Chapter 129: A Great Harvest

Che Wuyou looked at Zhang Qing'er, who appeared to be fast asleep, and let out a soft sigh of relief. Only then did he have a moment to reflect on that stroke of brilliance he had just performed. He had been studying the "Golden Touch" for quite some time, but he had always hovered at the introductory level. While such progress was not necessarily slow, he had always felt he could go further. Yet, being stuck at the entry-level, he had assumed it would take much more time given his aptitude.

However, by some stroke of coincidence, his Golden Touch had inexplicably broken through to the level of minor mastery. Though this was hardly a situation to celebrate, Che Wuyou could not help but feel a secret joy. In the past, any progress in his cultivation had been painstakingly difficult; he had not expected this breakthrough to come so easily.

Che Wuyou fell into a thoughtful silence. Could this smooth breakthrough be related to his strengthened mental energy? It had not been long since he had entered the introductory realm of the Golden Touch; why had he progressed so quickly? He pondered for a long time but could find no logical connection between the Golden Touch and his mental energy, so he shook his head and let the thought go.

Che Wuyou continued to drag the two others forward. This time, perhaps due to his improved mood, he faintly sensed that Yun Fan’s "reminders" were related to the path he was walking. This realization sent a shock through him. If his conjecture was correct, he might very well find the treasures Yun Fan had spoken of by following his prompts.

He did not hesitate. He constantly adjusted his route, testing his theory. Whenever Yun Fan mumbled a "reminder," he immediately changed direction. Sure enough, after repeating this a few times, he spotted something emitting a soft, hazy red light seven or eight meters ahead.

Although his heart raced with excitement, Che Wuyou did not act immediately. The second level was deathly quiet—so quiet it was eerie. The sudden appearance of a treasure in such a desolate place made him cautious. He could not yet gauge its value, but the soft glow alone suggested it was no ordinary item.

Che Wuyou remained on guard. He even set Yun Fan and Zhang Qing'er down and approached step by step. When he was within three meters, he stopped decisively. He peered intently, trying to make out what was wrapped in the hazy red light. When he finally identified the object, he was struck with disbelief.

"A Fire Dragon Root? It’s actually a Fire Dragon Root! This is a herb used for refining high-grade medicinal pills. I never expected to see one here." Che Wuyou muttered to himself.

The Fire Dragon Root was a fire-attribute herb. Because its effects were versatile and auxiliary, it was widely used in many high-grade pills. Due to resource constraints, the Miao family had never possessed such an expensive herb, and this was Che Wuyou’s first time seeing a real one. He had only ever seen it in books, and his heart was far from calm.

Suppressing his excitement, Che Wuyou picked up a stone and threw it near the root. Seeing no reaction, he threw another at the opposite side. After testing it several times and finding no danger, he approached cautiously and carefully dug the Fire Dragon Root out by its roots.

"The Fire Dragon Root is brimming with spiritual energy. It must be stored carefully after being harvested, or its energy will dissipate into the air until it becomes nothing more than a common herb. But when we entered, all our storage artifacts were confiscated by the Qingchi Sword Sect. How am I supposed to store this?" Che Wuyou looked at the dazzling root in his hand, feeling troubled.

Suddenly, his eyes lit up. Didn't Yun Fan have a Universe Bag? That was the perfect item for storing herbs. He had no choice but to borrow it. Che Wuyou rummaged through Yun Fan’s robes for a long time before finding the bag. He glanced at the still-unconscious Yun Fan, placed the Fire Dragon Root inside, and then naturally hung the bag at his own waist.

Che Wuyou touched the bag at his waist. He vaguely felt that the red characters above his head were becoming more prominent, though the low visibility of the second level made it impossible to see exactly how many kilograms of medium-grade spirit stones were displayed.

He set off again, his mood significantly improved. While he still could not cure Zhang Qing'er or Yun Fan—as the Fire Dragon Root was merely an auxiliary herb—the incident had given him tremendous confidence. Yun Fan truly possessed extraordinary luck; even in a coma, he could perceive the presence of treasures. Che Wuyou could not fathom how he did it, and he began to suspect that Yun Fan held many secrets.

Che Wuyou traveled quickly with his companions, but this time he kept half his attention on listening to Yun Fan’s delirious mutterings. It was true—every time a treasure was near, Yun Fan would babble, "The treasure is mine... it's all mine... don't fight me for it."

Whenever Che Wuyou followed these hints and found a treasure, Yun Fan would break into a happy smile, even in his stupor, sometimes even drooling. This left Che Wuyou deeply unsettled.

Was the boy truly unconscious or faking it? Given his injuries, it seemed impossible that he was pretending. Yet, the ability to kick people and locate treasures while comatose defied all of Che Wuyou's understanding. It filled him with a deep sense of wariness. If Yun Fan were truly faking it, his cunning would be beyond terrifying.

As Che Wuyou continued, he gathered more and more treasures. Most of the items on the second level were, surprisingly, high-quality medicinal herbs.

Although he had collected so many herbs, he still had no way to heal the two. His original plan had been to find herbs and use his own refining techniques to prevent their conditions from worsening or to provide some relief. Now, however, it seemed unnecessary, as both appeared to be in a stable state.

"If only I had a pill furnace," Che Wuyou thought. "The geothermal fire on the second level is quite intense. If I had a furnace, I could use the heat to refine a batch of high-quality pills and completely heal them." He continued his journey, hoping to find a furnace, but while he gathered plenty of herbs, the furnace remained elusive.