Translator: Cinder Translations
---
As the sun set in the west, the lingering sunlight resembled blood.
A loose cultivator in his thirties, with only the second layer of Qi Refining, walked into the Su family's spiritual herb store.
Seeing a customer enter, a young attendant greeted him with enthusiasm.
However, when he caught sight of the loose cultivator's shabby attire, the enthusiasm on the attendant's face suddenly vanished.
This was a pitiful loose cultivator who didn't even have a storage bag!
"Sir, what do you wish to buy?" The attendant's tone was somewhat perfunctory.
The loose cultivator glanced around furtively, as if he possessed some precious treasure that he couldn't show easily.
Once he confirmed there were no other customers around, the loose cultivator leaned closer to the attendant and whispered, "Do you buy spiritual herbs here?"
The attendant was puzzled by the question; was it necessary to be so secretive when selling a spiritual herb?
"Of course we do. What kind of spiritual herb do you wish to sell?"
The attendant's voice was a bit loud, enough for half the store to hear.
The loose cultivator became anxious and hurriedly said, "Lower your voice! I don't want anyone else to know."
Noticing the loose cultivator's strange behavior, the attendant became more serious and quietly asked, "What kind of spiritual item are you selling?"
"I don't know exactly what it is, but I can be certain it's a second-tier spiritual herb."
Second-tier spiritual herb?
How could a down-and-out loose cultivator with only the second layer of Qi Refining possibly have a second-tier spiritual herb?
Could it be that he stumbled upon some rare first-tier herb and mistook it for a second-tier one due to his lack of experience?
The attendant felt quite disdainful inside.
Perhaps seeing that the attendant didn't believe him, the loose cultivator cautiously looked around again and reached into his robe, pulling out a jade box.
He opened a crack in the box and held it up to the attendant's eyes.
"Take a good look; tell me if this isn't a second-tier spiritual herb."
The attendant's eyes suddenly lit up, a mix of shock and joy appearing on his face.
Although only a corner of the spiritual herb was visible, he could confirm that it was a Yellow Essence Mushroom with an age of about thirty years.
As a member of the Su family, he was aware of the recent theft of the Yellow Essence Mushroom.
A couple of days ago, the Northern Market had been thoroughly searched by the Su family to find any clues about the stolen Yellow Essence Mushroom, but they had found nothing.
The entire strength of the Su family had failed to find any leads, yet it suddenly appeared before him now.
The attendant felt as if he had been struck by a stroke of fortune.
In his mind, he envisioned reporting this matter, and the Su family tracing the lead back to the stolen Yellow Essence Mushroom, imagining the scene where he received a generous reward for his discovery.
Instantly, the attendant's face turned slightly flushed, and his breathing became rapid.
However, he didn't let his excitement cloud his judgment; he forced himself to control his emotions and asked, "Where did you get this spiritual herb?"
The loose cultivator quickly tucked the jade box back into his robe, watching the attendant with a wary expression.
"Will you buy it or not? Just give me a straightforward answer."
"Of course we will buy it, but this spiritual herb is precious, so I cannot decide the price. The manager needs to come and discuss it personally."
After his initial excitement, the attendant gradually managed to control his emotions and explained patiently.
The loose cultivator nodded with some impatience, "Fine, hurry up."
"Please wait a moment; I'll go notify the manager right away."
Saying this, the attendant hurried to the back, worried that the loose cultivator might leave. He also signaled the other two attendants in the store to keep an eye on him.
As the attendant's figure disappeared down the corridor, the loose cultivator curiously looked around the store. Seeing the dazzling array of spiritual herbs, his face was filled with excitement, akin to a beggar encountering a room full of gold.
Moments later, a sturdy man from the Su family, a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, strode out from the back. The earlier attendant was running to keep up behind him.
As guided by the attendant, the burly cultivator's gaze was firmly locked onto the loose cultivator.
His spiritual sense quickly swept over the loose cultivator, and the burly cultivator's brow furrowed tightly.
