As soon as he stepped through the gate, a faint aroma of herbs wafted over.
At this moment, a kind middle-aged man greeted Xu Ping.
The man introduced himself as Shopkeeper Wang, with the appearance and attire of a landlord.
As for his cultivation, Xu Ping couldn't tell at all.
"Fellow Daoist, are you looking to buy some pills?" Shopkeeper Wang looked at Xu Ping with a smile.
"Do you have any pills to enhance cultivation?" Xu Ping asked.
"Of course, we have First Rank Lower Grade Qi Nourishing Pills, useful for early and mid-stage Qi Cultivation practitioners, and they slightly stimulate breakthrough to the next bottleneck," Shopkeeper Wang replied with a broad smile.
Xu Ping's heart stirred, and he asked, "How many Spirit Stones for one pill?"
"A bottle costs twenty Spirit Stones and contains fifteen pills," Shopkeeper Wang answered, squinting slightly with a smile.
"So expensive!"
Xu Ping clicked his tongue, a multitude of thoughts swirling in his mind, yet he remained expressionless as he handed over twenty Spirit Stones to receive a small jade bottle.
"Any other needs, Fellow Daoist?" Shopkeeper Wang inquired happily after closing a sale.
"No more," Xu Ping's face was still calm, but inside, he felt heart-wrenching pain!
He had originally thought he was well-off, but reality hit him hard.
The cost of the Magical Artifacts and pills had spent nearly fifty Spirit Stones of his, leaving him with just a dozen or so now.
Alas, poor again!
...
...
After leaving Dan Ding Pavilion, Xu Ping then bought several dozen catties of Demon Beast Flesh.
Demon Beast Flesh was cheap; just one Spirit Stone could buy as much as thirty catties.
Once he finished shopping, Xu Ping didn't linger at the market; he headed straight home.
In the bedroom, Xu Ping sat cross-legged, gazing at the jade bottle in his hand.
"With such a high price, hopefully, it will be useful."
Xu Ping calmed himself, pouring out a 'Qi Nourishing Pill' from the jade bottle.
This pill was a bright green color, yet it had a spicy aroma.
After some thought, he swallowed it directly, closing his eyes to refine it.
Upon entering meditation, Xu Ping immediately felt different from usual, as if a warm current was continuously emerging from his abdomen, turning into strands of unending Spiritual Power...
He couldn't help but start to utilize the third layer of Five Elements Skill, repeating it over and over.
When Xu Ping came to his senses, he had unknowingly practiced the technique for a whole hour.
He opened his eyes and immediately checked the proficiency panel.
To his surprise, he found that his level had gone from 'Qi Cultivation Level 3: 72/100' to 'Qi Cultivation Level 3: 73/100'.
It jumped up by a point at once.
Moreover, the proficiency of Five Elements Skill increased from "177/200" to "185/200".
An increase of eight points.
"The Qi Nourishing Pill is so effective that one pill can increase a whole point?" Xu Ping's face lit up with delight, "Wouldn't that mean taking twenty-seven more pills would help me break through to Qi Cultivation Level 4."
"But the body still holds some residual medicine power; until it's fully refined, I can't take more." Xu Ping's excitement inevitably faded.
Reckless consumption of pills without thoroughly refining their power could lead to Pill Poison clogging the meridians, making further cultivation impossible.
Xu Ping wasn't shortsighted and wouldn't blindly consume pills.
By his estimate, it would take about two days to fully refine the residual medicine power.
"I wonder if the remaining fourteen pills can help me break through to Qi Cultivation Level 4?"
"If not, it seems I might have to buy another bottle."
"But I'm short on Spirit Stones, so it looks like I have to continue working on others' Spirit Fields!"
....
....
Early in the morning.
At Elder Yan's house.
Fan Shou knocked on Elder Yan's door.
He was coming to request a deposit refund too.
With Xu Ping as a comparison, everyone knew which choice to make.
Besides, people in the vicinity were secretly cursing Elder Yan for being greedy.
However, he came to request the deposit back and wouldn't reveal his thoughts.
"Is Elder Yan home?"
Fan Shou put on a smile, knocking on the door.
After knocking for a while, there was no response.
Fan Shou was puzzled, so he pushed the door lightly.
Unexpectedly, it opened easily.
He hesitated for a moment but entered the house.
"Is Elder Yan home?" His voice echoed through the rooms, but no one answered.
Fan Shou had to search every room, finding nothing.
Even the Spirit Rice in the rice jar was completely gone.
"Could it be... this guy ran off with the money?" The thought struck Fan Shou's mind.
The more he thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.
Currently, few sought Elder Yan for Spirit Field watering, while those wanting refunds kept increasing.
It was too likely he ran away with the funds.
Given the size of Dongwu Market, no one dared run around; just finding a random place to hide meant they couldn't find Elder Yan.
"Better not let me catch you," Fan Shou muttered angrily.
After an extra round of meticulous search yielded nothing, he left begrudgingly.
In the following days, more people came to Elder Yan for refunds, all in vain.
The news of Elder Yan's elopement with the money spread quickly.
Those who got their deposits back early felt lucky, while those who didn't cursed in frustration.
But all of this had nothing to do with Xu Ping.
Over time, his reputation surpassed Elder Yan's.
Now, his business was booming, keeping him busier each day.
...
...
The sun rose.
These days, Xu Ping had been busy watering others' Spirit Fields, leaving little time for his own.
Yet his Spirit Fields were neat and tidy, not a weed in sight.
"Fellow Daoist Xu, all the weeds are removed!"
Old Man Lu, panting, climbed the field edge, carrying a hoe.
"Thank you, Fellow Daoist Lu!" Xu Pin smiled.
Since he began watering others' Spirit Fields, Old Man Lu took on the responsibility of tending to his.
"It's no trouble; after you water your Spirit Fields, you should head to Fellow Daoist Wei's for watering," Old Man Lu set the hoe down, wiping sweat from his brow.
"Alright."
Xu Ping responded, then leaped down the field edge to water his own field.
As he performed the Magic Technique, clouds gathered, and soon a gentle spiritual rain fell.
With the rain's nourishment, the Spirit Rice in the field became vibrant.
The bearing phase was more than halfway through.
Xu Ping bent down, carefully observing his rice plants and noting the large green grains they were producing.
He compared them with the neighboring fields' rice and found his grains not only larger but also richer in Spiritual Qi.
Once the grains matured, this year's harvest would be twice that of previous years at least.
Xu Ping couldn't help but smile.
...
Before long, his five acres of Spirit Fields were fully watered.
After a brief rest to recover some Mana, Xu Ping set off with Old Man Lu to Fellow Daoist Wei's house.
Before going far, they saw a group of Spirit Farmers standing together with gloomy faces, grumbling angrily—a tense atmosphere.
"Fellow Daoist Lu, what's wrong with them?" Xu Ping asked.
"I don't know either, let's find out," Old Man Lu scurried over quickly.