18: Greedy Deacon, a storm is brewing!

"Ordinary soothing incense, three Spirit Stones a box."

The wild joy on Ma Tong's face instantly froze.

His body stiffened on the spot, his hand clutching the box of "soothing incense" so tightly that veins bulged out.

A few irrepressible snickers came from the surroundings, each one like an invisible slap delivered harshly to his face.

"soothing incense?" He squeezed out the words, his throat dry and aching.

The goatee-wearing Shopkeeper glanced at him lazily, as if looking at an idiot.

"What else? Is a treasure like spirit-calming incense something you're even worthy of seeing?"

Ma Tong's face turned red and white before finally bloating into a liver-colored hue. He finally realized he had been played. That new Disciple named Gu Changsheng had played him like a monkey in front of everyone!

He spun around abruptly, but Gu Changsheng was nowhere to be seen.

"Gu Changsheng!" Ma Tong let out a beast-like roar and smashed the wooden box in his hand onto the ground, shattering it into pieces.

Outside the Bizarre Treasures Pavilion, Gu Changsheng had already merged into the flowing crowd, vanishing into a secluded alleyway after a few quick movements.

Leaning against the cold wall, he held the snow-white qi-gathering jade bottle in his hand, examining it closely.

The bottle felt warm to the touch; while its internal space wasn't large, a strange isolating aura flowed within, making it indeed an excellent container for storing the unique Qi of heaven and earth.

As for Ma Tong's fury, he didn't care in the slightest.

A piece of trash stuck at the sixth level of the Fetal Breathing Realm for years—how could he be worthy of being his enemy? If private fighting weren't forbidden within the Sect Market, he would have had a hundred ways to make Ma Tong shut up forever back in the Bizarre Treasures Pavilion.

However, today's events served as a reminder.

He was still too weak after all. If he were a Foundation Establishment Peak Master, he could simply take whatever he wanted. Who would dare say a single word?

On the path of longevity, strength is the only passport.

He placed the jade bottle into his Storage Pouch and, without staying a moment longer, followed the most hidden mountain path in his memory to quickly return to Hundred Herbs Peak.

When he passed through the Medicine Garden's Restriction again and returned to that celestial-like Spiritual Field, the sense of urgency in his heart finally eased slightly.

From then on, he lived a disciplined life, moving between only two points.

Every day at the mao hour, he would wake up on time, check the latest daily intelligence, and then head to the southwest corner of the Medicine Garden's Restriction to absorb all the pure Wood Spiritual Qi leaking from that Formation node.

Once the 7-9 am arrived, he would begin cast the "Sweet Dew Spell" on the 3,700 types of spiritual plants.

He divided his Divine Sense into hundreds of strands, each precisely controlling a wisp of True Qi to transform into Spiritual Rain with varying properties, meticulously watering every single spiritual plant.

This was not only a practical application of the "Compendium of spiritual plants" but also a limit-testing refinement of his Divine Sense and True Qi control.

By the afternoon, he would return to Courtyard Jia-1, close the courtyard gates, and sit in meditation to perform breathing exercises and consolidate his cultivation.

At first, that obscure feeling of being watched would occasionally appear, but Gu Changsheng always behaved in an orderly fashion, keeping the Medicine Garden neatly organized and never stepping out of line. Gradually, the frequency of that gaze decreased until it finally vanished completely.

And the daily refreshed intelligence also became uneventful.

[Intelligence: Inner Sect Disciple Sun Hao lost control of the heat while refining a 'peiyuan pill', causing the Pill Furnace to explode. He has been sentenced to one month of confinement.]

[Intelligence: The Grade 2 Spirit Beast 'Snow-Treading Rabbit' from the Spirit Beast Garden stole fifty Spiritual Wheat Buns from the cafeteria last night and is currently being pursued.]

[Intelligence: Outer Sect Disciple Wang Er failed in his pursuit of Junior Sister Li. While drowning his sorrows in alcohol at the Martial Arts Arena, he was punished by a Patrolling Steward with three days of cleaning the latrines for 'untidy appearance'.]

These trivial matters made up the vast daily life of the Sect.

Gu Changsheng only gave these pieces of intelligence a brief glance before losing interest.

