The boy's hawking didn't just stir Luo Mu's curiosity. Every cultivator nearby who heard him turned to look. Some wore shocked expressions, others looked skeptical, and some, like Luo Mu, were simply curious.
There was no denying that the boy's shout had worked. Several cultivators had been drawn over by his claim that he had "just finished refining a mid-grade spiritual weapon."
When he saw a few cultivators approaching, the boy—who had just been shouting with such enthusiasm—didn't look excited at all. Instead, embarrassment showed on his face.
"Little Daoist, I just heard you say that you can refine mid-grade magical artifacts, and that you won't charge a fee. Is that true?" A young cultivator stopped in front of him and asked earnestly.
Luo Mu couldn't see through the young cultivator's cultivation, which meant he was at least at the third layer of the Qi Refining Stage. The boy running the stall, meanwhile, was only at the first layer, a full level below Luo Mu. The young cultivator's question deepened the embarrassment on the boy's face.
Seeing this, the young cultivator furrowed his brows, clearly displeased.
"Fellow Daoist, I can indeed refine mid-grade magical artifacts, but..." Seeing the other man's displeasure, and the puzzled stares of the cultivators who had come over, the boy hurried to explain, hoping to keep his pitch from ruining his business.
"But what?" the young man asked.
"My success rate is a little low. I only have a one-in-ten chance of succeeding." As he said this, Luo Mu clearly saw a blush creep across the boy's face.
"One-in-ten?" The young man who had asked the question froze. So did Luo Mu and the other cultivators who had reached the stall.
"Forget it. I came by my materials at great cost, nearly losing my life to get them. I can't risk handing them over to you." The young man sighed and shook his head, looking frustrated. Then he turned and walked away.
"Fellow Daoist, wait! My success rate for mid-grade magical artifacts is low, but I'm pretty good at refining low-grade ones!" The boy called after him, still unwilling to give up, hoping to keep the young man there.
"Using my materials to make a low-grade artifact would be a waste. Hmph!" The young man didn't look back. He only snorted, his voice clearly angry.
Once the man had gone, disappointment appeared on the boy's face. The other cultivators also drifted away, all looking regretful. After all, the fees for refining, just like those for making talismans or pills, were steep. Who wouldn't want to take advantage of a chance to get something made for free and save a pile of spirit stones?
But once they learned that the boy's success rate was frighteningly low, who would be foolish enough to hand over their materials? If the refinement failed, they wouldn't just lose gleaming spirit stones; they would lose all the effort and heart they had poured into obtaining them.
Rogue Cultivators without money couldn't afford to take that risk.
The stall, which had just been surrounded by several cultivators, was now deserted except for Luo Mu. He hadn't stayed because he wanted the boy to refine the Plum Blossom Snake materials. Instead, he was staring at the stall in front of him, eyes wide.
A bundle of glistening black grass on the stall had caught Luo Mu's eye. This grass, called Ink Crow Grass, was a top-grade, first-rank poisonous herb. Even a single stalk would have been enough to send Luo Mu into raptures. He hadn't expected the stall to have an entire bundle—at least ten stalks, judging by the look of it!
What excited Luo Mu most was the price: one spirit stone per stalk. Other cultivators might not spend spirit stones on something useless to them, but for Luo Mu, it was a different story.
"Fellow Daoist, are you here to have something refined?" the boy asked from beside him, just as Luo Mu was reeling with shock.
The boy had seen Luo Mu approach after he began calling out, when he heard that the boy could refine mid-grade magical artifacts. So he had guessed that Luo Mu had come to his stall for that purpose.
The boy's guess hadn't been wrong. At first, Luo Mu had considered it, but he'd abandoned the idea once he heard the boy's success rate.
"No. I'm interested in this Ink Crow Grass." Once he recovered, Luo Mu denied it at once. He didn't intend to tell the truth, lest he hurt the boy's pride. Besides, the boy looked a little older than him, so Luo Mu modestly called himself this little brother. He didn't care that his own cultivation was a whole level higher.
The main reason Luo Mu was acting this way was that bundle of Ink Crow Grass!
"Ink Crow Grass?" The boy was clearly sharp-witted and didn't quite believe him.
"That's right, Ink Crow Grass! I'll take all of it. Please count it for me, stallkeeper." Luo Mu's lips curled into a smile.
The boy was startled. He hadn't expected Luo Mu to make such a large purchase, especially of something so useless. Though Ink Crow Grass was a top-grade, first-rank herb, it was a poisonous herb rather than a spiritual one, which greatly diminished its value. Few cultivators would buy it. So when the boy got the grass, he hadn't taken much care with it, simply tying it into a bundle with a rope.
