Chapter Thirty-Six: The Orchid Grass

Qi Gathering Pills were essential for cultivators at the Qi Refinement stage when attempting to break through bottlenecks. The pill in question appeared to be expertly crafted, clearly the work of a master; each was priced at one thousand mid-grade spirit stones, with ten in total, amounting to ten thousand mid-grade spirit stones altogether.

As for the Lan Zhi Herb in our shop, its value was ninety-nine thousand mid-grade spirit stones—the discounted price for members. After deducting the sum, there was a remainder of one mid-grade spirit stone to return to you.

After the woman spoke, she handed over a single mid-grade spirit stone to Dao Sansheng. As he watched her plump little hand pass him the stone, Dao Sansheng felt as if his heart were bleeding. He had just traded ten pills for a single medicinal herb and received one spirit stone in change.

Taking the spirit stone, Dao Sansheng began to ponder ways to earn more. When he left the pill shop, he saw a black spiritual artifact shop directly across the street. The sign read “Heavenforge Valley Spiritual Artifact Shop.” By the look of it, this was an establishment run by the sect, but Dao Sansheng had come here for a reason—he had no need for anything else.

Dressed in the robes of a Heavenforge Valley disciple, Dao Sansheng strode into the artifact shop. The disciples at the entrance didn’t spare him a glance; like Dao Sansheng, they were outer sect disciples, assigned here after spending some time in the sect to help manage its businesses.

Dao Sansheng paid them no heed. The three-story black building felt oppressive as soon as one entered. He walked straight to the counter, where the clerk, seeing him approach, was unsurprised and continued with his work.

“Senior Brother, do you need any materials for refining lately?” Dao Sansheng asked.

The man addressed as Senior Brother slowly got up from behind the counter, twirled the pen in his hand, and scrutinized Dao Sansheng from head to toe before finally speaking after a long pause. “You want refining ore, I take it? How much can you handle? I’ll fetch it for you. But you’ll need to show your disciple token for registration, and I’ll have to report it.”

Dao Sansheng still didn’t know exactly how the pricing worked, though he was aware that some in the sect made their living refining artifacts, earning cultivation resources this way.

“Could you get me three thousand catties of ore?” Dao Sansheng asked. He figured that, on his journey to Kunling County, he’d have time to practice, and that amount should suffice.

When the clerk heard Dao Sansheng request three thousand catties of ore, his jaw nearly dropped, enough to fit an egg. Many new disciples made wild requests on their first visit, but never had he seen anyone so bold as to ask for three thousand catties at once—truly a case of the young daring the tiger.

The Senior Brother inside the counter stayed silent, simply staring at Dao Sansheng until Dao Sansheng spoke again.

“Is that too difficult, Senior Brother?”

“It’s not difficult, but you’re asking for too much. You won’t be able to finish it all. How about I give you five hundred catties? Take it or leave it,” came the reply.

Dao Sansheng accepted the five hundred catties and prepared to return to the sect. It was already afternoon, and if he delayed any longer, night would fall. Retracing his steps, he made sure to display his Heavenforge Valley identity, guessing the local troublemakers would be less brazen here.

As he left the market, Dao Sansheng failed to notice two shadows tailing him—one before, one behind. He pretended not to see them and continued toward the valley.

After walking a little further, nearly reaching Heavenforge Valley, the two followers finally revealed themselves. “Hand over your pills and we’ll spare your life!” bellowed a burly man who sprang out from behind, pointing at Dao Sansheng’s nose.

Another appeared from the other side, echoing, “Hand over the pills, and we’ll let you live. Otherwise, you’ll stay here forever.”

The two men closed in from either side, Dao Sansheng standing motionless between them. He quickly reached out with his mind to contact that shabby bird, then roused the sleeping skull. The skull, excited at the prospect of a fight, lost interest immediately upon hearing their cultivation—merely seventh or eighth layer of Qi Refinement.

The two attackers seemed to act in concert, launching their assault simultaneously—one wielding a flying sword, the other activating a bell-type artifact.

The sword-wielder slashed at Dao Sansheng, while the bell floated overhead, ringing out. Waves of sound washed over Dao Sansheng, making him feel lethargic and drowsy.

Suddenly, a bird’s cry broke the stillness—a luminous white bird darted from the left side of the sword-wielder, spewing flames straight at his face.

Meanwhile, the bell’s sound invaded Dao Sansheng’s consciousness, but the skull within his mind sent out a beam of green light, striking the bell. The skull then shot out from Dao Sansheng’s mind altogether.

Seeing the two adversaries flustered and panicking, Dao Sansheng performed the “Absorb and Blow Palm.” The flying sword was sucked toward him in midair; then, with a shift of his palm, he sent it flying back, embedding it in the abdomen of the man dueling the skull. The man howled in agony, and the skull seized the moment, latching onto him—soon, he melted into a pool of pus, and the skull returned, well satisfied.

The fat bird and the sword-user were locked in a fierce struggle. When the sword suddenly slipped from his control and stabbed his own companion, he was distracted for an instant. The flames he had previously blocked with spiritual power now ignited him, and in moments he was reduced to ashes.

It seemed these opponents were nothing special after all. Still, acquiring these two artifacts was quite a gain—the bell, in particular, looked promising for future use.

The commotion drew the attention of Heavenforge Valley’s gatekeepers. Two disciples soon flew over but, seeing that it was an internal matter, simply turned away.

The skirmish made Dao Sansheng keenly aware of his own shortcomings. Having joined Heavenforge Valley, he had yet to learn any true combat techniques—the sort reserved for inner disciples. If he wanted to improve his fighting prowess, he needed to complete his tasks quickly and enter the inner sect as soon as possible.

After several hours of travel, night had fallen. Dao Sansheng finally returned to his quarters. Bear Chao was still cultivating and had not emerged, likely attempting a breakthrough.

Dao Sansheng returned to his own room. After bathing and changing, he sat cross-legged on his bed and carefully took out a small box from his hair tie—the one containing the Lan Zhi Herb.

He gently placed the box on the floor and opened the lid. Inside lay a bundle of Lan Zhi Herb, packed by the apothecary in a special box designed to preserve its potency.

Though the Lan Zhi Herb appeared as a large bundle, it was actually a single plant—the central mother stalk surrounded by offshoots, all sharing a common root.

The herb was a vivid green, adorned with several small white blossoms. Though tiny, the flowers emitted a pungent aroma that could be detected from afar, a scent that helped the plant ward off herbivorous spirit beasts.

Dao Sansheng carefully lifted the Lan Zhi Herb and inhaled its scent, feeling an immediate clarity and comfort in his mind. The effect was promising—he wondered if ingesting it would be even more potent.

Closing his eyes and circulating his cultivation technique, Dao Sansheng began to chew the herb like an animal, taking bite after bite. From a distance, the sight of a man sitting cross-legged, clutching a small bouquet with his eyes closed and munching away, would surely lead anyone to suspect he was addled—choosing to eat grass instead of a proper meal.