Early in the morning, Chen Si pushed open his door and, as usual, began his patrol of the mountain.
A month ago, after the autumn tea harvest was completed, he began to number the existing tea trees, dividing them into four batches.
All old stumps were the first batch, all marked as one.
The new tea was evenly divided into three batches, marked as two, three, and four respectively.
The old stumps plunder Spiritual Qi once every two months, one point per tree each time.
Each batch of new tea plunders Spiritual Qi once every four months, also one point per tree each time.
Every four months, each batch of new tea can plunder once, while the old stumps can plunder twice.
This was the result of his repeated calculations, which could both provide him with Spiritual Qi and not affect the growth of the Spirit Tea, nor would it affect the two harvests per year.
There were a total of thirty-eight old stumps, providing him with 38 points of Spiritual Qi each time, and twice would be 76 points.
Each batch of new tea consisted of fifty-one trees, providing him with 204 points of Spiritual Qi every four months, totaling 280 points with the old stumps.
Another three months passed in a flash.
During this period, Chen Si rarely left his home; besides Cultivating the "Evergreen Skill," he also Cultivated the accompanying Wood Nail Technique.
Now, his accumulated Spiritual Qi had reached as much as 298 points.
Heaven and Earth Spiritual Root (Wood)
Grade: 1 (0 / 1000);
Spiritual Qi: 298;
Skills: 1. Probe; 2. Plunder; 3. Infuse; 4. Transform.
Early this morning, just after inspecting the Tea Garden, his expression shifted as he looked outside the Formation.
The sound of someone knocking on the Formation came, and it was a familiar person.
Chen Si walked over and opened the Formation; it was Du Tai, whom he hadn't seen for a long time, and this guy had already reached Qi Refining Third Stage.
"Senior Chen, long time no see. I'm off today, so I came to see you," Du Tai tilted his head to glance inside the Formation before quickly retracting his gaze and saying with a smile.
Neither Du Tai nor Wang Guangmin, who was responsible for delivering food, were allowed to enter the Tea Garden Formation; if discovered, they would be immediately dismissed.
"Long time no see. I've been meaning to come see you earlier, but I haven't had the leisure," Chen Si cupped his fists and said.
"I also just now got a day of free time. I came to see you today, and there's also something else; I wonder if you're interested?" Du Tai asked.
"What is it?" Chen Si's Face showed a look of confusion.
"We have a small Cultivator gathering, all familiar people. I'm inviting you to join in the fun and also meet some Fellow Daoists."
Chen Si didn't hesitate for long, nodding and saying, "Alright, I'll go with you to take a look."
He quickly made some preparations, taking all his Spirit Stones with him before setting off.
Besides the Spirit Stones, he also had a small porcelain bottle in his embrace containing two drops of Spirit Liquid, which, calculated by Spiritual Qi concentration, were each worth about ten Low-Grade Spirit Stones.
He planned to purchase a First-Grade Early Stage Alchemy Legacy and also intended to plant some Spiritual Plants and Spirit Medicine for refining yinqi pills in the Spirit Field outside his courtyard; purchasing some seeds was also essential.
Since he couldn't quickly improve his cultivation now, learning Alchemy was very necessary.
He also had a Heaven and Earth Spiritual Root, which could ripen Spirit Medicine, providing convenience for his Alchemy.
The two left Planting Garden No. 103 and arrived at the free trade market not far away.
Du Tai led him through a small alley and stopped in front of a small building, reaching out to knock on the door.
The door was quickly opened, and inside, eight people were already seated.
Including Chen Si and Du Tai, there were a total of ten people.
Everyone was known to Du Tai, and under his introduction, Chen Si also became acquainted with these people.
They were all Loose Cultivators struggling at the bottom, and no one looked down on anyone else.
However, Chen Si's age stood out among these people.
Everyone chatted while waiting, and after about half an hour, three more people arrived, including a Qi Refining Fourth Stage middle-aged man.
Seeing him arrive, the others also stood up and bowed with cupped fists.
"Greetings, Zhang Daoyou."
"We are all friends, everyone, there's no need to be so polite." The middle-aged man quickly took his seat, looked around, and his gaze finally settled on Chen Si, asking with a smile, "And this is?"
