Chapter 213
Although this ancient battlefield was littered with weapons and equipment left behind by past warriors, Gu Qianli rarely found anything useful.
He hadn’t expected that when he set out this time hoping to find a Spirit Storage Pouch, he would actually come across one.
More importantly, it was still usable.
Carefully, he stored the pouch in his personal warehouse before glancing at the floating panel in the void, which displayed a map.
Without the map, he would have likely gotten lost in the mist long ago, unable to find his way back.
After confirming his direction, he continued forward, using his green bamboo staff as he made his way home.
Although the Flower, Bird, Insect, and Fish Shop System had many restrictions, it had still provided him with significant assistance. Otherwise, survival in this desolate and barren place would have been nearly impossible.
Gu Qianli slowly approached the location of his shop.
On the map, a golden light appeared over the thatched hut’s icon.
As he arrived, he stepped into the simple hut, and at that moment, his tense body finally relaxed.
Gu Qianli took off his bamboo hat and placed the green bamboo staff by the door.
Just then, something on the straw cushion on his bed moved.
Noticing this, his face lit up with joy, and he quickly walked over, speaking softly, “Hei Lin, you’re awake?”
A small snake, entirely pitch black with bright, jet-black eyes, lay coiled on the cushion.
It flicked its tongue and looked at Gu Qianli.
He smiled and said, “I promised that when you woke up next, I would feed you some Spirit Gathering Grass leaves.”
Taking out a leaf from his personal warehouse, he placed it near the little snake’s mouth. The snake opened its mouth, took the leaf, and slowly swallowed it.
[You have completed a loss-making transaction with an old customer. Experience +1.]
Gu Qianli let out a small sigh of relief.
In this ancient battlefield, living creatures were rare, so almost all of his experience points came from Hei Lin.
Although each transaction was technically a loss, it had allowed him to reach Level 5, upgrade his shop, and unlock the Dream Drift Bottle.
With the Dream Drift Bottle, he could trade with people from distant places, ensuring a stable source of experience points and credits.
Now, he had even established contact with interdimensional merchants.
Thinking of this, Gu Qianli opened the interdimensional shop interface and listed an ordinary stone, as a signal to the two young men he had been trading with.
Then, he fed the little black snake two more Spirit Gathering Grass leaves.
Once he had gained three experience points, the little snake closed its eyes again and curled up on the cushion, entering another slumber.
Gu Qianli gently stroked the snake’s head with his finger before emptying the contents of the Spirit Storage Pouch.
Inside were pills, spiritual artifacts that had lost their power, several manuals… and to his surprise, a bag of seeds.
Carefully sensing them, he found that they still contained faint traces of life. A smile spread across his face.
Great! Now he could grow more varieties of plants.
*
In Another Dimension, Inside a Small House
Tang Yu’an had just woken up and habitually checked the interdimensional shop. He immediately noticed that Gu Qianli had updated the display.
Whoa! Could this be good news?
Excited, he rushed outside to find Zhou Qi. He had assumed Zhou Qi would be meditating and training, but instead—Zhou Qi was crouched in the courtyard, washing clothes in a basin?
Tang Yu’an stared in confusion. Ever since they arrived in the apocalypse, they had rarely needed to wash clothes.
After all, they had an item inventory function, and later, they even obtained a purification spell. Naturally, they wouldn’t waste water and time on laundry.
“Brother Qi!” Tang Yu’an called out. “What are you doing?”
At the sound of the teenager’s voice, Zhou Qi’s back visibly tensed before he slowly relaxed.
“Nothing.”
Casually, Zhou Qi poured out the basin of water, then used his ability to extract the moisture from the clothes before storing them in his personal inventory.
Tang Yu’an gave him a puzzled look.
The tips of Zhou Qi’s ears turned slightly red. Clearing his throat, he muttered, “Just practicing. It’s been a while since I last washed clothes, and I don’t want to get rusty.”
Tang Yu’an wasn’t a three-year-old—how could he be fooled so easily?
He scrutinized Zhou Qi for a few moments, then suddenly thought of something. His eyes lit up. “Wait… are you experiencing—?”
Tang Yu’an recalled something from his biology class!
But before he could finish, Zhou Qi reached out and covered his mouth.
