Red Cloud Pine

Red Cloud Pine

"Nine stalks of Spirit Firefly Grass brought in a total of twenty-nine Low-Grade Spirit Stones and seventy Fragmented Spirit Stones. Adding the six spirit stones and eighty-two Fragmented Spirit Stones I already had, I now have thirty-six Low-Grade Spirit Stones and fifty-two Fragmented Spirit Stones on me."

"Too bad those damned Black Sprout Insect Larvae ruined so many. Otherwise, my fortune would be even fuller."

Thinking of the black thread that had cost him six spirit stones and fifty Fragmented Spirit Stones, Lu Xuan could not help grinding his teeth in hatred.

Money bolstered a man's courage. With such a large sum of spirit stones in hand, even his back straightened considerably.

After leaving Hundred Herbs Hall, Lu Xuan could not stop worrying about his Spirit Field, whose protective strength was better than nothing, and hurried straight toward his next destination.

There were all kinds of shops in the market, among them no shortage of small stores that specialized in, or also sold, Spirit Seeds.

He went into a shop he knew well.

A Common Middle-aged Cultivator at the Qi Refining Low Stage was tending the Spirit Plant Seedlings displayed inside the shop. Seeing Lu Xuan enter, he rose to greet him.

"Little Brother, is there anything I can help you with?"

The shopkeeper asked aloud.

"I'll take a look first."

Lu Xuan replied, his gaze sweeping across the entire shop.

Quite a few varieties of Spirit Seeds were displayed in the shop, all in different forms, most of which Lu Xuan did not recognize.

There were also many Spirit Plant Seedlings placed in the corner, each showing a myriad of strange sights, and Lu Xuan was even less familiar with them.

After Spirit Plants matured, if they were allowed to keep growing, there was a certain chance they would bear Spirit Seeds, but most Spirit Seeds of that sort were not suitable for cultivating new Spirit Plants.

The vast majority of Spirit Seeds had to be condensed through all kinds of special methods, and there were even some condensation methods that only those great sects possessed.

Especially those rare varieties and high-grade Spirit Seeds—their condensation methods would absolutely never circulate to the outside world.

Even the condensation of ordinary-grade Spirit Seeds was not something an ordinary Rogue Cultivator could master. Behind this shop, perhaps some great cultivator or major clan stood.

"How much is one Spirit Firefly Grass Spirit Seed?"

Lu Xuan pointed at the Spirit Firefly Grass seeds on the shelf, which looked like withered tea leaves, and asked the Middle-aged Cultivator.

"Forty Fragmented Spirit Stones each, with a minimum purchase of ten at once. If bought individually, fifty Fragmented Spirit Stones."

"I need twenty."

"In addition, may I trouble you, fellow Daoist, to recommend a First Grade Spirit Plant seedling or Spirit Seed? Preferably one that doesn't demand much spiritual energy and has simple growth conditions."

The small Spirit Field in the courtyard had previously held twenty-four stalks of Spirit Firefly Grass, but this time Lu Xuan did not plan to buy the same number of seeds.

Spirit Firefly Grass and the Eclipse Moon Tree were both without grade. The Eclipse Moon Tree was more valuable, but still could not be considered First Grade.

And the richness of the White Light Orb that appeared after a Spirit Plant matured was affected by many factors, among them the Spirit Plant's type and grade.

So Lu Xuan wanted to try planting a relatively simple First Grade Spirit Plant and see what kind of light orb reward would appear once it matured.

"Low spiritual energy requirements, simple growth conditions..."

"How about these two?"

"They're both First Grade Spirit Plants. One is the Blood Devouring Vine Spirit Seed. It needs to be fed a certain amount of exotic beast or Demon Beast Blood Meat essence. After it matures, taking it directly can strengthen the qi and blood in a cultivator's body, or assist in cultivating certain special cultivation methods."

"The other is a Red Cloud Pine seedling. During the cultivation process, it occasionally needs to be nourished with Fire Spiritual Power. The Red Cloud Pine Spirit Fruit it bears contains abundant spiritual power, and its taste is unique and marvelous. It's extremely popular among Female cultivators."

The higher a Spirit Plant's grade, the harsher its requirements for growing environment and conditions became—spiritual energy, Spirit Soil, Spirit Spring, and all sorts of complicated conditions. The cultivation of these two First Grade Spirit Plants was already relatively simple.

