Chapter 41: There’s Still More to Gain
A day later.
Wu Yuan ordered Huang Tie to lead a team and escort Aunt Fang away from Red Leaf Cliff to the main road. From there, Aunt Fang would use a Marching Talisman to travel tens of thousands of miles to Chang’an Town.
Aunt Fang took with her a branch shop of the Border-Crossing Trading House, five hundred gold coins, and a yellow rhino carriage.
She left Wu Yuan with three Marching Talismans, a secret about rchant Lord Huan Su’s hidden treasure, and a na—Fang Yan.
Fang Yan was Aunt Fang.
When Luo Xiangluo heard that Fang Yan had left, she ca to ask for details. Wu Yuan didn’t elaborate, only saying that Fang Yan had another identity and needed to leave. Since he also had matters requiring soone to handle them far away, it worked out perfectly, so he let her go.
Luo Xiangluo wasn’t satisfied with Wu Yuan’s explanation, but seeing his serious expression—though vague—she could only accept it for now.
“Since you’re here, there are so personal belongings you should take back.”
Wu Yuan showed Luo Xiangluo the mountain of bundles and piles of boxes in the side room.
Luo Xiangluo imdiately shot him a resentful look, as if saying: You finally rembered!
“I’ve been busy lately, so so things slipped my mind. My apologies for the inconvenience. None of these bundles or boxes have been touched.”
Wu Yuan softened his tone to reassure her: “Aunt Fang has already taken her things, but Madam Cheng’s belongings are still here. Take hers as well.”
Luo Xiangluo was sharp-witted and wouldn’t be fooled by sweet talk.
Since Wu Yuan hadn’t directly ordered soone to deliver the boxes and bundles to them, he must have been curious about their contents. If she didn’t address his curiosity, it might soon turn into suspicion.
“Your matters take priority. I lack neither clothes nor food, and there’s nothing urgent among my personal belongings. In fact, so things should be discarded anyway. I’d also like to check if my four maids have hidden anything in their luggage, so I’ll take this chance to inspect everything carefully right here.”
“As you wish.”
Wu Yuan maintained a calm expression but inwardly praised her.
He didn’t fear Luo Xiangluo thinking him petty—after discovering the Household Register Stele, he had begun paying attention to potential “treasures” that might have been overlooked in these belongings.
If not for the fact that the luggage was all mixed together, making it unclear which bundles and boxes belonged to whom, and considering that Madam Cheng, Luo Xiangluo, and her four maids were now his official subordinates—key mbers of the Rain-Soaked Tower, he would have long since opened every bundle and box to search.
The four maids’ bundles and one shared large chest contained nothing unusual—just typical won’s personal items. The most eye-catching were the various undergarnts, two of which Luo Xiangluo deliberately tossed in front of Wu Yuan, making him glare.
Luo Xiangluo smiled faintly, knowing she hadn’t yet reached the level of familiarity with her master to tease him freely. It was best to stop while ahead.
She then efficiently opened her own five bundles and eight large chests.
Luo Xiangluo’s luggage contained far more expensive clothing and jewelry than Madam Cheng’s, as well as several types of mid-to-high first-grade pills in varying quantities—though none of that mattered much.
Wu Yuan only focused on three items: a book, a painting, and a map.
In the end, after a quick glance, he returned the book and painting to Luo Xiangluo, keeping only the map. He offered her a few words of advice:
“The contents of the book and painting aren’t sothing you can cultivate at your current level. I don’t care how you obtained them—even if Huan Su gave them to you, they’re yours to handle. However, I must warn you: until your physical cultivation reaches the Bone-Forging Realm, do not attempt to forcibly practice what’s inside. It will harm, not help you.”
“Understood! Thank you for the warning. I will focus on physical cultivation and hope for your guidance when needed.” Luo Xiangluo replied gratefully.
“Good! Rember, towering structures rise from the ground. If the foundation isn’t solid, trying to build high is like pulling sprouts to make them grow—it only leads to instability, making it difficult to reach greater heights in the future.”
