Ling Feng nodded. He didn't particularly care about a few Dragon Ganoderma Leaves.
There was plenty of it, and it grew quickly. Even if he used it all up, he could always go back to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well and gather more.
"Let's go. If we don't leave soon, it'll be dark!" Ling Feng said.
He didn't mind spending another night in the Sunset Forest. He could even use the opportunity to get a little closer to Liu Erlong.
But spending the night in a Soul Beast Forest made it easy to run into dangers beyond their control.
"Thank you," Liu Erlong said softly.
Ever since her mother had contracted a serious illness, she had stopped studying at the Soul Master Academy and had gone out early to earn money as a mercenary.
For the past few years, she had borne everything on her own.
Unfortunately, she still hadn't managed to save her mother. That was also why she had developed such a fiery and cautious personality.
Ling Feng's concern warmed her heart.
"What did you say? I didn't hear you!" Ling Feng asked.
Liu Erlong rolled her eyes at him. "If you didn't hear me, forget it!"
With that, she hurried ahead of Ling Feng and dashed toward the edge of the Sunset Forest.
Ling Feng quickened his pace and followed behind her, quietly admiring her fiery figure.
Beneath her loose robes, her full, rounded curves appeared and disappeared from view, making the journey feel less tiring.
As a Soul Master, Liu Erlong had fairly sharp senses. Running ahead, she kept feeling that something was off, and glanced back now and then to see what was going on.
But every time she looked back, all she saw was Ling Feng wearing a faint smile. She never noticed anything amiss.
By evening, the two of them finally reached the supply town outside the Sunset Forest.
"I'm going to stay in this town for a few days. What about you, Liu Erlong?" Ling Feng asked.
Liu Erlong's home was near Fireworks Alley in Heaven Dou City, which was less than two hundred li away. She could easily make it back and stay there.
But that home had become a place of sorrow for her, and she didn't really want to return.
Besides, after her mother's death, her biological father often came by to visit her with feigned concern. She didn't want to run into him.
And now that she had made a new friend, Liu Erlong wanted to get to know Ling Feng better.
"I'm planning to stay here too, rest for a few days, and see if I can find a new commission," Liu Erlong said.
"Good. Then let's find an inn and settle in together," Ling Feng said.
Ling Feng took Liu Erlong to the best inn in town. He had enough money for now, so there was no need to make life hard for himself.
They rented two neighboring rooms.
"Ling Feng, let's wash off the dust first, then go have a meal together. My treat!" Liu Erlong invited him.
"Sure!" Ling Feng didn't refuse.
He knew Liu Erlong already considered him a friend.
"Then it's settled. I'll take a little longer to wash up, so wait in your room. I'll come find you later."
After saying that, Liu Erlong went into her room.
Ling Feng returned to his room, took a bath, then sat cross-legged on the bed, ready to begin cultivating.
"I gathered so many spirit herbs. I can't let them go to waste. I should put them to good use!" Ling Feng thought.
The medicinal powers of Immortal Herbs clashed with one another, but those spirit herbs weren't on that level. They were perfect for cultivation.
Ling Feng took out a Ten-Thousand-Year Spirit Ginseng, pinched off a rootlet, placed it in his mouth, and began to cultivate.
Even in a blessed place like the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, it took hundreds of years for a Ten-Thousand-Year Spirit Ginseng to grow.
Even a single rootlet contained terrifying medicinal power.
As soon as Ling Feng swallowed it, he felt a warm current flow through his limbs and bones.
"With the Ten-Thousand-Year Spirit Ginseng's help, I can break through to level thirty-eight in a few days, and reach level forty in three months!"
A spirit herb that could help those born without Innate Soul Power embark on the path of cultivation had just been treated by Ling Feng as a cultivation resource.
Meanwhile, after quickly washing up, Liu Erlong didn't go straight to find Ling Feng. Instead, she first went out.
She took a Dragon Ganoderma Leaf with her, intending to ask how much it was worth.
In her view, the bag of money was her way of thanking him, but the Dragon Ganoderma Leaf was a gift Ling Feng had given her when they first met.
Liu Erlong planned to find out the Dragon Ganoderma Leaf's value and prepare a gift for Ling Feng in return. She couldn't let him look down on her.
Before long, she arrived at the trading market, ready to ask around about the Dragon Ganoderma Leaf's value.
A man with a face as long as a shoe sole was tending his stall while reading a book.
"Tsk, tsk. As expected of Spirit Hall's theoretical master. Every word in this Martial Soul Theory is a pearl of wisdom. It's opened my eyes!"
"If only I could get him to help me establish a Soul Master Academy someday!" the peddler thought.
Just then, a clear voice rang out.
"Boss, do you know what kind of spirit herb this is?"
Reluctantly, the peddler put down the Master's Spirit Theory and looked up at the newcomer.
"So beautiful!" The peddler froze.
The woman before him was exactly his type. How could anyone in the world be so perfect?
Liu Erlong frowned and asked again, "Boss?"
"Oh, yes! I heard you!"
This peddler was none other than Flender. After being in the trade for so long, he had developed a fair eye for appraising treasures.
Flender carefully examined the Dragon Ganoderma Leaf in Liu Erlong's hand and caught the faint scent of its medicinal fragrance.
He immediately realized that this spirit herb was exceptional. He seemed to remember seeing a description of it somewhere.
Flender hurriedly took out a copy of the Compendium of Spirit Herbs and began searching through it.
Before long, he found the description of the herb.
"Dragon Ganoderma Leaf. It can help Soul Masters recover their Soul Power, injuries, and stamina, and can also stabilize their cultivation and prevent it from regressing?"
"For mercenaries who are always licking blood off the edge of a blade, this Dragon Ganoderma Leaf is as good as a second life!"
"I have to trick her... I mean, buy it!" Flender thought.
He was a mercenary himself, partly to earn money and partly to put himself through his paces.
Flender put down the book and said, "Miss, have you tried this spirit herb?"
Liu Erlong nodded. "I ate one leaf!"
Flender's heart sank. "This is bad. She'll be hard to fool. Well, might as well try!"
"Since you've eaten Dragon Ganoderma Leaf, you should know it's just a herb that helps you recover your Soul Power."
"I happen to like collecting all kinds of herbs. How about this? I'll take it off your hands for one Silver Soul Coin. I'll be taking a loss, but what do you say?"
After saying that, Flender watched Liu Erlong nervously.
If the deal went through, he stood to make quite a profit.
Liu Erlong frowned. She had a vague feeling that the spirit herb was worth more than that.
"I'm not selling!" Liu Erlong decided to ask the other peddlers.
"Hey, miss, don't go! I'll throw in a copy of the Master's Spirit Theory!"
"This Martial Soul Theory is worth a fortune. I wouldn't sell it to just anyone!" Flender urged.
He could always get the Martial Soul Theory printed again. Trading it for something would cost him nothing.
Liu Erlong asked, "Martial Soul Theory? Worth a fortune? Are you telling the truth?"
She had dropped out of school early and wasn't very interested in Martial Soul Theory.
But if the theory really was worth a fortune, wouldn't it make the perfect gift?