GBP Chapter 58 The Rat Spirit's Hoarding
Chapter 58 The Rat Spirit's Hoarding
Everyone must be curious about the whereabouts of Lin Yue's spirits. The eagle spirit that returned from its last outing has been staying in Lin Yue's space. It's just that it was too easy for people to remember it because it made a big splash last time, so it's temporarily hiding here and only comes out to move around occasionally.
What was the rat spirit doing? Ever since it learned that there were many colorful spirit stones in the rabbit hole, the rat spirit, in order to fill its enlarged space, tricked the eagle spirit into taking it there, and gave the eagle spirit five spirit stones as travel expenses. The little rat had been busy hoarding goods in the park of that mountain range, you ask? Hoarding what? It was digging out spirit stones one by one from the earth's veins and putting them into its own space.
Recently, the little mouse spirit made a new friend, a pangolin spirit. It's a family of three, and the little girl is the one it knows best. The pangolin spirit and the mouse spirit formed a partnership. The mouse spirit went home and stole some spirit fruits from Lin Yue's spatial storage, like strawberries, cherries, apples, and pears, secretly putting them into its own space. It then took them to the little pangolin to coax it into digging for it. Under the mouse spirit's persuasion, the little pangolin indeed unearthed many spirit stones. To express its gratitude, the mouse spirit gave the little pangolin a lot of spirit fruits.
The baby pangolin, lacking its own storage space, ran back to its burrow and called its parents. The two adult pangolins, seeing so many spiritual fruits, drooled. The baby pangolin said they were a gift from the rat spirit because it had worked for it. The adult pangolins were much smarter than the baby; they worked extremely quickly, soon digging a burrow as tall as a person for easy passage. Digging this burrow meant there were spiritual stones, all of which the little rat spirit took, filling its storage space to the brim. It then prepared to return to Lin Yue to claim its reward.
The remnant soul of Xueyang remained unconscious. His injuries from being struck by lightning were too severe, and he now sat cross-legged above the spiritual spring in Lin Yue's space. Beside him was the little willow tree spirit, also there. Sometimes, when Lin Yue had time, she would enter the space, sit beneath him, and watch her two old friends—one recovering from their injuries, the other also recovering from being struck by lightning. It was rather shameful; both of her best friends were injured.
You're probably wondering where that chubby ginseng spirit went. Well, that chubby ginseng spirit was originally at Lin Yue's villa, but after being frightened by the old couple last time, it followed Lin Yue back to their current home. There's a vegetable garden on the roof of their new home, and the little one said, "I'll find a corner in your garden to squat down." Lin Yue said, "That's fine, squat down then."
Lin Yue set up a spirit-gathering array on the roof of her newly purchased and renovated house, planting spirit vegetables, flowers, and fruits within it. She built a high wall around it, making it look like a sunroom from the outside. Inside, there was a fireplace-like device, in a Chinese style, where she could cook and warm herself. The temperature of the sunroom roof could be automatically adjusted to maintain a comfortable level, regardless of the weather, so she could have fresh vegetables even in winter. Although she also had some in her spatial storage, she needed a legitimate excuse to take them from outside.
The little ginseng spirit found a spot to squat. Looking at it, Lin Yue suddenly thought of the little willow tree spirit. The little willow tree spirit was still not healed; it had been in her space for almost a year. Meanwhile, the remnant soul Xueyang had also been in Lin Yue's space for half a year, and Lin Yue missed it. Without Xueyang's supervision, Lin Yue felt like something was missing in her cultivation.
Grandpa Huoyun Xianding suddenly said to Lin Yue, "Do you feel empty inside?" Lin Yue replied, "Yes, Grandpa." Grandpa Huoyun Xianding said, "Actually, cultivators cultivate their hearts. The heart is the most important thing. Within this small space, if you cultivate your heart well, everything else will be fine." Lin Yue stood on the rooftop, looking at a vegetable garden. Some watermelons were planted in a corner of the garden, creating a scene of vibrant life, yet Lin Yue still felt empty inside. She didn't know what she was thinking; she just felt like something was missing.
A gentle breeze blew by, and Lin Yue sighed softly, turning away from the rooftop. Her figure appeared somewhat lonely and lost.
In truth, Lin Yue herself didn't understand why she was in this state. While Lin Yue was confused, the late Emperor Huoyun knew perfectly well, because the remnant soul of Xueyang was actually Lin Yue herself; Lin Yue was the reincarnation of this remnant soul. During this cultivation journey, the remnant soul of Xueyang was struck by lightning and severely injured, leaving Lin Yue's heart feeling like it was missing a piece. It was precisely because her main soul was gone that she felt this emptiness. But even the late Emperor Huoyun was powerless to help.
