Chapter 30

The man in gold-rimmed glasses said that one or two flowers by the roadside weren't worth worrying about, and that there would be plenty of good flowers once they reached a good spot.

According to him, Li Banfeng had thought that in a good spot, Snake-Pattern Chrysanthemums would be like wheat, one cut yielding a whole handful.

But now that they had reached a good spot, Li Banfeng found that there weren't that many good flowers. After searching for over two hours, he had only picked five flowers in total.

Some Snake-Pattern Chrysanthemums had long stems and could be cut directly with a sickle, while others had no visible stems, their petals growing flush against the ground, requiring them to be dug out bit by bit with a trowel.

According to Li Banfeng's estimation, finding one Snake-Pattern Chrysanthemum within a ten-meter radius was considered lucky, because the fog on the mountain was getting thicker and thicker, and visibility was getting worse; ten meters was basically the limit of his field of vision.

Flowers were hard to find, and the competition was fierce.

People from the medicine firms were nearby; they had more experience and were faster at picking.

It wasn't just them; there was also competition within this temporarily formed small team.

Old Yanpao was a true Smoke Cultivator. He claimed to be at the first layer, which probably wasn't a lie.

Smoke was his eyes; wherever the smoke drifted, he could see. In two hours, he had picked thirteen Snake-Pattern Chrysanthemums.

The little girl Caoye was also skilled; as a Medicine Cultivator, she had a special sensitivity to medicinal herbs. She had picked ten.

The voluptuous beauty Youtao had slightly worse technique; in two hours, she had picked three, even fewer than Li Banfeng.

But what was the meaning of her constantly swaying in front of me?

With her wearing a cheongsam, bending over like that, with her peach-like buttocks facing me, swaying back and forth in front of me—how was I supposed to pick chrysanthemums?

Was she really asking me to pick chrysanthemums?

The man in gold-rimmed glasses, that expert, had average skills; he had picked six flowers, just one more than Li Banfeng.

Tiger Bai Bai Gaozi, like Li Banfeng, had also picked five flowers.

The most useless one was Qin Xiaopang, who had only picked one flower and was stomping his feet in the grass in frustration.

Tiger Bai Bai Gaozi mocked Qin Xiaopang from the side: "With just that one flower, you can't even make half a pill. I'm really afraid you won't be able to sell it when we get down the mountain!"

Xiao Pang said angrily: "Why wouldn't I be able to sell it! It's not like they have to use my one flower to refine a pill separately; they'll definitely put all the collected flowers together to refine them!"

Li Banfeng asked: "Can't you refine half a pill with one flower?"

"You can't," the little girl Caoye found another Snake-Pattern Chrysanthemum and said while picking it, "I heard that one high-grade pill requires five Snake-Pattern Chrysanthemums to be refined."

The beauty Youtao interjected: "I heard you have to add quite a few auxiliary materials."

Caoye thought for a moment and said: "I remember that refining Snake-Pattern Pills doesn't require auxiliary materials, but the heat control is extremely difficult. You have to change the heat four or five times in the middle, and the intensity is different each time. Besides, every medicine firm has a different method for refining pills."

Youtao sighed upon hearing this: "Pill formulas are things that are priceless if you don't know them, and nonsense if you do. Since we don't have that ability, we can only trade our lives for this little bit of money.

Little sister, since we've met, we can be considered friends. You should study pharmacology well. In the future, when we pick medicinal herbs, we'll sell them to your shop; at least you'll give us a bit more money."

Caoye blushed, smiled, and continued looking for Snake-Pattern Chrysanthemums.

She had been touched by Youtao's words; opening a medicine shop was her dream.

Li Banfeng was roughly calculating in his heart: five flowers to refine one pill, one flower for eighty-five, just buying the flowers costs four hundred and twenty-five.

The cost of a Snake-Pattern Pill isn't low; even without auxiliary materials, plus labor, it must be nearly five hundred per pill.

The medicine firm business isn't easy to do either!

"How much can one Snake-Pattern Pill sell for?" Li Banfeng asked.

"Ten thousand." Xiao Pang gave a short answer.

Ten thousand?

Ten thousand!

Li Banfeng froze on the spot.

Is this a joke?

One pill sells for ten thousand!

This is too profiteering!

Li Banfeng froze on the spot, and Sister Youtao smiled: "What, you think it's expensive? The medicine firms do a business that makes ten thousand for every one invested.

Even at this price, you need wealthy families to buy them; ordinary people can't buy them at all.

Think about it, ten thousand to buy one day of cultivation. Three million six hundred fifty thousand can buy a year of cultivation. Thirty-six million five hundred thousand can buy ten years of cultivation.

