Chapter Seventy-One: The Storage Pouch

"Brother Li, you’re awake! That’s wonderful! Do you know you’ve been unconscious for over twenty days? At first, your body kept going from hot to cold, and we were so worried," Chen Jingrou exclaimed with delight when she heard Li Xingyu speak. She clearly hadn’t caught the content of his question, nor did she think to answer it. Looking at this young woman, her face alight with joy, Li Xingyu was deeply moved. Though she could be a bit spoiled and wilful, her genuine happiness showed her loyalty and kindness. He didn’t wish to repeat his question, so he turned directly to Qin Xiaotian. Understanding Li Xingyu’s intent from his gaze, Qin Xiaotian began relating the events following their discovery of him, with Chen Jingrou occasionally interjecting to add details. Gradually, Li Xingyu pieced together everything that had happened during his unconsciousness.

It turned out that after he had been unconscious for an unknown period, Qin Xiaotian came to visit Chen Jingrou at Xiaoyao Sect. Together, with a few of Chen’s junior disciples, they set out to explore Emperor Gate Mountain. There, they stumbled upon a black-clad corpse and Li Xingyu lying at the foot of the cliff. Shocked, they rushed to his side and, finding him still alive, intended at first to bring him back to Xiaoyao Sect. However, recalling that while Li Xingyu had saved them, he had also taken the jade ginseng, they worried some within the sect still bore him a grudge. To avoid trouble, they instead brought him to a very secluded cave Chen Jingrou had once discovered nearby.

In truth, most people in Xiaoyao Sect bore Li Xingyu no ill will. Many knew nothing of the jade ginseng, and even those who did weren’t too concerned, since it was never something they could use themselves. As for the Sect Leader Chen, if not for Li Xingyu saving his daughter, he might well have despised him. Though the ginseng was never meant for Li Xingyu, for the sect to produce an expert beyond innate level would have benefited both the sect and its leader. Yet, as Chen Jingrou was his only child and dearly beloved, after learning Li Xingyu had saved her twice, gratitude had grown in his heart. The ginseng was gone and consumed—what would killing Li Xingyu change? Still, as sect leader, and with an elder who had been meant to take the ginseng furious over the incident, Chen could not allow his gratitude to be openly displayed.

Hearing all this, Li Xingyu understood their concerns and the sect’s attitudes. He knew that had he not been injured, with his strength and influence he needn’t have feared entering Xiaoyao Sect directly. But unconscious as he was, the situation was more complicated. With these thoughts, he suddenly recalled his laser gun, left outside his ring, and the black-clad corpse not far from him. The laser gun was his greatest trump card for the foreseeable future. After a moment’s hesitation, he asked about it directly, knowing that with the energy in the ruby core spent during its first shot, they were unlikely to discover its true purpose.

Without hesitation, Qin Xiaotian produced the laser gun they had kept and handed it to Li Xingyu, not even asking what it was for. He understood Li Xingyu’s expertise in technology and weaponry and guessed it must be some kind of weapon, recognizing from Li’s concern that it was a prized possession. Wisely, he refrained from further questions.

"What did you do with the corpse of the black-clad man? Did you keep anything from his body?" After confirming there was no issue with the laser gun, Li Xingyu, instead of stowing it in his ring before them, placed it in his backpack and asked again.

"We were worried someone might find the body and cause trouble, so we buried it in a hidden place. I wasn’t about to go rifling through the corpse, but Xiaotian did. He only found a strange pouch on him, though; we couldn’t open it no matter how we tried. Xiaotian, show it to Brother Li," Chen Jingrou replied eagerly. Listening to her, Li Xingyu noted how much more mature and experienced the pair had become over the years. Their caution—hiding him in a secluded cave rather than bringing him straight to Xiaoyao Sect, and how they handled the corpse—spoke volumes.

Qin Xiaotian produced a black cloth pouch and handed it to Li Xingyu. It was only slightly larger than his palm, the material unidentifiable, and with no visible opening. But as soon as Li Xingyu took it, he sensed the unique pulse of a magical artifact. He had felt this before from his storage ring, and surmised this was a storage pouch, which would explain why the man carried nothing else.

Glancing at the two, Li Xingyu hesitated briefly, then infused a wisp of true essence into the pouch before them, sending his spirit into the bag. The original owner being dead, there was no resistance, and his consciousness entered the pouch easily. Its interior was about twenty cubic feet, containing many items. After a cursory scan, he focused on a token, a jade slip, and a handwritten notebook. With a thought, these items appeared before him.

Seeing Li Xingyu suddenly produce several objects from thin air after holding the pouch, Chen Jingrou and Qin Xiaotian were astonished, looking at him expectantly for an explanation. Since he had used the storage pouch in front of them, Li Xingyu did not hide the truth but explained, "There’s no need to be surprised. This is a magical device used by cultivators of ancient times to store items, called a storage pouch. Though it appears small, it can hold as much as an ordinary room. However, only a cultivator can use it, which is why you couldn’t open it."

"So this is a storage pouch! Incredible. I’ve read about such things in our sect’s ancient texts, but I never thought they truly existed," Qin Xiaotian remarked knowingly.

"A cultivator? Then, Brother Li, you’re a cultivator too? Amazing! The cultivators in legends are all immensely powerful. That means you’re very powerful too!" Chen Jingrou exclaimed, her eyes sparkling. Clearly, women and men focused on different things.

"Yes, this is indeed a storage pouch. As for me, though I can be called a cultivator, my cultivation is still quite low—barely qualifying me as one. So I’m not as powerful as you imagine. The legends exaggerate; perhaps they refer to the true masters among cultivators. You should also remember that all legends contain some embellishment," Li Xingyu replied, finding her endearing and unable to resist elaborating.

"I don’t believe that, Brother Li. You’re definitely hiding something! Even if legends exaggerate, I heard cultivators can cast spells—doesn’t that mean even innate masters can’t compare to you? Is cultivation hard? Could you teach me?" Chen Jingrou asked, looking adorably insistent.

"If I were truly so powerful, how could I have been so gravely injured before? Cultivation depends on fate. I only began by chance myself. That’s enough for now; I want to examine these items," he said, picking up the token.

The token was made of black gold, one side engraved with a fire phoenix and the words "Heavenly Phoenix," the other inscribed with "Elder" above and "Li" below. Evidently, the black-clad man had been a guest elder of the Heavenly Phoenix family, his surname Li—consistent with what Li Xingyu had previously learned about them.

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