Imitation

The news of Guo Zhuang's burning and Yi Qingchuan's death spread like wildfire throughout the city.

Some said it was a master acting righteously, while others claimed it was a case of thieves falling out among themselves. The arguments were endless.

Lu Li, meanwhile, stayed home to cultivate, quietly accumulating his strength.

Time flew by until the first day of July.

The courtyard of the medical clinic was filled with the whistling sound of the Nine-Section Whip, which only stopped after half an hour.

"With 'Body Follows Will,' training is so much smoother!"

Lu Li let out a long breath, very satisfied with his cultivation progress.

He could feel the major tendons in his body gradually being stretched.

His body's flexibility and suppleness increased daily, and his blood vitality grew more vigorous.

His Spirit Refining also progressed rapidly, now allowing him to activate Telekinesis 8 times in a row!

The harvest was gratifying, and Lu Li felt a surge of joy.

Only with strength could he change his destiny and become its master!

However, he still hadn't realized how distracting his gaze could be.

Just then, Wan Qing came out carrying a basin of washed clothes to hang on the clothesline.

In the height of summer, she was already dressed thinly.

Every time the young lady raised her hands, the peaches in her arms would threaten to spill out.

Lu Li, with his vigorous blood vitality and sharpened senses, instinctively glanced over.

He looked with considerable intensity, his mental power brushing over her chest like a soft brush.

Wan Qing's face instantly flushed red to the roots of her neck, and her movements of hanging clothes froze.

Lu Li, thinking the young lady was tired from working in the scorching sun, voluntarily stepped forward to help: "I'll hang them."

"Thank you, Young Master."

Wan Qing shielded her chest with her arms, overcome with shyness, but she didn't entirely dislike it.

It was only natural to feel a certain way when one was young and developing feelings.

However, the young lady was a bit conflicted, wondering if she should subtly hint at it? Being brushed like that unexpectedly was quite irritating...

As soon as Lu Li finished hanging the clothes, familiar footsteps sounded from the main entrance. It was Xiao Cha returning.

For days, Xiao Cha had been going to the Patrol Officer's bureau every day to gather information.

At this moment, a triumphant smile graced her face as she said to the two of them:

"Just as I predicted, the yamen has been investigating the Tooth Brokerage's rival forces and hasn't suspected us at all~"

Hearing this, Wan Qing immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

But then, Xiao Cha turned to Lu Li and said:

"Jin Chaofeng from the National Martial Arts Association sent word that the Calming Incense supply is likely to be cut off."

"Cut off?"

"That's right! The price of Calming Incense has been rising three times a day recently, comparable to grain prices during a famine. Even if the Divine Heart Society stopped supplying it, it wouldn't be this bad... Someone must be hoarding it!"

Xiao Cha grew more indignant as she spoke: "These profiteers have always been like this! They sell things at exorbitant prices through such means, preying on rogue cultivators!"

The major sects and powerful families had their own supply channels. Only rogue cultivators had to purchase cultivation supplies themselves, and they would surely be bled dry at times like these.

Lu Li frowned and asked, "Can we buy more before the supply is cut off?"

Xiao Cha hesitated: "It's too much of a loss to buy at the current price. Actually, we can reduce the frequency of incense use, and the supply might resume after a while."

Lu Li shook his head: "No, that would take too much time. I'll go see if I can stock up on more."

Xiao Cha knew he couldn't stop cultivating for even a moment and couldn't dissuade him, so she said:

"Alright then, you can try a few merchant shops."

After lunch, Lu Li grabbed his gun and stuffed a few silver ingots into his pocket before setting off.

He visited several merchant shops in succession but was told they had "no stock."

It wasn't until he reached "He Nian Tang," the shop whose name was printed on the "Blood Vitality Pill" bottle, that they had any.

However, they only sold one box and quoted a high price of 350 dollars.

The money in his hand was stolen, so he didn't mind spending it and bought it without hesitation.

