Purple Grains Kui Wood

Chapter 27: Purple Grains Kui Wood

The crowd of Demon Cultivators around them saw there was no more excitement to watch and immediately lost interest, each going their separate way.

Chen Lin didn't care in the slightest. He took another 31 Low-Grade Spirit Stones from his Storage Bag and handed them to the short man along with the stones from before. "All right, count the stones carefully. If everything checks out, I'll take this girl with me."

The short man took the stones and counted them carefully. Only after confirming they were all there did he cautiously put them into his Storage Bag. A satisfied smile appeared on his ugly face; clearly, he'd made quite a bit more than he'd expected.

"Heh heh, fellow Daoist, why not take another look at the stall? Is there any cultivation material you like? I'll absolutely sell it to you at the lowest price." The short man had finally caught such a generous fool, and his eyes rolled as he eagerly recommended his other wares.

Chen Lin quickly glanced over the stall and found only ordinary materials. He shook his head, uninterested.

Seeing Chen Lin's lack of interest, a flicker of regret crossed the short man's eyes. Still, he swiftly opened the cage behind him, pulled the girl out, and shoved her in front of Chen Lin.

The girl was injured and couldn't stand steadily. When he shoved her, she cried out and staggered, about to fall. Chen Lin furrowed his brow, but still reached out to steady her.

As soon as Chen Lin caught her with one hand, the girl reacted, struggling free of his arm and getting back on her feet. Her delicate body trembled, her pretty face lowered slightly, and she looked at Chen Lin with some fear. Perhaps because he didn't look as hideous and terrifying as the other Demon Cultivators, and instead had a more human face, the sorrow on her face hadn't faded, but her expression had clearly improved.

The short man sneered at the sight and said to Chen Lin, "Heh heh, fellow Daoist, don't be fooled by this girl's appearance. She's terribly crafty. I nearly let her escape from me several times, and even suffered a few losses. That's why I had no choice but to injure her and seal a low-tier Spirit-Sealing Talisman inside her. I'd advise you to keep your guard up."

Chen Lin nodded and gave the girl a glance. Expressionless, he said, "Come with me. Don't even think about running away. Not every Demon Cultivator in the Myriad Demon Sect is as easygoing as I am. If you get lost and fall into the hands of another Demon Cultivator, you can guess what'll happen without me spelling it out."

With that, Chen Lin turned around and paid the girl no further attention, as if he wasn't worried in the least that she might escape.

The girl lifted her head and stared at Chen Lin, who was already walking ahead. The pitiful sorrow vanished from her face in an instant. Her eyes darted about slyly, and her pretty face shifted through a range of expressions.

But after hesitating for a moment, she gritted her teeth and chose to follow Chen Lin. Before doing so, she turned back and glared viciously at the short man, then put on a mournful expression again and followed close behind Chen Lin.

Chen Lin naturally didn't know about these changes in the girl. As he walked ahead, his expression was somewhat dejected. After he'd rescued her, the Main God Coffin had fallen silent, without explaining the mission reward at all.

Could the Main God Coffin have simply seen the girl's plight, taken pity on her, and issued a pointless mission?

That seemed unlikely, didn't it?

"Hey, little girl, what's your name?"

"..."

The girl followed behind Chen Lin with her head lowered, silent and unwilling to answer.

"How did you end up in that Demon Cultivator's hands?"

"..."

"Come on, don't be afraid. I'm a good person."

"..."

Chen Lin glanced at the silent girl following behind him and rubbed his nose, speechless. All along the way, no matter how he tried to strike up a conversation or question her, she remained quiet, leaving him at a loss for what else to say.

"Top-quality Mid-Grade Dharma Artifacts! Each one engraved with four formations and boasting formidable power. Fellow Daoists, don't pass these by!"

"Blank talismans for low-tier talismans, a dozen to a bundle! Top-quality cinnabar, too. Fellow Daoists looking to craft talismans, come have a look!"

"Freshly harvested Purple Jade Ginseng! Fellow Daoists refining top-grade pills, don't miss out!"

Chen Lin continued browsing the market with interest. The bizarre variety of cultivation materials dazzled him, and he was gradually becoming familiar with some of the cultivation world's common knowledge.

"Hey!"

