Wuming Workshop, Herbs for Favors

This is a derelict warehouse in the southern city, its walls mottled and its corners piled high with rotting wooden crates.

"Brother Qin, this is it."

Tang Xiaoman lowered his voice, the playful smile on his face completely gone, replaced by caution. He pointed to an inconspicuous corner at the deepest part of the warehouse. "The entrance to Wuming Workshop is in the cellar below."

Qin Jue nodded, his gaze calmly sweeping over their surroundings.

Qin Jue could sense at least three hidden presences lurking in the shadows of this ruin, monitoring everyone who approached.

This place is quite heavily guarded, Qin Jue thought. It seems the manager at Four Seas Pavilion was right; Wuming Workshop is indeed no good place.

Tang Xiaoman clearly sensed it too. He pouted and muttered, "A bunch of shady characters, acting all mysterious. When I first came here, this setup almost scared the piss out of me. But don't worry, Brother Qin, as long as you pay and follow the rules inside, they usually won't give you trouble."

The two walked to the entrance of the cellar. It was a heavy stone door, carved with ancient, blurry runes.

In front of the stone door sat a tall, one-eyed strongman. He was bare-chested, a massive axe hanging from his waist, exuding a fierce aura.

This person was actually a master of the Hundred Refinements Sixth Layer.

The one-eyed strongman raised his only remaining eye. His cloudy gaze swept over the two, and he asked in a hoarse voice, "Entering Wuming Workshop? Do you know the rules?"

"We do," Tang Xiaoman answered expertly. "No questions asked about origins, cash and goods exchanged clearly, no fighting allowed."

"Mm." The one-eyed strongman nodded and extended a hand as large as a palm leaf. "Entrance fee, ten Gold Notes per person. Once inside, wear your masks and don't cause trouble. If you break the workshop's rules, your heads will be left here to serve as chamber pots."

Qin Jue's expression remained unchanged. He took out twenty Gold Notes from his bosom and handed them over.

The strongman took the Gold Notes, then stepped aside, clearing the path to the cellar.

The two descended the cold, damp stone steps. The walls were covered in slippery moss. The deeper they went, the dimmer the light became, and the air grew thinner.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, the space suddenly opened up, and an indescribable smell assaulted their nostrils.

Even with Qin Jue's calm state of mind, his heart stirred upon seeing the scene before him.

It was a colossal natural cavern, dozens of feet high and so wide its end was out of sight. Countless strangely shaped stalactites hung from the ceiling. The ground was uneven, and an underground river, flowing from an unknown source, gurgled nearby. There were no lights in the entire space, only luminescent moss growing on the rock walls, emitting a faint green glow that illuminated this underground world, making it eerie and mysterious.

Within the cavern were stalls built from simple planks or stones. Countless traders moved among them, all of them, without exception, concealing their faces with cloaks or masks. Their auras varied; some were fierce like beasts released from cages, some were as cold as venomous snakes, and some had such contained auras they seemed to blend into the surrounding darkness, unfathomably deep.

"Good heavens... this place is really something," Tang Xiaoman was also stunned by the sight. He lowered his voice and whispered in Qin Jue's ear, "Brother Qin, this is Wuming Workshop. Be careful, all sorts of people are here – abandoned heirs of noble families, desperate criminals, mysterious rogue cultivators. It's practically a cesspool. Let's put on our masks too."

Qin Jue nodded, took out the iron mask he had prepared, and put it on. Tang Xiaoman also donned a mask with a comical smiling face.

The two merged into the crowd, beginning their search for their objective in this bizarre underground world – the Purple Haze Dragon Vein Grass.

They passed stall after stall, and what they saw and heard was truly eye-opening.

A thin, elderly man had a stall filled with various ferocious beast bones and Demon Cores. One Demon Core, the size of a dragon's eye and emitting a faint bloody glow, attracted many onlookers. Tang Xiaoman whispered beside Qin Jue, "Look, Brother Qin, that's a Blood-Eyed Demonic Wolf's Demon Core. This beast just broke through from a high-level Savage Species, so its Demon Core isn't fully condensed yet. If taken to Four Seas Pavilion, it could sell for five or six thousand Gold Notes."

Qin Jue's gaze swept over the Demon Core. It's indeed a good item, he thought. It's a pity I can't use it right now.

After inquiring at more than a dozen stalls without finding any trace of the Purple Haze Dragon Vein Grass, they couldn't help but feel disappointed.

"Looks like we came here for nothing today," Tang Xiaoman sighed. "Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures like this are truly rare and hard to come by. How about we go back and try our luck again in a few days?"

Qin Jue remained silent, pondering. Just as he was about to give up, a hoarse laugh suddenly came from beside them.

"Heh heh... are you two young brothers looking for Purple Haze Dragon Vein Grass?"

Qin Jue and Tang Xiaoman startled and turned around abruptly.

Standing behind them, at some unknown time, was a hunched, disheveled old man. His hair was white, and his face was covered in three hideous scars. One of them even crossed his left eye, leaving it a strange grayish-white. He wore a tattered, oil-stained robe and a playful smile on his face, revealing a mouth full of yellow teeth.

