Chapter 133: Visiting Great-Uncle (1)

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The piles of dull gray stones before them had revealed their true forms when the bones dissipated. Each one now emitted a faint white glow, looking remarkably like a low-grade energy stone.

“Quick! Quick! Put these stones into the space so I can examine them carefully!” Xiaobao shouted excitedly from within the space. He could sense something resembling low-grade energy stones in them, yet they were somehow different.

Wang Keyue struggled to suppress her excitement and sent several of the stones into the space.

“These stones seem unusual. They probably aren’t ordinary rocks,” Wang Keyue explained to Xiao Hongyu.

Xiao Hongyu nodded. “If they’re useful, collect them all. Later, we’ll take a look at the other stone door. There might be something good there as well.”

He could clearly see the light shining in the young woman’s eyes whenever she looked at the stones.

Hearing this, Wang Keyue no longer hesitated. Whatever they were—stones or energy crystals—she would collect them first and study them properly after they returned.

Thanks to a fragment of memory inherited from that convenient master of theirs, the two soon managed to avoid the traps and dangerous areas. They entered another stone chamber through a different cavern. After opening the stone door, they found a large bronze cauldron inside. It looked extremely ancient. Along the surrounding stone walls were rows of niches, each measuring twenty centimeters square. There were twenty niches in all, arranged in perfect order.

Most of them contained various bottles and jars, but two niches were distinctly different.

One held a knife handle without a blade. The other contained a leather whip made of some unknown material. Its surface was uneven, and it even bore several somewhat blunt cutting edges.

Xiao Hongyu placed the knife handle in his storage compartment, while Wang Keyue stored the long whip in her space. Wherever the two passed, they left nothing behind, like locusts sweeping across the land. By the time they finally crawled out of the cavern, the sun was already setting.

After returning to the spacious airship, they changed clothes and immediately began sorting through their gains in the cabin. Most important of all was that pile of stones. Were they energy stones or not?

Turning one of the stones over in her hand, Wang Keyue could not help marveling again. “Xiaobao, these stones really do look very much like low-grade energy stones!”

“Little Yueyue, these aren’t energy stones. They’re even more precious than energy stones. They’re high-grade spirit stones, priceless treasures in the cultivation world! Little Yueyue, your luck is incredible!” Xiaobao’s voice rang out.

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“Spirit stones?” Wang Keyue felt as though she had suddenly stepped into a fantasy world.

“That’s right. Spirit stones can not only be used in our various machines just like energy stones; more importantly, the human body can absorb them directly. They can even be used to raise your skill level,” Xiaobao explained.

Wang Keyue toyed with the spirit stone in her hand, growing more excited with every word. Following Xiaobao’s instructions, she soon managed to draw a stream of pure energy from the stone.

The energy was gentle as it flowed through her limbs and organs, gradually repairing her body, which had been somewhat exhausted.

Wang Keyue shared this discovery with Xiao Hongyu. The two immediately began studying the spirit stones in their hands as though they had acquired a pair of fascinating new toys. They became so absorbed in their research that they lost track of time. By the time they noticed, the airship had already flown to the seat of Changbai Commandery.

It was dawn in Changbai Commandery.

The weather looked fine. After several consecutive days of blizzards, the storm had finally stopped, and the sun had even come out in all its brilliance.

As the first rays of sunlight spread across the land, every household felt the long-missed warmth. People came out carrying their own brooms, shovels, and other snow-clearing tools, and soon the entire city was bustling.

They had no choice but to work. The blizzards of the past few days had kept everyone indoors, and the snow had piled up to half a person’s height. Even more dangerously, the rooftops needed to be cleared. Otherwise, entire houses might collapse beneath the weight.

Watching the busy figures below, Xiao Hongyu began explaining the situation.

“Changbai Commandery is still governed by a prince of foreign birth from the previous dynasty. Supposedly, his ancestors helped the founding emperor seize the throne, and one of the women in his household became a consort in the imperial palace. None of that is especially important, however. The main point is that the current prince of Changbai Commandery calls himself the Leisurely Prince. He pays little attention to government affairs and has handed all authority to his second younger brother.”

Xiao Hongyu continued describing the current state of Changbai Commandery.

“As for the Zhang family of General Zhang that you mentioned, they live in the Zhang residence along the eastern frontier of Changbai Commandery. The head of the family was once a fourth-rank general, but the family later fell into decline. He had two sons and a daughter. The daughter should be your grandmother, Lady Wang Zhang. Both sons were frail from childhood and unable to practice martial arts, so they abandoned the military path and turned to scholarship instead.

“The elder son never advanced beyond the rank of licentiate. The younger son did slightly better and became a recommended man. In an ordinary household, that would not be considered a bad achievement. But they were born into a military family, so their current situation is… how should I put it? Rather awkward. After the old general died, the entire military household declined. No one was capable of upholding the family’s title, so the commandery prince had no choice but to send someone else to guard the eastern frontier…”

Xiao Hongyu had said quite a lot, and he paused to take a drink of water.

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“What about my two grand-uncles now?” Wang Keyue asked anxiously, listening with rapt attention.

“According to the information we received, your elder grand-uncle was a teacher at an academy. He passed away from illness several years ago. Your second grand-uncle served as an adviser in the commandery prince’s residence. Not long ago, he retired because of his advanced age and now stays at home looking after his grandchildren.”

Xiao Hongyu spoke in a relaxed tone.

Wang Keyue felt relieved upon hearing this. From the sound of things, both her grand-uncles and their descendants were living fairly well.

“We can go straight to the house where they live once we arrive. Should we prepare them a modest gift?” Xiao Hongyu suggested.

“That sounds good!” Wang Keyue was in especially high spirits today.

They prepared the gifts, and before long, the airship finally came to a stop outside an alley.

The two found a secluded lane. After making the airship invisible, they left it outside the entrance. The street was covered in white snow and completely deserted, as everyone was still busy tidying their homes.

They released two tall, fine horses. Having suddenly arrived in this frozen world, the horses could not help snorting several times. Wang Keyue and Xiao Hongyu tied the prepared bundles securely to the horses, then led them step by step into the alley.

The alley was lined with small residential courtyards, their gates facing one another. Voices drifted over the walls from every household, and from quite a few homes came the sounds of chickens and dogs as well. The entire alley was lively and full of warmth.

The fourth household in the alley was where the families of Wang Keyue’s two grand-uncles lived together.

Although the alley did not contain the mansions of wealthy families, this house was far better than the poor thatched huts they had seen outside the city. At the very least, it was a substantial two-courtyard residence built of gray bricks with a tiled roof.

It seemed that although her grand-uncles’ family had fallen into decline, they were still living a relatively peaceful life.

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