Chapter 24: Straying from the Herb Path
Chapter 24: Straying from the Herb Path
The two of them entered the apothecary.
Lu Chen finally spoke, voicing the confusion in his mind.
"Old He, you've left me utterly bewildered. What's going on?"
"It's mainly because we happened to run into that young lady here, so I was a bit rushed."
The thin, elderly man nodded towards the inner room and pulled Lu Chen to a corner.
"You know about the real owner of Hundred Herbs Hall, right? One of the most famous pill refiners in Lin Yang City."
"The young lady from earlier is his granddaughter. She has exceptional talent and has already reached the middle stage of Qi Refining at your age. She's deeply favored by the master and has the authority to handle most matters in Hundred Herbs Hall."
"I see," Lu Chen nodded in understanding after hearing He Guan's explanation.
"But what about the Blood Jade Ginseng? Why was that chosen?"
"After all, you're just a wandering spiritual herbologist. The young lady doesn't fully trust you yet, so she can only entrust you with those ordinary spirit herbs for cultivation."
"However, I believe in your abilities, and soon enough, you won't be any weaker than those powerful herbologists in Hundred Herbs Hall."
"As for the Blood Jade Ginseng I mentioned earlier, I was afraid you might not be familiar with those spirit herbs and make the wrong choice, so I took the liberty to decide for you. I hope you don't mind."
Lu Chen shook his head hastily. "I'm grateful; how could I mind?"
Having dealt with Old He numerous times, he could clearly sense the older man's goodwill towards him.
"Out of those first-grade spirit herbs, Blood Jade Ginseng has the lowest requirements for spiritual energy in the spirit fields, and its cultivation conditions are simple," Old He explained. "When the hall collects them, the price is quite decent, making it the most cost-effective among those spirit herbs."
"The only drawback is that the cultivation method is a bit tedious, but since you're wholeheartedly focused on cultivating spirit herbs and don't seem to prioritize cultivation, it's the most suitable choice for you."
Lu Chen had made rapid progress in cultivating spirit herbs, and he had also once confided in the elderly man that he devoted most of his energy to herb cultivation, so Old He, after careful consideration, helped him choose the first-grade Blood Jade Ginseng.
As for the elderly man's perception of him as an ordinary Qi Refining Level 2 herbologist, Lu Chen neither confirmed nor denied it.
"Thank you, Old He. I don't know how I can repay you!" Lu Chen said, flashing a grin that revealed his pearly white teeth.
"Then how about a discount on these spirit herbs?" Old He narrowed his eyes, his wrinkled face contorting into a mischievous grin.
"That won't do," Lu Chen replied firmly. "The bond between us goes beyond mere spirit stones."
"I knew it; you value spirit stones more than your life!" Old He teased. "Take them out and let me have a look."
Lu Chen reached into his cloth bag and took out the mature Moon Eroding Fruits and Spirit Glow Grass. He had kept his storage bag hidden and didn't bring it with him.
"A total of fourteen Moon Eroding Fruits; twelve of them are of good quality, and two are of superior quality," Lu Chen explained. "As for the Spirit Glow Grass, there aren't many—only ten stalks. However, out of those ten, three are of superior quality, and the rest are of good quality. Old He, tally up the price!"
"I knew I didn't mistake you for having a good talent for cultivating spirit herbs," the thin, elderly man sighed. He was no longer surprised by the mature spirit herbs of at least good quality that Lu Chen had produced and was now inspecting their quality while speaking.
"Good quality Moon Eroding Fruits are ten broken spirit stones per fruit, and superior quality adds another twenty, so that's a total of fifteen spirit stones and eighty broken spirit stones."
"Good quality Spirit Glow Grass is three spirit stones and fifty broken spirit stones per stalk, and superior quality adds another twenty broken spirit stones, so that's a total of thirty-five spirit stones and sixty broken spirit stones."
"For both types of spirit herbs, the final total is fifty-one spirit stones and forty broken spirit stones."
Old He took out a small pile of spirit stones from his storage bag and handed them to Lu Chen.
