Qin Siyu looked at Tang Feng, her eyes filled with complexity. The last time, she and a few boys had harshly struck down the man in front of her, mocking him and humiliating him, yet he dared to come again.
Tang Feng ignored her and walked over to the resident doctor, "I want these herbs, please tell me how much they cost."
Agarwood Vine, Hundred Month Flower, Flame Mechanism Grass, what are these things?
The doctor was stunned. Among the dozen or so herbs, he had never even heard of half of them.
"Young man, are you sure these herbs exist?" the doctor asked.
"Why, does your pharmacy not have them?" Tang Feng hadn't expected to gather all the herbs in one go, but if even the largest pharmacy in town didn't have those few, then he would have to go find them himself.
"I've never heard of them, Miss, take a look." The doctor passed the list of herbs to Qin Siyu, who took it with a furious expression.
"Tang Feng, you're playing with me, aren't you."
"Playing with you? I'm not interested. Since you don't have what I need, then just mix the other kinds for me, one of each." Tang Feng was indifferent to Qin Siyu's reaction.
"I'm sorry, we don't have these herbs in our store either." Qin Siyu threw the list back at him.
Tang Feng gave Qin Siyu a deep look, turned around, and left without saying a word.
"Trash is just trash, not even daring to argue back." Qin Siyu looked down on Tang Feng with contempt and paid him no more attention.
"Only a spoiled girl is difficult to raise." At first, Tang Feng had only said that she wasn't as good as a certain school beauty, and now things had turned out like this.
Women talk too much, it costs money; men talk too much, it costs lives!
Qin's Pharmacy is nothing special after all.
Tang Feng walked away with an unconcerned demeanor, but Qin Siyu couldn't calm her mind. What was going on, why did that boy seem somewhat taller, pah, how could I have such thoughts, he's just trash.
Shaking her head, Qin Siyu recalled the herb list. Although she was proud, she still had a good memory.
Hundred Month Flower, Flame Mechanism Grass, do such herbs really exist?
She walked over and made a call to her home, the only person who could solve her confusion was her beloved grandfather.
"What! Siyu, is that man still there?" Unexpectedly, Mr. Qin, the elder of the Qin family, got very excited when he heard about those herbs, leaving Qin Siyu astounded.
"Grandfather, do you know those herbs?"
"I do, the Qin family possesses an ancient medical compendium that mentions them. I've searched for them before but never found a single one. Now that someone has brought them up, they must have seen them; otherwise, they wouldn't come to buy. Quickly, detain that person, I'll come over in a bit."
"He's gone," Qin Siyu said helplessly.
"What a pity, that man is probably not simple. Report the herb list he wrote to me," Elder Qin sighed deeply.
Qin Siyu hung up the phone, and from her grandfather's shock, she could sense that those herbs were no ordinary matter. How could such trash know about them? She pondered with thoughts in her mind.
"Uncle Chen, I'm going out for a bit, please take care of the shop for me." Qin Siyu decided to go to Murong Mansion to find Tang Feng. No matter the method, she was confident she could extract useful information from him.
Flipping her hair, she disappeared into the street.
At this moment, Tang Feng had arrived at Chaoyang Mountain.
An undeveloped forest park might just bring some surprises.
Looking at Chaoyang Mountain that rose more than two thousand meters, Tang Feng was somewhat excited. Although his physical strength was lacking, his soul was extremely powerful. Along the way, through his repeated experiments, he found that his Divine Sense could actually detect up to thirty meters away, which delighted him.
Having a usable Divine Sense was very beneficial for preempting enemies and defensive cultivation.
After calling his aunt, Tang Feng bought some instant noodles, a few bottles of water, a tent, a flashlight, and some other essentials and headed into the mountain.
He didn't take the main path but proceeded up the mountain from a stream inlet on the north side.
Earth Dragon Grass!
Ten Miles Fragrance!
Tang Feng discovered one low-grade herb after another, which reminded him of his early cultivation days in the Cultivation World, gathering herbs. He never thought he would have such a day again.
