CHAPTER 31: CHAPTER 31: INVITATION_1

"A reward of fifty Spirit Stones?"

Shen Mo suddenly became interested when he heard this.

"Correct, fifty Spirit Stones, for a duration of two months. If, during the night patrol, you encounter an Illusory Stone Spirit, or if you discover a Gold-devouring Rat sneaking into the mining area to steal food, you do not need to intervene; I will handle it myself. If you want to practice Alchemy or engage in talisman making, there will be plenty of time for that. Your only task is to accompany me in guarding the area."

These words from Chen Mengze made him increasingly tempted.

"Go, of course I will go."

Fifty Spirit Stones for two months would be a good mission even for an inner disciple. He had nothing else to do anyway. For the next two months, he had originally planned to stay within the sect, focusing on Alchemy and talisman making to further enhance his skills in these two arts. Now, faced with a task where he could earn fifty Spirit Stones with little effort, he was naturally happy to accept. It won’t affect my own time. After all, no matter where I am, I will still be practicing Alchemy. The only question is, why did she come to me with such an easy benefit?

After mulling it over, Shen Mo concluded that Chen Mengze might appear cold on the outside but was actually quite warm-hearted. Although they hadn’t seen each other often and had grown somewhat distant, she had still come to offer this good opportunity to him, her childhood friend. Thinking this, Chen Mengze’s image in his mind couldn’t help but seem a bit more endearing.

"Hmm, since you agree to go, it’s settled then." Chen Mengze nodded. "This afternoon, at 1:45 PM, come find me at the Forge Hall, to the right of the main gate square. We’ll gather there."

With that, she turned and left without saying goodbye.

"Before this ’business trip,’ I have to prepare well!"

After watching her leave, Shen Mo looked around the room and began packing.

Spiritual medicines, brushes, beast blood, Sandalwood Ink, yellow paper—all sorts of materials for Alchemy and talisman making—were packed into his Universe Bag, ready for use when he was stationed at the Dark Crystal Mine.

"These items are easy to carry, but..." Shen Mo’s gaze fell on the Red Cloud Cauldron in the center of the room, giving him a bit of a headache. "This cauldron is far too large. My Universe Bag’s space is too small; there’s no way to fit it in."

"I should make a trip to the Market. It’s about time I upgraded my Universe Bag anyway."

After a moment’s hesitation, Shen Mo decided to go to the Market to buy a new Universe Bag. The one he was currently using was the Primary Universe Bag given for free by the sect to all new disciples when they first joined. Its storage space was too small. Previously, Shen Mo had found it somewhat manageable. But now, as he experienced more, learned more, and acquired more things, the Universe Bag was clearly no longer adequate for his needs.

「Market area in Dedao Lane.」

Linjiang Room was a business established by the Riverside Sect in the Market. This establishment specialized in selling all sorts of exotic treasures and was also the only place in the Dedao Lane Market that sold Universe Bags.

"Shopkeeper, how much is this Universe Bag?" Shen Mo briefly examined the Universe Bag section and soon spotted a pure white bag, finely embroidered with cloud patterns.

"This is a middle-grade Universe Bag. Its internal space is one hundred cubic meters; it’s the highest-grade Universe Bag we have here." The Shopkeeper, standing behind the counter, glanced at it from afar and stated, "As for the selling price... five middle-grade Spirit Stones."

"Five middle-grade Spirit Stones?" Hearing this price, Shen Mo was startled and carefully, almost gingerly, placed it back in its original spot.

"This price is too high; likely only the sect’s Elders and some very high-status Direct Disciples could afford such a thing."

The exchange rate was one middle-grade Spirit Stone to one hundred low-grade Spirit Stones. Thus, five middle-grade Spirit Stones were equivalent to five hundred low-grade Spirit Stones. Such a sum could buy a vast amount of low-class spiritual medicines, Spirit Talismans, and other Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures. It was genuinely beyond what he could afford.

"Where are the low-grade Universe Bags?"

"Lower right, the farthest column on the left. Those are all low-grade Universe Bags." The Shopkeeper gestured with his chin and said, "These Universe Bags have an internal space of twenty cubic meters, and they all sell for fifty low-grade Spirit Stones."

This price, Shen Mo gritted his teeth, he could manage. He had sold all the talismans and Elixirs he had recently refined just yesterday. After searching his home, he currently had fifty-four Spirit Stones on him.

"I’ll take it." Shen Mo took out the better part of his assets and successfully exchanged them for a black and white patterned Universe Bag embroidered with a Tai Chi Diagram.

"With this, not to mention the Red Cloud Cauldron, I could even take away the complete set of furniture in my house!" He kept fiddling with the newly bought Universe Bag, absolutely enamored with it.

Upon returning from the Market, Shen Mo immediately performed a blood-binding ritual, imprinting the Universe Bag with his own mind mark.

This mind mark was akin to a phone’s lock screen password from his previous life; once the imprinting was complete, only he could open the bag. If someone else wanted to force it open, they would first need to erase his mind mark. And that wasn’t easy. This was because, to forcibly erase a mind mark left by another, one’s own cultivation had to be at least one major Realm higher than that of the person who had set the mark.

WHOOSH!

He lightly tapped his palm on one of the Red Cloud Cauldron’s handles and, with a mere thought, the cauldron standing in the room abruptly vanished, stored away into the Universe Bag.

After stowing the cauldron, he surveyed his house. Anything he thought he might need during the next two months was placed inside the bag. This newly bought storage bag had ample internal space, unlike the sect-issued ones with their pitifully small capacity. For once, he reveled in the luxury of not having to meticulously calculate storage space, able to pack as much as he pleased.

"I’ve basically brought everything."

"Next, there’s only one task left!"

After taking all the things he needed, he went to the westernmost corner of the room. He squatted down and pried loose the bricks embedded in the floor. To his surprise, a passage was revealed in this area.

Shen Mo descended the secret passage into a small subterranean space, roughly ten square meters in area. Inside, there was only an old-fashioned Eight Immortals table. And on the table rested the pot of spiritual soil, within which the Purple Sun Red Fruit was still developing.

He had dug out this underground cellar only yesterday. Its purpose was to hide the Purple Sun Red Fruit. Because the fruit was not yet mature, it couldn’t be placed in a storage bag and thus had to be kept out in the open. But if he were to display it openly in his home, it would undoubtedly be too conspicuous. That was why he had dug a cellar to hide the fruit.

"But a cellar alone is still not safe!"

He had taken Uncle Chen’s warning to heart. Spirit Sea Realm experts within the sect possessed incredibly potent senses; a mere thought from one of them could allow them to survey all directions or even let their spirit roam the great void. While a cellar could shield items from physical sight, it was difficult to block the probing of a powerful cultivator’s sense.

Therefore, to prevent the abundant spiritual Qi that the Purple Sun Red Fruit would release during its growth from attracting the attention of the sect’s powerful experts, when he went to the Market to purchase the new Universe Bag, he had also brought back one other item.