Cultivation: From Menial Laborer to Immortal Venerable Section 8

"Brother, you found these four Spirit Gathering Grass, so let's split them evenly. As for the Goldspirit Rat, we'll stick to our original agreement!"

"We already agreed!" Zhou Xun tried to say more, but was interrupted again.

"Brother, I misjudged that Goldspirit Rat before. If it wasn't for you, I probably would have lost it."

"And this cave, if it weren't for you, Brother, with my personality, I probably would have just killed the Goldspirit Rat and left. I wouldn't have come in at all and wouldn't have found these spirit herbs. Splitting them evenly, I'm actually getting the better deal!"

Looking at Dan Xiong Hai's sincere eyes, Zhou Xun felt a warmth spread through his heart, and he nodded.

"Then it shall be as you say!"

Zhou Xun took the two Spirit Gathering Grass that Dan Xiong Hai handed over and put them into the pack on his back.

Because of the Spirit Gathering Grass, the two searched the main hall several more times but found nothing. Only then did they reluctantly leave the cave.

"Brother, is this real? I actually got two Spirit Gathering Grass!" As soon as they exited the cave, Dan Xiong Hai couldn't hide his excitement as he spoke to Zhou Xun.

Hearing this, Zhou Xun frowned and quickly warned him:

"Da Hai, as the saying goes, 'An innocent person is guilty when he possesses a treasure.' The value of these spirit herbs is immense; even Foundation Establishment cultivators would be interested. Now that they are in our hands, we must keep our mouths shut, or it will surely lead to a deadly disaster!"

"Brother, don't worry. 'Do not flaunt wealth' is a principle etched into the hearts of every demon hunter. I definitely won't say anything!" Dan Xiong Hai patted his chest to guarantee.

Seeing that he was vouching with his identity as a demon hunter, Zhou Xun nodded and said no more.

Hundred Savages Mountain was rich in resources, containing countless rare treasures. As demon hunters who made a living in Hundred Savages Mountain, if they didn't know how to hide their strength and flaunted their treasures everywhere, they would have been reduced to mere bones long ago.

The two returned to the trap where they had hunted the Goldspirit Rat, packed their belongings, and filled two large bundles.

One for each of them, they headed back towards Red Leaf Square.

It took a full seven days before they finally returned to the market town.

The reason they had taken two extra days on the return trip was all Zhou Xun's doing.

Because they were carrying immense treasures, and the two large bundles were truly eye-catching, they might have been noticed by someone with ill intentions on their way back, who could have ambushed them.

Therefore, the two chose a secluded path, took a detour, and thus spent two extra days on the journey.

Fortunately, the journey was uneventful, and they successfully returned to Red Leaf Square.

They didn't relax until they reached Green Willow Alley and carried their belongings to Dan Xiong Hai's home.

"Brother, we've hit the jackpot this trip!" Dan Xiong Hai said.

Zhou Xun, however, shook his head and then explained:

"Those two treasures are too precious. Even with Uncle's status, if the news were leaked, it would be difficult to protect them."

"The Wu Family's 'Treasures Pavilion' has a trustworthy reputation. They wouldn't ruin their years of fame for this item, would they?" Dan Xiong Hai retorted.

"That depends on what kind of treasure it is."

"If it were an ordinary treasure, it would be fine, but this is Spirit Gathering Grass, a treasure that can break through bottlenecks!"

"If it can be refined into Spirit Gathering Pills, it can foster more than ten late-stage Qi Condensation cultivators. For a family, that's a huge temptation!"

"It's enough to draw out the Wu Family's Foundation Establishment cultivators!"

"With their cultivation, they could completely deal with us without anyone knowing, and the outside world would remain completely ignorant. Do you believe me!"

Zhou Xun warned with a solemn expression.

Hearing this, Dan Xiong Hai finally nodded in belief and sighed:

"Then, having obtained this item, we can't use it for the time being, which is quite frustrating!"

"Treasures move people's hearts, and our cultivation is still too low!"

"Let's store it patiently. When we reach the peak of mid-stage Qi Condensation, we can exchange this item for Spirit Gathering Pills and break through to late-stage Qi Condensation in one go!" Zhou Xun said with conviction.

Dan Xiong Hai suddenly understood.

After sitting for a while, Zhou Xun said his goodbyes and went home. They agreed to meet early the next morning to go to the Mystic Talisman Pavilion in the center of the market town to sell the materials from the Goldspirit Rat.

