Lotus Insect Grass

Lu Feng smiled easily. "The agreement of three palms has passed. Can tonight's grievances be laid to rest?"

Old Master Yan signaled for Yan Zhengchi to step forward and offer Lu Feng congratulations on his breakthrough.

Lu Feng's performance had already made them unwilling to become enemies with him.

"Let tonight's matter go. But you must still uncover the true culprit behind He'er's murder. I will have Mingchi work with you. Once the culprit emerges, I will go to Prison Manor and explain the truth."

Though his words were somewhat shameless, they no longer carried their initial domineering air. Instead, there was a touch more helplessness and pleading.

From the perspective of an old man who had lost his grandson in his twilight years, what he said was not unreasonable.

Yan Jingjing had wanted to speak up and join them in uncovering the true culprit, but when she thought of her utter lack of strength, she shrank back. With her Life Soul still unawakened, it would already be good enough if she did not hold them back, let alone help.

Yan Mingchi was not the only one struck hard tonight. Yan Jingjing was the same. So many people around her age had reached the Three Soul Realm, even the weakest among them.

Yet she could not even carry out the most basic cultivation.

It was not as though she had never tried cultivating over the years, but no matter how hard she worked, her Life Soul simply would not awaken. She could not draw even a thread of spiritual energy into her body.

After some persuasion and explanation, Yan Mingchi finally recovered. Once Old Master Yan instructed him to assist Lu Feng and the others, Yan Mingchi walked to Lu Feng's side and said somewhat unwillingly, "In actual combat, if you faced me, you would not have the slightest chance of surviving."

Lu Feng replied gently, "Of course, of course. I only survived tonight thanks to Brother Yan showing mercy."

His tone was calm, without the slightest self-satisfaction over having successfully evaded the attacks.

This left Yan Mingchi unsure how to respond. He had thought Lu Feng would retort, but instead, Lu Feng was so humble.

As they left Yan Manor, Lu Feng took out a cultivation manual and handed it to Yan Jingjing. "Your constitution is somewhat special. Ordinary cultivation methods are useless to you. Try this Qi Guiding Method."

"If you cannot let go of last night's matter, then work hard, grow stronger, and come kill me."

Yan Jingjing accepted the manual, her expression dazed. She could not quite see through Lu Feng.

Who would voluntarily invite someone to assassinate him?

She secretly assumed it was because he was too full of himself, and replied indignantly, "Just you wait. The day I become stronger, I'll beat you until you kneel and beg for mercy."

Perhaps even Yan Jingjing herself had not realized that her words no longer contained the slightest killing intent. She no longer wanted to kill Lu Feng; she merely wanted to vent the frustration of having been taken advantage of.

Lu Feng smiled faintly. "I'll be waiting."

The sky gradually brightened, and a trace of red appeared in the east, illuminating the world.

Tang Yuan asked Lu Feng for his opinion. "What are we doing next?"

Lu Feng glanced at Yan Mingchi, who had followed them to help, and offered him a friendly smile before discussing matters with Tang Yuan.

"At the Abandoned Temple, you said people at Cheng Manor and Ma Manor had also suffered unexpected attacks. You and Brother Yan should verify that and see whether there are any clues."

Yan Mingchi nodded at those words, though a flicker of surprise passed through his eyes. Tang Yuan was actually asking Lu Feng for his opinion, which further confirmed that Lu Feng was certainly no mere contract slave.

"What about us?" Jiang Ruoyun asked.

"There have been no rumors of attacks at Qu Estate or Shi Manor, but we still need to ask around," Lu Feng replied.

"Then shall the two of us pay them a visit?" Jiang Ruoyun asked eagerly.

"No rush. Let's return to Jiang Manor and prepare first." As Lu Feng spoke, he recalled something and held out his hand to Tang Yuan. "Is there any Blood Return Powder left in the bottle I gave you earlier?"

Tang Yuan naturally understood that Lu Feng was not being stingy and asking for it back; he surely had another use for it. But there was very little medicine left in the bottle. Tang Yuan smiled awkwardly and handed it over.

"Then we'll split up. We'll meet at Gathering Fragrance Garden after nightfall."

Upon returning to Jiang Manor, Jiang Ruoyun unconsciously yawned. Lu Feng smiled. After staying awake all night and being tossed about like this, it was only natural that she would be tired.

"Go rest for a while. I'll call you once I've prepared a few things."

Jiang Ruoyun froze for a moment, then hurriedly said, "It's fine, I'm not tired. I want to help too."

"I can handle these preparations myself. If you truly want to help, give me some coins, then get a good sleep," Lu Feng replied. Though he still had some money on him, it might not be enough.

Without hesitation, Jiang Ruoyun took out two Cloth Bags and handed them to Lu Feng. "This is all I have. Take it all."

She yawned again and smiled at Lu Feng. "Remember to wake me when you're done preparing, or else... hmph hmph."

As she spoke, she waved her little fist, but it did not seem threatening in the least. Instead, it looked rather playful.

After watching Jiang Ruoyun return to her room, Lu Feng took out brush and ink and wrote down a prescription—the formula for Blood Return Powder.

Blood Return Powder was not a rare item. As a basic healing medicine, every cultivating Soul Master in Lu Feng's original region had once memorized this formula.

Yet in this remote little town, no one knew of it.

As the lowest-grade spiritual medicine, Blood Return Powder had the effect of restoring flesh to white bones. Ordinary external wounds only needed to be treated with it for a few days before healing.

