It's just a harmless prank, elder.
Jiang looked at the seed inside the little pit he dug for it and watered it as he was instructed by the appraisal skill. This was a very rare plant that came into existence at the beginning of the primordial era.
As he recounted Turtle's memories he remembered he had seen the name Heavenly Fragrance Dao Flower in the appraisal result of Yun Ruo.
When the Turtle appraised that woman in a fit of panic, he didn't pay attention to anything, except to the fact that the woman was going to use him as a scapegoat.
But now he could draw some lines about why all these disciples from the righteous sects seem to flood into the Heavenly Note Sect.
It's this seed in front of him. He remembered that Yun Ruo's appraisal came into something like,
[ Yun Ruo: Early Foundation Establishment Stage, an inner sect disciple of the Sunset Sect, currently working as an undercover agent in the Heavenly Note Sect, in order to find out the whereabouts of the Heavenly Fragrance Dao Flower. Because her identity is about to be exposed, she urgently needs a scapegoat.
Seeing that you didn't act like a typical Devil Sect disciple, she targeted you. You fit the role of a scapegoat perfectly. She has been using enchantments on you to influence your mind. Once you agreed, she would kill you in her place as a traitor.]
He could now surmise that the traitors' plans revolved around this seed and the reason Elder Baizi gave him this seed was now too apparent.
'No! There's something else at play here. All those Elders are old monsters and they will never give something as valuable as this to a mere herb caretaker.
Certainly not someone with potential as 'weak' as the Turtle. This seed is a Primordial Chaos Treasure, it's far too important to the sect.
I need more information. If they wanted to use this seed as 'bait', they could have done it in a better way'
Currently, Jiang Hao has two things on his back that could potentially be a problem. First is the Law Enforcement Hall and the other is Elder Baizi.
Then he has the already heated-up problem in the name of Heavenly Joy Pavillion.
'If they used this seed on me, then there also would be people monitoring my every move. I shouldn't act carelessly. But.... then again. I could use this to my advantage.'
Jiang Hao scratched his chin. Countless plans manifesting in his mind, some ridiculous and some feasible. He loved this game of chess between two invisible opponents.
The thrill when you make someone powerful and resourceful move according to your plans and make them dance in the palm of your hands is exhilarating.
In two more days, the seed will sprout and he had a feeling something nice would happen then. The next day he got up and went to the herb garden and collected the bubbles that were already there.
[ Cultivation + 1]
[ Lifeblood + 1]
[ Strength + 1]
[ Spirit + 1]
[ Endurance + 1]
Jiang Hao felt the energy in his body gradually condensing and becoming more and more potent.
Other cultivators have to cultivate their bodies too if they want to have an equally resilient physique on par with the Qi Cultivation, but for Jiang Hao, the additional Strength, Spirit, and Endurance bubbles give him a natural advantage over all those at the same realm at him.
He hasn't fought anyone but he could confidently say that he can defeat 99% Early Stage Foundation Establishment cultivators in raw physical power.
He went back into the shack, collected all the talismans he had created in the past couple of days, and went to the market area. He found an empty spot and put up his stall.
He didn't have to say anything as a lot of people were selling random things and not anything related to the Miscellaneous arts.
(Alchemy, Formation, Talisman, Paintings, Poems... etc.)
He was lucky and he sold everything he had and earned 50 spirit stones on his first day. His profit was 25 spirit stones.
He didn't put up the Ten Thousand Sword Talisman because he wanted to sell this talisman as a special talisman for regular customers.
Just when he was about to close shop a woman with a fierce aura stopped in front of his stall.
She was a redhead and with just a look you can tell that she was the type that likes to burn everything when she gets frustrated.
Jiang Hao looked at her for a moment and cupped his fists. "Is there anything I can help you with Senior Sister?".
He called her senior sister because her cultivation was at the Middle Stage Foundation Establishment and she looked relatively young. She could be called talented in the sect.
"Do you have any fire talismans?". She asked with a frown. It seemed that that expression was natural...or she was irritated by something.
"Unfortunately no, Senior Sister. I sold everything I had today. But if you would like to order I can make as many as you want within a reasonable time period". Jiang Hao shook his head and said that as he felt like she could be made into a regular customer.
"Hmm... fifty talismans in three days? I'll buy them all". Leng Tian, the Senior Sister asked.
"I honestly won't be able to make fifty but thirty-five would be doable".
