Easy Kill

Having tasted the flavor of a Strange Treasure, Qin Dongcheng found himself somewhat unable to stop.

He currently had several thousand taels of silver, and if an opportunity arose, he could buy at least two low-level Strange Treasures.

Even if he could only manage to get one, it would be enough for him to break through the shackles and step into the fourth realm of martial arts, the Tendon Phase Realm.

Now that he had already awakened the Muscle Refining Phenomenon, he could focus all his efforts on cultivation and improvement, without needing to linger at this stage waiting for the awakening.

Therefore, he could now safely focus on advancing and charging toward higher realms.

Alas, while his plans were sound, reality was cruel.

Over the next few days, Qin Dongcheng changed his identity to visit the Bamboo Forest Black Market in search of Strange Treasures, but he found nothing.

He even specifically went to another nearby black market, but he still couldn't find any trace of such treasures. Treasures that could significantly boost one's cultivation realm without any side effects were truly too precious.

Whenever they appeared, they were basically consumed immediately; very few people would ever bring them out to sell.

Even with enough silver, it was very difficult for Qin Dongcheng to buy one.

Seeing that there was no progress, he had to give up and focus on his step-by-step cultivation, hoping that he might trigger a few more critical hits.

As long as he landed a critical hit of a thousand times or more, the effect would be no less impressive than a Strange Treasure.

"You have harvested a thirty-year-old Ginseng. Congratulations on triggering a triple critical hit; you have obtained three thirty-year-old Ginsengs!"

While harvesting precious herbs once again, he triggered a critical hit, obtaining three thirty-year-old Ginsengs, a net gain of two.

The value of one thirty-year-old Ginseng was around one hundred taels of silver, so two of them were worth over two hundred taels—comparable to his income from refining Sun Flame Liquid for several days.

And all he had to do was spend an hour or two harvesting the herbs.

This harvest alone was worth the trip, not to mention the other herbs he had gathered.

Happily carrying his spoils, he hurried toward the Osmanthus Garden.

It was precisely because the cost-effectiveness of harvesting herbs was so high and the returns so astonishing that Qin Dongcheng was so addicted, even though he had to risk passing through Moonlight Slope every time.

After the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, he arrived at Moonlight Slope. Looking at the lush bamboo forest before him, Qin Dongcheng felt a bit apprehensive.

The lesson from last time was too profound, and the memory was still fresh in his mind. He decided to wait a while to see if anyone else would pass by so they could travel together.

This was the only path to the Herb Field, so people passed by often, and it wouldn't delay him much.

"Whoosh..."

Just as Qin Dongcheng was looking for a safe place to wait, he saw a Rat Demon dart out from the bamboo forest, heading straight for his vital organs.

There really were still demons here!

"Mount Tai Flying Stone!"

Facing the sudden attack of the Rat Demon, Qin Dongcheng struck out casually, landing squarely on the creature's head and killing it instantly.

A mere level-one Rat Demon no longer had any power to resist him.

He immediately took the Rat Demon's corpse and found a nearby patrol team, informing them that demons had once again invaded Moonlight Slope, and incidentally earning himself a hundred contribution points.

With the patrol team clearing the area, Qin Dongcheng took the opportunity to leave. Not long after, he received news that the patrol team also felt there were too many demons and ghosts hiding in Moonlight Slope, as many handymen and even some Official Disciples had met with accidents there.

Therefore, after some consideration, they decided to station a patrol team in Moonlight Slope to clear out the demons and ghosts at any time, preventing the area from becoming a den of filth.

Not to mention Qin Dongcheng, many of the surrounding Herb Field handymen cheered; it was about time.

The bamboo forest in Moonlight Slope was too dense and covered a large area, making it easy for demons and ghosts to hide.

Even without the current chaotic situation, back when the Luo Cloud Prefecture had not yet been invaded by demons a few years ago, demons and ghosts would still appear from time to time.

As for wild beasts, that went without saying; occasionally, groups of Herb Field handymen would go into Moonlight Slope to hunt them for a feast, which showed just how chaotic the environment there was.

Now that the patrol team had finally taken remedial action by stationing guards in Moonlight Slope, he would be much more at ease when passing through there in the future.

Qin Dongcheng did not know that this matter had something to do with him.

If it weren't for his repeated reports of demons and ghosts in Moonlight Slope, all of which were verified—and the fact that he had even hunted a level-four Ghost Spirit inside last time—things might be different.

Coupled with the fact that his alchemy skills were becoming increasingly impressive—and although he was only a Low-level Alchemist, he had consistently completed his Sun Flame Liquid refining tasks and had a high chance of becoming an Intermediate Alchemist in the future—the Inner Sect Elder in charge of this area had decided to station a patrol team there.

Of course, the successive disappearances in Moonlight Slope and the increasing number of Herb Field handymen and managers reporting issues there were also extremely important reasons.

Without these factors, the higher-ups would not have considered sending a patrol team.

Passing through here in the future would be much safer; with the protection of the patrol team, he basically wouldn't have to worry about encountering demons or ghosts there anymore.

Qin Dongcheng was quite happy. When he went to harvest herbs again, seeing the Martial Artists patrolling in Moonlight Slope, he finally didn't have to be so cautious or wait for a group to gather before passing through.

When a person is happy, their spirits are high, and while harvesting herbs, he actually triggered a significant reward.

"You have harvested a hundred-year-old Fleeceflower Root. Congratulations on triggering a tenfold critical hit; you have obtained ten hundred-year-old Fleeceflower Roots!"

Qin Dongcheng was startled; he hadn't expected to trigger a tenfold critical hit while harvesting a hundred-year-old Fleeceflower Root. This was a century-old specimen.

Although its value was not as high as a hundred-year-old Ginseng, a single root was still worth several hundred taels of silver, meaning ten of them were worth several thousand taels.

Excluding the one he had to give to the Herb Field handyman, the remaining nine belonged to Qin Dongcheng. They could be used to refine many intermediate pills and were also one of the ingredients for refining some high-level pills.

Making a net profit of several thousand taels of silver made this deal absolutely worthwhile.

Furthermore, using a century-old Fleeceflower Root to trade for a Strange Treasure would be much easier; Qin Dongcheng could easily consign it at the Bamboo Forest Black Market or at some of the sect's pill shops to exchange it for a low-grade Strange Treasure, or perhaps even a mid-grade one.

Although he hadn't managed to purchase a second Strange Treasure during this period, Qin Dongcheng had learned that transactions for these items mostly relied on bartering, as very few people were willing to trade them for gold or silver.

A century-old Fleeceflower Root was considered a precious item, so it could certainly be used to trade for a Strange Treasure, and the probability of success was quite high.

Having considered everything, he returned to Osmanthus Garden. After resting for a while, Qin Dongcheng took the nine century-old Fleeceflower Roots and headed toward the various pill shops as evening approached.