Lu Xuan first ruled out the Blood Devouring Vine. What a joke. Right now, he was barely at the stage of having enough to eat and keep warm, and he might not even get a meal of Demon Beast Meat once every ten days or half a month. If he planted this Blood Devouring Vine, what would he use to feed it?

He couldn't very well cut his own flesh to feed the vine, could he?

As for the Red Cloud Pine, he currently knew the Fireball Technique, and later there were still more than ten stalks of Spirit Firefly Grass and the Eclipse Moon Fruit to draw prizes from. Perhaps he might draw some Fire-Type Technique; supplying it with a small amount of Fire Spiritual Power should not be too much of a problem.

"How many spirit stones does that Red Cloud Pine seedling cost?"

Lu Xuan pointed at a pine seedling in the corner. The little pine tree was less than two feet tall, its pine needles like thin crimson needles. From afar, it looked like a small cluster of scarlet clouds, which was where the Red Cloud Pine got its name.

"Five spirit stones," the Middle-aged Cultivator replied.

"Twenty Spirit Firefly Grass seeds, plus this Red Cloud Pine seedling. Twelve spirit stones, and I'll take them all. How about it?"

"Little Brother, you're cutting the price a bit too fiercely. How about this, I'll take a loss just to earn some shouting—add another seventy Fragmented Spirit Stones."

"Fellow Daoist, you also know it isn't easy for a little Rogue Cultivator to earn a few spirit stones."

"It's only because I saw that this Red Cloud Pine had fate with me that my heart was moved. If I really buy it, I still don't even know whether I can plant it successfully!"

"Fifty Fragmented Spirit Stones. I can't go any higher."

"Deal!" The Middle-aged Cultivator shook his head and smiled bitterly.

He handed twenty Spirit Firefly Grass seeds to Lu Xuan, then helped pack the Red Cloud Pine seedling into a cloth bag, and urged Lu Xuan to plant it as soon as possible. If it was delayed too long, it would affect the seedling's vitality.

Lu Xuan accepted the advice readily and nodded, then, with a pained expression, took out the twelve spirit stones and fifty Fragmented Spirit Stones that had not even fully warmed in his hands yet. Money and goods were settled.

In the market, Lu Xuan argued with a Rogue Cultivator until his face and ears flushed red.

"Fellow Daoist, this Protective Array is only secondhand goods, and there are even bloodstains on it. That's a sign of great ill fortune, an inauspicious omen! Twenty spirit stones is already a high price!"

The Rogue Cultivator looked helpless.

"Little Brother, if the array were brand-new, the price I asked would at least double. As for a few bloodstains, they won't affect its protective ability. You cut it from twenty-five Spirit Stones down to twenty in one breath—is that any way to bargain?"

"There isn't much wrong with the array, but its origins are unclear, which is a little worrying. And who knows how many years it's been used? I'm afraid it might not hold up."

Lu Xuan put on the appearance of someone who wanted to buy it, yet was weighed down with worries.

"How about this: twenty-one Spirit Stones. If anything goes wrong with the array, you can come find me at the market. I've been setting up my stall here for over ten years; I still have that much credibility."

"All right. Consider it me making a friend of you."

Lu Xuan made his decision and took out twenty-one Low-Grade Spirit Stones.

"No, no, no. Let's talk Spirit Stones, not friendship."

The Rogue Cultivator hurriedly refused. To shave off a few Spirit Stones, Lu Xuan had already argued with him for nearly half an hour. If there really was some friendship between them, who knew how many Spirit Stones it would take to offset it?

Lu Xuan received the Array Plate speckled with dark-red bloodstains from the Stall Owner and carefully tucked it into his robes.

He did not care about those bloodstains at all. After all, no matter how frightening any ghost might be, it could not compare to a poor ghost.

Once, to avoid haggling, he had never gone to roadside shops. But in this Cultivation World, to save the tiniest bit of Spirit Stones, he had already honed a set of bargaining skills where every slash drew blood.

"The Spirit Stones from the nine stalks of Spirit Firefly Grass are all gone again, and I even dipped into my original savings."

"Still, the haul is pretty good. Twenty Spirit Firefly Grass seeds and one Red Cloud Pine seedling."

"Most importantly, the Protective Array I've been yearning for day and night is finally in hand."

Lu Xuan pinched his chest, which had once again grown shriveled, and thought to himself.