Chapter 24: Cutting In

Deng Senior Brother and his companions stood waiting outside the door, their expressions tinged with impatience, none of them noticing Shen Qinghe standing quietly to the side.

It was Zhou Lin, sharp-eyed as ever, who first recognized his fellow disciple. His gaze swept over the wares on Shen Qinghe’s stall—just some ordinary Purple Cloud Ginseng, mediocre in quality—and, losing interest, he looked away.

Shen Qinghe, meanwhile, was also appraising the group. Their robes were torn in several places, with traces of blood on their cuffs—clear evidence that they had just returned from a mission. Coupled with the earlier conversation she had overheard between them and Luo Yan, it was not difficult to deduce that their task involved hunting a demon beast.

What most caught Shen Qinghe’s attention was the fact that every one of them wore blue robes and radiated a powerful aura, exuding a palpable sense of oppression. Their cultivation was clearly formidable.

This led her to ponder: What kind of demon beast could possibly leave such a team in such a sorry state, even forcing them to seek alternative means to deal with it?

After about half an hour, the tightly closed wooden door finally creaked open from within.

Luo Yan emerged cautiously, cradling a glowing white jade vial in his hands. His thin, ashen fingers gripped it so tightly that his knuckles paled with strain, as though he feared a single misstep might spill its contents.

“How did it go?” Deng Senior Brother stepped forward in a flash, his eyes fixed intently on the jade vial, urgency barely concealed in his voice.

“I have not failed you!” Luo Yan’s withered face broke into a proud smile as he handed the vial over. “Using Enchanting Demon Grass as the main ingredient, and blending in seven paralyzing poisons, I have meticulously prepared this poison. I guarantee that any demon beast will be drawn by its scent, and upon consuming it, will be instantly paralyzed!”

Deng Senior Brother was overjoyed at these words, but instead of leaving immediately after taking the vial, he turned to Junior Brother Fang. “Release your Earth Spirit Mouse and test the effect of this poison.”

Junior Brother Fang hesitated. Though his Earth Spirit Mouse was only at the fifth level of Qi Refinement, it had taken much effort to tame, and he relied on it for scouting during missions. He was reluctant to risk it for an experiment.

“What are you hesitating for?” Deng Senior Brother’s tone turned stern. “If we fail this mission, what use is keeping the Earth Spirit Mouse?”

Gritting his teeth, Junior Brother Fang finally agreed. “Fine!”

He untied the animal hide pouch at his waist and formed a spell with his fingers. With a flash of spiritual light, a small, earth-colored mouse darted out, its head swiveling alertly.

Deng Senior Brother uncorked the vial, releasing a rich, sweet fragrance that instantly invigorated those who inhaled it.

“What a wonderful scent!” Junior Brother Fang couldn’t help but take a deep breath.

Such an enticing aroma, they all thought, would surely lure any demon beast to willingly consume it.

Deng Senior Brother held the vial to the Earth Spirit Mouse’s nose.

Unexpectedly, the little creature merely glanced lazily at the vial, indifferent, and resumed grooming its fur.

“What’s going on!” Deng Senior Brother’s face darkened, his voice rising sharply. “Did you not swear that this poison would draw demon beasts by scent? Why does even the Earth Spirit Mouse ignore it?”

“This…” Luo Yan’s pride froze on his wrinkled face, now tinged with panic. “Perhaps… perhaps demon beasts have different tastes. Should I try a different flavor…?”

He had just tentatively made this suggestion when, without warning, the Earth Spirit Mouse pricked up its ears, sniffed the air a few times, and suddenly shot toward Shen Qinghe’s stall.

It all happened so fast that none of them, still questioning Luo Yan, had time to react.

They saw the Earth Spirit Mouse already clutching a stalk of Purple Absolute Ginseng in its tiny paws, gnawing away greedily.

“Stop!” Junior Brother Fang’s face changed instantly; he rushed to halt the mouse’s actions.

But it was too late. In a blink, the Earth Spirit Mouse had devoured the ginseng down to its roots.

Junior Brother Fang’s face fell. This gluttonous little creature had caused him trouble again. Glancing at Shen Qinghe’s stall and seeing only ordinary Purple Cloud Ginseng, he thought he might as well buy them all as food for his familiar.

But at that moment, the Earth Spirit Mouse’s limbs began to twitch. With a thud, it collapsed, motionless.

“My spirit mouse!” Junior Brother Fang’s face changed dramatically. He rushed forward, scooping the mouse into his arms, and glared at Shen Qinghe. “What have you done to my Earth Spirit Mouse?”

