At the snake eggs, Luo Mu wasted no time. He put them into his Storage Bag, then went over to the Plum Blossom Snake's corpse. Looking at its enormous body, he sighed.
He had nearly lost his life to this beast!
But a sigh was all well and good; the treasures he'd just collected still needed collecting. Luo Mu wasn't about to go easy on the Plum Blossom Snake's corpse. He let go of his dagger and wiped the sweat from his palm, then began carving up the snake.
First, he removed the Plum Blossom Snake's venom sac. The poisonous mist it had spewed came from this sac, and to Luo Mu, something this venomous was a treasure. Next, he dug out the snake's two fangs with his dagger. They were already huge, but after he pried them out by the roots, each was a full foot long. Luo Mu was so startled he nearly jumped. If those two fangs had sunk into him just now...
At the thought, a chill ran through Luo Mu.
He put the fangs into his Storage Bag, then used his dagger to peel away the Plum Blossom Snake's hide. After the time it took to drink a cup of tea, he had stripped the three-zhang-long snake's hide off in one intact piece. Aside from the cut he'd made in its belly when he came out, there wasn't a mark on it.
In the end, Luo Mu didn't even spare the Plum Blossom Snake's meat. He stowed that in his Storage Bag, too. Its flesh was poisonous as well, and it would have been a shame to waste such a treasure. Luo Mu planned to take it home and braise it.
Once he was done, Luo Mu looked around the cave, his eyes sweeping every corner in eager hope of finding more treasures. The cave wasn't large, and he searched it from end to end in moments. At last, he shook his head in disappointment and walked out.
As soon as he left the cave, Luo Mu hurried straight to the Snake Eye Fruit Tree. He took a wooden box from his Storage Bag and picked every last Snake Eye Fruit, laying them carefully inside in neat rows as if afraid of damaging even one.
"Ninety-six!" Only after plucking the final Snake Eye Fruit did Luo Mu tuck the box into his Storage Bag. He put the bag into his clothes, patted it in satisfaction, and left.
This time, Luo Mu didn't dare venture farther into the mountains. His brush with death had just taught him a lesson: until he had the strength to protect himself, he needed to be cautious and keep a low profile.
Luo Mu knew when to advance and when to retreat, and he knew when to quit while he was ahead. He'd already made a fine haul in a single day, and he was content. Too much greed would only get him killed for nothing.
Over the next four days, Luo Mu traveled without stopping toward Jinxiu City. Since he didn't go deep into the mountains, he encountered only some wild beasts and three low-tier, first-level demon beasts that weren't particularly aggressive.
Whether wild beasts or low-tier, first-level demon beasts, Luo Mu spared none of them. He killed them and tossed them into his Storage Bag. He could trade the demon beasts for a few Spirit Stones later, while the wild beasts could go straight into his cooking pot, saving him a little money on food.
It wasn't much of a saving, but Luo Mu didn't turn his nose up at it.
On the evening of the fifth day after leaving Dragon Gate Town, Luo Mu finally reached his destination: Jinxiu City!
Jinxiu City was a major city under the Wanfa Sect. It covered a vast area and was densely populated, a place where ordinary mortals and cultivators lived side by side. For that reason, the city's authorities had made it clear in writing: cultivators were forbidden from harming ordinary mortals. Anyone caught doing so would be annihilated by the city's forces!
Of course, mortals weren't allowed to show disrespect to cultivators, either. Anyone who refused to comply could be taught a lesson on the spot. But cultivators were figures of admiration to mortals. What mortal would be foolish enough to offend one? They'd be falling over themselves to curry favor instead.
Jinxiu City's authorities were, in fact, the Wanfa Sect. Any cultivator who caused trouble in Jinxiu City would be put on the Wanfa Sect's blacklist and hunted for the rest of their life.
Luo Mu stood far outside the city, gazing at its towering walls and feeling their imposing presence. His heart stirred with a thousand emotions. It wasn't the first time he'd seen these walls, but he still couldn't keep his feelings in check.
After composing himself, Luo Mu headed for the city gate. It was already night, yet Jinxiu City remained ablaze with lights and bustling with activity. Dragon Gate Town, that little place, couldn't begin to compare.
Before he even reached the gate, Luo Mu could hear the city's lively din: laughter and chatter, arguments, haggling, merchants hawking their wares, and all sorts of other sounds. They reached his ears, and he found himself quickening his pace.
The moment he entered the city, he found the streets packed with people and buzzing with excitement. Shops lined both sides of the road, including Lü's Herb Shop, Guandong General Store, the Mortal Provisions Shop, and all kinds of others.
