(Bu Cai POV)

Hmmmm

Seems like he suspects, I have something more than a 'hobby' for herbs.

Although I have to say, he is really quite good with his words, he is still too green to catch me off guard.

I continue to smile amicably, and say to him,

"I cannot believe you would do something like this for me! As someone without many good brothers, I must say I am quite touched, however i cannot accept this for free even though I have a hobby, this is due to this plant being rather rare in a sense."

His tense shoulders relax at my words and he lightly sighs.

Do you really think I would shoot myself in the foot and expose myself so easily to you?

As expected from a brainless murderhobo Xianxia Protagonist.

He then looks at me curiously and asks in a genuinely intrigued tone,

"If you insist on doing so then I cannot disrespect you any longer by offering this for free, however i am quite mystified by what you mean this herb is 'rare in a sense' and how does brother Bu have such knowledge?"

Hehehe, Hook, Line, and Sinker.

I then respond in a more serious tone, as if I was truly someone interested in plants,

"As you know, I have a slight interest in herbs that seem old or unusual, this is due to me finding it something quite mystifying how these simple herbs have lived for so long, and whether they could have any uses that could have been used by ancestors in the past which could have great benefit to aspiring cultivators such as you and myself. Sadly this has been but a mere hope as nothing substantial has been found however I do now have some general knowledge which, although rather useless, Is in fact quite interesting in itself."

I Continued saying,

"For example, to my knowledge the herb in your hand is the a, 3 Tailed Grass, This particular type of grass is relatively useless; However is great for fertilisation of crops and feeding certain animals, It also used to be the staple food of a, Grand Blue Swan."

After finishing, Long Tian looks at me and asks confusedly,

"If it is such a useless grass, why have you told me it is rare, surely you aren't trying to play me for a fool, Brother Bu."

Nice.

Now that I have pulled his attention off all the garbage I have just spat out my mouth and also made him slightly provoked, i can easily manipulate him now.

I hurriedly say to him,

"Patience is key my good brother, I am just about to get onto that."

I then take a small pause, then continue talking to the three of them, with an excited tone,

"Although this may not mean much to a steadfast cultivator like you, To me this herb is quite rare as you can see that the 3 segments which gave rise to the name 3 tailed grass are all different colour which is very different from the usual ones I have seen!"

"This is truly fascinating as it could be a mutated variety which can be tested with animals or crops, and through that i could make said animal or crop be slightly more nutritious or the animal may have more fat contents!"

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Through experimentation I can further my understanding of plant variations and help with my journey of possibly making a plant variation which could supposedly help both commoners and noblemen in a small proportion"

Sadly i didn't have many samples of older herbs with variation so up till know I couldn't conduct research but now It could be possible."

"Hence the reason i said 'Rare in a sense' as it is very good experimental material to me and is rare, however to someone who doesn't delve into herbs, this could be quite useless."

After looking quite persuaded by my answer and after understanding that it is logical, he says with some disappointment,

"You do have a point Brother Bu, however I do want to ask, since you aren't taking it from me as a gift, what would you trade for it, as trades are of even value."

This dumbass.

He is now thinking that he will try to scam me out of a high price, due to me being lost in excitement over a thing that can fuel my 'Hobby' and telling him it means a lot to me."

Although it is a good course of action, this is only if what i was saying is true, and he is brain dead for believing me again, even after all the red flags i have raised due to thinking I can avoid plot, truly a template Xianxia protagonist.

I continue the facade of being an interested scholar and say whilst nodding,

"Of Course, Of course, Brother; As it is truly something important for me to fuel my hobby, I will offer you a herb I have found which has a very interesting effect."

"It's aroma when burned can calm down worn down and tense muscles after training, Although such a herb cannot let you instantly start more training, It can make you feel more refreshed and allow you to recover faster. I have only gotten a few over my stay here, however I can guarantee that If the effects are publicised, It will make many young masters who are building their foundations want it for themselves."

Seeing his eyes light up, probably from the fact that he can get access to a herb that can increase his training time and make it more effective, I can't help but laugh inside due to the fact that i could actually come up with such a great solution to this.

As a Template protagonist, what does he do best?

Get Heavenly beauties.

Ok, But something that is more in this context.

...Grab random herbs that are in fact heavenly treasures?

No!

He trains like a fucking maniac, that is what he does best.

So if such a person finds out something can help him to train for longer under better conditions, He would definitely do his utmost to get his hands on it...

HEHEHEHE.

And there you have it, Due to exploiting the weaknesses in his personality and character, as well as taking advantage of the fact that he is young (I Promise you, This is not what it sounds like),

I have successfully traded some Slightly useful E grade herb, For a God like a Rank-Herb.

Thank the lords that I had some experience in the marketing and sales departments...

After I got my hands on it, I quickly Said goodbye and rushed off back to the inn so that i can make sure I get this into my body as soon as possible. Lest some other troubles get in my way.

...

(Inn, Bu Cai's Room)

Bu Cai is siting in a lotus position with his eyes tightly shut, His body is covered in a black gunk that is constantly dripping out from his pores and onto the wooden floor.

His body is trembling intensely and some cracking sounds can be heard from the bones being refined.

Currently Bu Cai himself is in intense pain however he has experienced A lot of pain throughout his time here as well as the fact that he is very resolute once he puts his mind to it. Therefore this hellish pain is something Bu Cai Can persevere through.

As the sun falls into dusk, Bu Cai's body stops being modified and refined and after it is truly finished, Bu Cai Instantly flops onto the ground and lies down.

After a couple of intense breaths and some recovery time, he finally opens his eyes.

The first thing that assaults his eyes is an intense light which makes him squint his eyes.

This isn't actually from intense light, It is in fact due to his vision becoming more defined hence perceiving things more vividly.

He soon gets accustomed to the light and looks down at his body, only to see himself covered in mucky and thick black goo, and that the floor around him is also covered in it.

He quickly gets up so thta he can get into a bath and clean up this mess, however this is a mistake.

As soon as he gets up, he accidentally hits head of the ceiling due to using too much power when getting up...

He then understands that he has gotten much stronger, and takes everything slowly and carefull-

As he opens the bathroom door and accidentally pulls off the door.

Controlling the annoyance he is starting to feel from this, he puts the door down gently and walks in.

After that nothing else really happened, other than making a couple holes in the wall; But nothing money can't fix.

He then calmly cleans everything up, does a few exercises to get used to controlling his new body.

And then gets onto his fluffy and cozy bed so that he can prepare for a new day.

Sadly that doesn't seem to go well either as...

The bed broke aswell.