Chapter 00121: The Contents of the Space
# The Contents of the Space
Chapter 121
Novel: After the Myth
Chapter 121: The Contents of the Space
Ding Huan didn’t pay attention to Qi Xin Yue’s expression.
His focus was once again drawn to the star-shaped stone.
His divine sense probed inside, revealing a space of nearly two hundred cubic meters.
However, the space was mostly empty, with only two rows of shelves.
One shelf was filled with various white jade bottles, while the other held bamboo and jade slips.
Neither shelf was fully stocked, as if some items had been taken away.
With a thought, Ding Huan summoned a jade bottle into his hand.
“Big brother, what is this…?” Qi Xin Yue, having just recovered from the sudden embrace earlier, looked at Ding Huan’s hand in astonishment.
A jade bottle had appeared out of nowhere, and as a fifth-level gene cultivator, she was certain she hadn’t imagined it.
“Xin Yue, have you heard of the Sumeru Space?” Ding Huan asked excitedly.
He was certain he had obtained a Sumeru Space, something so fantastical it felt like a dream, yet it had truly happened.
Qi Xin Yue nodded repeatedly. “My master once told me about storage spaces, which are legendary items. The Sumeru Space is an even more advanced version. My Origin Clan is a divine race, and they possess Sumeru Spaces…” As she spoke, she seemed to realize something and stared in shock at the star-shaped stone in Ding Huan’s hand.
“Xin Yue, you’ve probably guessed it. I’m not sure if this is a storage space or a Sumeru Space, but Sumeru Space sounds better, so let’s call it that. Here, take a look.” As he spoke, Ding Huan placed the stone in Qi Xin Yue’s hand.
He trusted her, but he would never fully trust Old Six, even though Old Six had given him a soul mark.
He still harbored some wariness toward him.
“Ah…” Qi Xin Yue gasped softly, carefully examining the star-shaped stone before handing it back to Ding Huan.
“Big brother, you should put the items inside quickly,” Qi Xin Yue said, her voice trembling slightly.
She had never imagined she would see such a legendary treasure.
What moved her even more was Ding Huan’s trust in her.
He had even told her about obtaining the Sumeru Space.
Even if she died, she would never reveal that Ding Huan possessed such a treasure.
Ding Huan nodded and opened the jade bottle in his hand.
To his disappointment, there was no fragrant pill inside.
Instead, it contained some dried black solid.
It was clear that the pill had deteriorated over time.
Ding Huan quickly retrieved all the jade bottles from the shelf and scanned them with his divine sense.
As expected, each bottle contained nothing but blackened residue.
Qi Xin Yue, unaware of this, was still trying to open one of the bottles.
“It’s useless. They’ve all gone bad,” Ding Huan said.
He wasn’t too bothered, though.
Having a Sumeru Space was already more than enough for him.
While Qi Xin Yue continued to inspect the bottles, Ding Huan’s divine sense moved to the other shelf, where the bamboo and jade slips were stored.
He quickly realized that the bamboo slips had become brittle and would turn to dust at the slightest touch.
There were thirty-one bamboo slips and twenty-three jade slips on the shelf.
The jade slips were intact, and they contained a variety of information.
Ding Huan decided not to touch the bamboo slips for now.
He would wait until he returned to Luohe and transcribe their contents onto paper.
“Big brother, the pills inside have indeed turned into black lumps. Should I clean out these jade bottles?” Qi Xin Yue asked.
Ding Huan waved his hand. “No need to clean them. Leave the bottles as they are for now. We’ll deal with them later.”
Ding Huan thought that the pills inside these bottles were relics from the ancient era of immortals and gods.
If he could one day analyze the residue and determine their ingredients, he might be able to recreate the pill formulas.
“Big brother, you should put all the Zhan Shen Crystals into the space,” Qi Xin Yue suggested, pointing to a pile of Zhan Shen Crystals in the spacecraft.
Ding Huan shook his head. “Not yet. We’ll wait until we reach Luohe City.”
Ding Huan was worried that moving the crystals might disturb the bamboo slips, and damaging them would be a great loss.
“Big brother, this pot isn’t ordinary either, is it?” Qi Xin Yue was quick to notice.
She immediately thought of the pot Ding Huan had brought in.
The pot could cook the meat of the giant owl without any flavor, but when roasted, the meat was delicious.
“I’m not sure yet. We’ll see in the future,” Ding Huan replied.
He knew the pot had some kind of formation pattern inside, but it had taken him several days just to grind away a small stone, and he had even passed out from the strain.
It might take months to fully decipher the pot’s patterns.
“Xin Yue, we’re close friends now…” As Ding Huan spoke, Qi Xin Yue’s face turned slightly red, and she instinctively lowered her head.
“I might even be younger than you…” Before Ding Huan could finish, Qi Xin Yue quickly interjected, “Big brother, I’m actually only twenty-two years old.”
Ding Huan was slightly taken aback.
Qi Xin Yue looked very young, but he had assumed it was because of her cultivation.
He thought she was at least twenty-six or twenty-seven, given that she had left Zhan Shen Continent several years ago.
