"That's it, you can do it." Chen Zhenlong happily stretched his arms, as Chen Linlin shakily walked toward him "Just a few more steps, there you go!"
Chen Zhenlong proudly caught his daughter. She had made a huge stride by taking one hundred steps, which is thirty-four more steps than yesterday, a remarkable improvement.
One month had passed since the incident in Wu Zhen Yi's ruins.
After successfully detoxifying Chen Linlin's poison.
The trio continued their journey to Blood Moon Marsh.
To search for Divine Moon Peak Empire ruins to obtain the Glaze Blood, the last treasure they need to restore Chen Linlin's soul realm.
Throughout the journey, Xue Hui guided both father and daughter through the process of rehabilitating Chen Linlin's body to restore her mobility.
Every day, once their strenuous trek was over, Xue Hui would perform a series of massages and exercises, helping Chen Linlin rebuild muscle and strength to help her walk.
Years of being bedridden had caused Chen Linlin to lose both mental and physical ability to walk.
something Xue Hui and Chen Zhenlong patiently guided her through.
As a result, in just a month, despite the harsh circumstances they were in, Chen Linlin was able to take a hundred steps without falling, a milestone that filled both Chen Zhenlong and Xue Hui's hearts with joy.
After regaining her mobility, Chen Linlin became more lively. She is a hard worker. Despite all the hurdles at the beginning of her rehabilitation, she never complained even once. Even when she fell, she would simply laugh it off and promise to do better on her next attempt.
And the results spoke for themselves.
Beaming with pride, Chen Linlin looked at Xue Hui and excitedly called for him, "Hui-Hui, you saw that!? That's one hundred steps! You must be so impressed with me, right!?"
Hearing her boast, Xue Hui rolled his eyes fondly as he walked toward her, medicine in hand.
"I'll be more proud, once you drink your medicine." Xue Hui said, handing the murky-looking medicine to her.
Looking at the medicine, Chen Linlin's excitement instantly disappeared, and her face shifted to disgust.
Xue Hui is not surprised by her reaction. It's a truly awful medicine.
Xue Hui couldn't do anything about the taste. It's a concoction that requires a precise mixture of medicinal herbs. The slightest alteration would destroy its efficacy.
Its name is Meridian Softening Medicine. As the name implied, it softened one's meridians—especially those that had solidified after years without the flow of spiritual energy.
The medicine would let Chen Linlin's withered soul realm be more easily refined by the Glaze Blood during the reconstruction process.
A process that was already excruciatingly painful, a solidified meridian would only worsen the experience.
"Blergh—" Gulping it in one go, Chen Linlin's entire body trembled from the revolting taste of the Medicine.
Xue Hui nodded approvingly as he took the empty bottle from her hands "Very good. Now I'm truly impressed."
"I hate you!" she blurted, face pale from the taste.
"No, you don't." Laughing, Xue Hui took out the map.
Looking at it, Xue Hui studied the route, estimating how much time it would take to reach a safe point on each path.
Xue Hui had been doing this since the beginning of their journey.
And so far, aside from deliberately putting themselves in danger like what happened in the Wu Zhen Yi ruins.
Xue Hui's calculations had proven effective in keeping them away from grave threats.
"So" Chen Zhenlong stood beside him, carrying Chen Linlin on his arm, "where are we heading next?"
"We're heading west." Xue Hui traces his finger to the route on the map "There's an abandoned hidden shelter left behind by a powerful expert. If we leave now, we should arrive by noon. We can stay there until morning," Xue Hui replied, letting Chen Zhenlong memorize the route.
They had been pushing themselves relentlessly for the past few weeks, striving to reach every safe stop, often walking fifteen to twenty hours a day.
So Chen Zhenlong had no objection to their next route being only a short distance from their current spot.
"An abandoned hidden shelter left behind by a powerful expert? Like a Legend Rank one? Is there any valuable treasure there?" Chen Linlin asked, her eyes beaming with anticipation.
She wanted to see something extraordinary, something amazing she could bring home to her mothers.
Xue Hui nodded "Yes. It's well hidden, so I'm certain it has remained untouched," He himself was eager to see the treasure left behind by that super expert. It could greatly increase their strength.
"Then let's go! Father, put me in the box!"
Chen Zhenlong shook his head at his daughter's antics, though the upward curl on his lips had not disappeared since earlier.
The trio resumed their trek. Occasionally, they would stop when Xue Hui saw something interesting, rare material, or medicinal herbs. Once found, Xue Hui would gather a large quantity of it and store everything inside one of his many interspatial rings.
Xue Hui would also collect strange, unfamiliar materials, items that even Chen Zhenlong failed to recognize.
But judging how excited Xue Hui is, the father, and daughter assumed they were valuable items. They didn't dare ask, though. The last time they had questioned Xue Hui about one of his findings, they ended up listening to him for an hour.
Soon, they arrived at their next stop.
A vast rocky ravine stretched toward the horizon, its cliffs towering hundreds of feet high. Long rivers carved through the valley below, their waters glinting as they flowed between massive stone walls. On one side of the river stood two small figures, dwarfed by the immense landscape around them.
