Chapter 42: jB1

Benefiting from the underground expansion of the new city, Sang Jingwen secretly set up an underground passage, and there were also two hidden rooms. However, only those holding the special key could open this passage. To the naked eye, there was no way to distinguish the entrance from the surrounding ground. The key itself was a specially crafted flower-shaped jade; only with it could one unlock the passage and enter the real resting area below.

After Yiping and Lu Minli helped Xiuying and Yu settle in, they walked over to Sang Jingwen and Sang Chu. When they saw the layout, they were genuinely amazed.

Even though it was the apocalypse and many people had similar ideas, Sang Jingwen’s arrangements were just too ingenious. On the surface, there seemed to be gaps between the houses, but underground, everything was connected. If you retreated into the underground houses, you could disappear in an instant, leaving no trace.

The underground city was well concealed. Even if you quietly added more rooms, no one would notice. That was the beauty of it!

Yiping exclaimed, “This is great, really great! On the surface, my base is just three small houses. Even if someone sees it, they won’t think much of it. These houses look just like typical village homes, nothing special. But underground, it’s a whole city! All the houses are built downward, making them hard to detect. Brilliant!”

Lu Minli agreed, “I think so too. I used to think the underground expansion in the new city was impressive, but now I see it’s not even half as big as my underground city. This is the way to go. Ah Chu, you should go find Muxue. If the surface is just like this, there’s no need to worry too much about the location.”

“Alright, as long as you agree. I’ll go right away. But there’s something I want to discuss with you first.”

“What is it?”

“Minli, about that flood dragon you caught before…”

Lu Minli frowned slightly. “What about it?”

“Tuyu said we could cooperate with it, so I thought it over. I’ve already used my psychic power to calm it and put it to sleep. Once you put it in the treatment chamber, it should stay unconscious. Aunt Liang and Xiao Shan can rest there a bit longer; sleeping in the treatment chamber will be good for their bodies.”

Lu Minli said, “Then I’ll go with you.”

Yiping chimed in, “Let’s all go together. Anyway, I’ve already put him to sleep in the treatment chamber, so let’s just get your business done. After that, I’ll head straight back to Haishi. My brother is easy to fool—I’ll just tell him I ate too much and need to sleep!”

“…”

Lu Minli could see Sang Chu’s hesitation and said, “I know you’re worried about the energy crystals. I can have Tuyu bring back the ones holding Aunt Liang’s consciousness to the new city, and I’ll keep the rest for my own use. That should be fine. Besides, when I escaped from the underground, I didn’t need to use that much solar energy. I can just go through the road.”

“That works for me!”

Tuyu, who was by Sang Chu’s side, nodded eagerly. Only then did Sang Chu agree. Sang Jingwen handed the energy crystal beast over to him and said, “Be careful.”

“Got it, I’ll head out now!”

After waving his big ears at everyone, he activated the energy crystal beast and left.

Yiping asked, “Where are we going now?”

Lu Minli replied, “When I escaped before, I used an energy child. I’ll have her show us the way. I remember the route I took to escape from the underground.”

“I’ll go up first and wait for you.”

After going upstairs,

Sang Chu took out the spirit jade stones and said, “These spirit jade stones were taken from the flood dragon’s lair. They’re very useful for improving abilities. After this trip to the new city, we all know now that there are more high-level ability users than I imagined, and they’re even more dangerous. We can’t just sit and wait for disaster. Let’s split these up and try to improve our abilities. Brother, you can use them too. These things are great for boosting psychic power.”

Lu Minli said, “I originally thought I could save them, but now I realize that’s not practical. I have too many good things and not enough strength to protect them. You all go train. I’ll wait here for news from Muxue. Once we reach the flood dragon’s lair, I’ll call you.”

Yiping glanced at Sang Jingwen, who said, “Since that’s the case, let’s all take our share. Ayi, you take some too.”

“Then I won’t be polite, sister.”

Yiping took the bag of spirit jade stones Sang Chu gave her, and she and Sang Jingwen went to the guest room to cultivate.

Sang Chu noticed Lu Minli seemed a bit hesitant and asked, “Is there something you want to talk to me about?”

Lu Minli nodded, pointing to the location of the kitchen, and the two of them walked over.

While sorting some fruit, Lu Minli said, “Yiping is a bit strange.”

“What do you mean?”

Lu Minli explained, “When I went to find my dad, I left the underground for a while. But when I came back, I found out she could already control the little wolf in the shelter. That wolf’s ability is about the same as mine, almost level four, but she controlled it so easily.”

Sang Chu asked, “You mean Yiping’s ability is at least level four?”

“Yeah. Maybe she just happened to awaken a high-level ability, but that seems too coincidental. In the apocalypse, it’s better to be cautious.”

Sang Chu said, “Alright, I get it. Keep this to yourself for now, and don’t let my brother find out.”

She handed Tuyu’s underground materials to him and said, “These were all taken from the male beasts’ territory. I didn’t dare give them to my brother, afraid he’d be disgusted. Crystal cores are faster for improving abilities, but unfortunately, I haven’t found any body-type crystal cores yet. You can use the spirit jade stones to enhance your body ability. If we can subdue the flood dragon, I’ll go on the next apocalypse journey and see if there’s anything else out there. Before I return, just keep an eye on things here.”

“I think so too, Ah Chu…”

Lu Minli suddenly fell silent, looking at Sang Chu. After years of working together, she knew what Lu Minli wanted to say. “Tuyu tried to persuade me too, but I just can’t get over that hurdle. Using the beasts for energy feels… wrong.”

Lu Minli said, “Not necessarily. As long as there’s fresh meat, it’s fine. Aren’t humans the same? If you turn the spirit jade stones into a lot of nutrients and feed them to living creatures, as long as there’s life, I can revive the consciousness. The only thing is, we can’t let him know about this directly.”

Muxue seems carefree, but she’s actually very sensitive. She might not be able to handle it mentally. Sang Jingwen and Yiping, I’m not familiar with, but since Sang Chu didn’t dare let her brother know, he probably wouldn’t agree either.

In the apocalypse, before there’s a cure, it’s still dangerous. Using the beasts’ crystal cores for energy, Lu Minli wasn’t sure if what she was doing was right.

Sang Chu said, “Let’s talk about this after I get back from the next trip. I’ll try to find more living creatures to bring back.”"