Li Yu curled his lip in disdain. "You're just saying that. I refuse to believe you don't regret it! Lieyang Grass! Ugh, goddammit, Lieyang Grass!"
"No regrets! I'm fine with it!" Boss Tang said. "Even if that damned Lieyang Grass was sitting right in front of us again, would you even recognize it?"
Lieyang Grass was a Spirit Medicine exceptionally skilled at disguising itself. Ordinarily, it was a drab gray, indistinguishable from a common weed. Only when stimulated by energy would it turn a brilliant gold, like the blazing sun.
Hence the name Lieyang!
Li Yu was taken aback for a moment. He couldn't help but look at Tang Yong and say, "I never thought a guy like you could be so philosophical. You've got a point, but still... three thousand taels of gold... Three thousand... taels of gold! Fuck! Do you know how many gorgeous women with long legs, slender waists, and fair skin that could get you?"
"That fortune was never meant to be ours."
Tang Yong patted the two-thousand-tael silver banknote in his hand, then pulled out another one, saying meaningfully, "Li Xiaoyu, you and I have spent years swindling and bluffing, even double-crossing each other to cheat people out of their silver. But honestly, holding this three thousand taels of silver today... it almost burns my hand, but it's the most satisfying money I've ever made!"
The pained look hadn't left Li Xiaoyu's face, but he sighed and nodded. "You're right. It's not every day you meet two kind-hearted people in a shithole like the West Market. Let's go. That young lady was right—you have to let go of what's gone. We'll send this three thousand taels of silver to the widows and kids. It should be enough for them to live comfortably for the rest of their lives. And tomorrow... let's not come back to the West Market."
"I've been thinking about heading to the Black Forest to get a Saber-toothed Tiger Skin for the old missus," Tang Yong's voice grew heavy. "She's getting on in years and her health is poor. A Saber-toothed Tiger Skin mattress should help her sleep a little better."
Li Yu nodded. "I was thinking the same thing."
...
Xu Luo, in fact, didn't recognize the Lieyang Grass. He didn't even know which specific herb in the pile had caused his Shaking Light Star Soul to stir, much less that a single stalk of Lieyang Grass was worth three thousand gold coins—and was so rare it was practically impossible to buy at any price.
Lieyang Grass, a Spirit Medicine of this world.
A substance of the purest, most unyielding Yang energy.
It contained a massive amount of pure energy.
It had a particularly miraculous effect on men. A mere speck of Lieyang Grass powder, no bigger than the tip of a pin, could restore a man's vigor...
That's right. In the mortal world, the greatest value of Lieyang Grass was its divine-like virility-enhancing properties.
This was the reason a stalk of Lieyang Grass was priced at three thousand taels of gold, and why it was nearly impossible to find on the market.
...
Xu Luo stealthily scaled the back wall and, like a thief in the night, crept toward his small courtyard, the black cloak still draped over his body.
SWISH!
A cold gleam of light flashed into existence, and a bone-chilling aura instantly permeated the air.
It coalesced into boundless killing intent!
A sound like a clap of thunder exploded from the quiet ground.
WHIR!
A woman with a shapely figure, brandishing a short sword, lunged like a lightning bolt toward the black-cloaked Xu Luo.
Xu Luo was startled, but his reaction was swift. He instantly activated the Shadow Shaking Heart Method, twisting his body to evade the strike by a hair's breadth.
The Sword Qi skimmed past his ear, severing a lock of his hair. The sheer force of the energy stung his skin.
Xu Luo immediately shouted in a low voice, "Lianyi, it's me!"
"Ah!"
Lianyi let out a short, sharp gasp.
"Shh!" Xu Luo broke out in a cold sweat. He had always known Lianyi was skilled, but he'd never imagined she was this powerful. If it weren't for his own frenzied training recently, he never would have been able to dodge that last strike.
"Young Master... why is it you? You... why are you dressed like this?" Lianyi was badly frightened as well. Her pretty face was ashen, and a fine layer of cold sweat coated her back.
If that all-out, killing strike had actually connected, the consequences would have been unthinkable.
'But since when was the Young Master this skilled?'
The thought flashed through Lianyi's mind. 'The madam's Seven-Turn Foundation Establishment Pill truly is a treasure from a great sect. To think it could have such a miraculous effect!'
Her gaze fell upon the tattered bundle in Xu Luo's hands, and her expression grew strange. 'My young master disappears for an entire afternoon, only to return dressed like this and carrying a raggedy package. What in the world has he been up to?'
"Heh, I'm fine, I'm fine. Just whatever you do, don't tell my mother I went out." Xu Luo tiptoed around Lianyi and added, "Oh, and bring me a couple pounds of beef later. I'm starving! And don't let anyone disturb me!"
"Young..." Before Lianyi could finish, Xu Luo had already slipped into his courtyard, eagerly shutting the door behind him. He spread the herbs from the tattered bundle out on the floor.
He began to examine them one by one.
'Not this one...'
'Not this one either...'
'This isn't it!'
'Haha, found it! This is the one!'
When Lianyi returned with his meal, she found her young master sitting on the floor, holding a drab gray herb and grinning like an idiot.
A pang of pity shot through Lianyi's heart. The feeling intensified as she remembered nearly wounding him just moments before, and she was filled with self-reproach.
"Young Master, what's happened to you? Where did you get all this... junk? If you wanted Spirit Medicines, you should have told Lianyi! Lianyi could have bought them for you!"
"Junk?" Xu Luo grinned proudly, holding up the drab gray herb. He looked at Lianyi and said, "This is a treasure!"
