1: Chapter 1 Congratulations, shopkeeper, on completing a transaction and receiving a cultivation bonus!

Spirit Realm, Tingfeng Town.

"Shopkeeper, do you buy this Seven-Star Grass?"

Ye Baiyuan stood before a small wooden hut and looked up at the old wooden plaque hanging on the lintel: "Yunyou Shop."

"I do, I do. Rest assured, Fellow Daoist, my business is run with integrity; I never cheat the young or the old!"

The young shopkeeper, Jiang Xuan, rose from behind the counter and greeted her with a smile.

The person who arrived was a woman of about twenty, with a beautiful face and delicate features.

She wore a pale blue dress with a plain sash tied around her waist, which accentuated her exquisite figure perfectly.

However, the hem of her dress was stained with a few spots of mud, suggesting she had traveled quite a distance in the mountains.

Ye Baiyuan walked to the counter and carefully took a Spiritual Plant from her sleeve.

The Spiritual Plant was emerald green throughout, its branches and leaves spread out, with a faint fluorescence shimmering on the surface, as if dusted with fine starlight.

However, upon closer inspection, the tip of one leaf had already turned a withered yellow.

Jiang Xuan took it, pinched the stem, turned it over several times to inspect it, and then leaned in to sniff it before speaking:

"A century-old Seven-Star Grass, elegant and pure, with sparse branches and leaves. It prefers light shade and fears the scorching sun. It is a Tier 1 Spiritual Plant."

He paused, then lightly tapped his fingertip on the withered yellow leaf:

"However, it wasn't stored properly after being picked, and a trace of its spiritual essence has already been lost."

"I can only offer seven Spirit Stones for it."

Ye Baiyuan's expression changed, and she quickly said, "Shopkeeper, you are too heartless!"

"It's only lost a tiny bit, so why cut the price by three? Tier 1 Spiritual Plants usually start at ten Spirit Stones!"

Jiang Xuan set the Seven-Star Grass on the counter and said in a calm tone, "Fellow Daoist, it's not that I'm intentionally suppressing the price. See for yourself."

"The Spiritual Qi has already dissipated. If this Spiritual Plant is used for Alchemy, the success rate of forming the pill will likely be discounted."

As he spoke, he spread his hands, "Let alone an Alchemist, even a pharmacist would hesitate upon seeing this quality."

"I offer seven, which is already a conscientious price."

Ye Baiyuan pressed her lips together, a look of worry appearing on her face. It wasn't that she didn't know Jiang Xuan was making sense.

Before coming here, she had already visited two other shops in town; one offered six, and the other was only willing to give seven.

But she was currently in desperate need of Spirit Stones; she was penniless and her pockets were empty.

Having finally found this Spiritual Plant in the mountains, she naturally wanted to exchange it for more.

She took half a step forward, her tone carrying a hint of earnestness: "Shopkeeper, please have mercy and add a little more."

"I am truly in urgent need of Spirit Stones; it's a matter of life and death."

Jiang Xuan shook his head with a wry smile: "Fellow Daoist, no matter how big the matter is, I still need to eat, don't I?"

"At least show some sincerity so I have a reason to raise the price."

Ye Baiyuan froze. Subconsciously, she patted her robes and checked her sleeves, finally looking dejected:

"To tell you the truth... I am truly penniless."

Jiang Xuan couldn't help but laugh.

The path of cultivation looks infinitely glorious, but that is only for the children of large Families.

For a Loose Cultivator like Ye Baiyuan, life is hard. A single Spiritual Plant is their entire fortune. He had seen several such cases these past few days.

But he still shook his head.

It wasn't that he lacked sympathy, but he couldn't set this precedent.

If he made an exception for her today, word would spread tomorrow, and others would think his shop was a charity.

Seeing his firm attitude, Ye Baiyuan slowly lowered her head, a strand of dark hair slipping from behind her ear to cover half her face.

She bit her lower lip as if struggling with herself, a faint flush gradually spreading across her cheeks.

Jiang Xuan didn't rush her; he just waited quietly.

