You Cultivate, I Farm

"Time is of the essence. Fellow Daoist Wu, how about taking me to your friend's house right now?" Lu Xuan set down his wine cup, eyes filled with anticipation as he looked at the cultivator surnamed Wu.

"I'm not sure if he's home right now... But seeing how urgent Fellow Daoist Lu is, there must be something important. I'll take you there," the cultivator named Wu replied, noting Lu Xuan's urgency and his own availability.

Observing Lu Xuan's demeanor, Wu, finding himself with some free time, decided to accompany Lu Xuan to the home of the snake-catching cultivator.

After about two-quarters of an hour, the two arrived at a spacious dark stone house. Though spacious, a chilling sensation lingered as they approached.

As Lu Xuan followed Wu into the stone house, a cold breath pricked his skin, causing goosebumps to erupt involuntarily.

As they entered, a jade-green python slithered out, halting not far from them, hissing its serpentine message.

"Little Green, it's Uncle Wu. Come back," a slightly juvenile voice echoed from inside the house. Soon after, the voice transformed into a soft hiss, and the jade-green python in front of Lu Xuan and Wu morphed into a streak of green light, retracing its path.

A young teenager, about thirteen or fourteen, emerged from inside, and in an instant, the python vanished into the sleeve of the boy.

Despite the python's considerable size, there was no hint of it within the slender frame of the boy. They seemed almost fused into one.

Lu Xuan got a clearer look at the young lad—slender build, pale complexion, narrow slit eyes, thin lips that, when curved into a smile towards Wu, revealed slightly pointed teeth.

"Uncle Wu, my dad's out. It's just me and Grandpa at home."

"I know. Today's visit is for another matter," Wu informed Lu Xuan and the youth, named Yu Jie, revealing that the three—the young lad, his grandfather, and his absent father—lived together. The father spent years away, hunting snake-like monsters for a living.

"Grandpa's raising little snakes in the backyard!" Yu Jie curiously glanced at Lu Xuan, then, very responsibly, headed to the backyard to call his grandfather out.

"Lu Daoist, this elderly man here is my friend's father, Senior Yu Tong," Wu introduced.

"Lu, this is my friend's father, Senior Yu Tong," Lu Xuan greeted with respect.

The two sat down with the old man. Yu Jie returned with three cups of hot tea and sat quietly in a corner, occasionally casting curious glances at Lu Xuan.

The gaze felt peculiar to Lu Xuan, as if being stared at by a venomous serpent, yet devoid of any malice—just pure curiosity.

When Lu Xuan glanced back, the lad shyly lowered his head.

"Senior Yu Tong, is Senior Yu out?" Lu Xuan inquired.

"Yes, he's in the wilderness. When he returns, remember to come by for fresh snake bones and gall," the elder leisurely replied.

"We're here today for another matter," Wu interjected.

"We've heard that your family has specialized techniques in hunting snake-like monsters, and we're curious about how you handle the blood of these creatures."

"Snake monster blood?" the elder pondered. "Its use is limited. Only when there's a special request from a cultivator or when the blood holds certain value would we bring it back."

Lu Xuan nodded. The elder continued, explaining that due to the blood needing to remain fresh and not be stored for too long, it wasn't frequently brought back.

"It's mostly used by alchemists to refine certain special elixirs or occasionally by cultivators for their practices."

"What rank are these hunted snake monsters usually? And can you guarantee a stable supply?" Lu Xuan inquired.

"Mostly unranked or first-rank snake-like monsters, occasionally second-rank. As for the quantity, no worries. We know a few serpent habitats in the wilderness, remote places with abundant creatures," the elder assured, putting Lu Xuan's mind at ease.

"Here's the thing, I need a continuous supply of snake blood, preferably above the first rank, and the second rank would be even better."

As for third rank, it was not even worth considering—such creatures were equivalent to Foundation Establishment cultivators. Even if found, a Level Six Qi Cultivator hunting them would only meet a tragic end.

"Second-rank snake-like monsters, let me think. There's one called the Azure Water Python, its blood is red with a tinge of green. It can be used to refine a certain antidote. How about that?" Yu Tong suggested to Lu Xuan after some contemplation.

"As long as it can be provided consistently, there's no issue," Lu Xuan replied.

When irrigated with snake blood, the dragon vines would produce a strange effect. Lu Xuan estimated that using a snake blood with particular properties for long-term cultivation might induce unexpected changes, beyond just accelerating the growth of the dragon vines.

"Consistent supply is feasible, but the quantity won't be too large. After all, the number of second-rank Azure Water Pythons isn't plentiful, and dealing with them presents some difficulty," Yu Tong mentioned.

"Any idea about the price?" Lu Xuan asked curiously.

"Ten spirit stones per pound. What do you think?" the elder inquired cautiously.

Lu Xuan almost couldn't control his expression. The small bottle of Double-Winged Golden Scale Snake blood he obtained from the Grand Bounties Pavilion cost him seven spirit stones.

Though there was a slight markup due to preordering, it was evident at a glance which was more cost-effective: buying less than a pound of first-rank snake blood for seven spirit stones or a pound of second-rank snake monster blood for ten spirit stones.

"Middlemen really make a hefty profit..." Lu Xuan couldn't help but sigh inwardly. The material value of snake blood itself was meager, but after passing through the Grand Bounties Pavilion, its price surged significantly.

Directly purchasing raw materials from producers like the Yu family would save many spirit stones compared to other channels. Furthermore, having a stable supply of second-rank snake blood made Lu Xuan, who rarely shied away from bargaining, unusually generous.

"Alright, deal," he agreed straightforwardly.

Yu Tong and Yu Jie couldn't hide their satisfaction. In the past, unless there was a specific demand from cultivators, the brought-back snake blood wouldn't fetch a good price and often ended up unsold, ultimately being discarded. Only first or second-rank blood could sell for some price.

Selling second-rank Azure Water Python snake blood for ten spirit stones per pound meant earning much more than before. The slight risk of hunting second-rank snake monsters paled in comparison to the benefits in spirit stones.

With the valuable snake skin, bones, gall, and venom from the second-rank Azure Water Python, the elderly Yu Tong, who was aging, even contemplated reliving the thrill of hunting these creatures.

Both parties agreed on a simple contract: as the Yu family didn't currently possess Azure Water Python blood, Lu Xuan left five

spirit stones as a deposit. When Yu Jie's father returned and delivered the blood, the remaining spirit stones would be paid.

Before leaving, the elder Yu Tong specially obtained a non-ranked monster snake from the inner courtyard, freshly killed and filled a whole bottle of blood, insisting Lu Xuan take it with him.

Lu Xuan tried to refuse in every way, but he couldn't resist and eventually accepted the bottle of snake blood.

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