Smelling the pungent herbal odor filling the room, Lianyi nearly burst into tears. 'My young master finally managed to change his constitution, so why has his personality changed so drastically too?' she thought.
"Young Master, you..."
"It's alright, Lianyi, I'm really fine. Don't worry. Just leave the food there, I'll eat in a bit. Go and keep Mother company for now."
Although the General's Mansion was full of people, the one Luo Xinlan trusted and favored most was Lianyi, an orphan she had raised since childhood. Thus, whenever she wasn't attending to Xu Luo, Lianyi spent most of her time with Luo Xinlan.
Lianyi departed, fraught with worry, leaving Xu Luo to his foolish grinning.
Though famished, the ecstatic Xu Luo had no desire to eat. He sat cross-legged on the floor, preparing to activate the Shadow Shaking Heart Method and absorb the energy from the Lieyang Grass.
Ever since Xu Luo had found the Lieyang Grass, the Shaking Light Star Soul in his Dantian had been flickering, like a baby bird chirping for food, radiating an air of eager anticipation.
'What a glutton,' Xu Luo couldn't help but mutter. Whether it was the Seven-Turn Foundation Establishment Pill, the Agarwood Brew, or the Hundred Ice Brew, the Shaking Light Star Soul inside him was like a giant, bottomless pit. It was utterly voracious, devouring everything it came across and never seeming to be satisfied.
As Xu Luo activated the Shadow Shaking Heart Method, the Lieyang Grass in his hand erupted with a blinding light. The once dull, gray plant magically transformed, turning a brilliant gold in an instant!
Every leaf, every stem, shone like pure gold.
Like a miniature sun, it emitted a dazzling radiance that illuminated every corner of Xu Luo's room.
It was a good thing he had given orders not to be disturbed; otherwise, the sight would have surely terrified someone.
BOOM!
A tremendous amount of Spiritual Power surged from the plant, coursing through Xu Luo's hands and flooding into his body.
In an instant, his entire body was filled with a majestic power, stretching every meridian to its limit!
The sensation was even more intense than when he had taken the Seven-Turn Foundation Establishment Pill.
This wasn't because the Lieyang Grass was superior to the pill, but because a substance of such pure Yang energy was far too potent to be absorbed directly like this!
Xu Luo was fearless in his ignorance, and his luck was simply too good.
If he didn't have the insatiable, bottomless pit that was his Shaking Light Star Soul—given that a mere speck of Lieyang Grass powder could restore a man's vigor—what would have been the consequence of absorbing an entire stalk?
The thought alone was terrifying.
Drawing on his experience absorbing the Seven-Turn Foundation Establishment Pill, Xu Luo didn't panic. He steadily circulated the Shadow Shaking Heart Method, guiding the torrent of pure Yang energy into his Shaking Light Star Soul.
The Shaking Light Star Soul was truly a bottomless pit. The ceaseless torrent of energy barely strengthened its light. The change was so minuscule it was imperceptible without careful observation.
Even after Xu Luo had absorbed every last shred of energy from the Lieyang Grass, the Shaking Light Star Soul did not begin to shine brilliantly as he had expected.
"Sigh... what should I do now?" Xu Luo sat in his chair with a pained expression, propping his chin on his hand as he sighed and racked his brain.
'I thought having the seven Beidou Star Souls in my Dantian was the greatest blessing imaginable.'
'It changed my constitution, allowed me to cultivate, and set me on a path to change my destiny. I was supposed to begin a magnificent new life... to achieve even greater, more dazzling feats than my ancestors.'
That had been Xu Luo's dream. Now, reality had shattered it to pieces.
'My constitution has changed, and I can finally cultivate, but I still haven't been able to break through to the rank of Swordsman. The only illuminated star, the Shaking Light Star Soul, is like a bottomless pit. It devours every bit of energy it can, leaving absolutely nothing for me.'
Xu Luo felt he had the power to challenge the Swordsman rank now, but the question was, how much more energy did the Shaking Light Star Soul have to devour before it would leave him even the dregs?
'If all the power devoured by the Shaking Light Star Soul had gone to me instead, I'd probably have already broken past Swordsman and become a powerful Sword Master by now!'
Xu Luo's eyelids drooped, his face a mask of dejection.
All the excitement he'd felt upon finding the Lieyang Grass had vanished.
But the fearless, ignorant youth had no idea. Without the Shaking Light Star Soul, the refined Seven-Turn Foundation Establishment Pill—its potent energies already suppressed—might have granted him a major breakthrough. But this pure, natural, unprocessed Lieyang Grass? Absorbing it the way he did... would have been enough to kill him ten times over.
'If I hadn't learned the value of these herbs, I probably would have asked my family to find all sorts of precious Spirit Medicines for me without a second thought...'
Xu Luo gave a bitter smile and muttered to himself, "They've already sacrificed so much for me. I'm a grown man now. How could I have the nerve to ask them to keep sacrificing like this?"
'It looks like I'll have to figure out a solution myself.'
Xu Luo's eyebrow twitched. He suddenly thought of the two men he'd met in the West Market earlier that day, Boss Tang and Li Yu.
'Those two definitely have a story to tell,' Xu Luo was certain.
Although Boss Tang had swindled him at first, Xu Luo wasn't angry anymore once he learned the man was just trying to earn some money for the widows of his fallen comrades.
Loyal and righteous. It's a simple concept, but how many people could truly live up to it?
The possibility that the two of them were Adventurers also sparked an idea in Xu Luo's mind.
'Since those Spirit Medicines are so expensive, I'll just go find them myself!'
Having made his decision, Xu Luo felt a weight lift from his shoulders. It was only then that he felt the pangs of hunger. He opened the meal Lianyi had delivered and began to wolf it down.