Chapter 42: Soul-Nourishing Lotus Matures, A City Full of Ghost-Repelling Talismans
"Also."
Xiao Qingyu continued: "That tiger demon's corpse wasn't used, so I disposed of it for you at the disciple trading market."
"Since it was a female tiger without tiger whips, the value was somewhat lower. I sold the tiger skin, blood, meat, and bones separately for a total of 2,078 spirit stones."
"I rounded down the odd amount. Here are 2,000 spirit stones—keep them safe."
Saying this.
Xiao Qingyu lightly waved her sleeve, and four pink brocade bags appeared before Wang Xiu, embroidered with white lotus patterns and emitting a faint fragrance.
Hiss~
Wang Xiu sucked in a breath of cold air—he was actually getting paid for this?
Truly remarkable.
Wang Xiu pushed two of the brocade bags toward Xiao Qingyu, chuckling: "Having Senior Sister Qingyu run around for me, I really can't accept this. Let's split the money!"
Oh~
Xiao Qingyu said with a half-smile: "Giving away a thousand spirit stones just like that—when did our Junior Brother Wang Xiu become so generous? Is this perhaps... betrothal money?"
Cough, cough~
Wang Xiu laughed wryly: "Senior Sister makes it sound like I'm stingy. It's not like I had money before!"
Wang Xiu wasn't crying poverty.
Although Divination Peak provided a monthly subsidy of 100 spirit stones, enough for many years of worldly pleasures, cultivation was a money-burning—even money-guzzling—endeavor.
Before killing the tiger demon and finding the Soul-Nourishing Lotuses, Wang Xiu's cash flow had never been abundant.
The tribute he gave to Xiao Qingyu was truly scraped together from between his teeth.
"Alright~!"
Xiao Qingyu glanced at Wang Xiu with mild annoyance and smiled: "You don't have much money on hand right now either. Keep it for yourself! There will be many places to spend money in the future!"
"I oversee the Mission Hall and don't need to go down the mountain—what would I do with so many spirit stones? They're just worldly possessions."
Wang Xiu was momentarily stunned, then muttered: "If they're worldly possessions, then why not give me the odd change too?"
Xiao Qingyu: ???
Clang!
A brilliant sword light pierced through the void, inserting itself before Wang Xiu. Xiao Qingyu stomped her foot in anger: "Go away!"
Haha!
Wang Xiu laughed as he collected the lotus-embroidered brocade bags and fled in disarray: "Since Senior Sister likes lotuses, next time I find Soul-Nourishing Lotuses, I'll give you one!"
"Not for refining pills, just for Senior Sister's enjoyment!"
Watching the young man's departing figure, Xiao Qingyu's lovely face flushed slightly as she spat: "Pah! Who wants to look at lotuses? They'll just wither eventually. Spirit stones are much more appealing!"
In the cultivation world, in these chaotic times.
Survival, growing stronger, and protecting one's territory were the primary concerns for every Three Pure Immortal Sect disciple.
Admiring flowers?
Unless the Three Pure Immortal Sect had boundless lotus leaves reaching to the sky, allowing one to admire the distinctive white flowers reflecting the sun.
Otherwise, who would be willing to put a harvested Soul-Nourishing Lotus in a vase purely for ornamental purposes, when its medicinal power was slowly dissipating every moment?
Exhale~
Gently breathing out a sigh, Xiao Qingyu regained her previous cool demeanor and slowly walked out of the reception room.
...
On the other hand.
Leaving the Mission Hall, Wang Xiu summoned the Black Tortoise Mirror, pushed his speed to maximum, and raced straight toward Maple City.
Now at the eighth level of Foundation Establishment, Wang Xiu piloted the Black Tortoise Mirror like a streak of green light, so fast that ordinary people couldn't even see his afterimage.
Very soon.
He crossed several hundred miles and arrived at Bright Moon Mountain outside Maple City.
The Soul-Nourishing Lotuses in the Yellow Spring Grotto were growing well, with twelve flowers having transformed from blooming to fully open form.
