Suzy didn’t offer an immediate response. She knew Xian wasn’t saying all this without an ulterior motive, but she couldn’t quite figure out what he was driving at yet. She decided to wait and let him continue.
Sure enough, Xian went on. He leaned down and rummaged beneath his stall for a moment before producing three storage pouches and placing them on the table.
The three pouches were identical in size, though each featured a different color. They were crafted from thick, durable fabric, their openings adorned with intricate, delicate embroidery. He lined the three pouches up in front of Suzy and pushed them across the tabletop toward her.
"What are these...?" Suzy blinked in surprise.
Seeing her bewildered expression, Xian chuckled and pushed the three pouches a fraction closer. "Storage pouches."
Suzy froze. Is he giving them to me as a gift?? Or is he trying to sell them to me??
Xian offered a warm, easy smile. "Look, I’ve seen my fair share of outsiders visiting our town. Nine out of ten are desperately short on storage space. Your world doesn’t have these, so what you can carry on you is limited, and when you pick up good loot, you never have anywhere to put it. Mine might not be top-of-the-line, but they’re undeniably practical."
He reached out, picked up a deep blue pouch, and gave it a gentle pat. "Ten cubic meters. More than enough space for your odds and ends."
"Are these... for me?" Suzy tested the waters carefully.
"Of course."
"This... this is far too generous." Suzy stared at the three pouches on the table, unable to tear her eyes away.
Ten cubic meters. Was he really this lavish with his gifts?? Giving her a storage pouch right off the bat—and handing over three at once! Suzy was thoroughly stunned.
At this moment, it was hard to put her feelings into words. These were storage pouches!
Perhaps to someone in a cultivation realm, a ten-cubic-meter space was nothing special. To Suzy herself, it wasn’t particularly mind-blowing either, considering she possessed a whole spatial dimension of her own.
But!
She could give them to Thomas and the others! Leonard already had a spatial ability, but Thomas, Derek, and Liam didn’t. Xian’s storage pouches couldn’t have arrived at a more perfect time!
"Just take them, it’s really no big deal," Xian urged, taking her silent, wide-eyed stare for hesitation. He added reassuringly, "They’re not worth much anyway, so don’t carry any heavy psychological burden over it."
Xian was simply telling the truth. In a cultivation world, basic storage pouches weren’t rare or valuable items; almost every cultivator carried one as a matter of course. What was truly precious were pocket dimensions—places large enough for a person to enter physically and cultivate inside.
Suzy glanced at him before finally reaching out to pick up the deep blue storage pouch. The opening felt supple to the touch, the fabric thick and sturdy, while the embroidered patterns on the surface shimmered with a subtle, faint aura under the light.
She tentatively extended her consciousness inward and sure enough, a spacious interior materialized before her mind’s eye—a perfectly square area resembling a neat little storage room.
"Thank you, Mr. Xian."
Suzy didn’t stand on ceremony any longer and naturally adjusted her form of address.
Hearing the respectful title, the smile on Xian’s face widened even further. "Alright, now that you’ve got your items and made a new acquaintance, head back and get some good rest. You don’t have much time left anyway."
He pointed toward the ancient tree nearby, where Yeon was still hanging upside down. The young man had stopped shouting altogether and was casually taking in the scenery, looking surprisingly at ease.
"Next time you visit, come straight to me first. Don’t let that brat intercept you halfway."
"Will do." Suzy stowed the three storage pouches away safely and bent down to scoop up Kitty.
Kitty let out a small yawn in her arms, her tail curling gently around Suzy’s wrist. Meanwhile, Dummy poked his head out from her forearm, flicking his tongue at Xian.
Xian glanced at the snake and cat, giving a slight nod. "You’ve raised your spiritual beasts well."
Without offering any further explanation, Suzy gave him a friendly wave, turned around, and began walking back along the flagstone path.
She could indeed feel her time in the town drawing to a close. It was as if an invisible force was gently nudging her outward, urging her to leave promptly. Suzy quickened her steps, and in no time at all, she crossed back underneath the town archway.
Behind her, she felt a familiar yet powerful swell of energy slowly closing off the space. Like an invisible door, it gently shut the moment she stepped across the threshold.
Back in her own spatial domain, Suzy looked down at herself. This excursion had been immensely rewarding. Not only had she traded a bottle of spring water for a protective jade pendant, but she had also walked away with three storage pouches for free.
Not bad at all.
Suzy hadn’t expected a single trip to Mountain Town to yield such impressive rewards.
Trading a single bottle of spiritual spring water for a protective jade pendant capable of neutralizing three fatal blows—plus three bonus storage pouches—was an incredible bargain in her book. More importantly, she had established connections with Xian and Yeon. If she kept trading with them down the line, who knew what other treasures she might get her hands on?
In a fantastic mood, Suzy headed back to her cozy cottage inside her spatial domain. She began examining the three storage pouches Xian had gifted her, while keeping the protective jade pendant close on her person so it would be ready to trigger whenever needed.
Checking the pouches one by one, she found no issues whatsoever. To her pleasant surprise, she even discovered that the storage pouches provided thermal insulation rather than merely holding items, making them infinitely more practical.
Instead of handing them out immediately, Suzy drafted a detailed checklist. She listed every essential supply she could think of for her companions, intending to pack the pouches completely before giving them away. Just in case an emergency ever forced them apart, having these supplies would ensure none of them would struggle to survive.
The emergency kits she prepared included weapons, food, medicine, warm clothing, essential daily supplies, and heavy-duty camping gear. Even after packing three full sets of equipment for each person, the pouches were only half-full—leaving plenty of extra room for their personal use.
After double-checking to confirm that all three pouches were packed to the brim, Suzy exited her space, feeling immensely satisfied.
Once back in the real world, she realized it was already late into the night. Suppressing the urge to distribute the pouches right then and there, she turned in for the night.
After a restful sleep, Suzy woke up to find broad daylight streaming in.
The group gathered around the table first thing in the morning for breakfast. Taking advantage of the brief lull, Suzy produced the three storage pouches and placed them on the table before them.
"Pick one, you guys," Suzy said.
"What are these?" Leonard asked, leaning in with genuine curiosity. "Wait, is there not one for me?"
The three storage pouches sitting on the table were clearly meant for Thomas and the other two.