26: Chapter 26 Your Scheme, My Path to Wealth

Night fell, and Area Bing-7's medicinal herb field was shrouded in an impenetrable dense fog, with damp, cold moisture drilling straight into one's bones.

Shen Xiao didn't rush to dig up those deadly insect eggs; instead, he nimbly pulled a large bundle of baimai grass, which grew like common weeds everywhere.

The sticky sap from the broken leaves clung to his palms, emitting an extremely pungent, bitter, and earthy smell.

He snuck back to his room, found a broken stone mortar, and with a series of fierce actions—pounding and smashing—he forcefully boiled this pile of worthless grass into a small basin of dark green, thick liquid bubbling with suspicious bubbles.

Carrying this basin of liquid that emitted a bizarre odor, Shen Xiao kicked open the dilapidated wooden door of the drafty thatched hut in the corner of the herb field.

The wooden door let out a teeth-grinding, screeching scream of "creak."

There were no lights on in the room, and the air was filled with the musty smell of a place that hadn't seen sunlight for years.

Xiaowu was hugging her knees, huddled in the corner like a lifeless rag doll.

Shen Xiao strode over and slammed the basin of green liquid onto the broken wooden table with a missing corner, causing a dull thud.

"Take it." Shen Xiao's tone was colder than a heartless capitalist in the mortal world, a perfect portrayal of a skinflint. "This is an ancient ripening formula I went to great lengths to acquire. From tomorrow on, take one small spoonful every day, mix it with water, and pour it on that baldest piece of rotten land in the southwest corner. Remember, water it on time every day; if you dare to slack off, I'll take your life."

Xiaowu slowly raised her head. Those dead-fish eyes, devoid of any ripples, stared at Shen Xiao in the darkness for two seconds, then she silently stretched out her bony hand and took the stone basin.

She didn't ask if this greenish poison would finish off the already half-dead grass roots, nor did she ask why it had to be poured specifically on the southwest corner.

She didn't even utter an "oh," just like a low-level Puppet whose underlying logic had been hard-coded, only capable of receiving commands.

Shen Xiao snorted coldly in his heart and turned to leave, satisfied.

Not asking what shouldn't be asked—this kind of pure tool person who lacked curiosity and was like a stone was simply the best physical anti-counterfeiting human shield.

With her making such a blatant fuss here every day to attract outsiders' attention, who would think that the real big move wasn't in the herb field?

Early the next morning, just as the sky was beginning to brighten, Shen Xiao, sporting two dark circles rubbed out from lack of sleep, knocked on the door of Deacon Sun Fugui with a sincere, tear-jerking "Survey of Soil Quality Changes and Application for Reduced Production in Area Bing-7" in hand.

In the report, he tearfully accused the previous manager of causing disaster, claiming that the Spiritual Qi in the herb field had leaked severely and the soil had hardened to the point where it could be used for blacksmithing, and implored the Sect to be lenient and reduce the monthly production quota.

Deacon Sun Fugui sat on that grand armchair covered with a third-grade spirit tiger pelt, rolling two shiny walnuts in his hand. On the surface, he frowned and pretended to be heartbroken, hypocritically comforting Shen Xiao a few times, while in reality, the flash of ecstasy in the depths of his eyes—the "you're dead, kid" look—couldn't be hidden at all.

He waved his brush and approved the note very readily, just waiting to convict Shen Xiao with interest after the deadline expired.

Holding this officially granted "get-out-of-jail-free card," Shen Xiao completely let himself go after returning to the herb field.

On the surface, he let the already stunted spirit plants in those few acres of land continue to wither, focusing on a strategy of "letting it rot" to fully play out the scene of "deterioration." Secretly, he had long followed the beeping prompts of the System radar to find a hidden cave behind a cliff covered in poisonous thorns behind the herb field, which was tightly concealed by an abandoned stealth Formation.

The cave was extremely dry, exuding an ancient atmosphere that hadn't seen the sun for ten thousand years.