Under his powerful spiritual sense, everything about the loose cultivator was laid bare.
With a low cultivation level of only the second layer of Qi Refinement, how could such a weak loose cultivator possibly be involved in the theft of the Yellow Essence Mushroom?
A person with such a low cultivation level wouldn't even qualify to run errands for others.
With doubts in his heart, the burly cultivator quickly approached the loose cultivator.
"Do you have Yellow Essence Mushroom for sale?"
The loose cultivator looked puzzled. "Yellow Essence Mushroom! What Yellow Essence Mushroom?"
The burly cultivator appeared somewhat astonished. He quickly realized that this loose cultivator didn't recognize Yellow Essence Mushroom; he only knew it was a second-tier spiritual herb.
"It's the spiritual herb you are trying to sell."
The loose cultivator suddenly understood and took the jade box out of his pocket again.
"Oh, you mean this?"
Without further ado, the burly cultivator snatched the jade box and opened it, revealing a Yellow Essence Mushroom with over a hundred years of medicinal age.
This Yellow Essence Mushroom was slightly different from ordinary ones; it bore a faint trace of human vitality, characteristic of the special Yellow Essence Mushroom from the Su family.
"Why are you taking my stuff?!"
The loose cultivator became unhappy and reached out to retrieve the jade box.
The burly cultivator's eyes turned cold, and a chilling killing intent surged forth, like the biting winds and snow of a harsh winter.
The loose cultivator froze on the spot, his expression turning extremely fearful; he felt as if he had been targeted by a bloodthirsty beast.
"What do you want! I don't want the spiritual herb anymore; take it, just let me go!"
"Speak! Where did you get this?" the burly cultivator coldly commanded, ignoring the loose cultivator's pleas.
"I... I found it." The loose cultivator stammered, clearly terrified.
"Where did you find it?"
"On the west side of the market..."
The loose cultivator seemed to suddenly realize something and stopped speaking, biting his teeth and mustering what little courage he had.
"I won't tell you; if I do, you'll kill me."
Seeing that the small loose cultivator dared to defy him, the burly cultivator immediately released his full pressure.
In an instant, a wave of force appeared out of nowhere, crashing toward the loose cultivator like a mountain landslide or tsunami.
The loose cultivator was like a kite with a broken string, instantly sent flying by the wave of force, crashing against the wall several meters behind him before barely coming to a stop.
However, he didn't fall from the wall; instead, he was pinned against it by a powerful force.
"Pfft!"
A mouthful of bright red blood sprayed from the loose cultivator's mouth.
The previously timid loose cultivator suddenly became fierce at this moment.
He glared at the burly cultivator with a venomous gaze.
"Kill me, and you'll never find the location of the spiritual herb; there are over a thousand of them there!"
The burly cultivator's expression remained icy as he coldly replied.
"Hmph! You're asking for death."
As he spoke, his spiritual power surged, seemingly ready to put the loose cultivator to death at any moment.
The loose cultivator suddenly felt as if he had fallen into an icy abyss, a shadow of death enveloping him, and just when he thought he was doomed...
A voice suddenly rang out.
"Stop!"
Unbeknownst to when he had arrived, a male cultivator in his forties, at the late Foundation Establishment stage, appeared in the store.
The newcomer was none other than Su Xiuyong, an elder of the Su family.
(End of the Chapter)
---
For More Chapters & Exclusive Releases!
Join my Pa.treon at (pa treon . com / CinderTL)
Read Ahead: Up to Chapter 380 as of 19Nov24
Bonus Mass Releases
Explore More: 2 Other Stories with 1000+ Chapters, totaling over 1.16M+ Words 💥
Support Tiers: Early Access $5 | General Support $1
Your support makes all the difference 😊
Let's Stay Connected
For update notifications, reviews, or to chat, join me on Pa.treon for FREE.
Please share this story with friends and review on WebNovel and Scribblehub if you're enjoying it. Thanks!