The morning mist armor felt cool against my skin. In that garden in the northwest, a woman of unparalleled beauty appeared out of thin air beside a boulder, a few pieces of clothing and a clean white handkerchief falling upon her.
There was no one else.
The woman was immediately jolted awake by the cool sensation. Looking around, she gasped and tried to stand up, but a sharp pain in her lower body made her legs weak and she nearly fell.
"Ah!" She seemed to remember something. Her face turned deathly pale. But soon her eyes hardened, though they were terrifyingly cold. She forced herself to endure the discomfort and quickly picked up her clothes from the ground and put them on.
The handkerchief startled her, and she picked it up to examine it. There were words on it.
"My lady, please forgive me. Last night, a lecherous thief attempted to defile you. I could not bear to see you in such a perilous situation and drove the thief away. However, you have been poisoned by a potent aphrodisiac. I have many elixirs, but none of them have any effect. In desperation, I fear this aphrodisiac will kill you, so I had no choice but to unite with you. But this has ruined your chastity. I am ashamed and dare not see you again. I will only apologize when fate allows."
The woman could recognize most of the writing on the handkerchief at a glance.
She didn't feel relieved that the flower thief had been rescued. But she was also relieved that the person who saved her was filled with shame and anger, and her handkerchief shattered into pieces with a soft "plop."
I won't let you get away with this.
She checked her storage bag and found that none of the magical artifacts were missing. Only her clothes were torn. Seeing that it was still early and no one was around, the woman stamped her foot and slipped out of the garden.
Zhang Guodong appeared at the same spot quite a while after the woman left.
A quick mental scan revealed a guilty conscience, followed by a sigh of relief. The whole "handkerchief" explanation, the "playing the gentleman" act—it was all Zhang Guodong's charade, born of a guilty conscience.
Having been deprived of sexual gratification for a long time, he unexpectedly stumbled upon a romantic encounter, consummating the relationship while the woman was in a daze. However, it must be said that this woman was a stunning beauty; not only was her face and figure exquisite, but she also possessed a rare and precious set of rings. It is said that women like this are the most arousing to men.
A brief recollection of those few hours... Zhang Guodong sighed, realizing he had fallen in love with this woman.
However, he still doesn't know the woman's name, background, or identity in the southwestern city of Fang. This relationship can only be a fleeting one.
After a short while, Zhang Guodong also left the garden and began to wander along the long street as if he were doing morning exercises.
At this time, the streets paved with evergreen flagstones were deserted, or rather, even if someone got up...
She was also in the room organizing the items to be traded that day.
Zhang Guodong quickened his pace and soon returned to Wanxian Restaurant, where he stayed inside.
Regardless of where the woman returned to or what her identity became.
Let's start with Liao Tian and his junior brother Liu Zhengwu, the flower thief. Liu Zhengwu was seriously injured last night after his failed attempt to plunder flowers. After a night of treatment, his condition has only stabilized. If it weren't for the protection of his mid-level defensive magic armor, the second lightning bolt would have reduced him to ashes without warning, instead of just causing serious injury.
However, these injuries would take ten days to half a month to heal. It would also take more than ten days to restore his cultivation. Helpless, Liao Tian could only postpone his departure from the Southwest City. But the medicinal pills needed to treat his injuries were indispensable.
Liao Tian would come out every day to buy this elixir with crystals. He would buy both beginner and intermediate elixirs without hesitation, spending crystals like water. Occasionally, he would also buy beginner and intermediate talismans from the Treasure Pavilion.
However, this person was very careful, frequently alternating between buying and selling, going through many steps and appearing very active. But no one knew exactly how many mid-grade pills and intermediate-grade talismans were in his pocket.
The trade fair in the Southwest Imitation Market has been going on for half a month. The business at Wanxian Restaurant is booming. It's truly as described—making a fortune every day! During this time, Zhang Guodong has acquired a low-grade crystal. Not to mention five years' rent, he's already earned back the cost of the low-grade crystal. Even several more five-year periods wouldn't be too difficult.
During this period, Liao Tian contacted Zhang Guodong twice to exchange for a few mid-grade crystals. Why did Liao Tian come twice? First, Liao Tian had spent a lot of crystals recently, especially low-grade crystals, so he had to exchange them. Second, why not use mid-grade crystals? Because the target was too large. Zhang Guodong was only a level 19 cultivator, and he was wealthy; exchanging a few dozen mid-grade crystals was probably no problem for him. Compared to the income of Wanxian Restaurant during this period, a few dozen mid-grade crystals was really nothing to worry about.
Several factors led Liao Tian to choose to make a private deal with Zhang Guodong, which he found pleasant.
Perhaps there's another reason. Having spent so many crystals, Mo Tian now has ample supplies of mid-level pills, mid-level talismans, and mid-level magic artifacts. He no longer needs to fear cultivators around level forty. His increased strength has also emboldened him considerably.
On this day, Zhang Guodong and Liu Meigui had a private conversation on the fifth floor.
The area downstairs at Wanxian Restaurant was bustling with noise and excitement.
