This Storage Bag, I Recognize

When Su Qing found the corpses, she could tell from their attire that these five weren’t righteous cultivators in life—likely minor players among evil cultivators, not particularly powerful.

So, she hadn’t held high hopes for their storage bags. Xu Wenqing’s comment about the ancient battlefield secret realm lacking spiritual energy, rendering treasures useless over time, further tempered her expectations.

Her mindset shifted to simply completing the task.

But rummaging through the five storage bags, she was stunned.

They contained over 50,000 low-grade spirit stones, 10,000 mid-grade, 5,000 high-grade, and around 500 top-grade spirit stones, plus over 200 items—pills, spirit plants, artifacts, and cultivation techniques.

It was like stumbling into a treasure vault. Aside from the pile Tianning once discarded, Su Qing had never seen so many spirit stones.

Evil cultivators were loaded.

Unfortunately, after 300 years, the 50,000 low-grade, 10,000 mid-grade, and 5,000 high-grade spirit stones had lost all spiritual energy, turning to worthless rubble.

Only 13 of the 500 top-grade spirit stones retained a faint trace of energy, downgraded to low-grade.

For Su Qing, those 13 stones meant 1,300 spirit seeds—equivalent to Sword Sect’s monthly work-study stipend.

A windfall, no doubt.

The hundreds of pill bottles had also lost their spiritual energy, becoming mundane. She didn’t dare consume them. Over 1,000 spirit plants were mostly ruined, carelessly stored in the bags, but about 50 were preserved in jade boxes. Opening them, 20 had crumbled to gray ash with their boxes, disintegrating at a touch.

Yet 30 spirit plants survived. Though diminished after 300 years, now roughly first-tier, they were still a gain. Noticing their color fade upon exposure, losing spiritual energy rapidly, Su Qing sealed the boxes to preserve them.

The artifacts and spirit weapons were a pleasant surprise. These evil cultivators, likely bandits, had amassed a variety of treasures, clearly looted. Most had lost their spiritual energy, but a few high-quality ones were intact. Su Qing figured she could salvage some spiritually active parts for Jiang Weed’s crafting.

Among them, she found a storage bracelet, once a second- or third-tier artifact, now faded and limited in space—barely enough for one person, unsuitable for living things due to its lack of oxygen or spiritual energy.

After claiming it with her divine sense, she stored Manqing Sword inside. It fit perfectly, but the bracelet became heavy, unable to negate the sword’s weight.

The damaged bracelet could only manage volume, not weight. Su Qing saw this as a happy accident—she needed to get used to Manqing Sword’s heft, and this reduced its bulk while keeping the weight, suiting her perfectly.

After half an hour, her wrist ached, half her body stiffened, and she sweated profusely. Unfazed, she switched the bracelet to her other wrist and continued sorting her haul.

The storage bags held cultivation techniques, mostly sinister ones like *Marrow Absorption Method*, *Grudge Spirit Technique*, or *Eighteen Layers of Hellscape*. Their contents were horrifying, steeped in blood and tears. Su Qing tossed them aside and burned them with a fire spell.

A few heart techniques caught her eye, but she stuck to her Clear Heart Technique, wary of practicing unknown methods. A breath-concealing technique piqued her interest, but she already had Orange King’s *Breath Suppression Art*, so she passed.

A work-study task yielding such rewards was unexpected. Patting her now-bulging purse, Su Qing felt unprecedented satisfaction. Her financial strain eased—she no longer faced the prospect of eating one meal without knowing where the next would come from.

She’d wanted to test how Manqing Sword “ate.” With so many spirit weapons, it was like a pillow arriving just as she dozed off.

Sorting them, she kept the good ones for Jiang Weed and discarded the poor ones. She picked a mediocre curved blade, roughly low-grade first-tier, to test.

Summoning Manqing Sword, she gripped the hilt and swung, splitting the blade with a dull boom into fragments.

Taking a spiritually potent shard, she held it to the sword, puzzled. “How do you eat?”

*How’s it supposed to eat?*

She tried, “Eat it.”

Ten minutes passed. Nothing.

After infusing the sword with spiritual energy and waiting, still nothing. The shard remained unchanged.

“Maybe that’s not how it eats,” she muttered. “I’ll have to ask Weed how it works.”

