Chapter 111: The Black Saro Seed

Busatan is particularly laid-back; it doesn’t need soil or insects to eat.

Just let it bask in the sun daily, and let it gnaw on a couple of stones—no restrictions on the type of stone.

After Su Jin brought it out, she originally planned to send it to the backyard to find Xue Chiluo, but this thing was extremely lazy. It lay still in her palm, utterly unwilling to move.

No matter how much she urged it, it still just lay there.

Su Jin gave up urging it altogether and decided to let it do whatever it wanted.

To Su Jin, whether it was Xue Chiluo or Busatan, they were just like the dolls she played with as a child—precious little beings with personalities, requiring careful care.

So she respected their wishes and never forced them.

Su Jian’s heart skipped a beat upon hearing this.

He glanced from afar at Feng Qi, who was contacting another middle-aged freelance cultivator.

He immediately made up his mind to keep Su Jin far away from that guy.

An Qian and Su Hanlin quickly arranged a new flying vehicle.

Though not brand-new and outwardly weathered,

its interior was spacious and meticulously cleaned by its owner. Su Jian felt satisfied at first glance.

But he didn’t say outright that this was the one.

Instead, he bent down to ask Su Jin, “Is this flying vehicle acceptable?”

Su Jin nodded.

Since Busatan hadn’t warned her of danger, there was no danger.

An Qian watched this scene and burst out laughing.

She thought: Su Hanlin’s friend Su Jian is such a devoted older brother—doting on his sister to the extreme. He lets her decide everything.

The four of them boarded the flying vehicle, which then activated and began its journey.

Su Jian took out snacks and Bingchen Dew from his home and placed them on the small square table before them, pouring each person a cup of Bingchen Dew. Then he said, “These snacks were made by your sister-in-law. They’re quite tasty. Hanlin and An Qian, don’t be shy.”

“Then thank you,” Su Hanlin eagerly promoted the snacks. “An Qian, try this—I’ve tasted your sister-in-law’s cooking before, and it’s excellent.”

“Thank you,” An Qian replied, not overly formal.

Mainly because she had been on many cultivator teams, so she was naturally open and straightforward.

After eating two snacks, An Qian took a sip of Bingchen Dew.

The moment she swallowed, a cool sensation shot straight through her mind.

That strange, refreshing chill nearly made her moan aloud.

Moreover, her mind became unusually alert, granting her sudden insights into many cultivation questions she’d previously struggled with.

It took a long while before this miraculous effect faded.

“What kind of spiritual dew is this? Is it expensive? Can I buy a jar?” An Qian exclaimed in awe, her face bright with delight.

“If you like it, have Su Hanlin bring you a jar later. This is homemade Bingchen Dew,” Su Jian said.

“What? This is the signature spiritual dew from the spirit-food shops? But that can’t be right—I’ve visited several spirit-food stalls before, and while their Bingchen Dew was decent, it never gave me this sensation: one sip, scalp tingling, mind utterly chilled.”

Su Hanlin burst out laughing. “Do you think the Bingchen Dew sold outside can compare to what we brew at home? The raw materials and storage conditions are vastly different.”

“What you drank is homemade—never sold publicly—so the quality is far superior.”

An Qian looked at the Bingchen Dew in her bowl with deep regret.

She thought: Oh no, I won’t be able to drink this often anymore.

“No problem. Since Xiao Jin likes to drink it, we’ve brewed a lot. If you want some, just have Su Hanlin bring you a jar. But this Bingchen Dew isn’t cheap—it’s eight spirit stones per jar, and I can sell you at most three jars per month.”

An Qian was instantly delighted.

“That’s perfect. I need three jars every month. Is this the jar?” An Qian pointed to the jar on the small table.

“Yes, this two-jin jar,” Su Jian said.

Su Jin thought: Big brother really knows how to do business. He can make ten jin of Bingchen Dew for less than ten spirit stones, yet he dares to sell two jin for eight spirit stones.

“Alright, it’s settled,” An Qian said.

Even Su Hanlin thought it was worth it.

He had tasted Su family’s Bingchen Dew—it was absolutely top-tier.

Extremely rare.

It was said that Su Jin’s classmate, Su Wuji, sent someone every few days to collect one or two jars (ten jin each), paying forty spirit stones per jar.

So An Qian getting this price was definitely due to Su Hanlin’s favor.

Zhanggu Forest Farm was soon reached.

The four got off the flying vehicle and walked straight into Zhanggu Forest Farm.

The ancient trees planted here were a type of ancient fern called Sharotree. Its stem, leaves, bark, and roots could all be used in medicine.

It could also absorb various impurities and convert them into spiritual energy stored within its hollow trunk.

By day it absorbed impurities; by night it released spiritual energy.

It was an excellent tree species for purifying and improving the environment.

The only drawback was that the amount of wood essence extractable from its trunk during spell practice was relatively small.

But it didn’t matter—Su Jin came here not to practice spells.

Inside Zhanggu Forest Farm was a large lake, which was their chosen base.

Once there, everyone scattered: those practicing spells practiced, those seeking food or foraging for mushrooms went to gather them.

Su Jin, while extracting wood essence from Sharotrees, wandered unknowingly to the edge of a mountain stream feeding into the lake. The stream wound deep into the forest. Some Sharotree seeds had somehow fallen into the stream and were carried by the current into the lake.

Su Jin casually stepped onto a stone to cross the stream—less than a meter wide—and noticed a black, patterned seed blocked in front of a square stone in the water.

She leapt onto the square stone and fished out the small seed trapped before it.

It must also be a Sharotree seed.

But while all other Sharotree seeds were dark brown, this one was black. Not only black—its shell was speckled with tiny gray-white patterns.

In Su Jin’s view, this was a weird little seed.

She casually tossed it into Xiao Wu Tian.

After all, Jin Tong Wood was there—Jin Tong Wood would know whether this seed could grow or not.

After tossing the seed, Su Jin continued leaping across stones to cross the stream, then resumed practicing on the Sharotrees.

Thanks to Su Jin’s diligence and persistence, before lunch, she had mastered wood essence extraction.

But she still needed more practice to reach minor proficiency.

At lunchtime, An Qian and Su Hanlin returned with many forest mushrooms, carrying four enormous baskets and two massive backpacks.

They looked less like cultivators practicing wood essence extraction and more like professional mushroom suppliers.

Su Jian caught a rabbit and a mountain chicken, and with the food they’d brought, they had more than enough for a hearty meal.

?? Hehe, I forgot the previous selling price—thanks to everyone for reminding me; I’ve adjusted it. But I still raised the price of the ten-jin jars sold to Su Wuji to forty spirit stones—a fourfold increase. Because Su Jian isn’t a child; he wouldn’t let Su Jin lose out by making ten jin of Bingchen Dew for just over one spirit stone, especially when its quality is so outstanding. He’d definitely raise the price.