【003】 First Encounter (1)
After letting his joy settle, Gu Juan continued his tour of the Immortal Mansion. The weapon refinery room was unremarkable, save for the cauldrons used for refining and a few refining materials neatly arranged on shelves. The alchemy room contained a half-man-high alchemy furnace, and the herbs needed for alchemy could be obtained from the medicine garden outside. Gu Juan then sorted through the treasure room, discovering not only some medicinal pills but also countless jades and a number of high-quality spiritual artifacts, mostly of top- and ultimate grades. Among them were seven mid-grade storage bags, four top-grade storage bracelets, and two ultimate storage rings. There were also a few other immortal artifacts. However, Gu Juan's current cultivation level was still low, and even with these fine weapons, they wouldn't be of much use, so he had to leave them there for the time being.
He then looked at a row of jade slips nearby. Most of them recorded techniques for refining weapons, talismans, formations, and alchemy, while a smaller number contained various cultivation techniques, but none could compare to the "Slaughter Moon Immortal Record." He stumbled upon a technique with a name quite similar to the "Slaughter Moon Immortal Record," the "Slaughter Sun Immortal Record." Curious, he delved into it and first read a voice commentary from his master. It turned out that the technique had been accidentally acquired by the Immortal Emperor Tongde during his time in the Celestial Realm, intrigued by its similarity to the "Slaughter Moon Immortal Record." The Immortal Emperor admired the technique, but having already practiced the "Slaughter Moon Immortal Record," he kept it in his collection, intending to give it to the right person. However, with his ascension imminent, the "Slaughter Sun Immortal Record" remained in his celestial abode.
Gu Juan returned the jade slip to its place and returned to the closed back door of the main hall. Through the window, he had spotted a steaming hot spring behind the house. It sat beneath a lush tree, paved with smooth, round jade stones. The spring gurgled gently, flowing from a nearby mound of earth. The spring covered an area of approximately ten square meters, flowing through a narrow channel into the river in front of the house. Therefore, the water was alive. Soaking in it before and after practice was beneficial. A little further to the right, a spiritual spring flowed from a cave in the hillside, its water crystal clear. This spiritual spring water possessed spiritual energy, and drinking it regularly would also benefit cultivation. Gu Juan secretly admired his master's thoughtful considerations and felt even more grateful to him. If they were ever to meet again, he would surely honor his master with kindness.
He walked around the house, which was surrounded by green trees, laden with a variety of spiritual fruits: red golden sand fruit, orange flame fruit, blue reed fruit... all in bizarre shapes. He casually picked a golden sand fruit and took a bite. It was sweet and smooth, and a surge of spiritual energy flowed into his body, leaving him feeling refreshed. He thought about planting some of his favorite fruits and vegetables in the space; nourished by the spiritual energy, they would surely taste great. A few steps ahead was a clear river, and across a small bridge was a vast spiritual herb plantation, stretching across about a hundred acres, with various spiritual herbs arranged in rows and rows, growing vigorously despite years of neglect.
Gu Juan casually scanned the area and found a patch of leaves that looked familiar. The more he looked at them, the more they looked like ginseng. He knew about ginseng because he once visited a classmate's home and watched TV with his grandfather for over an hour. They were watching a program about ginseng.
There must have been at least a few hundred plants in this patch. He pulled one out to examine it. His hand sank; it was a massive one. His eyes widened. It resembled a human head, arms, and legs. It was indeed ginseng! He remembered a program that taught how to identify ginseng's age by looking at its stalks. They generally appeared one per year, and the denser the stalks, the older it was. The host had even recited a limerick, which he found so amusing that he remembered it vividly: "Star-shaped stalks, fine, hairy tips; herringbone-shaped, short chicken legs; deep-ribbed, coarse brocade skin; dragon-wrapped whiskers adorned with pearls; sturdy, compact, long whiskers; light as a sponge, wild ginseng." He estimated that this ginseng had at least five hundred stalks. Could it be a five-hundred-year-old, top-grade ginseng?
