Chapter 239: Harvest

Numerous commoners left one after another, and some who were weak, sick, or even disabled were found by the martial artists, who found some relatively strong people to take them away together.

But after the Daoist and the martial artists left the mountain cave leading to the dungeon, they walked into other caves.

Luo Seng found a list book.

This was the gift list book from before.

On it were written all the people who came to the banquet and sent gifts, not only writing their names and the gifts they sent, but also a general place name.

For example, "Mingxia Du Cheng, one thousand-year-old Heart-Clearing Flower."

And it also used two different pens, black and red.

Luo Seng only took one look and knew that what was recorded in red were the yaoguai who entered the cave to eat at the banquet, and what was recorded in black were the yaoguai who ate outside.

"The handwriting is not bad..."

Luo Seng gave an evaluation, then with a cold face, put this book into his bosom.

There were footsteps behind him.

"Lord Luo!"

A martial artist ran over.

"We found the cave where the yaoguai kept their treasures, so many gold, silver, and jewelry!"

"Is that so?"

"Please follow me!"

Not long after, everyone arrived at a cave.

Lin Jue and Xiao Shimei also arrived here.

They saw that under the reflection of the torches, gold, silver, jewelry, antiques, and artifacts were piled on the ground like ordinary earth and stone, making people dazzled.

Xiao Shimei could not help but have a dull expression.

She thought she had seen the world once in Yixian and once in Yang Family Village outside Runze City, but seeing this scene, she still could not help but be shocked.

Lin Jue had no expression.

The fox walked up and scratched around indiscriminately with its claws.

Other *jianghu* martial artists had different expressions.

Some made a living by exterminating yaoguai and demons, and their goal was wealth, so they were naturally excited.

Some had been harmed by yaoguai and demons and had long since put their heads on their waists; no amount of wealth could make them stop. Since they were fighting yaoguai, they didn't know which day they would die, so no matter how much wealth they had, it was just enough to squander for a good period of time, so they were just happy and not overly excited.

However, no matter how excited they were, they did not make a move to snatch it at the first opportunity, but first called Luo Seng and Lin Jue over.

Luo Seng's stubble was even heavier, his face full of vicissitudes, only cupping his hands to the *jianghu* martial artists:

"Fellow heroes, it was agreed when we came that you fellow heroes risked your lives to come and help, exterminating yaoguai and demons, just like accumulating merit on yourselves, and all the gold, silver, and jewelry obtained will be shared equally by you fellow heroes. There is really no need to call me, Luo, to come and see it again.

"However, since the brothers have given me face and called me over, I, Luo, will say one thing—

"There are many treasures here, and you brothers won't be able to finish filling your chests and pant legs, so let those who are seriously injured and those who contributed the most choose first! As for the two heroes who died, I, Luo, knew them both; their families were eaten by yaoguai and ghosts ten years ago, so there is no need to worry about them; just bury them!"

When everyone heard this, there was a burst of cheers.

Xiao Shimei had originally picked up the Chicken Ji Xianren's horsetail whisk and was holding it in her hand. Hearing Luo Seng say this, she was startled for a moment, her hand loosened, and she threw the horsetail whisk into the pile of gold and silver.

A seriously injured martial artist was pushed out, immediately took off his clothes, lay into the treasure pile, and aimed to grab gold.

His movements were rude and impatient, but he had his own sky-filling heroism.

Everyone watched with envy and impatience.

Then each martial artist stepped forward one by one, laughing loudly; some preferred gold, so they picked gold; some preferred pearls and jade, so they grabbed pearls and jade; some chose last, only able to pack a bundle of silver. In short, everyone was packed full and heavy, and if it weren't for their great strength, they would almost be unable to hold it, like a harvest.

Yet not a single person went to take that horsetail whisk.

Rude martial artists also had hearts.

"Many thanks, Lord Luo! Many thanks, two True Men! If there are such things, just call us!"

"You fellow heroes are too polite!"

Luo Seng also cupped his hands and said to them, pausing, but then said:

"The two high-level experts beside me seem to have some particularities, and I don't know the specifics, fearing it is some twists and turns of Daoist people, which is very troublesome. In short, since you fellow heroes have obtained so much gold, silver, and jewelry, those rewards from the county government are nothing, so please leave them to me, Luo, and the two high-level experts."

"Haha! Why not?"

"Lord Luo is currently wanted by the government; do you want me to go and collect the reward for Lord Luo and send it to Lord Luo's house?"

