Straying from the Ginseng Path

The two entered the medicine room.

Only then did Lu Xuan speak, voicing the doubt in his heart.

"Manager He, you've got me completely muddled. What exactly is going on?"

"It was mainly because Young Miss happened to be here, so I was a little hasty."

The gaunt old man gestured toward the inner room with his chin and pulled Lu Xuan into a corner.

"You know who stands behind Hundred Herbs Hall, right? One of Vast Forest Market's most renowned alchemy masters."

"The one just now was his granddaughter. Her talent is outstanding; at your age, she has already reached the Qi Refining Middle Stage. She is greatly favored by the master and has the authority to handle most of Hundred Herbs Hall's affairs."

"So that's how it is."

After hearing Manager He's explanation, Lu Xuan nodded.

"But what is the deal with that Blood Jade Ginseng?"

"You are, after all, merely a rogue cultivator Spirit Plant Master. Young Miss does not trust you enough, so she can only entrust you with Spirit Seeds of ordinary quality for planting."

"Still, I believe in your ability. Before long, you will be no weaker than those formidable Spirit Plant Masters in Hundred Herbs Hall."

"As for the Blood Jade Ginseng I mentioned earlier, I was afraid you did not understand those Spirit Plants and might make the wrong choice, so I took it upon myself to decide for you. I hope you do not mind."

Lu Xuan hurriedly shook his head.

"I'm grateful to you already. How could I possibly mind?"

He had dealt with Manager He many times and could clearly sense the old man's goodwill toward him.

"Of those First Grade Spirit Seeds, Blood Jade Ginseng has comparatively low requirements for the spiritual energy in a Spirit Field. Its cultivation conditions are simple, and when the hall buys it back, the price is fairly respectable. Among those Spirit Plants, it offers the best value for the cost."

"It only has one drawback: cultivating it is rather tedious. But I can see that your heart is wholly set on growing Spirit Plants, and you do not place much emphasis on cultivation. It could not be more suitable for you."

Lu Xuan had progressed rapidly in cultivating Spirit Plants, and he had also revealed to the old man that he focused most of his energy on growing them. After weighing it all, Manager He had chosen the First Grade Blood Jade Ginseng for him.

Lu Xuan neither confirmed nor denied the gaunt old man's view of him as an utterly ordinary Qi Training Stage 2 Spirit Plant Master.

"Many thanks, Old He. Little Lu has no way to repay you!!"

He grinned, revealing a mouthful of gleaming white teeth.

"How about giving me a discount on these Spirit Plants?"

Manager He narrowed his eyes, a teasing smile squeezing across his wrinkled face.

"That won't do. Can the bond between us be measured by mere Spirit Stones?"

Lu Xuan refused with righteous solemnity.

"I knew it. You brat values Spirit Stones more than your life. Take them out and let me have a look."

Lu Xuan took the mature Eclipse Moon Fruits and Spirit Firefly Grass from his cloth bag.

He had hidden his Storage Bag and had not brought it out.

"Fourteen Eclipse Moon Fruits in total. Twelve are Good Grade, and two are Superior Grade."

"There are not many Spirit Firefly Grass plants, only ten, but three of them are Superior Grade, with the rest being Good Grade. Manager He, calculate the price!"

"As expected, I did not misjudge you. You have quite the talent for cultivating Spirit Plants."

The gaunt old man was no longer surprised by the mature Spirit Plants Lu Xuan produced, all of which were at least Good Grade. He sighed as he inspected their quality and spoke.

"Good Grade Eclipse Moon Fruits are worth one Spirit Stone and ten Fragmented Spirit Stones each. Superior Grade adds twenty Fragmented Spirit Stones, for a total of fifteen Spirit Stones and eighty Fragmented Spirit Stones."

"Good Grade Spirit Firefly Grass is worth three Spirit Stones and fifty Fragmented Spirit Stones per plant. Superior Grade adds twenty Fragmented Spirit Stones, for a total of thirty-five Spirit Stones and sixty Fragmented Spirit Stones."

"For both types of Spirit Plants, the final total is fifty-one Spirit Stones and forty Fragmented Spirit Stones."

Manager He took out a small pile of Spirit Stones from his Storage Bag and handed them to Lu Xuan.

Lu Xuan accepted them with immense satisfaction. Though growing Spirit Plants earned far fewer Spirit Stones than helping rogue cultivators clear Insect Pests, or the entire fortune Qin Ming had brought him, he would still rather choose the former.

