You Cultivate, I Farm

The two reached an agreement, and Daoist Lu and the stall owner swore an oath, exchanging fifty broken spirits for eight spirit stones in return for a seed wreathed in wisps of smoke.

With the transaction settled, he felt pleased and made his way to the Hundred Herbs Hall.

Steward He spotted him from afar and hurried over.

"You, lad, why are you here today?"

"I heard that there was an aberrant cultivator in the freelance market causing injuries to several people. Did you encounter any trouble?"

He grabbed Lu Xuan and they entered the Hundred Herbs Hall before he relaxed a bit.

"Unluckily, I did, but I managed to escape in time without getting involved."

Lu Xuan replied.

"It's hard to say if your luck is good or bad. Rarely do you come out, and yet you encounter such danger. Fortunately, you're unharmed."

The lean old man sighed.

"In such a short time, the market has become extremely unstable. Cultivators are dying everywhere, and occasional shadows of evil spirits appear."

"I suggest you become a dedicated spirit plant cultivator here in the hall. With high-level cultivators inside, you won't have to worry about similar incidents."

Steward He extended the invitation again, wanting Lu Xuan to join the Hundred Herbs Hall under the protection of advanced cultivators.

Knowing it was a well-intentioned offer for his safety, Lu Xuan declined, preferring the freedom of his own courtyard rather than being restricted by involvement in the complex cultivation of spirit plants.

"Steward He, I appreciate your kind offer, but I'm used to a lazy and free life. I can't bear various restrictions, so I'll stay in my own yard."

"Normally, I rarely leave and just want to focus on cultivating spirit plants at home, which should avoid most dangerous situations."

"Alright then, suit yourself. Did you come this time because the Firefly Grass has reached maturity?"

Seeing Lu Xuan's determination, Steward He shifted the topic, inquiring about it.

"Yes, thirteen Firefly Grass plants have matured. Would you like to inspect their quality?"

Lu Xuan said with a light smile.

"Judging by your confident expression, the quality must be good. Show them to me."

Steward He, curious at Lu Xuan's demeanor, watched as thirteen Firefly Grass plants were brought out from Lu Xuan's storage bag and laid out in front of him.

"This one is of good quality."

"Another good quality."

"Huh? This one... is perfect quality?"

The lean old man couldn't help but look up, surprised at Lu Xuan, a hint of astonishment in his eyes.

He composed himself, focusing again on the Firefly Grass before him.

"This one is of good quality."

"Another good quality."

"And another perfect quality?"

Successive appearances of four plants of perfect quality left Steward He initially shocked, then later became numb to the surprises.

"This batch has impressive quality."

"I didn't expect you to cultivate Firefly Grass of perfect quality. It's quite surprising."

Thirteen plants, with four of them being of perfect quality, made the lean old man recall that even the experienced senior spirit plant cultivators at Hundred Herbs Hall couldn't guarantee such probabilities, especially given the hall's rich and pure spiritual energy.

Considering Lu Xuan's talent, if he cultivated in the hall's spiritual fields, wouldn't the chances of producing perfect quality Firefly Grass be even greater?

With that in mind, he couldn't help but sigh deeply. If initially, he was concerned about Lu Xuan's safety and invited him to become a dedicated spirit plant cultivator, now it was regret that the Hundred Herbs Hall couldn't have such a gifted cultivator.

"It's just luck. Achieving this is simply me diverting the time others use for cultivation towards nurturing spirit plants."

Lu Xuan chuckled.

"Ha-ha, effort always brings rewards."

Steward He laughed heartily.

"Let's settle the accounts! The purchasing prices remain the same: fifty broken spirits for each good quality plant, adding twenty for each better quality, and four spirit stones for each perfect quality."

"Total... forty-eight spirit stones and seventy broken spirits."

Lu Xuan mentally calculated, confirming the sum before accepting the spirit stones handed over by the lean old man.

Thus, his wealth surpassed a hundred once again, possessing more than a hundred and twenty spirit stones.

Although the Hundred Herbs Hall offered Lu Xuan seeds of spirit plants at a lower price than the market, according to their agreement, the purchasing price for matured spirit plants remained the same.

The Hall's strategy was to sacrifice some profit on seeds to secure a stable and superior source of matured spirit plants.

"If the Firefly Grass you bring later maintains this quality, I can put in a good word for you with the young miss and perhaps secure first or even second-grade spirit plant seeds for you."

Steward He looked at Lu Xuan, speaking earnestly.

"Second-grade spirit plant seeds?"

Lu Xuan sounded surprised. Last time he visited, due to the recent partnership and lack of impressive results, the female cultivator in charge didn't fully trust him, providing only a hundred Firefly Grass seeds and twenty Blood Jade Ginseng seeds.

"The quality is guaranteed. As for the rest, it's a bit of trouble for you, but I'll bring you some spirit tea leaves next time to express my gratitude."

He expressed gratitude to the lean old man.

"No need for that. If you can cultivate high-quality spirit medicine for the hall, as someone who recommended you, I'll naturally benefit greatly too."

Steward He smiled.

After selling the Firefly Grass, Lu Xuan didn't linger. He remained cautious on his way back, swiftly returning home.

Once inside, he closed the courtyard gates, activated a formation, and then retrieved a charm to ward off evil from his storage bag.

With spiritual energy infused, a pure white light emerged, sweeping through Lu Xuan's surroundings without any disturbance.

Only then did he completely relax, letting the Cloud-Stepping Lynx, which had been quietly sitting on his shoulder, down.

"Thanks to your alertness today, you did well. I'll reward you with two pieces of Thorny Porcupine jerky later."

If it hadn't been for the Cloud-Stepping Lynx's keen emerald eyes spotting the anomaly beforehand at the freelance market, despite Lu Xuan's magical tools and numerous talismans, he might have still been injured.

Thinking about this, he gently stroked the two small tufts of fur on the Cloud-Stepping Lynx's ear tips and spoke kindly.

The Cloud-Stepping Lynx glanced at Lu Xuan indifferently, allowing him to stroke its head.

"Mrow~ Jerky, jerky, my favorite jerky~"

Lu Xuan imagined a lively and adorable soul within the majestic and aloof Cloud-Stepping Lynx, cheering and jumping on four clouds. But as soon as he thought of the Lynx's rough roar, the playful image vanished.

"Mrow~"

Feeling the hand on its head stop, the emerald-eyed Lynx made a low sound with difficulty clasping its voice.

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