Ten years of cultivation is one layer of cultivation base, and three hundred million can exchange for ten layers of cultivation base. Ten layers of cultivation base can exchange for triple the lifespan. Do you think this money isn't worth spending?"

"Whether it's worth it or not is another matter, Sister, when you talk, please don't face me with your buttocks."

Youtao turned her head, squinted at Li Banfeng, and smiled: "Do you like them? Plump and white, do you want to squeeze them? Give me a flower, and I'll let you squeeze them to your heart's content."

One pill, twenty times the profit.

Li Banfeng found a Snake-Pattern Chrysanthemum, looked at it for a long time, and asked: "Instead of buying such expensive pills, wouldn't it be better to just eat the Snake-Pattern Chrysanthemum? One flower is only eighty-five."

Caoye shouted: "Brother Bai Sha, you mustn't mess around. You can't eat this; the Snake-Pattern Chrysanthemum is highly poisonous. Eating one will cost you your life."

Li Banfeng was stunned: "The Snake-Pattern Chrysanthemum is poisonous? Is the Snake-Pattern Pill not poisonous?"

Caoye and Youtao looked at Li Banfeng together, as if looking at an illiterate person.

Caoye said: "The Snake-Pattern Pill is also poisonous, but the toxicity isn't as heavy, though you still can't eat too many."

Youtao said: "I say, Brother Bai Sha, how come you don't know anything? Do you really have a cultivation base? If you don't, get down the mountain quickly, don't risk your life here.

Also, I just said that three hundred million to exchange for ten layers of cultivation base was just a metaphor; don't take it seriously. If you really ate that many Snake-Pattern Pills, you'd have died God knows how many times."

Xiao Pang reminded Li Banfeng from the side: "Hurry up and find flowers, why so much talk? Serious business is what matters!"

He was reminding Li Banfeng not to show weakness again.

But he was right; serious business was what mattered. The Snake-Pattern Chrysanthemum only bloomed for one day; after one day, the flowers would wither.

This wasn't even the most urgent thing.

Li Banfeng started to feel dizzy; he was fast reaching his limit against the bitter fog.

Old Yanpao was focused on serious business; taking advantage of the time they were talking, he picked another Snake-Pattern Chrysanthemum.

Putting the flower into his cloth bag, Old Yanpao spat out another puff of yellowish smoke.

The smoke lingered for a moment, sensing something, and Old Yanpao hurried forward; there was another Snake-Pattern Chrysanthemum in front of him.

Old Yanpao took out his scissors, skillfully cut the flower stem, and was just about to put the flower away when he saw the bald man who had snatched the flower by the roadside earlier appear before him, reaching out to snatch it.

Old Yanpao remained unhurried, using his pipe to block the back of the bald man's hand, and with a hiss, he burned off a patch of skin and flesh.

The bald man let out a cry of pain and shouted at Old Yanpao: "Old thing, have you lived enough?"

Old Yanpao smiled: "Snatching my things, I think you're the one who's lived enough."

"Who snatched your things? I saw that flower first!"

"Never mind who saw it first, the flower is in my hand. If you have the ability, come and take it!" Old Yanpao didn't waste words, put the flower in his pocket, held his pipe, and looked at the bald man indifferently.

The bald man whistled, and three more men appeared before Old Yanpao.

He had brought help.

Now Old Yanpao panicked.

"Old thing, put down the bag in your hand, and today I'll spare your life." The bald man drew his machete, and the three men behind him also drew their weapons.

Old Yanpao hesitated for a moment, not intending to fight to the death. He opened his bag and said to the bald man: "There are twenty-two flowers here. I'll leave you half, and this matter will be settled."

"I told you to leave them all. Don't you understand? Do you value your life more than your wealth?" The bald man smiled and, without further ado, raised his knife to hack.

The little girl Caoye was terrified and hid behind the man in gold-rimmed glasses.

The man in gold-rimmed glasses shouted: "I say, friend, things can be discussed!"

Tiger Bai Bai Gaozi also walked over: "We should be reasonable, don't move just yet!"

The two stepped forward to stop them, but the bald man ignored them completely, one knife stroke after another, all aimed at the head.

Besieged by four people, Old Yanpao didn't even have a chance to smoke. Just as a knife was about to land on Old Yanpao's head, the bald man suddenly withdrew his hand, and a bloody cut appeared on the back of his hand.

Xiao Pang had made his move.

Since they had formed a team, they had to look out for each other. Xiao Pang followed the rules, and he had long wanted to teach this bald man a lesson.

Seeing that only Xiao Pang had rushed up, the bald man called for the others to continue the siege.

