Chapter 706

Chapter 706: Disappointment

"There shouldn’t be anyone here."

Wang Chen asked three times, and finally, Hu Jiao couldn’t help but speak up: "I just used my Heavenly Fox Spiritual Ear. Besides you and me, there are no other living beings in this cave!"

The Heavenly Fox Spiritual Ear is a talent ability of the Qingqiu Fox Clan, possessing incredible sensing capabilities.

With Hu Jiao’s strength, even if a Nascent Soul true immortal were deliberately hiding, she would still be able to detect their presence within this enclosed space.

In fact, apart from flowers and plants, there were no ants or flying insects in this cave!

It was unclear how many years it had been sealed.

Wang Chen nodded: "Let’s go take a look."

The man and the fox approached the wooden house ahead.

Wang Chen reached out to push the tightly shut door, but before his hand touched it, the door opened silently on its own.

Inside, the room was empty, devoid of any furniture.

Only a dusty futon lay on the floor.

Is this it?

If Wang Chen claimed he wasn’t disappointed, that would be a lie.

After all, he had read numerous accounts in books about cultivators who stumbled upon caves left behind by ancient practitioners, acquiring powerful techniques and treasures, and subsequently rising to great heights.

In reality, such stories were widely circulated in the world of cultivation and became a popular topic of conversation.

Indeed, similar events had occurred; they were not mere fabrications by bored storytellers.

Many cultivators risked their lives to venture deep into the mountains and swamps, hoping to find the cultivation caves left by their predecessors.

They sought to change their fate through such discoveries.

Although the vast majority of them perished in the deep mountains and dense forests, some even becoming food for magical beasts and hosts for Evil Spirits.

But there were always a few lucky ones.

He guessed he wasn’t one of them.

Wang Chen shook his head, refusing to let disappointment cloud his mind.

He hadn’t forgotten his primary reason for coming to Manglong Mountain, so he quickly set aside his dissatisfaction and began to search the cave meticulously.

Yet reality dealt Wang Chen another blow!

Although this cave was vast, covering nearly a hundred acres, after a thorough search—almost digging three feet into the ground—he still hadn’t found a single ginseng root.

The legendary seven-leaf mysterious ginseng—not even a single leaf could be seen!

Finally, he had to admit to Hu Jiao, who had accompanied him in the search: “You were right.”

Hu Jiao smiled lightly: “Finding a cave left by ancient practitioners is already quite an achievement; the flowers here are quite beautiful.”

But they were only beautiful. These exquisite flowers contained only a hint of spiritual energy, not even qualifying for medicinal use or refining.

“Forget it.”

Wang Chen could only treat this as a sightseeing trip to broaden his horizons: “We need to be out for a full twelve hours. Let’s take a break.”

Searching the entire cave took quite some time.

Back in the wooden house, Wang Chen used the Cleansing Technique to clear the dust from the room and then took out some timber and food ingredients from his Xumi Ring to set up a campfire for “breakfast.”

Checking the time, it was about morning.

“Hmm?”

As Wang Chen sat down, he suddenly felt something was off.

He was sitting on the futon that had been lying on the ground, and after being cleaned with techniques, it wasn’t exactly new, but it was clean enough to sit on.

So, Wang Chen sat down directly.

However, as soon as he touched the futon, an unusual aura flowed within his body.

The Qi Gate!

Wang Chen jumped up immediately.

Hu Jiao was momentarily stunned: “What’s wrong?”

Wang Chen remained silent as he picked up the futon from the ground, saying, “This thing is quite special; you should try it.”

He handed the futon to Hu Jiao, letting the Qingqiu Fox Demon experience it for herself.

Hu Jiao accepted it and sat down, her eyes suddenly brightening: “This is interesting!”

The next moment, she closed her eyes, seeming to immerse herself in understanding, as if she were practicing her techniques.

Wang Chen didn’t disturb her and took out another futon to sit on.

After about the time it takes to burn half a stick of incense, Hu Jiao opened her eyes again.

She smiled: “I understand its purpose now.”

This ordinary futon appeared inconspicuous, but in reality, it was a third-grade treasure; its spiritual energy was subtle and easily overlooked.

Wang Chen had unwittingly found a treasure!

The futon’s greatest function was to speed up the flow of Qi and aid in cultivating the mind and spirit; it was quite rare.

In simple terms, it was a cultivation aid!

Although Hu Jiao understood the futon’s purpose, she had no intention of claiming it for herself. She returned the treasure to Wang Chen: “You keep it; it’s of no use to me.”

Although the cultivation methods of demons and human cultivators share a common origin, the animosity between the two sides had never ceased for millennia.

Nowadays, the conflict was far beyond the resolution of just a few individuals!

Moreover, human treasures could be used by demons.

If not for personal use, they could be sold or exchanged within their own kind.

However, Hu Jiao didn’t think much about that; she simply felt she had no need for such an item and didn’t want to create a rift with Wang Chen over it.

Wang Chen had no choice but to accept the treasure back.

Hu Jiao then cheerfully took out her wine gourd given by her grandfather: “This is all I need.”

As she spoke, the Qingqiu Fox Demon drank nearly half a pound of spiritual wine in one go, her originally pale cheeks quickly regaining color.

She then offered it to Wang Chen.

Wang Chen joined her in drinking and eating grilled meat and Beggar’s Chicken.

Although humans and demons followed different paths, Wang Chen, as an outsider, lacked the entrenched racial prejudices of the native inhabitants, so he and Hu Jiao had a pleasant conversation.

Halfway through, Hu Jiao suddenly said: “My real name is Hu Jiao Jiao, with ‘Jiao’ meaning ‘beautiful girl.’”

She knew full well that her disguise wouldn’t fool Wang Chen.

Wang Chen was not surprised, smiling gently: “Hmm, I understand.”

Hu Jiao blinked: “Don’t you have any questions?”

Wang Chen was puzzled: “Why do you ask?”

“Just curious.”

Hu Jiao bit her lip, her eyes sparkling: “So, don’t you want to see my true appearance?”

Wang Chen replied calmly: “I think you look just fine as you are.”

They were strangers who had unexpectedly met; though demons and humans were on different paths, sharing a drink together today was enough. Tomorrow, they would part ways and drift apart, so there was no need to take it too seriously.

Upon hearing Wang Chen’s response, a flicker of disappointment crossed Hu Jiao’s eyes.

Wang Chen noticed but said nothing to explain.

The atmosphere between them suddenly became a bit low and heavy.

At that moment, both Wang Chen and Hu Jiao moved at the same time, almost instinctively looking toward the door.

A figure flashed past the entrance in an instant.

Although the person moved incredibly fast, Wang Chen and Hu Jiao still caught sight of them.

The man and the fox exchanged a glance and both dashed out the door!