Chapter 567: Healing Berries

Roar!

Fang Xing roared, and the herb collector dropped his sickle in fright.

He lunged forward, pinning the herb collector down, then snatched him away.

"This…"

The other herb collector, wounded on his back, stared blankly.

He had been the first to spot the old ginseng, only to be betrayed by his companion—he thought today would be his last.

Yet he never expected a Mountain Lord to appear and carry the man off?

"Thank you, Mountain Lord Grandfather! Thank you, Mountain Lord Grandfather!"

The herb collector hurriedly kowtowed toward the direction Fang Xing had vanished.

In local folk tales, the Mountain Lord was said to possess the power to punish the wicked.

Rustle rustle!

Not long after, footsteps approached.

The herb collector looked up and saw a boy dressed in animal hides; he cried out at once: "Save me! Save me!"

"What happened to you?"

Fang Xing leaned over, curious.

"Alas, I've misjudged men… Young brother, are you a mountain dweller? Be careful—there's a Mountain Lord nearby…"

The herb collector quickly recounted what had just happened.

"I see… That Mountain Lord is just and stern, only devouring the wicked. He won't eat me… Do you have salt? I have healing medicine—I'll trade with you."

Fang Xing spoke.

"Yes, yes!"

The herb collector rejoiced and quickly pulled out a small bag of salt.

Fang Xing took it—the salt was blackish-yellow, clearly unrefined and unfit to eat.

He didn't care, and casually handed over a string of berries: "These are spirit fruits—eat them…"

The herb collector was suspicious, but had no choice; he swallowed one purple berry.

Strange—after just one bite, the bleeding from his back slowed noticeably.

After eating a few more, the blood finally stopped flowing.

'Hmm, this purple berry seems ideal for making healing medicine…'

Fang Xing watched, thinking to himself.

He was using the injured herb collector as a test subject.

Many herbal plants in nature are naturally medicinal, with hemostatic and healing properties.

He found a purple berry, used his 'Plant Growth' talent to accelerate its ripening, then infused it with plant essence, producing a batch of 'Healing Berries'.

Though these berries have drawbacks—short shelf life, only treat minor wounds—they're free…

'And eating several at once still works well—at least it saves lives…'

'Perfect as a flagship product.'

Since Fang Xing planned to visit the hermit market, he needed some goods.

But anything tied to the Blood Shadow Sect was out of the question.

Perfect—he could pose as a skilled spirit cultivator, ensuring no link to the Blood Shadow Sect.

"Thank you, young brother, for saving me!"

The herb collector knew his life was spared; pale-faced, he struggled to thank him.

"Hmm, by the way, where is this? What's the nearest city?"

Fang Xing asked a few casual questions, then vanished into the forest.

"That mountain boy… how doesn't he even know where he is? No—could he really be a mountain dweller?"

Thinking of the berry that instantly stopped bleeding, the herb collector's eyes widened; he immediately knelt and kowtowed: "You're the Mountain God… Thank you, Mountain God, for saving me."

…

Fang Xing left, naturally to interrogate the other herb collector again.

That herb collector was already terrified, especially after seeing Fang Xing transform from a tiger into a human—he answered every question without hesitation.

And both men's answers matched.

If their answers had differed, Fang Xing would have killed them both.

"You betrayed your companion—your virtue is despicable. You are sentenced to death."

After questioning, he casually slapped the man—blood spurted from all seven orifices, and he died.

At that moment, Fang Xing looked at his status bar:

【After multiple trials, you have developed 'Healing Berries' from 'Plant Growth'!】

"Pity—killing creatures grants no experience."

As Fang Xing walked away, he recalled the information he'd gathered:

The nearest city was 'Shield Cloud City', under the jurisdiction of 'Feixian Palace'.

"I didn't even realize how far I'd run—so I've already left the Blood Shadow Sect's territory?"

And since he'd soon be leaving the area, he chose to save the injured herb collector.

Soon enough, legends of the 'Mountain Lord' and the 'Mountain God' would begin to spread here.

…

Yunlai Market.

This market lay at the intersection of the Corpse Driver Sect, Qingmu Ridge, and Flying Sword Gate—a lawless zone attracting many hermits.

Due to its strategic location, many trading houses had set up warehouses here, and business thrived daily.

On this day,

a boy in animal hides walked slowly in, glanced at the market's basic array, then entered through the gate.

"No combat allowed within the market!"

"Cash and goods exchanged!"

The patrolling cultivators warned him, then watched as Fang Xing entered.

"Hmm, this does feel like a true immortal market…"

Fang Xing looked at the hermits selling goods along the path.

