Xi Yu was left speechless: "What kind of books are you reading? Is this really how the Lu Family instructs its younger generation? A so-called cultivator is someone whose Spiritual Root purity reach at least level three, because those with level one or level two roots are no different from those without them at all.
These people are also categorized as mortals, but in reality, they can cultivate a tiny bit of spiritual power, making them slightly stronger than ordinary people. Objects like Storage Bags are specifically for this type of so-called mortal.
Do you have any idea what kind of consequences you might face for using a Spatial Artifact in front of others when you, a little girl, have absolutely no spiritual power?"
Guaibao took the opportunity to nod its head vigorously from the side, continuing to signal that it was a very clever little beast and had realized the problem long ago.
Xi Yu thought for a moment and continued: "Actually, I can't blame your Lu Family. It's because you haven't cultivated yet, and everything you know comes from books without any real-world practice, hence the misunderstanding.
In any case, remember Brother Yu's words: you are not allowed to do this again before you begin cultivating!
Moreover, the Lu Family is a top force on this continent; everyone in the clan has storage containers, so you don't find them precious.
Out in the world, even if others didn't notice your differences, just speculating that you possess a storage space would be enough for them to kill you several times over. You have no self-preservation ability, yet you don't know how to be careful."
An Lan felt inexplicably guilty when facing Xi Yu: "Brother Yu, did you guess that I have a space-type object on me?"
An Lan casually picked up Guaibao and pulled it into her arms, beginning to stroke the cat in an attempt to hide her small flutter of emotion.
Xi Yu gave a snort: "I doubt it's just an object."
An Lan felt even guiltier, knowing that if she wanted to understand the situation with her space, Xi Yu was likely the only one who could help clarify it. She decided to simply tell Xi Yu that she had a small space. It used to be larger, but it shrank after she was injured, likely because it was helping her recover. Now, only a dilapidated house remained inside that could be used, though it could still store items. It was attached to the clover birthmark on her chest. She dared not mention the Spirit Spring or the colorful stone.
Xi Yu thought for a moment: "If that space of yours is truly helping you recover your body, then it is likely no ordinary item.
However, don't dwell on this for now. I don't fully understand it either, and thinking about it too much is tiring. We'll discuss it again once your Dantian has recovered.
When I return to the clan, I'll look up some ancient texts to see if there is any information on this, and then I'll tell you about it, alright?"
An Lan was not in a hurry; after all, Xi Yu was only a nine-year-old child, and it was already impressive enough that he understood this much.
Just then, the purple-robed man walked in, bringing the beast hide An Lan had requested. It had already been processed into materials ready to be given to an Artifact Refiner, sufficient for making ten masks.
An Lan was very satisfied. Thinking it was getting late, she waved goodbye to Xi Yu, thanked the purple-robed man, and left carrying Guaibao.
Seeing her walk away, Xi Yu's face immediately turned cold. He ordered the purple-robed man: "Go and investigate who it was that harmed her, and which force they belong to."
The purple-robed man made a throat-slitting gesture and asked: "Shall I eliminate them?"
Xi Yu refused: "No. The people must not be killed, and the force must not be destroyed. They are to be left for the girl to play with. Just render them half-crippled for now."
The young boy's face was full of cold, murderous intent, his expression returning to his usual cool, composed self.
After his Spiritual Root test at age five, Xi Yu had been selected as the Young Master. The main branch of the family had few descendants and the side branches were also small. His family valued bloodline above all else, and the members of the clan felt only awe and reverence toward him.
Since An Lan was his first friend, there was no way he would just sit by and do nothing.
Little An Lan wandered out of the cave with Guaibao, picking wild fruits along the way. She felt annoyed that she was only five, with such small limbs; trying to catch a beast or fish for food was a struggle. It wasn't that she couldn't do it, but her limbs were just too short, making operations rather inconvenient.
She rubbed the cat's head and stepped toward the trap she had set while heading up the mountain, discovering a pheasant inside.
She was delighted and planned to pick up a rock to knock the pheasant unconscious before taking it home.
