Zhang Zongnian strode over and picked up Yang Yuxiang’s ornate Storage Pouch from the ground.
Lin Xue thought to herself: Could it be that Yang Yuxiang left some kind of trap on the Storage Pouch that Zhang Zongnian noticed? If it gets damaged, will some powerful spell be triggered, harming everyone nearby?
She couldn’t help but tense up, retreating a few steps.
Zhang Zongnian brought the Storage Pouch close to his eyes, examining it carefully, his expression grave.
Lin Xue watched him nervously and couldn’t help but ask, “Is there something wrong with this Storage Pouch?”
Zhang Zongnian looked at the Storage Pouch, then looked up and asked her, “You were planning to open this Storage Pouch?”
Lin Xue nodded.
Zhang Zongnian let out a sigh of relief and said, “Good thing I made it in time.”
Seeing his reaction, Lin Xue thought: So the Storage Pouch really does have some problem—good thing I didn’t have time to force it open.
She still had no idea what danger it might pose to make Zhang Zongnian so tense.
She put on a look of keen interest, waiting for Zhang Zongnian to explain.
But Zhang Zongnian continued, “Otherwise, this pouch, worth over a dozen Mid-grade Spirit Stones, would have been ruined. That would be such a waste.”
Lin Xue’s eyes widened in surprise, unable to react for a moment.
Zhang Zongnian, clutching the Storage Pouch, said with a look of relief, “This pouch has a huge capacity, almost enough to hold a small warehouse. It’s worth dozens of the standard-issue pouches given to us minor officials.”
“My monthly pay is only five Low-grade Spirit Stones. For a pouch like this, someone in our position would have to save up for nearly twenty years to afford one.”
“Miss Lin, if you had cut it open with your blade, it would be like destroying twenty years of my salary!”
“A Storage Pouch this valuable—if you slashed it apart, that would really be a shame.”
Lin Xue was speechless. A few black lines slid down over her head.
So in the end, the only reason you stopped me was because this Storage Pouch is valuable?
You acted so serious, I really thought forcing it open would cause some huge disaster.
She couldn’t help but roll her eyes inwardly.
“Then how can I open it?” she asked.
Zhang Zongnian stroked the Storage Pouch. It was clear he’d longed for something like this for a long time.
He said, “There are two ways to open the Restriction on a Storage Pouch.”
“The first is that your cultivation is higher than the original owner’s. You can use your own spiritual power to forcibly break the Restriction. The greater the difference, the easier it is.”
“For example, a Foundation Establishment cultivator can unlock the Storage Pouch of a Qi Refinement Stage cultivator in an instant.”
“If both are Qi Refinement Stage, then a late-stage Qi Refinement cultivator wanting to break a pouch set by an early-stage one would have to take their time—day and night channeling spiritual energy into it. Three to five months, maybe even a year or two, but eventually it would open.”
“But if your Cultivation Realm is lower, there’s nothing you can do to break the Restriction set by someone higher. For example, an early-stage Qi Refinement can’t break one set by a late-stage Qi Refinement.”
“The other way is to use a Break Talisman. This is a kind of talisman paper specially made by experts of the Mohist Sect, designed to break the Restrictions placed by cultivators on their possessions.”
“The Break Talisman can immediately undo an item’s Restriction, and it won’t damage the item at all. The user can then set their own Restriction, making it their own.”
“Break Talismans are sold according to quality: low, medium, high, and supreme.”
“For a Qi Refinement Stage Restriction like this, a simple Low-grade Break Talisman is enough.”
“A Low-grade Break Talisman sells for roughly one Mid-grade Spirit Stone on the Black Market.”
“Miss Lin, if you can buy a Low-grade Break Talisman and break the Storage Pouch’s Restriction, it’s like getting a pouch worth over a dozen Mid-grade Spirit Stones for just one.”
“Rather than destroying the Storage Pouch, it’s much smarter and more cost-effective to buy a Break Talisman.”
As Zhang Zongnian explained, he pointed to the miscellaneous items scattered from Yu Changfeng’s Storage Pouch across the room and said, “Besides, this pouch is so spacious—if you force it open, everything inside will spill out like this. The whole pharmacy might not even be able to hold it all.”
“And this is, after all, my senior brother’s shop. If you make a mess, I’d have a hard time explaining.”
So that’s how it was.
She really hadn’t considered that.
If everything spilled out and piled up everywhere, Zhang Zongnian’s senior brother would be pretty upset when he got back.
Lin Xue felt a bit embarrassed. She said, “I’m not familiar with these things—I acted rashly. Thank you, Brother Zhang, for teaching me.”
She pointed at several unfamiliar items and asked humbly, “Brother Zhang, do you know what these are used for?”
Zhang Zongnian looked at the items she’d placed on the table.
The moment he saw them, his eyes suddenly widened.
He picked up the stack of black talisman papers, looked them over, and said excitedly, “Miss Lin, you really are lucky! These talisman papers are exactly the Break Talismans I just mentioned! Even though they’re all Low-grade, that’s more than enough to break open this Storage Pouch.”
Hearing this, Lin Xue was also delighted.
With these Break Talismans, she could unlock all Qi Refinement Stage Restrictions—not only the Storage Pouch, but also the Blood Fiend Magic Blade and the Demoness’s Protective Robe; she could break those open and use them too.
She was still wearing Yu Changfeng’s tattered Daoist Robe, with Zhang Zongnian’s minor official’s uniform over it.
She should have changed into proper clothing long ago.
The Demoness’s Protective Robe seemed just right for her.
Zhang Zongnian picked up the Paper Crane, looked at it, and said, “This should be a flying artifact. It works like my Wooden Donkey—powered by spiritual energy. But this one is clearly a flight tool, and it consumes a lot of spiritual energy. Usually, only late-stage Qi Refinement cultivators can afford to use it.”
“As for this little ball, it looks a bit like a Thunderclap Bomb from the Tang Sect, but not quite. I can’t say for sure what it is—probably some kind of throwable explosive.”
As Zhang Zongnian introduced the items to Lin Xue, he sighed inwardly: No wonder Master always warned me to be cautious out in the world. In the cultivation world, murder and treasure-snatching are common, and some people make a living from it.
Just look—after killing a few people last night, Miss Lin gained such a haul.
Who wouldn’t be tempted by such quick riches?
Lin Xue listened to Zhang Zongnian’s explanations, put away the Paper Crane and small ball for now, and kept the stack of Break Talismans to continue unlocking the Storage Pouch.
She took out a Break Talisman and, following Zhang Zongnian’s guidance, placed it on Yang Yuxiang’s Storage Pouch, then channeled her Demon Power to activate the talisman.
Light flashed on the Break Talisman, and then the talisman paper disintegrated into fragments.
Lin Xue reached for the Storage Pouch and sent her Demon Power into it.
Sure enough, the Restriction on the Storage Pouch was gone. Her Demon Power flowed in unimpeded, entering the pouch.
The space inside the pouch appeared in her mind.
This time, she wasn’t disappointed. She found several long, strip-shaped jade slips just like the ones from the Beast Refinement Codex.