Like an untiring groundhog, Shen Xiao took advantage of the night to move the Mechanical Beetle eggs, which were like ticking time bombs, to this secret VIP room.

For the next few days, he would come late every night with freshly mashed baimai grass juice, carefully dripping it onto the eggs covered in strange dark patterns, as if he were serving his own father.

Each time the sap seeped in, a heart-palpitating, eerie golden glow would flash across the surface of the eggs, accompanied by a faint "click" sound, as if some greedy monster was eating frantically and gestating.

Seven days passed in the blink of an eye.

On a dark, windy midnight, a dense, scalp-numbing sound of shells breaking suddenly echoed in the cave.

Shen Xiao held up a night-luminescent pearl and looked closely; the originally grayish eggs had all shattered into dust.

Replacing them were hundreds of mutant spirit insects, thumb-sized, golden-bodied as if cast from gold, with two pairs of transparent wings on their backs.

Golden Silk Gu!

They didn't have the pungent, fishy smell of ordinary Mechanical Beetles; instead, they emitted a faint, extremely high-grade, strange medicinal fragrance.

Shen Xiao's eyes lit up, as if he saw a glittering, peerless golden mountain.

He didn't hesitate at all, skillfully pinching a fat Golden Silk Gu to death, and used a special cold jade box to crush and seal it.

The next night, Shen Xiao changed into a large black robe, put on a ghost mask that blocked Divine Sense, and like a bodiless ghost, familiarly slipped into the chaotic underground black market of the Qingming Sect's outer Sect.

After passing through several narrow alleys emitting the smell of cheap cosmetics and moldy Talismans, he plunged into the underground secret room of the "Treasure Pavilion," the largest firm in the black market.

The one receiving him was none other than the profit-seeking black market tycoon, Manager Qian.

This fat man had a big head and big ears, and when he smiled, his eyes squeezed into a slit, his whole person exuding the shrewdness and oiliness unique to a profiteer.

"This Junior Brother, you look unfamiliar. What kind of business do you want to do?" Manager Qian habitually rubbed his fat hands adorned with jade rings, his tone perfunctory.

Shen Xiao said nothing, directly took out a rough porcelain bottle from his sleeve, and slammed it onto the rosewood table with a "pop."

The moment the bottle stopper was shaken off, a wave of Spiritual Qi, carrying a bit of burnt smell but mixed with extremely violent and pure energy, instantly filled the entire secret room like a substance.

The professional fake smile on Manager Qian's face instantly stiffened, and the fat on his body shuddered violently.

He pounced on it like a shark smelling blood, grabbing the porcelain bottle tightly, and poured out the Medicinal Pill inside, which had a truly unpresentable appearance and a pitted surface.

This was a defective fourth-grade barrier-breaking pill that Shen Xiao had forcefully concocted in the past few days, under the guidance of that old ghost Xuan Chenzi in his Sea of Consciousness, using a broken Pill Furnace found in the back mountain and a handful of yellow soil.

"A... fourth-grade barrier-breaking pill?! Although the technique is extremely crude, the medicinal power of the main ingredient inside... is simply outrageously violent! The purity is terrifyingly high!" Manager Qian's voice cracked. As a black market tycoon, he knew the gold content of this thing too well.

A divine object that could help someone at the Foundation Establishment Stage Perfection achieve Core Formation with one hundred percent certainty was a strategic material that would make people red-eyed and desperate in today's resource-depleted cultivation world.

"I provide the core main ingredient and the exclusive Pill Formula; you provide the top-tier Alchemy room, all auxiliary materials, and sales channels." Shen Xiao lowered his voice, which sounded like a hoarse old ghost who had experienced the vicissitudes of life after being disguised by the mask. "Profits: three for me, seven for you."

A flash of extreme, painful struggle flickered in Manager Qian's mung bean-sized eyes; he instinctively wanted to haggle.

But he unwillingly scraped a bit of the pill powder with his fingernail and put it into his mouth. The next second, his Bottleneck at the Foundation Establishment Stage Middle Stage, which had been stagnant for five full years, actually showed signs of loosening as if hit by a heavy hammer!

