Chapter 446: The Birth of the Storage Pouch

Chongguang Cheng was noisy all night long, causing a stir in all directions; martial artists were everywhere in the streets and alleys tracking the Snake King.

What was strange was that such a massive creature had actually vanished into thin air, disappearing completely within the city.

The only traces left behind were the streets and houses damaged during the rampage, and a single Dutou Pu that had been swallowed.

It is said that the tenant of that Dutou Pu was an old man who sold calligraphy; it is a pity that he was quite old and ended up buried in the snake's belly.

The terrain of Chongguang Cheng is complex, filled with ground fissures and secret passages everywhere; once the Snake King found any hole to slip into, it was like a fish entering the vast sea.

After searching for a full half-month, the commotion finally subsided, and it was confirmed that it could not be found.

The culprit, Zhou You, had not left Chongguang Cheng, but had instead become an honored guest of the city's noble families.

"The conditions are humble, I hope you will not mind, fellow Daoist."

A graceful old man with gray-white hair pointed toward a luxurious courtyard, politely inviting Zhou You to step onto the path paved with White Stone.

Beside him was the 'Lantern-Holding Night Watchman'; the young man had shed his disguise and was wearing a robe embroidered with gold thread.

He was not actually a night watchman at all; he had only disguised himself as a Lantern-Holding Night Watchman to scout Zhou You's whereabouts.

The courtyard under their feet belonged to the Guo clan, one of the five great noble families in the city, used by an octogenarian ancestor of the family for retirement and leisure, and it was rarely disturbed by others on ordinary days.

That octogenarian was the graceful old man before him, the person from the Golden Immortal Dao behind the young man.

"My previous probing was slightly rude, please forgive me!"

The graceful old man was named Guo Liuhe, and the young man was a highly regarded Disciple who served him closely.

"One hundred cows and five hundred sheep have been slaughtered in the backyard; the meat will be delivered shortly to ensure the Snake King is fed."

Guo Liuhe said politely, "When the Snake King entered the city, I went to see it too, thinking that only a powerful martial artist could subdue such a snake; I did not expect you, fellow Daoist, to possess such divine abilities!"

He sighed, "I originally thought the Seal Script you mastered was 'Baozang Wanwu', but seeing you today, you also possess the ability to command wild beasts."

"Fellow Daoist has mastered two types of Seal Script; Liuhe is impressed, truly impressed."

Beside the place where they were conversing was a vast lake; the Snake King was lurking under the water, spitting bubbles and churning up muddy, turbulent waves, feeling particularly playful.

The slaughtered cows and sheep from the backyard were skinned, their limbs removed, and loaded onto large boats to be dumped from the center of the lake.

The Snake King opened its mouth, and chunks of meat fell into it of their own accord; it was eating with great satisfaction.

Zhou You withdrew his gaze, took out the iron broad beans from his pocket, and pinched one to chew on.

"Fellow Daoist Guo, your Seal Script is also very interesting; might you be willing to teach me?"

"'Dark', like closing a door, isolating sound and color; it is a small trick, incomparable to your ability to control the Snake King, fellow Daoist."

Guo Liuhe was clearly covetous of Zhou You's Seal Script power, but his purpose for this trip was something else.

"My Seal Script, 'Dark', follows this pattern..."

Guo Liuhe casually snapped off a tree branch and wrote on the ground at will, actually introducing the Seal Script without any reservations.

The young man on the side was shocked; had his master gone mad? This was a sect secret he himself hadn't been able to touch in half a lifetime. To hand it over to an outsider in such detail—would their sect even be able to continue passing it down? In just a short moment, Zhou You went from a beginner to a basic understanding of the Seal Script 'Pavilion', gaining a deeper realization of the profoundness of Seal Script.

However...

"Stop, no need to say more."

Zhou You hurriedly called a halt, "The essence of Seal Script is a secret of every sect's house; Fellow Daoist Guo has said too much, I dare not listen."

He did not want to listen anymore; if he kept listening, he didn't know how he would ever repay the debt of gratitude!