Alas!
The Sealing Heaven Ring was gone, or else he could have enhanced the grade of these herbs.
Now he was thoroughly a mortal.
But the feeling was very pleasant. Ever since he had embarked on cultivation, he had been walking on thin ice every day, never again himself. Even having become a great being, he never felt as free as now.
Suddenly, his soul underwent another uplift, becoming clearer and more refreshing.
Indeed, the beginning stages of cultivation were the most interesting.
Following the stream, Tang Feng made good gains, and before he knew it, he was in the belly of the mountain. Aside from some light, he could hardly see the outside. Coming to a rock, Tang Feng took out the Green Tripod.
With an excited heart, he bit his finger and let the blood flow onto the Green Tripod.
Boom!
He wasn't mistaken, the Green Tripod was a low-grade Spiritual Artifact. A hazy green light emitted astonishing Spiritual Energy, and the surrounding vegetation bathed in the Spiritual Energy began to grow rapidly, a truly miraculous sight.
Take in!
The display didn't last long. After Tang Feng accepted the imprint from within the Green Tripod, he completely concealed the Spiritual Energy.
The Green Netherworld Tripod, its former owner was a Pharmacist named Can Yangzi. It was unclear why he would leave a Spiritual Artifact in the Mortal World, but regardless, Tang Feng was very happy; this was a major gain.
Let's see what Elixir I can make?
He took out all the herbs he had gathered along the way.
Earth Dragon Grass, Little Spirit Vine, Shadowless Flower, these few herbs could be used to concoct a Concealing Pill.
Ten Year Bone Grass, Thirty-Year Chaoyang Flower, Fifty-Year Green Bat Root could be used to make a Clearing Inflammation Pill.
These few could be used to make a Heart-Protecting Pill.
These can be used to refine Fast Moving Pills.
The skin of a hundred-year silver snake, iron tree crown, and stone turtle grass can be used to refine defense pills.
A great harvest indeed!
Tang Feng, unable to contain his joy, realized that since no cultivators seemed to exist in this Mortal World, it was possible these medicinal herbs were still here. He wondered what surprises lay deeper in Chaoyang Mountain.
To make his journey safer, Tang Feng prepared to perform alchemy.
Without his Heart Fire, he could only rely on Mortal Fire to refine the pills. He had done the same in his earlier years. The Earth Oil Core was a medicinal material similar to fuel, capable of increasing the fire's temperature, and it was the most basic material for beginner alchemy.
Come on!
Green Netherworld Tripod, whether or not I can rise again depends on you.
Raising the fire, adding the herbs, controlling the fire with Divine Sense, Tang Feng took nothing for granted, repeating each step with practiced yet unfamiliar techniques.
Unable to cast mystical formulas without spiritual power, he could only rely on his experience to refine these most basic elixirs.
An hour later, Tang Feng's forehead was sweaty. Then, the Green Netherworld Tripod shook, followed by a burst of clean fragrance, overwhelming the senses.
Ha-ha, success! Looking at the six green elixirs lying quietly inside the tripod, Tang Feng laughed.
For the first time out, he got a Mid-grade Elixir; it seemed his luck hadn't run out yet.
However, refining just one batch of low-level elixirs had left him exhausted, which Tang Feng found somewhat absurd.
Now feeling sore all over, he quickly swallowed a Clearing Inflammation Pill.
A wisp of green light flashed through his body, as refreshing as a breeze on his face, with all pain vanishing in an instant, even improving his spirit.
Next up was the Concealing Pill, the best life-saving low-level elixir; naturally, Tang Feng wanted to refine a batch.
Fifteen minutes later, as the Dan Qi surged out, he knew he had succeeded again, though it was a pity it was only Low Grade. But as long as it was usable, it was fine.
Success in the absence of spiritual energy was an achievement in itself.