The new monks' guild in the Southwest Fangfu has opened and is bustling with activity. What tasks are there? Or you can set up supplies here. Earn commissions by eating, drinking, and consuming alcohol. One person's voice is so loud that even Zhang Guodong's ancient layer can hear it.
Willow Rose smiled slightly, her beautiful eyes sparkling. She swayed a few steps on the fifth floor before saying, "I suppose my little brother has heard the news too. I wonder if he'd be interested in doing a mission with his sister?"
As Liu Meigui ingratiated herself with Zhang Guodong, she constantly tempted the young man. Every gesture, every wink, every smile was full of allure.
Zhang Guodong's gaze swept over Liu Meigui's voluptuous figure before slowly and naturally retreating. He was inwardly wondering what this Cultivator's Guild was all about; it was quite a novel concept. Then he thought, Liu Meigui's request for a mission—could it be a mission she obtained from the Cultivator's Guild?
"Sister Rose, I still don't really understand what the Cultivator's Guild is. Could you explain it to me first?" Zhang Guodong said helplessly, rubbing his nose.
Liu Meigui forgot that Zhang Guodong was a newbie in the plant cultivation industry, and blushed with embarrassment before slowly explaining.
It turns out that the idea of a Cultivator's Guild was first proposed in the Southwest Imitation City. Even within the cultivation world, there was no such concept. However, the outside world's unique circumstances made it suitable for the birth and existence of this special organization.
You can submit a quest to the Cultivator's Guild. Specify the required elixirs, talismans, magical artifacts, etc., and state the reward. Others who accept the quest will complete it for you, and you simply pay them a commission. Furthermore, cultivators can also publish any valuable information they discover through the Cultivator's Guild to earn commissions, or even sell the information through this channel.
It can be said that the monks' guild is an intermediary organization, but a relatively authoritative one.
This time, Liu Meigui and her group accepted an exploration mission from the Cultivator's Guild to find a rare medicinal herb called Purple Blue Fruit. The reward was a piece of low-grade crystal. The number of participants was set at five, but Liu Meigui had not yet decided on the specific individuals. This mission also had a time limit; it had to be completed within a month. Otherwise, not only would half of the deposit for the low-grade crystal be forfeited, but the entire mission would also be confiscated—it was practically a punishment.
If you succeed, you'll not only get your deposit back, but you'll also receive a bonus of low-grade crystals. If you fail, half of your deposit will be forfeited.
"The mission details mentioned the location of the medicinal herbs," Zhang Guodong asked, his eyes lighting up.
"No, if we knew the address, would we still need to search for it? However, although the Purple Fruit herb is rare, there are very few people who need it, so it's relatively easy to find. A mature one can be obtained for only four low-grade crystals in the plant cultivation world. As for older ones, their effects aren't that great." Liu Meigui brushed her hair back and covered her mouth with a smile. "So, little brother, are you interested?"
To be honest, Zhang Guodong seemed genuinely interested. It wasn't that he was after the crystals themselves, but rather the excitement of the exploration process. Perhaps he simply enjoyed adventure.
"Although I'm interested, Sister Rose, I still have a restaurant here, and I'm afraid I can't leave," Zhang Guodong sighed and smiled bitterly after a long pause. "Even if we were to attack, it would have to wait another half month until the trade fair ends. But that means your mission's duration is only a month, which probably won't work."
Liu Meigui was disappointed to hear that Zhang Guodong was telling the truth. She had anticipated that Zhang Guodong couldn't leave. After all, the restaurant was booming, and it wasn't worth risking earning such a small commission. For five people, even a single low-grade crystal would only amount to a few coins per person, which was incomparable to the restaurant's revenue.
"Then we'll have to wait until next time. Time is indeed tight this time, but we've made some progress. It should take about twenty days in total, with ten days in between to find the medicinal herbs."
"I'll just have to wait until next time."
After Liu Meigui left, she and her team departed in the afternoon. The team consisted of five people: Liu Meigui, Bai Yinfei, Wu Xing, her senior brother Chi Xiao, and Du Qingyuan from Bai Wang Temple. The rest stayed behind to prepare for other missions. After all, the commission was not much, and if there were too many people, it wouldn't be much for everyone.
There were quite a few people like them who accepted the mission. Of course, there were also those who sold information. One rogue cultivator sold information about a small hematite vein to the guild for 100,000 crystals.
A few days later, the guild confirmed the news and paid the person 100,000 crystals as promised. However, when making the payment, the person requested that some of the crystals be exchanged for magical artifacts, talismans, and pills. After negotiation, the guild agreed to this request.
This news caused quite a stir. It showed that there were still minerals needed by the cultivation world, even if the vein was tiny.
Ten days have passed in the blink of an eye, and only five days remain for the trade fair in the Southwest Imitation Market.
After keeping a low profile for most of the month, Zhang Guodong finally left the restaurant and began to browse the trade fair. Generally speaking, the last few days of the trade fair are the most abundant, with most of the good stuff appearing during this final period.
"Genuine magic weapon fragments, cheap and easy to buy. Only for exchanging for pills, don't miss out!" As Zhang Guodong walked by, a stall owner shouted, immediately catching his eye.
To be continued... (One more chapter to follow.) The story continues... To find out what happens next, please log in.
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