He hadn’t expected her to be only twenty-two.
Although she was a bit older than him, the difference wasn’t significant.
“When I was thirteen, I was caught for leaving Luo Shen Valley without permission. As a heretic of the divine race, I was tasked with finding a new habitat for our people. They took me away from Zhan Shen Continent…” Qi Xin Yue trailed off, her gaze fixed on Ding Huan as if she wanted to say more but hesitated.
Ding Huan smiled. “Xin Yue, I’ve already said it. We’ve been through life and death together. You’ve saved me, and I’ve saved you. There’s nothing you can’t tell me.”
“Life and death…” Qi Xin Yue repeated softly, her eyes lighting up. “Yes, big brother, we’ve been through life and death. I’m grateful they brought me to Earth and that I met you here. If they hadn’t found Earth, they would have continued wandering the universe with me. Maybe one day, I would have ended my own life.”
“Why?” Ding Huan didn’t understand.
Qi Xin Yue smiled bitterly. “Because I was young, they didn’t touch me. But in the vast universe, as I grew older, do you think they would have let me go?”
Ding Huan now understood.
Qi Xin Yue had come to Earth when she was only fourteen and had been imprisoned for seven years.
Fortunately, she had been held by the Federation, under the direct supervision of Chief Hu Jiatian.
When Hu Jiatian was transferred to the human corridor defense line, Qi Xin Yue was also taken there.
Otherwise, with her beauty, she wouldn’t have been able to protect herself.
Ding Huan suspected that Qi Xin Yue had disfigured herself, but he didn’t want to ask, fearing it would bring up painful memories.
“Since I can remember, apart from my mother, only you have treated me the best,” Qi Xin Yue said, her eyes slightly red.
She had experienced too much of the world’s cruelty.
“Don’t you have a master?” Ding Huan asked, puzzled.
Qi Xin Yue shook her head, not elaborating further.
Ding Huan knew there was a story there, but he quickly changed the subject. “Xin Yue, we’ll head back to Luohe next. I need to help Old Six see if he can develop a spiritual root. By the way, I have another name, Ding Xiao Tu. You don’t have to call me big brother anymore. Just call me Xiao Tu.”
“Ah, how can I do that? In my heart, you’re like my…” Qi Xin Yue paused, then quickly added, “Then I won’t call you big brother, but Xiao Tu sounds a bit…”
Ding Huan chuckled. “A name is just a label. When I was wandering, I also went by Ding Bu Yi. You can call me Bu Yi if you prefer.”
During his travels, Ding Huan had used many names.
He had even called himself Ding Xun Huan at one point, inspired by a character from a novel he liked.
He had hoped to master the art of throwing knives, but even after being hunted across the void, he had never found a good knife technique.
“Alright, I’ll call you Xiao Tu. It sounds more intimate,” Qi Xin Yue said softly.
“Good. Call Old Six up. We’re heading back to Luohe,” Ding Huan said, then headed to the cockpit to prepare the Blue Star for departure from the Kunlun Mountains.
They had been here for a month or two and had gained quite a lot.
“Master Ding, are we going back to Luohe City?” Old Six, hearing Qi Xin Yue’s call, rushed onto the Blue Star, chattering excitedly.
“Yes,” Ding Huan replied, already starting the Blue Star.
…
With the Blue Star’s speed, even with Ding Huan controlling it, they arrived at the outskirts of the Thousand Vein Mountains, the lair of the Great Desolate Golden Ape, in just twenty minutes.
The Great Desolate Golden Ape rushed out and, upon seeing Ding Huan and Old Six, immediately put on a friendly face.
“Ah Huang, I’m going with Master Ding to take care of some business. You stay here and watch the Blue Star, got it?” Old Six spoke in a tone that suggested he was about to rise to greatness.
Ding Huan couldn’t understand the ape’s language, but he could guess what was being said.
Without hesitation, he said, “Old Six, this time only Xin Yue and I are going to Luohe City. You stay here and guard the Blue Star. Just give me a drop of your blood essence to take back.”
Then, turning to the Great Desolate Golden Ape, Ding Huan added, “Ah Huang, keep an eye on the Blue Star for me. When I return, I won’t treat you poorly. At the very least, I’ll help you reach the ninth level as a beast.”
The Great Desolate Golden Ape was terrified of Ding Huan and quickly nodded in agreement.
However, it didn’t take Ding Huan’s promise of reaching the ninth level seriously.
With the resources available here, it was impossible for it to reach such a level.
“Big brother, I’ll go with you. Wouldn’t fresh blood be better?” Old Six quickly wrote on a piece of paper, then looked at Ding Huan with a flattering expression.
“Fine, come with me to gather some herbs first, then we’ll go to Luohe,” Ding Huan agreed.
He didn’t care whether the blood essence was fresh or not; he just didn’t want to deal with Old Six’s nagging.
The Blue Star was sturdy enough that even if the Great Desolate Golden Ape had ill intentions, it wouldn’t be able to break in.
No matter how strong the ape was, it couldn’t compare to the mutated giant owl.
(End of Chapter)