Chapter 128: Spirit Medicine! Shihu Pavilion
Chapter 128: Chapter 128: Spirit Medicine! Shihu Pavilion
"Thank you, sir." With a wave of his hand, the shopkeeper produced eighteen glittering gold coins on the table.
"Mm."
Zhu Ge swept the gold coins into his grass bowl and turned to leave.
As far as he was concerned, these eighteen gold coins were pure profit.
The Raincoat Fisherman had collected them all anyway. Since Zhu Ge had learned everything from them, he might as well exchange them for coin.
He was planning to visit a medicinal herb shop next.
But just as he turned, he felt several gazes from inside the bookstore land on him.
’Hm?’
Zhu Ge narrowed his eyes and glanced back, immediately spotting the source of the stares.
’Are they coveting the grass bowl for its spatial properties? Or are they after the gold coins?’
A grin spread across Zhu Ge’s face. He maintained the faint Literary Energy within him, ensuring not a single trace of his Blood Qi leaked out, and walked out of the bookstore.
Zhu Ge had only ever seen one piece of spatial equipment—the one from the Raincoat Fisherman—and eighteen gold coins was no small sum.
Clearly, some people in the bookstore had already targeted him.
But Zhu Ge wasn’t afraid.
Fighting was likely forbidden within the city. Although the crisis had only recently ended, the rules would still be strictly enforced.
So he wasn’t in a hurry. Instead, he strolled slowly down the street.
His next stop was a medicinal herb shop.
Zhu Ge had some Spirit Medicine in his grass bowl, but they needed to be appraised.
He hadn’t seen any relevant books in the bookstore, not even titles like "Annals of Gusu Silk."
’The legacy level for those is probably too high. I’d likely have to go to Yuan Yang City to buy them.’
But that didn’t stop Zhu Ge from inquiring at some of the medicinal herb shops.
As far as he knew, besides buying and selling Spirit Medicine, some shops also offered appraisal services.
Walking down the street, Zhu Ge’s physical body could faintly perceive the gazes fixed on his back.
’Still following me?’
Without a trace of movement, Zhu Ge tilted his head and used his peripheral vision to confirm who was tracking him.
Two at the Foundation Establishment Realm, one at the Cultivation Realm.
’All First Realm!’
’They’ve got some nerve...’ Zhu Ge shook his head, instantly losing interest.
’Beings at the First Realm probably don’t have anything good on them. It’s not worth the effort.’
And so, Zhu Ge stepped into the next shop, a place called "Shihu Pavilion."
The attendant at the entrance, who had been chatting with another attendant, saw Zhu Ge enter and reluctantly came forward to greet him.
"Excuse me, sir, are you here to buy or to sell?"
Zhu Ge paid him no mind.
Clothes make the man, as they say. He was dressed in tattered rags, his Literary Energy was faint, and his Blood Qi was perfectly contained. It would be strange if he received a warm welcome.
Of course, as a Cultivator, an attendant like this would only dare to be unenthusiastic, not rude.
The chasm between ordinary people and Cultivators was still immense.
"I want to buy, sell, and get an appraisal," Zhu Ge replied.
"Sell? And an appraisal?" The attendant froze.
The attendant was clever. Hearing Zhu Ge’s words and noticing he wasn’t even carrying a bundle, something must have clicked in his mind.
A look of shock appeared in his eyes, but a smile started to spread across his face. He said with overflowing enthusiasm, "Please, come in, sir! Xiaocui, hurry and serve the gentleman some tea!"
"You’ve got a good eye," Zhu Ge chuckled, not refusing the offer.
’If they treat me with importance, they won’t be careless.’
"This way, sir."
Perhaps because the war had disrupted the flow of goods, Shihu Pavilion was not bustling. The attendant led him a short distance to a small room.
The other attendant, Xiaocui, came to pour the tea.
"Sir," the attendant asked with a fawning expression, "the items you wish to have appraised and sold... are they flowers, fruits, seeds, or Spirit Wood? Are they Spiritual Objects?"
"Oh? What’s the difference?" Zhu Ge asked, curious.
The attendant’s enthusiasm didn’t waver as he explained:
"We have many masters, such as Spirit Level farmers, Florists, and Forest Chiefs."
"Masters?!" Zhu Ge was so shocked that he spat out the tea he had just sipped.
