“I didn’t expect he had it so rough too,” Lin Muxue muttered, thinking of Tu You. “He’s so tiny, yet he eats until his belly is round like a middle-aged uncle’s beer gut. I thought his life was carefree!”
Realizing Tu You was just as pitiful as the rest of them, she pouted. “Fine, this young lady will forgive his stinky mouth. As long as he doesn’t provoke me, I—I’ll try not to argue with him!”
Lu Minfeng looked at her with obvious fondness and sped up his movements. “That’s truly magnanimous of our Lady Lin.”
“I know, right!”
She hummed triumphantly while the three continued cutting spirit jade without rest.
Lu Minfeng said, “Ah Chu, you should store these first.”
Sang Chu observed the cut pieces. “There’s plenty here. You should also store what you cut into your space wristbands, including that liquid. Once we’re out, we can divide everything.”
Lu Minfeng started, “But—”
Lin Muxue cut him off. “Aiya, Senior, stop fussing already! How is Sang Sang supposed to follow behind collecting everything herself? We’ll divide it later, so just keep cutting!”
“Alright. I’ll go a bit farther ahead. Be careful.”
【We’re rich—rich!!!】
A shrill cry sounded inside Sang Chu’s mind, making her entire body jolt.
【Lower your voice! You scared me to death.】
Although she scolded calmly, Tu You could sense she was startled. He, meanwhile, was trembling from excitement after seeing the marketplace price within the Time-Space Train.
【Ah Chu, do you know how valuable this is? That tiny piece you gave me—just one piece—is worth one billion! One billion! You’re rich!】
Sang Chu froze. Lin Muxue noticed her stillness and quickly turned her head, only to see Sang Chu with a stunned, cracked-expression look.
“San Xiao Chu, what’s wrong? Don’t scare me!”
“Senior, come here!”
Hearing her trembling voice, Lu Minfeng threw aside what he was doing and rushed over. “What happened?”
“Look—look at Sang Sang! What’s wrong with her?!”
Sang Chu didn’t blink, overwhelmed by the idea. Before, she earned money in the Monster Mutation World only to spend it almost immediately—she barely kept anything.
But this… one tiny piece was worth that much? Didn’t that make her… wealthy now?!
【Ah Chu? Ah Chu, are you still there?】
After a long moment, Sang Chu finally responded, voice unsteady:
【I—I’m here.】
【Ah Chu, we can just sell that one piece. Keep the rest. It’ll help you advance your ability.】
【Alright.】
She agreed without hesitation. That small piece alone was enough to supply them for a very long time.
Lin Muxue and Lu Minfeng, seeing her empty-eyed state, were genuinely frightened.
“Sang Chu?!”
“San Xiao Chu!”
Lu Minfeng called loudly. Lin Muxue shook her shoulders desperately.
“Stop—stop—stop! If you shake me again, I’ll throw up!”
Lin Muxue exhaled in relief. “What is wrong with you? I almost died of fear!”
Lu Minfeng, however, considered the cause. “It’s because that jade is extremely valuable, isn’t it?”
Too sharp, indeed.
Sang Chu gave him a complicated look. “Mm. It felt like a poor person suddenly becoming rich. My heart couldn’t handle it.”
Lin Muxue nearly swung a fist at her. “You scared me half to death! Next time you freeze like that, I’ll beat you!”
Sang Chu weakly raised a hand. “I’ll try not to.”
“We should hurry and cut out the rest,” Sang Chu said. “Tu You said it can improve our abilities. I’ll keep some and use the rest for advancement!”
“No,” Lu Minfeng objected. “I don’t agree.”
“Why?”
“We don’t know how long the apocalypse will last—maybe forever. The other world is currently our only hope of survival. We should not waste these on upgrading abilities. They are a rare, unrecoverable resource. We need them for your future trade and survival.”
Muxue blinked, then nodded. “True! If your next world doesn’t make money, what will we do? Just keep everything. You’re our lifeline!”
Lu Minfeng agreed silently. Sang Chu was the pillar of their survival as long as she could keep traveling.
“Alright, I’ll save them.”
Both nodded and continued cutting.
Tu You returned after exchanging currency, proudly patting his round belly. “It’s all in here. Sooo much money!”
“Good. Keep it safe.”
They cut and stored jade until Sang Chu filled an entire layer of a brand-new space wristband.
Muxue slumped backward dramatically. “I’m dead. My hands and back are gone. I’m a corpse!”
Her limp form made Lu Minfeng sigh with equal helplessness and affection. “Get up. Go rest in the hovercar.”
“No. Too tired. I’m staying right here.”
Suddenly—
The entire cave trembled.
A piercing screech burst through the cavern, a sound so sharp and violent they covered their ears in agony.
Muxue, physically weaker, bled from her nose and eyes.
“小雪！”
“Xue’er!”
Sang Chu and Lu Minfeng shielded her at once.
Earthen walls!
They conjured double earth walls, hoping to block the sound—but the cavern shook harder, stones crashing down.
Sang Chu reached for the hovercar—
Then she saw it.
A pair of blood-red, serpent eyes glared at them through the darkness.
Wind Blade!
Without hesitation, she unleashed a spinning blade of wind, energy swirling around her feet. One look at Lu Minfeng, and the two split—one diverting the serpent, the other carrying Muxue to safety.
Muxue trembled violently at the sight of the enormous pale serpent—so large it resembled a primordial dragon.
“S-Senior, go help Sang Sang!”
He set her down and pressed a gun into her hands. “Stay back. Protect yourself.”
Then he charged forward.
Sang Chu threw every ability she had—but the serpent remained unscathed.
“ROOOOAAAAR!”
Tu You clung to her shoulder, shrieking:
“It’s over—it’s over! These spirit jades belong to that white flood dragon! It was using them to evolve into a dragon! We ruined its ascension! It’s never letting us go now!”
(End of Chapter)