Seeing this, Guaibao suddenly darted into the trap. There was a flurry of activity.
An Lan felt that it had only taken the blink of an eye for Guaibao to bite through the pheasant's throat, jump to the edge of the trap, and lick the drops of blood from the corners of its mouth.
It rolled its eyes toward the heavens, as if saying: "Human cub, now you know how impressive your Master Cat is, don't you?"
An Lan rolled her eyes back to show her mental exhaustion, dropped the stone, stepped forward, and picked up Guaibao in one hand and the pheasant in the other.
She didn't dare put them into her space, as she found the dripping blood dirty. Since Brother Yu said her space might be a treasure, the little person waddled toward the valley.
Before even entering the valley, An Lan discovered on the slope that Grandpa Mo was with some people, investigating the Upper Brook Valley. She observed for a moment and thought they were likely building new houses.
An Lan found it strange. No new people had arrived in the valley recently; the most recent arrivals were her own family. Was Mother planning to move to the Upper Brook Valley?
Thinking about it, it was possible. Her mother had mentioned wanting to plant Spirit Plants, and the Spirit Plants were all in the Upper Brook Valley, while the Lower Brook Valley mostly contained Spirit Rice.
An Lan sneaked into the valley, intending to go down along the field ridges to avoid Grandpa Mo and return to the manor. Who knew that the blood scent of the pheasant would spread and draw the attention of Mo Yuanyang?
Mo Yuanyang descended from the sky and stood right in front of An Lan.
Guaibao was quite happy to see Mo Yuanyang and frantically signaled with "Meow... meow..." to greet him. This was a powerful human; it was best to get on his good side.
An Lan stood up straight with a dry laugh: "Hehe. Well... Grandpa Mo, what a coincidence."
She even shook the dead pheasant in her hand at him a few times.
Seeing her with a Spirit Cat in one hand and a pheasant in the other, Mo Yuanyang immediately understood that the girl had gone deep into the mountains. What mattered was that she hadn't told him beforehand and had no one with her. He felt a bit angry; what would she have done if something happened?
Yet, looking at her bald head, he inexplicably wanted to laugh. Mo Yuanyang gave a light cough, reached out, grabbed An Lan by the collar of her tunic, and flew to the shade of a tree.
This place was the empty lot where they planned to build a new small courtyard for An Lan's family. Ye Jin had previously chosen a few locations, and he had then called over a Formation Master to pick the best plot of land.
Grandpa Mo looked quite intimidating when he put on a stern face, so An Lan quickly stood at attention. She dropped Guaibao and the dead pheasant on the ground and assumed a solemn expression, transforming into a well-behaved child.
Lü Chàng, the Formation Master who was sitting under a nearby tree, greeted An Lan with a smile: "Sixth Miss, good morning."
An Lan thought to herself, "Morning? It's almost afternoon," and her little stomach was already hungry.
She called out listlessly: "Uncle Chàng."
Lü Chàng had originally been a rogue cultivator who had refined himself into a level four Formation Master. By chance, he met Mo Yuanyang, and in conversation, Lü Chàng told him that his ancestors were originally a side branch of the Lu Family, but later became scattered and slowly declined until only his family remained.
Mo Yuanyang immediately brought him back to the Lu Family to test his bloodline, which proved to be true, though his bloodline was thin. Because of this, Lü Chàng returned to the Lu Family and became an Offered Elder; he was now a level five Formation Master.
When Mo Yuanyang was demoted to the Lu Clan Manor, Lü Chàng followed him. Seeing the beautiful scenery and abundant spiritual energy here, he and his family decided to move to Yujing Valley. He lived in the Upper Brook Valley, managing the Spirit Plants for the herbalist farmers while also maintaining the formations in the valley, leading a peaceful, rural life of contentment.
Lü Chàng's son, Lu Yongsheng, studied formations under his father and also enjoyed artifact refining; he was a level two Artifact Refiner. An Lan was planning to ask Lu Yongsheng to help her craft a mask.