57: Chapter 57 Market Transactions

"Alchemy requires a Pill Formula, a Pill Furnace, Earth Fire, and you also need Alchemy Skills."

He said slowly.

"I don't have any of those."

Senior Brother Zhou scratched his head.

"That's true."

"The threshold for Alchemy is high; not everyone can learn it."

"How about you sell raw medicinal herbs first to save up some Spirit Stones, and then learn when you have the chance later?"

Li Changsheng nodded.

"Thank you for your guidance, Senior Brother."

Senior Brother Zhou waved his hand and went back to work in his own field.

Li Changsheng crouched beside the Jade Dew Ginseng, staring at the three emerald-green spiritual stalks, lost in thought.

Selling raw medicinal herbs was convenient and steady.

Refining them into Medicinal Pills yielded high profits, but required Alchemy Skills.

He indeed had no talent for Alchemy.

This was the conclusion of the Alchemist from Baicao Hall, so it should be true.

However, the Evergreen Plant Truth Scripture also recorded methods of "feeding back" to oneself using the essence of Spiritual Plants; although not as efficient as Medicinal Pills, they were reliable and controllable.

Perhaps he could take a two-pronged approach?

He stood up, walked to the tool storehouse, and took out a palm-sized wooden box from a corner.

Inside the box were the Spiritual Plants he had saved up over the past three months.

Two catties of Spirit Nourishing Grass powder, three taels of dried clear heart grass leaves, and a small bottle of fine powder made from dried and crushed Tranquilizing Flowers.

They were all low-grade goods, but their strength lay in their quantity.

"I'll go to the Market first to check the prices."

Having made up his mind, he tucked the wooden box into his robes and walked along the mountain path toward the Market.

The Market was not far from the Hundred Herb Garden, only a thirty-minute walk away.

Since it was Li Changsheng's first time here, he couldn't help but look around.

Shops and signs lined both sides of the street, and people came and went in a bustling crowd.

Outer Sect Disciples in robes of various colors were entering and leaving.

Some looked joyful, some were frowning, some hurried past, and others crouched before roadside stalls to haggle.

He walked the length of the street and finally stopped at the entrance of "Lingcao Hall."

It was a medium-sized shop with a bright storefront, containing several shelves stocked with various jars and bottles.

Behind the counter sat a young man in his late twenties with delicate features, wearing the green robes of a formal Outer Sect Disciple, looking down as he flipped through an account book.

"Senior Brother,"

Li Changsheng walked inside.

"Do you buy Spiritual Plants here?"

The young man looked up, his gaze falling on him, and then his eyes lit up.

He wasn't looking at the person, but at the wooden box in his hand.

"We do. Let me see."

Li Changsheng placed the wooden box on the counter and opened it.

The young man leaned in.

He first gave it a cursory glance, then picked up a small pinch of Spirit Nourishing Grass powder, sniffed it, and lightly licked it with the tip of his tongue.

"Hmm?"

He raised an eyebrow, then picked up the dried clear heart grass leaves, sniffing and licking them as well.

A moment later, he looked up, his gaze toward Li Changsheng having changed slightly.

"Did you grow these Spiritual Plants yourself?"

"Yes."

"Which field?"

"Section C No. 7."

The young man nodded thoughtfully and then quoted a price.

"For the Spirit Nourishing Grass powder, based on its quality, I'll give you forty-five Low-Grade Spirit Stones per catty."

"For the dried clear heart grass leaves, three taels, forty stones in total."

"For the Tranquilizing Flower powder, I'll give you thirty for this small bottle. In total... one hundred and sixty Low-Grade Spirit Stones."

Li Changsheng did the math in his head.

This price was slightly higher than the market rate Senior Brother Zhou had mentioned.

"Your price is fair, Senior Brother."

He nodded.

"I'll sell."

The young man smiled, took out a small cloth bag from under the counter, counted out one hundred and sixty Spirit Stones, and pushed them toward Li Changsheng.

"Count them."

Li Changsheng took them, swept over them with his Divine Sense, and seeing the count was correct, tucked them into his robes.

He was just about to leave when the young man suddenly spoke.

"Wait."

Li Changsheng looked back.

The young man looked at him with a hint of scrutiny in his eyes.

"The quality of your Spiritual Plants is excellent; their medicinal effects are more than thirty percent higher than ordinary stock."

"Especially that Spirit Nourishing Grass powder—its spiritual energy content almost rivals that of a ten-year-old wild plant. Do you... have some secret?"

Li Changsheng felt a slight chill in his heart but remained calm on the surface.