For no other reason than peace and stability.

After disposing of this batch of mature Spirit Plants, only the final ten Spirit Firefly Grass plants remained in the small courtyard.

Judging from their immediate statuses, Lu Xuan estimated that they would all mature within the next few days, just in time before handing the place over to the new rogue cultivator tenant.

"Old He, didn't you say that once we formed a partnership, you would sell Spirit Seeds to me at a low price?"

Unable to suppress his desire for new Spirit Seeds, he asked the gaunt old man.

"You have Spirit Firefly Grass and Eclipse Moon Trees planted in that small courtyard. How much space can you free up?"

"I recently changed to a new courtyard. There is a Spirit Field inside that is much bigger than my previous one, enough to plant quite a few Spirit Plants!"

"I couldn't tell that you had saved up so many Spirit Stones, brat! No wonder you fight over every last Fragmented Spirit Stone whenever you come to Hundred Herbs Hall."

Manager He assumed Lu Xuan had saved enough Spirit Stones through frugality. He never imagined Lu Xuan had rented a courtyard with a Spirit Spring. After teasing him, he led Lu Xuan into a side room.

After greeting a middle-aged cultivator inside, he said to Lu Xuan,

"Hundred Herbs Hall has its own channels for Spirit Seeds. They are ten to twenty percent cheaper than what you can buy outside."

"Spirit Firefly Grass Seeds cost thirty Fragmented Spirit Stones each. Blood Jade Ginseng, being a First Grade Spirit Plant, costs much more—four Spirit Stones per seed."

Lu Xuan compared the prices with those from when he had purchased Spirit Seeds before.

Several months ago, he had bought Spirit Firefly Grass Seeds for forty Fragmented Spirit Stones each. Hundred Herbs Hall charged thirty, a discount of more than twenty percent.

As for Blood Jade Ginseng Spirit Seeds, he had never bought them before, so he could only compare them with the Red Cloud Pine he had purchased at the time.

Red Cloud Pine had cost five Spirit Stones, while Blood Jade Ginseng Spirit Seeds cost four. They were likewise much cheaper.

He instantly felt as though he had struck it rich. "Then I'll take one hundred Spirit Firefly Grass Seeds and twenty Blood Jade Ginseng Spirit Seeds."

Of the two types of Spirit Plants that had already matured, only Spirit Firefly Grass could grant him cultivation rewards, so he planned to plant more of it.

On the surface, he presented himself as a Spirit Plant Master who had given up cultivation and devoted himself wholeheartedly to farming, but in truth, he still thirsted intensely for power.

After all, in a Cultivation World where strength was revered above all, only sufficient personal power could bring greater security and freedom.

The Spirit Stones he had barely had time to warm in his hands were spent at double the rate in an instant.

Holding the Spirit Seeds he had obtained, Lu Xuan sighed inwardly.

After returning to his new courtyard, Lu Xuan controlled the Array Plate to open the Array Formation and went to the Spirit Field in the rear yard.

From Manager He's instructions, he learned that Blood Jade Ginseng Spirit Seeds were normally preserved through special means. Once removed, they had to be planted as quickly as possible, or their vitality would rapidly drain away.

Time waited for no one. He took out a long, flat Jade Box and removed the tiny Talisman attached to it.

Opening the Jade Box, he saw twenty vivid scarlet seeds resembling jade. Pale red mist rose from the surface of every Spirit Seed, carrying a faint chill.

This was also a method for slowing the loss of vitality from Blood Jade Ginseng Spirit Seeds.

Lu Xuan swiftly and carefully removed the Spirit Seeds from the Jade Box, circulating his spiritual power.

Under the pull of the Earth Guidance Art, fine cracks instantly opened across the Spirit Field before him.

"Blood Jade Ginseng, First Grade Spirit Plant. Once mature, it can serve as a primary ingredient for most low-grade qi-and-blood-type pills."

"After planting, neither the Spirit Seeds nor the Spirit Ginseng stay obedient. They move freely and slowly through the Spirit Soil. If they sense others of the same kind, they attract one another. After clinging together for a long time, they will plunder each other's vitality until one side withers away."

With his mind focused, Lu Xuan learned the detailed information about the Blood Jade Ginseng.

"This Blood Jade Ginseng really doesn't follow the ginseng path..."