The light element flashes brightly, illuminating the place clearly.
The cave was about three meters wide, with a stone bed in the corner, taking up half of the space. In front of the stone bed was a stone box, half a meter wide and one meter long, with an ancient feel, filled with crystal blocks as big as pebbles, crystal clear and sparkling.
"I discovered this cave a long time ago. Every time Dad came, I wanted to tell him, but he came and left quickly. He just looked at me and left without a chance to tell me."
Wu Tian comforted him, "Your father must have something important to do and can't stay too long."
"Brother Wutan, how did you know? Daddy always says so, but I really want him to stay a few more days." Shishi raised her little face, pink and tender, with a hint of loss.
"Because everyone has something to do, don't you also have to take care of Xiaohua?" Wutan comforted her, rubbing the little girl's head. Then he walked to the stone box, picked up a crystal, looked at it carefully, and his brows gradually frowned.
The crystal block was angular, like a diamond, and its brilliance was charming. Suddenly, a stream of heat overflowed from the crystal block, poured into the palm of the hand, and gathered in the sea of qi.
"Essence." Wutan was surprised. The feeling this heat flow gave him was exactly the same as the essence refined by Xiaotian, even more pure and as vast as the ocean.
He put down his essence and stepped on the ground. It was very solid and very hard. Then, he walked towards the stone wall thoughtfully. It was very flat without a single crack. He reached out to touch it and a layer of lime fell off.
Wu Tian looked around, and there was enlightenment in his eyes.
This cave was very strange, as if a space had been carved out of a huge rock. He suspected that this might be a cave where the ancients practiced cultivation, because this was a kind of stone called iron rock, which was harder than black iron. If it was to be weathered into powder, it would take at least a thousand years.
"Shishi, were there anything else when you discovered this place?" Wutan asked.
Shishi held her chin up and thought for a while, then said, "It seems like there is a skeleton. I felt sorry for him, so I buried him outside."
"It seems so."
Wutan was very curious and looked at every corner carefully. The cave where the ancients practiced thousands of years ago would definitely not only have these essences, but might also have left behind some rare treasures.
Xiaotian was already very happy. He jumped onto the essence, looked left and right, spitting saliva everywhere. Finally, he lay on it, crossed his legs, with stars in his eyes. At the same time, he glanced at Xiaoyi vigilantly, obviously wanting to take it for himself.
It turns out that it is not only greedy for food, but also greedy for money!
Xiaoyi rolled her eyes and raised her snow-white head high with great disdain, which meant, you can take it, I don’t even care about these broken beads.
"Brother Wutan, what are you looking for?" Shishi looked at him turning around in surprise and asked puzzledly.
"Looking for treasure." Wutan didn't even turn his head. He knocked here and looked there, not missing a single inch of the place.
“Hehe!” Shishi laughed happily and said, “This is a cave of the dead, what good things can there be!”
"Uh! Not necessarily. These essences are good things, but you don't understand. I think there must be other items." Wutan didn't blush. He wanted to make money from the dead, so he walked to the stone bed, climbed down, and reached out to feel around under the bed.
"Hmm? I think I found it." Under the stone bed, he touched something hard and cold: "Shishi, I'll lend it to you."
Shishi ran over curiously, lay on the ground, and reached her hand under the bed. It was brightly lit inside and she could see everything clearly.
"Hey, there really is something!" Shishi was surprised and wanted to take it out, but found that her hands were not long enough.
"Little guy, come over and help." Wutan couldn't reach it, so he asked Xiaotian for help.
Hearing that there was a treasure, the little fellow came running over happily, took a look with his narrow eyes which suddenly lit up, and ran in excitedly. But when he came out, he looked uninterested, dropped the thing, and jumped back onto the stone box.
This is a very ordinary ring, pitch black and very old. There are signs of peeling on the surface. There is no other decoration, but there are three tiny words engraved on it, which are twisted and difficult to distinguish.
"This ring is so ugly." Shishi pouted. Loving beauty is a woman's nature, and the little girl is no exception.
After looking at the ring for a while, Wu Tian still couldn't figure out what it was. He felt a little disappointed. He thought it was a treasure, but it turned out to be just an ordinary thing. He was unwilling to give up and searched for a while, but found nothing, so he gave up.
Perhaps the owner of this cave was not very strong, so there were not many precious things. He put the ring in his arms and started to act.
Although there are no treasures, these essences are not bad either. They have existed for thousands of years, and the essence is still so vigorous, pure and rich. If all of them are refined and absorbed, they will definitely break through to a higher level.
"Quack..." The little guy refused and lay on it tightly, showing his teeth and claws, which meant, this is mine, you are not allowed to take it.
"Little thing, let go quickly. Don't fight with your brother for it." Shishi was so amused that she giggled and went forward to persuade him, but the little guy refused to listen. He was like a little miser, guarding his private property and would not agree no matter what.
"Get out of the way." Wutan's veins bulged, and his face was as dark as if covered with black ash, but he was met with even more fierce resistance, and the little guy refused to let go.
Xiaoyi hummed and glanced at it, as if mocking it. The little guy was unhappy and barked at it, meaning, "Little white dog, just wait for me, or I'll skin you and make it into underpants."
