14: Chapter 14 This free gift is more valuable than the main medicine.

But in this world where human life is as cheap as dirt and everyone is a chess piece of the Heavenly Dao, what is the use of being a good person?

To be "nutrients" that could be sacrificed at any moment?

Senior Sister Liu Ruyan might help him today out of guilt, but tomorrow she could sell him out without hesitation for the sake of "Sect righteousness" or the "ruling aura" of some Child of Destiny.

Instead of pinning his hopes on the wavering goodwill of others, it is better to firmly grasp the hilt of the blade in his own hands.

Controlling Senior Sister Liu Ruyan, a Great Master of the Sect at the Golden Core Early Stage, is equivalent to planting a chess piece absolutely loyal to him within the upper echelons of the Qingming Sect.

Its strategic value is far beyond that of a single seven-star grass.

Simply taking the herb is elementary school-level stealing, while killing two birds with one stone—taking both the person and the herb—is the "I want it all" approach of an adult!

Do it!

The last trace of hesitation in Shen Xiao's eyes was replaced by ruthlessness.

He quickly fished out the one thousand Mid-Grade Spirit Stones that Lin Yun had paid as compensation from his Storage Pouch; the cold touch invigorated his spirit.

Good guy Lin Yun, you not only paid the money but also provided the startup capital for my next operation; you really are a great benefactor.

He counted them and set aside five hundred Spirit Stones.

Early the next morning, wearing that "terminally ill" face, he quietly slipped out of the Sect and headed straight to the market at the foot of the mountain.

To avoid being recognized, he specifically changed into the most inconspicuous grey servant uniform and used the most basic breath-concealing technique to suppress his cultivation fluctuations until they were almost undetectable.

An hour later, he returned covered in dust. The Spirit Stones in his Storage Pouch were halved, but he had gained a pile of strange, inexpensive items: a bottle of low-grade "Breath-Concealing Pill" that could lower Spiritual Qi fluctuations to the Qi Refinement Stage level, a "Wood-Corroding Awl" specifically for corroding wood, a strange-looking "Earth-Separating Shovel" with runes covering its blade, a palm-sized "Spirit-Binding Net," several "Stone-Solidification Talismans" that could temporarily petrify living things, and an unremarkable "Mimicry Stone" that looked like it had been picked up from the side of the road.

Everything was ready; he only lacked the east wind.

The night was like ink, and the hour of the Rat had arrived.

The entire Qingming Sect was immersed in silence, with only the footsteps of patrolling Disciples occasionally breaking the stillness.

In Shen Xiao's dilapidated shack, he tossed the dusty Breath-Concealing Pill into his mouth. The Medicinal Pill dissolved upon contact, and a cool stream of air quickly enveloped his Dantian, suppressing his Foundation Establishment Stage Middle Stage Spiritual Qi fluctuations to the level of the third or fourth layer of Qi Refining, like a great white shark forcing itself to disguise as a small crucian carp.

After doing all this, he slid out of his Immortal Cave like a ghost, without alerting anyone.

The herb garden was shrouded in a powerful defensive Formation. From the outside, a layer of faint green light looked like a giant inverted bowl, impregnable.

Forcing his way in would be like beating drums to tell Mo Buyu: "I am here to steal something!"

But he did not head for the main entrance; instead, following the intelligence given by Zhang San, he twisted and turned to a very remote corner on the west side of the herb garden.

This place was right next to the Sect's sewage channel, emitting a strange smell of Spiritual Plant residue mixed with mud, and no one would ever come near here.

Shen Xiao crouched down and pushed aside the waist-high weeds, revealing a wooden stake buried deep in the ground beneath.

This was one of the bases supporting the alert Formation in this area, made of century-old ironwood.

He chuckled and fished out the lewdly-shaped "Wood-Corroding Awl" from his Storage Pouch.

This thing was used by low-level Cultivators in the market for demolition; it was useless against Cultivators, but when it came to wood, it was professional.

He aimed the sharp awl at a natural crack in the wooden stake, mobilized a sliver of Spiritual Qi within his body, and stabbed it in hard!

"Sshh—"

An extremely faint sound, like a toothpick snapping, rang out.

The corrosive runes at the tip of the Wood-Corroding Awl were instantly activated, and a wisp of black smoke drilled into the interior of the wooden stake along the awl body.

The iron-hard century-old ironwood had its internal structure destroyed in an instant.

The green light curtain shrouding the perimeter of the herb garden showed an extremely brief, almost invisible fluctuation at this corner.

On the central jade disk responsible for monitoring the Formation, it might only show as a moth bumping into it.

But for Shen Xiao, this weak gap that lasted less than thirty breaths was a road to the heavens!

He lowered his body and, like a hunting civet cat, quietly slipped through the gap in the Formation's fluctuation.

He landed without a sound, successfully bypassing the first and most troublesome line of defense.

Inside the herb garden, the Spiritual Qi was several times denser than outside, and the fragrance of various Spiritual Plants mixed together, refreshing the heart and lungs.

Shen Xiao had no heart to admire it; he was like a shadow gliding along the ground, avoiding all patrol routes and heading straight for West District No. 3 Spiritual Field.

Soon, the Spiritual Plant emitting seven-colored starlight under the moonlight appeared in his field of vision.

Seven leaves, each seemingly carrying a small starry sky, were intoxicatingly beautiful.

This was the seven-star grass.

Shen Xiao hid behind a waist-high rockery and did not rush to act.