Looking at the situation, Tiger Bai Bai Gaozi glanced at the man in gold-rimmed glasses.

The man in gold-rimmed glasses scanned the rest of the people.

The little girl Caoye was hiding behind him, too scared to move.

The beauty Youtao looked at the bald man, not knowing what her plans were.

Li Banfeng saw a Snake-Pattern Chrysanthemum and was preparing to pick it; the fight happening seemed to have nothing to do with him.

Tiger Bai Bai Gaozi glanced at the man in gold-rimmed glasses again and said in a low voice: "It's about time."

The man in gold-rimmed glasses kept his gaze on the bald man.

Four against two, the bald man's group had originally held the upper hand, but for some reason, the four of them became increasingly agitated in their attacks. Their hands trembled as they gripped their knife handles, and every stroke was crooked, as if they were novices who had never fought before.

What's going on?

Why are they so panicked?

This situation didn't seem to warrant any panic.

The bald man's eyes were glowing, and his cheeks were flushed.

He wasn't panicked; he was excited.

Excited to the point where his body was somewhat out of control.

Seeing this, the man in gold-rimmed glasses rushed two steps to the bald man, kicked him in the chest, and sent him stumbling back several steps.

Tiger Bai Bai Gaozi also rushed up, knocked down a man holding a machete with one punch, and shouted at the crowd: "I'm giving you face, don't you want it? Do you think we're easy to bully!"

The bald man held his knife and said: "I advise you not to meddle in other people's business."

The man in gold-rimmed glasses darkened his face and adjusted his glasses: "We formed a team and agreed to look out for each other. We're definitely meddling in this business."

Xiao Pang opened his bag, wolfed down a jin of dry rations, and shouted at the crowd: "Come on, fight! Let's see if Grandpa can hack you to death!"

Old Yanpao picked up his pipe, took two deep puffs, and the yellowish-white smoke gradually dispersed.

Seeing the situation was bad, the bald man took his group and turned to flee.

The man in gold-rimmed glasses let out a long breath, turned to the crowd, and said: "Everyone, hurry and pick flowers. They won't dare to come back."

Old Yanpao put away his pipe, sat on the ground to catch his breath for a moment, and then continued picking flowers.

Xiao Pang came to Li Banfeng's side, sat down angrily, and said in a low voice: "Brother Li, why didn't you help me?"

Li Banfeng handed the Snake-Pattern Chrysanthemum he had just picked to Xiao Pang: "Hurry and pick flowers, pick a few more and get out of here quickly. Something's wrong."

After saying this, Li Banfeng placed a stone he had been holding onto the ground.

He had been clutching the stone the whole time.

Only then did Xiao Pang realize that Li Banfeng had been prepared to make a move.

The man in gold-rimmed glasses saw a Snake-Pattern Chrysanthemum and had just picked it when Tiger Bai Bai Gaozi quietly walked to his side: "Why didn't you let Old Third snatch a wave first?

If they had snatched a wave, they would have put in more effort. Among these people, except for that old man, none of them are useful."

The man in gold-rimmed glasses put the chrysanthemum into his cloth bag and said in an extremely low voice: "That fellow called Bai Sha isn't quite right."

"What's not right about him? He's just a greedy, cowardly piece of trash."

"He's a Joy Cultivator. Joy Cultivators have techniques to disturb the mind; we must be on guard."

Tiger Bai Bai Gaozi disagreed: "He doesn't look like a Joy Cultivator. I've never seen a Joy Cultivator traveling with a man."

The man in gold-rimmed glasses frowned slightly: "There are many things you haven't seen."

Tiger Bai Bai Gaozi still didn't believe it: "When the little fatty was getting beaten just now, I didn't see him make a move either. How could a Joy Cultivator watch his partner get beaten?"

"How do you know he didn't make a move?" The man in gold-rimmed glasses clapped the dirt off his hands. "Old Third just got hit by the Joy Cultivator's technique; didn't you see? He couldn't even hold his knife steady!"

"That was the Joy Cultivator's technique?" Tiger Bai Bai Gaozi was stunned. "I thought Old Third was just panicked. Then what do you plan to do? Are we not doing this business?"

"The business must be done. We'll change places in a while. Joy Cultivators have weak bodies and can't hold out for too long; they'll definitely have to go down the mountain early.

Once he's alone, let Old Third deal with him, and we'll take care of them all together." The man in gold-rimmed glasses stood up to look for the next Snake-Pattern Chrysanthemum.

PS: Two chapters today, nine thousand words. Salad doesn't want to split the chapters too much, as that affects the reading experience.

(End of chapter)