No risk, no killing, no schemes.

This tranquility brought him an unprecedented sense of peace. He enjoyed this calm before the storm, relishing the detached feeling of controlling everything through information while remaining an outsider himself.

In this way, six days passed in a flash.

On the morning of the seventh day, just as the mao hour arrived, the pale golden text appeared as usual.

[daily intelligence has been refreshed]

[Intelligence 1: Hundred Herbs Peak Steward Zhang Ling comes to inspect the Medicine Garden once every seven days. This person is greedy and fond of taking bribes. If there are no 'offerings', he will certainly look for trouble and withhold resources. He will arrive at the Wu Hour.]

[Intelligence 2: At the Outer Sect Hall of Propagation, an Elder is explaining the "Elementary Introduction to Qi Refining" today, which is of great benefit to Cultivators about to achieve a Breakthrough.]

[Intelligence 3: Beneath the East Mountain Waterfall, there is a 'Cold Water Stone' washed out by the current, which can be used to refine low-rank Magical Artifacts. Risk Assessment: None.]

Gu Changsheng's gaze was fixed firmly on the first piece of intelligence.

"Zhang Ling?"

His heart sank slightly, and a sense of crisis arose spontaneously.

Losing a few Spirit Stones' worth of resources was a small matter, but if he were targeted and harassed by this Zhang Ling and lost this lucrative job that allowed him to access the [Wither and Flourish Vitality], that would be a true catastrophe!

No, I absolutely cannot let this happen.

He carefully analyzed the description in the intelligence: greedy, fond of taking bribes.

This was actually a good thing; as long as it was a problem that could be solved with money, it wasn't a problem.

Gu Changsheng quickly formulated a strategy.

Giving too little wouldn't satisfy the other party's appetite and would still lead to being given a hard time.

Giving too much would make him appear too wealthy, exposing his cards and only inviting greater trouble and endless demands.

He pondered for a moment and took out five Low-Grade Spirit Stones from his Storage Pouch.

For an Outer Sect Disciple who had just taken over a lucrative job, this amount showed enough "filial piety" without being too conspicuous.

But it wasn't enough.

Gu Changsheng's mind raced, and a more comprehensive plan took shape in his head.

He stood up and went to the Medicine Garden, walking through the 3,700 types of spiritual plants before finally stopping at a relatively conspicuous spot.

A patch of the lowest-grade "heart-clearing grass" was planted here. This herb had a single use and very low value; no one would care even if a whole patch withered.

He extended a finger, a wisp of faint True Qi swirling around the tip, and lightly tapped the root of one of the heart-clearing grasses.

An obscure force penetrated the soil, precisely severing a small portion of the heart-clearing grass's roots.

Having done all this, he stood up and brushed his hands.

The leaves of that heart-clearing grass withered visibly, and its originally emerald-green color turned a bit yellowish-brown, looking exceptionally jarring amidst the vibrant Medicine Garden.

"Very good."

Being too deliberate would seem too slippery; this way was the most secure.

A pretext had already been prepared for that Steward Zhang.

Now, he just had to wait for him to arrive.

Gu Changsheng tended to the Medicine Garden as usual, unhurriedly casting the Sweet Dew Spell.

His heart was calm, as if what was approaching was not a crisis but a trivial matter.

As the Wu Hour approached, the scorching sun baked the earth.

Heavy footsteps sounded from the mountain path, breaking the silence of the peak.

Gu Changsheng stopped his hand seals, turned around, and calmly looked toward the entrance of the Medicine Garden.

A short, stout middle-aged Cultivator with a large belly was walking up the stone steps one step at a time.

He wore an ill-fitting steward's robe, his face was fleshy, and his small eyes glittered with shrewdness and greed.

The newcomer was indeed the Hundred Herbs Peak Steward, Zhang Ling.

As soon as Zhang Ling stepped into the Medicine Garden, those hawk-like eyes immediately began scanning the surroundings, as if trying to find even the slightest flaw in this celestial paradise.

Soon, his gaze fixed precisely on the withered heart-clearing grass in the corner.

The corners of Zhang Ling's mouth slowly curled into a malicious sneer.