: "Junior greets the Patriarch Xu! It’s just a mere fragment, not worth mentioning! If the family head likes it, please take it!"
Patriarch Xu?
Chen Ye’s gaze deepened.
Could it be Xu Buhui, Qing Jun’s nominal father?