Chapter 556: Chapter 556 A Padlock
The next day, Nian Shutong used a mutated crystal stone for Master Fan.
Master Fan’s five senses were enhanced, especially his sense of smell. This immediately took his cooking skills to the next level—it was like adding wings to a tiger.
At lunchtime, it was obvious just how delicious it was.
Ha Ha alone ate a whole pot of rice and still wasn’t satisfied—he wasn’t full, just not satisfied.
"Delicious! Today’s rice is so tasty!"
Ha Ha’s straightforward praise made Master Fan laugh happily and say, "Good, good, I’ll make more for dinner."
Even Master Fan himself didn’t expect that the rice cooked at noon wouldn’t be enough, even Dou Dou, who usually ate the least, added half a bowl of rice.
In the end, when his little belly was about to burst, Nian Shutong stopped him.
After lunch, Nian Shutong took Dou Dou by the hand to a small square to the side and let him choose a mutated crystal stone.
Dou Dou picked the golden crystal stone that no one else had yet chosen.
"Auntie, Dou Dou wants this one."
"Okay, keep it with your auntie for now. You’re too young to use it right now, but I’ll keep it for you," she said.
Nian Shutong’s favoritism was just that obvious.
Dou Dou didn’t quite understand yet, but he knew his auntie had given him a gift, and Dou Dou was happy.
"Thank you, Auntie."
Nian Shutong patted Dou Dou’s head and told him to go play.
After securing Dou Dou’s chosen crystal stone, Nian Shutong called Wang Xiaoxiao over.
Wang Xiaoxiao had grown quite a bit and looked completely different from when she first arrived; she often wore two neat braids and managed a group of children with efficiency and competence.
Whether older or younger than her, everyone was thoroughly persuaded by Wang Xiaoxiao.
Wang Xiaoxiao herself was quite impressive. On several occasions, Nian Shutong saw her practicing her punches alone in the woods early in the morning.
"Boss, you called for me."
Wang Xiaoxiao stood obediently in front of Nian Shutong’s projection, with a determined sparkle in her eyes.
"Yes, I’m going to give you a mutated crystal stone."
Nian Shutong explained the matter of the mutated crystal stone to Wang Xiaoxiao and continued, "Xiaoxiao, after you’ve absorbed this crystal stone, you can officially begin cultivation. Your foundational skills are already very solid."
"Remember one thing, never let what’s called ’talent’ bury your own efforts."
Wang Xiaoxiao already understood a lot and earnestly said to Nian Shutong, "Boss, Xiaoxiao understands. I won’t give up my efforts for anything."
"Good!"
Nian Shutong helped Wang Xiaoxiao absorb the crystal stone and then took out several top-grade crystal stones to begin her first cultivation session.
"Sit properly, hold your breath, and focus."
"Try to connect with the crystal stone in your hands, allowing the energy inside it to follow the routes in your body and circulate for one cycle."
Nian Shutong guided Wang Xiaoxiao step by step, and after she completed the first cycle of circulation, Nian Shutong finally let go.
"Remember this route, the rest of your cultivation is up to you."
"Boss, I won’t let you down."
Wang Xiaoxiao’s feelings for Nian Shutong bordered on worship. In her heart, Nian Shutong was a goddess, her faith.
Having completed her first session of cultivation, Wang Xiaoxiao left to run to her parents and share the news.
Zhang Hui simply kept saying to remember the boss’s kindness, to remember the boss’s favor.
Wang Fu, who had seen more, said to Wang Xiaoxiao, "Boss has expectations for you. Strive hard and don’t let the Boss down."
Wang Xiaoxiao promised one by one, assuring her.
Indeed, as Wang Fu thought, Nian Shutong intended to train Wang Xiaoxiao to be the new generation leader, the leader of these children.
However, everything was still early, and it would depend on future developments.
The matter of the Mutated Crystal Stones had been completely resolved.
Out of the fifteen Mutated Crystal Stones in Nian Shutong’s possession, minus the one for Dou Dou, she still had five that were unassigned, so she kept them in reserve for now.
Having nothing else to do, Nian Shutong took her Shadowless out for a spin because she believed she might encounter the next statue.
The ox statue had been successfully unlocked on the battlefield, and now Xiao Hei, in the form of a small black ox, was in the ranch area, pretending to be a "dairy cow" among a group of milking cows.
Nian Shutong didn’t restrict the movement of the zodiac animals and the eight Fierce Beasts; currently on Blue Star, everything was safe.
She took Xiao Bai and flew over the ocean.
"Xiao Bai, that Big Blue you mentioned, is it a whale?"
Having gained a fair amount of knowledge about Earth, Nian Shutong knew that whales were the largest mammals in the ocean; it wasn’t surprising that one could become a formidable Fierce Beast.
"Yes, Master, but Big Blue is very friendly," the little white mouse replied as it agilely crawled out and perched on Nian Shutong’s shoulder.
"Master, are you going to find Big Blue? I’ll tell you, there are a huge amount of Crystal Stones around Big Blue, a huge amount."
"Not for now, let Big Blue watch over the Crystal Stones. At the very least, they are safe."
Nian Shutong did not currently lack Crystal Stones; the whole of Blue Star was hers. Besides, as friendly as Big Blue was, it remained a Fierce Beast; a fight wouldn’t be worth it, she would deal with it later.
She piloted Shadowless, skimming over the sea’s surface, then suddenly soared upward in a straight ascent.
This flying sensation was unlike her own cloud-riding capabilities; it had a sense of control and occasionally came with a bit of weightlessness.
After performing her aerial acrobatics alone for some time, Nian Shutong finally landed on an island.
She landed there because while in the air, she had noticed something reflective on the island and came down to have a look.
"Master, it’s up ahead. There’s a breath of something different there."
Following the direction indicated by the little white mouse, Nian Shutong walked for several hundred meters and found a box amidst a tangle of overgrown weeds.
A box of unknown material, but seeing the rust and patina, one could tell it had been there for a long time.
The box in front of her was about a meter long, more than half a meter wide, and approximately eighty centimeters high. The whole box was rusty and overgrown with weeds, but the lock on the box had no sign of rust and its material remained untarnished.
"Xiao Bai, is the breath you felt coming from this box?"
Xiao Bai climbed off Nian Shutong’s shoulder and paced around the box, finally stopping at the lock.
"Master, the lock is the treasure; the box is just a box."
Nian Shutong crouched down, picked up the lock hanging on the box; without much effort, the lock fell off.
She held the lock in her hand and opened the box; in a moment, all was dust and ashes.
"Luckily, I was prepared."
Nian Shutong turned her Spiritual Power into a breeze, sweeping away the dust in front of her. Looking into the box again, it was completely empty.
"They must have been ancient books."
Nian Shutong wasn’t disappointed; who could have more ancient books than her?
She stood up, weighing the lock in the palm of her hand, and asked Xiao Bai, "What is this?"
"I don’t know; just that it’s a treasure."
Nian Shutong decisively decided to keep it, saying, "Let’s hold onto it for now."