Yang Zhen and Scoundrel Cat both were taken aback, exchanging bewildered looks.
âA Millennium Daoist Origin Fruit?â Scoundrel Cat hesitantly asked.
âYou planted this?â Yang Zhenâs eyes widened.
They looked at each other. Scoundrel Cat quickly took out a fruit, cradling it in shock as he asked, âIs this thing called a Millennium Daoist Origin Fruit?â
Yang Zhen swallowed hard, looking uncertainly at Scoundrel Cat, and took a deep breath, âWhatâs your relationship with Mountain River Academy? Donât tell me you are their ancient founder?â
Scoundrel Cat rolled his eyes, âAn ancient founder my ass. I wish I was their ancient founder â at least then Iâd have people serving me tea and water. But yeah, what the hell is Mountain River Academy? Iâve never heard of it.â
âThen how did you end up in their sealed territory and plant this Millennium Daoist Origin Fruit?â
Scoundrel Cat handed the fruit to Yang Zhen, âDamn, look carefully. Where do you see a Millennium Daoist Origin Fruit? This is clearly aâ¦â
At this point, Scoundrel Cat suddenly stopped speaking. His eyes filled with suspicion and anger as he stared at Yang Zhen.
Yang Zhen, confused by Scoundrel Catâs reaction, snatched the Millennium Daoist Origin Fruit, asking, âWhat is this? Spit it out!â
Scoundrel Cat suddenly jumped up, swearing, âNow it all makes sense why something felt wrong when I found the treasure. This damned Mountain River Academy, they found my treasure and sealed it. Thieves, robbers, sons of bitchesâ¦â
Yang Zhen reached out to calm Scoundrel Cat, saying with a strange look, âStop, stop, just calm down for a minute.â
Damn, thereâs a story here!
Yang Zhen looked suspiciously at Scoundrel Cat and asked, âAre you sure this place is where you buried the treasure?â
âNot sure!â Scoundrel Cat gave an honest answer.
Yang Zhen stared for a moment and asked, âSo why did you make such a fuss?â
âI just think that this is where I buried a treasure back then!â Scoundrel Cat replied as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Yang Zhen nodded, tentatively accepting that Scoundrel Cat might have buried the treasure there. Otherwise, how would Scoundrel Cat have this memory, and coincidentally find Mountain River Academyâs sealed territory?
Thinking of this, Yang Zhen asked again, âWell, we can confirm whether itâs your treasure or not easily. What did you bury back then, and what have you found inside?â
Scoundrel Cat looked at Yang Zhen slyly, then said after a long pause, âKid, donât try to trick words out of me. Thereâs nothing inside. If there was, wouldnât it all have been eaten by me? Donât think about gaining benefits from me.â
Yang Zhen slapped Scoundrel Cat on the head, scolding, âDo you think I, the Sao Saint, am someone lacking in benefits?â
Scoundrel Cat looked suspiciously at Yang Zhen for a moment, then sneered, âI donât remember. Itâs been too long. I just feel that Northern Island is a bit familiar, and it might not have been called Northern Island before. Moreover⦠I just remember that I buried something here and peed on it. No mistake, you smell it, I can still smell that fresh and unstained scent from a distance.â
Yang Zhen was stunned, looking aghast at Scoundrel Cat.
Scoundrel Cat managed to make even such a horrible story sound appetizing. What a jerk.
However, since Scoundrel Cat had already mentioned this territorial marking Divine Power of smelling urine, there should be no mistake. This place might really be somewhere Scoundrel Cat had buried something centuries ago.
Yang Zhen looked at Scoundrel Cat, amazed and impressed, and said, âSo, this is actually a place where you first buried something, and later it was claimed by the people of Mountain River Academy?â
âExactly!â the cat stubbornly insisted, all the while swearing under its breath.
Yang Zhen furrowed his brow, suddenly his eyes lit up as he exclaimed, âBloody hell, in that case, isnât everything within the seal all ours?â
âItâs mine, mine!â the cat corrected.
âWhatâs yours is mine, and whatâs mine is still mine. Considering our brotherly relationship, whoâs splitting hairs here?â Yang Zhen shrugged, âGiven that, we canât let these scoundrels get away easy.â
Just as he was finishing this thought, Yang Zhen interrupted the cat with a sudden realization. His face grew serious as he scrutinized it, saying, âThat canât be right. The Mountain River Academy was sealed thousands of years ago, arguably, by itself. If you buried this treasure, wouldnât that mean youâve been alive for at least 10,000 years?â
The cat looked stunned, then shook its head, âDonât ask about time. I have no concept of it, I donât remember.â
Oh my God!
Yang Zhen gasped, watching the cat with a sense of awe, murmuring to himself, âFuck me⦠What the hell did Sao Saint pick up?â
Saying this, Yang Zhen rubbed his face, âLetâs put that aside. If these black fruits arenât the thousand-year Tiaoist Origin Fruits, then what the hell are they?â
The cat furrowed its brows, studying the black fruit for a long time before it finally spoke, âItâs a Black Flame Fruit, not some millennium Taoist Origin Fruit.â
Yang Zhen was taken aback, âIt isnât? Consuming a Taoist Origin Fruit can stimulate the divine power, assisting practitioners in achieving sudden enlightenment, absorbing the fundamental principle of nature. If this isnât a Taoist Origin Fruit but a Black Flame Fruit, then what is the function of the Black Flame Fruit?â
âStimulate divine power, sudden enlightenment, absorb the fundamental principle of nature!â The cat stated the effects of the Black Flame Fruit, eyes widening, âDid they change the name?â
âThey mustâve!â
Yang Zhen pocketed the Taoist Origin Fruit, now known as the Black Flame Fruit, extending his hand to the cat and said, âHand it over!â
âHand over what?â The catâs eyes widened, âBrat, give the Black Flame Fruit back to me, that was the last one!â
Yang Zhen smiled slyly, âQuit the charade, when you lie, your left eye twitches, your eyes dart around like a thief, your heart races, your hands are fidgety, your big toe keeps curling and uncurling, and your tail wonât stop wagging⦠Do I need to point out more giveaways?â
The cat glared at Yang Zhen, cursing, âYou little devil. What are you, a demon?â
Yang Zhen snorted, tossed back the Black Flame Fruit to the cat, âDonât make me out to be such a villain. If youâre the one who planted this, could Sao Saint really steal it from you? Sao Saint was just curious.â
The cat suspiciously examined the Black Flame Fruit, looking it over all around to confirm it was indeed the same Black Flame Fruit and that no foul play was involved. With that, the cat pocketed it cheerfully, âOh man, weâre going to be rich. If only I had planted more back then, we wouldnât have just five. Sao Saint ate two, so now weâre only left with three.â
Yang Zhen nodded, not caring much. The cat being a notorious miser meant that keeping the Black Flame Fruit with him was no different than keeping it with the cat.
What concerned Yang Zhen the most was the other things the cat might have left in its buried treasure. If the thieves from Mountain River Academy got a hold of them, that would be a significant loss, not to mention that now, the Heavenly Spring Sacred Land and Heavenly Snow Holy Domain were still coveting it.
Righ now, Yang Zhen was torn over whether it would be unfair to jump in the fray.
He snorted, they were the unfair ones here!
Yang Zhen stared at the cat, excitement twinkling in his eyes, âCan you tell me now what other good stuff you didnât bring back? My Sao Saint self will help you retrieve them for free. We will not let the Mountain River Academy, Heavenly Spring Sacred Land, or Heavenly Snow Holy Domain snatch them.â
The catâs eyes gleamed as it hopped up, âYou little rascal! I knew you had my back!â