272: Chapter 270: Purple Plant

Yun Ming crossed the main street of Tianbao Market and turned into a slightly quieter alley on the eastern side.

This alley was a stark contrast to the hustle and bustle he had just left behind.

A type of exotic bamboo called "Spirit Sound Bamboo" was planted on both sides of the street. Their long, slender nodes were entirely emerald green, and when the wind blew through them, they produced a crisp, melodious ringing, as if an invisible musician were gently playing.

Amidst the swaying shadows of the bamboo, the storefronts of several shops were faintly visible. They weren't as magnificent as those on the main street, but they possessed a quiet, restrained elegance.

At the end of the alley, five simple, ancient characters were carved into a bluestone sign—"Zifu Immortal Plant Pavilion." Several living spirit vines were coiled around the sign, their leaves shimmering with a faint spiritual light, and small flower buds occasionally bloomed, releasing a crisp medicinal fragrance.

Yun Ming paused for a moment at the door before stepping inside.

The interior space was much larger than he had imagined. Upon entering, he saw a vast hall with floors paved in a warm spirit jade. The jade's surface featured natural patterns that looked like miniature landscape paintings. The four walls of the hall were entirely covered in medicine cabinets made of some unknown spiritual wood, their deep grain shimmering with faint light. Each cabinet was inlaid with a jade plaque inscribed with the name, age, and grade of the Spiritual Plant in elegant spiritual script, all neatly arranged.

In the center of the hall stood an enormous red sandalwood table. Over a dozen Spiritual Plants were displayed on it; some were kept in transparent jade boxes, while others were simply placed on wooden trays, allowing their rich medicinal fragrance to waft freely. Among them, a crimson lingzhi mushroom was particularly eye-catching. Its cap was the size of a washbasin and bore seven golden rings, each resembling a miniature sun radiating warm light.

A middle-aged Cultivator in a brocade robe stood behind the long table with his hands behind his back, carefully examining a fine-looking Spiritual Plant. His cultivation was at the Early Golden Core Stage. He had a square face and an air of nobility between his brows, clearly someone accustomed to seeing rare treasures.

On both sides of the hall, several attendants in gray short-sleeved shirts were busy. Some were organizing the cabinets, some were using jade pestles to grind Spirit Medicine powder, and others were squatting on the floor, carefully watering a seedling in a flowerpot with spiritual water. The seedling was only about three inches tall, yet its extraordinary nature was already apparent—every leaf bore silver patterns, as if painted with starlight using the finest brush.

As soon as Yun Ming entered, an attendant came forward to greet him.

The attendant looked to be about seventeen or eighteen years old, with a cultivation level at the ninth layer of Qi Refining. He was handsome, but his eyes darted around with a sharp, shrewd glint.

“Fellow Daoist, what brings you to the Zifu Immortal Plant Pavilion?” the attendant asked with a beaming smile, his gaze discreetly sweeping over Yun Ming's clothing and the Storage Pouch hanging at his waist. “We have all kinds of Spiritual Plants below the fourth rank, and all the auxiliary materials needed for third-rank Medicinal Pills. If you're looking for higher grades, you'll need to place an order in advance.”

Yun Ming nodded slightly and got straight to the point: “I wanted to ask, does your shop purchase Spiritual Plants?”

Upon hearing this, the attendant's smile remained, but the light in his eyes dimmed noticeably.

He sized Yun Ming up, glanced at the Storage Pouch at his waist, and curled his lip slightly, though he quickly regained his polite expression.

“We do, but...” He glanced back at the middle-aged man in the brocade robe behind the long table and lowered his voice. “Fellow Daoist, I’ll be honest with you. Our Zifu Immortal Plant Pavilion isn't some roadside stall that takes any old weed. Our owner is from one of the prominent Spiritual Plant families in Tianyuan City. Generally, we don't take Spiritual Plants that are too low in grade, too young, or have flaws. If you're intent on selling, you might want to try the independent stalls on the outskirts of the market; they take anything at any price.”

His words weren't overtly offensive, but the subtext of 'don't bring your junk here to fool us' was laid out plain as day.

Yun Ming remained unruffled and said calmly, “I have a Spiritual Plant on hand that should be of a fairly High Grade. I would like you to take a look.”