"There are still many vases and utensils on the ground that can be sold for money; we don't want them, so Lord Luo, don't waste them!"

The numerous heroes had a fruitful harvest and were happy, and they knew that they didn't have the capital to fight the yaoguai king. Being able to have this harvest today was all thanks to Lin Jue and the two of them and Luo Seng defeating the great yaoguai, so how could they not agree?

Then they made an appointment with Luo Seng for a time and place to meet again, and they left one after another.

Only Luo Seng and Lin Jue's group of three remained here.

Many treasures were still left on the ground.

"Cannot waste them."

Luo Seng was heroic before, but at this time he was frugal.

He saw him use his feet to swipe a few times on the ground, ignoring those vases and antiques that might be worth a fortune, only finding many scattered silver pieces that were missed, picking them up one by one, and tucking them into his bosom.

The fox originally liked to dig holes and turn soil; seeing this scene, it hurriedly went to help him search.

Xiao Shimei bent down, picked up the horsetail whisk again, waved it twice, learned from the immortal statues in the Daoist temple, and placed it on her left elbow. Feeling awkward, she held it in her hand to examine it.

"This yaoguai didn't know how many people he harmed and how many boats he overturned here over the years." Luo Seng said, "Every piece picked up is a meal money."

"Lord Luo is truly heroic."

Lin Jue was talking about him letting the other *jianghu* martial artists take most of the gold and silver treasures.

"It's a pity, can't carry it all." Luo Seng shook his head and looked at Lin Jue and Xiao Shimei, "Two Daoists, if you see anything you like, don't be polite, just take it; if you don't take it, it will just go into the pockets of the local corrupt officials."

"There are too many treasures here, but the things we can carry are very limited." Lin Jue said to him, "Compared to these gold and silver treasures, the heavenly materials and earthly treasures hidden by the yaoguai king are more suitable for us."

"Makes sense!"

Luo Seng packed up a small bag of silver.

Xiao Shimei was still examining the horsetail whisk in her hand.

Lin Jue originally didn't intend to take anything, but his peripheral vision caught his fox playing among a pile of antiques, casually pushing out a crystal cup.

The crystal cup was nothing special, just transparent, but it made Lin Jue stare for a moment.

In this day and age, such cups were rare.

Lin Jue couldn't help but smile and went over to pick it up.

"I'll take this."

He didn't know how valuable it was in this day and age; anyway, he was happy to see it, keeping it for his own use, so he didn't care how valuable it was.

The three of them walked out of this cave and went elsewhere.

The Long Wang indeed had many good things.

The *shixiong* and *shimei* immediately summoned the paper donkeys, found several cloth bags, first received the "Wish-Fulfilling Alchemy Furnace" in the alchemy room to its smallest size, put it into a cloth bag, and found the Long Wang's treasure vault.

What came into view was a very large cave, with something shining in the stone wall on the ceiling, making the cave have faint light at all times.

The four walls were chiseled into many small squares, inside which were placed rough small wooden boxes; the things stored here were probably what the yaoguai thought were more valuable, or what the Long Wang liked more.

There were also many boxes piled on the ground; it was also possible that there were too many to fit.

Just as the martial artists could not completely take away the gold and silver treasures accumulated by the Long Wang, Lin Jue and Xiao Shimei could not completely take away the heavenly materials and earthly treasures accumulated by the Long Wang over the years, even with two donkeys, and even with three horses outside that had lost their masters.

Therefore, the two had to carefully select.

Some of these heavenly materials and earthly treasures had been collected by the Long Wang for too long, and the methods used to seal the spiritual rhyme were too simple and rough, so the spiritual rhyme of many heavenly materials and earthly treasures had gradually dissipated, and even completely lost their spiritual rhyme; this category could naturally be directly excluded, which made the selection simpler.

In addition, they were selected according to needs.

Previously, when refining pills for the Long Wang, Lin Jue had seen some spiritual wood, so now he naturally found it again.

Not only did he find it, but he also found more.

Naturally, there was another comparison, picking the ones with the most spiritual rhyme, the ones whose properties were estimated to be most suitable for making bean soldiers, and cutting them into suitable lengths according to experience, putting them into cloth bags.

Taking more had no meaning—

He had already taken the best spiritual wood, and when he finished using these good spiritual woods, he would naturally encounter better ones, and those relatively inferior spiritual woods would just be left here.

"Ying!"

The fox called out.

Lin Jue went over to look and was startled again.