Recently, the late Emperor Huoyun bestowed upon Lin Yue many ancient texts, urging her to study and cultivate diligently. He also informed her that her cultivation would advance once the remnant soul Xueyang awakened. Lin Yue has cultivated for three years, yet she still hasn't reached the Foundation Establishment stage. The late Emperor Huoyun told her it was because her mental state wasn't ready. Meanwhile, Gong Yong's cultivation has gradually caught up with Lin Yue's, and even the three children's cultivation is almost on par with hers.
Lin Yue hadn't made any progress simply because her mindset was stuck; she hadn't reached the right level. Gong Yong and the three children, on the other hand, didn't have these mental obstacles. Lin Yue fell into deep thought about this, trying to find a way to break through her mental barrier, but she couldn't find the right approach. As the days passed, Lin Yue's anxiety grew, while those around her continued to progress, making her feel immense pressure.
Harvest season has arrived again, and before we know it, the children will be on summer vacation. The old Taoist priest and Ouyang Hanrui approached Old Xiao again, asking if they could produce more spiritual rice and noodles this year. Old Xiao stared wide-eyed, his face filled with disbelief, and said, "Before, it was only a little over a thousand catties, the second time it was over two thousand catties, and this time you actually want more? What are you thinking?"
As for how the exchange would take place, Old Xiao said, "I'll pass it on to my friend." In fact, Ouyang Hanrui already knew from internal government sources that Lin Yue was the one who sold them the spiritual rice and noodles, but he hadn't revealed it. Old Xiao probably knew as well; since the secret hadn't been revealed, Lin Yue needed this income, and everyone else needed the spiritual rice and noodles. Including the central government leaders, some cultivators, and CEOs, everyone was playing dumb.
The pretense of feigning ignorance was to get Lin Yue to hand over more spiritual rice and flour. This time, Lin Yue readily agreed and provided even more. They drove to the street outside Ouyang's villa, where the little rat spirit delivered the goods twice, then took the money with her. This time, Lin Yue took five million in cash, along with some gold bars.
After receiving the goods, Ouyang quickly called the old Taoist priest and his master. Ouyang also quickly found another place to hide some spirit rice and spirit flour. He knew the benefits of these things and wanted to share some with his cousin, keeping more for himself, because he was pursuing his girlfriend and wanted to share with her as well.
The old Taoist priest and his master arrived quickly as usual. After hiding their belongings, they announced the arrival of the spiritual rice and noodles in the WeChat group, just like before. However, fighting was not allowed this time, because the previous dispute had destroyed Ouyang's villa. Now that the villa had been renovated, destroying it again would likely anger Ouyang. Therefore, the elders only sent their top disciples to collect the goods, but payment was still required. Everyone was quite agreeable, knowing that these items were hard to come by; less was less, but at least there was still some left.
When the rat spirit came to deliver the goods, its space was full of spirit stones. Lin Yue had the rat spirit put all the spirit stones into her space, emptying it to make room for spirit rice and spirit noodles. After delivering the spirit rice and spirit noodles, the rat spirit said smugly, "Lin Yue, I brought you so many spirit stones, shouldn't you give me a reward?" Lin Yue said, "A reward? You stole so many spirit fruits from my space, who did you give them to?" The rat spirit said embarrassedly, "Oh dear, these spirit stones are underground, and it's too slow for me to dig them up one by one with my claws. I met a little pangolin spirit and its parents, and I asked them to help me deliver some spirit fruits, so I ended up with more spirit stones."
The little rat spirit was embarrassed. Lin Yue said, "Next time you need something, just tell me openly, and then go get it. Don't sneak around. Otherwise, if I've put so many away and suddenly want to give them away but don't have any, I'll go crazy." The little rat spirit quickly said, "Okay, okay, I know next time. I'll tell you in advance. Now, I want to go find the pangolin spirit again. Can I take some spirit fruits with me?" Lin Yue waved her hand, "Go ahead, see how many you can take."
This time, the little mouse spirit was cleverer. Since pangolins belong to the earth element, all the spiritual fruits it obtained this time were earth-elemental. The mouse spirit then had the eagle spirit take it there, and the eagle spirit received another 5 spirit stones as a reward. When the mouse spirit arrived at the cave, it discovered that the pangolin spirit had already dug a hole next to the spiritual vein and made its home there, moving all the things from its previous cave over.