“Mmph mmph…” With his mouth blocked, Tang Yu’an could only make muffled noises.
“It’s not what you think,” Zhou Qi said, looking flustered. “I’m going to make breakfast.”
Then he quickly let go and fled the scene.
Tang Yu’an scratched his head as he watched Zhou Qi’s retreating figure.
Didn’t their biology textbook say this was a normal physiological phenomenon?
Was Brother Qi… embarrassed?
Tang Yu’an hadn’t gone through it himself, so he didn’t really understand what it felt like.
However…
Watching Zhou Qi busy himself, he suddenly realized—Brother Qi was really growing up.
At just 17 years old, he was already 1.9 meters tall.
From behind, his broad shoulders, narrow waist, and long legs made for an unbelievably well-proportioned physique. On top of that, the lean muscle definition, built through relentless training and monster hunting, exuded a strength that was both enviable and impressive.
The more Tang Yu’an stared, the warmer his ears seemed to get.
Was he feeling embarrassed?
Tang Yu’an sighed internally. As much as he envied Zhou Qi’s physique, he simply couldn’t match his training intensity.
Keeping up with his accelerated study schedule was exhausting enough…
After all, finishing middle school coursework in less than two years was no small feat.
He really wasn’t slacking off! Q^Q
“What’s wrong?”
Zhou Qi had just finished cooking and was about to call Tang Yu’an to eat when he noticed the boy looking dejected.
Having already smoothed over the earlier awkwardness, Zhou Qi was able to act naturally again. He walked over and ruffled Tang Yu’an’s hair.
“Nothing.”
Tang Yu’an shook his head, then perked up and said, “I saw Brother Gu put something up in the storefront.”
“Did he find the Spirit Storage Bag?”
“Not sure, we’ll have to ask.”
“Then let’s finish eating first and call him after.”
“Okay!”
After breakfast, Tang Yu’an sent a video call request to Gu Qianli, but—
[The time flow difference is too great, which may affect communication quality. Do you want to proceed with a temporary conversation?]
It seemed that the time flow in Gu Qianli’s dimension was similar to theirs before, which was why this warning hadn’t appeared before.
So, Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi took their pets and returned to their main dimension.
After spending 10 hours in the alternate dimension, only 20 minutes had passed in their original world—it was still dark outside.
Black Pearl leaped onto the top of the RV, where a crimson carpet had been laid out. It had become her personal throne; whenever Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi drove the RV, she would lie there, basking in the sun during the day and stargazing at night. When the little cutie traveled to the alternate dimension, she would go play in the Giant Wood Forest instead.
The three dogs, however, didn’t enjoy staying in the RV as much.
Even though they had a 20-meter-wide circular space to move around outside, after experiencing the vast open lands of the alternate dimension, this small area felt restrictive.
Of course, they still stayed with Tang Yu’an at first, only heading to the alternate dimension or the plains to play with the wolves when they got bored.
Even Yin Bi had now mastered the teleportation array. Compared to eating bugs in the Giant Wood Forest, it still preferred running wild with the wolf pack.
After petting all three dogs, Tang Yu’an sent another communication request to Gu Qianli.
The temporary conversation was quickly established.
A man in green robes with a hairpin appeared on the screen again. Seeing the two boys, he smiled warmly.
“Brother Gu, did you find the Spirit Storage Bag?” Tang Yu’an asked eagerly.
“Mission accomplished.”
Gu Qianli took out the Spirit Storage Bag from his personal inventory. “It’s a bit damaged, but it still works fine. Even ordinary people without spiritual energy can use it.”
“That’s great! Let’s trade right away!”
“Alright.”
Gu Qianli placed the bag into the Drifting Bottle. As he held the bottle, he suddenly noticed something.
“This bottle seems bigger?”
“Yes, after we leveled up, its capacity doubled.” Tang Yu’an explained.
Gu Qianli looked a little envious but said nothing. He tossed the Drifting Bottle into the Dream Sea, then nodded at them.
Zhou Qi immediately activated the Drifting Accelerator.
The Dream Sea’s window lit up, flashing rapidly. Along with Gu Qianli’s bottle, another blue bottle returned.
The blue one belonged to Cosona, but Tang Yu’an set it aside for now. He opened Gu Qianli’s bottle and took out the Spirit Storage Bag.
