The two entered the pharmacy.
Lu Xuan finally spoke, voicing his confusion, "Steward He, you've got me all puzzled. What's really going on?"
"It's mainly because we ran into that young miss here, so I got a bit anxious," the lean old man gestured toward the inner room, pulling Lu Xuan into a corner.
"Do you know the master behind the Hundred Herbs Hall? One of the most renowned alchemists in the Lin Yangfang Market," he said.
"The one we just met is his granddaughter, exceptionally talented. She's already at the mid-level of Qi cultivation at your age, greatly favored by the master and authorized to handle most affairs within the Hall."
"I see," Lu Xuan nodded upon hearing Steward He's explanation.
"But what about this Blood Jade Ginseng?" he asked.
"You're just a freelance cultivator of average spirit plants. The young miss doesn't fully trust you, so she can only entrust average-quality spirit species for you to cultivate."
"However, I believe in your abilities. You'll soon be no less than those skilled spirit planters in the Hall."
"As for the Blood Jade Ginseng I mentioned earlier, I was afraid you might not be familiar with those types of spirit plants and make the wrong choices. So, I took the liberty of deciding for you. I hope you don't mind."
Lu Xuan quickly shook his head, "I'm grateful, why would I mind?"
Having dealt with Steward He on numerous occasions, he could sense the goodwill directed towards him.
"Among the first-grade spirit species, the Blood Jade Ginseng has the lowest requirements for spiritual fields and qi. Its cultivation conditions are simple," Steward He explained. "When the Hall recovers them, they fetch a reasonable price. It's considered the most cost-effective among these spirit plants."
"The only downside is that its cultivation method is a bit intricate. But seeing your dedication to planting spirit species rather than focusing on cultivation, it's the most suitable for you."
Lu Xuan's progress in cultivating spirit plants was rapid. Plus, he had previously mentioned to the old man that his main focus was on planting, so, weighing the options, Steward He chose the first-grade Blood Jade Ginseng for him.
Lu Xuan didn't confirm or refute the thin old man's perception of him as an ordinary second-level cultivator.
"Thank you, Old He, I can't thank you enough!" he grinned, flashing a set of white teeth.
"Then how about I make these spirit plants cheaper for you?" Steward He squinted, a sly smile appearing on his wrinkled face.
"No, the relationship between us is not something mere spirit stones can measure," Lu Xuan politely declined.
"I knew you'd value spirit stones more than life. Can I take a look at them?" Steward He joked.
Lu Xuan took out the ripe Lunar Erosion Fruits and Spirit Firefly Grass from his bag, keeping the storage bag hidden.
"A total of fourteen Lunar Erosion Fruits, twelve of good quality, and two of superior quality."
"There aren't many Spirit Firefly Grass, only ten plants. However, among them, three are of superior quality, the rest are of good quality. Old He, calculate the price!"
"Truly, I didn't misjudge you. You have excellent talent in cultivating spirit plants," the thin old man sighed in admiration as he checked the quality of the mature spirit plants Lu Xuan presented.
"Lunar Erosion Fruits of good quality are ten spirit stones per piece, and two more for the superior quality, totaling eighty spirit stones."
"Spirit Firefly Grass of good quality is fifty spirit stones per plant, and twenty more for the superior quality, totaling sixty spirit stones."
"Both spirit plants amount to fifty-one spirit stones and forty fragments."
Steward He took out a small pile of spirit stones from his bag and handed them to Lu Xuan.
Lu Xuan was satisfied to receive them. Although the spirit stones earned from planting spirit plants were far fewer than what he had gained from helping freelance cultivators clear pests or from Qin Ming's entire wealth, he preferred the former for one reason: stability.
After dealing with this batch of mature spirit plants, there would be only ten Spirit Firefly Grass left in the small courtyard.
Judging by the current state, Lu Xuan estimated that they would all mature in the next few days, right before the turnover with the new freelance tenants.
"Old He, didn't you say that after establishing cooperation, you'd sell spirit species to me at a lower price?" He couldn't contain his eagerness for the new spirit species and asked the lean old man.
"How much space have you freed up by planting Spirit Firefly Grass and Lunar Erosion Trees in your small courtyard?"
"I recently switched to a new courtyard, and it has a larger space for spiritual fields than before. I can plant a lot more spirit plants now!"
"I didn't expect you to have saved up so many spirit stones! No wonder you fight over every fragment whenever you come to the Hundred Herbs Hall," Steward He teased, thinking Lu Xuan had saved enough spirit stones through thriftiness, unaware that Lu Xuan had rented a courtyard containing a spiritual spring. He joked before leading Lu Xuan into a side room.
After greeting a middle-aged cultivator inside, he informed Lu Xuan, "The Hall has its own sources for spirit species, which are cheaper by twenty percent compared to buying outside."
"For Spirit Firefly Grass spirit species, it's thirty fragments per piece. But due to the Blood Jade Ginseng being a first-grade spirit plant, its price is much higher, at four spirit stones per piece."
Lu Xuan compared these prices to what he had paid previously for spirit species.
Months ago, he bought Spirit Firefly Grass spirit species for forty fragments each. Now, in the Hall, they were thirty fragments, more than twenty percent cheaper.
As for the Blood Jade Ginseng spirit species, he hadn't bought them before. He could only compare them to the Crimson Cloud Pine he had purchased earlier.
The Crimson Cloud Pine was five spirit stones, while the Blood Jade Ginseng spirit species were four, also considerably cheaper.
He felt like he had hit the jackpot instantly!
"In that case, I'll take a hundred Spirit Firefly Grass spirit species and twenty Blood Jade Ginseng spirit species."
Among the two matured spirit plants, only the Spirit Firefly Grass could grant him cultivation rewards, so he planned to plant more of it.
He projected an image of himself as a planter who had given up on cultivation, but in reality, he still had a strong desire for power.
After all, in a realm where strength reigned supreme, having solid personal power provided more security and freedom.
The spirit stones he had just earned were spent in an instant.
Lu Xuan held the acquired spirit species, feeling amazed inside.
Returning to the new courtyard, Lu Xuan activated the array disk to open the formation and arrived at the spiritual field in the backyard.
From Steward He's instructions, he knew that Blood Jade Ginseng spirit species had to be kept in a special way, and once taken out, they had to be planted quickly, or their vitality would rapidly diminish.
Without delay, he took out a flat jade box and removed a small, intricate talisman attached to it.
Opening the box, twenty red seeds resembling jade stones caught his eye
, emitting a faint red mist with a slight chill on their surface.
This was a method to slow down the vitality loss of the Blood Jade Ginseng spirit species.
Lu Xuan quickly took the spirit species out of the box, activating his spiritual power.
Under the guidance of the Earth Attraction Technique, the spiritual field in front of him immediately cracked open in tiny fissures.
"The Blood Jade Ginseng, a first-grade spirit plant. When matured, it can be used as the main ingredient for most low-grade Qi and blood type elixirs."
"Once planted, both the spirit species and the plants themselves are restless in the spiritual soil. If they sense the same species, they will attract each other. After a long time together, they will plunder each other's vitality until one withers away."
Gathering his spiritual consciousness, Lu Xuan understood the detailed information about the Blood Jade Ginseng.
"This Blood Jade Ginseng seems to be a bit rebellious," he couldn't help but remark.
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