"There it is!" Xue Hui said, pointing toward a particular section of the ravine wall.
"What exactly am I supposed to be looking at?" Chen Zhenlong asked honestly. To him, every part of the rock wall looked the same.
"Lord Patriarch, that section of the wall is actually the entrance to a hidden treasure. It's concealed beneath an inscription concealment array."
After explaining, the two walked toward the spot.
Chen Zhenlong knocked against that section of the stone wall, only to frown in confusion when he noticed nothing unusual about it.
It was solid. When he tapped it, it sounded no different from any ordinary rock.
Even when he pushed it forcefully, it neither budged nor showed the slightest sign of movement.
Unable to figure out how the entrance worked, Chen Zhenlong turned to the boy beside him, silently asking how they were supposed to enter.
"Lord Patriarch, it's not difficult to enter. You just need to suppress your soul force to the point that no aura leaks from your body." Xue Hui pulled his aura "The inscription concealment array was made to block anyone who carries even the slightest trace of aura."
After explaining, Xue Hui took a few steps backwards. "Oh! And you definitely need to run toward it to enter"
The moment he finished speaking, Xue Hui dashed forward, running straight into the stone wall, disappearing into it like a stone sinking into water.
Surprised, Chen Zhenlong approached the Stone wall forward, and knocked to spot where Xue Hui entered, the stone wall remained the same as before, solid and unyielding.
A distant howl echoes throughout the ravine. Stopped Chen Zhenlong's probing.
He walked to the same spot where Xue Hui had run from.
Looking at the stonewall in front of him, Chen Zhenlong took a deep breath, suppressing his aura, He exhaled sharply and sprinted forward.
Thud
Feeling the slight resistance, like colliding with a sheet of rubber. Chen Zhenlong's body began to sink inward, slowly passing through the surface until he emerged on the other side.
The sudden loss of resistance nearly caused him to stumble, and he quickly steadied himself to avoid falling.
Once he looked at his surroundings, his expression shifted to surprise, his eyes filled with astonishment.
What Chen Zhenlong expected was a simple cave, perhaps a crude stone shelter with cold rocky walls and a few lamps for light.
Instead, what welcomes him is a well-furnished chamber. High-quality furniture is arranged neatly throughout the room. The floor was paved with jade tiles. Intricate jade floral patterns were carved on every wall.
The entire place looked and felt cozy. After months of sleeping outside, ruined, finding a proper living space with complete with comfort and security, was a godsend.
Chen Zhenlong couldn't hide the satisfied look on his face as he looked around.
Placing the Fuzhuang box on the jade floor, Chen Zhenlong opened its compartment, letting Chen Linlin come out and see the surroundings.
"Whoa! This place looks amazing! Are we really going to stay here? Oh—oh! There's a huge bed! We can finally sleep properly!" To say Chen Linlin was delighted would be an understatement.
The little girl is practically shaking in excitement as she walks around the room, touching everything her small hands could reach.
"There's also a bath and a kitchen." Startled, both father and daughter turned to see Xue Hui stepping out from one of the rooms. In his hand was a jade tablet engraved with freshly inscribed patterns.
"I—I can take a bath on my own!" Chen Linlin quickly interjected, her face turning as red as a tomato. She still felt embarrassed whenever she remembered how Xue Hui had once needed to assist her during her baths.
"Of course you can. Just be careful not to slip, alright?" laughing at her awkward reaction, Xue Hui walked toward the entrance, placing the jade tablet against the wall.
The entire chamber trembled slightly. Intricate patterns appeared across the room, emitting a soft glow before gradually fading from sight.
The sudden tremor startled both father and daughter.
"What was that for, Xiao Hui?" Chen Zhenlong asked, his hands resting protectively on Chen Linlin's shoulders.
Turning around, Xue Hui smiled at the two "Oh, nothing much. I just changed the ownership of this place to myself."
Seeing their dumbfounded expressions, Xue Hui continued, "This entire shelter is actually a Legend-rank treasure called Sacred Jade Room."
Hearing him, Chen Zhenlong and Chen Linlin look at the surroundings in astonishments, as Xue Hui went on.
"It was created during the Sacred Empire era as a gift to the royal family.
The entire structure can be shrunk and carried by its owner."
Xue Hui made a small gesture with his hands, mimicking something shrinking.
"That's mean…" He smiled.
"from now on, we won't have to sleep out in the open. I can simply take out the Sacred Jade Room and place it somewhere hidden."
Chen Zhenlong and Chen Linlin's eyes lit up at the realization that they no longer needed to camp outside.
"With this, we can spend the night without worrying about demon beasts finding us. Furthermore, even a Black Gold–rank demon beast wouldn't be able to destroy this room, so we're fairly safe inside."
Seeing the clear relief on both father's and daughter's faces, Xue Hui could only chuckle.
"Linlin, Lord Patriarch, you two go freshen up. I'll start preparing the meal."
They both nodded as they went about their stuff. Xue Hui headed to the kitchen to make food. It had been a long time since the three of them had enjoyed a proper meal.
Today's harvest was excellent.
End of Chapter 21