Chapter Twenty-Two: Found You

Yu Wanqiao withdrew her gaze, pretending she had only caught a glimpse of it by accident.

Just then, Wu Ping'an came running over, his footsteps pattering. He looked up at Yu Wanqiao with wide, expectant eyes. "Sister Yu, take an egg with you; they are very delicious."

Looking into his innocent eyes and recalling the events of last night, Yu Wanqiao’s heart softened. She ruffled Wu Ping'an’s hair and agreed with a smile, "Alright, I'll do as you say."

After leaving, Yu Wanqiao headed straight for the Spirit Herb Emporium. This was a shop dedicated to the trade and exchange of spiritual herbs. She had already scouted everything out when she went out yesterday; she was never one to act without sufficient preparation.

She was currently in need of spirit stones. The Glazed Heart Grass was a rare treasure. If she could trade this herb, her finances would be much more comfortable. Her sword, Xueyuan, also required precious materials for maintenance. It needed high-quality sword oil and whetstones to restore its original luster. Yu Wanqiao always felt that the current state of Xueyuan was not its true form. Since the sword had already chosen her as its master, she could not treat it poorly, nor could she settle for mediocre oils and stones. That would be an insult to Xueyuan.

The mere thought of spirit stones filling her purse made her mood lift considerably.

At the Spirit Herb Emporium, the moment Yu Wanqiao stepped through the door, the scent of spiritual herbs washed over her. She took a deep breath, feeling instantly refreshed and invigorated. The shop attendant, having witnessed her behavior, looked her up and down with disdain.

"Go, go, go! Where did you come from? Get out of here; don't be an eyesore," the attendant sneered.

Yu Wanqiao stopped her savoring of the air. "Hey, hey, don't just chase people away."

The attendant glanced at the sword strapped to her back. "Are you a sword cultivator?"

Yu Wanqiao turned her head.

"If you're a sword cultivator, then that explains it. What kind of spirit stones would a sword cultivator have to buy herbs? Move along, don't hinder our business."

Yu Wanqiao blinked. The discrimination against sword cultivators was truly severe. She recalled her own empty pockets and realized it was indeed a time when she desperately needed spirit stones. People always said sword cultivators were poor. Well, it was true. They often had to spend vast amounts of spirit stones to forge their swords, as a good blade required rare, expensive materials. And once a sword was finally forged, it required constant, costly maintenance.

Yu Wanqiao did not argue with the attendant. "I'm not here to buy herbs; I'm here to sell them!" She spoke quickly, fearing she would be kicked out the next second.

The attendant looked at her with skeptical eyes, seemingly doubting she had anything worth selling. "Our Spirit Herb Emporium is the largest herb trading shop in Ruzhou. If you have some common weeds, you should try your luck elsewhere."

Seeing the attendant was still unconvinced and about to drive her away again, Yu Wanqiao immediately declared, "I am here to sell Glazed Heart Grass."

At these words, the attendant froze. "Glazed Heart Grass?" He looked at her with renewed suspicion. This herb was an extreme rarity in Ruzhou. While the climate of the region was perfect for it, only three stalks had ever been recorded in history since the herb was first discovered.

"I am not lying. Please, call your deacon."

Seeing Yu Wanqiao’s calm confidence, the attendant dared not be negligent. After all, if he were the reason a Glazed Heart Grass slipped through their fingers, he would be in deep trouble. His gaze shifted from contempt to obsequiousness. "Please, wait a moment."

Yu Wanqiao watched him walk away and raised an eyebrow. It seemed the Glazed Heart Grass really was a rare treasure.

Not long after, the attendant returned. "My lady, please follow me."

Yu Wanqiao followed. A man seated inside stood up immediately upon seeing her. "You are the one looking to sell Glazed Heart Grass?"

Yu Wanqiao nodded. The deacon immediately asked, "May I examine the herb?"

Yu Wanqiao nodded and, without the slightest hesitation, pulled the Glazed Heart Grass from her storage pouch.

Watching her rough handling, the deacon’s heart leaped into his throat. He hadn't confirmed the authenticity yet, but if it were real, the thought of it being damaged by her carelessness was agonizing. However, his doubt lasted only a second. The moment he saw the plant, he was certain it was the legendary herb.

"This... this really is Glazed Heart Grass." He excitedly grabbed a reference book from the side. "The stem, these multicolored leaves—this is undeniably Glazed Heart Grass."

He closed the book, his voice trembling with excitement. "My lady, may I ask how you obtained this?"

"I picked it in the hills not far from here."

"..."

Hearing her nonchalant tone, the deacon’s jaw nearly hit the floor. He never imagined that such a rare treasure had been sitting in those hills all along.

"And the Black Tiger?"

"I killed it." Seeing the deacon’s endless questions, Yu Wanqiao grew impatient. If she wasted too much time here, what if those people from before caught up? "Deacon, since the herb is genuine, how many spirit stones is it worth?"

Hearing that she had killed the Black Tiger alone, the deacon re-evaluated her. He looked at the Glazed Heart Grass and named a price. "Fifty high-grade spirit stones."

In the cultivation world, there were four types of spirit stones: low-grade, mid-grade, high-grade, and supreme-grade. The exchange rate between low-grade and high-grade was one to ten thousand.

The smile on Yu Wanqiao’s lips was nearly impossible to suppress upon hearing the amount. This trip had been well worth it. "Deal!"

As she walked out of the Spirit Herb Emporium, Yu Wanqiao felt the spirit stones in her pouch and felt completely at ease. Her next step was to find suitable oil for Xueyuan. She patted the sword. "Since we have spirit stones now, I'll take you to get pampered."

Xueyuan vibrated slightly, as if acknowledging her idea.

Yu Wanqiao left satisfied. Over the years, she had become one with Xueyuan, and she knew the sword had developed a spiritual consciousness. She hoped that, like her former sword Guilai, it would eventually manifest a sword spirit. Even with the betrayal she had suffered from Guilai, she decided to trust Xueyuan. And Xueyuan was far more intelligent than Guilai had ever been. It had taken great effort for her to win Guilai's loyalty back then.

Just as she was scanning the surroundings for a suitable shop, she suddenly stopped in her tracks. She realized that someone had blocked her path.

"Found you."