[Gege, most of the spiritual plants needed for the pills can be bought at the market or auction house, except for one, which hasn't appeared for a long time.] While Lin Jingge was looking for a place to stay, Xiaoshi looked up how to obtain the spiritual flowers and fruits used for alchemy.

Lin Jingge stopped in her tracks.

[The celestial book says that other spiritual plants can occasionally be found at auctions, but this Dripping Pearl Fruit has not appeared on the market for a long time.]

"Look in the Heavenly Book, it says where this thing can be found. Since we can't buy it, I can go and pick it myself." Lin Jingge said this to Xiao Shi in her mind as she walked forward.

[The environment suitable for the growth of the Dripping Pearl Fruit is extremely rare. It requires stalactite slurry that is over a thousand years old to nurture it for over a hundred years before it can grow. Thousand-year-old stalactite slurry is a valuable commodity, and it is likely that it has all been extracted by now. If you are lucky, you may still encounter some that have not yet been discovered in various secret realms.]

Because this thing is valuable from head to toe, every time it is discovered, people will pluck it clean, leaving nothing behind.

Lin Jingge hadn't expected that even a mere auxiliary spiritual plant would be so hard to find. She pursed her lips slightly, thinking that she would search for it in various secret realms when she had the chance.

Just as she was thinking this, she looked up and found herself at an inn. The inn in front of her was rather dilapidated.

The wooden inn had weathered countless years of wind and rain; at first glance, it looked precarious, as if a strong gust of wind could cause it to collapse.

This guesthouse was the cheapest one recommended by the street vendors.

After all, you get what you pay for, so Lin Jingge didn't complain and went straight inside.

Although the inn looked dilapidated, business was quite good, with almost every seat on the square table on the first floor occupied.

"Madam, a room please!" Lin Jingge glanced briefly at the chaotic inn, then looked away and walked to the counter.

The proprietress was a beautiful woman, her long hair held in place by an exquisitely crafted hairpin. One glance was enough to tell that it was no ordinary hairpin.

The proprietress, lounging lazily behind the counter with her head propped up by her hand, glanced up at Lin Jingge and casually asked, "From the Canglan Continent?"

The proprietress's question seemed casual, devoid of any emotion, and showed no disdain for the Canglan Continent whatsoever.

“Hmm.” Lin Jingge didn’t refute it and agreed directly. However, what made her a little curious was why the proprietress recognized her as being from the Canglan Continent at a glance.

After receiving Lin Jingge's reply, the landlady didn't say anything more, but instead flipped over a notebook next to her that recorded room numbers.

"Room number ten on the second floor, one mid-grade spirit stone per night. Here's the room key." The landlady was very efficient; after checking the room, she took out a key and placed it on the counter.

The other party had already made it very clear, so Lin Jingge didn't need to ask any more questions. She simply took out a mid-grade spirit stone and handed it to the proprietress.

She got this spirit stone from a street vendor; without it, she'd probably have to sleep on the streets tonight.

"This inn is really expensive!" Xiao Shi exclaimed, staring at the spirit stone Lin Jingge had taken out. Even the best inn in the capital wouldn't cost more than a mid-grade spirit stone!

Hearing Xiao Shi's complaints, Lin Jingge just smiled and didn't say anything.

After handing over the spirit stones, Lin Jingge took the key in her hand.

Before leaving, Lin Jingge asked one more question out of curiosity:

How did you know I came from Canglan?

She could understand that the other person could tell she was from out of town; after all, even if they spoke the same language, their accents could still be different. But the other person directly stated that she came from the Canglan Continent.

Upon hearing this, the proprietress raised her eyelids and glanced at Lin Jingge. At this moment, her gaze swept over Lin Jingge and she shook the round fan she was holding.

"Only people from the Canglan Continent would wear clothes like this in this sweltering heat." The proprietress's words were no longer as calm as before; her tone carried a hint of disdain.

She thought Lin Jingge would continue to press for answers, but to her surprise, Lin Jingge nodded and said, "I see."

After saying that, he took the key and walked towards the stairs.

This action surprised the proprietress, but only for a moment, and she stopped caring about it.

If it were anyone else, they certainly wouldn't understand why the landlady would say that, but Lin Jingge did.

She and Granny Lin had lived in the village for so long. The village was like a feudal society, with extremely harsh requirements for women.

Even after entering the imperial city, it was rare to see people dressed as revealingly and casually as those on the Cloud Cauldron Continent. Women on the Azure Orchid Continent would still subconsciously cover up as much as possible when dressing.

After taking the key and entering the room, Lin Jingge realized that although the inn looked dilapidated on the outside, the room itself was quite nice.

The room was small, with only a soft couch and bedding already laid out.

Lin Jingge rubbed her slightly hungry stomach, turned around and went out to eat on the first floor.

The first floor was a mixed bag, with everyone talking to each other. Their voices weren't loud, but when mixed together, it was quite noisy.

Lin Jingge found a corner under an empty table, glanced around, and then looked away, no longer looking around aimlessly.

She didn't know the nature of the people in this hall, so it was best not to look around recklessly to avoid causing trouble.

Lin Jingge picked up the teapot on the table and poured herself a cup of tea.

Before the dishes were served, she took a sip of tea, and what she did was quite surprising.

[This tea actually contains a very rich spiritual energy.] Lin Jingge silently communicated with Xiaoshi in her mind.

For some unknown reason, Xiao Shi, who was never sleepy before, has been wanting to hibernate from time to time lately. Right now, it's lying listlessly on Lin Jingge's shoulder.

Upon hearing the word "spiritual energy," it immediately perked up.

[Really?! If you're talking about spiritual energy, then I'm not sleepy anymore!] As Xiao Shi spoke, she jumped off Lin Jingge's shoulder and landed steadily on the table.

[Of course it's true, would I lie to you?] Lin Jingge chuckled and cursed in her mind, then took another sip of tea.

No wonder the street vendor recommended this inn to her. She initially thought it was a bit expensive, but just one pot of tea made Lin Jingge feel it was worth it.

In front of Lin Jingge, Xiao Shi had already pounced on the teapot, its fist-sized cat head reaching towards the spout.

When Lin Jingge poured the water, there was still some tea residue on the spout.

It was these few drops of residue that allowed Xiao Shi to sense spiritual energy.

[Hmm! It really does have spiritual energy!] Xiao Shi stared wide-eyed, looking like he had never seen anything like it before, and circled the teapot.