Sudden Malice

Lu Xiaotian took a wooden box from the carriage and opened it. Inside, three stalks of purple Seven-leaf Spiritual Grass lay nestled.

"How much is this herb worth, shopkeeper?" Lu Xiaotian asked, suppressing his inner joy and maintaining a calm expression. This spiritual grass was infinitely more precious in his eyes than the Polygonatum, but he wondered how much it was worth to these ordinary people.

"If the shopkeeper offers an outrageous price, our transaction will end here," Lu Xiaotian said indifferently upon seeing the fat shopkeeper's eyes flicker. Showing too much interest in the herb now would be disadvantageous for him.

"This purple grass has some benefits in regulating qi and blood. While its effects are decent, it's not worth as much as that Polygonatum. However, rarity drives value. The scarcity of purple grass is even greater than that of hundred-year-old Polygonatum. If you had two such Polygonatum, little brother, I would agree to let these three stalks of purple grass belong to you," the fat shopkeeper said after a moment of thought.

"No matter how rare it is, its efficacy in regulating qi and blood is what matters. Trading this Polygonatum for three stalks of purple grass is somewhat useful to me, but it's not indispensable," Lu Xiaotian said impatiently. "If not, I'll go to the next shop."

"Little brother is indeed shrewd. Very well, consider it a friendship," the fat shopkeeper said with a wry smile, realizing he couldn't gain any more advantage. He hadn't found any special uses for these purple grasses yet, so trading them for this over forty-year-old Polygonatum was a very profitable deal.

"Farewell!" Lu Xiaotian put away the spiritual grass and tossed the Polygonatum to the fat shopkeeper, bowing his hands. Storing such spiritual grass in an ordinary wooden box would cause its spiritual essence to dissipate. It needed to be stored in a spiritual Jade Box. However, taking out the Jade Box from his Storage Bag now would be too astonishing. It was best to leave quickly.

"Does little brother have any more of such valuable herbs? Miao Zhi Tang Pharmacy will purchase them at a high price," the fat shopkeeper said with a smile, looking at Lu Xiaotian's bulging backpack after receiving the Polygonatum.

"If I need it later, or if Miao Zhi Tang Pharmacy still has this purple grass, I will return," Lu Xiaotian said with a slight frown before leaving.

Not long after Lu Xiaotian left, the fat shopkeeper clapped his hands, and a strong young martial artist emerged from the back of the pharmacy. "Shopkeeper Ma, what are your orders?"

"Follow that young man. Follow him and see what use he makes of those purple grasses. Also, if the situation allows, try to ascertain if his backpack contains any other precious herbs."

The smile on Shopkeeper Ma's face widened, and he appeared quite imposing to the young martial artist. In his eyes, these purple grasses were only suitable for making ordinary qi and blood regulating medicine, and their medicinal properties were somewhat fierce, not top-grade. Lu Xiaotian's willingness to trade this over forty-year-old Polygonatum for them was truly unexpected. The purple grasses held little use for him, but if he could discover their special purpose through this young man, it might be an unexpected gain.

"Yes!"

The young martial artist cupped his hands, accepted the order, and darted out of Miao Zhi Tang Pharmacy, trailing behind Lu Xiaotian. Glancing at Lu Xiaotian's bulging backpack, a hint of greed flashed across the young martial artist's face. Being able to casually produce a forty-year-old Polygonatum was not something an ordinary person could do. Furthermore, Lu Xiaotian's parting words suggested similar transactions could be made again. Did this mean his backpack contained herbs of equal or even greater value?

His annual salary was less than thirty taels of silver. He followed Lu Xiaotian out of the county town and arrived at the wilderness north of the city. The young martial artist glanced around. The area was deserted. Only then did he confidently shout, "Kid, stop."

"Is there something you need?" Lu Xiaotian turned around and asked.

"Leave your backpack and those purple herbs you just got. You can scram!" the young martial artist sneered.

"Are you from Miao Zhi Tang Pharmacy? Did your shopkeeper order you to do this?" Lu Xiaotian asked.

"You don't need to know that. While I still have some patience, you'd best do as I say, or it's perfectly normal for there to be another corpse in the wilderness," the young martial artist slowly advanced on Lu Xiaotian.

"If you have the guts, come and take it yourself."

Lu Xiaotian spread his hands. The Leopard had already silently appeared not far behind the young martial artist. The Leopard appeared several times larger than a normal leopard. If brought into the county town, it would likely cause panic and attract the attention of the military. Thus, Lu Xiaotian had it wait in the wilderness outside the city.

Several Little Green Ants also stopped in the grass. In fact, Lu Xiaotian had noticed the young martial artist from the moment he left Miao Zhi Tang Pharmacy. However, he wanted to see what the other party intended to do. He just hadn't expected this young martial artist to be so malicious.

"Since you're seeking death, don't blame me," the young martial artist grinned, pushed off the ground with his feet, and suddenly lunged with a claw towards Lu Xiaotian's crown.

So, I can't be blamed either. Lu Xiaotian's expression turned cold. In the past, martial artists who moved swiftly and unpredictably had appeared clumsy and slow when executing Martial Skills. It seemed this was a change in his body due to cultivating the Primordial Scripture. Lu Xiaotian's heart settled. He did not order the Leopard to attack but instead drew his dagger and, with lightning speed, slashed at the young martial artist's wrist.

The young martial artist only saw a blur before his eyes, followed by a scream. Clutching his profusely bleeding right wrist, he stared at Lu Xiaotian in utter shock. He hadn't expected this seemingly ordinary young man to be so fast.

"Scram back and tell your shopkeeper not to have any ulterior motives. Otherwise, next time it won't be as simple as severing your tendons."

Lu Xiaotian said coldly. The Black Robe Old Man was still dormant in his Sea of Consciousness, and he didn't know when he would break free. Although he was young, the presence of the Black Robe Old Man reminded him that he had to eliminate him quickly, otherwise, he would always be a sword hanging over his head. He didn't want to fall out with Miao Zhi Tang Pharmacy for now, as he had only obtained spiritual grass from them so far. Otherwise, based on the young martial artist's actions just now, he would have slit his throat with this knife.

"Yes, yes!" The young martial artist was terrified. Having his right hand crippled was equivalent to crippling more than half of his combat strength. Facing Lu Xiaotian, he no longer dared to stay and immediately fled back the way he came, his pants soiled.

Lu Xiaotian looked around to confirm no one was present. He then placed the spiritual grasses into separate Jade Boxes and entered the mountain forest. Finding a relatively hidden cave, he cleaned it out before taking out a spiritual grass, plucking a leaf, and consuming it.

A vast and potent spiritual energy diffused within his body. He used his consciousness to guide this spiritual energy to circulate through his meridians.

"Huh?"

Lu Xiaotian soon discovered that besides the portion being converted by his own meridians and Dantian, a considerable amount was slowly disappearing within his body. Only a small fraction was converted into Origin Energy in his meridians. He was surprised. His Primordial Spirit stirred, moving to the mysterious Barrier within his body. At this moment, within the originally white mist, strands of green mist threads were drifting. These green threads faintly emitted a spiritual aura, tempting him to touch them.