What was with these crazy animals?

Baiyun continued to run, shaking the rabbit off his leg. But the others were simply too fast! A few of them overtook him and slowed their hops, until they ran alongside him.

Finally, he gave up and slowed to a jog. It didn't seem like the rabbits were hostile, but he could guess what they wanted.

It was because he offered them food earlier! Now, they would endlessly hound until he gave what they wanted. Baiyun decided to ignore them for now, hoping they'd grow bored eventually. It wasn't as if he could shake them off.

Suddenly, a gentle breeze rustled the grass. In the distance, the tip of a crimson herb revealed itself. Baiyun's eyes widened as he ran towards it. It was a herb with fire essence!

But the rabbits rushed past him with a red glint in their eyes, snatching the herb away before his very eyes.

Baiyun's eyes twitched as the muscular rabbit hopped up to him, chewing the herb brazenly. It was taunting him!

Tsk.

He walked faster and faster down the mountain but the rabbits were relentless. Anything he took interest in would be devoured, even nuts and fungi. He suspected if he tried to grab a squirrel or a bird instead, even they wouldn't be spared.

Baiyun tried to see if he could fool them by grabbing ordinary grass or twigs, but the rabbits stared at him as if he were an idiot. A vein bulged on his forehead.

He decided it was time to leave. There was little point to staying any longer if the rabbits would snatch everything of value.

Herb after herb around him was consumed, but Baiyun closed his twitching eyes. This was nothing to the "invincible" dao heart of an elder.

But just as he thought that, a peculiar scent made him freeze.

A large mushroom the size of a fist grew from the roots of a tree, a squirrel sitting atop it. The little animal pulled off a small piece of fungus and nibbled on it, a strange white shimmer diffusing into the air.

Goldlight essence.

That mushroom was an actual spirit fungus! Baiyun's eyes hardened as he pulled a pitchfork out of his bag. No more would he show mercy, he needed to grab it at all cost. It was time to show the rabbits the consequence of their actions.

The rabbits grew serious as well, straightening their ears. They stared at each other silently, sparks almost flying between their eyes. The squirrel wisely decided to flee.

"Stop! That's enough."

A voice boomed through the forest. Were it a second slower, a fight would have already broken out.

Guan Qiang leapt high in the air and landed before them with his arms crossed. Baiyun put away his pitchfork and the rabbits bowed respectfully.

It seemed the elder had been following them in secret, likely tipped off by the wood spirit. First the earth spirit and now him... Baiyun thought to himself that it truly was hard to do anything in secret within the WanLing sect.

"Baiyun! You have a lot of audacity to comb my mountain for treasures!"

The man waved at the rabbits, shooing them away.

"Sorry, elder!" Baiyun bowed.

He was a little uneasy, but the elder didn't sound all that angry despite his words.

"Pass me your bag."

Baiyun handed his bag over meekly and let Guan Qiang look through it. Finally, the burly man tossed it back, laughing.

"If you have the time to pick useless weeds, then use that time to train!" he slapped Baiyun's shoulders. "As a servant, you need to train harder than anyone to catch up. What do you think you’re doing playing around?"

Baiyun held back a frown. If it wasn’t for his status in this life, he would be lecturing the musclehead about how spirit herbs weren’t the only useful ones.

Even if mortal herbs had mild effects, their property of being practically free was no small merit. The mass production of cheap pills was built on the back of such herbs!

Guan Qiang walked over to the mushroom and squatted down to pick it up.

"Out of all the garbage you found, this is the only one with spirit," he said. "Baiyun, if you want to find and gather valuable herbs, you need qi sense. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"Yes! I should go back to training instead of wasting my time!" Baiyun saluted.

The elder laughed.

"Hah, what's with that gesture?" he said. "Anyway, be more careful next time. I might not mind you looking through my land, but other elders might not take to it as kindly."

"Yes, elder!"

Baiyun nodded. So the martial elder was fine with him picking herbs here to some extent... he noted that down.

"Here, take this."

Guan Qiang suddenly tossed 5 square coins into the air. This time, Baiyun was prepared, unlike with the body elixir. He arched his hands through the air and followed the path of the coins, snatching them out of the air without a single one falling to the ground.

