Chapter 71: True Brothers, Bound by Loyalty

Shen He grabbed the monkey carcass by the ankle and made his way out of the passage. Soon, he arrived at the end of the corridor, where it connected to the vast hollow chamber. Not far away, near a small pool formed by the accumulation of stone milk, a glowing treasure chest sat just as he expected.

He casually tossed the monkey’s body aside, stepped forward, and bent down to open the chest. Inside, a purple-gold gourd lay quietly.

(Premium Purple-Gold Gourd: Can contain identical liquids. Over time, it grants the stored liquid the effect of strengthening the body and can rapidly restore a large amount of stamina.)

(This will be perfect for storing the stone milk.)

He clicked his tongue in satisfaction at the gourd. This survival guide really did come through at a critical moment! He had actually managed to get a piece of equipment through his complaint, and it was the most suitable for his current predicament. It was almost as if the system was blatantly telling him that the purple-gold gourd was meant for him to fill with stone milk.

A good friend indeed, always loyal.

Shen He took out the gourd, and the treasure chest slowly faded into nothingness. The gourd was still warm to the touch. He popped open the stopper and aimed the mouth directly at the stone milk below. With a mere thought, the gourd began to automatically absorb the liquid. The process was swift—within half a minute, the once sizable pool was nearly drained.

However, Shen He intentionally left behind a palm-sized portion. As the saying goes, ‘never harvest all the medicine; leave some fortune behind.’ He hadn’t completely drained the stone milk that had accumulated here over countless years. But if Chen Zhao and the others decided to take the rest when they arrived, that would be their business. Any loss of fortune would not fall on him.

He then went to check the other corridors thoroughly, but found nothing of value. So he pulled out his walkie-talkie and instructed Chen Zhao and the group to follow his path into the cave. After all, carrying a monkey corpse as tall as a man was exhausting—better to let the professionals handle it.

Shen He took a small sip from the gourd. Instantly, a fragrant freshness filled his mouth, and he could feel the stone milk rapidly enhancing his attributes. In just a minute, each attribute had already increased by 0.1.

Of course, the first minute was always the most potent; the rate of improvement would slow down considerably afterward. By his estimate, that tiny sip would eventually boost all his stats by at least +1. However, according to the survival guide, one should only drink a small mouthful of stone milk per day; any more would be wasted. Still, for healing wounds, it was permissible to drink a bit extra.

He resealed the gourd and stored it in his black-gold ring. Then he found a place to rest, waiting for Chen Zhao’s group to arrive. While waiting, he allocated the five free attribute points gained from killing the monkey, putting two into stamina and one into each of the other attributes. Immediately, a warm current surged through his body, further strengthening all aspects.

After about fifteen minutes, he heard footsteps and the complaints of Wu Xiaoxiao, the young woman. As they passed through the narrow gap in the passage, she, despite her ample figure, got stuck and had to be pushed through by Chen Zhao.

When they reached the end, Chen Zhao and his companions immediately spotted Shen He sitting there. He glanced at them and said, “Come verify the goods. This monkey was no pushover—you’ll have to pay extra.”

The group stepped forward and were astonished by the human-sized monkey corpse. The suited man from before, carrying a briefcase, opened it and began his analysis.

Shen He moved over to Chen Zhao and spoke in a low voice, “My recorder broke when I came in. You probably won’t get any footage of the fight.”

Chen Zhao, though a little disappointed, replied, “That’s not a big deal. The main purpose is to gather information for everyone’s reference. If it’s broken, so be it.”

Shen He pointed to the remaining palm-sized portion of stone milk. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you—that stuff’s valuable. Before you turn it in, make sure everyone gets a sip.”

Chen Zhao’s eyes lit up. “You already drank some?”

Shen He rubbed his stomach. “I’ve had my fill.”

Chen Zhao nodded and whispered to the others, including the suited man. They spread out to search the area. When they returned, everyone’s recorder was damaged to varying degrees.

“Captain Chen, the roads here are terrible. My recorder’s busted.”

“Master, mine’s broken too.”

“No problem. We’ll have the repair department fix them when we get back.”

He watched these ‘actors’ put on a show, then each took a sip of the stone milk—none of them drank too much, as the pool’s volume barely changed.

Shortly after, the suited man approached Shen He. “Strength is at lower second tier, and it’s a primate. Estimated at five hundred thousand.”

Chen Zhao gave a thumbs-up and grinned. “Smart.”

He was familiar with the internal data—monsters were now appearing everywhere, and their remains were being catalogued in the internal network, including names, strengths, and values. It was clear the suited man had inflated the price, likely as thanks for the tip about the stone milk.

After all, times had changed. Not only did monsters now exist, but rare opportunities appeared as well—mutated herbs that could enhance the human body, for instance. The internal network already had records of such things.

This stone milk was far superior to anything previously recorded. They weren’t refusing to hand it over—just sneaking a taste beforehand. Not much at all.

The suited man turned and said, “Same account as last time, with an extra fifty thousand as a finder’s fee. That’s five hundred and fifty thousand in total. The transfer will be made shortly.”

Shen He agreed, then watched as they began packing up the monkey carcass, recording the scene with their phones, and re-examining the area. The stone milk was stored in a special container—about three hundred milliliters remained, enough for the scientists to study.

Wu Xiaoxiao led the way out, and as expected, got stuck again at the narrow gap. Her face flushed, she looked back at Shen He. “Give me a push.”

Without hesitation, Shen He shoved her through. She popped out, turned away, and rubbed her chest with a grimace, muttering under her breath.