When he had set the price, even the boy himself had thought one spirit stone per stalk was a little expensive. Most cultivators probably wouldn't buy it. Sure enough, it had sat there untouched for a long time.
Just as the boy was about to lower the price and sell the bundle off like rubbish, Luo Mu had come along and said he wanted all of it.
The boy stood there stunned. Only when Luo Mu began to look displeased did he come to his senses. He said nothing, quickly counting the Ink Crow Grass, as if afraid Luo Mu might suddenly change his mind.
A short while later, the boy finished counting and announced, "Fellow Daoist, there are thirteen stalks of Ink Crow Grass. You should pay me thirteen spirit stones, but since you're so generous and bought the whole bundle at once, I won't be stingy. I'll round it down—you can pay me ten spirit stones!"
The boy handed Luo Mu the bundle and spoke with hearty generosity. Luo Mu smiled but didn't argue. He took out ten spirit stones and gave them to the boy, then put the Ink Crow Grass into his Storage Bag. In truth, Luo Mu knew this poisonous herb wouldn't be easy to sell. If he hadn't bought it, the boy would have lowered the price later—perhaps until he couldn't even get ten spirit stones for it.
The boy felt a little bad, thinking he had come out ahead in the deal, so he had knocked off the extra three spirit stones. That made him feel better, and it could also earn him a favor from Luo Mu. Why not?
Still, it was hard to say who had really come out ahead.
The boy saw Luo Mu put the Ink Crow Grass against his chest, where it vanished, and looked at him in confusion. He couldn't understand why Luo Mu kept his Storage Bag against his chest.
But his confusion lasted only a moment. Luo Mu's next words pulled him out of it.
"Do you have any more Ink Crow Grass?" After putting the grass away, Luo Mu suppressed his excitement and asked the boy with an even expression.
"You still want Ink Crow Grass? Wasn't that whole bundle enough for you?" The boy couldn't understand why Luo Mu, who had just bought a bundle, wanted more. What could require so much Ink Crow Grass?
But the moment the words left his mouth, the boy realized he had been rude. Luo Mu had the money to buy his goods, so he had no right to pry. He hurriedly saluted Luo Mu and apologized. "Please don't take offense, fellow Daoist. I was just curious. You needn't give it a second thought."
"It's fine. This little brother does need more Ink Crow Grass, though I can't tell you what I need it for. I have my reasons." Luo Mu smiled lightly and laughed it off, putting on an awkward expression.
Luo Mu wasn't foolish enough to tell him the truth. He planned to keep the fact that he used poison to improve his strength to himself for the rest of his life. He'd only just met the boy; he certainly wasn't about to mention it to him.
"I don't have any more Ink Crow Grass, but I know where you can find some, and there's quite a lot of it."
At the boy's first words, Luo Mu's expression remained unchanged, but he felt a little disappointed. Then the boy's next words brought his spirits back to life.
"Before I tell you where it is, could you answer a question for me?" The boy didn't reveal the grass's whereabouts. Instead, he changed the subject and asked Luo Mu a question.
"Go ahead, stallkeeper." Luo Mu was in high spirits and didn't refuse.
"Earlier, I saw you come over when you heard me calling out. You must have materials for refining on you. Otherwise, you wouldn't have walked straight over as soon as you heard me." The boy smiled knowingly, as if he'd already figured it all out.
Hearing this, Luo Mu could only smile wryly.
That expression made the boy's eyes gleam with even greater amusement. There was a chance! Without waiting for Luo Mu to speak, he continued, "I've always loved artifact refining, but getting started in this line of work takes a lot of spirit stones. As a Rogue Cultivator, I can't afford to buy enough materials to improve my skills. And my cultivation is too weak to get materials from demonic beasts, so I came up with the idea of refining artifacts for cultivators for free."
"Unfortunately, my skills are limited. I'm fine with low-grade artifacts, but mid-grade ones are difficult for me. So even though I offer to refine artifacts for free, few people are willing to come to me. After all, if the refinement fails, their materials are ruined. Not many cultivators are willing to take that risk."
"So, if you have materials, I hope you'll let me refine an artifact for you. Whether I succeed or not, I'll tell you where to find the Ink Crow Grass. If I'm lucky enough to succeed, the artifact will be yours, and I won't charge you a single spirit stone!" The boy explained in one breath why he offered to refine artifacts for free. From his tone, Luo Mu could hear the helplessness of a man without spirit stones.
Without spirit stones, a cultivator could hardly take a single step in the cultivation world!
After hearing the boy out, Luo Mu didn't agree right away, but neither did he refuse. He fell into thought, weighing the pros and cons. The boy didn't interrupt him. He simply watched Luo Mu with an expectant look on his face.
Before you continue