"This place is really comfortable," the two pangolin spirits said. "We have good food, work to do, and we can even cultivate. The spiritual energy here is also abundant. Why not?" The arrival of the rat spirit brought work and benefits to the family of three. Not only did their cultivation progress rapidly, but they also ate a lot of fruit. The two old pangolins sighed, not daring to eat any more, because if they ate any more, they would also face the problem of tribulation. So they left it all to the little pangolin spirit.
The little mouse spirit said, "Eat these things quickly after you take them out, or they'll spoil." The pangolin mother said, "Could we put some in your space? We can take them out later." The little mouse spirit asked, "Why?" The pangolin mother said, "If we eat them now, we might have to undergo tribulation. We don't want to undergo tribulation; if we do, humans will discover us and we might be targeted. We want to save them for the little pangolin." The little mouse spirit thought for a moment and said, "Okay, then I'll take out three or four boxes every day. What do you think?" The pangolin mother said, "Okay, that's fine." Then the pangolin family started helping dig for spirit stones again, and the little mouse spirit continued its smuggling work, constantly stockpiling goods.
Lin Yue didn't know why the rat spirit was so fond of those colorful spirit stones. Because Lin Yue's space was rich in spiritual energy, these spirits didn't need to covet spirit stones to cultivate. The little rat spirit had been spending most of its time outdoors lately; it didn't like staying in the space and preferred the outside world. As for the two snow wolves, they had been helping to guard the spiritual flowers and herbs in Lin Yue's villa. The spiritual energy there was abundant, and the two wolves ate and slept all day, making rapid progress in their cultivation, so they were happy to guard the villa.
Lin Yue's life returned to normal, but this tranquility left her feeling lost, so she resumed her diligent cultivation. Gong Yong was quite busy, frequently visiting his parents and navigating social situations. Somehow, news leaked out, and Gong Yong faced pressure from his superiors at work to produce some spiritual flowers and herbs, which he refused. However, he did give a five-pound bag of spiritual rice and flour to his superiors, who were delighted. Gong Yong didn't ask for a promotion at work; instead, he chose to remain in his current position and keep a low profile. He felt that "playing it safe" was the best approach at the moment.
However, no one can predict how long this seemingly peaceful situation will last. Future storms may be brewing, waiting for them to face them.
Lin Yue's chubby little ginseng spirit is quite a handful; it often pulls its legs out of the ground and jumps around Lin Yue's house. Lin Yue's family doesn't like outsiders visiting; the five of them have lived in the neighborhood for ten years and know some of the neighbors well. After they moved, the neighbors only knew they bought a house behind the building, but Lin Yue and Gong Yong both said it was rented; only the real estate agent knew the details.
However, the peace was shattered. Gong Qiang suddenly called, his voice urgent: "Brother, my son is missing." Upon hearing this, Gong Yong immediately realized the gravity of the situation. Gong Yong said, "Gong Qiang, calm down, don't worry. I'll call them in a bit and send people to track him down right away."
When Gong Qiang reported the incident to the police, the 48-hour waiting period had not been met, so the police did not open a case or assist in the search. Gong Yong immediately called Lin Yue, saying that something had happened to Gong Qiang—his son was missing. Lin Yue knew the situation was serious, suspecting that someone was trying to use Gong Qiang's son to coerce the family. Lin Yue quickly contacted the relevant departments, demanding an immediate search. As a result of Lin Yue's call, the police station that had previously refused to open a case suddenly did so and immediately began the search.
They discovered that Gong Qiang's son was at school. Before he even left the school gate, a teacher said a relative was looking for him, so the teacher brought him out. After signing in at the gatehouse, the child came out, thinking he was seeing his father, but Gong Qiang said he hadn't gone. Through comparison and analysis, they discovered that the person standing at the school gate to pick up Gong Qiang's son was wearing a human skin mask, using Gong Qiang's face.
This was no ordinary incident. Surveillance footage showed the child walking a short distance before getting into a car, which then drove away. After tracking, the vehicle was finally located. To avoid alerting the suspects, a small armed police squad of only six officers was dispatched to apprehend the group. The group appeared to consist of four people, but there were actually eight, and they were highly skilled, resembling a foreign mercenary force. They were armed, but the origin of their weapons remains unknown.
A tense rescue operation is about to begin, and Gong Yong and Lin Yue are anxiously awaiting news of their child's safe return.
[Dear family, I apologize for having a cold recently and not writing as much as before. Please bear with me. Thank you for your continued support and encouragement; writing is hard work!]