Lie Zhanfeng woke up early, as always, to tend to his plants. The small patch of greenery in his land had become a source of comfort to him. He carefully watered each one with diluted spiritual water, making sure to give them just the right amount of care. After all, they were his only source of wealth at the moment.
"Alright, let's get this over with," he mumbled to himself, finishing his morning routine with a sigh. "If I want to get spirit stones, I guess I'll need to sell something... but what do I have left?"
His fingers tapped against his leg as he thought. The herbs he'd picked up from the cave could be worth something, but he had no idea what they were actually worth. He couldn't just waltz into the town and let someone scam him for them.
"There's that herb shop in town. If I remember right, they deal in spiritual plants, and they pay in spirit stones. But I need to make sure I don't get ripped off," he decided, his brows furrowing in determination.
With a deep breath, he entered his space, heading straight for the library. It was his best bet to learn something useful, and although he'd read the novel and knew some of the plants were valuable, there was no way he was going to trust his gut alone. He wasn't about to let someone cheat him out of a good deal.
Pulling a dusty old book off the shelf, he began to sift through the pages. The knowledge in the library was vast, but he quickly narrowed his focus to spiritual plants. He spent a good hour reading up on the herbs he'd collected.
"It's a good thing I didn't just try selling them right away," he muttered as he read descriptions of the plants. "Some of these are more valuable than I thought. But I need to be careful... gotta make sure I separate the good from the... not-so-good."
He carefully sorted through the plants. The rare herbs were easy to spot, and he made sure to set them aside. One of them, he recalled, had been given to Xie Ruyue in the novel to treat cold poison, and it was worth quite a lot. The other two rare herbs were equally precious, perfect for a high sale.
Next, he set aside five herbs that were useful for cultivation. While not as rare as the others, they were still valuable enough to keep for himself. He wouldn't part with these, not when they could help him in his own cultivation.
Finally, there were two herbs that weren't very useful to him. These weren't worth keeping, but they'd do well for a bit of extra spirit stones.
"Alright, that's it," Lie Zhanfeng said, dusting his hands off. "Now I just have to go to the shop and see what I can get for these. Hopefully, I don't get scammed."
He carefully wrapped the two herbs in a sturdy cloth and placed them into a satchel slung over his shoulder. As he adjusted the strap, his gaze fell on the intricate tattoo-like mark on his hand—the Void Bracelet, now seamlessly part of him, its design faintly glimmering in the light.
"Great, now I look like I've been branded," he muttered, glancing at his hand. In mortal society, tattoo branding was used to mark criminals, a permanent reminder of their misdeeds. Lie Zhanfeng couldn't help but feel a little self-conscious about it, though it wasn't like he had any choice in the matter. The mark wasn't something he'd chosen.
Earlier, a villager had noticed it when he was tending to the plants. The gossip had spread like wildfire, as usual. He didn't particularly care about what people said, but the whole situation was a little irritating.
"Oh well, can't do anything about it now," he said with a shrug. "Might as well go to the shop and make a deal."
Arriving at the shop in town, he noticed that the air inside smelled of dried herbs and faintly of incense. The shopkeeper, an older man with a calm demeanor, was sorting through some plants behind the counter.
"Good day, young man. How can I help you?" the shopkeeper asked, glancing up.
"I've got two herbs for sale," Lie Zhanfeng said as he placed the neatly wrapped plants on the counter. "Golden Vein Grass and Crimson Star Bloom. Both are freshly picked and in excellent condition."
The shopkeeper raised an eyebrow and began inspecting the plants. Lie Zhanfeng felt his nerves tingle as he watched the man's face. He couldn't help but sense something... strange about the shopkeeper. The man's aura was much stronger than any ordinary person's, and the air seemed to shift slightly when he focused on Lie Zhanfeng.
'Wait… could he be a cultivator?' Lie Zhanfeng thought, his instincts immediately on alert.
The shopkeeper paused for a moment, his eyes narrowing slightly as if assessing the worth of the herbs. After a brief silence, he spoke.
"I can offer you 80 spirit stones for these," he said, his voice smooth and confident.
"Eighty?" Lie Zhanfeng asked, trying to remain calm. That was a fair amount of spirit stones, but something about the whole exchange felt off. The shopkeeper's gaze was intense, and Lie Zhanfeng could feel that there was more to this man than met the eye.
"Alright, deal," Lie Zhanfeng agreed, though his gut still told him to be cautious.
After the exchange, Lie Zhanfeng left the shop with 80 spirit stones in his pocket, but the sense of unease didn't leave him. As he walked down the road, he had the distinct feeling that someone was following him. His steps quickened, and he glanced over his shoulder, spotting two figures in black robes trailing a little too closely behind him.
'Nope. Not today,' he thought. He wasn't about to get caught with all this money, especially not in a town full of cultivators.
Lie Zhanfeng broke into a sprint, weaving through the narrow streets, trying to lose them. He dashed around a corner, his heart racing, and when he reached a place where no one could see him, he quickly activated the Void Bracelet, vanishing into the space.
"Phew! That was too close," he sighed in relief, sitting down on the floor. "It's so dangerous walking around with money in this world... I'm definitely not doing this again."
In the town, the two men in black robes arrived at the corner where Lie Zhanfeng had disappeared. They looked around, their eyes scanning the area.
"Where did he go?" one of them grumbled.
"He escaped," the other replied, annoyance in his voice. "Keep looking. He couldn't have gotten far."
Back in the space, Lie Zhanfeng was sprawled on the floor, completely unaware of the drama unfolding outside.
"Well, that was a close call. But it's fine. I'm not scared," Lie Zhanfeng muttered, trying to convince himself. "It's just... survival instinct."
He quickly dismissed the anxiety lingering from the close encounter and grabbed a spirit stone. He wasn't expecting to break through to Qi Refining IV yet, but as he focused, he felt his strength gradually increasing. It wasn't a major leap, but the steady progress was enough to reassure him.
Lie Zhanfeng walked over to the Spiritual Spring, deep in thought. He had a decent number of spirit stones left, and it seemed like a good opportunity to replenish the spring's energy. Lie Zhanfeng placed 50 spirit stones into the spring, watching as the stones dissolved into the water. The air around him hummed as the spiritual energy in the space grew, filling the surroundings with a soothing power.
Lie Zhanfeng let out a sigh of contentment, feeling the atmosphere shift, the air richer with spiritual energy. He could already tell the difference. The spring, now more potent than before, would help restore his energy in the future. It was a small investment with great returns.
Since the time difference between the space and the outside world was 10:1, Lie Zhanfeng decided to remain in the space for the rest of the day, which was equivalent to just a few hours outside. Time to rest, gather his thoughts, and make the most of this precious moment.
"Fortunately, they were gone now." Lie Zhanfeng could still feel the adrenaline from the chase, though he had no intention of admitting it to anyone.
Yeah, he wasn't scared at all. He's vigilant! Vigilant!