“The temporary conversation and accelerator are a perfect combo!”
Tang Yu’an examined the bag. Its space wasn’t too big or too small—about 5×5×1, which meant 25 cubic meters, roughly the size of a small room.
Though the exterior was aged, the internal space was spotless.
“Not bad, not bad! This bag is great!” Tang Yu’an praised.
Gu Qianli let out a sigh of relief, then looked at him expectantly.
Tang Yu’an grinned. “I’ll trade you the Wood Spirit Stones!”
He took out the 300 Wood Spirit Stones he had prepared in advance and loaded them into the Dream Drifting Bottle—
With its expanded capacity, it easily held all 300 stones.
Tang Yu’an then tossed the bottle into the Dream Sea. Thanks to the ‘Fated Connection in Dreams’ achievement title, as soon as he sent it, Gu Qianli’s bottle arrived on the other end.
Gu Qianli retrieved the bottle, now filled with the weight of 300 Spirit Stones, feeling as if he were dreaming.
With these Spirit Stones, his cultivation speed would increase significantly, and his spiritual plants would have a much greater energy supply.
After transferring all the Spirit Stones to his personal inventory, he heard Tang Yu’an say, “Brother Gu, you can keep this Drifting Bottle. When you find another Spirit Storage Bag, we’ll trade again.”
Gu Qianli paused. “You need more of them?”
Tang Yu’an nodded. “The more, the better. Still the same price—300 Spirit Stones per bag. If you need different elemental Spirit Stones, we have those too.”
“You have other types?”
“Not all types.” Tang Yu’an clarified. “Besides Wood, we have plenty of Water and Earth Spirit Stones.”
Near the Giant Wood Forest, only these three elements were abundant. There were some Metal Spirit Stones near the iron mines, but Fire Spirit Stones were almost nonexistent.
Gu Qianli’s eyes lit up—these were exactly what he needed for planting!
“Deal.” He suppressed his excitement and calmly said, “If I find another bag, I want 150 Earth and 150 Water Spirit Stones.”
“No problem!” Tang Yu’an agreed readily.
Gu Qianli let out a breath of relief.
Although the chances of finding another Spirit Storage Bag soon were low, the 300 Wood Spirit Stones would last him a while, so there was no rush.
“Thank you both.”
Gu Qianli smiled brightly, no longer as reserved as when they first established the temporary conversation.
He looked at the two boys, wanting to chat more, but having spent so long in solitude, he didn’t know what to say.
There were still fifteen minutes left before the temporary conversation ended…
When Gu Qianli started feeling a bit anxious, he heard the younger boy ask, “Brother Gu, are you a cultivator?”
Gu Qianli nodded.
“We happened to obtain a cultivation technique, but it’s a bit difficult for us to understand. Could you take a look and help us?”
Gu Qianli was momentarily stunned. He hesitated before saying, “I can, but cultivation techniques usually shouldn’t be shared with outsiders. Are you sure you want to show it to me?”
Tang Yu’an thought about it. He had obtained this technique through a deal with that deity, and the deity hadn’t mentioned any restrictions on sharing it—
He had already shared it with Brother Qi, and nothing bad had happened.
So he nodded and said, “Yes, it’s a bit complicated for us. Can you help annotate it? I’ll trade Spirit Stones with you in return!”
“No need for Spirit Stones.” Gu Qianli shook his head. “Being able to see another sect’s cultivation technique is already an invaluable gift. How could I accept payment for it?”
Since Gu Qianli had agreed, Tang Yu’an was overjoyed. He quickly pulled out the handwritten copy of the technique and showed it to him.
Gu Qianli immediately took out paper and pen to transcribe it.
Even just copying it once, he could already tell how beneficial it was. He couldn’t help but exclaim, “This is definitely a high-grade technique! Are you really okay with me studying it?”
Zhou Qi spoke up as well. “As long as you teach us what you learn and promise not to share it with others.”
“Deal!”
Given his limited cultivation resources, Gu Qianli couldn’t possibly turn down such an opportunity.
“Let’s start with the first sentence.”
Gu Qianli began explaining the technique to them.
As it turned out, every sentence in this high-level technique contained vast amounts of information. In less than fifteen minutes, they barely scratched the surface.