Hearing this, the attendant quickly waved his hands in embarrassment. "No, no, sir, you’ve misunderstood. Not *that* kind of master."
"I see." Zhu Ge gave a resigned smile.
’I must be too on edge lately, spitting out my tea at the slightest provocation.’
This "master" was clearly an honorific, not a reference to someone in the Great Realm.
And the so-called titles like farmer, Florist, and Forest Chief were likely different professions.
Just like the Sewing Master that Hua Liusha was trying to become—a specialized profession.
"What I’ve brought are Spirit Level fruits and Spirit Grass," Zhu Ge said. "Please have a master come and appraise them for me."
"Spirit Level? One moment, sir!" The attendant’s eyes lit up, and he hurried out.
People who worked in a place like this obviously had a discerning eye and knew something about the classification of Spiritual Objects.
As he was thinking, the other attendant refilled his cup with a quiet splash.
Zhu Ge hadn’t even finished his cup of tea when the first attendant returned, following two young men into the room.
Judging by how rushed the three of them were, the two young men had clearly come as soon as they heard the news.
"I am Cui Xu, a Spirit Level Forest Chief. It is a pleasure to meet you, sir. This is my student, Li Pan."
"I am Li Pan, a Spirit Level Florist. A pleasure to meet you, sir."
The two young men bowed, and Zhu Ge returned the gesture. Cui Xu, the one in the lead, then sat down, his face filled with urgency.
"Might I ask what kind of Spirit Grass you have, sir?" Cui Xu tried his best to moderate his tone, but it was still laced with eagerness.
Zhu Ge was taken aback.
Cui Xu realized his behavior and gave a bitter smile.
"You may not be aware, sir, but Jianshui City is currently full of wounded soldiers, and we are in dire need of materials for healing medicines. With the myriad demons outside the city walls watching us like tigers, even the Spirit Level Medicine Gatherers dare not venture out. That is why I am so anxious!"
"I see."
Zhu Ge nodded slightly, then took all the Spirit Level plants he had from his grass bowl and placed them out. "Master Cui, please take a look. These are the items I wish to have appraised."
"Appraised?" Only then did Cui Xu remember the three types of transactions Zhu Ge wanted. He gestured to his student beside him, then turned his gaze to the Spirit Plants Zhu Ge had taken out.
As for the grass bowl, Cui Xu gave it only a passing glance before paying it no more mind.
In his mind, the Spirit Plants were clearly the most important thing right now.
"Mm, six Spirit Fruits, thirteen stalks of Spirit Grass and Spirit Roots, and one seed. The appraisal fee will be twenty-four silver coins," Cui Xu assessed.
"But if you choose to sell all of them, sir, I’ll give you a forty-percent discount on the appraisal fee."
After speaking, Cui Xu looked up at Zhu Ge, his gaze fervent.
’A forty-percent discount?’
Zhu Ge was tempted.
But he didn’t want to sell them all outright. After all, the Raincoat Fisherman was a Third Realm being; his collection was probably full of excellent items.
"How about this, Master Cui," Zhu Ge said after some thought.
"I am a Martial Artist. I need Spirit Medicine that can enhance Blood Qi and strengthen the body. I don’t have much need for healing items at the moment. How about I sell the healing ones to you?"
"We can set the appraisal fee at a twenty-percent discount, how does that sound?"
’Healing items?’
Even if they were healing Spirit Grass, they were still just Spirit Grass. Whether it was concocting them into Spirit Medicine or refining them into Spirit Pills, Zhu Ge knew how to do neither.
So he might as well sell them to Shihu Pavilion.
"Sir, you are a man of great righteousness." Upon hearing this, Cui Xu suddenly stood up and gave a solemn bow.
His student did the same.
Seeing this, the two attendants also hurriedly bowed.
"There’s no need for this. It’s just business," Zhu Ge said, helping Cui Xu up.
"Business?" After finishing his bow, Cui Xu sighed. "Sir, you don’t understand. Those young men are the very best, always at the forefront of the battle against the Demon Race."
"I’m nearly fifty, yet all I can do is sit idly in the city, unable to even concoct the Spirit Medicine for their wounds. Watching those young men, grievously injured and on the brink of death, pass away one by one... it is truly unbearable!"
"Since you are willing to sell me these healing materials, sir, then I, within my authority, will give you a fifty-percent discount on the appraisal fee!"
"Now, I will explain them to you, sir. Please listen carefully..."