Before arriving, he'd already researched: Yunlai Market allowed free entry, but to set up a stall, you paid one talisman coin per day!

Without talisman coins, you could barter other spirit items.

He mortgaged a fifty-year-old yellow essence root to the market manager, receiving in return a yellow cloth tablecloth, marked with crooked, uneven symbols.

That was his stall.

Fang Xing spread out the cloth and laid out the herbs he'd occasionally gathered.

But mostly, he displayed 'Healing Berries'!

"How much for these berries?"

Soon, several curious hermits gathered, staring at the strings of purple berries.

"Healing Berries—one bite heals wounds… One talisman coin per berry!"

Fang Xing said.

"One talisman coin per berry?"

The hermit frowned: "What about this ginseng—nearly a hundred years old?"

"This isn't nearly a hundred—it's authentic century-old ginseng…" Fang Xing shook his head, seeing the man's attempt to haggle: "Not less than ten talisman coins."

"So expensive."

The hermit shook his head and walked away.

Fang Xing wasn't in a hurry; he sat back calmly.

Beside him, an old man also selling goods glanced over, then looked away—he wore a coarse hemp robe, pulled out a wine gourd from his waist, and took a sip.

Fang Xing smiled; seeing the old man, he somehow thought of Luo Yunzhen.

After all, both were lovers of wine.

Too bad the man had already succumbed to the Heavenly Demon Transformation, his body and Dao destroyed.

'Dao Lords fallen, Dao Court, Demon Lords, Devil Lords… I'll note them down—eventually, I'll deal with them one by one.'

Fang Xing thought.

"Heh… Young man, interested in my wine?"

The old man drank deeply from his gourd, sighed contentedly, stroked his goatee, and wiped off the spilled wine.

Only then did he boast: "This is my precious 'Monkey Wine'—I spent years acquiring it. Mountain spirit monkeys are best at gathering fruits and fermenting them into Monkey Wine… If I sold it, I wouldn't even blink if someone offered five talisman coins per gourd…"

"You're impressive."

Fang Xing replied vaguely: "May I ask your surname?"

"No need for formalities—call me Old Lu…."

Old Lu glanced at his stall: "Young man, are these herbs you grew yourself?"

"Yes…"

Fang Xing nodded: "My family has some expertise in cultivation…"

"So you're from a cultivation family—truly my apologies for my earlier rudeness..."

Old Lv immediately grew more solemn, bowing with deliberate respect.

Though he knew those who came here were mostly solitary cultivators, solitary cultivators were certainly not all the same.

Someone with expertise in spirit plant cultivation, and perhaps family backing, had far deeper roots than ordinary solitary cultivators.

"Forgive me for speaking plainly, but your other herbs are fine—this 'Healing Berry'... I've never heard of it. Other cultivators may not be willing to buy."

Old Lv said.

"This berry takes effect immediately upon ingestion, and can be taken multiple times..."

Fang Xing flushed red: "This is a family secret, not to be revealed! Don't believe me? Buy one and try it!"

"Very well, I'll purchase one."

Old Lv smiled and handed over a yellow talisman coin.

Fang Xing took it and found the coin extremely light—likely folded from some special talisman paper.

Within the paper was stored a trace of pure cultivation energy.

As a general medium of exchange in the cultivation world, it must possess unique qualities.

"This talisman paper could clearly be used to cultivate the 'Origami Secret Art'—though perhaps not as potent as blood paper, still far superior to ordinary paper..."

"Moreover, it seems infused with a pure stream of cultivation energy—though useless for advancing one's realm, it could replenish depletion or activate arrays..."

"So even a general medium of exchange in the immortal world must itself hold intrinsic value?"

Fang Xing glanced at it once and understood its nature thoroughly. Seeing Old Lv carefully examining a purple berry, he chuckled: "My Healing Berry works well, but remember—don't crush or let it rot. If stored too long and the fruit spoils, it loses all efficacy."

"Hmm."

Old Lv nodded absently, then suddenly pulled a dagger from his sleeve and slashed a wound into the back of his hand.

He swallowed the Healing Berry and watched as the wound sealed instantly, healed completely, leaving only a faint white scar.

"An excellent item... no toxic residue whatsoever, and immediate effect. Too bad it can't be stored long-term—otherwise, it might rival high-grade healing spirit pills."

Old Lv sighed.

"Heh, if it could really be stored long-term, how could the big shots up top sit still? We just peddle low-end goods, earning the hard-earned pennies others overlook..."

Fang Xing chuckled.

"You're a sharp lad... you didn't set up your stall right beside me by accident, did you?"

Old Lv asked, eyeing him suspiciously.