This street was in the western part of Jinxiu City, a street reserved for mortals. The shops on either side sold goods for mortals, too. Dragon Gate Town happened to lie closest to this gate, so Luo Mu wasn't foolish enough to circle around and enter through another one.
Luo Mu knew perfectly well that this street had nothing he wanted, so he had no intention of lingering. He soon left.
An hour later, Luo Mu finally reached the place he had in mind: the night market in western Jinxiu City! The night market was a street, too, but it was a little different from the others.
On other streets, only the shops lining the road could sell goods. The night market was different. Though it also had all kinds of shops along either side, most of its sellers were crammed into temporary stalls in the middle of the street, hawking all sorts of goods!
At first, Luo Mu had planned to buy some poisonous herbs from a proper shop, then sell the corpses of the demon beasts he had on hand in exchange for a few Spirit Stones. But then he thought better of it. It was night, and the night market was open. Goods there were much cheaper than in proper shops, and the variety was vast. He'd have a better chance of finding what he wanted.
Proper shops had high rental costs, while night-market stalls were relatively cheap. You only had to pay for one night's rent to use a stall. For Rogue Cultivators without powerful backing and short on money, the night market was the best place to trade or buy goods.
As for Luo Mu, he had neither connections nor money. Buying or trading for what he needed at the night market made far more sense. Besides, the goods sold there were a mixed bag. Browsing for bargains and broadening his horizons was worthwhile, too.
"Come on over and take a look! Beginner low-grade Fireball Talismans, just three Low-grade Spirit Stones..."
"One mid-grade, first-rank spirit herb, only five Low-grade Spirit Stones! Don't miss your chance as you pass by..."
Standing at the entrance to the night market, Luo Mu listened to the calls all around him. He no longer hesitated and stepped in among the stalls, looking them over one by one.
"Fellow Daoist, could you lower the price on this mid-grade magical artifact? Ten Low-grade Spirit Stones is just too expensive." At one stall, a middle-aged cultivator stared at a palm-sized shield-shaped magical artifact and spoke to the vendor without even looking up.
"This is a defensive magical artifact—a lifesaver! And you think ten Low-grade Spirit Stones is too much? If anything, I think I'm selling it too cheap!" the vendor said, looking displeased.
If he hadn't been short on money and in urgent need of Spirit Stones, he never would have sold the shield-shaped artifact. He couldn't believe someone would haggle over a price of just ten Low-grade Spirit Stones. How could that not make him angry?
The middle-aged man seemed to notice the vendor's sour tone. He raised his head, looking a little embarrassed, and quickly explained, "Don't be angry, Fellow Daoist. I really do like this artifact, but I'm a little short on money lately. How about we each give a little? Seven Spirit Stones?"
"No!" the vendor refused without a moment's thought.
"Eight! All right, I'll take a bit of a loss. What do you say to eight Spirit Stones?" The middle-aged man added one Spirit Stone to his offer.
"No!"
"Not even eight? Aren't you being a bit unreasonable, Fellow Daoist? Fine, nine Spirit Stones. Nine at most—I really can't afford more..."
Scenes like this played out countless times at the night market every evening. Luo Mu only watched as he passed by. Seeing nothing he wanted at the stall, he moved on; he wasn't interested in listening to them haggle.
Truth be told, Luo Mu coveted that shield-shaped artifact, too. Everyone knew defensive magical artifacts were the most expensive of their tier. They were the foundation of survival. Who wouldn't want a few extra life-saving artifacts on hand to protect them in a crisis?
How many people in this world weren't afraid to die? Very few! Cultivators were no exception. There were so many people afraid of death that defensive magical artifacts ended up far more expensive than other artifacts.
Luo Mu could afford ten Low-grade Spirit Stones, but he wasn't planning to buy it just yet. He wanted to look around some more and see if he could find something cheaper or better suited to him before deciding.
Luo Mu was afraid of dying, too, so he had already made up his mind to get himself a defensive magical artifact!
"Refining magical artifacts! I'll refine them for any fellow Daoist, free of charge! Just bring your own materials! I've just made a mid-grade magical artifact for a fellow Daoist!" Just as Luo Mu was considering what kind of defensive magical artifact to buy, a loud cry interrupted his thoughts.
He looked toward the source of the voice. A young man, seemingly eighteen or nineteen and about the same age as Luo Mu, came into view.
"Free magical artifact refining? And he's just made a mid-grade magical artifact?" Hearing this, Luo Mu raised an eyebrow, instinctively patted the Storage Bag at his chest, then walked toward the stall.
The young man's shout reminded Luo Mu of the Plum Blossom Snake's hide and fangs. They were excellent materials for refining magical artifacts. But Luo Mu wasn't foolish enough to hand them over to the young man right away. He decided to go over and see what was going on before making up his mind.
Before you continue