The two of them entered the pharmacy.
Lu Xuan finally spoke up, asking the question that had been bothering him. "Steward He, I'm really confused. What's going on?"
"The main issue is that we happened to run into that young lady here, so I got a bit anxious," the thin old man said, gesturing toward the inner room and pulling Lu Xuan to a corner.
"You know about the master behind Hundred Herbs Hall, right? He’s one of the most famous alchemists in Linyang Market Town."
"That young lady just now is his granddaughter. She has exceptional talent and is already at the mid-stage of Qi training at your age. She is highly favored by the master and has the authority to handle most matters in Hundred Herbs Hall."
"I see," Lu Xuan nodded after hearing Steward He’s explanation. "But what’s the deal with that Blood Jade Ginseng?"
"After all, you are just a loose cultivator and a Spiritual Plant Cultivator. The young lady doesn’t fully trust you, so she can only give you some average quality spirit seeds to help you grow."
"However, I believe in your abilities, and soon you will be as good as those skilled Spiritual Plant Cultivators in Hundred Herbs Hall."
"As for the Blood Jade Ginseng I mentioned earlier, I was worried that you might not be familiar with those types of spiritual plants and make the wrong choice. So I took the liberty to decide for you. I hope you don’t mind."
Lu Xuan quickly shook his head. "I’m grateful, not at all! How could I mind?"
He had dealt with Steward He many times and could clearly feel his goodwill.
"Among those first-grade spirit seeds, the Blood Jade Ginseng has the lowest requirements for spiritual energy in the spiritual field, and the cultivation conditions are simple. When it's harvested, the price is also quite decent, making it the best value among those spiritual plants."
"The only downside is that the cultivation method is a bit tedious, but I see that you are focused on growing spiritual plants and don’t pay much attention to cultivation. So this is the best fit for you."
Lu Xuan had made rapid progress in cultivating spiritual plants, and since he had previously told the old man that he was mainly focused on growing them, Steward He chose the first-grade Blood Jade Ginseng for him.
As for the thin old man seeing him as an ordinary second-level Qi training Spiritual Plant Cultivator, Lu Xuan had no objections.
"Thank you, Old He! I have no way to repay you!" He smiled, showing his big white teeth.
"How about making these spiritual plants a bit cheaper?"
Steward He squinted his eyes and managed a sly smile on his wrinkled face. "That won’t do. The bond between us can’t be measured by just a few spirit stones."
Lu Xuan firmly refused. "I know you value spirit stones more than life itself. Let’s take a look at them."
Lu Xuan took out the mature Moon-Eroding Fruits and Spirit Firefly Grass from his bag. He had hidden his storage bag and didn’t take it out.
"There are a total of fourteen Moon-Eroding Fruits, twelve of which are of good quality, and two are of superior quality."
"The Spirit Firefly Grass isn’t many, only ten stalks, but among those, three are of superior quality, and the rest are of good quality. Steward He, please calculate the price!"
"You really didn’t disappoint me. You have a great talent for cultivating spiritual plants," the thin old man said, not surprised by the good quality mature plants Lu Xuan took out. He sighed while checking their quality.
"Good quality Moon-Eroding Fruits are one spirit stone and ten spirit fragments each, while superior quality ones are an additional twenty spirit fragments. That totals to fifteen spirit stones and eighty spirit fragments."
"Good quality Spirit Firefly Grass is three spirit stones and fifty spirit fragments each, and superior quality ones add twenty spirit fragments. That totals to thirty-five spirit stones and sixty spirit fragments."
"In total, both types of spiritual plants come to fifty-one spirit stones and forty spirit fragments."
Steward He took out a small pile of spirit stones from his storage bag and handed them to Lu Xuan.
Lu Xuan accepted them with satisfaction. Although the spirit stones earned from growing spiritual plants were far less than what he made helping loose cultivators deal with pests and what Qin Ming brought, he preferred the former.