"Perhaps the soil is good, and I look after them a bit more carefully."

The young man stared at him for a few breaths and then suddenly laughed.

"Fine, forget it if you don't want to say."

He pulled a wooden token from under the counter and handed it to Li Changsheng.

"I am the owner of Lingcao Hall, surnamed Meng, given name Qing. If you have good stock in the future, come straight to me; the price will only be higher, never lower."

Li Changsheng took the wooden token; it was engraved with the words 'Lingcao Hall · Meng Qing.'

"Thank you, Senior Brother Meng."

He cupped his fists and turned to leave.

"By the way,"

Meng Qing's voice came from behind him.

"That Jade Dew Ginseng of yours—are you selling it?"

Li Changsheng's footsteps paused.

Meng Qing leaned against the counter with a half-smile.

"Don't think I don't know."

"Word of those three Jade Dew Ginseng stalks in Section C Field No. 7 has spread throughout the entire Hundred Herb Garden."

"Growing to three inches in three months with medicinal effects comparable to a ten-year-old plant—you're quite the talent, kid."

Li Changsheng was silent for a moment before turning around.

"The Jade Dew Ginseng isn't mature yet; wait another two months."

Meng Qing nodded.

"Alright. In two months, I'll go to the field myself to inspect the goods. I guarantee the price will satisfy you."

Li Changsheng said no more and turned to leave Lingcao Hall.

Walking along the market streets, he calculated silently in his head.

One hundred and sixty Spirit Stones.

This was the largest sum of wealth he had ever possessed in his life.

Buy Medicinal Pills?

A bottle of qi gathering pills contained three pills and had a market price of thirty Spirit Stones.

With these one hundred and sixty stones, he could buy five bottles, which was enough for him to push for Qi Refining Level 3.

But the problem was that Medicinal Pills could only increase his cultivation level, not the progress of the Evergreen Plant Truth Scripture.

And this Cultivation Technique was his greatest trump card.

Perhaps he should first buy some resources related to Spiritual Plants?

Just as he was thinking, he passed a shop with a sign that read 'Danqi Pavilion.'

A stall was set up at the entrance, displaying several Pill Furnaces of various sizes and ages.

Li Changsheng's pace slowed.

Senior Brother Zhou's words echoed in his ears again.

"Refining them into Medicinal Pills doubles the profit."

He had no talent for Alchemy.

But he had the 'Spirit Extraction Method' from the Evergreen Plant Truth Scripture.

It could extract the essence of Spiritual Plants and concentrate it into Spiritual Liquid.

Although not as effective as Medicinal Pills, it had the advantage of being consumable directly without needing Alchemy Skills.

If assisted by a Pill Furnace, the efficiency of the Spirit Extraction Method could be significantly improved.

He walked to the stall, crouched down, and picked up a palm-sized, ash-gray little Pill Furnace.

The furnace body was somewhat old with a few scratches on the surface, but overall it was in good condition.

"How many Spirit Stones for this?"

The stall owner was a Disciple at Qi Refining Level 4 who was dozing off; he opened his eyes upon hearing the question.

"That one? Thirty stones."

"It's a defective item; it can't refine pills, but it works as a decoration."

"A defective item?"

Li Changsheng probed it with his spiritual energy and found that there were indeed several fine cracks inside the furnace body, making it unable to withstand the high temperature and pressure of Alchemy.

But if it were only used for 'spirit extraction,' it wouldn't be much of an issue.

The Spirit Extraction Method didn't require high temperatures, only stable spiritual energy conduction and a nurturing environment.

"Twenty-five stones."

He tried to haggle.

The stall owner waved his hand.

"Twenty-eight, that's the lowest."

Li Changsheng thought about it, fished out twenty-eight Spirit Stones, and bought the small Pill Furnace.

After walking for a while longer, he entered a shop specializing in Spiritual Plant texts.

He spent twenty Spirit Stones to buy a copy of Low-Level Spiritual Plant Illustrated Handbook and Foundations of Spiritual Plant Processing.

By the time he returned to the Hundred Herb Garden, it was already evening.

He cleaned the small Pill Furnace and placed it in a corner of the tool storehouse.

Then he took out the Foundations of Spiritual Plant Processing from his robes and began to flip through it page by page under the dim lamplight.

The book recorded various methods for processing Spiritual Plants: sun-drying, shade-drying, stir-frying, steaming, soaking, grinding...

Each method had detailed steps and precautions.

He became so absorbed in his reading that, without realizing it, it was already late at night.