"Zhang Daoyou, he is Chen Zhen, my friend." Du Tai stood up, cupped his fist, and introduced him.
"Brother Du's friend is my, Zhang Quan's, friend. Fellow Daoist Chen, if you ever need help in the future, just ask," Zhang Quan said, cupping his fists.
"Zhang Daoyou is too kind!" Chen Si also cupped his fists, then sat down.
"Everyone, everyone has arrived. Let the small gathering begin," Zhang Quan said.
"Indeed!" The others nodded in agreement.
"Who wants to go first?" Zhang Quan clapped his hands and asked.
"I will!" A young woman of about thirty stood up, bowed slightly to everyone, then took out a palm-sized wooden box from her embrace, held it in her palm, and slowly opened it.
"These are three petals of Purple Mist Flower, which can be used to brew tea. The Spiritual Qi contained in each petal is equivalent to two yinqi pills. I want to exchange the whole package for one Spirit Dew Grass or one Variegated Fruit."
This type of small gathering was mainly for mutual familiarity, making exchanges of items safer.
Whether one could exchange for a desired item depended entirely on luck.
The young woman's gaze swept over everyone, but no one responded, so she regretfully put it away.
The second was a Young man of twenty-six or twenty-seven, who took out a fist-sized piece of fine iron, wanting to exchange it for a First-Grade Early Stage Magical Artifact, but likewise, no one responded.
Several more people took out their items, but only one person managed to exchange for something they desired.
Soon, it was Du Tai's turn. The item this guy brought was actually a First-Grade Mid-Grade Spiritual Plant, worth at least fifty Low-Grade Spirit Stones, and it was one of the main Materials for refining Spirit Gathering Pills.
Three people bid for it, and it was finally sold for sixty-one Low-Grade Spirit Stones, which was quite a fruitful gain.
Next, it was Chen Si's turn. He didn't take out the Spirit Liquid, but instead directly stated his request: he wanted a First-Grade Early Stage Alchemy Legacy.
This type of Legacy was very common in various shops, but the price was a bit expensive, usually around a hundred Spirit Stones.
Don't look at how expensive they were sold in shops; the price they bought them for would not exceed thirty Low-Grade Spirit Stones.
If Cultivators had them, they would generally choose to barter.
Chen Si's gaze swept over everyone, then he shook his head, preparing to sit down.
But then he heard someone say, "I do have a First-Grade Early Stage Alchemy Legacy in my possession, with two First-Grade Early Stage Pill Formulas attached. One is the more common yinqi pill Pill Formula, and the other is the Violent Spirit Pill Pill Formula. If Fellow Daoist Chen needs it, you can have it for eighty Low-Grade Spirit Stones."
The speaker was none other than Zhang Quan.
As he spoke, he took out an ancient beast-skin book from his embrace, which was clearly the original.
"Zhang Daoyou, when you first bought it, you spent ninety Low-Grade Spirit Stones," the young woman of about thirty said in surprise.
"No choice, entering Alchemy is extremely difficult. I've had it for five years, and I still can't get started," Zhang Quan said, shaking his head and sighing.
"Fifty Low-Grade Spirit Stones, how about it?" Chen Si paused, then explained, "I am truly short on funds."
"This..." A hint of displeasure flashed in Zhang Quan's eyes. He had priced it at eighty, which was already ten less than when he bought it, and he had no intention of lowering the price further.
He didn't expect Chen Si to cut off another thirty Low-Grade Spirit Stones with his first offer.
Zhang Quan pondered for a moment, then spoke again, "For Fellow Daoist Du Tai's Face, seventy Low-Grade Spirit Stones. If Fellow Daoist Chen needs it, take it!"
Chen Si only had over forty Spirit Stones on him, plus two drops of Spirit Liquid, bringing his total assets to just over sixty Low-Grade Spirit Stones. Moreover, this price already exceeded his psychological expectation, so he shook his head and said, "Zhang Daoyou, your Legacy only has two Pill Formulas. My psychological price is sixty Low-Grade Spirit Stones. I am truly short on funds; if it's over this price, then forget it."