Not for any other reason, just for peace of mind.
After dealing with this batch of mature spiritual plants, only ten stalks of Spirit Firefly Grass remained in the small courtyard.
From the current state, Lu Xuan estimated they would all mature in a few days, just in time before the new loose cultivator tenant arrived.
"Old He, didn’t you say you would sell spirit seeds to me at a low price after we reached a cooperation?"
He couldn’t help but ask the thin old man about the new spirit seeds he desired.
"How much area can you clear in your small courtyard now that you have planted Spirit Firefly Grass and the Corrosive Moon Tree?"
"I recently moved to a new courtyard, and it has a larger spiritual field than before, so I can plant quite a few spiritual plants!"
"Didn’t expect you to save up a good amount of spirit stones! No wonder you always fight for every spirit fragment when you come to Hundred Herbs Hall."
Steward He thought Lu Xuan had saved up enough spirit stones by being thrifty and didn’t realize he had rented a courtyard with a spiritual spring. He teased Lu Xuan and led him into a side room.
After greeting a middle-aged cultivator inside, he said to Lu Xuan, "The spirit seeds in Hundred Herbs Hall have their own channels, so they are one or two tenths cheaper than what you buy outside."
"The Spirit Firefly Grass spirit seeds are thirty spirit fragments each, and the Blood Jade Ginseng, being a first-grade spiritual plant, is much more expensive, costing four spirit stones each."
Lu Xuan compared the prices with what he had paid before.
A few months ago, he bought Spirit Firefly Grass seeds for forty spirit fragments each, while in Hundred Herbs Hall, they were thirty, which was more than a twenty percent discount.
As for the Blood Jade Ginseng seeds, he hadn’t bought them before, so he could only compare them to the Red Cloud Pine he had purchased earlier.
The Red Cloud Pine was five spirit stones, while the Blood Jade Ginseng seeds were four spirit stones, also a significant discount.
He instantly felt like he had struck gold!
"I want one hundred Spirit Firefly Grass seeds and twenty Blood Jade Ginseng seeds."
Among the two types of mature spiritual plants, only the Spirit Firefly Grass could provide him with cultivation rewards, so he planned to plant more of them.
On the surface, he acted like a Spiritual Plant Cultivator who had given up on cultivation and was focused solely on farming, but deep down, he still had a strong desire for power.
After all, in this cultivation world where strength is respected, having enough power would provide more security and freedom.
Just like that, the spirit stones he had just received were quickly spent.
Holding the spirit seeds he had obtained, Lu Xuan couldn’t help but sigh.
Back in his new courtyard, Lu Xuan controlled the formation plate to activate the formation and entered the spiritual field in the backyard.
From Steward He’s explanation, he learned that the Blood Jade Ginseng seeds were usually preserved using special methods, and once taken out, they must be planted quickly, or their vitality would rapidly diminish.
Without delay, he took out a long jade box and removed a small talisman attached to it.
Opening the jade box, twenty bright red seeds, resembling jade, came into view. Each seed was surrounded by a faint red mist, giving off a slightly cool sensation.
This was also a way to slow down the vitality loss of the Blood Jade Ginseng seeds.
Lu Xuan hurriedly took the seeds out of the jade box carefully, channeling his spiritual energy.
With the Earth Summoning Technique, tiny cracks opened up in the spiritual field before him.
"Blood Jade Ginseng, a first-grade spiritual plant, can be used as a main ingredient for most low-grade blood-related pills once matured."
"After planting, both the spirit seeds and the ginseng are restless, slowly moving freely in the spiritual soil. If they sense similar types, they will attract each other. After sticking together for a long time, they will drain each other's vitality until one withers."
Lu Xuan focused his mind and learned the detailed information about the Blood Jade Ginseng.
"This Blood Jade Ginseng doesn’t seem to follow the rules..."
He couldn’t help but exclaim.
(End of Chapter)