“Your words make think of looking down from a mountaintop rather than gazing up from below. How strange.” Luo Xiangluo seed puzzled.
Realizing he’d said too much, Wu Yuan didn’t elaborate further. He waved her off, sending her away along with her luggage, escorted by his n back to the Rain-Soaked Tower.
After Luo Xiangluo left, he summoned Cai Yu and a group of her subordinates to help him “treasure hunt”—this ti targeting the remaining bundles and boxes in the room.
There were still over a thousand bundles left, but only thirty boxes remained.
The bundles had mixed origins.
Most belonged to fallen caravan guards, but many also ca from mid-to-high-ranking caravan mbers who hadn’t escaped in ti and were slaughtered by the insect swarm—including the won from several carriages.
Of course, rchant Lord Huan Su and the three Cheng brothers’ bundles were also among them.
As for the boxes, over half belonged to Huan Su, while the rest were from mid-to-high-ranking caravan mbers. Only three belonged to the Cheng brothers—information Wu Yuan had learned from Fang Yan, though the conversation had apparently taken place in bed.
First, the bundles.
Among the thousand-plus bundles, the majority contained clothing—n’s and won’s, old and (rarely) new. While most were secondhand, they still greatly enriched the station’s clothing reserves, allowing its mid-to-high-ranking mbers to gradually shed their history of wearing coarse hemp garnts.
In the wild, loot was loot—if it could be used, it would be, without fuss.
Aside from clothes, there was a modest sum of money—over forty thousand copper coins in total, averaging thirty-sothing copper per bundle. Not much, but not insignificant either.
Then ca the pills.
Aside from over a thousand Clear Miasma Pills, the rest ca from about a dozen well-made bundles: forty first-grade low-tier Gentle Water Pills, ninety first-grade low-tier Blood Essence Pills, twenty-four first-grade mid-tier Flower Nectar Pills, thirty-three first-grade high-tier Insect Heart Pills, and ten second-grade low-tier Waterfire Pills.
Other low-value miscellaneous items weren’t worth detailing.
The biggest surprise, however, didn’t co from the high-quality bundles—but from a rather shabby one.
Inside was an ancient wooden box made of second-grade spirit wood, Spirit-Severing Mulberry. Within it lay a miniature Stellar Origin Structure—an Iron Ore Slting Room.
Clearly, this had been a hidden opportunity obtained by an ordinary caravan guard, likely ant to be sold off quietly at a bazaar. Now, it fell into the hands of the “fisherman,” delighting Wu Yuan.
The remaining thirty boxes, however, held the true jackpot.
Clothing still dominated, but of far finer quality—so even reaching artifact-grade or spirit-artifact-grade, offering far better protection than ordinary garnts.
The most valuable were a set of low-grade spirit artifact “Ocean Whale Song Robes” and a single high-grade spirit artifact “Blade-Concealing Cloak”—both from rchant Lord Huan Su’s boxes.
Another major discovery in this box was the collection items Fang Yan had ntioned.
Among the Stellar Origin Structures, aside from the already acquired Household Register Stele, there were also the Thousand-Jin Stone Path and the Flying Moon Pavilion.
The Thousand-Jin Stone Path aided in boosting subordinates’ cultivation.
The Flying Moon Pavilion gathered stellar energy.
Both were precious Stellar Origin Structures.
Additionally, there were two more collector’s items—a pair of low-grade magical tools: “Spirit-lting Herb Hoes.”
The monetary haul was substantial: four hundred and twenty gold coins.
Only two types of pills remained:
Three bottles (thirty-six pills) of second-grade low-tier Waterfire Pills.
One near-empty bottle (only five pills) of second-grade high-tier Jade Tiger Ascension Pills.
Of these, it seed one bottle of each belonged to the Cheng brothers, while the Jade Tiger Ascension Pills were Huan Su’s.
Wu Yuan stored the valuables in his private treasury and placed the ordinary items—including so artifact-grade clothing—into the public stores.
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