By evening, more than four hours had passed since he started alchemy, but instead of feeling tired, he was more energetic than ever, all thanks to absorbing the Dan Qi.
Looking at the pile of small porcelain bottles in front of him, Tang Feng smiled contentedly.
He threw a Hunger-breaking Pill into his mouth, extinguished the fire, and lay down in the tent he had set up next to him.
In the middle of the night, suddenly a soft body leaned over, and Tang Feng immediately woke up.
Shh!
A woman placed her finger on her lips, gesturing to Tang Feng, and leaned on his body.
"You're all pigs, hurry up and look for her, and if you let her escape, I'll cripple you," a furious shout came from a distance.
Tang Feng realized that the people the men were looking for were probably this woman with tattered clothes and messy hair.
He immediately touched the woman's waist, whereupon her eyes widened in disbelief. In the next moment, she was moved to the side, the man packing up the tent, then pulling her to the rocks. She was unable to control herself, numbly letting the man manipulate her as he stuffed a pill into her mouth.
Frankly, she was scared, thinking she had escaped the wolf's den only to enter the tiger's lair, her body trembling fearfully.
About two minutes later, five or six big men appeared by the rock pile, and her mind went blank, convinced she was done for.
But then, to her surprise, something astonishing happened. She clearly saw their flashlights sweeping over her, yet they didn't linger long. After about a dozen breaths, the men hurried off.
How could this be! What happened?
Xia Jingyu's head spun; this was just too bizarre.
Could they all be blind?
Or was it him?
Looking at the man beside her, Xia Jingyu couldn't calm down for a long time. Yes, he was helping her, otherwise, he wouldn't have packed away the tent. But how did he do it?
"Don't look at me like that; you're lucky," Tang Feng said as he touched her waist again, allowing Xia Jingyu to return to normal.
"You, I..." Lost for words, she didn't know what to say.
Tang Feng laughed upon seeing her like that, "You're quite bold, venturing into any place, not fearing I might also be a bad guy."
Xia Jingyu's face flushed; she tried to steady her nervous heart. In the darkness, she couldn't see Tang Feng's face clearly, but she could vaguely make out his silhouette. He was a manly and handsome man, with a broad forehead that gave her a sense of brightness. Thinking back to his earlier actions, she shook her head firmly, "I know you're not one. Thank you for saving my life."
"You're welcome. Now that you're safe, I should go," Tang Feng didn't want to get entangled with this woman and got up to leave when his hand was caught.
"I'm scared. Can you take me back? I'll give you a generous reward," Xia Jingyu said in a panic. She had barely escaped and had not been concerned at first, but now, looking at the dark forest, she felt frightened.
"How generous? Are you offering yourself?" Tang Feng asked, amused.
"Ah! No, I'll give you money, lots of money," Xia Jingyu said, startled, shaking her head quickly.
"I'm not interested in money," Tang Feng concluded, then walked away again. Xia Jingyu simply clung to his leg, refusing to let go.
"Look, sis, don't be so shameless. I have lots to do and no time to escort you down the mountain. Besides, if I run into those guys, I'm sure to die faster than you," Tang Feng firmly stuck to his initial resolve.
"I'm a woman, you're a man; it's your responsibility to protect me," Xia Jingyu argued, refusing to let go.
Tang Feng felt his blood boil from the grasp, "Ahem! Can't you let up a little? You're pressing on me there."
Realizing what was happening, Xia Jingyu looked down and turned beet red. It was a good thing darkness hid her embarrassment. She slowly backed away, her heart throbbing chaotically.
In all the years dominating the business world, when had she ever been this embarrassed?
"You're no gentleman either," Xia Jingyu whispered back.
"It was you who leaned on me first. But now, being embraced by a beauty like you, I actually feel like being a bad guy." Tang Feng exhaled deeply, calming the heat within his body.
"You wouldn't dare!" Xia Jingyu exclaimed.
"Why not? Want to give it a try?" As soon as Tang Feng finished speaking, Xia Jingyu hastily released her grip.