Ch 214: Is There Really Such a Good Thing? [QT]

The fact that this was Shen Yunxuan’s first time traveling alone since offering herself to the state made everyone uneasy. They wanted to send more people to protect her.

However, this was a level-six interstellar world, and the dangers likely involved mecha battles, laser cannons, and other high-tech weaponry—things special forces soldiers wouldn’t be able to counter. Even though they had developed some abilities and cultivation, they were still far from being able to withstand interstellar-level advanced technology and military power.

Shen Yunxuan, on the other hand, had just advanced significantly by converting a large amount of faith energy. Her abilities had surpassed level ten, and she was proficient in drawing talismans, setting up formations, and many other techniques. Even if she had to fight, she could at least protect herself and escape. Besides, she could return to her home world at any time.

This final point convinced everyone—if she could freely return, her life wouldn’t be in immediate danger. That made the risk worth taking.

The country’s top medical personnel were stationed at the transversal chamber, on high alert, ready to treat Shen Yunxuan at a moment’s notice. Under everyone’s tense watch, she teleported to the interstellar world.

---

Looking around, Shen Yunxuan saw that there was no one in sight. It wasn’t the highly advanced, futuristic city she had encountered last time, but instead a filthy and chaotic place with collapsed buildings and towering heaps of trash, comparable to a post-apocalyptic wasteland.

A sense of alarm rose in her heart. Had a major war broken out in this world? As she spotted a large pile of debris with a discarded car among it, she walked over, intending to collect the vehicle for research.

However, before she could approach, something shot toward her at high speed from the sky, accompanied by a stern voice shouting, “Who’s there?”

Shen Yunxuan looked up to see a group of people rushing toward her on flying devices. The devices were extremely crude, rusted, and worn, yet they managed to keep the men airborne and moved at impressive speeds.

Exuding an air of harmlessness, Shen Yunxuan raised her hands and said, “I’m just looking around to see what’s here.”

“This is our territory! Are you new here?” One of them landed and scrutinized her with a frown. “How does someone like you have such delicate skin?”

They exchanged glances and whispered among themselves, “She looks so good, and her clothes seem expensive. She’s clearly some rich lady. Maybe she got thrown here by someone?”

“Let’s not get involved,” another said warily. “We don’t want trouble.”

A third sneered. “She’s been dumped on a garbage planet. No matter who she used to be, she’s done for now. How about… we take her back for some fun?”

With her heightened senses after advancing her cultivation, Shen Yunxuan heard every word clearly. A sharp glint flashed in her eyes, and just as she was about to act, an airship rapidly approached from above. The men’s expressions changed instantly, paling with fear as they prepared to flee.

But the airship moved even faster. In the blink of an eye, it was hovering above them. The lower hatch opened, and a massive load of discarded items rained down. Some of the discarded weapons fired off stray laser blasts as they fell. One of the men was struck and killed instantly as he tried to escape.

Shen Yunxuan quickly dodged, noticing the wrist devices worn by the remaining men. She rushed forward, casting a protective barrier over them to block an incoming strike. “Hand over your wrist computers and space buttons, and I’ll keep you alive.”

“What? You’re robbing us in the middle of this?” The men glared at her fiercely.

Shen Yunxuan simply withdrew her barrier and nimbly avoided the falling debris herself. Because they had hesitated, another one of them was hit by a stray laser and dropped dead on the spot, while another was crushed under a massive chunk of metal, spitting blood as he screamed in terror, “Save me! Help me—!”

Calmly dodging the incoming wreckage, Shen Yunxuan said, “A trade.”

The bleeding man gasped, “I agree! I agree!” With shaking hands, he ripped off his wrist computer and tossed a tiny metallic button toward her. “Take it all! Just get me out of here!”

Shen Yunxuan caught the items, then spun and delivered a powerful palm strike, sending a wave of energy that lifted the debris off his body. With another flick of her hand, she propelled him far away, safely landing him on solid ground.

The remaining survivors, some with minor wounds and others struggling to stand, desperately screamed for help, all agreeing to the trade. Shen Yunxuan encased them in a protective barrier and carried them away from the drop zone, securing their wrist computers and space buttons in the process.

Once they had escaped about a kilometer from danger, the men collapsed onto the ground, drenched in sweat. “We almost died in a trash heap.”