With Lu Feng's recovery ability combined with the effects of Blood Return Powder, the injury on the back of his hand had already healed by thirty percent. It would fully recover within a few days.

The prescription itself was not expensive, but in Azure Dragon Town, it could fetch a good price.

If Lu Feng knew the art of alchemy, he would certainly not sell a prescription. Selling finished medicine would obviously yield far greater profits.

No matter how valuable a mere prescription was, there was a limit to its price.

Nor did Lu Feng intend to profit from it.

The main reason Lu Feng had asked Jiang Ruoyun for money lay in one ingredient from the prescription.

An inexpensive medicinal herb with little stock, one that only appeared during summer.

That was where Lu Feng's intentions lay.

With the coins Jiang Ruoyun had given him tucked away, Lu Feng left Jiang Manor. After asking around, he arrived at the largest pharmacy in Azure Dragon Town.

This pharmacy, named Blazing Glue Medicine God, belonged to Shi Manor.

Lu Feng walked straight in.

The eight grand characters, "Hanging the Pot to Aid the World, Spiritual Medicine Brings Spring Again," were inscribed on two plaques hanging imposingly in the pharmacy's outer hall and inner chamber. Lu Feng entered and went directly to the shopkeeper.

"How much Lotus Insect Grass do you have left?" Lu Feng asked without preamble.

An elderly man in his sixties or seventies stood before Lu Feng with an abacus in hand, studying him.

"This Lotus Insect Grass is nurtured within the lotus hearts of Fire Clearing Lotus during summer. Moreover, not every Fire Clearing Lotus contains this insect grass. As the saying goes, rare things are precious..."

"How much Lotus Insect Grass do you have left?" Lu Feng interrupted, asking again.

"It seems this customer is a man who understands. Then I won't waste words. Our shop still has some Lotus Insect Grass, but not much. How much do you need?" the old shopkeeper said with a smile.

"How much do you have?" Lu Feng asked.

If he told the shop how much he wanted, he would be at a disadvantage when negotiating the price. Lu Feng understood this well, so he sidestepped the question and asked one in return.

The old shopkeeper gave Lu Feng a thoughtful look, but Lu Feng's calm expression revealed nothing. "There are roughly five hundred plants remaining."

Lu Feng did not state how much he wanted and instead asked, "What is the price per plant?"

The old shopkeeper began to play coy, refusing to answer Lu Feng directly. Instead, he introduced the shop's various rules. "According to our shop's rules... the larger the quantity, the better the price. How much do you require, sir?"

Naturally, Lu Feng wanted as much as possible, but he could not reveal his intentions. He feigned hesitation. "That depends on your shop's price. If it is too expensive, naturally I cannot buy much."

Seeing the young man before him, who was far steadier than others his age, a glimmer of appreciation flashed across the old shopkeeper's shrewd face.

But business was business. "For fewer than one hundred, thirty copper coins per plant. For over one hundred and under two hundred, twenty-five copper coins per plant. For over three hundred, twenty copper coins per plant."

Lu Feng calculated for a moment, then said, "I want four hundred and fifty plants. Fifteen copper coins each. How about it?"

The old shopkeeper hesitated upon hearing this. His shrewd face went blank for a moment, and then he smiled as he declined tactfully. "We are only a small business. Twenty copper coins is already our cost price."

Lu Feng knew that the price of Lotus Insect Grass fluctuated between fifteen and twenty-two copper coins. He smiled. "Eighteen copper coins each. I'll take them all. If that will not do, then I can only look elsewhere."

The old shopkeeper's face showed hesitation. Seeing this, Lu Feng turned to leave.

"Fine, fine, fine. Deal."

The old shopkeeper compromised. No one usually needed Lotus Insect Grass. If it sat any longer, it might lose its medicinal potency. Though the price was a little lower, there was still some profit to be made.

A faint smile appeared on Lu Feng's lips. After completing the transaction, he went to the other pharmacies.

There were another four or five pharmacies of varying sizes in Azure Dragon Town, but even their combined stock of Lotus Insect Grass was less than that of this pharmacy under Shi Manor.

After spending a considerable amount of money, Lu Feng gathered all the Lotus Insect Grass in Azure Dragon Town.

Next came the moment to reveal the prescription to the public.

The most ideal way was naturally through the most prestigious Shi Manor.

As one of Azure Dragon Town's prominent families, Shi Manor had risen primarily through medicine. It would be most appropriate for them to use and spread Blood Return Powder.

Having made up his mind, Lu Feng headed toward Shi Manor.

As expected, he was stopped at the entrance. Lu Feng smiled knowingly and handed a letter he had long prepared, along with the bottle containing the last tiny bit of Blood Return Powder, to a Shi Manor servant.

"Give these to your master. If he wishes to find me after reading them, he can come to Jiang Manor and ask for Jiang Ruoyun."

After giving over the letter and medicine, Lu Feng left Shi Manor. Upon hearing the words Jiang Manor, the servant immediately took the matter more seriously and hurriedly delivered the letter inside.

Lu Feng knew that Shi Manor would certainly seek him out after seeing Blood Return Powder, so he was in no hurry. Instead, he strolled leisurely toward a weapon shop.

During his earlier training at Azure Mushroom Mountain, he had felt that the arrows he possessed were too limited to handle many situations. He had long intended to commission a set of special arrows.