Even though his understanding and comprehension had ascended to the perfection level of Grade-0 Talisman Dao, he only had the Early Stage Foundation Establishment level spirit energy after all.
He can't make fifty. That's a bit much.
"Okay. I will take them all". She said without any change in her emotions and handed him 10 spirit stones as advance payment.
'What a thoughtful woman. I'll remember you'. He was grateful to the woman. She seemed like someone who he could easily get along with.
He was curious though. What the hell did she need 50 talismans of those simple fireballs for?
Anyway, it's not like it is his business so he came home in a happy mood because he earned his first couple of bucks in this world since he got transmigrated.
The next day, he collected the bubbles from the garden as usual and was working on a new talisman called the Seal Talisman.
It's basically what it means. It can seal things. Basically a cultivation world version of a zipper.
At that time, an invisible ripple swept across his courtyard and into the shack where he stayed.
The potent spiritual energy caused the talisman he was working on to get burned to the cinders because of energy overload.
Jiang Hao himself felt an immense comfort as if he stepped into a hot spring on a cold winter evening. He felt his lifeblood boiling and the lifeblood value in his system hit the peak.
[Lifeblood: 100/100 (can be cultivated)]
He ran out of his shack and looked around to find what caused the energy ripple and saw that the Heavenly Fragrance Dao flower had sprouted.
"So it didn't sprout after 7 days, but on the 7th day huh..."
[Quick... make a makeshift fence and cover the seed. It will attract unwanted people to the courtyard.]
"You actually make sense for once. But making the fence is not to keep the trouble away, but to keep the people who 'will not' cause problems to me away. Turtle, do you really think the traitors of the sect don't know that the flower is here?"
[How would they know? You didn't tell them, Elder Baizi won't tell them obviously]
"This is why I always look deeper than what is to be seen. Turtle...tell me. Do you think we are being watched?"
[Huh? Why would anyone watch us?]
"*sigh* Dumbfuck... we can't use our appraisal to appraise the surroundings to check if there is anyone watching me. I don't know if the appraisal ability could be discovered by someone strong...
But we can do something else to check if my prediction is true"
<Appraise: Myself< em>
Condition: Are there any gazes on me?; Do not stop the appraisal for 24 hours from now on.>
[You can't use appraisal like-]
[Jiang Hao/ Alexandor: One woman of the Primordial Spirit Realm is having her gaze on the courtyard. Continuing appraisal for the next 24 hours.]
[W-w-what?? Is...is it someone of Elder Baizi? Why? Why would they watch us?]
What followed afterward was a silence for 10 long minutes. The man, the sprout, and the breeze made as little noise as possible.
Primordial Spirit Realm. 2 Major power scales above him.
"Pfftt... I knew it". He let out a little twisted chuckle. He covered his face with both hands. Cold sweat covered his back and started pouring along his spine and his face went pale.
Dread. Fear. Helplessness.
Jiang Hao felt dread for the first time in his life, previous and current ones.
Primordial Spirit Realm is basically an insurmountable existence for a mere foundation establishment cultivator. But even with this crippling fear of knowing somebody is looking at him as if he was an ant,
A cold and a psychopathatic gleam flashed in his eyes and they narrowed into maniac-looking half-moon arcs while a twisted smile appeared on his face.
They will pay for using him as mere bait and not even easing the pressure those old horndogs of the Heavenly Joy Pavillion are putting on him.
'I can't wait to see you judging the closest people close to you... Elder Baizi'
<Activate: Clear and Pure Heart>
With a mental command to his sea of consciousness, he activated his newly received ability, and instantly his distraught mind and the chaotic and psychopathatic emotions started to be washed away and he instantly assessed the situation even better than before.
The fear, insecurity... any and all negative emotions were washed out of his mind.
Now devoid of all mortal filth, he knew his next step to take.
'If somebody that powerful of the elder level is watching me, then that means they are not merely using this seed as 'bait' for people like Yun Ruo as I thought.
Somebody or multiple people incredibly powerful in the sect seemed to have betrayed the elders. Good... if that's how then...'
Jiang Hao, still covering his face to hide the twisted smile on his face, continued to think when he thought of a 'harmless' prank.
'If someone strong has defected to the righteous side and they need some proof... Heavenly Joy Pavillion master, you can have some fun being interogatted...no?
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA~ I'm a fucking genius~'