6: Chapter 6: The Water of Maturity, Bai Yuhe.

"System... Water of Maturity..."

Qin Feng gripped the small green bottle emitting a faint fluorescence so tightly that his knuckles turned white from the excessive force.

He bit down hard on the tip of his tongue, tasting a hint of salty blood in his mouth.

It hurt; this wasn't a dream!

In the man-eating Servant District of the Hehuan Sect, he, Qin Feng, finally had a day where he could turn his life around!

"Gurgle—"

Before the ecstasy on his face could fully bloom, his shriveled stomach erupted with another thunderous protest, and an intense wave of hunger, accompanied by dizziness, rushed to his head.

Qin Feng leaned against a thick, dead tree nearby, panting heavily.

He had a Golden Finger, but the System had given him ripening potion; he couldn't exactly tilt his head back and drink the stuff like water, could he?

"What to eat... that is a fatal problem."

He leaned against the tree trunk, brow furrowed, his mind racing.

Hunting was out of the question; in the outer perimeter of the Luanzang Mountain Range, even a single beast hair was rare, and the "game" he had encountered earlier was actually a living person.

If he didn't get something to eat soon, and his frail body encountered a beast, it was hard to say who would end up as whose meal.

"Ripening for thirty years... if only there were seeds..."

Qin Feng slapped his thigh, his eyes instantly lighting up terrifyingly. He hurriedly untied the tattered bundle on his back, his dirt-caked hands frantically searching through it.

Worn-out straw sandals, two patched shirts, a few scraps of cloth...

"Found it!"

Qin Feng gasped, pulling a tightly sewn little cloth bag from the very bottom of the bundle.

Opening the cloth bag, a shriveled, blackened seed, no larger than a fingernail, lay quietly inside.

This was a remnant seed of a 'spirit orange fruit' from back when he worked as a Menial Laborer in the spirit fields. Because it was a remnant seed, no one cared about it, so Qin Feng had kept it.

In the Servant District, even the lowest-grade spirit orange fruit was a rarity, capable of replenishing physical strength and containing a meager amount of Spiritual Qi.

"You're the one; I'll treat a dead horse as if it were a living one!"

Now that he had the seed, the next step was to find a place.

He understood the principle of "an innocent man is guilty only because of his treasure" better than anyone. If a manager or a Middle-tier Servant discovered he could ripen spirit plants, his fate would definitely be to be captured and used as blood-sweat fertilizer for the rest of his life, or perhaps even have his soul searched and heart carved out.

Qin Feng looked around, his gaze locking onto a steep slope covered in moss and vines not far from Shed No. 10086.

Leaning on a sharpened wooden stick, he stumbled his way over.

Pushing aside the dense, poisonous vines, and after exerting an immense amount of effort, he finally discovered a hidden cave at the bottom of the slope that could only accommodate one person crawling in while hunched over.

The cave was dark and damp, emitting a musty smell that had lingered for years, and the interior was roughly the size of a room.

"This is the place; I doubt anyone will discover it."

Qin Feng swallowed, and using a patch of slightly soft, moist soil in the corner of the cave, he dug a shallow pit with his fingers, carefully placed the shriveled spirit tangerine seed inside, and covered it with soil.

Then, he held his breath and pulled the wooden stopper from the small green bottle.

An indescribably dense vitality transformed into a faint white mist, instantly permeating the cave.

Just by taking a whiff, Qin Feng felt his exhaustion lighten by thirty percent.

"Drip—"

He tilted the jade bottle, and a drop of crystal-clear, emerald-like green liquid landed precisely on the soil where the seed was buried.

A miracle happened in that moment...

"Chirp, chirp, chirp..."

A delicate sound of breaking shells came from the soil, like spring silkworms eating leaves.

Immediately after, a tender green sprout broke through the soil at a speed visible to the naked eye, growing as it faced the wind!

One inch, one foot, one zhang!

In the blink of an eye, the sprout shot out branches and leaves, the trunk rapidly thickened, and ancient, cracked patterns appeared on the bark.

The previously empty corner of the cave was suddenly completely filled by a lush spirit tangerine tree!

Among the leaves, clusters of pure white flowers bloomed instantly and just as quickly withered, replaced by fruits that rapidly turned from green to golden and plump!

"I'm rich!!!!"

Qin Feng stared dumbfounded at the thirty-year-old tree before him, which was as thick as a bowl and hung with thousands of golden fruits.

The entire cave was filled with a sweet, cloying, yet crisp fruity fragrance.

"Gulp!"

How could he hold back? Qin Feng immediately lunged forward, tore off a spirit tangerine the size of a fist, and took a fierce bite.

"Squish—"

The abundant, sweet juice instantly burst in his mouth, turning into a warm current that flowed down his throat and reached his limbs and bones.

"Refreshing, it's f*cking refreshing!"

The hunger was swept away, replaced by an unprecedented feeling of fullness and strength.

For a low-tier Menial Laborer like him without any cultivation, a spirit tangerine from a thirty-year-old tree was practically a panacea.

After eating three in a row until he was burping, Qin Feng reluctantly stopped.

Looking at the remaining spirit tangerines on the tree, a shrewd gleam flashed in Qin Feng's eyes.

"The fruits... if I can take them and exchange them for servant coins, not only will I not need to go to the suicide-mission mine, but next month's tax will also be covered!"

"Maybe, I can even get better things..."

Having made up his mind, he immediately took action.

Taking advantage of the darkness before dawn, Qin Feng took off his tattered coat, tied it into a knot to make a simple cloth pouch, and carefully picked a full pouch of spirit tangerines, about thirty or so.

Before leaving, he pulled over large patches of poisonous vines to tightly conceal the entrance to the cave.