In front of the fox was a box of various "stones," different in shape, and even different in color, but he recognized them at a glance; they were spiritual gold ores nurtured by heaven and earth.

Although they were all naturally formed spiritual gold, some were rough and primitive, but most had plenty of spiritual rhyme; with a little forging, using them as weapons and armor for bean soldiers would be more than enough.

Lin Jue couldn't help but pick them up to check.

A lump of silvery-white spiritual gold, heavy and hard;

A square lump of gray spiritual gold, chilling to the bone.

A slightly reddish lump of stone, appearing no different from ordinary metal, yet hot to the touch, with a hint of fire faintly seeping from within.

"Good stuff!"

These few were all very suitable for use as weapons and armor for bean soldiers.

Lin Jue immediately put them into the cloth bag.

"Third Shixiong!"

Xiao Shimei's voice came from the side: "What is this? Such a familiar feeling."

"Wood essence! Also good stuff!" Lin Jue said after checking, "Look for earth essence; you can use it!"

"Good!"

The two people and one fox all chose extremely seriously.

Luo Seng yawned on the side, pulling the cloth bag for them when he had time, or shaking it, mentioning it to the side.

Gradually, several cloth bags were also filled.

When the three people and one fox walked out of the sinkhole, they had already led two donkeys and three horses; whether on the donkeys' backs or the horses' backs, they were loaded with many things, which could be called a full harvest.

Passing through the pear blossom forest, they arrived at the ancient ferry.

That boat was still parked here, swaying with the waves, without any yaoguai stealing it.

"Do you still want this boat?"

"What a good boat, leaving it here is too wasteful, take it back and sell it."

"That works! Then I will lead the three horses back, and the two Daoists will row this boat back." Luo Seng led the three horses and said, "Not selling it is also fine; this river can reach the capital. Didn't you hear before that the two Daoists are going to the capital? Water routes are always easier to walk than land routes."

"We'll see."

Lin Jue nodded.

"See you at the thatched cottage."

"See you at the thatched cottage."

The three of them performed a salute to each other and left separately.

Luo Seng and the three horses soon disappeared on the small path by the bank, and the sound of hoofbeats also went far away.

Lin Jue washed his hands by the river, untied the rope tethering the boat, summoned the donkeys back, moved the things onto the boat, and jumped onto the boat with Xiao Shimei and the fox.

The oar pushed off the bank, and the boat sailed into the river.

Lin Jue pondered while rowing the boat.

This harvest was extremely rich, and the biggest harvest was naturally that two-*liang* top-grade golden essence.

This was a top-tier heavenly material and earthly treasure.

With this golden essence, not only could his flying swords and long sword be greatly strengthened, but one portion of the materials for the Four Directions Five Elements Golden Core had also been replenished.

The materials for the Four Directions Five Elements Golden Core were numerous; it seemed he had only gathered one, but his merit was continuously accumulating, and his method of gathering had also improved. It was just that he had been focusing on practicing the Dao of fighting for the past few months and had temporarily put it down. Now that he had defeated the Long Wang, he naturally had to pick it up again, and the so-called East Sea Morning Glow Qi, West Region Evening Glow Light, as long as his attainment in the gathering method improved, could be obtained with a wave of his hand.

It was just a matter of running a trip to the East Sea and the West Region.

The South Mountain Stone and North Leopard Spring also had fixed locations; he thought obtaining them would not be difficult.

Although a thousand *liang* of gold was a lot, there was always a way.

At the Long Wang's place today, he estimated there were also a thousand *liang*, right?

What was truly lacking now were just the three things: thousand-year snow lotus, earth spirit pill, and swallow egg incense.

Lin Jue was already very satisfied.

He had a feeling of natural and steady progress.

Plus the spiritual gold and spiritual wood he obtained, it was at least enough to carve twenty or thirty bean soldiers; the heavenly materials and earthly treasures he obtained were also enough to refine many rare pills. Luo Seng was generous and left the rewards from several county governments to him; accumulating them was enough to feed the silver-eating ghost for two or three months.

In this way, it could be foreseen that in the next few months, his cultivation and abilities would definitely improve a lot.

Xiao Shimei was obviously the same—

The pills he refined should have a share for her.

Lin Jue glanced at Xiao Shimei, and at this time, she was holding the Chicken Ji Xianren's horsetail whisk, like a child who had obtained a new toy, standing on the boat and waving it randomly. ===== CHAPTER 240 =====