Lu Chen accepted them with satisfaction. Although the spirit stones he earned from cultivating spirit herbs were far fewer than what he made from helping wandering cultivators eradicate pests or what Qin Ming had brought with him, he preferred the former.
Based on their current state, Lu Chen estimated that they would all mature in the next few days, just in time before the handover with the new wandering cultivator tenant.
"Old He, didn't you say that after we reached a cooperation agreement, you would sell me spirit seeds at a low price?"
Unable to contain his eagerness for new spirit seeds, Lu Chen asked the thin elderly man.
"How much space will you have available in your small courtyard after the Spirit Glow Grass and Moon Eroding Trees?"
"I recently acquired a new courtyard with a spirit field that's significantly larger than the previous one, allowing me to grow a substantial number of spirit herbs!"
"I didn't realize you've saved up quite a stash of spirit stones, no wonder you haggle over every broken spirit stone here at Hundred Herbs Hall."
Assuming that Lu Chen had scrimped and saved his spirit stones, Old He had no idea that he had rented a new courtyard with a spirit spring. He teased Lu Chen as he led him into a side room.
After greeting a middle-aged cultivator inside, Old He turned to Lu Chen and said, "Hundred Herbs Hall has its own sources for spirit seeds, which are one or two percent cheaper than what you'd find elsewhere."
"The Spirit Glow Grass seeds are thirty broken spirit stones each, and the Blood Jade Ginseng seeds are much more expensive at four spirit stones each because they're first-grade spirit herbs."
Lu Chen compared these prices to what he had paid for spirit seeds in the past.
The Spirit Glow Grass seeds he bought a few months ago were forty broken spirit stones each, but here at Hundred Herbs Hall, they were only thirty, a savings of over two percent.
As for the Blood Jade Ginseng seeds, since he hadn't purchased them before, he could only compare them to the price he paid for the Red Cloud Pine seeds.
The Red Cloud Pine seeds were five spirit stones each, while the Blood Jade Ginseng seeds were four spirit stones, also a significant savings.
He instantly felt like he had struck a great bargain!
"In that case, I'll take one hundred Spirit Glow Grass seeds and twenty Blood Jade Ginseng seeds."
Out of the two mature spirit herbs, only the Spirit Glow Grass could grant him cultivation rewards, so he planned to plant more of it.
On the surface, he portrayed himself as a spirit herbologist who had given up on cultivation to focus solely on farming, but in reality, he still craved power.
After all, in a cultivation world where strength reigned supreme, having formidable might provided more security and freedom.
He had just doubled his spirit stones, and now they were spent again.
Lu Chen held the newly acquired spirit seeds and marveled inwardly.
Upon returning to his new courtyard, Lu Chen manipulated the formation plate to open the formation and made his way to the back courtyard where the spirit field was located.
From Old He's instructions, he learned that the Blood Jade Ginseng seeds were usually preserved using special means, and once taken out, they had to be planted as soon as possible, or their vitality would quickly diminish.
Wasting no time, he took out an oblong jade box and removed a tiny talisman affixed to its surface.
Opening the jade box, he beheld twenty seeds as red as jade, each emitting a faint red mist and imparting a slight chill.
This was also a method to slow the loss of the Blood Jade Ginseng seeds' vitality.
Lu Chen carefully removed the spirit seeds from the jade box and channeled his spiritual energy.
Under the guidance of the Earth-Drawing Technique, fine cracks appeared in the spirit field before him.
"Blood Jade Ginseng, a first-grade spirit herb. After maturation, it can serve as the primary ingredient for most low-grade qi and blood-nourishing pills."
"Both the spirit seeds and the spirit ginseng are restless, moving slowly and freely within the spirit soil. If they sense a similar presence, they will attract each other and remain attached for extended periods. Eventually, they will begin to plunder each other's vitality until one of them withers and dies."
Focusing his mind, Lu Chen learned more about the Blood Jade Ginseng.
"These Blood Jade Ginseng seeds are a bit unruly and don't follow the 'ways of the ginseng,'" he mused.
(End of Chapter)
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