Chapter Ninety-Seven: The Second Half

The package he had sent along to Yun Qing also included a heaven-rank cultivation manual called the Supreme Unity Art, an excellent sword manual called the Peakless Sword Technique, and a map marked with several faint lines.

According to Qin Feng, the Supreme Unity Art and the Peakless Sword Technique were rare heaven-rank and top-tier sword arts on the Central Plains Continent. He had passed them to her because he feared such valuable inheritances would be buried with him after his death.

What left Yun Qing speechless was that the Supreme Unity Art contained only the cultivation method from the Foundation Establishment stage through the Nascent Soul stage, and the Peakless Sword Technique included only the latter half.

If Yun Qing were willing to take on this matter, she would certainly be able to obtain the Qi Refining portion of the Supreme Unity Art, as well as the first half of the Peakless Sword Technique.

As for the map, it was the “treasure chart” to the rare treasures he had hidden away. If she investigated this matter, then regardless of whether Qin Yan was dead or alive, she could go seeking the treasure marked on the map.

Cultivation manuals, sword arts, treasure—all of them held great appeal for her. Since so many clues were in hand, if she had the chance, she would certainly investigate.

The only question was: how should she tell Qin Feng?

Yun Qing could not help thinking wryly to herself, I’ll go out and find definite news of Qin Yan. Then I’ll burn you some paper money and tell you whether he’s dead or alive, and consider your request fulfilled. Who told you to be so stingy and only leave me the latter half of the manuals?

Qin Feng did not say whom the clue pointed to. She guessed it might be his dao companion, Bai Wuyou, who was probably still alive.

“Senior Qin, does Senior Bai know about this treasure map?” If Bai Wuyou knew, then there would be nothing for her to do. She would not dare snatch things from a Nascent Soul cultivator.

Qin Feng gave no reply. Instead, Liuli’s voice rang in her mind: “When you started throwing stones, weren’t you also stealing experience and drops from a Nascent Soul cultivator?”

“I only just found out he was Nascent Soul. Before, I only knew he was level 71!”

Still hearing nothing from Qin Feng, Yun Qing saw a system notification:

Received: Lower-grade spirit stones x1000, iron ore x100, black iron ore x100.

She had obtained a large quantity of spirit stones and ore, along with Qin Feng’s secret and reward. Was this the reward for completing the secret realm? Yun Qing looked around, but there was no prompt telling her to leave.

Her question just now had perhaps been a little abrupt. She guessed Qin Feng had told her about the place where he hid his private stash, something Bai Wuyou did not know.

In the modern world, it was said that married men all had their own little stash of private savings. In this world of cultivation, among dao companions who could not casually pry into each other’s secrets, having a private stash was perfectly normal.

Qin Feng wanted her to find Qin Yan, but the information he had given was too little.

Yun Qing asked, “Senior Qin, where exactly is Qin Family Village?”

After asking, she still heard no telepathic response from Qin Feng, nor any reply from beneath the rubble.

Looking at the sharp increase in her spirit stones and ore, Yun Qing suddenly had an inspiration. Could it be?

She asked Liuli, “Liuli, why did I just get so many things?”

“Drops from Qin Feng after death.”

It really was Qin Feng’s drop!

What he had sent her was his dying message!

Qin Feng was dead. Why was Liuli able to pick up his drops? Of course, because in this secret realm, her little stones had once struck him.

Qin Feng, who was level 71, had only dropped this much after death. Presumably, after being trapped for so many years, anything of value had already been consumed.

Qin Feng had said he was at the Nascent Soul stage. Yun Qing silently memorized that level and cultivation realm.

Now that the drops had been collected, Yun Qing still found it hard to believe. “Liuli, was a Nascent Soul cultivator just blown to death like that? There really isn’t anything else suspicious in this pile of rubble?”

“The place where he died is a bit away from you. You need to move closer before the system can perform a detailed check.”

