Cannon Fodder Cultivation Guide

Chapter 74 - Treasure Land

Not long after leaving the city, Zheng He pulled out a flying treasure, extravagantly taking Zhang Yiyi along as they flew directly toward their destination.

Compared to flying with a magic weapon, using a flying treasure was naturally much more comfortable, but it also burned through spirit stones at an astonishing rate.

Although Zhang Yiyi had a master in the Mahayana stage, a martial uncle in the Soul Transformation stage, and two senior brothers in the Golden Core stage, she herself had only been cultivating for a short time and had barely traveled. Aside from riding the sect's large flying boat, this was her first experience with such a private and luxurious flying treasure.

Zheng He's treasure, with excellent defense and interior design, was supported by space formation spells, making it incredibly spacious and equipped with all kinds of rooms and functions. It was as convenient and comfortable as staying at home.

Even during the flight, it was no trouble to cultivate if one wished.

This kind of thing was a typical luxury item—expensive to begin with, and on top of that, running a flying treasure consumed massive amounts of spirit stones by the second. Only the truly wealthy could afford such a mode of transport.

But the treasure was undeniably convenient—once you were aboard, all you needed to do was load the spirit stones, set the destination, and the rest would take care of itself. If one had the means, it was certainly ideal for long journeys.

"Is the place we're going too far?"

After a brief tour, they sat down in a tea room within the treasure. Zhang Yiyi watched as Zheng He eagerly brewed tea for her, using the finest spirit tea. For a moment, she felt like they were on a leisurely autumn outing rather than treasure hunting.

She remembered Zheng He mentioning earlier that the trip would only take three to five days. She wondered if that included the time spent on the road.

"Ah... oh, not too far. After slowly sipping two cups of spirit tea, we should be almost there."

Zheng He, pleased with himself, presented the tea he had personally brewed to Zhang Yiyi. "Try it. This is from my personal collection. Most people never get the chance to drink it."

Zhang Yiyi glanced at him strangely and suddenly felt that Zheng He was a bit of a foolish, rich man.

Two cups of tea, and they'd be almost there?

Was this short trip really necessary for a flying treasure?

Wouldn't flying with a sword have sufficed?

She had thought the flight would take at least half a day, if not a full one!

"I just wanted to make sure you were comfortable, and it also gives us a quiet place to talk about the specifics of the treasure location," Zheng He explained with a grin, clearly aware of Zhang Yiyi's unspoken thoughts. "Besides, I'm not short on spirit stones. What's the point of owning a flying treasure if you don't use it?"

"The taste isn't bad," Zhang Yiyi commented after taking a sip of the spirit tea, but she ignored Zheng He's boastful remarks about not lacking in spirit stones.

By his logic, her master, who was both powerful and wealthy, would be using a flying treasure just to go to the bathroom—after all, why not if you weren't short on spirit stones?

Wait, no! Her master had long since stopped needing to use the bathroom over 900 years ago.

Zheng He completely missed Zhang Yiyi's inner ridicule, thinking her simple "the taste isn't bad" was praise not just for the tea but for other things as well. His mood soared.

"Well, of course! This spirit tea was auctioned off at a high price by my father. He didn't even get to try it before I took it all," Zheng He said generously. "If you like it, I'll give you some to take back with you."

"That won't be necessary. Let's focus on the details of the destination; otherwise, at this speed, we'll be there soon," Zhang Yiyi said, cutting off the small talk.

She wasn't joking—this spirit tea had been bought at a high price by Zheng He's father. As his son, Zheng He could waste it however he liked, but she was just a stranger. If she drank it and even took some, how furious would the city lord be if he found out later?

Having a son like Zheng He, who loved to splurge, must have made the city lord of Jiagu Guan exhausted.

Besides, her master had plenty of good tea, and as disciples, they often benefited from it. The spirit tea casually placed around the house was no worse than this, so she had no reason to be envious.

Zhang Yiyi even had better spirit tea in her own storage ring, prepared for her by her senior brother before she set out. If she didn't have to maintain her cover as the rogue cultivator Han Lin, she wouldn't mind tossing a whole bag of tea to Zheng He, just to show him what true luxury was.

"Hehe, no problem. I'll just slow down," Zheng He said, well aware that Zhang Yiyi was seriously disapproving of his endless bragging. But he liked her attitude, even if she was constantly dismissing him.

One of Zheng He's best traits was his thick skin. Besides, almost every interaction with her ended with him getting teased, and he had grown used to it.

Despite his playful words, Zheng He didn't waste any more time. He quickly moved on to the important details to avoid truly angering her.

When it came to serious matters, Zheng He's demeanor changed significantly—he became clear, focused, and direct. It didn't take him long to explain everything thoroughly.

This continent once had a powerful rogue cultivator named Jia Fang, whose reputation was so great that not only was he well-known in the cultivation world, but his legend also spread through many mortal kingdoms.

The treasure trove Zheng He was taking Zhang Yiyi to explore was one of Jia Fang's caves, which he had left behind before ascending to a higher realm.

As it turned out, the discovery of this place had been a complete accident. One of Zheng He's close friends had been fleeing from an enemy and, in desperation, leaped off a cliff.

Not only did he survive, but he also found a cave-dwelling at the bottom of the cliff.

Exhausted and wary of the complex formations surrounding the area, Zheng He's friend didn't dare venture in. He left a mark before retreating.

Later, after doing some research, his friend became increasingly convinced that the cave might have belonged to Jia Fang.

Realizing that this treasure trove was too big for one person to claim, his friend quietly informed Zheng He, leading to their current expedition.

"Linlin, you've heard of Senior Jia, right?" Zheng He asked, switching to gossip after finishing the important details. He even dropped the formalities, calling Zhang Yiyi "Linlin" as if they were already close.

Zhang Yiyi wasn't bothered by Zheng He's casual nature and nodded. "Of course. Senior Jia is famous. But how certain are you that this place is really one of his caves?"