Zhang Quan frowned and glanced at Du Tai next to him, who was looking at a small spider spinning a web on the ceiling.
He had been stuck with this Legacy for a long time; the shop was only willing to buy it back for thirty Low-Grade Spirit Stones.
Most importantly, Cultivators at the Qi Refining Early Stage mostly learned Talisman making, which had relatively low costs. As for learning Alchemy, unless backed by power, ordinary Loose Cultivators simply didn't learn it.
After a while, he gritted his teeth and said, "Sixty it is, then it's Fellow Daoist Chen's."
Saying that, he shoved the book into Chen Si's hand.
After flipping through it and confirming there were no issues, he took out a Spirit Stone bag from his embrace, poured out forty Low-Grade Spirit Stones, then borrowed twenty from Du Tai beside him, and handed them all to Zhang Quan.
After the other party confirmed the amount of Spirit Stones, he stuffed the Spirit Stone bag into his embrace.
The transaction continued.
About a quarter of an hour later, everyone had had their turn, and next was the discussion of the Dao.
Everyone spoke of the problems they encountered in Cultivation, and those who knew could help answer them.
Chen Si kept his eyes down, his nose pointed forward, remaining silent.
Another hour passed before the debate ended.
The small gathering concluded, and everyone departed. It was already completely dark, with only the Formations outside some shops shimmering with a faint white light.
Chen Si and Du Tai walked into a small alley. He took out the porcelain bottle from his embrace and put it into the other's hand, "Here are two drops of Spirit Liquid, which can just offset the Spirit Stones you lent me. Of course, if you don't need them, I can return them to you after I get my wages."
"Spirit Liquid?" Du Tai's eyes lit up. He opened the stopper and sniffed, and the rich Spiritual Qi rushed into his nostrils, making him involuntarily sneeze.
"Good stuff, I'll take it!"
He was currently at Qi Refining Third Stage; when he faced the Bottleneck, with these two drops of Spirit Liquid, his chances of Breakthrough would be much higher.
The two completed their transaction, bid farewell, and returned to their respective homes. Chen Si walked out from the opposite side of the alley onto another small path.
Du Tai, on the other hand, returned to the main road he was on before and quickly disappeared into the distance.
Chen Si walked slowly, stopping beneath a large tree by the roadside, and asked blandly, "Zhang Quan, why have you been following me all along?"
A figure appeared four zhang behind him, it was Zhang Quan.
"Fellow Daoist Chen can actually discover my tracks; it seems you have some skill," Zhang Quan's expression was indifferent, a stark contrast to his previous amiable demeanor. "Hand over everything on you obediently, and I can spare your life."
Chen Si shook his head and sighed, "I suppose that so-called First-Grade Alchemy Legacy was what you used to fish, wasn't it? Even if I didn't say anything, you would have taken it out to sell in the end. And you've done it more than once."
"That's right. Blame yourself for delivering yourself to my doorstep," Zhang Quan said indifferently.
"Aren't you afraid of the Enforcement Team pursuing this?" Chen Si retorted.
"As long as it's done cleanly, who would know?" Zhang Quan said with a faint smile.
"You're right!" Chen Si nodded in agreement, then countless small stones floated up from the ground around him.
"This is... Divine Sense? You are a Foundation Establishment Senior?" The smile on Zhang Quan's Face froze, and his body trembled uncontrollably. "Senior, spare my life!"
His psychological defense instantly collapsed, and he directly prostrated himself on the ground, kowtowing for mercy.
Chen Si's expression was indifferent, and all the floating small stones flew towards the other party.
This guy still tried to struggle at the last moment, activating a defensive Talisman, but it was still useless.
The protective layer was directly pierced, and his body was riddled with shattered stones like a sieve.
Chen Si's Divine Sense rolled, sweeping all valuable items from the other party into his hands.
Then, his Divine Sense rolled the corpse and threw it deep underground; unless one's Divine Sense strength exceeded his, the corpse would not be discovered.
Returning to the small courtyard, he sat down and began to examine the First-Grade Early Stage Alchemy Legacy he had just obtained, as well as the two First-Grade Early Stage Pill Formulas attached to it.