“Why did a garbage ship show up today? This isn’t the usual schedule.”

“I heard the two major factions of the Federation are at war, and the battlefield is close to the garbage planet. Maybe they’re dumping battle debris here.”

“Bastards. They set the rules, and they don’t even follow them.”

“Heh. The garbage planet is almost full. Before long, it’ll be destroyed. Who cares about the rules? Hahaha, even if we survive, what then? We’re just pollution in the universe.”

Surviving the ordeal didn’t bring them relief—only deeper despair. From their scattered conversation, Shen Yunxuan pieced together the situation.

But to her, the crisis on this garbage planet was a golden opportunity.

Just like that discarded car and the broken laser gun—here, they were trash. But in her home world, they were invaluable high-tech assets.

With limited time, she took out a few soft cakes and milk. “Do you want something to eat?”

The men froze. “Where did you get that?”

“Brought it from home.” Shen Yunxuan tossed the food to them and opened a pack for herself.

On this garbage planet, everything they ate and used was discarded waste, mostly expired nutrient solutions. They had never seen such fragrant, soft cake or fresh milk.

Shen Yunxuan had brought these from home? Did that mean she was a noble?

Holding the food, they were at a loss. “You… how did you end up on the garbage planet?”

Shen Yunxuan spoke mysteriously, “I wasn’t thrown here—I came voluntarily. I want to discuss a collaboration with your garbage planet.”

“Collaboration?” They were even more baffled. “We have nothing here. What could we possibly collaborate on?”

Shen Yunxuan gestured toward the still-falling garbage in the distance. “That trash. I can take away all of your garbage and, in exchange, provide you with supplies—things like these.”

With a wave of her hand, the ground was suddenly filled with various food items, clothing, and daily necessities. Though they weren’t particularly high-tech, for the residents of the garbage planet, these were treasures. Surviving on expired nutrient packs, they had never seen food like this—this was luxury beyond reach, something even money couldn’t buy.

These supplies were far more useful to them than the trash heaps. The group stared in speechless shock, eyes fixed on the goods, unable to even blink. Some reached out, wanting to touch them, but just as they picked up an item, Shen Yunxuan retracted the rest.

Facing their stunned expressions, she said calmly, “Your garbage planet must have a leader or some authority, right? My time is limited. Go and report my proposal to your leader. Whether they accept or not, just give me an answer. In the meantime, I’ll collect some garbage.”

One of them blurted out, “What do you want garbage for?”

This trash was discarded by major cities and battlefields—why would a noble lady want garbage?

“I have my reasons,” Shen Yunxuan replied. “If I remove all of this garbage, then this planet won’t be classified as a top-level pollution zone anymore, meaning it won’t be destroyed, right? This is a win-win situation. Go quickly—miss this opportunity, and you won’t get another.”

The group exchanged glances. “Then come with us.”

“I’ll stay here and pick up garbage.” Shen Yunxuan’s smile disappeared, revealing her imposing presence.

Only then did they realize that her harmless, delicate demeanor at the start had been an act. Now that she had assessed their capabilities, she was showing her true nature. Knowing they couldn’t defeat her, they didn’t dare provoke her further and simply flew off on their crafts.

Taking advantage of this, Shen Yunxuan began collecting garbage. With new waste still being dumped from the sky, these were the freshest piles, untouched by other scavengers, and contained plenty of valuable items she needed.

Laser guns, scrapped mechas, wrecked cars, nutrient solutions, energy potions, medical supplies, broken treatment pods, holographic helmets—so many high-tech items beyond her home world’s level. She carefully picked through and stored them in her storage bracelet, storage bags, and space buttons.

She had taken those space buttons from the previous group for exactly this purpose—there was too much trash, and she could never take it all. Luckily, each button had the capacity of a 200-square-meter room, allowing her to collect a significant amount.

Finally, the garbage ship finished dumping and quickly departed. The air was thick with dust, and only Shen Yunxuan remained, leaping among the heaps, selecting salvageable goods.

At that moment, several flying crafts approached, followed by a hovering vehicle. As they neared, a middle-aged man with a deep scar across his face stepped out of the car. His expression was emotionless, but his cold demeanor carried an intimidating air.

The scarred man fixed his gaze on Shen Yunxuan. “You’re the noblewoman they mentioned? Which family are you from?”