All the fat on his body trembled violently, and undisguised greed and fanaticism erupted in the depths of his eyes.

He slapped his thigh hard, shattering the tea cup next to him with a "bang": "Senior, you are straightforward! A three-seven split is too distant! As long as you can guarantee the supply of this top-grade main ingredient, a five-five split! Let's just be friends, and I, Qian, will take care of all the dirty and tiring work!"

This old fox had a very loud abacus, wanting to use this extra twenty percent profit to firmly tie this mysterious Alchemist who controlled a top-grade source of wealth to his own chariot.

The corners of Shen Xiao's mouth under the mask curled into a satisfied arc, and he reached out decisively: "Deal."

For the next three days, Shen Xiao almost lived in the A-grade Alchemy room of the Treasure Pavilion, which was engraved with a top-tier Spirit Gathering Formation.

With the top-grade purple gold Pill Furnace and the endless supply of top-grade auxiliary materials provided by Manager Qian, plus the extremely domineering medicinal power of the Golden Silk Gu, thirty perfect-grade barrier-breaking pills, round and full, with three gorgeous pill patterns flowing on the surface, were successfully produced.

The rich, almost impenetrable strange fragrance made Manager Qian, who was guarding the door outside, almost float on the spot.

Once the Medicinal Pill was made, Manager Qian's terrifying operational ability as a black market oligarch exploded.

In just half a day, the news that "a mysterious reclusive expert is consigning out-of-print, top-grade barrier-breaking pills, specializing in curing all kinds of dissatisfaction at the Foundation Establishment Stage Perfection" flew through the Sect's underground network like it had wings.

For those old monsters stuck at the Bottleneck with their lifespan running out, and for the Sect's Core Disciples who were eager to improve their strength, this was simply a depth charge thrown into deep water, directly triggering an all-around tsunami.

On the night of the auction, the scene was even crazier than the Demonic Path attacking the mountain.

Several major financial groups and Core Disciples bid frantically with red eyes, and the price soared all the way, directly piercing through the ceiling.

And what made Shen Xiao feel most physically and mentally pleased was that the ultimate sucker who bought the largest batch of Medicinal Pills was the number one lackey under Deacon Sun Fugui, a Core follower who was eager to break through to the Core Formation stage so he could fawn over the newly promoted Child of Destiny, Lin Yun, and brush a wave of presence.

Shen Xiao sat in the shadows of the VIP box, listening to the heart-wrenching bidding outside, and took a comfortable sip of spirit tea.

Take my Medicinal Pill to lick my enemy?

Very good, this wave not only earned a fortune but also conveniently planted a mine of uneven resource distribution in Lin Yun's camp.

After dividing the spoils, Shen Xiao, with fifteen thousand High-Grade Spirit Stones that were inwardly glowing and warm to the touch in his pocket, walked back to the Area Bing-7 herb field with a swaggering gait.

The heavy Spirit Stones weighed down his Storage Pouch, and the feeling of getting rich overnight made every pore on his body feel comfortable.

However, the moment he stepped into the fence gate, an extremely arrogant door-breaking sound came from behind him.

Deacon Sun Fugui, with two Law Enforcement Hall Disciples hanging disciplinary rulers at their waists and looking fierce, rushed in aggressively.

This old dog was full of red light, with a face of being sure of victory. As soon as he entered the door, he shouted with his hoarse voice: "Shen Xiao! You have such great courage! The Sect handed such an important Spirit Medicine field to you, yet you dared to neglect your duty, causing the herb field to have no harvest! Come, take him down for me and send him to the black prison to have his tendons pulled and skin peeled!"

Deacon Sun Fugui didn't even look at the ground; his lines were recited more smoothly than an opera singer.

In his mind, calculating the time, that batch of disgusting Mechanical Beetles underground should have gnawed this land until not even the grass roots were left.

