29: Open blind box

Only after rearranging the Formation in the small courtyard did Lu Ming return to his Cultivation room.

He sat cross-legged on the futon, his expression calm as he gazed into the Void Realm, muttering to himself.

“I made the list…”

He had initially thought they were an honest couple of herb gatherers; Feng Ping even seemed simple and easygoing.

“Knowing a person’s face doesn’t mean knowing their heart!”

Lu Ming sighed inwardly. There were few truly sincere people in this Cultivation world; everyone was full of schemes.

These two must have Cultivated a Qi Concealment Spell, making their Cultivation undetectable, but Lu Ming wasn't worried.

The golden book classified them as Middle Stage Qi Refinement Cultivators, and even if they were at the sixth level of Qi Refining, Lu Ming had no fear.

His current raw strength was comparable to a seventh-level Qi Refining Cultivator, and with a bit more Cultivation, he could even attempt to break through to the sixth level of Qi Refining.

“But what about this Ore Vein that Chen Yumei mentioned?”

Lu Ming didn't think Chen Yumei was so foolish as to concoct an easily debunked lie to deceive him.

He took out a Talisman for communication, preparing to ask Zhang Li what was going on.

Lu Ming wasn't concerned about any Ore Vein; he just didn't want his peaceful life to be disrupted.

By reviewing various ancient texts, it was not difficult to discover a pattern.

Each time a resource point like a Spiritual Vein or Ore Vein appeared in the Cultivation world, it would attract trouble.

“Uncle Zhang, do you know about the Ore Vein?”

He sent a message to Zhang Li, and not long after, the communication Talisman responded, emitting Zhang Li's rough voice.

“You've been gone for over a month, but your news is well-informed.”

“That’s right. Half a month ago, a few Loose Cultivators found several pieces of second-tier tungsten copper Ore in the Cloud Mist Mountain Range and brought them to the Market to sell. The news then spread.”

“Recently, many Loose Cultivators have gone to the Cloud Mist Mountain Range to seek Opportunity, even alarming the Murong Family, but no traces of an Ore Vein have been found.”

“Murong Family?”

In Green Bamboo Market, it was impossible for anyone not to have heard of the Murong Family. The Murong Family not only had Foundation Establishment Cultivators but was also the founder and controller of Green Bamboo Market.

However, the Murong Family usually operated in the core area of the Market and, apart from dispatching the Law Enforcement Team to patrol the Market, remained indifferent to other matters.

After all, various factions in the Market offered them a considerable amount of Spirit Stones monthly.

They could earn money by doing nothing, so they were too lazy to get involved in those troublesome affairs.

Lu Ming hadn't expected the Ore Vein matter to involve the Murong Family.

“Wealth moves hearts. With traces of a second-tier Ore Vein, it's no wonder the Murong Family was alarmed.”

But for now, it was fine; there was only a possibility of an Ore Vein, and it hadn't been discovered yet.

At this moment, Zhang Li's voice came from the communication Talisman again.

“The Cloud Mist Mountain Range has been very chaotic lately, with high-tier Yao Beasts frequently appearing. Even I haven't gone to the mountains to hunt Yao Beasts for now. You, kid, with your meager strength, shouldn't go looking for trouble.

And I heard that demonic Cultivators have recently infiltrated the Market, and several people have already died. You should be careful.”

“Thank you for your concern, Uncle Zhang. I won't run around recklessly!”

“…”

Lu Ming ended his communication with Zhang Li, and the heavy stone in his heart finally dropped.

He no longer paid much attention to the Ore Vein matter; Feng Ping and Chen Yumei were probably using the excuse of searching for an Ore Vein to lure him out.

As for demonic Cultivators, his Cultivation Technique and Spells were even more sinister than theirs. If anyone targeted him, they would only become nourishment for his Three Yin Nether Fire.

Lu Ming rubbed his hands, eagerly taking out two Storage Pouches.

First, he took out Yu Xia's Storage Pouch. She was only at the sixth level of Qi Refining, and with Lu Ming's Cultivation boosted by the Blood Burning Secret Technique, he unlocked it with little effort.

He poured out all the contents and began to count them.

However, as he inventoried, he gradually grew disappointed.

There were only two hundred and forty Spirit Stones, and a few Low Grade first-tier Talismans.

The Medicinal Pills were only Medium Grade first-tier, and most of the Jade bottles were not full. It was likely that a month of torment had caused Yu Xia to consume many Medicinal Pills.

What remained were some healing Medicinal Pills and a large quantity of grain-abstaining Medicinal Pills.

“Hmm? What is this?”

Opening a Jade box, he found a light pink Medicinal Pill lying inside.

“Youth Preservation Pill!”

Lu Ming recognized it; this kind of Medicinal Pill was very famous.