The elder smiled.

"Thank you, elder!" Baiyun said in excitement.

"Haha, think of it as a fee for finding the mushroom before that pesky squirrel devoured it! Now, I have something I must attend to."

Guan Qiang waved and headed back up the mountain.

In Baiyun's hands, the tokens suddenly snapped into a neat stack in his hands. He realised their rounded edges were lined with a blackish magnetic metal, an odd gimmick for a coin.

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

He looked at them closer. Each of them had "Copper" (铜) engraved on one face. On their backs, a simple depiction of a pavilion was carved, a logo that represented the WanLing sect.

For the first time in this life, he had gotten his hands on currency! He had no idea how much they were worth, but considering it was Copper, it implied the existence of more valuable coins.

Baiyun paused and thought for a moment.

To think he'd obtain currency so soon! It was unlikely 5 copper tokens were worth much, but he felt like his plans had been moved forward by a week.

He looked around for a good vantage spot and ran to a nearby cliff. Baiyun put a hand over his forehead and squinted into the distance, trying to gauge where the main district of WanLing was.

It didn't take long before he spotted it, with the vantage point the mountain offered, coupled with the tall buildings of the district.

He had visited it before to deliver herb crates, but he had never seen what was behind the city gates. While not explicitly forbidden, it would probably attract a lot of attention if a servant brazenly waltzed into the main district. But he now had Guan Qiang's training attire, he would blend in much better.

Hm. Now that he thought of it, were his servant duties of farming now null due to his apprenticeship? After all, the light spirit didn't deduct his contribution points even after he spent yesterday and today training at the temple instead of tending to herbs.

Baiyun supposed that was something for him to worry about later. Since today was an off-day from training, it was a good opportunity to see the district for himself and see what prices were like.

The WanLing sect's territory was mostly grassland and forest, with only about 10% of the land actually developed. That didn't mean they were struggling; if anything, they owned so much territory, that small percentage was more than enough for their entire population of millions!

An example of that was Baiyun's run from the servant district to Guan Qiang's mountain. In that 40 mins of running, for the most part, the only scenery was endless grassland with the occasional stone paths cutting through.

Most of the sect's developed land was clustered right in the middle of their massive territory, hundreds of thousands of buildings clustered there. This was where most cultivators of the sect lived, and where one would find most of the shops and amenities.

The less developed servant districts were further out into the grasslands, in carefully chosen spots where more qi seeped from the earth. After all, they were in charge of growing spirit herbs.

Baiyun found it amusing that the sect Elders also often lived in outskirts far from the main district. This was because they were wealthy enough to purchase land, so they preferred to build their abodes and clan quarters away from the hustle and bustle. They would also have the freedom of setting up protective formations in such areas, unlike the city where regulations were heavy.

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted as his eyes wandered to a purple fruit in the distance, something the rabbits snatched from him before. This vantage point was also good for herb gathering, it seemed.

Tempting. But perhaps it was best he didn't test Guan Qiang's patience any further.

Baiyun rushed down the mountain and towards the direction of the main district; the grasslands faded into a blur once more.

An hour passed by the time Baiyun arrived, heaving as he stopped close to the main district.

The city was an imposing sight, huge walls surrounding it, with massive open gates that even a giant could walk through. If one were to look closely, the walls were actually solely composed of large cubes of concrete-like material. Whenever the city needed to expand, earth cultivators would simply push them further out and fill the spaces in-between with earth.

Spires and other tall buildings could be seen behind them, some imposing enough to even piece the clouds.

He walked to the closest gate where a guard sat meditating. Sensing a presence, the guard opened his eyes briefly to take a glance, then shut them once more.

Baiyun gave him a quick nod before walking right through the open gate. The guards were mostly there to keep an eye from potential beast attacks, not to ask for identification. It was a little complacent but he wasn't about to complain.

For the first time, he had entered the city.

Before Baiyun could appreciate the sight, he was rudely interrupted by the sound of clanging as a ladle smashed against a pot loudly. A roadside vendor pushed a cart of street food, cupping his hands around his mouth to shout.