Wang Xiu took out the prepared jade boxes, cast spirit-locking charms to slow the dissipation of spiritual energy, and carefully collected each lotus into the jade boxes.
Hmm.
Setting aside the one he planned to give to Senior Sister Qingyu, there were still eleven that could be sold, meaning at least 30,000 to 40,000 spirit stones could be earned.
The days of escaping poverty and becoming prosperous weren't far away!
After storing the jade boxes, Wang Xiu checked the seal at the bottom of the pool, confirming it was intact before leaving.
Departing Bright Moon Mountain.
Wang Xiu soon arrived at Maple City, but what met his eyes made him frown slightly.
At this time.
Maple City's atmosphere was strange and uneasy. The streets were cold and quiet, every household had their doors tightly shut, and many homes had yellow talismans pasted on their entrances, fluttering in the wind.
The occasional pedestrian walked hurriedly, seeming afraid to linger outside even for a moment.
In a word: terrified.
Wang Xiu landed his mirror before one household, peeled off a yellow talisman to examine it, and found it was a ghost-repelling talisman from the Three Pure Immortal Sect. However, it contained thin spiritual energy and limited power.
Hmm.
How should one describe it?
It was the kind that Foundation Establishment cultivators could mass-produce—it had some effect on vengeful ghosts, but not much.
"Senior Sister Qingyu said Maple City hasn't been peaceful lately—could there be a ghost?"
Wang Xiu muttered to himself, then replaced the talisman on the door and flew toward 'Clear Wind Temple,' the Three Pure Immortal Sect's mission station in Maple City.
In Clear Wind Temple were two Three Pure Immortal Sect mission disciples, with Daoist names 'Qingyun' and 'Changfeng.'
Both had once cultivated in the Three Pure Immortal Mountains, but after their cultivation reached a bottleneck and they no longer wished to toil about, they accepted the sect's mission to descend and guard a region.
"Qingyun greets Senior Brother."
"Changfeng greets Senior Brother."
Both disciples appeared to be in their thirties or forties, wearing pale blue Daoist robes that gave them quite an immortal appearance.
Although both were clearly older than Wang Xiu.
However, within the Three Pure Immortal Sect, they were only outer sect disciples with cultivation at merely the second or third level of Foundation Establishment, so according to protocol, they should address Wang Xiu as Senior Brother.
"Two Junior Brothers, there's no need for formalities."
Wang Xiu returned the courtesy properly, then sensitively noticed that both Daoists' robes had tears and their complexions appeared somewhat pale.
Clearly they had recently been through fierce battles and their injuries hadn't yet healed.
Moreover.
Wang Xiu, who had cultivated the Underworld Emperor's Prison Suppressing Scripture to perfection, could sensitively detect that both junior brothers' soul fires were somewhat withered, as if they too had been traumatized.
Although the injuries weren't particularly severe and might not affect their foundation, without three to five years of recovery, it would be difficult to fully heal.
After receiving Steward He's address.
Wang Xiu didn't leave immediately but asked: "Two Junior Brothers."
"I see that every household in Maple City has ghost-repelling talismans pasted up. Is there a Ghost?"
Daoists Qingyun and Changfeng exchanged glances, then smiled bitterly: "There is indeed a Ghost, and it's an extremely vicious vengeful ghost."
As the two recounted the story, Wang Xiu gained a rough understanding of what had happened.
There were four major families in Maple City.
Besides the wealthiest He family, there were also the Zhao, Qian, and Sun families, plus over a dozen smaller families.
And this vengeful ghost.
Came from the Nie family, one of the dozen smaller families—it was the Nie family's eldest daughter, Nie Linglan.
It was said.
Nie Linglan was born into a scholarly family, well-read in the Four Books and Five Classics from childhood, skilled in poetry and song, embroidery and needlework.
Moreover, she had a compassionate heart—sweeping the floor carefully to avoid harming ants, covering lamps to protect moths.
She frequently sold her paintings and embroidery, using the proceeds to help the poor in the city, and was a young lady with an impeccable reputation in Maple City.
Alas, beautiful women have tragic fates!
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