It seemed he was somewhat familiar with interstellar politics, but Shen Yunxuan had no intention of revealing anything. “Do you want to collaborate?”

The scarred man remained silent, speculating that this might be connected to escalating conflicts among the Federation’s factions. Perhaps an aristocratic family was conducting secret operations, using the garbage planet as cover. Still, he couldn’t figure out what was valuable here—this junk was only useful to the exiled people like them.

Shen Yunxuan waved her hand, displaying the supplies she had brought. She had prepared a considerable amount for this trade, an impressive stockpile. Even though the scarred man maintained a stoic face, his eyes betrayed his shock.

So much material—no matter how this played out, the garbage planet would benefit. The people behind him were visibly excited, eyes glowing red with desire, itching to grab everything immediately.

Suspicious, the scarred man asked, “You want all of our garbage in exchange for this? Nothing else?”

Shen Yunxuan nodded and added, “I also need books of all kinds. Even basic school textbooks will do. If you have them, I can provide you with even better supplies—like fresh vegetables and meat. You can cook proper meals.”

Books? Even basic educational ones? These were worthless on the garbage planet, not rare at all. They could easily copy some and give them to Shen Yunxuan. And in return, she would provide high-grade food?

The people around him were even more puzzled—books were everywhere, so why did Shen Yunxuan want them?

Suddenly, an absurd yet oddly plausible theory popped into their minds—was Shen Yunxuan’s family planning to leave the Federation and secretly establish a small independent nation on some uninhabited planet?

It sounded ridiculous, but to them, it was the most logical explanation they could come up with. Their hearts started pounding. If Shen Yunxuan’s family was truly building a new nation, could they be taken along? If so, they could finally escape the garbage planet and live normal lives.

The garbage planet wasn’t just devoid of resources; its environmental conditions were horrific. Sandstorms were frequent, the air was dry, the sun scorched them during the day, and the nights were freezing. Surviving here was pure torment. If there was even the slightest chance to leave, they were willing to pay any price.

The scarred man stepped forward and asked, “Books aren’t a problem. But how do you plan to leave here? Can you take us with you?”

Shen Yunxuan’s brow lifted slightly as she instantly grasped their thoughts. However, she barely understood the interstellar world yet and had no means to contend with its advanced military forces. She truly couldn’t take them away. Even if she smuggled them to another planet, she wouldn’t be able to protect them, and they would be hunted down.

After some thought, she considered an alternative: hijacking a ship and taking them to a better, uninhabited planet where they could sustain themselves. If she then set up an enormous illusionary array to hide the planet from the Federation, could that work?

Perhaps it was worth testing the array’s effectiveness, but for now, it was impossible. She answered, “I don’t have the means to take anyone away at the moment. Maybe in a few years, or maybe never. So for now, I can only trade supplies. I’ll provide whatever you need, as long as I have it.”

Their disappointment was evident, but they understood. Her response only reinforced their earlier speculation—Shen Yunxuan’s family must be trying to establish its own rule on a distant planet. Right now, they were struggling and couldn’t afford to bring others along. But if they succeeded in a few years, they could accept them. If they failed, her family would be doomed, and they wouldn’t be able to help anyone.

They silently justified Shen Yunxuan’s stance with their own reasoning, and that reasoning gave them a faint glimmer of hope. In fact, they even wanted her to take all the garbage as quickly as possible, use whatever she could, and build that small country fast so they could join her. Their attitude toward her softened significantly.

The scarred man stepped back and said, “I agree to the deal. You can take whatever garbage you want. We’ll have the books delivered immediately.”

Someone behind him hesitated before saying, “Can we exchange the books for something other than premium food? Winter is coming, and the nights are deadly cold. We need heating supplies.”

Shen Yunxuan hadn’t brought such items, assuming the interstellar world had advanced heating solutions. She had only prepared food and clothing, not expecting to end up on the garbage planet.

After some thought, she said, “I don’t have any now, but I’ll bring some next time. For now, set aside a house or a small yard for me nearby. If I come in a hurry and don’t have time to meet you, I’ll just leave things there.”

“There’s one right over there.” Someone pointed a few hundred meters away at a dilapidated house, then hesitated, realizing it looked too much like ruins and might be disrespectful. Embarrassed, they withdrew their hand and carefully glanced at Shen Yunxuan.