"Fellow Daoist, to tell you the truth, I am looking for you because of your Seal Script power of Baozang Wanwu!"

Guo Liuhe smiled slightly, "I am willing to use my exclusive Seal Script 'Pavilion' as an exchange for your power of 'Zang'."

So that was it; he was coveting the function of the Hunger Pouch and wanted to trade for it.

However, the source of the Hunger Pouch was his Tianfu Decipher Confusion, which had nothing to do with Seal Script...

Seeing that Zhou You did not speak, Guo Liuhe sighed; he had known this plan would not be easy.

He had sent the young man to trap Zhou You with the 'Dark' character; the original purpose was to give him a show of force and let him see how powerful they were.

Once the timing was right, he would personally step out to release Zhou You and propose the Seal Script exchange.

Seal Script exchange was not a rare thing within the Golden Immortal Dao; it could achieve a result where one plus one is greater than two.

However, some Seal Scripts were rare and powerful, and it was common for those who mastered them to refuse to share.

Guo Liuhe was convinced that the Seal Script Zhou You mastered, which could store supplies in a tiny pocket, had immeasurable prospects for utilization.

If the plan succeeded, there was a ninety percent chance of an exchange.

Unfortunately, the young man's execution was poor; Zhou You had commanded the Snake King to break through the encirclement of the 'Dark' character, and the original plan was ruined in a mess.

Zhou You did not value the 'Dark' character, so naturally, he would not agree to the request to exchange Seal Scripts.

"Fellow Daoist, can we discuss this?"

Guo Liuhe cupped his hands and said, "This matter concerns the survival of Beixuan Zhou; I am not doing this for my own private gain, but for the peace of Beidi."

As it turned out, with the large-scale invasion of the Witch tribe, they brought not only Witches, but also the fierce beasts, poisonous insects, and plagues of Beijing.

As the front line, Beixuan Zhou bore an unprecedented impact, and every city faced a precarious situation.

With a great war imminent, every part of Beixuan Zhou was sharpening weapons and horses and dispatching grain and fodder; the importance of supplies was unprecedented.

Martial artists also had to obey the conservation of energy; the price of mastering powerful combat strength was the need to ingest massive amounts of supplies.

Grain, meat, fruits, vegetables, and medicinal herbs—the higher the realm, the greater the consumption. If scaled up to an army, the quantity required would be an astronomical figure.

Dispatching so many supplies had become a major problem, because those who are good at using troops must value supply lines, protecting their own while raiding the enemy's.

Once even the most powerful martial artist is starved into a weakling, a child with a wooden stick could beat them to death.

Zhou You had deep personal experience; he had been to Zhenxiong Yu and seen to what extent those fierce individuals were weakened by Hunger.

During a great war, once supplies are cut off, the consequences would be catastrophic.

"I understand; Fellow Daoist Guo wants to use my ability to store and transport supplies for the Beixuan Zhou side."

Guo Liuhe nodded and said, "That is correct."

Zhou You rubbed his chin, falling into deep thought.

After a long while, he slowly opened his mouth, "Seal Script is my lifeline and cannot be passed on, but..."

"Pouches made with Seal Script can be traded."

Guo Liuhe had originally been in despair, but upon hearing this, he was overjoyed, "Good, to be able to buy such a priceless treasure, any amount of money is worth it."

"Wait, let me introduce it; this item is a Storage Pocket, and it only has a one-time use."

"The advantage is that there is no capacity limit; you can store as much as you want, and the interior has anti-corrosion and preservation functions."

"I do not want money for this pocket; I only trade for any fragments or Tuopian related to the Nine Tripod Characters."

Guo Liuhe was slightly disappointed to hear the pocket was one-time use, but became extremely pleasantly surprised after learning the capacity was infinite.

A pocket that could hold a massive amount of supplies had its strategic value soar, and if used well, it could turn the tide of a battle.

It was a pity that the other party regarded this Seal Script as a treasure and would not trade it no matter what.

(End of this chapter)