Both Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi were completely absorbed in the lesson, but before they knew it, the temporary conversation had ended.
“Why did it end so soon?”
Tang Yu’an wanted to start another call, but a notification informed him that they could only initiate one per day. He sighed in frustration.
Zhou Qi also let out a sigh and said, “Next time, let’s have Teacher Gu return the Drifting Bottle, and we’ll buy him a light-brain.”
That way, he could record lessons whenever he had time. They could watch the recordings first, and if they had any questions, they could use the temporary conversation to ask.
After all, fifteen minutes a day was far too short for proper lessons.
“Good idea, let’s do that!”
Tang Yu’an nodded, then turned his attention to the newly acquired Spirit Storage Bag, considering what to send home this time.
They had already sent plenty of food before, more than enough for his parents to eat for a long while.
As Tang Yu’an pondered, Zhou Qi continued driving the RV.
After much thought, Tang Yu’an decided to print out study materials from third to sixth grade and carefully organized them into the Spirit Storage Bag.
As Brother Qi had said, studying helps train the mind and broaden one’s horizons.
Even in the apocalypse, Xin Xin couldn’t completely abandon learning!
Unfortunately, without a system, she couldn’t attend proper lessons, but with their parents around, tutoring elementary school subjects shouldn’t be a problem, right?
Now that they had a magic tent and could stay inside for long periods, they needed something to pass the time. Teaching Xin Xin would be a great way to do that!
Tang Yu’an opened the Spirit Storage Bag and placed the books inside, one by one.
“Meow—”
Black Pearl jumped down from the roof of the RV, stretched lazily, and elegantly strolled over to Tang Yu’an. She curiously sniffed at the Spirit Storage Bag.
Just as Tang Yu’an was about to warn her not to bite, the little cat nimbly leaped inside the bag!
Tang Yu’an: 0.0
The Spirit Storage Bag can hold living beings?!
He leaned in to take a closer look and saw that Black Pearl was indeed inside the bag’s space, trying to scratch at the study materials he had just placed. When she noticed him watching, she sheepishly retracted her claws.
Tang Yu’an immediately shared this discovery with Zhou Qi.
Zhou Qi was momentarily stunned before narrowing his eyes at the bag in thought.
Tang Yu’an, however, was thrilled. “Brother Qi, do you think we could enter the Spirit Storage Bag like Black Pearl and travel home through the Drifting Bottle?”
Zhou Qi furrowed his brows. “In theory, yes, but there are many uncertainties.”
“First, the opening of the bag is too small for us to fit through. Second, even if we find a way to enter, there’s no guarantee that nothing will go wrong during the drifting process.”
After all, drifting from their current dimension back to their home world took at least eighteen days.
They would have to spend all eighteen days inside the Spirit Storage Bag. It was unclear whether the bag could sustain oxygen for that long, and unknown dangers could arise during the journey.
Hearing Zhou Qi’s analysis, Tang Yu’an slowly calmed down.
He thought for a moment before asking, “What about using the magic tent to go back?”
The magic tent had an air circulation formation, and as long as they supplied enough energy crystals, they wouldn’t have to worry about suffocation.
“We need to ask Uncle Tang and Aunt Tang if the magic tent can move while occupied.” Zhou Qi replied.
Tang Yu’an glanced at the Spirit Storage Bag and thought for a moment. “If the space inside is big enough, we could enter the bag first and then move into the magic tent.”
Zhou Qi, however, didn’t support this plan.
For one, it was too risky. But more importantly—only one of them could go back.
Someone had to stay behind to throw the Drifting Bottle into the Dream Sea.
“Drifting Bottles can only be sent to the dreams of direct blood relatives. That’s your ability,” Zhou Qi said. “I don’t even see that option.”
Tang Yu’an froze. It was true.
With special permission, Zhou Qi could see the options for other dimensions, but not for sending the bottle to blood relatives. That meant only Tang Yu’an could do it.
“If I go back, what about you? I can’t just leave you here alone.”
Zhou Qi looked at him seriously. “We agreed to go home together.”
Moreover, only if An’an returns to the original world can they establish a branch store and a teleportation array, allowing travel between the two dimensions.
If he goes back alone, to be honest, it wouldn’t mean much.