But Shen Yunxuan found it perfect—it was neither too close nor too far from the garbage piles. “That’ll do. I’ll go mark it.”

As soon as she spoke, she had already moved a hundred meters away. Within a few breaths, she was inside the yard of the house.

The scarred man and his group were stunned. One of them swallowed hard and whispered, “She didn’t use a flight device. How did she do that?”

“Could it be an invisible flight system?”

“Possibly. No wonder her family dares to go against the Federation. They must be extremely powerful.”

“Then working with her is only beneficial to us. The garbage keeps piling up, and the pollution level on this planet is rising dangerously. If she takes the garbage away, she’ll be solving our biggest problem.”

The scarred man listened to his subordinates’ discussion, narrowed his eyes in thought, and nodded. “That’s right. If she can really get rid of all this garbage, she’s saving our lives. And besides, there’s all that food.”

Their eyes drifted to the supplies Shen Yunxuan had provided. This time, they swallowed their saliva out of hunger.

The scarred man ordered his men to store the goods in a space button and take them back to their warehouse—partly to ensure Shen Yunxuan wouldn’t change her mind or scam them. Only once the supplies were secured in their warehouse would they truly feel at ease.

Meanwhile, in the yard, Shen Yunxuan set up a teleportation array. She was worried that if she ended up somewhere else next time, it would be troublesome to return. By placing this array here, she could teleport directly to this location, no matter where she landed in this world.

While setting up the array, she suddenly thought of a way to provide heating for them. Returning to the scarred man, she pulled a random item from the garbage pile to use as a table, took out a thick stack of yellow paper, and began drawing talismans.

Talismans were completely outside the realm of understanding for interstellar inhabitants. They had never seen anything like it before. The scarred man moved closer and examined the unfamiliar symbols. Confused, he asked, “What is this?”

Shen Yunxuan didn’t lift her head as she said, “A talisman that will keep you warm.”

It was already dusk, and the temperature was beginning to drop. After finishing a talisman, Shen Yunxuan directly slapped it onto the scarred man. He flinched in shock, instantly backing away several steps and raising his laser gun, heart pounding. With how fast she had moved, if she had wanted to kill him just now, he would already be dead!

Shen Yunxuan ignored his wary reaction and smiled. “How do you feel? Still cold?”

The scarred man was momentarily stunned before realizing that his body was indeed warm—completely unaffected by the evening chill! Surprised, he looked down at the spot where she had touched him, but the talisman was gone. “What… what is this?”

“You can think of it as a special tool,” Shen Yunxuan explained while drawing more talismans at an incredible speed. “There are ones that provide cooling, and ones that provide warmth. Using them is simple—just slap it onto yourself, and it lasts for a full day.”

The scarred man and his people hadn’t expected Shen Yunxuan to possess such an incredible ability. Their gazes toward her changed completely, now filled with eager anticipation. If her family was truly as powerful as they suspected, perhaps she could really take them away from here. Maybe they had a chance to escape their fate.

Wanting to secure this partnership, the scarred man immediately ordered his men to gather every book available on the garbage planet. Physical books were rare, but most existed in digital form, easily compiled into a single storage device. Noticing that Shen Yunxuan had been picking out mecha parts, weapons, and vehicles, he guessed she was searching for usable components. So he also had his people bring out the various discarded parts they had stored over the years but never used.

Seeing the massive pile of materials in front of her, Shen Yunxuan quickly drew a large number of talismans for them in return. She also borrowed several more space buttons, promising to return them soon. Then, she contacted her system:

“I can delay my settlement of dimension currency until the end of the day, right?”

“System: Yes. What are you planning, Host?”

“I want to make multiple trips back and forth today, then settle everything at night. That’s the plan.”

With that, she loaded every storage device to its limit and returned to her home base.

---

Seeing Shen Yunxuan return, Elder Xu immediately stood up and approached her. “How did it go? Are you hurt?”

Shen Yunxuan smiled. “Not a scratch, and I’ve gained a massive haul! There’s too much to store here—let’s head straight to the underground warehouse.”

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Xu Wenyu joked, “How much did you bring back? There’s no space here? You could just stay here, unload some items, let the team clean and inspect them, and by the time you’re back, the first batch will be processed.”