Seeing that Yun Ming didn't seem like the type of greenhorn who would try to pass off a second-rank spiritual herb as a treasure, the attendant hesitated before nodding. “Then please bring it out, Fellow Daoist. But let me state first—if it's below the fifth rank, our shop won't take it. Don't feel I'm being disrespectful.”

They wouldn't take anything below the fifth rank.

Yun Ming's heart stirred slightly. The Zifu Immortal Plant Pavilion certainly had high standards. In ordinary market Spiritual Plant shops, a third or fourth-rank plant would be considered a treasure of the store, yet here, they might not even look at a fifth-rank one.

He didn't say much, reaching into his robes to pull a palm-sized jade box from his Storage Pouch.

The jade box was snow-white, carved from high-quality Cold Jade, with a few simple Spirit-Sealing Patterns on the surface to maximize the preservation of the plant's medicinal properties. Yun Ming gently placed the jade box on the red sandalwood table and pushed it toward the attendant.

The attendant glanced at the jade box and nonchalantly reached out to open it.

In the next instant, his fingers froze.

A dense surge of Spiritual Qi erupted from the jade box, flooding in all directions like a tide. This Qi was different from the herbal scent of ordinary Spiritual Plants; it carried a unique aura—like the depth of the earth, the warmth of jade, and a faint, lingering sweetness.

Before this surge of Qi, the medicinal fragrances in the entire hall seemed to be suppressed, instantly becoming much weaker.

The attendants busy in the corners all looked up simultaneously, sniffing the air. Even the middle-aged man in the brocade robe, who had been focused on his Spiritual Plant, turned his head slightly toward Yun Ming, his brow arching.

The attendant looked down into the jade box, his pupils shrinking violently.

A Spiritual Plant lay quietly inside the box.

The plant was about the size of an adult's fist and possessed a peculiar greenish-white color. Its texture was as warm as fine jade, and its surface was covered in intricate patterns. These patterns weren't random; they were layered like tree rings, each one emitting a faint fluorescence. As the light flowed, the entire plant seemed to come alive, possessing a vitality that was slowly awakening after thousands of years of slumber.

Even more miraculously, at the top of the plant grew three seeds the size of rice grains. The seeds were pale gold and translucent, with tiny points of light faintly visible moving inside.

The attendant's mouth hung open, unable to close for a long while.

It wasn't that he hadn't seen good things. Working at the Zifu Immortal Plant Pavilion for three years, he had seen fifth-rank Spiritual Plants several times, and once had even caught a distant glimpse of a sixth-rank herb brought by the owner. But those plants were either kept under heavy Restrictions or protected by layers of Formations. How could any be like this—boldly placed in an ordinary Cold Jade box, casually set on a table, letting its Spiritual Qi scatter freely?

“This... this is...” The attendant's voice trembled. He tried to steady himself, leaning in until his face was almost pressed against the jade box.

“mystic pattern jade seed sunflower,” Yun Ming said the name calmly.

Hearing those words, the attendant felt as if he’d been struck by lightning. He jerked upright, his expression a chaotic mix of shock, disbelief, wild joy, and an indescribable fear. He opened his mouth to speak but found his mind blocked, unable to process it.

A sixth-rank Spiritual Plant.

A mystic pattern jade seed sunflower.

That was the stuff of legends!

How could such a thing be in the hands of a Late Golden Core Stage Cultivator?

The attendant suddenly snapped out of it and ran toward the back hall. He didn't even bother to greet Yun Ming, shouting as he ran, “Manager! Manager! Come quickly!”

The middle-aged man behind the long table was startled by the sudden shouting, his frown deepening. He set down the spiritual herb and walked over slowly, saying displeasurably as he moved, “What's with the panic? Where are your manners? What could possibly be so extraordinary in broad daylight?”

The attendant pointed breathlessly at the jade box on the table. “Manager, look at this!”

The middle-aged man—the manager of the Zifu Immortal Plant Pavilion, surnamed Zhou, with the single name "Huan." He had been immersed in the study of Spiritual Plants for decades, possessed vast knowledge and a sharp eye, and was considered a figure of some standing in the Spiritual Plant trade of the Tianbao Market's eastern district.

He walked to the long table and looked down at the jade box.

With just one look, the displeasure on his face froze.

