Lu Xuan understood that relying on buying infected spiritual plants, healing them, and then selling them was only a quick way to make money, not a long-term plan. After all, there were only a few spiritual plants that had been contaminated by evil spirits. Once spiritual plant cultivators became more vigilant and took protective measures, the number of infected plants available for him to buy would gradually decrease.
When it came to their own interests, the big families and powerful forces in the market town wouldn’t allow evil spirits to threaten the safety of cultivators or harm the benefits of spiritual fields. Lu Xuan guessed they would soon react and try to deal with the evil spirits causing trouble in the market.
So for him, the most important thing was to focus on planting and cultivating spiritual plants and gaining opportunities from the light orbs. As for whether his actions would attract the attention or envy of other cultivators, Lu Xuan didn’t really care. His abilities were within the realm of spiritual plant cultivators, and compared to being able to grow perfect quality spiritual plants, it wasn’t much at all.
After waiting in the hall for half an hour, Steward He returned from the medicine garden where he had gone to help Lu Xuan buy infected spiritual plants. He was carrying a bulging cloth bag. However, this time, two cultivators followed him, both at the fifth level of Qi training.
“This must be Daoist Lu, right? I’ve heard so much about you. I only caught a glimpse of you before, and now I finally get to meet you,” one of them said. “You’re so young and can cultivate perfect quality spiritual plants. You truly are a dragon among men!”
The two cultivators brightened up when they saw Lu Xuan and hurried over, greeting him warmly.
“Likewise, it’s nice to meet you both,” Lu Xuan replied casually, glancing at the thin old man behind them.
Steward He showed a hint of apology in his eyes as he pulled Lu Xuan aside from the enthusiastic cultivators. “I’ve been buying infected spiritual plants at low prices from the medicine garden, and it has attracted some attention,” he said. “Some spiritual plant cultivators have been asking about it. I couldn’t hide it anymore, and since you don’t seem to mind, I thought I’d let you know.”
“Will this affect you, Lu Xuan?”
“Not at all, you’re worrying too much, Steward He. I wasn’t planning to hide this anyway,” Lu Xuan said with a gentle smile.
Whether it was through Steward He’s connections to buy infected spiritual plants or selling the healed ones, it was impossible to keep it completely hidden, so Lu Xuan had no intention of doing so. After reassuring the old man, he approached the two spiritual plant cultivators.
“If you have something to say, just go ahead!”
The two exchanged glances, and a slightly plump middle-aged cultivator stepped forward. “We heard from Steward He that you’re skilled at healing infected spiritual plants. We happen to have some infected plants in our medicine garden, so we’d like to invite you to help restore them to normal,” he said. “If you come with us, we’ll definitely offer you a satisfactory reward.”
The other spiritual plant cultivator added, “Just a little help, and we’ll make it worth your while.”
Lu Xuan thought for a moment. “I do have some experience in treating infected spiritual plants, but going to your spiritual field isn’t quite suitable,” he replied. “First, healing is a long-term process. It’s not something that can be fixed in one visit. I can’t just stay in your spiritual field for a long time, can I?”
“Second, during the treatment, I will be using some unique methods I’ve developed. To prevent any leaks, it’s not convenient for me to go to another cultivator’s spiritual field. I hope you understand.”
Lu Xuan politely declined. He joked that if he went to their spiritual field, he wouldn’t have a grasp on the plants' immediate conditions, and he would be completely in the dark.
Hearing this, the two cultivators hesitated. “To be honest, we need help with a second-grade spiritual plant. As fellow spiritual plant cultivators, you know the value of second-grade plants,” the plump middle-aged cultivator said. “We spent a lot of spirit stones to obtain the seeds and invested countless efforts in nurturing them. Selling them at the price you suggested would be a huge waste.”
“That’s why we thought of asking you to help restore them to normal,” the other cultivator added.
“I have a proposal, but it depends on whether you can accept it,” Lu Xuan said. “You can entrust the second-grade spiritual plants to me, and I’ll transplant them into my spiritual field for treatment. Once they’re healed, I’ll bring them back to you.”
“However, this way, the price will be a bit higher than a direct purchase. If the treatment is successful, I’ll take half the value of the matured spiritual plants in spirit stones. If I fail, it will drop to twenty percent as my labor fee.”
“During the treatment, I will do my best, but I can’t guarantee the success rate.”
Lu Xuan proposed his idea.
“Half of the original value? Daoist Lu, that seems a bit excessive!” the plump middle-aged cultivator said, annoyance flashing across his face. “We put in so much effort and resources to cultivate these plants, and you just need to spend a little time, with no guarantee of success, and you want half?”
Lu Xuan remained unfazed, his expression calm. “So it’s up to you to decide. Would you rather sell at a ten percent price and get spirit stones safely, or take a gamble for a chance to restore the plants at half the price?”
“Do you want to take a risk?”
…
“Can a loose cultivator really heal infected spiritual plants?”
In a refined room in the back courtyard of Hundred Herbs Hall, the long-bearded cultivator He Zongguang looked at a respectful young man beside him.
The young man, handsome and at the seventh level of Qi training, stood nervously with his head bowed. “I asked several spiritual plant cultivators in the medicine garden and checked the few plants that Steward He collected. It’s true,” he reported.
“Interesting,” He Zongguang said, a smile appearing at the corners of his mouth.
“Master, that loose cultivator must have mastered some secret technique. Should we…” The young man raised his head, eyes fierce, and slashed his hand through the air like a knife.
“What are you thinking? Always ready to fight. Do you understand the bigger picture?” He Zongguang scolded. “A technique that can improve the healing rate of infected spiritual plants could bring in a lot of spirit stones for Hundred Herbs Hall. But there aren’t that many contaminated plants available for you to treat.”
“The key issue now is how to deal with the evil spirits that have invaded the market town and how to prevent them from entering the medicine garden, not getting caught up in the small profits of healing a few infected plants!”
The long-bearded cultivator reprimanded.
“Yes! I understand, Master!” the handsome young cultivator replied solemnly.
“As far as I know, that loose cultivator named Lu Xuan is young but already able to grow perfect quality spiritual plants. He has a bright future ahead.”
“A talented spiritual plant cultivator like him is obviously important to us alchemists.”
“I’m more interested in him as a person rather than any so-called techniques. As long as he can bring continuous benefits to Hundred Herbs Hall, that’s all that matters.”
“Find an opportunity to get closer to him and see if we can bring him into the hall. That’s the only outcome I want.”
(End of Chapter)