"Is this Fire Sun Grass? Only one plant?" Zhou Hanhe asked.
He nearly blurted out that he would take it to Senior Sister Mo to test later, but caught himself just in time—this wasn’t something to be consumed carelessly.
However, distinguishing between Blazing Fire Grass and Fire Sun Grass with the naked eye was indeed difficult, requiring the expertise of a seasoned spirit herb cultivator or alchemist.
"Only one. The rest were mistaken for Blazing Fire Grass and burned," Li Chuan replied.
Hearing this, Zhou Hanhe, who had initially been certain it was Fire Sun Grass, now wavered in his judgment.
At the same time, he felt slightly better. If Li Chuan had actually produced a whole batch of Fire Sun Grass, he would have been consumed with envy.
"Then we’ll settle the payment first. If it turns out not to be Fire Sun Grass after verification in the alchemy hall, we’ll come back to you," he said.
This was one of the advantages of a major sect like the Yin-Yang Sect. Smaller sects would verify first before payment, but the Yin-Yang Sect didn’t bother with such formalities.
It was the same with hunting missions—disciples could claim their rewards immediately upon declaring the task completed.
Of course, if it was later discovered that the mission hadn’t actually been completed and the reward had been fraudulently obtained, the consequences would be severe. No one was foolish enough to try it.
"100 Spirit Stones and 100 contribution points. Anything else?" Zhou Hanhe asked.
"Yes." Li Chuan produced a clump of Spirit-Siphoning Grass.
"What in the world is this?" Zhao Mingxuan glanced at it, frowned in confusion, and turned to Zhou Hanhe for answers.
But even Zhou Hanhe didn’t recognize it.
"What is this?" he asked directly.
Li Chuan replied, "Spirit-Siphoning Grass."
He deliberately didn’t mention the Spirit-Siphoning Root, as it was an exceedingly rare material. Its properties weren’t widely known, and he had no intention of spreading that knowledge.
It was a simple principle—the more cultivators who knew about its unique traits, the slimmer his chances of encountering it again in the future.
He wasn’t about to do anyone any favors.
"Spirit-Siphoning Grass? What’s it used for?" Zhou Hanhe asked, puzzled.
He didn’t feel embarrassed about not recognizing it.
Li Chuan explained, "Spirit-Siphoning Grass is an excellent supplementary herb for alchemy. It can improve the success rate and quality of pills. You can have Senior Sister Mo take a look."
"Senior Sister Mo isn’t here right now. I’ll show her later," Zhou Hanhe said, pulling out a thick book and flipping through it.
He went straight to the back and quickly found the entry.
"Spirit-Siphoning Grass—no fixed shape, roots resembling fine threads. After removing the plant body, the root is valued at 10,000 Spirit Stones and 10,000 contribution points per pound."
As Zhou Hanhe read aloud, both Zhao Mingxuan and Hu Min gasped in shock.
Li Chuan couldn’t help but smile. He knew it was valuable, but he hadn’t been sure of the exact price.
If the Yin-Yang Sect was willing to pay 10,000 Spirit Stones per pound, then outside, it would fetch at least 20,000. Truly a rare treasure.
Zhou Hanhe hastily picked up the Spirit-Siphoning Grass, sliced off the plant body with a swift motion, and weighed the remaining root in his palm.
"Half a pound—that’s 5,000 Spirit Stones and 5,000 contribution points," he said through gritted teeth.
Unnoticed by anyone, his eyes had already turned bloodshot.
Hu Min’s chest rose and fell rapidly. A single plant like this would allow her to focus on cultivation for ten years without needing to take on missions.
Unfortunately, it had nothing to do with her.
"Congratulations, Junior Brother Li Chuan," Zhao Mingxuan said with a forced smile.
Though his words were polite, they were far from sincere. He couldn’t help but resent Li Chuan’s incredible luck.
Seeing that Zhou Hanhe had been standing frozen, staring intently at the Spirit-Siphoning Root in his palm, Li Chuan casually tossed the recently severed protective grass onto it and reminded him, "Senior Brother Zhou, if there are no issues, let’s settle the payment."
Zhao Mingxuan nudged Zhou Hanhe as well.
Zhou Hanhe snapped out of his daze and said to Li Chuan, "I don’t have that many Spirit Stones on hand. I’ll need to fetch them from Senior Sister Mo. Wait here."
He placed the Spirit-Siphoning Root on the table and hurried off.
Meanwhile, the Spirit-Siphoning Root and the protective grass had already reconnected.
Though the Spirit-Siphoning Root could attach itself to any plant body, it couldn’t remain headless for long. Without a connected part, the spiritual energy within its roots would gradually dissipate. Li Chuan’s seemingly casual toss had actually been a deliberate move to preserve its energy.
After Zhou Hanhe left, Hu Min’s expression softened as she turned to Li Chuan. "Junior Brother, where did you find this?"
Li Chuan smiled. "In the No. 1 Minor Realm. May I ask how I should address you, Senior Sister?"
Ever since his encounter with Chu Mengyou and the senior sister who had mocked him, Li Chuan’s first thought upon meeting any beautiful cultivator was whether he could form a celestial bond with her.
Whether possible or not, it never hurt to ask.
Before Hu Min could answer, Zhao Mingxuan cut in, "This is Senior Sister Hu Min, Senior Brother Zhou’s dao companion. Junior Brother Li Chuan, your knowledge of spirit herbs is truly eye-opening. Even if this so-called Spirit-Siphoning Grass were right in front of me, I wouldn’t recognize it. You’ve earned those Spirit Stones fair and square."
Hu Min said in surprise, "The No. 1 Minor Realm actually has such treasures? If other spirit herb cultivators knew, they’d be filled with regret. I wonder how many of them would even recognize it."
"Junior Brother, you must have joined the Yin-Yang Sect not long ago. Where did you cultivate before?"
She seized the opportunity to strike up a conversation with Li Chuan.
Li Chuan didn’t hide anything—his background had been recorded in detail when he joined the sect.
Besides, chatting intimately with another man’s dao companion had its own thrill. He enjoyed the way she deliberately flattered him, trying to pry information from him.
The two of them laughed and chatted, much to Zhao Mingxuan’s agitation. He looked as though his own wife was about to be stolen away.
In truth, he was worried that Hu Min would grow too close to Li Chuan and end up benefiting from his newfound wealth.
Seeing someone close to him strike it rich was even more unbearable than having nothing himself.
"Senior Sister Mo."
"Senior Sister Mo."
Soon, greetings echoed through the hall as the task pavilion’s manager, Senior Sister Mo Xiangling, finally arrived.
Zhao Mingxuan quickly nudged Li Chuan. "Senior Sister Mo is here."
But Li Chuan didn’t need the reminder—his gaze had already snapped toward the entrance the moment the greetings began.
At the hall’s entrance, Zhou Hanhe walked in alongside a woman with an icy demeanor.
Her face was a perfect oval, framed by delicate willow-leaf eyebrows. The slight upward tilt of her eyes carried a hint of allure, though it was overshadowed by her frosty indifference.
Her nose was straight, her lips small and cherry-like, and her breathtakingly beautiful face bore an air of faint arrogance.
She wore a black, form-fitting robe, simple yet elegant, accentuating her slender figure.
Embedded in the black sash around her waist were several striking gemstones, seemingly arranged in a formation that drew the eye.
No wonder she was ranked among the top ten most beautiful cultivators in the Qi Refining stage. In terms of grace, bearing, and beauty, she was every bit Chu Mengyou’s equal—enough to make anyone’s heart race at the sight of her.