Leo took a wooden box from the horse-drawn cart and opened it. Inside lay three seven-leafed, purple spiritual herbs.
"What price does the shopkeeper set for these herbs?" Leo suppressed the wild joy in his heart, asking expressionlessly. In his eyes, these spiritual herbs were countless times more precious than that fleeceflower root. But he didn't know their value in the eyes of these ordinary people.
“If the shopkeeper quotes an outrageously high price, we’ll call off the deal right then.” Seeing the plump shopkeeper’s eyes flicker uncertainly, Leo spoke with deliberate indifference. Showing too much interest in the herbs now would only put him at a disadvantage.
"This purple herb helps regulate a person's Qi and blood to some extent, with decent efficacy. Logically speaking, they combined aren't worth as much as that fleeceflower root. But rarity adds value. The scarcity of this purple herb makes it even harder to obtain than a hundred-year-old fleeceflower root. If you could have two such fleeceflower roots, then I'll make this decision: these three purple herbs will belong to you," the shopkeeper mused for a moment before saying.
"However rare, it still depends on its efficacy in regulating Qi and blood. This fleeceflower root for three purple herbs? These herbs are indeed somewhat useful to me, but they aren't indispensable," Leo said impatiently. "If not, I'll go to another shop."
"You really are a shrewd one, little brother. Fine then, consider it making friends with you," the shopkeeper said with a bitter smile, realizing he couldn't gain more advantage. He hadn't yet discovered any special use for these purple herbs. Being able to exchange them for this forty-year-old fleeceflower root was quite a profitable deal.
"Farewell!" Putting the spiritual herbs away, Leo threw the fleeceflower root to the shopkeeper, clasped his hands, and bid farewell. Storing such spiritual herbs in ordinary wooden boxes would cause their spiritual essence to dissipate. They needed boxes made of spiritual jade. However, taking out a jade box from his storage bag now would be too attention seeking. It was better to leave quickly.
"I wonder if you still have other valuable herbs like this, little brother? Mystic Herb Pharmacy will buy them all at high prices," the shopkeeper said with a smile, looking at Leo's bulging backpack.
"If I need anything later, or if Mystic Herb Pharmacy still has such purple herbs, I'll come again," Leo frowned slightly, left these words, and walked out the door.
Shortly after Leo left, the shopkeeper clapped his hands. A sturdy young martial artist emerged from behind the pharmacy. "What are your orders, Manager Sten?"
"Follow that young man who just left. Tail him and see what he does with those purple herbs. Also, if the situation allows, test whether his backpack contains other valuable herbs."
Manager Sten's smile disappeared, replaced by an air of authority before the young martial artist. In his eyes, those purple herbs could only be made into ordinary Qi and blood-regulating medicine, and their medicinal properties were somewhat harsh, not top-grade. Yet, Leo was willing to trade that forty-year-old fleeceflower root for them, which was truly unexpected. The purple herbs were of little use left in his hands. If he could figure out their special purpose through this young man, it might be an unexpected gain.
"Yes, sir!"
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
The young martial artist clasped his hands, acknowledged the order, and swiftly left Mystic Herb Pharmacy, following Leo from a distance. Looking at Leo's bulging backpack, a trace of greed flashed across the martial artist's face. Being able to casually obtain a forty-year-old fleeceflower root wasn't something an ordinary person could do. Moreover, what Leo said before leaving about possibly making similar trades again... Didn't that mean his backpack held equally or even more valuable herbs?
His yearly salary was less than thirty taels of silver. He followed Leo all the way out of the county town, arriving at the wilderness north of the city. The martial artist glanced around; no one was nearby. Feeling at ease, he shouted, "Hey, kid, stop right there!"
"Looking for me for something?" Leo turned around.
"Leave your backpack and those purple herbs you just got. Then you can scram!" the martial artist snorted.
"You're from Mystic Herb Pharmacy. Did your manager order you to do this?" Leo asked.
"You don't need to know that. While I still have some patience, you'd better do as I say. Otherwise, one more corpse in the wilderness is perfectly normal," the martial artist said, slowly closing in on Leo.
"If you have the skill, come and take them yourself."
Leo spread his hands. By now, the leopard had silently appeared not far behind the martial artist. The leopard looked several sizes larger than a normal leopard. If brought into the county town, it would likely cause panic and attract the county army's encirclement. So, Leo had it wait in the wilderness outside the city.
Several little green ants also rested in the grass. In fact, Leo had noticed the martial artist ever since he left Mystic Herb Pharmacy. He wanted to see what the other intended. He just didn't expect this martial artist to have such malicious thoughts.
"Since you're so determined to die, don't blame me!" The martial artist grinned viciously, pushed off the ground with both feet, and suddenly shot forward, his claw-like hand grabbing for Leo's crown.
In that case, don't blame me either. Leo's expression turned cold. Previously, martial artists' movements seemed incredibly fast and unpredictable to him. Now, with this martial artist executing a technique, his actions appeared clumsy and slow. It seemed this was the change in his body after cultivating the Primordial Chaos Scripture. Feeling assured, Leo didn't order the leopard to act. Instead, he directly drew his dagger and slashed it like lightning across the martial artist's incoming wrist.
The martial artist only saw a blur before his eyes, followed by a sharp pain. He screamed, clutching his right wrist, which was spurting blood. He looked at Leo in utter terror. He never expected this seemingly ordinary, plainly dressed youth to be so fast.
"Get lost! Go back and tell your manager not to get any crooked ideas. Next time, it won't be as simple as severing a tendon."
Leo said coldly. The black-robed old man was still lurking in his consciousness, and he didn't know when he might break free. Although young, the black-robed old man's presence reminded him that he must eliminate him as soon as possible; otherwise, it would always be a sword perpetually hanging over his head. For now, he didn't want to fall out with Mystic Herb Pharmacy, as it was the only place where he had obtained spiritual herbs so far. Otherwise, based on the martial artist's actions just now, his dagger would have slit the man's throat.
"Y-yes, yes!" The martial artist, face full of horror, with his right hand crippled—essentially losing most of his martial prowess—didn't dare to stay facing Leo any longer. He immediately fled back the way he came.
Leo looked around, confirming no one was nearby. He stored the spiritual herbs separately in jade boxes. Then, entering the forest, he found a relatively hidden cave, cleared it out, took out one spiritual herb, plucked a leaf, and consumed it.
A vast and potent spiritual energy dispersed within his body. He used his will to guide this spiritual energy through his meridians.
"Huh?"
Leo soon discovered that aside from the portion transformed by his own meridians and elixir field, quite a bit of this spiritual energy was slowly disappearing within his body. Only a very small portion was converted into real Qi within his meridians. Startled, he willed his soul to move, arriving at the mysterious barrier place within his body.
Now, within the originally white, hazy mist, several wisps of blue-green mist drifted about. These blue-green threads seemed to radiate an elusive, spiritual aura, quietly luring him to reach out and touch them.
