Chapter 31

This object looks extremely ordinary, with the bag's opening woven with a red thread, and only simple patterns adorning the fabric. It looks like a very simple money pouch; if it were to fall on the street, those noble people would likely not even bother with it.

"Although this object looks very simple, it has the capacity to hold a thousand mountains and a myriad of waters..." Qin Miao said calmly.

"Oh?" Bai Shi furrowed his brows slightly and continued, "I wish to hear more about it!"

"This storage bag... was made during the fusion of heaven and earth's spiritual energy, from hemp fibers woven into threads, then into fabric, and finally into a bag... In the end, it was imbued with the consciousness of a highly powerful cultivator, endowing it with spiritual properties. It can hold a thousand mountains and a myriad of waters. The items inside will not spoil for ten years, nor will they expire for a hundred years." Qin Miao explained.

After speaking, Qin Miao suddenly smiled bitterly and continued, "If this object were to be sold in the market, it would be almost priceless... No wonder those three wanted to kill me. I live a simple life hunting in the deep mountains, without any desire for conflict... But, what is mine, I will not give up unless I am killed. Otherwise, they will not get anything from me." As he finished speaking, a glint of determination flashed in his eyes.

"However... keeping this object with me serves no purpose, and it will only bring me trouble. So... since we have met today, I will give this object to you as a token of gratitude for saving my life." Qin Miao said, handing the storage bag to Bai Shi.

Bai Shi looked at the storage bag and said, "Such a valuable object..."

"Take it, don't refuse. Keeping it with me serves no purpose and is a waste. But for you, it will be different... I believe you will find many uses for it in the future." Qin Miao interrupted before Bai Shi could finish speaking.

"Then... I will accept it with gratitude." Bai Shi smiled in thanks and took the storage bag.

The bag felt very light in his palm. Bai Shi examined it from all angles and then said somewhat awkwardly, "Although this storage bag can hold a thousand mountains and a myriad of waters, I don't know how to use it."

Qin Miao laughed heartily, his laughter echoing through the Daochen Mountains, seemingly forgetting the pain in his feet. But when the laughter faded, his face was lined with wrinkles, showing the wear and tear of time.

"Old age has made my memory worse. I gave you this object but forgot to teach you how to use it..."

Bai Shi smiled awkwardly, not saying anything in response to Qin Miao's words.

"It's very simple. Just use a drop of your blood to soak the opening of the storage bag, and you can control it with your consciousness. If you have many items, you can also use your consciousness to separate them." Qin Miao stopped laughing and looked at Bai Shi.

Understanding, Bai Shi bit his fingertip, and his blood soaked the opening of the bag. As the blood seeped in, the red-threaded opening of the bag immediately underwent a strange transformation.

A faint red halo appeared on the opening, like a halo of light, rotating several times around the storage bag before dissipating into a blood mist that evaporated from the opening.

Seeing this, Bai Shi furrowed his brows slightly. Following Qin Miao's instructions, he used his consciousness to control the opening, which slowly opened. Immediately, a vision appeared in Bai Shi's mind, a dark and ethereal space.

Bai Shi remembered that Qin Miao had obtained this storage bag from a dead person, so he wondered if there were any rare items inside.

Thus, Bai Shi did not withdraw his consciousness from the ethereal space but tried to find something in the darkness. He wasn't sure what he was looking for.

Soon, under the control of his consciousness, Bai Shi discovered something in the darkness. Due to the darkness, he could only see a vague shadow and did not know the name of the object.

Using his consciousness, Bai Shi took the object out of the storage bag. In front of him appeared a plant similar to ginseng but definitely not ginseng.

Seeing this, Bai Shi's brows furrowed again. He examined the plant from all angles but could not identify it.

"Brother Qin, do you recognize this?" Bai Shi asked, handing the plant to Qin Miao.

Qin Miao took the plant, first weighing it, then examining it from top to bottom, and finally smelling it deeply.

"This plant... is a medicinal herb, similar to ginseng but not ginseng. It has a refreshing scent and a soothing effect... It should taste bitter."

After a moment of contemplation, Qin Miao picked a leaf and chewed it.

After chewing the leaf a few times, Qin Miao spat it out.

"This plant must be the Soul-Calling Grass that cultivators dream of!" As he spoke, a glint of greed flashed in Qin Miao's eyes but quickly disappeared.

The moment the words "Soul-Calling Grass" reached Bai Shi's ears, his body trembled slightly, and his tightly closed lips quivered as if he had taken a deep breath. His furrowed brows relaxed, and the confusion in his eyes turned to shock.

"I remember that there are records about the Soul-Calling Grass in books, but I have never seen it... The Soul-Calling Grass is used by cultivators to summon souls..." Bai Shi murmured.

Nodding, Qin Miao looked into the distance, his eyes not filled with melancholy but with a sense of reminiscence or preparation to tell a story.

"The soul of a cultivator is the key to their power. Without a soul, their power will be halved. Even a cultivator at the Dongxuan Realm, if they lack a soul, will surely lose in battle against someone with a soul. In fact, everyone has their own soul, but it is catalyzed by consciousness..." Qin Miao suddenly shook his head.

"But not every cultivator can catalyze their soul. This... is a bottleneck." Qin Miao looked at Bai Shi.

Bai Shi nodded, understanding, and then smiled, "I didn't expect Brother Qin to know so much..."

Waving his hand, Qin Miao humbly said, "Though I am not a cultivator, I have some understanding of their techniques and spells. It's just the basics, not much to speak of. I only know that if a sword cultivator has a sword but no soul, the sword in their hand is a dead sword..."

After speaking, Qin Miao handed the Soul-Calling Grass to Bai Shi, but Bai Shi refused to take it and said, "I found this in the storage bag, and you have already given me such a valuable storage bag. How can I accept the Soul-Calling Grass as well?"

"Ah... The Soul-Calling Grass is only useful to cultivators. For someone like me, who lacks the talent for cultivation, taking it would only cause me to bleed to death. Even if I sold it in the market for a good price, it would be of no use to me... I have always lived a simple life hunting in the deep mountains, and I am used to this life. Even if I am poor, I am not lowly... Great wealth and status are not suitable for me."

"Then..." Bai Shi was about to refuse, but Qin Miao suddenly interrupted, "By the way, the spirit beast by your side is quite unusual."

Qin Miao looked at the white fox, his brows furrowing slightly, as if puzzled.

Taking the Soul-Calling Grass, Bai Shi said openly, "It is indeed unusual. When I have it with me, the strange beasts in the Dao pulse seem to avoid me."

"Oh? If I'm not mistaken, this small spirit beast should be the king of all beasts... But..." Qin Miao paused.

"But what?" Bai Shi asked.

"But... this kind of spirit beast should not exist in the Daochen True Realm." As he spoke, Qin Miao's eyes showed certainty.

Furrowing his brows, Bai Shi asked, "Could it be that there are other True Realms in the universe?"

Qin Miao nodded and looked at Bai Shi, "In this vast world, anything is possible. Though I have not reached them, it is not for lack of trying... Some things you cannot see or touch, but they truly exist."

Hearing Qin Miao's words, Bai Shi subconsciously looked at the sky. As the clouds drifted by, he suddenly thought of the continuous rain a few days ago, the white lightning that appeared in the sky, and the strange light that flashed.

"Alright... I have rested enough. I think I should leave this mountain range, where strange beasts roam, and find a place to recover." Qin Miao took a deep breath, stood up from the large rock, and looked forward, as if toward the path home.

"And I... should head to my next destination, the endless... Maple Forest!" Bai Shi smiled faintly, not trying to persuade him to stay, but looking into the maple forest, a resolute expression on his face.