Setting Manqing Sword aside, she organized the artifacts. Something felt off. Turning, she saw her greatsword melting into a silver metallic cascade, flowing from the table to the floor.

It engulfed a pile of higher-quality damaged weapons, swirling silently, coating them in a seamless silver layer.

Su Qing realized—it was eating.

It wasn’t refusing; the curved blade was just too low-quality. It was picky.

Since the weapons were consumed, she couldn’t give them to Jiang Weed. She let Manqing Sword feast.

It took three days and nights.

When Manqing Sword reformed, sated, the weapons were reduced to black-gray slag. Examining it, Su Qing found no change in size or weight. Where had it all gone?

To absorb dawn’s purple qi, she’d shifted sword practice to morning. From first light, she was at the sword tomb’s platform under the plum tree, swinging until the sun blazed and she was drenched in sweat.

Her familiar Carefree Sword Technique, wielded with the heavy sword, gained a domineering edge. But she wasn’t satisfied. During her tribulation, she’d fought Wang Dong, a second-year Formation Sect student, and lost badly. Her low cultivation was part of it, but her rigid, textbook swordplay lacked adaptability. She needed real combat experience.

Sadly, she had nowhere to gain it.

…

After three secret realm trips, someone in the work-study group broke through to Qi Refining Layer 4.

Chen Minjing, an unremarkable female cultivator, was originally Chen Daya, from a poor rural family with many siblings.

As the eldest, she bore heavy responsibilities, her hands rough from feeding cattle and cutting grass.

Her name, Chen Minjing, was given by a fellow villager during sect recruitment. Her background was tough in the mortal world, worse in Sword Sect.

Yet, in under half a year, she reached Qi Refining Layer 4.

It wasn’t an impressive cultivation—geniuses like Daozi and Tianning, nurtured with resources from birth, hit Foundation Establishment. But for a rural girl with less than six months of cultivation, it was astonishing. Some newcomers hadn’t even drawn qi into their bodies.

Su Qing’s Qi Refining Layer 2 was thanks to Body Sect seniors pulling her through a tribulation, nourished by astral winds and lightning. Otherwise, she’d still be at Layer 1. Xu Wenqing, also Layer 2, was why she was cautious but not afraid—he might not beat her in a fight.

Chen Minjing’s speed was remarkable, a boon for work-study students reliant on themselves. A peer advancing faster could inspire others.

But suspiciously, her talent was average, her spiritual roots below par. Such a leap suggested an extraordinary encounter. @Infinite Good Reads, Only at Jinjiang Literature City

With Sword Sect crowded, encounters were rare. Many whispered she’d pocketed a storage bag from the battlefield, bypassing inspection.

Everyone said so, stirring restless hearts.

“Should we…?”

“I’m scared—take it, but can’t spend it.”

“You’re cultivating to defy fate! She’s fine and hit mid-Qi Refining in no time.”

Su Qing overheard. No saint, she felt a flicker of temptation, but it stopped there.

She knew her limits. And she knew Chen Minjing—they’d cleared herb fields together. It was grueling work, but Chen Minjing was meticulous and diligent, not one for reckless moves.

Despite rumors, Su Qing trusted her own eyes. @Infinite Good Reads, Only at Jinjiang Literature City

Xu Wenqing, hearing this, remained composed. A smart man, he showed no obvious reaction, always calm and courteous.

Before re-entering the secret realm, Steward Li sternly warned against deceit. His words seemed to confirm Chen Minjing’s gain, fueling more unrest.

Su Qing was glad Xu Wenqing was smart—smart people know what to do.

“Su Qing,” he called, stopping her.

Wary, she thought, *What’s he up to?* “What?”

Xu Wenqing, amused, pointed at himself. “There’s a leaf on you.”

Touching her hair, she found a dried leaf.

Had she misjudged him? Lowering her eyes, she thanked him softly.

He smiled, unconcerned. “We’ve worked together a few times, from the same sect. If you don’t mind, I’d like to be friends.”

Friends come in many forms, including superficial ones.

Su Qing mirrored his smile. “Sure.”

They resumed clearing their assigned area.

Their fourth time in the secret realm, Su Qing had mapped its terrain.

