224: Chapter 224 There's more treasure!

"Hmm?" Lu Shiyin's beautiful eyes narrowed slightly as she studied it carefully for a moment, then she said softly, "This is truly rare. Looking at its shape and texture, it seems to be a young shoot of some kind of Spiritual Bamboo, but this appearance of being emerald green all over with golden tips... Ordinary Spiritual Bamboo does not have such an extraordinary phenomenon."

She paused, her fingertips gently stroking the warm luster on the surface of the bamboo shoot, and continued:

"Moreover, the Spiritual Qi of this object is heavily restrained. Unless you look closely, you can't detect any spiritual power fluctuations from it at all. This kind of ability to conceal its aura is something that even some second or third-grade spiritual items might not possess."

Ye Zhenzhen leaned in, tilting her small head, and spoke in a soft, sweet voice:

"Auntie, I read in books that those powerful Spiritual Bamboos can only grow in places with particularly dense Spiritual Qi, right? How could it appear in such an ordinary valley?"

Hearing this, a flash of approval crossed Lu Shiyin's eyes.

This little girl, though young, hadn't read those books in vain.

She nodded, her tone carrying a hint of confusion:

"Zhenzhen is right. Logically, Spiritual Bamboo with such an extraordinary phenomenon would need nourishment from at least a second-grade Spiritual Vein or higher to even break through the soil. But this valley..."

She looked around; the Spiritual Qi was so thin it was almost negligible.

"Let alone a second-grade Spiritual Vein, this is a place that wouldn't even count as a first-grade Spiritual Vein. How could such a thing grow here?"

When Ye Chen heard this, he practically jumped up!

"It really is a treasure!"

His eyes shone as he squatted down, reaching out to dig it up.

"Ye Chen, don't dig with your hands!" Lu Shiyin quickly called out to stop him, her tone gentle yet brook no argument.

"While this kind of Spiritual Bamboo isn't dangerous, its root system is often extremely fragile. Digging with your hands can easily damage the roots. Once the roots are broken, its spirituality will be greatly diminished."

Hearing this, Ye Chen quickly pulled his hand back, rummaged through his Storage Pouch, and after a moment, pulled out a small white shovel.

The shovel was pure white, appearing like jade but not quite jade, with a sharp blade and a faint spiritual light flowing along the edges. It was a herb-gathering tool specifically refined by Ye Changge for the children.

Although it wasn't a particularly precious Magical Artifact, it was much more useful than an ordinary iron shovel.

Ye Chen squatted down and carefully inserted the shovel into the soil, prying out the emerald green bamboo shoot bit by bit along with the surrounding earth.

He performed the entire process with extreme care, fearing he might break even a single tiny root.

Lu Shiyin watched from the side, nodding inwardly.

This child was usually loud and boisterous, but when it really mattered, he didn't mess around.

Before long, the entire bamboo shoot was dug out intact. Ye Chen held it, turning it over several times to confirm the roots were undamaged. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief and run grinning to Lu Shiyin.

"Auntie Shiyin, how much is this bamboo worth?"

Lu Shiyin took the bamboo shoot, studied it carefully again, and gave a gentle smile, saying softly:

"Hmm... This item is in perfect condition with a complete root system, and it's a rare variant. It's probably worth about five or six hundred Spirit Stones. Little Chen, give this bamboo to Auntie for now, and Auntie will find Spirit Stones of equal value for you later, okay?"

"Five or six hundred Spirit Stones!"

Ye Chen's eyes went wide, his mouth hanging open wide enough to fit an egg.

"Hahahaha! I'm rich! I'm rich!"

He danced with joy, jumping up and down on the spot like a frolicking little rabbit.

Five or six hundred Spirit Stones! His monthly allowance was only ten Spirit Stones! It would take years of saving to get that much!

"Brother, what is this?"

Just then, Ye Zhenzhen's soft voice suddenly rang out, filled with curiosity.

Ye Chen stopped jumping and followed Ye Zhenzhen's gaze—

In the dirt pit left behind after the bamboo shoot was dug out, something else seemed to be hidden deep in the soil.

A faint golden light shimmered at the bottom of the pit. Unlike the bamboo shoot's emerald green with golden specks, this was pure gold, like amber pierced by sunlight, warm and bright.

"Eh? There's more treasure!"

Ye Chen quickly squatted down and carefully brushed away the thin layer of soil.

As the soil was cleared bit by bit, the full appearance of the object at the bottom of the pit was gradually revealed—

It was a thumb-sized amber-like object, translucent and golden-yellow throughout. Its texture was warm and its surface smooth as a mirror, with faint, fine patterns flowing inside.

And within the amber was sealed a tiny insect.

The insect was only the size of a grain of rice and was also entirely golden. Its six legs were curled up and its wings folded as it lay quietly in the center of the amber, as if it were merely asleep.

Most strangely, an extremely faint light pulsated on the golden insect's body like a heartbeat—thump, thump—slow and rhythmic.

That light shone through the amber, tinting half of Ye Chen's small face a pale gold.

"Wow..."

Ye Chen was dazed, only coming to his senses after a long while.

He carefully picked up the piece of amber from the pit and held it in his palm. It felt warm to the touch, even more comfortable than the bamboo shoot from before.

The golden insect in the amber had clearly been sealed for an unknown number of years, yet that faint pulsation still existed, as if it could wake up at any moment.

"Auntie, what is this thing?"

Holding the amber, Ye Chen trotted over to Lu Shiyin and held it up high.

Lu Shiyin took the amber and studied it closely before her eyes.

Her beautiful eyes suddenly narrowed.

"Is this... a Gu insect?"

There was a hint of uncertainty in her voice, but more than that, there was surprise.

Although she had never seen a Gu insect with her own eyes, she had read much about them in ancient records.

The Five Poisons Sect, a Demonic Path Sect in the Southern Border, was famous for raising Gu insects. Their Disciples were accompanied by a life-bound gu insect from childhood; with man and Gu as one, their combat power far exceeded that of Cultivators of the same rank.

But most of those Gu insects were living creatures that needed to be fed with Essence Blood and spiritual power, their lives intertwined with their Hosts.

The Gu insect before her, however, was sealed in amber. After countless years, it actually still had faint traces of life remaining...

"Auntie, what's a Gu insect?" Ye Chen asked curiously.

Lu Shiyin did not answer immediately.

She carefully studied the amber, sensing the faint aura fluctuations coming from within.

That aura was extremely weak. Had she not been a Foundation Establishment Cultivator with a sufficiently sharp Divine Sense, she would hardly have noticed it.

But it was precisely this weak aura that caused a faint sense of unease to rise in her heart.

This Gu insect was not ordinary.

Even though it was just sealed in amber and had been dormant for who knows how long, the residual aura on its body gave her, a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, a slight sense of pressure.

If it were in its prime...

Lu Shiyin didn't dare to think further.

"Auntie isn't sure either." She shook her head, her tone gentle but with a hint of gravity. "This thing looks Bufan. When we get home, let your father have a look."

Hearing this, Ye Chen carefully held the amber in his hands and turned it over and over, liking it more the more he looked at it.