She was not actually very concerned with how Qin Feng died. Someone who held enmity toward him dying was not necessarily a bad thing.

But whatever had killed Qin Feng might also threaten her life, so it was still best to understand it clearly.

Yun Qing checked the favorability interface. Qin Feng’s name had turned gray, with a note behind it: favorability will disappear after a period of time.

Qin Feng only had 100 favorability toward her, just enough for one intermediate draw.

She chose the intermediate draw and silently recited, Sacrifice all difficulties in finding the Qi Refining chapter of Supreme Unity Art in exchange for an emperor-level lucky draw. Draw.

The pointer came to a stop. Yun Qing prayed silently that she would draw the Qi Refining chapter of the Supreme Unity Art, then opened the question mark.

System notification: Congratulations, you have obtained: bottle x1.

As expected, cultivation manuals were not so easily obtained.

She checked her system inventory.

Bottle: a reusable bottle with a capacity of 500 milliliters, easy to carry.

With a thought, Yun Qing took it out to look. It was a transparent bottle of indeterminate material, looking like some unbranded mineral water bottle. If she found it on the street, she might be able to sell it for a few cents.

She would leave it for now, though she already had plenty of animal-hide water flasks.

Qin Feng was dead. As for how to get out, she would think about it later. She could not move any closer to the place where Qin Feng died, so she could only keep digging ore while inching forward.

“Gathering experience +31!”

Obtained: black iron ore x1.

Digging ore by hand was much slower than using a pickaxe, even less comparable to the speed at which fertilizer ingredients could be dug up.

Manual mining was painful too. Even with the aid of the gathering skill, several of Yun Qing’s fingers were already stained with blood.

With the system gathering for her, she did not need to focus so hard. Spirit stones came to her as easily as spent money, especially since the system’s figures could not be taken out and used.

After Qin Feng’s death, she had received 1,000 lower-grade spirit stones. She might as well indulge herself a little. After all, Liuli had mentioned before that the reason she could now use higher-tier items was because she had used a hint scroll. Once outside the secret realm, who knew when some things would get done again.

Yun Qing said, “Liuli, identify the unknown seed I got a little while ago.”

“Okay.”

Lower-grade spirit stones -100.

Identifying 1%... 100%.

Identification successful!

Obtained: Soul-Repelling Tree Seed x1.

Soul-Repelling Tree Seed: rare. Can be planted in the cave estate’s farmland.

Liuli had once said that only extremely rare seeds could be planted in the cave estate. She had never expected that in this hellish secret realm, she would obtain a seed that could be planted.

The Soul-Repelling Tree seed could only be planted; the system offered no further explanation.

Still, from the name alone, one could more or less guess its purpose. It was probably meant to drive away the souls of extraterritorial demons.

Once it grew, the system would surely provide an explanation.

Yun Qing continued mining. As she raised her head to look at the ore before her, she suddenly felt that the ore mound, which had originally collapsed like a small mountain, seemed much smaller than before. She had clearly not been digging that fast.

After looking closely for a couple of breaths, Yun Qing realized it was not her imagination. The mine itself was sinking, and even the ground beneath her feet was sinking too.

She could not get any closer to the place where Qin Feng had died. It was definitely dangerous there. Her life was more important—time to run.

Yun Qing looked to one side and did not see Liuli. Turning back, she found that Liuli was already dozens of meters behind her.

She shouted angrily, “Liuli, you ran off without calling me!”

Using the jump skill, Yun Qing leapt out of the sinking mine and ran toward Liuli.

Liuli said, “I’m finding the exit for you, not running away.”

“Then have you figured out the secret realm’s exit or not?”

“Not yet. Do you want to go look at the places we haven’t been?”

“Of course!”

Yun Qing had not deliberately memorized the places she had been. The system’s mini-map had recorded them for her. The places she had visited were mapped out, while the places she had not were blank darkness.

One person and one dog ran toward the darkness, searching for the exit.