Unless one walked right up to it and pushed aside the vines, one would never know there was a hidden world inside.

...

The next morning.

On the main road of Servant District 666, the usual hustle and numbness gradually returned.

Groups of low-tier Menial Laborers dragged their heavy steps, preparing to head to the spirit mine pits or the Earth Fire Room to risk their lives.

On both sides of the road, occasionally a few slightly wealthier Menial Laborers set up small stalls, peddling some scrap metal or unknown roots.

Qin Feng found an intersection on the main thoroughfare, spread his cloth pouch directly on the ground, and revealed the golden, enticing spirit orange fruits inside.

That bright splash of color and the subtle, crisp fragrance were as conspicuous as a torch in the dark night, in a Servant District filled with the stench of sweat and rot.

"Oh, is this a spirit orange fruit? It's so big!"

Soon, a sallow and emaciated Menial Laborer stopped, swallowing hard as he crowded over.

"It is indeed a spirit orange fruit, freshly picked. Eating one will keep you full for a day and nourish your strength." Qin Feng sat cross-legged on the ground, his tone calm, yet revealing an inexplicable sense of confidence.

"How much?"

"Two for one servant coin, no bargaining."

"That's robbery! In the Trading Shop, the lowest-grade spirit rice costs one servant coin for two bowls!" the man exclaimed.

"Can spirit rice compare to spirit orange fruit? Once you go down into the mine, eating spirit rice just makes you a full ghost, but eating spirit orange fruit gives you an extra bit of strength to save your life. Plus, the taste is different."

Qin Feng didn't even lift his eyelids and continued: "If I weren't afraid that the high-tier Menial Laborer masters wouldn't pay, I could sell these over there for at least one servant coin each."

After hearing Qin Feng's words, the low-tier Menial Laborer thought, that made sense.

Spirit rice was always available at the trading room, but high-end goods like fruit weren't something a Menial Laborer could just run into.

It was rare that this kid was lucky; otherwise, such good things wouldn't appear in the low-tier Servant District.

Immediately, he fished out two sweat-stained copper coins from his bosom and threw them onto the cloth pouch: "Give me four; I'm dying of craving!"

With the first person taking the plunge, it soon attracted more mining Menial Laborers to crowd around.

The life of a low-tier Menial Laborer was dull and tasteless; having something delicious or different to eat was the moment of enjoyment for most people.

"Give me two!"

"I want four, here are the servant coins, keep them safe!"

In less than half an hour, the thirty spirit tangerines on Qin Feng's stall were snatched up completely.

"Clatter—"

Qin Feng gathered the copper coins scattered on the tattered cloth into his hand; the heavy sensation made him feel incredibly secure.

A full fifteen servant coins!

Added to the five that Wu Mengmeng had secretly slipped him last night, he was now holding a massive fortune of twenty servant coins.

"Life, it has instantly gotten better."

A smile curled at the corners of Qin Feng's mouth; there was no need to risk his life in the spirit mine pit, and the monthly tax of fifty coins became easy to handle.

As long as he secretly sold a little bit every day, he would soon be able to live well in the low-tier Servant District.

Just as he was packing up the tattered cloth, preparing to go to the Trading Shop to exchange for some proper dry rations, oil, and salt, two familiar figures walked slowly from the end of the road.

It was Chen Xiaodao, who had almost sliced him in the jungle last night, and that vixen-like woman with a bewitching tear mole at the corner of her eye, Bai Yuhe.

Chen Xiaodao walked swaggeringly in front, and the low-tier Menial Laborers along the way retreated in terror.

Bai Yuhe followed behind, swaying her water-snake waist, wearing a slightly tight floral cloth dress that outlined her plump and enticing curves to perfection.

"Hmm?"

Chen Xiaodao caught sight of Qin Feng preparing to close up shop. He strode over, stepped on the just-rolled-up tattered cloth, and sneered condescendingly:

"Yo, where did you get so many servant coins? Did you steal them from some master's property? Do you believe I'll send you to the Management Hall to be punished right now?"

Facing Chen Xiaodao's aggression, Qin Feng did not retreat, but calmly met his gaze and said:

"Brother Xiaodao, you can eat food indiscriminately, but you can't speak indiscriminately. The money I earned from finding spirit tangerines in the mountains is clean, every single coin. How is it any of your business?"

"You found them? You, a piece of trash?" Chen Xiaodao scoffed.

"Xiaodao, are you acting like a fool again?"

Just then, a fragrant breeze blew over, and Bai Yuhe walked up quickly, saying softly, "The young man earned the money by his own ability, why are you jealous? Hurry up and take your foot off!"

Although Chen Xiaodao had a hot temper, he seemed to be completely under Bai Yuhe's thumb. After being told that, he snorted coldly, reluctantly withdrew his foot, but his eyes still stared fiercely at Qin Feng.

Bai Yuhe turned around, her beautiful eyes darting, looking him up and down.

When she saw the handful of heavy servant coins in Qin Feng's hand and smelled the rich, lingering fragrance of spirit tangerine in the air, a flash of extreme surprise and curiosity crossed the depths of her eyes.

"Young man..."

Bai Yuhe gently crouched down, extremely close to Qin Feng.

The neckline of her floral dress opened slightly. She reached out a slender finger and gently tapped the back of Qin Feng's hand, which was clutching the servant coins, and asked softly:

"Where exactly did you get your spirit orange fruits? To think they could sell for all these servant coins..."

As she spoke, Bai Yuhe's watery eyes stared intently into Qin Feng's, a meaningful smile curling at the corners of her mouth, her voice lowered extremely low, as if a lover whispering in his ear:

"Take me with you next time; this low-tier Servant District is really no place for a person to live..."