“Alright, I understand.” Tang Yu’an lowered his head in disappointment. “Let’s think of another way…”
Seeing him like this, Zhou Qi couldn’t help but feel a pang of sadness.
He reached out and ruffled the boy’s hair, saying, “This is still an option. Let’s first look for a Spirit Storage Bag big enough to hold us.”
Tang Yu’an nodded. “Okay.”
He wasn’t actually too upset—after all, they could now communicate with his parents and send them supplies to ensure their safety.
“Taking back the magic tent isn’t a good idea either. We really do need another plan.”
A round-trip using the Drifting Bottle takes 36 days. If his parents were without the magic tent during that time, how would they survive?
Tang Yu’an fully came to terms with it and gave Zhou Qi a smile. “Don’t worry about me, I’m fine.”
Seeing this, Zhou Qi finally let out a breath of relief.
He ruffled the boy’s hair again before continuing on the road.
Tang Yu’an peeked into the Spirit Storage Bag—Black Pearl was already nestled in the pile of books, dozing off again.
With a sigh, he helplessly scooped up the little cat and let her curl up inside his hood before continuing to organize supplies.
Besides study materials, paper, pens, rulers, and other stationery were also necessary.
Tang Yu’an still wanted to test whether living beings could be sent back through the Drifting Bottle, but after thinking about it, being trapped in the Spirit Storage Bag for 18 days seemed far too cruel for a small animal.
Even with plenty of food and water, it would still be unsanitary, and he ultimately dismissed the idea for now.
*
Three Days Later
They opened Cosona’s Drifting Bottle, which now contained two additional space capsules, increasing the transport capacity to 50 cubic meters per trip.
On the grasslands, one kilometer away from Store No. 6, a massive pit 100 meters in diameter and 5 meters deep was finally dug out by construction robots.
To be honest, the wolves played a huge role in speeding up the process.
Since the fence wall enclosed the entire one-kilometer area between the pit and Store No. 6, the wolves could drink water directly from the trench without needing to leave the protection barrier.
They only had to leave when hunting, but even that became ridiculously easy—
Standing behind the fence, they could ambush small animals drinking water outside the barrier, almost always landing a one-hit kill.
Failing to hunt under such ideal conditions? That would be embarrassing—they’d definitely get mocked by the other wolves!
Since these wild wolves were natural diggers, and with plenty of food, water, and protection, they were carefree and full of energy every day—
The Black Wolf King simply rounded up all the strong young wolves and made them help dig with the robots.
So, by the time Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi returned, the pit was already finished, and they redirected water from the swimming pool reservoir into it.
Just like that, an artificial lake was completed.
Tang Yu’an removed the fence wall, then extended it another kilometer in a different direction, letting the robots continue digging, aiming to transfer more water before the floodwaters in the Desolate city completely receded.
Afterward, they got back into the RV and continued toward Old Xie’s location.
Thanks to two major upgrades, the RV’s performance had significantly improved, saving a lot of time—they could now reach Old Xie’s place in just a day or two!
*
MR23582 Dimension, Underground Forest of Siasami
“Brother Turs, can we really go outside every day now?”
Senrui followed behind Turs, asking cautiously.
Ever since Turs gave them that delicious sweet water, Senrui felt like his daily life had become a dream.
They were now allowed to stay outside for long periods instead of being trapped in a dark room, sleeping all the time.
They could stay with Grandma Lina and listen to her tell stories.
They could attend Grandpa Jackson’s lessons and learn the basics of rune inscriptions.
They could now live in the light—though it wasn’t very bright, it was enough to see each other’s faces clearly.
Of course, the most important thing was that they could finally eat their fill every day—and even have salt, those salty little granules that gave them strength when they ate them.
This kind of life was so good that it made the children feel uneasy and anxious.
The younger children, who had grown up in the underground shelters, might not understand, but the older ones clearly remembered everything that had happened over the past five years.
Senrui was terrified, afraid that Turs had finally reached his limit and was now recklessly using up all their stored supplies.
Turs was about to explain when his vision suddenly went black, and with a thud, he collapsed onto the ground.
Senrui didn’t even have time to call for help before he saw Turs clutching the back of his head, his hand gripping at something invisible, his expression a mix of pain and joy, twisted in a strange way.