Next, he went to several renowned large merchant houses in Jinmen, but he only managed to buy two more boxes, both at the same high price of 350 dollars.

The 2000 dollars, which he thought would last a long time, were instantly halved.

Lu Li walked home, clutching the three boxes of Calming Incense he'd finally managed to buy. He suddenly felt—

This stuff was a bit like Blue Star graphics cards during a certain period. Those unscrupulous merchants would hoard them, artificially inflating the prices.

"While I don't care about money, I can't let such important cultivation resources be controlled by others. What if one day I have money but can't buy them anymore…"

At this thought, an idea suddenly popped into Lu Li's mind:

"Calming Incense… can it be replicated on Blue Star?"

"Incense can be classified under medicinal material processing. I should consult Wan Qing about it!"

The more he thought about it, the more feasible it seemed, and Lu Li couldn't help but quicken his pace.

But just then, three figures behind him also hurried to catch up.

Lu Li's eyebrows twitched. He instantly noticed the three tailing him and entered "Bullet Time," getting a clear look at them.

"They must be after the Calming Incense… Has it gotten this bad?"

Lu Li calmly found an empty, dark alley and walked into it.

Not long after, three men in tattered clothes with unfriendly expressions cautiously followed him in.

Seeing that Lu Li was alone, they simultaneously pulled out their sharp ox-horn knives and surrounded him, threatening:

"Lame, put down what you're holding, and you can scram!"

"If you want money and not your life, I'll put a few more holes in you!"

The knives of the three men had dried bloodstains on them, clearly indicating they were no good.

Lu Li didn't hold back either. His eyes narrowed, and he directly activated his "Telekinesis."

Caught off guard, the knife in the hand of the man on the right suddenly flew out, piercing the neck of the man on the left.

The next second, the knife was pulled out by an invisible force and plunged into the original owner's heart.

Two stunned corpses slowly collapsed. Only the man in the middle, terrified, let out a yell and turned to run.

Lu Li's eyes narrowed. The knife "swished" as it pulled itself out of the corpse and "thudded" into the back of the fleeing man's heart.

And so, the three knife-wielding robbers met their end in such a confused manner. Those unaware would have thought they'd turned on each other.

But even these low-level thugs getting involved was enough to show how scarce Calming Incense was right now.

Lu Li's expression remained unchanged as he calmly left the narrow alley.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Back at the medical clinic, Xiao Cha was practicing her punches.

Lu Li subconsciously glanced at her large backside, causing the girl to blush and her movements to go awry.

Lu Li called both girls over and asked, "Do you know how Calming Incense is made?"

Wan Qing subtly brought her arm in front of her chest and said, "It's made by processing various spices through steeping, boiling, charring, and stir-frying. The process is extremely complex and doesn't allow for the slightest error, so only cultivators at the [Sitting and Forgetting] realm or above can make it."

"Are there any special ingredients?"

"Just natural plant and animal spices, like sandalwood, musk, and so on."

Lu Li nodded in thought. Although the two worlds had differences in supernatural power, their products were basically the same.

[I could take a stick of Calming Incense back to Blue Star and see if I can replicate it. And maybe buy some weapons while I'm at it…]

With his mind made up, Lu Li decisively said, "I'm going to be away for a few days to see if I can find my own source for Calming Incense."

Hearing that he was leaving, the two girls relaxed slightly.

Xiao Cha said sweetly, "Go ahead, have a safe trip~"

Wan Qing also tactfully said, "Young Master, when you have free time, you could practice controlling your mental energy more meticulously."

"Okay, I'm going."

With matters on his mind, Lu Li took a stick of incense and left.

After he was gone, Xiao Cha said helplessly, "He didn't seem to pick up on what you were hinting at."

Wan Qing blushed and said, "Young Master Lu didn't mean anything by it… He'll eventually gain control of his mental energy, we just have to be patient."

Xiao Cha chuckled, "Where was he looking? At the two big watermelons on the trellis~"

Wan Qing disdained to reply and turned back into the house.