However, when the two Law Enforcement Disciples drew their Magical Artifacts and prepared to take the person according to the script, their gazes finally crossed the fence and landed on the herb field in front.

The air suddenly fell into a deathly silence.

The herb field did look a bit miserable, with yellow leaves and thin Spiritual Qi.

But it was only "poor growth."

There were no signs of any insect infestation or roots being gnawed, let alone the desperate situation of no harvest at all!

Moreover, the degree of this withering was completely, down to the last point, within the "controllable loss range" officially reported in Shen Xiao's "Application for Reduced Production" a few days ago.

Deacon Sun Fugui's old face instantly turned purple-red. He rubbed his eyes desperately, staring at those few acres of broken land in disbelief, looking like he had seen a ghost in broad daylight, and even his voice trembled: "This... this is impossible! Where are the things in the ground? Those insects..." He stopped abruptly halfway through his sentence, swallowing that word back into his stomach, his eyes almost popping out.

He couldn't possibly admit in front of the Law Enforcement Disciples that he had thrown poisonous insects into the Sect's herb field!

Looking at Deacon Sun Fugui's ridiculous expression, as if he had swallowed ten pounds of flies, Shen Xiao was delighted in his heart, but on the surface, he pretended to be innocent and aggrieved: "Deacon Sun, you are accusing me of a crime I didn't commit! I strictly followed the indicators you approved. Every blade of grass withered within the range allowed by the application, and I absolutely did not waste a bit of the Sect's hard work! If you don't believe me, you can check carefully!"

Deacon Sun Fugui's chest heaved violently, his finger pointing at Shen Xiao shaking like a sieve, unable to utter a complete sentence for a long time.

The two Law Enforcement Disciples looked at each other, silently put away their Magical Artifacts, and looked at Deacon Sun Fugui as if they were looking at an idiot.

Just in this ridiculously deadlocked situation, Shen Xiao's peripheral vision inadvertently swept across the corner of the herb field.

The herb-gathering girl named Xiaowu was squatting in the patch of rotten land that she had watered with baimai grass juice for seven days, still with her back to the crowd, loosening the soil with that broken hoe.

Her movements were mechanical, the frequency was constant, and even the amplitude of her clothes fluttering didn't change at all.

With such a big commotion here just now, and the Law Enforcement Hall about to take someone, and Deacon Sun Fugui yelling like a slaughtered pig, she didn't even turn her head, and even the rhythm of swinging the hoe didn't lose half a beat.

Something was wrong.

The playfulness at the corner of Shen Xiao's mouth disappeared without a trace.

Even for the most dull, bottom-level tool person, when encountering the fierce charge of the Law Enforcement Hall, it was impossible not to even have an instinctive flinch or look back.

She wasn't slow; she simply disdained this level of threat!

Shen Xiao's eyes instantly turned cold, sharp as a knife.

He shouted in his heart: "System, lock onto that girl for me, maximum authority deep scan!"

On his retina, a dazzling scarlet light exploded without warning, and immediately after, a semi-transparent warning panel that looked like it was dripping with fresh blood popped out.

[Target: Xiaowu]

[True Identity: Elite Disciple of the Blood Fiend Sect, lurking spy.]

[Current Status: Extremely calm, can detonate cultivation at any time.]

[Top Secret Mission: Lurking in the Qingming Sect, monitoring the flow of Spirit Medicine resources, currently waiting for an opportunity to release the extinction-level source of disaster — 'Blood-Stained Fungus' in the core herb field!]

Shen Xiao stared fixedly at the blood-red characters on the panel. A sharp alarm sound seemed to ring in his ears, and his breathing suddenly stagnated.

He looked at the thin, small back in the distance that seemed to only know how to work in silence, and his scalp suddenly exploded with a layer of dense goosebumps, his back instantly soaked with cold sweat.

This was no harmless NPC tool person that could be ordered around; this was clearly a nuclear warhead sent by the big villain crew of the Demonic Path next door to blow up the base!

And it was quietly buried right under his feet!