41: Chapter 41 Amethyst Grapes

After leaving Houtu Hall, Li Qing did not immediately take a boat back to Xiuchun Market, but instead walked along the main street of Pingjiang City.

He was also planning to collect more Spiritual Plant seeds; regardless of whether they were first-grade common Spiritual Plants or rare second-grade varieties, he did not want to miss out on anything he could get his hands on.

After all, he held a trump card that others lacked: an Immortal Cave farmland that could accelerate the growth of Spiritual Plants. As long as he had seeds, it wouldn't take long before he could harvest a large batch of mature Spiritual Plants, which would be perfect for either Alchemy or selling in exchange for Spirit Stones.

After walking for about half an incense stick of time, a medicinal herb shop with a plaque reading "Baicao Shop" came into view by the side of the street.

The shop's frontage was not particularly large, but it was kept clean and tidy. Several pots of common low-grade Spiritual Plants were displayed at the entrance, and there were quite a few Cultivators coming and going; at a glance, it was clearly an established shop with a good reputation in the market.

Li Qing did not hesitate and pushed the door open to enter.

Upon entering the shop, a rich medicinal fragrance rushed towards him, mixed with faint Spiritual Qi, making one feel relaxed and refreshed just by smelling it.

Behind the counter stood a Middle-aged Cultivator with a goatee, whose cultivation appeared to be at the Middle Stage of Qi Gathering. His eyes were shrewd, clearly marking him as an old hand who had been in the medicinal herb business for many years.

Before the other party could speak, Li Qing stepped forward and said straight to the point: "Shopkeeper, I need some Spiritual Plant seeds. Do you have any here?"

The Middle-aged Cultivator was stunned for a moment, clearly not expecting someone to come specifically to buy Spiritual Plant seeds.

After all, most Cultivators either bought mature Spiritual Plants directly or only those with their own farmland would specifically collect seeds. It was rare for a solitary Loose Cultivator like Li Qing to come specifically to buy seeds.

However, a businessman would never turn away business. The Middle-aged Cultivator immediately put on a smile and asked politely: "Seeds? I don't know what kind of Spiritual Plant seeds you need, Fellow Daoist, just say the word. My Baicao Shop has been open in this market for decades, and we basically have all the common Spiritual Plant seeds."

Li Qing nodded. Without any hesitation, he listed a long string of names in one breath: "Qingling Grass, Ordinary Iron Flower, Golden Vein Grass, Red Blood Ganoderma, Blood Ginseng, Xuan Ginseng, Dew-Condensing Grass, Ice Soul Flower..."

He rattled off dozens of types. The vast majority were the most commonly used first-grade Spiritual Plants for Cultivators and were also the core Materials for refining qi gathering pills, Body Tempering pills, and basic healing pills, which were in huge demand.

Besides these, he also deliberately mixed in the names of a few second-grade Spiritual Plants, simply trying his luck.

Second-grade Spiritual Plant seeds were very rare in the market, and ordinary medicinal herb shops rarely had them in stock. Li Qing did not hold much hope; he just asked casually.

The Middle-aged Cultivator listened while silently noting them down, his expression slowly changing from relaxed to somewhat troubled.

When Li Qing finished speaking, he smiled bitterly and shook his head: "Fellow Daoist, the Spiritual Plant seeds you want are simply too many; my little shop cannot gather so many. I do have some first-grade Spiritual Plant seeds here, but as for the second-grade ones, I really don't have them. Those things are too rare, and my little shop cannot obtain them at all."

Li Qing had anticipated this and was not disappointed. He just said calmly: "It doesn't matter. Whatever you have will do. Bring out whatever you have and let me see."

The Middle-aged Cultivator turned around and rummaged under the counter for a while, finally taking out a few small oil-paper packets and placing them on the counter one by one.

"Fellow Daoist, I only have Qingling Grass seeds and Blood Ginseng seeds here. They were all newly harvested this year, and the survival rate is very high. Take a look."

Li Qing picked up the two oil-paper packets and gently opened a small slit. The seeds inside were tiny and plump, carrying a trace of faint Spiritual Qi; they were indeed fresh, good seeds.

He did not haggle and paid the Spirit Stones according to the price quoted by the shopkeeper, then carefully put the two packets of seeds into his Storage Pouch.

