Fairy, please have some self-respect. I am not the reincarnation of your deceased husband.

However, Mu Qianxue did not show any panic.

I tried to sense the condition of the Tongxin Jade, but there was nothing there.

She quickly realized what was happening—

My husband must have entered the cave, and that cave is rejecting me, which has led to this situation.

Immediately, she picked up Xueyan and, without lingering any longer, turned and left the place.

We followed the entrance to the cave from our memories.

It seems I have no choice but to enter the cave and reunite with my husband.

……

On the other side, inside the cave.

Chen Lianshu looked around, but there was no sign of Mu Qianxue anywhere.

Fortunately, Su Jiu'er in his arms did not disappear and remained obediently in his embrace.

"Waaaaah?"

Su Jiu'er called out softly, as if to tell him not to worry.

"fine."

Chen Lianshu rubbed the little guy's head, took a deep breath, and began to think.

The surrounding scenery was noticeably different from before, and the spiritual energy in the air was also more concentrated.

Although it still looks like a mountain forest, the trees are completely different.

Walk towards the nearest tree, and the system information will automatically appear.

【Ironwood】

[Affection Level: MAX (A Deep Bond)]

[Rank: Medium]

【introduce】

[With its hard texture and restrained spiritual energy, it is suitable for crafting magical artifacts and is an excellent material for forging the hilt of a mid-grade spiritual sword.]

Looking at these trees that can be seen everywhere, they are all good materials for refining weapons.

Chen Lianshu understood.

It seems he has arrived at the cave dwelling his senior sister mentioned.

Can…

This place is still a forest, with no trace of any habitation whatsoever.

His gaze shifted to the stone beside him.

As expected, it was also a material for refining weapons.

If it weren't for the system, he probably would have missed all of this.

However, Chen Lianshu did not take it away.

After all, the storage space of the magic treasures I carry is limited. If I don't find anything good, it's not too late to bring some back.

And even in this clearly peripheral area, there are already so many good things.

If one can successfully enter the core of the cave and gain the approval of some magical treasures, one will surely reap great rewards.

I walked for a short while.

Chen Lianshu also noticed that someone had already entered before him.

"footprint?"

He bent down to take a closer look.

The footprints are very new, not at all like traces left ten years ago.

The footsteps were disordered and chaotic, indicating that there was more than one person.

"Um?"

Suddenly, I caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of my eye.

Chen Lianshu walked to a tree and picked up a very inconspicuous twig.

【Spirit Pattern Branch】

[Rank: High]

【introduce】

[Containing pure spiritual energy, it can be directly used to refine high-grade magical artifacts, and is also an excellent medium for inscribing array runes.]

"interesting."

Chen Lianshu put the small branch into his pocket.

Since they were able to overlook these high-level refining materials, it's likely that none of them are dedicated to refining artifacts.

However, he didn't follow the footprints of those people; instead, he turned around and went in another direction.

After walking for a while, I noticed traces of someone passing by.

This time, however, it was a mix of old and new people, clearly involving more than one group.

It was a pavilion with excellent feng shui and pleasant scenery; it must have been a place where that senior took a short rest.

The items inside had been ransacked and were in disarray; even ordinary magical artifacts had been looted.

"Jiu'er, sense if there are any rare or precious natural treasures around here?"

Chen Lianshu hadn't forgotten the little guy's quick wit and intelligence, so she gave him instructions.

"Ugh!"

Su Jiu'er agreed and closed her eyes to feel it carefully.

However, there were too many distracting factors around her, making it impossible for her to make a judgment.

After all, there are materials for refining weapons everywhere.

And the rare and precious materials her husband was talking about certainly weren't these things around them.

After a moment, she shook her head.

"I see."

"It's okay, take your time."

Seeing that the little one was a little disappointed, Chen Lianshu quickly rubbed her head to comfort her.

Su Jiu'er, whose head had been rubbed, instantly perked up and wagged her tail happily again.

Now, only she and her husband remain.

Finally, there were no people or cats to disturb their time together.

Let's continue exploring.

After walking a distance, Chen Lianshu stopped.

Several discarded items were scattered not far away.

Upon closer inspection, although they were also magical artifacts, most of them were of extremely low quality and had very poor practicality.

It looks like it was casually made by the cave owner.

The only item of value that could be taken away was a mid-grade refining material that resembled a tile.

"Waaaaah!"

Suddenly, Su Jiu'er seemed to sense something and pointed with her paw at the ground at her feet.

With a thought, Chen Lianshu immediately squatted down and used her spiritual power to dig away the soil, burying it very deep.

A small object was found among them.

The object was dark and inconspicuous.

It even looked a bit rough because it was covered in dust.

If Su Jiu'er hadn't reminded him, he definitely wouldn't have discovered what was buried in the ground.

"It's actually a magical artifact?"

Chen Lianshu was somewhat surprised.

"Well done, Jiu'er."

He stroked the little guy's chin like a reward for a puppy.

"Waaaaah~"

Of course!

Su Jiu'er proudly raised her little head, enjoying herself.

At the same time, she secretly resolved to work even harder to help her husband find the treasure!

She was completely unaware that her husband was treating her like a puppy.

However, unexpectedly—

Chen Lianshu put the magical artifact into her storage space without any effort and felt no resistance whatsoever.

Continuing onward, they picked up some more "junk" items that had been overlooked.

And they are all seemingly ordinary little things, but in fact, they have hidden value.

This is how it goes, sometimes walking, sometimes stopping.

Before we knew it, the moon and stars had faded, and the night was growing darker.

Chen Lianshu still hadn't found the core of the cave.

He decided to give up exploring further and planned to find a secluded place to rest for the night, and make further plans the next day.

"Um?"

Chen Lianshu paused in his steps.

There were several skeletons not far ahead, which looked like they had been sleeping there for a long time.

They must have perished from an attack caused by the restrictions placed here.

At this distance, if there were any restrictions on the attacker, they should have already begun attacking him.

Why did nothing happen?

Could it be that the restriction has been broken?

"..."

Taking a deep breath and holding his breath, Chen Lianshu slowly walked towards the skeleton.

Just as he had guessed.

There was no attack.

After a quick look around and finding nothing of value to be found, they continued their search for a place to rest.

As you walk, the stream flows on and the trees are sparse.

Finally, some traces of artificial sculpting appeared.

It seems he had been wandering around the periphery, but has now stumbled upon the path to the core area of ​​the cave.

However, it was already dark, and it was not a good time to continue traveling.

Just as Chen Lianshu was preparing to rest here.

A sound suddenly came from behind?!

"Waaah..."

Su Jiu'er couldn't help but get nervous, and her ears perked up.

Chen Lianshu patted the little guy on the back to comfort him:

"Don't worry, I'm here."

He then summoned the Azure Lotus Sword, placed Su Jiu'er on his shoulder, made a talisman with his hand, and looked warily in the direction from which the sound came.

Soon, a figure darted over, clearly with ill intentions.

Just as Chen Lianshu was on high alert—

But that person suddenly vanished without a trace!

Immediately afterwards, a purple mist rose around them, clearly an illusion.

"Waaah...!"

The weight on my shoulder lifted, and the fox's cry abruptly ceased.

"Jiu'er!"

Chen Lianshu's heart tightened.

Before he could make a move...

A warm breath suddenly came from behind me.

Immediately afterwards, a hot breath came from beside my ear:

"Little undercover agent, how have you been? ~♡"

The voice was alluring and seductive, carrying a hint of mockery, danger, and a chilling familiarity…