The man and the beast glared at each other. Finally, Wutan said that they should each take half. The little guy thought about it for a while before reluctantly compromising, but he was still worried and wanted to distribute it himself.
The little guy took out the coins one by one and divided them into two piles. Every time he threw them to Wu Tian's pile, he would pause, his skin twitching, and he was extremely reluctant and unwilling to part with them. Wu Tian and his companions watched from the side, very speechless.
Time passed day by day, and Wutan had stayed here for ten days.
During the ten days, he accompanied Shishi in traveling everywhere, leaving footprints on every inch of this pure land. He saw all kinds of flowers and plants, and all kinds of strange monsters. They were all very kind and never attacked.
Ever since Xiaotian got the essence, he no longer had any ideas about Xiaoyi, nor did he wander around with Wutan. He moved the essence to the lawn, lay there all day, and slept soundly.
Every time he passed by here, Wutan would look up at the sky in silence, feeling depressed.
If the little guy was grabbing these essences to increase his strength, he would not say anything, but would support it. But it was just used as a decoration, as a mattress, purely for fun, isn't this a waste of natural resources? He was very angry.
Prodigal son, this was the nickname he gave to the little guy.
"Brother Wutan, you are practicing again. I really don't know what's fun in practicing. It's better to live happily and easily." Shishi was wearing a white dress today, her big eyes blinking, like a little elf.
She had never been so happy as she had been these days. The emptiness in her heart seemed to be filled. She felt fulfilled and warm. She developed a dependence on this older brother whom she had only been with for a short time. This was the dependence on family.
Wutan opened his eyes, a gleam of light flashing in them. These days, every time the sun rose, he would come to the cliff to practice and absorb the essence of the essence. It was worthy of being an ancient artifact from thousands of years ago. The essence was so abundant that it was frightening. One pill was enough for him to refine for a day.
He obtained ninety essences from the cave, and has only refined ten of them so far. However, the essence in his sea of danger has become several times denser and as thick as paste, and he is not far from a breakthrough.
Restraining his momentum, Wu Tian stood up, scratched her nose, and said with a smile: "Practice is not a joke. Practice can make you stronger. You can protect your family from being bullied and protect Shishi from being taken away by monsters."
"Brother wants to protect Shishi, is that true?" The little girl looked up and asked in confusion.
"Well, of course it's true. Shishi is your brother's good sister, so naturally I have to protect you."
Shishi said happily, "Then brother must protect me for the rest of my life, and not let anyone bully me or make me cry. Let's make a pinky promise and never regret it."
“Okay, brother will protect Shishi all my life.” Wutan said lovingly, shaking hands with the little girl and making a promise.
"Hehe, brother, it's time for us to leave. I have never been out since I was a child. I really want to see the outside world." Shishi asked happily.
Leave? Ugh! Wu Tian was stunned. Did he fall for the trick of the little girl
"Shishi, I can't take you away. I still have a lot of things to do. If you follow me, it will only bring you danger. And if you leave, Dad won't be able to see you when he comes, and he will be worried to death."
Before he finished speaking, Shishi's smile disappeared, her eyes gradually became red and swollen, and tears burst out: "Brother, are you lying to Shishi with what you just said? You said you would protect Shishi for the rest of her life and not let her cry. Are you lying to me?"
The little girl burst into tears and cried so sadly, which made people feel distressed.
Wu Tian held her in his arms and whispered, "Shi Shi, I didn't lie to you. My enemies are very powerful. If you follow me, your life will be in danger. How about this? I'll come to accompany you when I finish my work."
"Things, things, they are all things. Daddy is the same, brother is the same, they all use such lies to deceive me, I hate you!" Shishi pushed him away, turned around and ran to the attic.
"clatter!"
A crystal teardrop fell into Wu Tian's hand, icy and cold, soaking into his soul. He really wanted to slap himself, for he made a promise even though he knew it couldn't be fulfilled.
"Grandpa, was the promise you made to me also such a lie?" Wutan murmured, his expression gloomy.
He chased after her, grabbed the little girl and said, "Shishi, I'm sorry, brother made you cry. Brother promises you that we will leave tomorrow."
Since he has already made the promise, he must keep it. He doesn't want Shishi to be as sad as he was in the past. This is a kind of obsession, and it also fulfills the regret in his heart.
"Really? Brother didn't lie to me this time?" Shishi blinked her big eyes, somewhat unconvinced.
"Yeah." Wu Tian nodded.
"Hehe, I knew that brother loves me the most." The little girl smiled and was excited. Her little face was full of longing. She could finally leave here and was looking forward to the outside world.
On this day, Shishi did a lot of things. She pulled weeds from the flowers, told the flowers to grow well, watered the pines and bamboos, fed the birds on them, and went to see all the monsters in this pure land and said goodbye to them.
At night, she sat by the pond all night, looking at the stars in the sky, and told her father that she was leaving.
She didn't get up until the sky turned white and the sun rose, and she returned to the attic. She didn't want her father to worry, so she left a letter.
She was reluctant to leave. This was her home where she had lived for twelve years and she couldn't give it up just yet. With a few final tears falling and a crisp sound, she left with Xiaoyi.
(End of this chapter)