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Chapter 72: Pie in the Sky
Chapter 72: Pie in the Sky
It wasn't until the red-clad girl and the Four-Eyed Chi Demon had completely disappeared from sight that Lu Chen finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Disciples from sects are truly extraordinary," Lu Chen mused to himself. "Whether it's the girl's cultivation or that peculiar spiritual beast she keeps, they exude an aura that's distinct from vagrant cultivators."
Lu Chen couldn't help but admire the red-clad girl, who was around his age yet had already reached the higher stages of Qi Refinement. Her ability to detect and track the evil Chi demon also spoke volumes about her perceptiveness.
There's always a bigger fish, Lu Chen thought, and the appearance of the red-clad girl served as a timely reminder to temper his growing arrogance from his own cultivation progress.
As for the Four-Eyed Chi Demon possibly being attracted by the Red Cloud Pine Cones in his storage bag, Lu Chen could only speculate, and he had no intention of offering the fruit willingly.
Accompanied by his Cloud-Treading Lynx, Lu Chen arrived at the Hall of Hundred Herbs.
In the fragrant lobby, over a dozen herb boys scurried about while He Guan, the manager, lounged casually in a rosewood chair.
"Land kid, how's it going with those mutated spirit herbs you took last time? How many have you cured so far?" The elderly man asked lazily upon seeing Lu Chen.
"I managed to cure seven of the first-grade herbs, but one of the second-grade ones died. The other one is still under treatment," Lu Chen replied as he took out the seven first-grade spirit herbs from his storage bag.
The herbs were of inferior or average quality, and after some appraisal, He Guan offered a total of 150 spirit stones for them all.
"Thank you, He Lao!" Lu Chen beamed as he accepted the 150 spirit stones from the elderly man.
"I'll bring you some spirit beast meat and a jar of fine spirit wine another day to show my appreciation, Elder He," Lu Chen added.
"Pfft!" He Guan scoffed playfully. "You little rascal, always full of empty promises. When have you ever brought me spirit wine or beast meat? All talk and no action!"
"Haha! You know me too well, Elder He!" Lu Chen's face was as thick as ever, and he casually brushed off the comment with a thumbs-up to the elderly man.
The old man was just jesting, and their relationship was such that they had both profited handsomely from the recent transaction involving the mutated spirit herbs. He Guan had earned around sixty or seventy spirit stones, equivalent to two months' income, for facilitating the deal.
He Guan took out a cloth bag from underneath the counter, containing nearly twenty mutated spirit herbs. Each herb's roots were wrapped in a small clump of spirit soil, and their leaves still bore traces of spirit rain, a desperate attempt to preserve their vitality.
"I heard that the Wang family and their associates invited sect disciples to deal with the intrusion of evil spirits," He Guan said. "It's unlikely that we'll see many more cases of spirit herb mutations, so I took the liberty of gathering these for you from several herb gardens in the Hall of Hundred Herbs—twenty first-grade and three second-grade herbs."
"Twenty mutated first-grade spirit herbs and three second-grade ones," Lu Chen confirmed.
"Thank you, He Lao. It's all thanks to your experience and foresight that I'm able to get a head start on this," Lu Chen expressed his gratitude. He then inquired about the cost of acquiring the spirit herbs and calculated the total, including the old man's fee, which amounted to over 120 spirit stones.
With the appearance of the sect disciple, Lu Chen saw an opportunity to make one last profitable deal, as he knew that mutated spirit herbs wouldn't be as readily available in the future, and the occasional one or two wouldn't bring much profit.
As Lu Chen prepared to leave the Hall of Hundred Herbs with the twenty-three mutated spirit herbs, the thin old man called out to him.
"Do you still remember He young lady, the one I introduced you to before? She's the granddaughter of the pill concocting grandmaster here at the Hall of Hundred Herbs," He Guan asked.
Lu Chen nodded. When he had first established a cooperative relationship with the Hall of Hundred Herbs, He Guan had taken him to meet a graceful young lady who held a prestigious position overseeing the daily operations of the Hall.
Hearing that the young girl had decision-making power over rare spirit seeds, Lu Chen's eyes lit up with interest, and he followed the old man to where the girl was located.
As they walked and talked, Lu Chen learned that the girl's name was He Yuntong, and her cultivation was about to break through to the higher stages of Qi Refinement. She managed the Hundred Herb Hall with great skill, and the Foundation Establishment pill concocting grandmaster behind her favored and valued her greatly.
The two of them arrived at a gracefully furnished room, where the old man greeted the elegant girl sitting in the center before taking his leave, leaving Lu Chen alone with her.
He Yuntong looked at Lu Chen curiously.
Because Lu Chen was around the same age as her, she had some impression of him.
She remembered that when He Guan had first brought Lu Chen to seek permission for spirit seeds, Lu Chen had only been a second-layer Qi Refinement cultivator, ordinary and unremarkable. If it weren't for his slight talent in cultivating spirit herbs, the two of them would never have crossed paths.
And now, Lu Chen's cultivation had already broken through to the fourth layer of Qi Refinement, making him a middle-stage Qi Refinement cultivator. His talent in cultivating spirit herbs was becoming increasingly astonishing.
Not only could he consecutively grow spirit herbs of perfect quality, but he could also cure most mutated spirit herbs, something that left most spirit herb masters baffled. She had even heard his name mentioned more than once during family council meetings.
"Lu Chen, right?" She looked at the boy before her, his demeanor natural and neither arrogant nor humble, and a hint of appreciation flashed in her eyes.
"That's right," Lu Chen replied with a smile.
"With your incredible talent for cultivating spirit herbs, have you ever considered joining the Hundred Herb Hall?"
"As long as you join, you will be given management rights to a medicinal herb garden within the Hall, and several spirit herb masters will be at your command."
"At the same time, whether it's spirit stones, magical artifacts, cultivation techniques, or even a Daoist partner, the Hall can provide whatever you desire."
"What do you think?"
The girl's voice was crisp, but her tone carried a great deal of persuasive power.
Lu Chen lowered his head slightly, appearing to be in deep thought.
After a moment, he raised his head and said firmly, "I apologize, Fellow Daoist He, but I'm used to my carefree lifestyle and can't stand even the slightest bit of constraint. I'd like to continue with our original cooperation agreement with the Hundred Herb Hall."
"As long as the Hall provides me with spirit seeds or young spirit herb sprouts according to our agreement, I will continue to prioritize selling my cultivated spirit herbs to the Hundred Herb Hall."
Despite the enticing offer made by He Yuntong, Lu Chen appeared to deliberate carefully on the surface but had not wavered in his decision at all.
The white light group was his greatest opportunity, and while cultivating spirit herbs on his own was fine, being absorbed into the Hundred Herb Hall would mean being bound by their rules and constraints, adding unnecessary risks.
"Since you insist, I won't force you," the elegant girl said, changing the subject.
"However, I think we can explore a deeper level of cooperation. As long as you dedicate yourself to cultivating spirit herbs for the Hall, we will provide you with abundant opportunities to cultivate second-rate spirit herbs, and perhaps even let you try your hand at third-rate spirit herbs."
Lu Chen looked up at the elegant girl, He Yuntong, and saw in her expression a familiar look that he had often encountered in his previous life.
It was a look that screamed empty promises.
(End of Chapter)
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