The two reached an agreement. Lu Xuan and the stall owners made a vow, giving him eight Spirit Stones and fifty Spirit Fragments in exchange for a Spirit Seed that had a hint of mist.
With the transaction settled, Lu Xuan felt happy and made his way to Hundred Herbs Hall.
Steward He spotted him from a distance and jogged over.
"Hey, why are you here today?"
"I heard there was a mutated cultivator at the loose cultivator market, causing several casualties. You didn’t run into that, did you?"
He relaxed a bit after pulling Lu Xuan into the Hundred Herbs Hall.
"Unfortunately, I did encounter it, but I escaped in time and wasn’t affected."
Lu Xuan replied.
"Not sure if I should say you’re lucky or unlucky. It’s rare to be out and about, only to run into such dangerous events. Thankfully, you weren’t hurt."
The thin old man sighed.
"In just a short time, the market has become very unstable, with cultivators dying everywhere, and evil spirits appearing from time to time."
"I think you should just become a full-time Spiritual Plant Cultivator at the hall. Once you’re in, you’ll have high-level cultivators protecting you, so you won’t have to worry about such things happening again."
Steward He invited Lu Xuan again, hoping he would join the Hundred Herbs Hall for protection.
Lu Xuan understood his good intentions; he was worried about his safety. However, spiritual fields and spiritual plants involved too much, and he didn’t want to be restricted and dependent on others.
"Steward He, I appreciate your kindness, but I’m just too used to being lazy and free. I can’t stand various limitations, so I’ll stay in my own yard."
"Anyway, I don’t usually go out. I just want to stay home and cultivate my spiritual plants. That should help me avoid most dangers."
"Alright, it’s up to you. Did you come this time because the Spirit Firefly Grass is entering its mature stage?"
Seeing that Lu Xuan had made up his mind, the thin old man changed the subject and asked him.
"That’s right! Thirteen Spirit Firefly Grass have matured. Would you like to take a look and see the quality?"
Lu Xuan said with a light smile.
"From your proud look, I guess the quality is good. Show it to me."
Steward He’s curiosity grew as he noticed Lu Xuan’s expression.
With a thought, Lu Xuan took out the thirteen Spirit Firefly Grass from his storage bag and placed them before Steward He.
"Top quality Spirit Firefly Grass."
"Still top quality."
"Huh? This one… is perfect quality?"
The thin old man couldn’t help but look up at Lu Xuan, surprise flashing in his eyes.
He calmed himself and focused again on the Spirit Firefly Grass before him.
"This one is good quality."
"Top quality."
"Another perfect quality?"
The next four perfect quality Spirit Firefly Grass left Steward He shocked at first, then numb and calm.
"This batch is of very good quality."
"I didn’t expect you to grow perfect quality Spirit Firefly Grass; it truly surprises me."
Out of the thirteen Spirit Firefly Grass, four were perfect quality. The thin old man couldn’t help but think that even the experienced spiritual plant cultivators in Hundred Herbs Hall couldn’t guarantee such odds.
Moreover, this was under the condition that the spiritual energy in the hall’s fields was much richer and purer. If Lu Xuan were to use the hall’s spiritual fields for planting, wouldn’t the chances of perfect quality Spirit Firefly Grass be even higher?
Thinking this, he sighed deeply. If he had invited Lu Xuan to become a full-time spiritual plant cultivator out of concern for his safety, now he felt regret for not having such a talented spiritual plant cultivator in Hundred Herbs Hall.
"Luck, just luck. Achieving this is simply because I spent the time others use for cultivation on growing spiritual plants."
Lu Xuan chuckled.
"Haha, effort always pays off."
Steward He laughed heartily.
"Now, let’s settle the payment! The purchase price is the same as before: three Spirit Stones and fifty Spirit Fragments for each good quality, plus an additional twenty Spirit Fragments for each top quality, and four Spirit Stones for each perfect quality."
"Total… forty-eight Spirit Stones and seventy Spirit Fragments."
Lu Xuan did the math in his head, confirming it was correct, and took the Spirit Stones handed to him by the thin old man.
Now, his wealth had surpassed a hundred, and he had over a hundred twenty Spirit Stones in hand.
Although the Hundred Herbs Hall offered Lu Xuan the Spirit Firefly Grass seeds at a price lower than the market by about ten to twenty percent, the agreed purchase price for the mature spiritual plants was still at the normal rate.
The hall provided the seeds at a lower price to gain priority in purchasing the matured spiritual medicines.
In other words, they sacrificed some profit from the seeds to secure a stable and better quality source of spiritual medicines.
"If the Spirit Firefly Grass you send later has this quality, I can speak well of you in front of the young lady and help you apply for other first or even second-grade Spirit Seeds."
Steward He looked at Lu Xuan seriously.
"Second-grade Spirit Seeds?"
Lu Xuan was a bit surprised. Last time he came, since they had just established a cooperative relationship and he didn’t have any impressive results, the young female cultivator in charge of the hall didn’t trust him much, so she only provided him with a hundred Spirit Firefly Grass seeds and twenty Blood Jade Ginseng seeds.
"The quality is guaranteed. As for the rest, I’ll trouble you for that. I’ll bring you a pack of Spirit Tea next time."
He said gratefully to the thin old man.
"That’s not necessary. If you grow high-quality spiritual medicines for the hall, I, as a recommender, will also benefit greatly."
Steward He smiled.
After selling the Spirit Firefly Grass, Lu Xuan didn’t linger. He stayed cautious on his way back home, hurrying back.
Once he got home, he closed the yard door and activated the formation. He took out an Evil Dispelling Talisman from his storage bag.
With his spiritual power activated, a pure white light appeared, sweeping around Lu Xuan without any movement.
Only then did Lu Xuan relax completely, letting the Cloud Stepping Leopard that had been quietly sitting on his shoulder down.
"Thanks to you today, little guy. You did well. I’ll reward you with two pieces of dried pufferfish meat later."
At the loose cultivator market, if the Cloud Stepping Leopard hadn’t spotted the anomaly with its green eyes beforehand, even with Lu Xuan’s artifacts and many talismans, he could still have been injured.
Thinking this, he gently stroked the two small tufts of fur on the Cloud Stepping Leopard’s ear, speaking softly.
The Cloud Stepping Leopard glanced at Lu Xuan with its green eyes, allowing him to pet its head.
"Wow~~ Dried meat, dried meat, my favorite dried meat~"
Lu Xuan imagined that within its proud and aloof body, a lively and cute soul was stomping its feet on four white clouds, cheering and jumping.
But as soon as he thought of the Cloud Stepping Leopard’s rough roar, that little figure disappeared without a trace.
"Wow~"
Feeling the hand on its head stop, the Cloud Stepping Leopard let out a low sound, trying to get his attention.
(End of Chapter)