Chapter 372 - 370: Beast Pet

Chapter 372: Chapter 370: Beast Pet

Gu Nuan Nuan could still sense Cao Cao’s emotions and realized it was genuinely upset. She couldn’t help but shake her head, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. ’Cao Cao has been getting more and more sensitive lately.’ With a thought, her consciousness entered its Companion Space, where she inevitably had to patiently console it.

Fortunately, most of Cao Cao’s so-called "anger" and "sadness" weren’t too serious. Before Gu Nuan Nuan even had a chance to say anything, its eyes were already sparkling. The moment she spoke, it immediately went from tears to laughter.

After placating Cao Cao, Gu Nuan Nuan found herself with nothing to do and began to rummage through her storage ring again.

"Treasure hunting"—this was what she had been doing most often for the past two years. And she had indeed unearthed quite a few useful items. Besides several Magic Treasures she could use herself, there were even some low-level defensive Magic Treasures that ordinary people could use. They didn’t need to be activated with Spiritual Energy; they would automatically trigger when a certain level of attack was detected.

"Huh? Cao Cao, look at this." After reading a Jade Scroll she had accidentally found in some forgotten corner, Gu Nuan Nuan was startled. Her consciousness immediately entered Cao Cao’s Companion Space and she handed the scroll to it, her expression a little strange. "The information in this Jade Scroll probably explains why your owner-before-last suddenly appeared on Blue Water Star, a completely Mortal World planet."

"A Heritage Mansion?" After taking the Jade Scroll and reading it, Cao Cao was also surprised. "So that’s why. No wonder he insisted on coming here. Who would have thought that on such an ordinary mortal planet, a Great Power would return just because it was their home and build a Heritage Mansion?"

"Exactly. And this Jade Scroll was hidden quite deeply. Not only was it casually tossed into a corner with low-level Magic Treasures, but it was also mixed in with a pile of other Jade Scrolls containing unimportant information, ones not even worthy of a bookshelf. If it weren’t for someone like me, who specifically keeps an eye on low-level Magic Treasures, it probably would have never been found. That person’s cunning..."

Gu Nuan Nuan was truly and utterly impressed. She looked at Cao Cao with an amused expression, feeling relieved for it. "It’s a good thing he perished. And his knowledge was clearly lacking, so he didn’t know your true abilities. Otherwise, you would have eventually fallen for his schemes. He would have coaxed the heart and soul out of you and tricked you into signing a Soul Contract, no doubt about it."

"That was a really close call." Cao Cao nodded repeatedly, patting its little chest in relief.

"Do you think this Heritage Mansion is basically ours for the taking now?" Gu Nuan Nuan first asked Cao Cao, unable to contain her excitement. But before it could answer, she deflated and sighed, "Never mind, better not to think about it. With my current cultivation, I probably wouldn’t have the guts to step inside even if the Heritage Mansion appeared right in front of me. If I went in, I’d be less than cannon fodder."

Having read too many novels in her past life, Gu Nuan Nuan subconsciously viewed the Heritage Mansion mentioned in the Jade Scroll as a deathtrap.

"Master, I’m relieved that you’re so self-aware." Cao Cao looked relieved, then a smile appeared on its face. "But it’s inevitable that this place will be ours for the taking. Just because we can’t go collect the treasures now doesn’t mean we can’t after a few lifetimes when we’re stronger."

"Heh, then we’ll just have to wait." ’A few lifetimes?’

Amused, Gu Nuan Nuan left the Jade Scroll in Cao Cao’s space and departed.

Summer turned to autumn, and winter gave way to spring again. In the blink of an eye, another three years passed quietly.

The Sound Transmission Paper Crane in her hand finished delivering its message, then automatically burst into flames, turning into a small pile of ash. A gentle puff of air scattered it without a trace.

Gu Nuan Nuan clapped her hands and said to Cao Cao, "Pack your things. We’re going back to the city. I got a message from my grandpa and grandma; Cousin Laidi is getting married next month. After her wedding, I think it’s time we went out to travel a bit. I finally managed to graduate, so I don’t have to go back to school for exams anymore. These years of freedom won’t last long, and if we don’t take this chance to see how big the world is, we’ll have even fewer opportunities later."

Spending year after year, day after day, in these deep mountains and old forests, doing nothing but Cultivation or learning Alchemy and Artifact Refining... Although her days were packed and fulfilling, she was always trapped in this one small corner of the world. Including her past life, she had pretty much been a homebody, stuck in one place. All told, it added up to several decades. Just thinking about it made her feel wronged on her own behalf.

She was truly tired of this kind of life. She desperately wanted to go out, take a walk, and breathe some different air.

"That’s great! I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time."

Hearing they could finally go out, Cao Cao also became impatient. To be honest, it had also had enough of this place. Although there was slightly more Spiritual Energy to absorb here, the daily amount was still limited, and for Cao Cao, it was far from enough. So, for the past few years, it had prioritized letting Gu Nuan Nuan absorb and use most of the Spiritual Energy. Now, after several years of consolidation, Gu Nuan Nuan’s cultivation had reached the Mid-stage Foundation Establishment. The Spiritual Energy here was no longer of much help to her progress.

"Oh, right. I almost forgot we need to tell the Bee King. Cao Cao, go say goodbye to it, and while you’re at it, let it know that our trades will probably be further apart from now on. We don’t want it to think we’re not coming back." Halfway through packing, Gu Nuan Nuan suddenly remembered the Bee King they had been trading with regularly all these years and looked up to instruct Cao Cao.

"Yeah, I almost forgot about it too. Okay, I’ll go right now." Cao Cao smacked its head. It thought of their neighbor, the Bee King, which had grown bigger and bigger—now the size of a pomelo—from eating too much Hundred Herbs Rejuvenating Ointment. With extraordinary combat power, it had become the undisputed hegemon of the area, and its swarm had also grown much larger. Cao Cao couldn’t help but smile at the thought before zipping away and disappearing.

Gu Nuan Nuan continued packing, tossing all their daily necessities into the storage ring, then harvested all the medicinal herbs that were ready. When she was done, she sat on the stone bench in front of the small wooden cabin to wait. A short while later, Cao Cao returned. To Gu Nuan Nuan’s surprise, it was followed by an abnormally large bee.

The corner of Gu Nuan Nuan’s eye twitched as she watched the Bee King. It was as fat as a ball, yet its movements in flight were surprisingly nimble. She had never seen this Bee King before, only heard Cao Cao’s descriptions. As expected, hearing about it and seeing it for herself were two completely different levels of visual shock.

"Why did you bring it here?" Gu Nuan Nuan turned her head and asked Cao Cao in confusion as the two of them landed on the stone table in front of her.

"Master, it insisted on coming. It said it wants to be your Beast Pet, too." Cao Cao nudged the Bee King, which immediately nodded its head repeatedly at Gu Nuan Nuan. She could easily read the caution and eagerness to please in its little eyes.