Illusory Desire Flower
After leaving Hundred Herbs Tower, Song Wen did not go far, but strolled around the nearby shops.
As dawn approached and the black market closed, there was no movement in the backyard of Hundred Herbs Tower.
Shops closed one after another, and black market guards appeared, beginning to drive away the cultivators. Song Wen had no choice but to leave the black market as well.
He had barely stepped out of the black market when a thick fog rose up, enveloping it.
This is a maze within the black market; one is allowed to leave but not enter. Cultivators are forbidden from trespassing into the Ghost Market during the day.
On a mountain behind the black market, Song Wen found a secluded crevice in the rock wall, concealed his presence, and hid inside.
With the help of the Sacred Beetle Gu, his Divine Sense's detection range reached thirty-two miles, encompassing the entire Ghost Market.
As soon as Xing Xinxin walks out of the Ghost Market maze, he will be able to find her immediately.
However, Xing Xinxin had Law Treasure to conceal her aura, Song Wen was worried that he wouldn't be able to sense her, so he left behind the Sacred Beetle Gu to monitor her.
Song Wen thought he would have to wait a long time, but to his surprise, the Sacred Beetle Gu appeared outside the maze two hours later.
Several miles ahead, Xing Xinxin, her face veiled, was riding her sword eastward, a direction far from Fangzhu City.
She flew eastward for nearly ten thousand miles until she arrived at the bottom of a deep Rift Valley.
The bottom of the Rift Valley was dark and damp, filled with a chilling and eerie atmosphere.
Xing Xinxin knew the way well and arrived at a Cave at the bottom of the canyon.
The Cave had no array or restrictions, but Xing Xinxin did not rush in.
She stood in front of the cave and shouted loudly into it.
"Poison Old Ghost, come out here. I have something to discuss with you."
"Hehehe... Miss Xing, what brings you to my Poison Grotto?"
A hunched figure slowly emerged from the dark Cave.
The newcomer was a gaunt old man, dressed in a tattered gray robe, his skin clinging to his bones, making him appear exceptionally thin.
His eyes were sunken deep in their sockets, like two Black Hole.
His fingers were long and thin, withered, like a few dead branches.
Xing Xinxin looked at the old man's ugly appearance, and a hint of disgust flashed in her eyes, but she hid it well.
She looked around at the dark valley floor.
"This isn't the place to talk. Let's go inside your Poison Grotto."
The Poison Old Ghost raised his thin, bony hand and lured it into the Cave.
"My Poison Grotto has no restrictions. Miss Xing, you may enter at will."
"Without your permission, Poison Old Ghost, trespassing into your Poison Grotto is tantamount to courting death."
After saying that, Xing Xinxin started walking away.
She had only taken two steps when she seemed to realize something was amiss, so she stopped, took out an antidote pill, and swallowed it.
Upon seeing this, the Poison Old Ghost suddenly let out a strange laugh.
A two-foot-long centipede crawled out of his gray robe, climbed up his gaunt cheek, and burrowed into his mouth.
He opened his mouth and bit down, and green, sticky liquid splattered, covering his yellowed teeth.
Then came the crunching sounds of chewing.
"If you eat those disgusting bugs in front of me again, I'll smash all your yellow teeth."
Xing Xinxin cursed angrily.
"Alright, alright, old ghost, I won't eat it then."
During their conversation, the two quickly ventured several miles into the Cave and arrived at a cave that was several acres in size.
Inside the cave, spiders the size of washbasins, centipedes two or three feet long, and colorful venomous snakes can be seen everywhere.
"Miss Xing, now you can tell me, what brings you here in person?"
"Do you have anything here that can amplify a woman's desire? Something that leaves no trace, something that no one will notice," Xing Xinxin asked.
Suddenly, a black porcelain bottle appeared in the Poison Old Ghost's right hand.
"Peach Blossom Bewitching Miasma! Any cultivator below the Golden Core realm who inhales even a wisp of it will experience an overwhelming surge of lust, unable to control themselves."