Shen Qinghe was stunned at the scene, thinking: Is this little thing deliberately causing trouble?

She smiled slightly. “Don’t worry, Senior Brother. Purple Absolute Ginseng only temporarily blocks the flow of blood and energy—it’s not fatal. As for when it will recover…”

She paused. “That, I cannot say for certain.”

Only then did Junior Brother Fang notice the Azure Cloud Sect’s attire on Shen Qinghe. He relaxed a little. Checking the spirit mouse and confirming it still breathed weakly, his expression improved.

“But this is clearly Purple Cloud Ginseng! How could it be Purple Absolute Ginseng?” he questioned, still angry. “I’ve never heard of such a thing!”

Shen Qinghe composed herself and calmly explained, “A few days ago, the Purple Cloud Ginseng I was cultivating withered for no reason. I meant to dig them up and bury them, but to my surprise…”

A glimmer of excitement flashed in her eyes. “These withered spirit ginseng underwent a mutation, resulting in two new varieties, which I named Purple Absolute Ginseng and Purple Spirit Ginseng.”

She then briefly described the effects of both.

“Oh? These are mutated Purple Cloud Ginseng?” Deng Senior Brother’s eyes flickered with surprise as he strode to the stall.

He bent to pick up a stalk of Purple Absolute Ginseng, examining it in his palm. Its fine roots shone with a peculiar violet light under the sun.

He then picked up a stalk of Purple Spirit Ginseng, his fingertips gently tracing the lines on its surface.

After his inspection, he looked up at Shen Qinghe, his tone probing. “Sister Shen, do these two mutated spirit ginsengs truly have the effects you claim?”

Shen Qinghe smiled, her gaze shifting to the unconscious Earth Spirit Mouse in Junior Brother Fang’s arms. “As for Purple Absolute Ginseng, Senior Brother has just witnessed its effects firsthand, has he not?”

She paused, then picked up a stalk of Purple Spirit Ginseng from her stall, tapping it lightly with her fingertip. “As for this Purple Spirit Ginseng… I have personally verified its ability to enhance cultivation.”

Her expression remained unchanged as she spoke. After all, she was only quoting from ancient texts—could there be any doubt?

Deng Senior Brother was taken aback, his gaze shifting between the Earth Spirit Mouse and Shen Qinghe, a thoughtful look slowly emerging on his face. He nodded slightly, clearly convinced for the most part.

“Hmph!” Junior Brother Fang suddenly snorted, clutching the Earth Spirit Mouse tighter. “I don’t care if what you say is true or not. If anything happens to my spirit mouse, I will not let you off!”

“Junior Brother Fang!” Deng Senior Brother immediately rebuked him, raising a large hand in a calming gesture.

Turning back to Shen Qinghe, his expression softened into a warm smile. “Sister Shen, if your words are true, I’ll buy all your Purple Absolute Ginseng. But you must present your identification token and leave us a record—would that be acceptable?”

A glimmer of joy flashed in Shen Qinghe’s eyes.

Providing her identity token as a guarantee was simply a matter of credibility—she had no reason to refuse.

“No problem!” she agreed readily.

She drew her token from her storage pouch and handed it to Deng Senior Brother.

He carefully examined it, memorized her information, and returned it before untying a heavy pouch from his belt. “A thousand low-grade spirit stones for all your Purple Absolute Ginseng—will that suffice?”

Shen Qinghe’s heart leapt with joy.

She had only fifty or sixty stalks in total and had worried they would not fetch much. She never expected such generosity.

“That’s more than enough!” she said, eyes crinkling with delight. She gestured to the stall. “These six Purple Spirit Ginseng are a gift—please accept them as well.”

With that, she deftly rolled up the cloth from the ground, gathering all the spirit ginseng and offering them with both hands.

Luo Yan stood rooted to the spot, dumbfounded.

He could never have imagined that a deal seemingly within his grasp would be snatched away by Shen Qinghe at the last moment!

“Fellow Daoist…” he ventured, unwilling to accept defeat, “What about the poison I made…?”

“No need!” Deng Senior Brother cut him off coldly. “Return the spirit stones I just gave you.”

Luo Yan’s face fell. He dared not protest, and could only, with great reluctance, extract the pouch and hand it back.

“Sister Shen, until we meet again.” Deng Senior Brother cupped his hands in a brief salute, then led the group away in haste.

Only Luo Yan remained, standing dazed as he watched them depart.