Then, his expression began to shift—from shock to gravity, and finally to a near-pious caution. He slowly reached out, his fingertips pausing in the air as if hesitating to touch it directly. Ultimately, he couldn't resist, gently picking up the mystic pattern jade seed sunflower with two fingers and turning it over to examine it.

His movements were very slow and light, as if holding a fragile treasure.

He looked at the patterns on the leaves, the color of the stem, the glow of the seeds, and even leaned in to smell that unique scent. His eyes widened further, his lips trembled, and his hands shook slightly—whether from excitement, nervousness, or both.

“Sixth rank...” Manager Zhou Huan murmured. “It really is sixth rank... and the quality is perfect. It's at least five thousand years old... the number of pattern layers, the fullness of the seeds... Good heavens, how could such a thing appear here?”

He examined it repeatedly for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea before reluctantly placing the Spiritual Plant back into the jade box. He took a deep breath and looked up at Yun Ming.

The way he looked at Yun Ming had changed completely. It was no longer the condescending scrutiny from before, but a deep wariness and curiosity—who exactly was this unremarkable Golden Core Cultivator? Someone who could produce a sixth-rank Spiritual Plant likely had a background that was anything but simple.

“Fellow Daoist,” Manager Zhou Huan's voice was much gentler than before, even carrying a hint of respect. “This mystic pattern jade seed sunflower... is indeed a sixth-rank Spiritual Plant. Its quality is superb and its age is significant. Among the Spiritual Plants I have handled, it is truly a High Grade among High Grades.”

Yun Ming nodded slightly, waiting for him to continue.

Manager Zhou Huan's tone shifted, and a look of embarrassment appeared on his face. “However... Fellow Daoist, to be honest, the value of this Spiritual Plant is far beyond what our Zifu Immortal Plant Pavilion can afford. Although our small shop has operated in Tianbao Market for many years, our foundation is thin and our liquid capital is limited. Even if we liquidated all our stock, it probably wouldn't be enough to buy this mystic pattern jade seed sunflower.”

As he spoke, the expression on his face was very complex. There was reluctance, regret, and an indescribable annoyance. A massive business deal was right before his eyes, yet he couldn't take it because he lacked the strength; this feeling was more painful than never encountering the deal at all.

Yun Ming had already anticipated this result and wasn't surprised. He was about to take back the jade box when Manager Zhou Huan suddenly reached out to stop him.

“Wait, Fellow Daoist!” Manager Zhou Huan said urgently, a glint in his eyes. “I may not be able to afford it, but that doesn't mean no one can. Behind our Zifu Immortal Plant Pavilion is a Great Boss. He is a true Spiritual Plant tycoon in Tianyuan City, controlling the largest Spiritual Plant trade network in the entire Eastern Region. He will definitely be interested in this mystic pattern jade seed sunflower! And with his wealth, he could afford not just one, but ten!”

Yun Ming glanced at him and didn't speak.

Manager Zhou Huan quickly turned and whispered orders to the attendant nearby. “Go to the back hall immediately. Use the Teleportation Array to contact the Great Boss. Tell him a perfect sixth-rank Spiritual Plant has appeared and ask him to come quickly! Hurry!”

The attendant took the order and sprinted into the back hall.

Manager Zhou Huan turned back, looking at Yun Ming with a face full of smiles while discreetly signaling to the side. Two other attendants understood and moved inconspicuously, one standing by the door and the other by Yun Ming's side.

They certainly didn't dare to do anything out of line to Yun Ming—in Tianbao Market, any shop that dared to lay hands on a guest would be razed to the ground by the market's enforcement team the next day. But they wanted to ensure Yun Ming wouldn't leave before they contacted the Great Boss.

“Fellow Daoist, please have a seat.” Manager Zhou Huan personally brought over a chair covered in Spirit Beast fur, politely inviting Yun Ming to sit, and ordered an attendant to serve tea. “The Great Boss will arrive soon and won't take up too much of your time. In the meantime, if you need anything, please don't hesitate to ask.”

Yun Ming looked at the two attendants who were intentionally or unintentionally guarding the exit. He understood their intent but didn't point it out. He sat down composedly, picked up the cup of spiritual tea, gently blew away the foam, and took a slow sip.

The tea was good, with a refreshing orchid fragrance.

He just wondered what kind of person this "Great Boss" would be.