There were also several Magic Swords, all low-grade. Each was worth around a hundred Spirit Stones, so they were worth at least 300 Spirit Stones in total.
There were also eight bottles of Qi Gathering Pills and three bottles of Spirit Solidifying Pills, worth around 1,400 Spirit Stones.
As for the other Spiritual Medicine and ores, he didn't know their prices, so it was hard to estimate their value.
Still, everything in the Storage Bag was worth at least ten thousand Spirit Stones.
At the thought, Lu Wanyuan was utterly stunned. He worked hard all year, rising early and staying up late every day, and barely managed to earn ten thousand Spirit Stones.
Who would've thought that in such a short time, he'd have more than ten thousand Spirit Stones?
Sure enough, robbing and killing really did make a golden belt. The ancients hadn't lied to him!
If he could earn so much so quickly, who'd want to work themselves to death every day? That would just be asking for misery!
But then he remembered that he'd only made this haul because he had Entries and good luck.
The panic he'd felt last night, when not a drop of Spiritual Energy remained in his Dantian, was proof enough that such gains weren't easy to come by.
He'd gotten this haul only after walking through life and death.
It was hard to say whether he'd be this lucky again.
So he'd better take it easy and go home to manage things properly and cultivate his Spirit Field. That was more reliable, and at least the pressure wouldn't rise and fall so wildly. It was all too heart-pounding; his peaceful little heart couldn't take these ups and downs.
He gathered everything except the other man's daily necessities. He put the Spirit Stones and Cultivation Techniques into his Storage Ring, and the rest of the items into his own Storage Bag.
After seeing such a haul, he was even more eager to check the other Storage Bag. Xiao Wanchang had kept his eye on that Zhuge Man for so long, so there had to be a reason. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been so persistent.
But when he turned the other man's Storage Bag upside down, the expected flood of Spirit Stones didn't come pouring out.
All he heard was a little clatter.
A large box fell out of the Storage Bag, along with a long Magic Sword and some daily necessities.
The rest was just a few scattered Spirit Stones!
Damn it, this guy had practically nothing on him—not even a single whole Spirit Stone.
He'd been so full of anticipation, only to be so disappointed. The difference was just too great.
Unwilling to give up, he picked up the large box and opened it.
Inside, he found ten familiar little boxes, each kept separate.
They were the same boxes used at the Auction to hold treasures.
That meant the items inside were the things auctioned off there.
The cheapest item at the Auction had cost a thousand Spirit Stones. There were ten boxes here, so the contents had to be worth at least—Spirit Stones.
He was seized by an urge to open the little boxes at once. Wisps of cold air were even seeping from them.
His heart gave a sudden jolt, and then he was overcome with joy.
These had to be the ten Ice Spirit Grass plants from the Auction. The number of boxes matched the number of plants sold there.
Back then, someone had paid 9,000 Spirit Stones for the Second-tier Low-grade Spiritual Medicine, which had come all the way from the North Ice Plain.
He still had no idea where the North Ice Plain was. They said it was ten million li away, but sooner or later he'd have to learn more about the surrounding area. That way, he'd know where to find local cultivation resources.
As for why he was so excited about the Ice Spirit Grass, it was mainly because it was something he'd been longing for.
At the Auction, he'd wanted to bid on it.
But the Auction had been held in an open-air hall on the first floor, and he'd been afraid everyone's attention would turn to him and someone would take notice. So he'd had no choice but to give up. If he hadn't, he might not even have known how he'd died.
The Ice Spirit Grass was exactly what he needed, and it was a Spiritual Medicine of vital importance to him.
With it, he could finally cultivate the Fire Control Art in earnest, laying a solid foundation for the Lineage's Artifact Refining and Alchemy businesses and setting them on a healthy path of growth!
If he managed to master the Fire Control Art, he'd be able to draw on the Earth Vein Fire, which could be used for Alchemy and Artifact Refining.
Of course, he'd also be able to cultivate the Blazing Flame Art he'd just obtained. Now he understood why Xiao Wanchang had pursued Zhuge Man so doggedly.
He'd wanted the Ice Spirit Grass too!
Who would've thought that in the end, he, the "fisherman," would come away with it? Fate really did love to play tricks on people.
If not for Xiao Wanchang, he wouldn't have chased after him so relentlessly. And who could've guessed that he'd end up getting exactly what he wanted?
No wonder that guy had barely anything in his Storage Bag. He'd spent everything he owned bidding on the Ice Spirit Grass!
He just didn't know what Zhuge Man had wanted the Ice Spirit Grass for—but that was none of his concern.
He immediately opened one box to check. The moment he touched it, a bone-deep chill seeped into his palm.
He quickly opened it. A jade-green Ice Spirit Grass lay inside, and a crisp, icy fragrance drifted toward him.
Afraid the Spiritual Medicine would lose its potency, he quickly closed the box again.
Only then did the cold in the space begin to ease.
Seeing that, he shut the large box too, and the chill finally disappeared.
Then he immediately tossed the large box into his Storage Ring.
Once he'd finished sorting everything out, he felt completely refreshed.