Back home, Zhou Xun immediately closed the doors and windows. After checking that everything was secure, he took out the two Spirit Gathering Grass with relief.

"Now that I have the Spirit Gathering Grass, it's time to test the abilities of the Ningshun Sutra!"

He had no intention of being reluctant to use the precious spirit grass.

For cultivators, talent is the foundation. While spirit grass is precious, it's not as important as improving one's spiritual root aptitude.

Even if it's used to condense the essence of spirit medicine to improve spiritual root aptitude, there would certainly be a difference in the effect between ordinary spirit grass and precious spirit grass.

Besides, he still had another Spirit Gathering Grass.

Zhou Xun opened one of the jade boxes, picked up the Spirit Gathering Grass, and was about to circulate the Ningshun Sutra's incantation when he suddenly stopped.

"The travel these past few days has left me physically and mentally exhausted, and my condition is not optimal. I'll adjust myself tomorrow before trying!"

For seven days, Zhou Xun had been highly vigilant, which had consumed a great deal of his mental energy.

Zhou Xun suppressed the temptation to improve his spiritual root aptitude and put the Spirit Gathering Grass back into the jade box.

As Zhou Xun closed the lid of the box, a sense of clarity washed over him.

To be self-aware in the face of temptation was also a form of tempering the heart.

After carefully hiding the Spirit Gathering Grass and eating a simple meal of Spirit Rice, Zhou Xun went to rest.

The next morning, Dan Xiong Hai pulled Zhou Xun along to the Mystic Talisman Pavilion in the center of the market.

As Red Leaf Square's largest talisman shop, they had a great demand for materials from the Goldspirit Rat, which could be used to prepare spirit ink and refine talisman brushes.

Stepping into the place where he had worked for three years, Zhou Xun felt a ripple of emotion.

He had been a menial laborer before, but today he was a patron.

As soon as they entered the Mystic Talisman Pavilion, a young attendant in a green robe greeted them.

"Welcome to the Mystic Talisman Pavilion, esteemed Daoist friend. What can I get for you... Huh? Zhou... Zhou Xun?" The attendant first bowed enthusiastically, but his expression froze when he recognized Zhou Xun's face.

"Why are you here?" The attendant's tone instantly cooled, carrying a hint of impatience.

This attendant was named Qian Xun. Like Zhou Xun, he was also a spirit-contracted menial at the Mystic Talisman Pavilion, so they were naturally acquainted.

However, this person was rather sycophantic.

When Zhou Xun had been appreciated by the manager before, Qian Xun had befriended him and addressed him as "Brother Zhou" on a daily basis.

"I'm here to see Shopkeeper Liu!" Zhou Xun's mood had been good upon seeing a familiar face, but given this attitude, Zhou Xun lost the desire to exchange pleasantries.

"You've already been fired, why are you still coming to our Mystic Talisman Pavilion!" Qian Xun glanced around before lowering his voice.

Zhou Xun frowned, about to speak, when a gentle voice suddenly came from nearby.

"So it's Zhou Xun!"

The newcomer, dressed in a sky-blue brocade robe, was the Shopkeeper Liu whom Zhou Xun was looking for.

"We're here to sell materials from the Goldspirit Rat, and yet this person is trying to drive us out!" Dan Xiong Hai said with a cold laugh.

Upon hearing this, Qian Xun's expression changed.

Shopkeeper Liu's expression remained unchanged, and he then cupped his hands in greeting.

"So that's how it is. It seems our management has been lacking. I apologize to you, Daoist friend!"

Seeing how polite the shopkeeper was, Dan Xiong Hai waved his hand.

"Oh, and Zhou Xun... no, Daoist Zhou. Since you're here to sell materials, you are naturally our guest!"

He showed no disrespect due to Zhou Xun having been his subordinate.

This was perhaps a key reason why he was able to climb to his current position from a mere menial without any background or connections.

He then turned to Qian Xun, who was beside him, and instructed:

"Apologize to both Daoist friends immediately!" His tone carried a hint of authority.

Upon hearing this, Qian Xun quickly bowed repeatedly.

"Brother Zhou, and this Daoist friend, this lowly one judged you by your appearance. Please be magnanimous and forgive me!"

Zhou Xun waved his hand, no longer wanting to deal with him.

"You may go!" Shopkeeper Liu waved his hand.

Qian Xun quickly scurried away.

"Two Daoist friends, please come inside to talk!" With that, he led Zhou Xun and his companion further into the building.