Although he only bought two types, it was still a harvest, and Li Qing was quite satisfied.

After leaving Baicao Shop, Li Qing did not stop. Instead, he continued to wander around the market, asking one medicinal herb shop after another.

Some shops didn't even have Spiritual Plant seeds, some only had one or two types, and others had ridiculously high prices.

Li Qing was neither impatient nor anxious. He patiently compared and selected from shop to shop. As long as the price was reasonable and the seed quality was good, he would buy them without hesitation.

After running to five or six more medicinal herb shops in this way, he successively bought over a dozen more types of Spiritual Plant seeds. Basic ones like Ordinary Iron Flower, Golden Vein Grass, and Dew-Condensing Grass were all gathered. Although he didn't get any second-grade Spiritual Plant seeds, the commonly used first-grade varieties were almost complete, enough for him to plant a large area in his Immortal Cave.

And just as he was preparing to end his shopping and walked into one last inconspicuous little shop, an unexpected surprise fell upon him.

The owner of this little shop was an old man with gray hair. The medicinal herbs in the shop were arranged somewhat messily, and business looked average. Li Qing had originally just held a mindset of trying one last time, but unexpectedly, while the old man was rummaging for seeds, he unearthed a round, translucent seed that glowed with a pale purple light from a dusty wooden box.

"Fellow Daoist, these are all the seeds I have left. This one in particular was something I accidentally obtained during an adventure in my early years. I have never known what it is, but it looks like the seed of some kind of spiritual fruit. If you want it, just give me some Spirit Stones and take it away."

Li Qing took the seed. The moment it touched his hand, he felt a cool Spiritual Qi spreading from his fingertips. Upon taking a closer look at that unique purple crystalline glow, his heart skipped a beat, and he almost couldn't help but laugh out loud.

This was no unknown seed; it was clearly an Amethyst Grape seed!

The Amethyst Grape was a second-grade spiritual fruit. Its flesh was plump and full of Spiritual Qi. Most importantly, the spiritual wine brewed from it had the effect of clearing the mind and nourishing the Divine Soul, making it very popular among Foundation Establishment Masters, and its price had always remained high.

More importantly, Amethyst Grapes grew in clusters. As long as one was planted, once it survived, it could continuously bear fruit, and the yield was very considerable.

The only pity was that there was only one such seed.

But Li Qing was not worried at all. Others needed ten or even dozens of years to bear fruit when planting spiritual fruits, but he had the Immortal Cave farmland, and the growth speed far exceeded the outside world. As long as he planted this one, it wouldn't take long for vines to grow and bear the first batch of Amethyst Grapes. At that time, he could collect new seeds, and he could have as many as he wanted.

Li Qing suppressed the excitement in his heart and calmly gave the old man fifty Low-Grade Spirit Stones, pretending not to care as he carefully put away the precious Amethyst Grape seed.

This trip out was simply an unexpected joy.

After putting away all the seeds, Li Qing did not linger and took a flying boat back to Xiuchun Market.

After returning to the small courtyard, Li Qing immediately took out the Formation Plate he had purchased.

Li Qing followed the instructions for using the Formation Plate, burying it firmly underground in the center of the small courtyard, and then injected a trace of spiritual power.

The next second, a faint, almost invisible shimmer enveloped the entire small courtyard, and the surrounding air twisted slightly. The small courtyard instantly merged with the surrounding environment. Looking from the outside, one would only think that this was an ordinary courtyard, and no abnormality could be seen at all.

Feeling the stable fluctuations coming from the Formation, Li Qing let out a long sigh of relief, and his sense of security instantly doubled.

After confirming that the Formation had no problems, Li Qing looked around the empty small courtyard. Confirming that there was no one around, he moved his mind. A faint light flashed around his body, and his whole person directly flashed and disappeared from the spot, entering his portable Immortal Cave space.

He prepared to harvest this batch of spiritual rice before planting the Spiritual Plant seeds.

Now, all the Spiritual Plant seeds were being soaked by Li Qing in clear water containing spirit dew.

Then, he walked into the training room, took out Spirit Stones, cast all distracting thoughts to the back of his mind, operated the Five Elements Technique, and entered a state of Cultivation.