After tidying it all away, he looked at the pile of daily necessities and clothes in the cave.
Since there was nothing else left behind, he immediately left. He didn't like things other people had used and had no such habit.
Then he turned and left the cave. Before going, he used his divine sense to activate the "Concealment 2 Hours" Entry.
In an instant, he vanished from sight. He was still out in the wilderness, after all. Caution was the mother of safety—a saying he'd always kept in mind.
This was about his life, so of course he had to be as careful as possible.
He cautiously climbed out of the cave and soon reached a path in a gully at the foot of the mountain.
Just then, he sensed a powerful Spiritual Energy Fluctuation rushing this way from the ridge behind him.
There was no doubt about it. A big shot was coming.
Before he could react, a blazing red figure appeared beyond the mountain hollow, coming from the forest. He could feel that the person was charging straight toward him.
Along with the figure came a powerful Foundation Establishment pressure, almost exactly like the pressure he'd felt at the Auction.
It felt as if he'd fallen into an icy cavern, and his legs began to tremble.
Fortunately, back at the Auction he'd only been at Qi Refining Layer Four, which was why he'd reacted so poorly.
Now he was at Qi Refining Layer 5, so he didn't collapse on the spot. It really was good to have a higher cultivation level.
Still, the other person gave him a huge fright. Had they discovered him?
At the thought, cold sweat poured down his face, and he turned deathly pale.
If the other person had really found him, he was surely doomed.
He didn't dare move a muscle, like a wooden post, his body blending into the surrounding thorn bushes.
The figure grew larger and larger, soon drawing close to him.
The saplings and flowers nearby looked as if something had plowed right through them. A tremendous shock wave flattened the trees and weeds on both sides.
The figure charged toward him at incredible speed. Seeing that the trees and flowers had all been flattened, he went along with them and lay down among the flowers.
As soon as he hit the ground, a familiar, pungent fragrance suddenly wafted through the air.
At first, he thought someone was releasing poison. But then he reconsidered. If the other person had discovered him, they wouldn't need to use poison.
And if they hadn't discovered him, there'd be no reason to use poison either. This was a deserted wilderness, after all.
Who would release poison for no reason in a place like this?
But by the time he realized what was happening, he was staring ahead in horror, eyes wide and body frozen.
Because he saw the person in front of him—a person he knew.
And she was showing off one of her trademark features: a pair of huge "weapons," completely out of proportion with her body. He wondered if carrying something that massive was tiring.
He immediately recognized the person before him as Ouyang Tingting. He had no idea why she'd suddenly appeared here or when she'd left Green Bamboo Peak. Had she come to kill him?
At the thought, he went numb, standing perfectly still for fear she'd notice him. If she really had come to kill him, he was doomed.
Fortunately, the pressure had come and gone in an instant. He suddenly felt much lighter.
He realized that the big shot must have flown away.
Just as he relaxed, a loud boom rang out.
Dirt and rocks kept raining down from above.
Brightly colored clothes came fluttering down, scattering all over the ground.
The pressure returned. The red figure appeared once more, and Ouyang Tingting flew out of the cave.
She was furious. The one son whose talent she'd valued and planned to nurture had been killed. How could she not be enraged?
Her whole body trembled violently, especially the pair of "weapons" on her chest. They shook even harder, bouncing so wildly they seemed about to fall, only to spring back into place.
Lu Wanyuan saw daily necessities and clothes fluttering through the air above him.
At the sight, he realized that Ouyang Tingting had gone into his temporary cave just now, making the pressure disappear for a time.
The daily necessities and clothes looked all too familiar. They were the mess he'd left behind in the cave.
There was no need to think about it. Ouyang Tingting must have come from Green Bamboo Peak after discovering Xiao Wanchang's death.
She must have had some means of tracking him through those things.
Seeing this, he wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
Luckily, he hadn't taken any of those things. Otherwise, he'd have been dead.
His luck really had held. If he'd been even a little slower, he'd still be in the cave or somewhere nearby.
He wouldn't have been able to escape her senses. He'd have been dead for sure—even if the King of Heaven himself had come, he wouldn't have gotten away!
Fortunately, he was now far from the cave, and the path through the gully lay some distance away. Most importantly, he was on a small trail through the ravine.
He blended in with the weeds beside it, looking like nothing out of the ordinary. Cultivators must have passed along this route before, and that was how he'd escaped her notice!
He'd really been lucky. Maybe that was just fate.
Still, he'd already made up his mind: if he made it back to the market safely, he wouldn't go anywhere else again. The world outside was far too dangerous, far too terrifying. Damn, it kept him on tenterhooks.
The worst part was never knowing when something unexpected might happen.
Just like this time!
Especially for someone as insignificant as him, in this capricious world, he was like a tiny leaf adrift in a vast ocean, liable to be torn to pieces by the waves at any moment!
He looked up at the mountaintop again, and sure enough, the fiery red figure had disappeared.
Seeing that, he wanted to get away as fast as possible. Damn it, when you ran into a big shot like that, the farther away you got, the better.
He had to get back to Bayberry Market as soon as he could!
Before you continue