Qin Jue's pupils constricted. He hadn't noticed this old man approaching at all! This person was either a normal person or an expert far beyond his own strength!

He subtly placed his hand on his sword hilt and asked vigilantly, "How did you know?"

"Heh heh, this old man has been in Wuming Workshop for over a decade. What can escape my eyes?" The old man chuckled, a cunning glint flashing in his good right eye. "Coincidentally, I happen to have one right here."

Tang Xiaoman looked at him with suspicion. "You have one? Are you bragging? We asked so many people and no one had it, but you do?"

The old man wasn't angry. He slowly pulled out a transparent jade box, about the size of his palm, from his robe. Inside the box lay a small, purplish grass. Golden patterns, like dragon scales, were lifelike on its leaves, emitting a faint halo.

"Purple Haze Dragon Vein Grass!" Qin Jue and Tang Xiaoman exclaimed in unison.

"How about that? Didn't I tell you the truth?" The old man proudly shook the jade box in his hand.

Qin Jue's breathing became somewhat rapid. He suppressed his excitement and asked in a deep voice, "Senior, how many Gold Notes do you want?"

The old man put away the jade box, shook his head, and grinned, "I don't want money."

"What?!" Qin Jue and Tang Xiaoman were both stunned, thinking they had misheard. In Wuming Workshop, there was actually a good deed that didn't require money?

The old man looked at their shocked expressions, his smile deepening. A complex look flashed in his cloudy eyes as he slowly said, "Money, I don't need. But I have a condition – you owe me a favor."

Qin Jue's heart stirred. "What kind of favor?"

"It's not time yet," the old man shook his head. "When you break through to the Blood Melting Realm, come find me again. Then, I will naturally tell you what favor you need to repay."

"Why would Senior do this?" Qin Jue asked, puzzled. There was no such thing as a gift without reason in this world, especially not in a place like Wuming Workshop.

"Because I saw you at the Hundred Battles Martial Training Ground," the old man chuckled, pointing to Qin Jue's chest. "Ten consecutive wins, a hard-fought battle against the Hundred Refinements Sixth Layer. Your kid's ferocity, and the style of your swordplay, reminds me so much of myself back then."

As he spoke, the old man's eyes became somewhat distant, as if he were seeing years long past through Qin Jue.

"My life is ruined, but my eyes are not blind. I want to take a gamble, a gamble that you can reach the Blood Melting Realm, or even higher."

Qin Jue looked at the old man's pale left eye, and his heart trembled.

This old man is someone with a story.

"Alright," Qin Jue nodded solemnly. "I owe you this favor. As long as it doesn't go against my principles, if Senior ever needs anything in the future, I, Qin Jue, will not refuse."

"Good! Good! I like that spirit of yours!" The old man nodded in satisfaction. "Remember, don't die. Only by living can you repay a favor."

"May I ask Senior's esteemed name? Where can I find you in the future?"

"Heh heh, a name is just a code, it's not important," the old man waved his hand. "As for finding me... you don't need to. When you reach the Blood Melting Realm, I will naturally come looking for you."

After speaking, the old man lowered his voice again and reminded, "Kid, take your item and leave quickly. This place is a mix of people, and hearts are unpredictable. When you were asking around for herbs just now, you've already attracted the attention of a few hungry wolves. Don't flash your wealth, I don't need to teach you this principle, do I?"

"Thank you for the reminder, Senior." Qin Jue bowed deeply again. The two no longer lingered, turned around swiftly, and walked back the way they came.

The old man stood in place, watching the two disappear into the crowd. A distant light flashed in his cloudy eyes, as if he saw himself from many years ago through Qin Jue's retreating figure.

"Kid, don't disappoint me..." he muttered softly, then turned and melted into the shadows.

Leaving Wuming Workshop and returning to the streets and alleys of South City, watching the setting sun sink towards the horizon, Tang Xiaoman finally breathed a sigh of relief. He couldn't help but ask, "Brother Qin, who do you think that old man was? This is too unbelievable. He gave us such a Heavenly Material and Earthly Treasure for free, just for an ethereal favor?"

Qin Jue clutched the jade box in his hand and shook his head. "I don't know. But his aura was very strange. He seemed frail and weak, like a candle in the wind, but his eyes... were like those of a sleeping ferocious beast overlord, unfathomably deep, definitely not an ordinary person."

"Who cares, we've definitely gotten the better end of the deal!" Tang Xiaoman chuckled. "When Brother Qin breaks through to the Blood Melting Realm, will you still be afraid you can't repay a favor?"

"The path of martial arts prioritizes resources. But more important than resources is integrity. Favors owed must always be repaid," Qin Jue said silently in his heart. "No matter what, I've noted this favor. I must repay it when I break through to the Blood Melting Realm."

As the two were discussing, they didn't notice that in the shadows not far behind them, several greedy gazes were fixed intently on Qin Jue.

"A hundred-year-old Purple Haze Dragon Vein Grass... and that old geezer, giving it away for free? Heh heh, this kid must have a lot more good stuff on him!" a masked man licked his lips, his eyes flashing with cruel light.

"Follow them. Once they're out of Wuming Workshop's territory, it will be their death day!"

And on the roof of a pavilion higher up, another figure silently followed.