As the Poison Old Ghost spoke, his face was full of lewd smiles.
"I wonder who you're dealing with? Is it worth all this trouble, Miss Xing?"
Xing Xinxin said, "Don't pry into my affairs."
After scolding the other person, she continued.
"If mere aphrodisiacs could solve my problem, why would I have traveled so far to your Poison Grotto? Aphrodisiacs are too easy to counteract, and even if it succeeds, it's easy for others to spot the deception. Do you have something more discreet?"
The Poison Old Ghost said, "What you want is not unavailable, but it is not easy to cultivate. I, the old ghost, only have one."
"Do you think I'm afraid you'll shortchange me on Spirit Stone?" Xing Xinxin said with some dissatisfaction.
"How could I dare? Miss Xing, please come with me."
The Poison Old Ghost walked to a corner of the cave, gently pressed his hand against the stone wall, and a stone door ten feet high was pushed open.
He went in first, followed closely by Xing Xinxin.
Behind the stone gate is a cave about a mile in size.
The ceiling of the cave was densely inlaid with fist-sized crystals, which emitted a faint fluorescence.
The interplay of fluorescent light bathed the entire cave in a green glow, creating a deep and bleak atmosphere that made the cave appear exceptionally eerie and sinister.
Hundreds of spirit medicine are planted inside the cave.
These spirit medicine were all highly poisonous.
The Poison Old Ghost pointed to one of the plants.
This spirit medicine herb is about two feet tall, and at its top, a flower the size of a fist blooms proudly, its petals shimmering with iridescent light.
"The Illusory Desire Flower, a unique spirit medicine cultivated exclusively by me, is a one-of-a-kind plant in the world."
"The fragrance of this flower is a kind of hallucinogenic poison that can directly affect a cultivator's soul, creating mental illusions and arousing their lust. Afterwards, no one will notice anything amiss."
Xing Xinxin smiled, clearly quite satisfied with the Illusory Desire Flower.
How can this flower be poisoned?
"Simply collect the fragrance of this flower, seal it in a jade bottle, and let the other person smell it," said the Poison Old Ghost.
Xing Xinxin said, "Who would be so foolish as to hug a strange jade bottle and use it to inhale?"
The Poison Old Ghost said, "To poison someone without them noticing is simple. Take a flower petal and place it in their cave abode or room. As the fragrance slowly diffuses, over time, they will naturally be poisoned by the illusionary poison."
Xing Xinxin nodded, "That's wonderful. Please give me a petal."
The Poison Old Ghost shook his head. "That won't do. The illusionary poison in the petals can't be sealed away; it will dissipate naturally. If you want to use the petals to poison someone, you'll have to take the entire Illusory Desire Flower with you."
Xing Xinxin turned her head, her sharp gaze piercing the ugly face of the Poison Old Ghost.
Her intuition told her that Poison Old Ghost said was untrue.
The other party asked her to buy the entire Illusory Desire Flower, but that was just an attempt to take advantage of the situation and make an exorbitant demand.
However, she was determined to get the flowers, and had no choice but to accept the other party's exorbitant price.
"How many Spirit Stones?" Xing Xinxin asked, somewhat annoyed.
"One hundred thousand Spirit Stone!"
"You want 100,000 Spirit Stone for a mere broken flower?" Xing Xinxin asked angrily.
The Poison Old Ghost wore a sly smile.
"There's only one of its kind in the world. Miss Xing, take it or leave it."
Looking at the smug smile on the Poison Old Ghost, Xing Xinxin had an urge to slap him.
But then she remembered how Shan Yue had cried her eyes out in front of her father, complaining about her.
A surge of anger welled up in Xing Xinxin's heart.
Beauty is Shan Yue greatest strength, but also her most vulnerable weakness.
If her purity in Xing Gaohan's heart is shattered, then Shan Yue's beauty becomes her original sin.
She gritted her teeth and swallowed out a few words.
"Okay, deal."