He already felt wealthy with that pile of jade, and now he had a large field of top-grade ginseng. Gu Juan didn't know how to describe the secret joy of becoming rich overnight; his head was spinning. Forgive him for being a beginner, still far from the realm of the outsider, but money still held a strong allure for him.
It was the pang of hunger that woke him up. He took a bath in the hot spring, got dressed, and when he was about to cook noodles, he found that the refrigerator was almost empty. He hadn't restocked the refrigerator in a long time, and now he eats a lot. The previous meal had already consumed most of his stock.
He grabbed his keys and wallet and headed to the nearby mall. He walked downstairs and ran into Grandma Liu, who lived downstairs. Xingfu Residential Complex, where he lived, was an older neighborhood, and he'd lived there for over a decade. He knew almost everyone in his apartment building. Grandma Liu had always had a close relationship with Gu's family when their mother was still alive. After her mother passed away, she continued to care for the Gu family.
"Xiao Juan, why haven't I seen you go out these past few days? Even though you have a few days off, you can't play games all day long. You have to take care of your health."
"Thank you, grandma. I'll keep an eye on it. Are you going to buy groceries? Can I help you carry them up?"
Grandma Liu was taken aback, feeling that the child seemed to have changed a lot. In the past, when she spoke to him, he would always keep his head down and remain silent, either nodding or humming. He had never said so much as he did today. But no matter what, this was a good thing, so she didn't think much about it. She smiled and said, "No, no, Grandma is not old yet! Are you going out? Go and get busy."
"Okay, grandma, I'll come visit you another day."
"well."
Gu Juan left the complex and headed for Shengming Shopping Mall. It was close to home and often had sales, so he usually did his shopping there. He went straight to the food section on the second floor, pushing a shopping cart and picking up the groceries he usually wouldn't buy. Soon, the cart was full. He had space, and it could keep things fresh, so he didn't have to worry about having no place to put them.
When Gu's mother passed away, she left behind only a little over 60,000 yuan in savings. Gu's family usually didn't dare to spend lavishly, and would only withdraw 200 yuan at most, fearing that if they withdrew too much, they would be robbed. Now they don't have to worry about that.
In the end, he filled two carts in total. When he was paying, the customer behind him saw his two full carts and quietly changed the queue.
A glance at the display showed the total price was 498 yuan. Gu Juan didn't even blink, and directly took out the card and handed it over along with the membership card.
"Sir, your spending has exceeded 200 yuan for two. We will give you a bottle of oil as a gift. Welcome to visit us next time."
Gu Juan put the oil on the shopping cart, which piled even higher. After paying, he remembered that his old computer at home was too slow to respond, so he asked the staff at the front desk to help him watch his things while he went to the electronics section on the fourth floor.
After comparing for a long time, he finally settled on a laptop that cost over 12,000 yuan. The salesperson's smile widened when he saw him staring at the computer.
Although he has become a wealthy man, he is still an ordinary citizen at heart. When swiping the card, Gu Juan still felt a pain in his heart.
"Your purchase exceeds 10,000, so we'll give you a beautiful mouse pad as a gift. Thank you for your patronage."
Gu Juan silently took the ordinary mouse pad and stuffed it into his computer bag. If he bought it separately, it would cost at most ten yuan, and he had the nerve to call it "exquisite".
At this moment, a commotion broke out not far away. Customers in the mall turned around and quickly retreated to the sides. Some timid women screamed in fear, not knowing what they had seen.
A mellow male voice calmly shouted, "Everyone, get back to the sides and lie down!"
Gu Juan looked over curiously and saw a man in a black baseball cap holding a gun in his hand. He was moving quickly through the crowd and running towards this side. From time to time, he pushed down someone to block the people chasing him.
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The names of cities, shopping malls, communities, schools, and people in this article are all fictitious. Any similarities are purely coincidental.
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