After a long while, he heard her voice emerge, muffled and as small as a mosquito's hum:

"Then... then I will kiss you once..."

"Can you... raise it by one Spirit Stone?"

Jiang Xuan was stunned, thinking he had misheard. He looked at Ye Baiyuan's flushed face again and confirmed he hadn't.

To be honest, he wasn't bad-looking; he had clear features, a high nose bridge, and sharp contours.

His entire demeanor was gentle and composed, which could be considered quite presentable in the town.

Perhaps precisely because of this, Ye Baiyuan was able to say such a thing; after all, kissing someone good-looking couldn't be considered a loss.

Jiang Xuan thought about it seriously.

Then he shook his head decisively: "That won't do."

Ye Baiyuan's shoulders slumped, and she nodded in disappointment, just opening her mouth to say "Forget it then."

When she heard Jiang Xuan add unhurriedly: "At least two kisses."

Ye Baiyuan: "..."

She looked up, wanting to glare at him, but the annoyance in her eyes was scattered by the heat rising on her face before she could muster it.

In the end, she nodded slightly.

Jiang Xuan immediately walked out from behind the counter. He first poked his head out to look around; the street was sparsely populated, and no one was paying attention to this side.

He shut the wooden door and casually flipped the small wooden sign hanging by the entrance, revealing the words "Temporarily Closed" on the back.

When he turned back, Ye Baiyuan was wringing her sleeves, looking ready.

Jiang Xuan walked closer, his nose suddenly catching a faint, delicate scent of orchids coming from her.

It was elusive, like the unintentional fragrance of flowers by a mountain stream.

Ye Baiyuan took a deep breath, stood on tiptoe, and pecked his cheek quickly.

The moment her lips touched his skin, a warm and soft sensation vanished in an instant.

Ye Baiyuan dropped back onto her heels, thinking she should quickly finish the second one, and just as she stood on tiptoe...

"Let me do the second one."

Jiang Xuan's voice rang in her ear, carrying a hint of a smile.

Before the words fell, a hand had already firmly wrapped around her waist. The force was not heavy, but it pulled her half an inch closer.

Immediately after, he lowered his head slightly and kissed her directly on the lips. A sweet taste instantly spread.

Ye Baiyuan froze completely, her eyes wide, and her mind went "buzz" as if it had exploded.

Her first reaction was for the spiritual power in her body to surge, wanting to circulate her True Qi to blast this guy who was taking advantage of her away.

But as soon as her hand moved, she remembered those Spirit Stones and paused.

In the end, she closed her eyes and clumsily responded to his demands.

...

A moment later.

The wooden door opened again, and sunlight poured in, illuminating Ye Baiyuan's slightly flushed face.

She kept her head down, quickly sweeping the nine Spirit Stones laid out on the counter into her sleeve, her movements as swift as if she were afraid they might be snatched away.

After putting them away, she straightened up, lifted her chin slightly, and gave a light huff:

"Consider yourself sensible for knowing to give one extra."

"This young lady is still unmarried; I have never let any other man touch even a finger of mine!"

Jiang Xuan leaned against the counter, looking at her with a smile: "What a coincidence, me too."

Ye Baiyuan shot him a glare, her eyes filled with thirty percent annoyance and seventy percent shyness—not looking like a Cultivator at all.

"As if I'd believe you."

She dropped this sentence, turned around, and walked out the door with brisk steps.

Before Jiang Xuan could withdraw his gaze, a voice that only he could hear rang in his ears:

[Congratulations, Shopkeeper, for completing a transaction. Transaction price: nine Spirit Stones. Received cultivation rebate of 1.8 taels, received +1 Contribution Value!]

[Cultivation: Qi Refining Stage 3]

[Progress: 7.8%]

As the voice faded, a warm current surged from his Dantian, slowly flowing through his Meridians in a cycle.

Jiang Xuan calmed his Qi and focused his mind, introspecting his body. The pool of spiritual power in his Dantian was indeed a trace larger than before.

Although it was so small it could almost be ignored, its texture was extremely pure, without a single trace of Impurities.

He leaned back into his chair, closed his eyes slightly, and recalled the events of half a month ago.