Suddenly, Chen Lin felt a pair of slender hands tug at the hem of his robe.

"Hm?"

Chen Lin turned around in surprise and stared at the girl. He seemed astonished that the silent girl had finally spoken. Then he stopped, turned to face her, and folded his arms. With a faintly amused look, he said, "Heh heh, little girl, you've been quiet this whole time. I was starting to think you were mute."

"Who's mute? You're the mute!"

The girl raised her pretty eyebrows and glared fiercely at Chen Lin. Then, as if she remembered something, her face fell and she said sullenly, "Hey, um... how about we make a deal?"

"Go ahead. If you're going to ask me to let you go, forget it. I spent quite a few Spirit Stones buying you back." Chen Lin waved a hand.

"Hey, I'll help you earn a pile of Spirit Stones to make up for what you spent buying me. I'll even make you a big profit. Then you can let me go, right?"

The girl watched Chen Lin's expression nervously.

"Help me earn a pile of Spirit Stones?" Chen Lin lazily glanced at her, noncommittal. "Then tell me how you'll help me earn them. If it sounds workable, I'll consider your terms."

"I hope you'll keep your word... See that Purple Jade Ginseng?"

The girl furrowed her pretty brows, seemingly reluctant, but still lifted her slender hand and pointed toward a purple medicinal plant at a stall they'd just passed. She lowered her voice. "That isn't actually Purple Jade Ginseng. It's a medicinal herb called Purple Grains Kui Wood, one of the main ingredients for refining the precious Sea-Breaking Pill. The stall owner is blind to its value. If you buy it, you'll definitely make a huge profit."

"Oh?" Chen Lin followed the direction she pointed and indeed saw a stall owner hawking a medicinal plant. Still suspicious, he glanced at the girl. "How do you know?"

"Purple Grains Kui Wood resembles Purple Jade Ginseng, but it's clearly more than half a foot larger. The base of Purple Grains Kui Wood is purplish brown, and every hundred years a ring forms at its base. I took a close look just now. This plant has two rings, which means it's more than two hundred years old. It's a top-grade medicinal herb, worth no less than 300 Spirit Stones."

The girl raised her eyebrows and spoke with certainty.

"Is that so?"

Chen Lin stopped and thought for a moment, then slowly walked over to the stall. He pretended to casually glance at the medicinal plant in the stall owner's hand. Looking closely, he indeed spotted two faint rings at its base. Chen Lin's eyes flashed as he focused on the plant and silently queried the Main God Coffin system.

"Purple Grains Kui Wood, top-grade medicinal herb. Effects: One of the main ingredients for refining the Sea-Breaking Pill and the Tide-Heart Jade-Clear Pill."

So it really wasn't Purple Jade Ginseng.

Chen Lin was secretly surprised.

"Fellow Daoist, have you taken a liking to this medicinal herb?" The stall owner was a dark-skinned, burly man. Seeing Chen Lin staring at the herb in his hand, he rolled his eyes and hurriedly greeted him with enthusiasm.

"Mm, I do want to refine a certain pill, and Purple Jade Ginseng happens to be one of the ingredients. May I ask how much you're asking for it?"

Chen Lin kept his expression neutral and asked slowly.

"Heh heh, fellow Daoist has a good eye. This Purple Jade Ginseng is an excellent ingredient for refining pills. I feel as if we've known each other for ages, so how about this: just give me 20 Spirit Stones and the herb is yours!" The dark-skinned man said with apparent generosity.

"Hmph, Purple Jade Ginseng is only a low-grade medicinal herb. It's used to refine nothing but healing pills, and it's not worth more than 10 Spirit Stones. How about I give you 13 Spirit Stones for it? If you're not willing, then forget it."

Chen Lin's expression darkened. He snorted and shifted as if he'd walk away the moment the stall owner refused to trade.

Seeing how familiar Chen Lin seemed with the herb, the dark-skinned man realized he couldn't fool him. After thinking it over, he readily said, "Fine! 13 Low-Grade Spirit Stones. Take it, fellow Daoist!"

"Mm."

Chen Lin nodded, keeping his expression neutral. He handed over the Spirit Stones, took the medicinal herb from the stall owner, and slipped it into his Storage Bag without even looking at it. Then he turned and walked away.