"Hot skewers on sale! Only 1 token each!"

In the opposite direction, an old man yelled even louder as he juggled fruits outside of his fruit store, drowning out the other man.

"Spirit fruits on discount! Ripe as they come, get them while they're fresh!"

Baiyun felt an unspeakable feeling as he trudged between the sea of various street carts, weaving between the many disciples milling around. This wasn't what he had imagined the main district would be like.

He quickened his footsteps and headed further into the, eager to the bustle behind him.

If he had to bet on where alchemy workshops would be, he would put his money on the heart of the city. Property like that was much more accessible to the residents here and would be more expensive. And if there was one thing he was certain of, it was the alchemists who had the loaded pockets.

There were other lucrative professions as well, but that was beside the point.

Soon, the annoying street cart vendors were left behind. Baiyun enjoyed the peace and quiet, glad they only congregated at the outer layer of the city. Residential housing was more common now, but he still enjoyed taking quick peeks at the few shops he came across now and then.

Another hour passed as he walked through the quiet streets.

Until at last, he found what he was looking for.

Veiled Garden Alchemy Workshop.

From a set of two-storey black roofed buildings built in the shape of a square, a pleasant herbal scent wafted out. A huge gate was open, showing a garden in the roofless open space behind it.

Baiyun walked in through the doorway to take a closer look. A formation surrounded the garden, conjuring a small transparent dome to protect the herbs within. Only at this distance was it actually visible.

He nodded his head in admiration.

In a city where cultivators lived, the air would be polluted by all sorts of impurities from all sorts of different elements. This was one of the worst possible environments to grow spirit herbs, which were often very delicate. Growers had to be very cautious, sometimes even wearing suits to prevent incompatible qi from their body affecting the plants.

Naturally, not all spirit plants were that sensitive. But it was still no easy task for a herb garden to flourish in a place where thousands of cultivators would pass by daily.

So why go through such trouble for a few meagre herbs?

That was because it was more than a showpiece. It was a message from the workshop to experienced alchemists, to show just how capable they were of handling spirit herbs. It was a masterwork!

Baiyun took another moment to examine the healthy plants, before heading into a door that led into the actual shop. Veiled Garden. He would remember that name.

As he walked in, refreshing cold air washed over him. It was likely just as much for the preservation of medicines as it was for the comfort of the customers. Columns of pills and elixirs were displayed in glass cases and on shelves, but he walked past them and around a corner.

The next turn led to a room full of herbs, stored in similar cases.

Four people dressed in drab green alchemist robes milled around, pondering as they studied the herbs. Baiyun did not take much heed of them, but a young man in his 20s stared at him as he walked to one of the cases. He decided to pretend not to notice.

"Firesoul Fruit, 500 tokens".

Baiyun took a deep breath at the price. It was pretty clear he would have to return at another time, once he had more than pocket change. Still, he wanted to see what the shop had to offer.

A long description explaining the origin of the fruit and its properties was written on the label as well, but he ignored it and pressed his hands into the case, activating divine touch.

His senses travelled through the glass carefully and slightly into the fruit. Despite being fire attributed, it was dominated by soul essences and not very useful to him. Unfortunate.

Baiyun began walking around and examined each of the fire herbs, trying to find a suitable one.

"Hey."

The staring man approached, now a glaring man. Baiyun looked over and his heart sank. This kid was clearly about to pick a fight.

"You foul servant. What are you doing in this dignified place?" the man practically spat under his breath.

Baiyun held back a sigh. He thought the training attire would stop him from drawing attention, but he underestimated the pettiness of people.

"A servant? I'm a disciple of Martial Elder Guan Qiang!" he said. "You call this a refined establishment, so why disgrace it by picking a fight here?"

"A fight? All I'm doing is chasing vermin out." the man scoffed. "You think you can just steal some attire and waltz right in, claiming you're the disciple of an elder? What do you think you're doing, smearing your grimy fingers all over the display cases?"

To the side, the other alchemists turned to watch the commotion.

Baiyun wasn't sure how to deal with the situation so he decided to just walk further into the shop and hoped the man wouldn't follow.