He first fished out a rag from his Storage Pouch. He had spent one Spirit Stone in the market to buy this cloth from a hunter; it was soaked in the urine of a Tier 3 Yao Beast, the "Iron-Backed Grey Wolf." The stench was so strong it could knock someone over from far away.

He checked the wind direction, calculated the distance, and threw this "bioweapon" towards the downwind side, fifty meters away from the Spiritual Field.

The rag landed silently, but the scent, which had a fatal attraction to most Spirit Beasts, had already begun to quietly permeate the air.

After doing this, he tiptoed like an elegant thief and snuck up to the seven-star grass.

He did not touch it directly with his hands but took out the specially made "Earth-Separating Shovel."

As a sliver of Spiritual Qi was injected, the runes on the shovel blade glowed slightly.

He carefully inserted the shovel into the soil around the roots of the seven-star grass, as if performing the most delicate surgery.

He dug half a foot down, pried gently, and a complete seven-star grass, with a thick clod of soil attached, was completely "lifted" up by him, roots and soil together.

Throughout the process, not a single root hair was damaged, and the warning glow that the seven-star grass itself would emit if forcefully picked never lit up from start to finish.

Shen Xiao quickly placed this "mud cake" into a prepared jade box, closed the lid, and applied a Spirit-Sealing Talisman.

Done! The first target item was in hand!

However, the moment the seven-star grass left the soil, the ground beneath it suddenly heaved violently!

"Whoosh!"

A massive earthworm, golden all over and as thick as a forearm, shot out from the ground like a bolt of golden lightning!

It had no eyes on its body, only an oral cavity filled with fine teeth, and its whole body exuded a rich, earthy, fishy smell.

Earth Emperor Earthworm!

This thing actually existed!

After it shot out of the ground, it seemed to pause for a moment, and then, its featureless head suddenly turned towards the direction of the downwind side.

The scent of the Iron-Backed Grey Wolf's urine, for an earth-element Spirit Beast like it, was simply like catnip to a cat, possessing an irresistible temptation!

It did not attack Shen Xiao, who was close at hand, but turned around, tensed its body, and shot straight towards the rag like a golden arrow released from a bowstring!

Good opportunity!

A sharp light flashed in Shen Xiao's eyes; this was exactly the moment he was waiting for!

He flicked his wrist, and the "Spirit-Binding Net," which he had already been holding in his palm, flew out. It quickly spread in mid-air, like a spider web descending from the sky, accurately covering the path the Earth Emperor Earthworm had to take!

"Bang!"

The Earth Emperor Earthworm crashed into the net.

This Spirit-Binding Net was extremely resilient; it tightened instantly, binding it firmly.

But the Earth Emperor Earthworm's strength was astonishing; it twisted frantically in the net, actually dragging the entire Spirit-Binding Net, plowing a trench on the ground, and continued to stubbornly crawl towards the rag!

Want to run? No way!

Shen Xiao seized the opportunity and flicked the second item from his fingertips—the "Stone-Solidification Talisman"!

The yellow talisman paper traced an arc in the air and, without deviation, landed right on the violently struggling Spirit-Binding Net.

"Hum!"

The cinnabar runes on the talisman paper suddenly lit up, and a greyish-white light instantly enveloped the entire net.

In the next second, a magical scene occurred.

Whether it was the resilient Spirit-Binding Net or the frantically twisting Earth Emperor Earthworm inside, both lost all luster and vitality in an instant, turning into a heavy, lifelike stone sculpture!

Done!

Shen Xiao felt a surge of joy and stepped forward in two or three strides, just about to put this priceless "stone sculpture" into his Storage Pouch.

Just at this moment—

"BOOM!!!"

A Divine Sense, powerful enough to be suffocating and at the Golden Core Late Stage, erupted from the pavilion in the center of the herb garden like a breached flood!

This Divine Sense was violent and angry, like an invisible giant net, sweeping across every inch of land and every blade of grass in the herb garden with the momentum of a thunderbolt!

Not good! Discovered!

Shen Xiao's scalp tingled violently; without time to think, he lightning-fast put the Earth Emperor Earthworm stone sculpture into his Storage Pouch, then grabbed the unremarkable "Mimicry Stone" and pressed it hard against his chest!

A strange energy poured out from the stone, instantly covering his entire body.

His aura, body temperature, and even his heartbeat were perfectly integrated with the surrounding earth, stones, and mud at this moment.

He dropped to the ground, lying directly in the pit he had just dug, motionless, looking just like a human-shaped stone.

The violent Divine Sense swept over him like a tsunami... and then continued forward without the slightest pause.

Dodged it!

Shen Xiao just breathed half a sigh of relief.

"Ahhhhhhh—thief! How dare you move my seven-star grass!!!"

A heaven-shaking, earth-shattering roar of anger resounded through the night sky of the entire Qingming Sect.

The anger contained in that voice was enough to almost burn a hole in the moon in the sky!

It was Mo Buyu!

The next second, the defensive Formation of the entire herb garden was fully activated!

"Hum—hum—hum—"

A green light curtain, visible to the naked eye and a hundred times denser than before, rose from the ground like an inverted firmament!

On the light curtain, countless mysterious runes flowed incessantly, completely sealing the entire herb garden into an iron bucket!

Shen Xiao's heart sank; he could clearly perceive that the Formation node he had previously destroyed had been completely repaired by the surging Spiritual Qi, and even strengthened threefold!

All possible exits and all weak points of the Formation were completely locked down in this instant.

He was trapped in this fully enclosed cage.

A turtle in a jar—that is exactly what he looked like now.