Chapter 23: A Thousand Stalks of Spirit Nourishing Grass

Chapter 23: Chapter 23: A Thousand Stalks of Spirit Nourishing Grass

Ye Xuan bid farewell to Wang Shuyuan, explaining that he would leave soon to help the man. Wang Shuyuan smiled and wished him the best of luck.

After a long descent down the stairs, Ye Xuan finally reached the pagoda’s entrance.

A spacious courtyard stretched out before him, bordered by the dome-shaped formation barrier.

Thanks to the formation, Senior Wang’s mysterious pagoda remained completely submerged without being flooded by the lake.

[There are many types of elemental essence that can be found in a city. Fortunately, he didn’t specify the grade of essence he wanted.]

"He knows about the seal inside your body, Qingyu. Could he have some connection to it?"

[I don’t know. But if he was one of the people responsible, he should have attacked me immediately instead of asking you for help.]

"Do you trust him?" Ye Xuan asked.

[He’s even planning to train you so you can weaken the seal inside my body. Although I don’t know what scheme lies behind his intentions, I’ll always keep an eye on him.]

Ye Xuan turned around and looked behind him, clearly admiring the magnificent golden pagoda shining brightly in the depths of the lake.

Although he now knew the senior’s name, Wang Shuyuan remained a mystery to him.

Ye Xuan had no idea why he had fought against a Great Monk. How had he learned about the seal inside Qingyu’s body?

None of the questions lingering in Ye Xuan’s mind could be answered today. Not yet, at least.

He believed that the more time he spent interacting with Senior Wang, the more he would learn about the man’s true identity.

"There’s no point in being overly suspicious of him. We should help him first and see how he responds."

Ye Xuan raised his hand and circulated his qi to protect himself from the water pressure.

Once both his body and Qingyu’s were enveloped in qi, he flew away from the pagoda, passing through the dome-shaped formation barrier.

Wang Shuyuan had been watching Ye Xuan from inside the golden pagoda all along. A broad smile spread across his face before he resumed cultivating and closed his eyes.

Meanwhile, with their bodies protected by qi, Ye Xuan and Qingyu successfully emerged from the lake.

He accelerated through the clouds and across the sky, heading north toward Shunxi City.

"I’ve never been to that city before, but it seems quite far from our current position," Ye Xuan said as he opened his map.

[I estimate we can reach it in one or two days.]

"Traveling at night isn’t a good idea. We might need to spend the night in a few cities along the way."

[I have a favor to ask, Ye Xuan.]

"Go ahead," Ye Xuan replied softly.

[After the blood pledge, the seal inside my body weakened. I need several materials to cultivate using my own method. They should gradually reduce the seal’s power over time.]

Ye Xuan glanced at Qingyu before clearing his throat in acknowledgment.

He didn’t know exactly what Qingyu needed, but he could be certain that the materials were specific spiritual items.

They had to be suitable for her unique cultivation method and current condition.

"I don’t know what you need, but I’ll help you, Qingyu."

"I know a few things about spiritual items suitable for spiritual beasts. I think I know what would be suitable for you."

"We’ll stop in a city for a while when night approaches. We can start shopping there."

[Thank you, Ye Xuan.]

Seven hours passed. Ye Xuan watched as the horizon gradually turned orange, signaling the approaching night and the dangers that came with it.

The danger he was concerned about wasn’t monsters, but bandits and robbers.

Elder Ming had once told Ye Xuan about how she had been ambushed by a group of bandits while she was still a disciple of the Sky Cloud Sect.

At that time, Elder Ming had only been at the Early Foundation Establishment stage.

He had been intercepted by an unexpectedly large group of bandits whose cultivation levels were on par with his own.

He had managed to win the fight, but not without suffering injuries. That was why Ye Xuan still hesitated to travel at night.

He was worried about encountering bandits with high cultivation bases.

Ye Xuan arrived before the gates of a small city bearing the name Shabao City. The city wasn’t particularly lively at night, just as he had imagined a small city would be.

He walked through the gates and continued until he stopped in front of an item shop, where people sold cultivation items and spiritual herbs.

"Welcome to my shop, Fellow Daoist."

"Is there anything you need?"

[I need Spirit Nourishing Grass and Minor Thundergrass.]

"Thundergrass? That’s actually rather difficult to find, even though there are plenty of them in some sects."

[Try asking the bald man in front of you.]

Ye Xuan glanced at the shopkeeper and smiled before asking him about the two items.

When he mentioned Spirit Nourishing Grass, the bald man confirmed that he had some in stock. However, he didn’t have any Minor Thundergrass.

"I’m sorry, Fellow Daoist. Because Minor Thundergrass is a rare material in its tier, not many item shops carry it."

"I understand. There aren’t many spiritual beasts with the lightning element," Ye Xuan replied.

"Do you know of any shops in this city that still sell it?" Ye Xuan asked.

"As far as Shabao City is concerned, I don’t think there are any. You might have better luck searching in a larger city."

The young man let out a long sigh before asking the bald shopkeeper to prepare ten stalks of Spirit Nourishing Grass, since that was all he had in stock.

The shopkeeper agreed and returned to his counter.

"We’ll look for it in a larger city later," Ye Xuan said.

[All right. As long as I have Spirit Nourishing Grass, I can wait for the other one.]

The shopkeeper soon returned with a wooden box containing ten stalks of the herb. The total cost was ten low-grade spirit stones.

After completing the transaction, Ye Xuan stored the wooden box in his bag of holding.

He walked out of the shop and began searching for an inn. There were plenty of options, so finding one wasn’t difficult.

However, Ye Xuan chose a crowded inn, judging by the lights shining from its many rooms.

Staying somewhere busy made Ye Xuan feel less lonely. Besides, if anyone intended to attack them, they probably wouldn’t choose a crowded place.

After paying for their room, they went up to the second floor and entered it.

Qingyu leaped from Ye Xuan’s neck onto the bed, and the young man handed her the Spirit Nourishing Grass he had purchased.

"At your current stage, these ten stalks should be enough to restore your vitality and energy."

"If you want more, we can buy some later when we look for Minor Thundergrass."

[This isn’t enough!]

Ye Xuan immediately turned around and looked behind him.

He was utterly shocked to find that the wooden box containing all ten stalks of Spirit Nourishing Grass had been emptied in less than a minute after their arrival.

"G-Gone? How did you consume them so quickly?" Ye Xuan asked, stunned.

Not long afterward, a notification panel appeared in front of Ye Xuan, announcing the return of the Infinite Return System after such a long absence.

The panel displayed the number of items returned from the gift Ye Xuan had given Qingyu.

[Congratulations! You have given an item to your partner.]

[Item given: 10x Spirit Nourishing Grass]

[Item returned: 1000x Spirit Nourishing Grass]

[Multiplication Level: 1]

[Affection: 115/1000] [+10]

[Daily use of Infinite Return exhausted: 1/3]

Qingyu turned her head and fixed her narrow, slit-pupiled eyes on Ye Xuan. She told him that even that amount wasn’t enough to satisfy her needs.

In an instant, ten black bags appeared in front of Ye Xuan. Each bag contained approximately one hundred stalks of Spirit Nourishing Grass.

[What are those? Why did they suddenly appear?]

"It seems the heavens have answered your wish," Ye Xuan replied.

He stored nine of the black bags before opening the remaining one, spilling one hundred stalks of Spirit Nourishing Grass across the room.

[WHOA!]

[This... is actually way too much.]

[But that’s all right. I like it!]

"Enjoy yourself," Ye Xuan said. "I still have plenty of these."

"That is, if you can eat all of them in a single night."