In Hundred Herbs Hall.
Lu Xuan wandered around the market but found nothing of interest. He wasn't disappointed, so he decided to visit Steward He.
"Lu kid, you’re here?!"
The thin old man was busy with his account book. He glanced at Lu Xuan but didn’t pay much attention afterward.
Lu Xuan casually found a place to sit and watched several medicine boys, around thirteen or fourteen years old, bustling about, coming in and out.
The spiritual plants they collected needed to go through several processes, and the medicine boys handled the simplest tasks. Since it didn’t require much skill, Hundred Herbs Hall processed them openly in the main hall without worrying about being seen.
"Come, have a cup of hot tea."
Before long, Steward He finished his tasks and came over to Lu Xuan, handing him a cup of tea floating with tender green spirit tea.
Taking a sip, the refreshing aroma filled Lu Xuan’s nose, leaving him savoring it for a long time.
"How's the growth of the spiritual plants? If they aren’t up to standard, your profits will take a hit!" the thin old man asked with concern.
"Not bad, the quality is better than the last batch," Lu Xuan replied with a smile. He knew the spiritual field's plants were not only related to his own earnings but also represented Steward He’s reputation to some extent, as he was the one who introduced Lu Xuan to Hundred Herbs Hall.
Hearing Lu Xuan’s response, Steward He felt a bit relieved, and they chatted casually.
Suddenly, a woman rushed into Hundred Herbs Hall with a child in tow.
The woman looked tearful, her eyes swollen from crying for a long time. The child had a confused expression, mouth agape, letting the woman hold him tightly.
After asking a couple of questions, she entered the hall, and Steward He, worried about a potential problem, followed her inside.
A moment later, he returned to the main hall with a heavy expression.
"There’s a spiritual plant cultivator we’ve established a partnership with who had an accident. His family came to ask about the follow-up for the spiritual plants."
"What happened?"
"It seems a few people invited him to a secret realm to gather spiritual medicine. Unfortunately, they encountered an injured second-grade spirit beast. Out of the four, two died on the spot, and the other two were seriously injured, barely hanging on."
"What was the name of the spiritual plant cultivator?"
When Lu Xuan heard this, he couldn’t help but think of Lei Fei, who had invited him to explore the secret realm not long ago.
"His name is Lei Fei, one of the two who died. Do you know him?"
Sure enough, Lu Xuan confirmed from Steward He that it was the same spiritual plant cultivator who had invited him.
"They tried to invite me to explore the secret realm, but I was worried about the spiritual plants in my field and feared encountering danger, so I didn’t agree."
Lu Xuan sighed.
"Good thing you didn’t agree, or else… you might have faced the same fate."
Steward He couldn’t help but say.
"All I can say is they were unlucky. They’ve been to countless secret realms and still ran into a second-grade spirit beast."
"What will happen to the spiritual plants he was responsible for?"
"If the spiritual plant cultivator dies, and his family can’t cultivate first-grade spiritual plants, according to the rules, Hundred Herbs Hall should take over, transplant the spiritual plants, and provide some compensation to the family."
"But that would be much cheaper compared to mature spiritual plants. The family came here to plead, hoping the hall would let them grow the remaining spiritual plants."
Steward He didn’t directly say how they would handle it, but Lu Xuan could guess from his expression.
Hundred Herbs Hall would definitely prioritize profits. In the face of benefits, a little sentiment could be disregarded.
This made Lu Xuan even more determined not to take risks. After all, if he went out and didn’t return, wouldn’t the spiritual plants in his field just benefit someone else for free?
After this incident, he lost interest in the spirit tea and gulped it down before getting up to leave.
...
"Forty spirit stones for such a small Cloud Stepping Leopard? Are you crazy?"
"Friend, this isn’t an ordinary Cloud Stepping Leopard. Look at its eyes; this is a rare variant. The price can’t be the same as usual."
While wandering, Lu Xuan’s attention was drawn to a dispute at a nearby stall.
He focused on a corner where an iron cage caught his eye.
The cage was made of an unknown material, with thin bars adorned with delicate patterns, giving off a cold aura. The corners of the cage were also covered with talismans to prevent whatever was inside from escaping.
Through the gaps in the bars, Lu Xuan saw a small leopard inside.
The leopard had black fur, but its four paws were as white as snow, making it look like it was standing on four clouds, which probably gave rise to the name "Cloud Stepping."
Its long ears stood tall, with small tufts of white fur at the tips, resembling two antennas.
Its striking green eyes stared coldly at its surroundings.
Seeing Lu Xuan’s gaze, the battered Cloud Stepping Leopard bared its teeth, leaning slightly forward as if ready to pounce.
"Just because it has pretty eyes, it’s a variant? Then what about my Diao Chan at my waist? Is she a variant cultivator?"
A Qi Refining cultivator at the stall couldn’t help but retort the stall owner.
It was understandable he was upset; this young Cloud Stepping Leopard usually would cost around twenty spirit stones, but the stall owner, seeing its unusual eyes, was asking for forty.
"Forty spirit stones, no lower!"
The stall owner stood firm, insisting on the original price.
"Keep this so-called variant Cloud Stepping Leopard for yourself! It looks so good; you can enjoy looking at it every day!"
The Qi Refining cultivator tossed out this remark and walked away.
"Uninformed."
The stall owner sneered.
"This friend, may I ask how you obtained this Cloud Stepping Leopard, and what’s the story behind its eyes?"
Suddenly, a gentle voice came from the side. The stall owner turned to see a clear-eyed, handsome young man standing in front of the cage, looking at him with bright eyes.
"I got it with my companions after a lot of effort from a deep part of a secret realm."
"The Cloud Stepping Leopard is a first-grade spirit beast, quick and silent, with decent attack power. This young one is different from ordinary Cloud Stepping Leopards; when it grows up, its eyes might possess some extraordinary qualities."
"What do you think, friend?"
"How about thirty spirit stones?"
Lu Xuan instinctively offered a much lower price.
"Heh."
The stall owner crossed his arms, uninterested in Lu Xuan.
"You say it’s a variant Cloud Stepping Leopard. What’s your basis for that? Just because of its green eyes?"
"Rare variants of spirit beasts are very uncommon, and first-grade spirit beasts having variants are even rarer."
"These green eyes could just be a result of some stimulus during its embryonic development or influenced by a special spiritual energy environment. It’s too hasty to directly label it as a variant."
"Also, I see that this young Cloud Stepping Leopard doesn’t look too good. It probably suffered quite a bit during capture and has been stuck in the cage without proper treatment or rest."
"Given its current condition, it’s uncertain if it can survive."
"Thirty-six spirit stones, can’t go lower. We paid a hefty price to catch it."
"Thirty-two spirit stones, I’ll take it right away."
Lu Xuan knew the stall owner had been swayed by his reasoning, and since he had a particular fondness for the green-eyed Cloud Stepping Leopard, he was willing to lower the price a bit more.
"Alright, I’ll give it to you at a discount."
The stall owner gritted his teeth and finally agreed.
He also knew the chances of it being a variant were slim, and keeping it for too long worried him about not being able to care for it properly. Getting more than half of what a normal Cloud Stepping Leopard would earn was already a pretty good outcome.
(End of Chapter)