This was a Medicinal Pill that, once taken, could slow down the aging of one's appearance. Although it couldn't extend life and was relatively expensive, it was indeed a female Cultivator's favorite!

“I didn't expect Fellow Daoist Yu to be a beauty lover. Was she so scared by my absorption that she even got a Youth Preservation Pill?”

Lu Ming didn't care about this; it was of little use to him. His current appearance was quite handsome, so there was no need to take it.

“But I can keep it; maybe it will come in handy later.”

Lu Ming put away what he could use, better than nothing!

As for the Cultivation Technique and Spells, they were not suitable for him; they were all related to charm cultivation and could only be Cultivated to the Late-Stage Qi Refinement.

“Overall, it's not bad, and there's also the Azure Spirit Boat, so it's still some gain.”

Lu Ming comforted himself, taking out the Azure Spirit Boat that Yu Xia had used to pursue him.

At this time, the small boat was only the size of a palm, but after refining, it could carry two people.

“But the real big haul still depends on the old geezer at the seventh level of Qi Refining.”

Lu Ming picked up Yang Hong's Storage Pouch, which was clearly much more exquisite than the one Yu Xia used.

Not only was it exquisite, but the magical power imprint on it was also very powerful.

Lu Ming spent a good half an hour to grind away and unlock the magical power imprint on it.

As before, he poured its contents onto the ground, and even with some mental preparation, he couldn't help but narrow his eyes.

Spirit Stones!

What met his eyes was a large pile of Spirit Stones, roughly six or seven hundred blocks.

This gave Lu Ming the feeling of opening a blind box and getting something good.

And Yang Hong's Storage Pouch was clearly much larger, about three cubic meters in size.

When the contents were fully poured out, there was a full pile on the ground.

However, it was mixed with some Blood Burning Materials, Magical Artifacts, Medicinal Pills, and even some wrapped Jade Slips...

Most of it was scattered, seemingly put in casually, without any organization.

“This old geezer must have killed many Fellow Daoists to accumulate so much wealth.”

But Lu Ming wouldn't be polite at this moment; he unhesitatingly accepted all of it with a smile.

Lu Ming sorted the items on the ground by category.

There were a total of seven hundred and eighty-six Spirit Stones, thirty-two Talismans, a dozen bottles and jars, eight Jade Slips, seven Magical Artifacts, a small booklet, and some clothes and miscellaneous items.

He casually glanced through the Talismans and found that most were Low Grade first-tier, totaling twenty-five.

There were five Medium Grade first-tier Talismans, all Vajra Talismans, which Yang Hong had used during their fight earlier.

If Lu Ming hadn't used the 'Bone Piercing Nail' in the end, his newly learned Yin Thunder Palm wouldn't have been able to break his 'turtle shell.'

There were two High Grade first-tier Talismans: one Aerial Talisman and one Swiftness Talisman.

Lu Ming picked up the Aerial Talisman and looked at it, his eyes immediately lighting up.

This was a Talisman that allowed Qi Refining Cultivators to fly through the air without the aid of a Magical Artifact. Although the duration was limited, it was extremely practical.

The Swiftness Talisman was an upgraded version of the Windwalk Talisman, providing a very high bonus to a Cultivator's movement speed.

Both of these Talismans were very effective in escaping and pursuing enemies, and Lu Ming was very satisfied.

Next, he looked at the bottles and jars.

He opened one of them, and just as he was about to peek inside, a strong, sour, corrosive odor filled the Cultivation room.

“Holy crap, it's poisonous!”

He quickly activated his magical power to form a protective shield, blocking the poisonous smoke outside.

He then inspected the remaining Jade bottles one by one, confirming that most of them contained spiritual poisons.

Lu Ming, with a dark expression, stuffed all these bottles and jars back into the Storage Pouch and waved his hand to dispel the unpleasant odor in the Cultivation room.

“This old geezer is actually an old poisoner; he doesn't even have a few bottles of proper Medicinal Pills!”

The main reason was that Lu Ming himself didn't know if he could transfer the side effects if he ingested spiritual poison.

This made him a bit hesitant to try, at least not until he was confident in detoxifying it.

And besides the spiritual poisons, Lu Ming only found two bottles of usable Medicinal Pills.

Both bottles contained Spirit Pills for Late-Stage Qi Refinement Cultivators.

One bottle of 'Profound Origin Pill' and one bottle of 'Purple Ginseng Spirit Pill.'

Both were Medicinal Pills that could advance one's Cultivation after being consumed by a Late-Stage Qi Refinement Cultivator, with medicinal power several times stronger than Middle Stage Medicinal Pills.

Lu Ming decided to save them for when he attempted to break through the Late-Stage Qi Refinement Bottleneck.

Currently, he would still primarily consume discarded Medicinal Pills.