Shen Yunxuan waved her hand and laughed. “I found a treasure trove. I need to go back immediately, multiple times. Let’s move quickly! The warehouse probably won’t be enough—just use the parking lot. Get people there to clean and inspect everything. Also, initiate a Level One lockdown—no one is allowed to enter or exit, and no external communications. Do it immediately!”

As she spoke, she darted downstairs without even waiting for the elevator, clearly in a rush.

The others followed quickly, issuing the lockdown order across the Special Affairs Bureau.

When Shen Yunxuan unloaded her haul in the parking lot, everyone’s eyes widened. It was an overwhelming amount of futuristic technology—massive mechas, advanced vehicles, and high-tech weaponry, the likes of which they had only seen in science fiction movies.

“What is all this…?”

Shen Yunxuan explained, “This is garbage I collected from the garbage planet. I managed to take these without alerting the interstellar government, and there’s an endless supply of broken but still useful items. I even found a few fully intact weapons and vehicles, possibly discarded but still valuable for research.

“There’s also a storage device filled with books—not classified information, but still valuable for research. I’ve secured a deal with the garbage planet’s leader: we exchange food and daily necessities for their trash.

“I borrowed multiple space buttons from them to bring all this back. Now I’m heading right back to make more trips before the system settlement. Once I level up, time over there might speed up by years, and I might lose access to this treasure trove.

“So, load up all available storage devices for me. Also, they urgently need solar-powered devices, particularly heating and cooling systems.”

Everyone immediately sprang into action, preparing materials and gathering storage bags.

As they worked, Shen Yunxuan kept drawing talismans. She always believed in reciprocating goodwill—though their supplies were limited, she could provide plenty of talismans. With so many valuable resources from the garbage planet, she wouldn’t let the scarred man and his people suffer a loss.

Once everything was ready, she returned to the garbage planet. Only half an hour had passed.

---

Arriving at the garbage site, she found most of the planet’s residents gathered there, under the scarred man’s command. They were specifically sorting out weapons, mecha parts, and other materials she had favored earlier, making it easier for her to collect them.

Shen Yunxuan thanked them and immediately stored everything, then handed over the latest batch of supplies and talismans to the scarred man. She packed her storage spaces to full capacity again before returning to her world.

Back at the Bureau, resources were running low. Elder Xu had no choice but to personally request approval from the top brass, subtly hinting at the presence of extremely valuable technology.

The urgency of the situation prompted the highest authority to send a general to personally deliver the supplies.

A convoy of a hundred massive trucks arrived at the Bureau, loaded with all the items Shen Yunxuan had requested. The trucks were stopped outside a heavily guarded perimeter, overseen personally by Elder Xu. No one was allowed inside, and no unnecessary conversations were permitted. Only Shen Yunxuan was allowed to approach the vehicles and collect the supplies.

The arriving general pulled Elder Xu aside, speaking in a hushed tone. “This level of lockdown? Just what exactly did you find?”

Elder Xu, an old comrade-in-arms, answered just as quietly, “Something worth protecting at all costs.”

The general let out a low whistle. “No wonder they sent me.” He immediately straightened, patted the gun at his side, and ordered his men to sit in a line facing the wall with their eyes closed.

Shen Yunxuan quickly loaded all the supplies into storage, then teleported back to the garbage planet, unloaded them, collected more items, and returned again.

She repeated this cycle multiple times throughout the day.

---

As the day drew to a close, she turned to the scarred man and said, “I’m leaving now. It will likely be a long time before I return. I wish you all safety and well-being.”

For the people of the garbage planet, “safety and well-being” were the most precious blessings imaginable.

The scarred man looked around—the massive heaps of garbage had diminished drastically. In their place were countless supplies: fresh food, practical necessities, more than they had ever seen before. Their warehouses were overflowing. His heart was filled with deep gratitude.

Bowing deeply, he said solemnly, “Miss Shen, thank you.”

The entire gathered crowd followed his lead, their voices unified in a chorus of gratitude. “Miss Shen, thank you!”

Shen Yunxuan suddenly felt a surge of faith and karmic virtue. She was momentarily stunned—this time, she had only come for trade, yet she had also gained this unexpected reward.

They had felt warmth from her, just as she had felt warmth from them.

She waved to the crowd with a gentle smile. “Until we meet again. May you all be blessed.”

🌸˚˖𓍢ִ໋🌷͙֒✧🩷˚⋆