Chapter 16: True Countenance

A single drop of clear water slid slowly down the stalactite at the ceiling of the cave.

"Drip... drip..."

The drop fell into the pool, sending ripples that spread outward across the still surface. In this profound silence, each drop seemed to echo with startling clarity.

Unknown how long he had been unconscious in the dark, consciousness began to seep back into his body, like clear water flowing into a channel.

Xu Yuan's eyes flickered slightly, then slowly opened, one by one.

Perhaps the prolonged unconsciousness had left his vision blurred, his sight still hazy in the dim surroundings.

In the quiet, a soft, gentle female voice came from beside him:

"You're awake."

"Hmm..."

Xu Yuan replied subconsciously, his vision gradually sharpening, and he recognized the speaker.

Ran Qingmo leaned slightly, silently sitting beside him.

They were very close, and through the fabric, he could faintly feel the warmth radiating from her slender legs.

It was strange. He didn't understand why Ran Qingmo had seated herself so intimately beside him.

Rigid thoughts slowly began to turn. Xu Yuan slowly pushed himself up from the ground.

Then,

he suddenly realized that her proximity was because he still held onto her delicate wrist.

He had gripped it tightly—so tightly that even the pale skin of her wrist had begun to blush with red marks.

As memories from before surfaced, Xu Yuan recalled this was a fixation he had clung to before losing consciousness.

With his original body possessing a spiritual fortune of three points, he would never have let go of Ran Qingmo, even in unconsciousness.

But now, having precisely reached his destination, Xu Yuan released her gently, rubbed his brow, and softly explained:

"Sorry, I have no choice."

Ran Qingmo shook her head, her clear eyes gazing steadily into Xu Yuan's:

"Thank you."

Her thanks were sincere and earnest.

Yet Xu Yuan was momentarily stunned by this unexpected expression of gratitude.

He didn't quite understand why.

But after a brief moment of reflection, he found himself at ease.

Before him, this frozen block of ice had no notion of the fateful fortune required to enter this cave sanctuary.

Perhaps, in her eyes, it was precisely his act of pulling her in—even while unconscious—that allowed her to safely enter this place.

With that thought forming, Xu Yuan had no intention of explaining anything further.

Let this beautiful misunderstanding persist, shall we, heh...

A faint smile playing on his lips, Xu Yuan lifted his gaze toward her:

"Mr. Ran..."

But as his eyes met hers, his mind suddenly stilled.

"........"

She wasn't wearing a veil.

The black veil she had carried all along had slipped away silently the moment she fell from the cliff.

This was the first time Xu Yuan had seen her without the veil.

When the narrative shifted to first-person perspective, and every word had been stretched to describe her beauty—now, before her true face, all of it seemed so shallow, so inadequate.

Xu Yuan steadied himself, gently shaking his head with a soft smile.

No wonder the novels always described those female leads as goddesses incarnate—only now, in this moment, did he truly understand.

Her eyes returned to stillness. Xu Yuan looked at her beautiful gaze and spoke softly:

"Mr. Ran, thank you—those two characters are the most valueless thing in the world."

And then,

Xu Yuan pushed himself up from the ground, standing tall and gazing at her with a smile:

"We made it. So the bet is mine—now you owe me one personal favor."

Ran Qingmo tilted her head slightly, remaining in quiet silence:

"Alright..."

Pausing, she asked gently:

"What do you want from me?"

Hearing the words from the other, Xu Yuan gave a faint smile:

"Keep it. For now, I haven't any tasks that require your help."

With that, he turned his gaze away and scanned the surrounding environment.

It seemed to be a cave. Embedded along the cave walls were white beads, emitting a faint glow—somewhat like the legendary night pearls. With these glimmers, Xu Yuan could now survey the entire cave setting with a clear, almost complete understanding.

The dwelling was not particularly large; by the standards of the previous life, it measured roughly twenty square meters.

A single pool of water, a circular jade bed with a diameter of one zhang—these were all that existed here.

Seeing this, Xu Yuan's brow slowly furrowed.

The size of the dwelling and the presence of the jade bed and water pool were not surprising to him.

But—

where had the large golden chest by the head of the bed vanished?

All the strange encounters within this cave sanctuary are stored inside that treasure chest!

"What's wrong?"

Ran Qingmo seemed to sense the oddity in his breathing, and a clear voice drifted softly to him.

Xu Yuan steadied his mind, calmed his breath, and replied casually:

"Nothing much. Just realized my memories seem to be a bit off."

"Oh..." Ran Qingmo remained silent, continuing to close her eyes and meditate.

Xu Yuan walked toward the jade bed at the very heart of the cave.

With his composure restored, he deduced that the disappearance of the chest must be the world's own self-completion mechanism.

In such a mysterious cave sanctuary, a golden, shining treasure chest would look utterly incongruous.

Since this cave had been proven to draw people in based on their fortune, the things placed within the *Cangyuan* could never simply vanish.

Approaching the jade bed, Xu Yuan lowered his gaze and examined the great round bed before him.

The bedframe was pure white, resembling jade itself, faintly glowing with a soft, ethereal light.

There were no quilts or bedding upon it, yet two rectangular pillows stood in place—these were the only possible hiding spots on the bed, nestled beneath the pillows.

After a moment of hesitation, Xu Yuan slowly reached out and grasped one of the pillows.

It felt cold to the touch, as if carved from primordial ice.

Once set aside, he immediately found, beneath it, a simple, ancient black ring.

Upon seeing it, Xu Yuan instantly recognized what this object truly was.

A storage ring, a Musti ring, or a storage artifact.

He had never expected to find such an item here—suddenly, he felt a strange sense of relief at the world's automatic suggestions, at times proving remarkably useful.

Unlike other realms where every cultivator carried a storage ring, this one was utterly different.

In this world, the Su Mi ring is a supreme treasure.

It's evident from the fact that even masters like Ran Qingmo can only carry their belongings in ordinary bags.

The formula book does provide an explanation.

It's a simple truth:

The Su Mi ring involves the manipulation of spatial dimensions.

If Su Mi rings were commonplace, wouldn't that mean every blacksmith could wield spatial mastery?

Nevertheless, under the completion of the world's fabric, replacing the "Golden Box" with a Su Mi ring truly proves to be a delightful surprise.

Xu Yuan reached out and grasped this ancient, profoundly simple black Su Mi ring in his palm, smiling widely.

But that smile faded quickly.

Though the artifact was splendid, he could not use it.

The SuMi Ji requires Qi to activate, and he is still just an ordinary man at present.

Taking a deep breath, Xu Yuan casually tossed the SuMi Ji to Ran Qingmo, who was seated over there.

She caught it, lowered her gaze, and immediately recognized what it was—having seen similar artifacts before under her master’s guidance.

Yet even with such a top-tier relic in her hands, there was no trace of astonishment in her eyes. Instead, she merely looked at Xu Yuan with a faint expression of confusion.

She didn’t understand why Xu Yuan would hand this SuMi Ji to her.

Xu Yuan smiled gently at her gaze and spoke softly:

“There’s medicine inside for healing your wounds, and some of my belongings from before my death. Right now I can’t retrieve them myself, so I’ll have to rely on you.”