Their landing spot was odd—sand dunes underfoot, transitioning to soil with sparse grass, then dense forest along a cliff. A nearly dry waterfall hung at the cliff’s edge, its bare rock wall reddish, contrasting the pale sand below.

Natural landscapes compressed into one area, like an ecosystem bottle but vaster, with nature’s raw craftsmanship.

They’d cleared the dunes and forest, now nearing the cliff.

Once fed by a waterfall, it was mostly dry, with only small streams remaining. The cliff’s base was clearly visible.

Black-red crystals studded the uneven rock, glinting subtly in the soft light.

Xu Wenqing’s eyes lit up. “Good stuff—second-tier black iron blood crystals, perfect for crafting.”

Su Qing, well-versed in sword-nurturing, knew these were rare materials. Her storage bracelet warmed; Manqing Sword stirred, hungry.

Grown naturally, these crystals weren’t evil cultivators’ property—taking some wouldn’t break rules.

She was tempted. Alone, she might’ve acted, but Xu Wenqing was there.

She didn’t know why, but she just didn’t like him. Maybe her limited interaction with men in her past life, or the female-dominated company here. But no—she got along fine with Tang Jiu, Liu Xiaofeng, and especially Jiang Weed.

Pondering, she said, “I’m afraid of heights. I’ll go around the dune to the cliff’s base.”

Xu Wenqing raised an eyebrow, hurt. “A sword cultivator afraid of heights? Or do you not trust me?”

Su Qing laughed. “You thinking that hurts *me*. I’m really afraid of heights.”

She took the long route—cliff to forest to dune to cliff base. Safe, uneventful. At the base, she found eight fresh evil cultivator corpses and 14 storage bags.

A good haul. She marked the remains and bags with flags.

One storage bag stood out. Faded and tattered, it seemed unremarkable, but under sunlight, its frayed fabric glinted with gold and silver threads—woven from golden and silver celestial silk.

What treasure warranted such a bag?

Squatting closer, Su Qing feigned curiosity, silently chanting the Breath Suppression Art. Her peripheral vision caught Xu Wenqing’s tense expression. He glanced at her briefly, then looked away, feigning contemplation. @Infinite Good Reads, Only at Jinjiang Literature City

Her gut screamed something was wrong.

She wasn’t some sixth-sense savant who could sense fortune or calamity.

But she had common sense, keen observation, and didn’t assume others were dumber than her.

Xu Wenqing, with his sharp, handsome face, was clever. He’d know the risks. In the realm with just them, if she triggered danger, he’d be the first to suffer.

Why pretend not to see?

Perhaps she stared too long. Xu Wenqing asked, “Something wrong?”

Rising subtly, she flashed a guarded smile. “Nothing. Time’s almost up.”

They said no more. Soon, her vision blurred, and she was back at Sword Sect.

Handing over her flags to Steward Li, he asked, “How’s it going? Almost done?”

Xu Wenqing frowned. “About 80% cleared. We haven’t checked the cliff wall. Steward Li, there are black iron blood crystals—can we harvest them?”

Li asked questions, confirming they were natural, not evil cultivator traps, and nodded. “If you harvest them, split them 50-50 with the sect.”

Su Qing and Xu Wenqing parted politely. Once he was gone, she circled back to Li, saying, “Next time in the realm, I want a new partner. I suspect Xu Wenqing means to harm me.”

A serious accusation, Li’s face hardened. “Evidence?”

Su Qing described the storage bag. “It’s not old—it’s Lingbao Pavilion’s latest season item. Their products don’t have tags but show unique patterns in light.”

Li frowned. “Lingbao Pavilion’s goods aren’t priceless, but they’re costly. How do you know these details?”

Because her dorm housed a Lingbao Pavilion VIP.

With only her and Xu Wenqing in the realm, if she didn’t place the bag, he did. Whatever his motive, it wasn’t good.

Oddly, if Xu Wenqing meant harm, a cautious man like him would’ve researched her. Didn’t he know her roommates’ backgrounds gave her access to Lingbao Pavilion goods?

Thanks to the cafeteria auntie and uncle’s praise, Li trusted Su Qing. After a moment, he said, “I’ll investigate the bag. If it’s harmful, I’ll report it to the sect for punishment and ensure justice.”

Perfect. Su Qing thanked him. “Thank you, Steward Li!”