"Hmm?"
The gourd was only a little over four inches long and two inches wide, with a round belly and a narrow mouth, topped with a half-inch dry gourd vine.
Lu Zheng casually picked up the gourd; it felt like wood. It looked like an ordinary gourd, covered in a thin layer of black dirt, appearing rather dirty.
Lu Zheng wiped away so black dirt and discovered the gourd was dark yellow, smooth, with no seams except for a faint line around its mouth.
"This is..."
Lu Zheng reached to pull, but he couldn't open it.
"Lu Lang, try infusing true energy?" Shen Ying also noticed the situation on Lu Zheng's side.
Lu Zheng's eyes flashed, infused true energy, and soon understood the gourd's nature.
A storage magical treasure!
Inside the gourd was an irregularly shaped gourd space, three zhang in diater—equivalent to a storage capacity of a thousand cubic ters.
On the inner wall of the gourd space was inscribed a mantra used to operate the gourd for collecting items.
"A storage Dharma artifact, with a space inside of three zhang in diater," Lu Zheng exclaid.
In this world, storage Dharma artifacts were not commonplace; they required high-quality materials and were difficult to craft without great power, making them not just beginner equipnt for everyone.
Although the gourd was empty now, the gourd itself was a significant find.
Only, according to common sense, this gourd should belong to Hou Ping... right?
Lu Zheng couldn't help but swallow, wondering what he could trade to get the gourd from Hou Ping.
"This is great!" Hou Ping clapped and laughed, then said to Lu Zheng and Shen Ying, "With this, Young Master Lu will have a convenient way to store things in the future."
"This is yours; it's sothing your master left for you," Shen Ying smiled.
Hou Ping shook his head repeatedly, "I'm naive but not foolish. This technique on the wall is a foundation for , but not very important to the Immortal and Young Master. You've cared for and guided my cultivation; I am profoundly grateful and only wish to repay you but have no wealth to offer. I was even thinking of picking fresh fruits annually for you to express my gratitude, but now the discovery of this gourd seems fated."
Hou Ping continuously bowed, "I'm just playing and cultivating in the mountains; the gourd is useless to . It's better for the Young Master to take it for greater use."
Truly sensible...
Lu Zheng indeed wanted the gourd, so he didn't feign politeness, but as Hou Ping was not an enemy, he felt he couldn't just take it for nothing.
"I do have a use for this gourd, but I can't just take it," Lu Zheng said, "While cultivating in the woods, you'll inevitably encounter enemies. I'll teach you a 'Cold Condensation Curse' to help you fend off foes, and I'll craft you a weapon—sword, spear, dagger, staff, axe, mace, or hook—your choice."
Lu Zheng was helpless, as looking through the techniques he had, only 'ridian Breathing thod' and 'Cold Condensation Curse' were authorized for distribution.
Although the 'Feiyu Riding the Dawn Sword Scripture' was sothing he seized, the mountain gate still existed, and he couldn't propagate it freely.
As for 'Tiger Roar Saber' and 'Eighteen Mountain-Carrying Techniques,' Hou Ping's foundation was demon qi, and having practiced the Breathing Technique, it wasn't suitable for him to learn another Martial Dao Technique.
Hou Ping gleefully said, "I want a staff! It's handy; I used to use a tree branch to fight beasts, now I can finally have a weapon!"
"Alright!" Lu Zheng nodded and agreed.
Having obtained a storage Dharma artifact, Lu Zheng decided to make Hou Ping a fine staff.
Just...
Do monkeys all like staffs? Too bad Hou Ping's last na wasn't Sun.
Of course, Lu Zheng wouldn't senselessly change Hou Ping's surna for his odd sense of humor. The three of them dug out the skeleton beneath the rock pile, finding only the gourd as his possession.
Hou Ping wrapped the skeleton in clothes, then dug a grave outside the cave along the mountain wall to bury it.
"Young Master, I can't write; could you erect a tombstone for my master?"
Hou Ping looked eagerly at Lu Zheng, who naturally agreed. Taking the Red Jade Sword, he fetched a large stone from the cave, flattened six sides, and stood it in front of the grave, using the sword as a pen.
"The Tomb of the Naless Abnormal Person"
"Erected by the next generation disciple Hou Ping"
"How is this?" Lu Zheng asked Hou Ping, explaining the words on the tombstone.
"Good, good, good! This is good!" Hou Ping nodded repeatedly.
After bowing a few tis to the grave, Hou Ping finally stood up, and the three of them left the valley, heading to Peach Blossom Plain.
...
They arranged for Hou Ping to work in Taohua Temple, where Uncle Qian and Uncle An would teach him literacy. Lu Zheng and Shen Ying then returned to Taohua Village.
"dium, Heaven, world within the gourd," Shen Ying looked at the gourd in Lu Zheng's hand, "Lu Lang, show how it works."
Shen Ying had never seen a storage Dharma artifact and was quite curious.
"Let try!" Having learned the gourd's mantra, Lu Zheng expended five points of Light of Fortune to master it.
He opened the lid, aid the gourd at the stone bench in the courtyard, and said, "Collect," as the bench shrank in the breeze and was stored within the gourd in a blink.
"Release!"
Lu Zheng used true energy to activate the gourd, selected the stone bench inside, and watched as it flew out of the gourd's mouth, grew in the wind, and settled back in place.
"An excellent Dharma artifact!" Shen Ying laughed, "Next ti we go for a soak in hot springs or visit friends, we won't have to carry so many items."
Lu Zheng nodded and sighed; a novice benefit essential for transmigrators across worlds was finally his!
Though a bit late, he had to say: I truly am the chosen one!
"Speaking of which, I must ntion—you, with your top-tier heavenly fortune-drawing magical treasure—even so random, unknown systems co with built-in storage space, but you have nothing like a complentary storage space?"
Lu Zheng complained.
Jade Seal, "..."
...
"Can this thing collect and release, be used to contend with foes?" Shen Ying asked.
"No," Lu Zheng shook his head, "there are no binding, restrictive talismans on the gourd. To collect soone, they must not resist.
Moreover, there's no sealing spell inside the gourd, so even if you store soone inside, they can still cast spells and take action."
Shen Ying blinked, "Wouldn't they just smash the gourd?"
"Exactly." Lu Zheng nodded, "So it's just a tool for storing items."
"That's still great; Lu Lang, you can carry your weapons and Dharma artifacts without a hitch," Shen Ying covered her mouth with a sleeve, chuckling softly.
Lu Zheng pouted; he had faced many battles in ancient tis, and except for a few occasions, most were sudden. His Peach Wood Sword and Brocade Spring Saber were used only a few tis before sitting idle at ho, such a waste.
Now, with this gourd, anyone daring to challenge him had better be ready for a comprehensive strike!
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